During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Holiland grabbed the attention of Potterheads all around the country with their Harry Potter-themed mooncakes. For RMB 289 or RMB 589 you could get a set of mooncakes shaped like the Monster Book of Monsters.

By the looks of it the mooncakes were a sensational hit because recently Holiland came out with a whole new collection of cakes that are sure to excite every Potterhead. The new Harry Potter cakes series features five iconic cakes.

1. The Daily Prophet chocolate cookie cake for RMB 299 looks like a stack of the Wizarding newspaper with the famous headline “The Boy Who Lived.”

2. The Hogwarts Castle cake is a night scene of the famous school adorned with the Great Hall’s floating white candles for RMB 289. Perfect for a Potterhead’s birthday.

3. Instead of cupcakes, Holiland has created a mini cake of the most iconic cake in the entire Harry Potter series – the one that Hagrid made for Harry for this 13th birthday. The small raspberry and chocolate cookie-flavored cake is just RMB 22, and looks exactly like the one from the first book – spelling errors, cracks and all.

4. Then for the daring foodies, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans is a series of five pastries for RMB 28, each with its own unique flavor. There’s cough syrup, mustard, spearmint toothpaste, durian, and vomit. Good luck…

5. Then finally, bringing the latest collection to a close is the Deathly Hallows Bread.

Everything from the design, to the flavor, to the packaging is beautiful, down to the last detail. The box looks like it’s wrapped in The Daily Prophet, with a few iconic headlines from the latter part of the Harry Potter series. For those wishing to gift a set to a friend or foe, they’ve also created a pop-up Hogwarts castle gift card that’s a collectible all on its own.

If you can’t make it to your local Holiland bakery, their cakes are also available on Holiland’s JD and Taobao stores. Scan the QR code below to check them out.

KEEP READING: Harry Potter Fans Rejoice! The Most Unique Mooncakes This Season

Images: Holiland, Pexels

Ah, China. Where my toothpaste tastes of tea, and my shampoo is minty…

I have never seen a more disappointed face than my then nine-year-old’s when he bit into his ice lolly to discover that it was durian flavor. But all China expats know the feeling. Red bean is the worst offender, lurking at the center of cakes, pretending to be chocolate, but there are other unexpected tastes to be encountered by the unwary. Pea-flavored ice cream? Blueberry pizza? Mung bean popsicles? You’ve got it.

In part this stems from the days when China was less open to the world, and chocolate imports were negligible. Candy and desserts were made with locally-grown products instead. Mainly though it’s just a cultural thing. There’s no objective reason why toothpaste should taste of mint, and pineapple on a pizza is as much of an outrage as blueberries. Many would argue that we should open our minds to a broader palette of flavors, and learn to love that jackfruit.

However if you’ve got kids, then good luck persuading them that red bean is better than chocolate, or to brush their teeth with green tea paste. We learn to dislike flavors when they arrive unexpectedly, our bodies concluding that if it doesn’t taste like it should it must be bad. And we’re most vulnerable to getting the wrong thing when we’ve recently arrived, struggling to read labels and to adjust to a new environment. This is when kids can take a violent dislike to a flavor they might learn to love if it was introduced carefully instead of coming as a disappointment. So here’s a guide for China newbies on some of the taste traps to avoid.

Red bean paste – 红豆沙 – hóng dòu shā

This isn’t too hard to learn. Look at the middle character, dòu. It looks like a bean! Well, kind of. If you squint.Hóng means red – you’ll hear a lot of talk about hóng bāo, the red envelopes given as gifts or as, erm, financial incentives. The character’s a bit trickier, but not impossible. Like a lot of Chinese characters, it has two parts, one suggesting the meaning, the other the sound. The squiggle on the left means, roughly, “writing”, and is included in most colors. The other part, 工 gōng, is he pronunciation (gong, hong… who’s counting?). It means “work”, looks like a hammer, sort of, and sounds like the ringing of a hammer on an anvil. If you can’t read the packaging, or there is none, then you can ask:

yǒu hóng dòu shā ma?

The answer will either be yǒu (“yes, it does”) or méi yǒu (“no, it doesn’t”).

Chocolate – 巧克力 – qiǎo kè lì

This is easier to say, because it’s a “loanword”; it sounds like “chocolate”. (Chinese ideas of what sounds like what can be baffling. May 20 is one of many “Chinese Valentine’s Days” because “5-20” wǔ èr líng sounds like “I love you” wǒ ài nǐ. NO IT DOESN’T.) The characters are harder, but it might help to think that 克 kè looks a bit like a key, and 力 lì means strength, and looks a bit like someone flexing their muscles. Again, you can ask:

yǒu qiǎo kè lì ma?

Yǒu means “have”, and ma makes it a question.

Tea – 茶 – chá

The sound is easy to remember if you’re from Britain, where “a cup of char” has long been slang for what we too consider our national beverage. Unlike Brits though, the Chinese put tea in everything, including desserts and toothpaste. The character’s not too hard. The line across the top, with two smaller lines cutting it, indicates a plant.The arrow shape underneath resembles a tea leaf.

The “spearhead” shape of tea leaves is imitated in the Chinese character

Mint – 薄荷 – bò he

Mint isn’t much used in Chinese cooking, and you won’t find it in most supermarkets. So it must taste like an exotic and challenging ingredient. You can find it in toothpaste though, due to western influence. The first character is a really tough one to remember (though see the “plant” lines over both characters?) You only really need to remember the second one though. I don’t know any mnemonics for it, but it’s derived from the hugely important character 可 kě, part of the ubiquitous phrase 可以 kě yǐ, meaning to be allowed to do something. If you learn only one word of Chinese this might be the most useful:

kě yǐ ma? (Can I? Is it OK?) kě yǐ. (OK)

So there you have it. We encourage you to introduce your kids to the new world of flavors available in China, but when they know what’s coming, and are open to it. That durian ice lolly? It went in the bin, and we got him a strawberry one instead.

Photos: chooyutshing, Florin Gorgan via Wikimedia Commons

Pauline van Hasselt (pictured right) has worked successfully as a chef for 15 years and is passionate about cooking and eating food. Beijing surprised her with a new career writing for beijingkids, but the culinary world is never far away. Van Hasselt is on a mission to find hidden gems of home cooks in this vibrant city of Beijing.

Now we won’t lie, we wish we created these cakes, but we did not. We found this mad skilled home baker and mother, Tessa Veitch. She has been baking and honing her skills for the last two years. The base of both cakes are actually very easy and basic; the rest, however, does require some baking skills.

You can start with learning how to make a basic sponge cake and slowly practice all year, and maybe by next Valentine’s Day; you will be good enough to make both of these delicious cakes, or something equally decadent. The pink Valentine’s cake oozes love, but by far our favorite was the S’mores Sponge Cake. This one takes us back to those star-filled nights and sitting around fires on camping trips.

Basic Sponge Recipe

This all-in-one recipe is dummy-proof. The ingredients listed below give enough batter for two 8’’ cake tins. The weights can easily be lowered or raised depending on the tin size in your cupboard.

Ingredients

Sponge mix
– 225g plain flour sifted
– 225g fine sugar
– 225g butter, at room temperature
– 225g eggs (roughly 4-5 eggs), at room temperature
– 2 ½ tsp baking powder

Filling
– Jam of choice
– Fresh whipped cream or buttercream frosting

Buttercream frosting
– 100g butter, room temperature
– 250g icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
– Splash of full-fat milk

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
2. Grease two 8” cake tins by smearing a small amount of butter all over the bottom and sides. Line the bottom of the tins with a circle of baking paper (do not use wax paper- it can melt in the oven).
3. Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl- using a hand mixer/electric whisk on slow, beat the ingredients until they are all combined. Then turn the speed up and beat well for several minutes until the batter is light and smooth.
4. Divide the batter between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked and has a golden color. (Test the cake by poking it in the center with a toothpick. If it comes out clean- without any trace of wet batter- the cake is done.)
5. After 5-10 minutes, remove the cakes from the tins and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
6. Whip the cream or beat the buttercream ingredients to create the frosting.
7. You may wish to level off the top of the sponge if it has domed while cooking- otherwise, your filling might slide right out! Spread a layer of cream or frosting on the top of one cake and jam on the bottom of the other. Sandwich together and enjoy!

Valentine’s Day ‘Love’ Cake

Raspberry sponge, white chocolate ganache and raspberry curd filling, vanilla buttercream frosting, French macarons, fondant hand-modeled rose, white chocolate heart, fresh raspberries.

S’mores Layer Sponge

Whole wheat sponge, chocolate sponge, dark chocolate ganache and marshmallow frosting fillings, dark chocolate ganache drip, toasted marshmallows, whole wheat biscuits (graham crackers or another equivalent).

French Macarons

– 65g ground almonds
– 65g icing (confectioners’) sugar
– Two egg whites
– 45g extra fine sugar (blitz in a food processor if necessary)
– Food coloring of your choice (gel or paste- do not use liquid colorings)

Steps
1. Sift the almonds and icing sugar together and mix well.
2. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks then add the sugar one spoon at a time, whisking well in between each addition.
3. Add a small amount of coloring until the desired color is reached.
4. Continue to whisk until the eggs form stiff peaks.
5. Gently fold in one-third of the almond/sugar into the egg white mixture until combined. Continue to fold in the rest of the almond and sugar until fully combined and the mixture runs off the spatula like lava.
6. Pipe the batter into ¾ inch circles 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Tap the sheet firmly against the counter to release any air bubbles.
7. Let the piped batter stand for 30 minutes until they form a skin.
8. Preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius and bake for 12-14 minutes until macarons are risen and set.
9. Once cooled pipe a small amount of chosen filling- buttercream, ganache, curd, etc.- onto the back of one macaron and sandwich with another.

Photos: Dave’s Studio
This article appeared on p24-26 of beijingkids February 2018 issue.

We are continuing our comprehensive list of WeChat contacts you need to follow. We all know that there is literally no limit to what you can find through this essential app, but here a couple of our favorites that we think you should know. So without further ado, here’s part two!

Cheese

Got some cheese cravings? This guy delivers cheese to your door. Free shipping on orders above RMB 299. Add him on WeChat: CheeseGouvernor

Bakeshop

This shop bakes delicious bread, bagels, and cookies. We have to say that their chocolate cookies are to die for. Add them on WeChat: thebakeshop

Post Cards

I have seen many self made cards but MoniKards makes the cutest ones in town. For some original mail make sure to add her on WeChat: Mnka_LeBrn

Dresses

Need a fabulous dress for a gala? This lady has the goods. Have a look in her shop and try on some wedding gowns while you are there. Add her on WeChat: 532667243

Tours

Do you have family coming over that want to see the sights? Don’t want to join them? Or you have yet to see the wall. Mister Dong is not cheap but he speaks great English and is very pleasant to spend the day with. Add him on WeChat: Tom105780102

Books

This is one of my favorite stores, featuring kids books galore and there are always special deals for multi buys. Perfect for gifts and story time. Add on WeChat: dianayi2009

Cakes

I have tried and tested this amazing bakery and their celebration cakes are masterpieces that look amazing. Add on WeChat: forcakecom

Water

Feeling thirsty? This water company had great and most importantly safe water for adults and babies. Need some boxed MaiAqua water? Add them on WeChat: maiaquaservice

Wax

Don’t feel like leaving your home with a mustache? This lady comes to your home and takes away all of your unwanted hair. She is fast and clean. Add her on WeChat: anniewax111

TCM

My first Traditional Chinese Medicine session was with Shelley and she is great. I have even returned often since. She speaks English and her expertise comes highly recommended in the expat community. Add her on WeChat: 13439386197

Hair Dresser

Again a very highly recommended contact in the expat community. This hair expert is not only a joy to be with but does wonders with your hair. She sure fixed mine after I had done a bad job trying to do it myself. Add Pamela on WeChat: kassydihairstyle

Shunyi Sausage

Live in the Shunyi area and need some sausage and other meats? Balmain Gourmet delivers, and meats even arrive in a box with cold packs to keep it fresh. Add on WeChat: 18600039708

Hats

We are blessed with a famous hat lady that resides in Beijing. She not only has a fabulous hat shop but also does hat making workshops. Do you need a hat for a fancy party? Add Elisabeth Koch on WeChat: amazinghats

Bags and Shoes

Need some great shoes or a fancy bag? I have bought my share off this lady. Look forward to having your newsfeed flooded with footwear. Add on WeChat: emma_choi123

Creams

Creams for very special people, these potions smell delicious and this fabulous lady has a cream for every occasion. Add on WeChat: franhanshing

Housing Agent

Janice is another gem in Beijing, she has helped us countless times. She is a great agent who is never to busy to help. Add her on WeChat: cc839782787

Picture credit: pixabay and vendors

The white chocolate Swiss roll with butterscotch topping (RMB 35) from awfullychocolate is my idea of heaven. I don’t usually opt for white chocolate desserts, as they tend to be far too sweet and sickly. The white chocolate in this concoction is incredibly light and creamy, like a delicate white chocolate mousse. With that is an incredibly moist sponge, all coated in a thick and unctuous layer of wonderfully rich butterscotch.

The sea salt chocolate brownie (RMB 27) has a dense texture, with an intense chocolate flavor. I love sea salted caramel, almost as much as butterscotch, and the caramel that tops off this brownie is a delight. It’s a generous layer of soft caramel with a crisp outer surface.

The layered chocolate cake (RMB 27) incorporates several layers of moist sponge, interspersed with a rich chocolate ganache. The whole slice of cake is enveloped in a glossy chocolate icing. Portion sizes for all of their cakes and desserts are generous, enough for two people to share. Also available is an impressive looking crème brulee, a tart, and a jar of tiramisu. Their mooncakes (RMB 180 for a box of 6) look pretty indulgent too.

If you’ve a celebration coming up, why not order a whole cake. Their layered chocolate cakes come in two sizes; 6” RMB 160 and 8” RMB 320. Flavors include chocolate, chocolate with banana, and chocolate with rum and black cherries.

awfully chocolate
  1) Daily 10am-10pm. SLG38-2, South Taikooli, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District (8468 3802, 5820 5826, beijing@awfullychocolate.com.cn) 北京市朝阳区三里屯, 太古里南区 SLG38-2 (BHG超市对面); 2) Daily 10am-10pm. Indigo Plaza, 18 Jiu Xian Qiao Lu, LG07 Chaoyang District (8426 0917) 朝阳区酒仙桥路18号, 颐堤港LG07单元; 3) Daily 10am-10pm. 5F-45, 101 Chaoyang BeiLu (at the intersection of Qingnian-lu) (5820 2677) 朝阳区朝阳北路101号, 5层 5F-45

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Sally Wilson

Tous les Jours 多乐之日 is the French-Asian bakery, serving a selection of bakery goods and beverages made with high quality ingredients from South Korea. Beginning with its launch in the United States in 2004, and then arriving in China in 2005, they now have several stores around Beijing. I like the range of products in their Indigo Mall store, where the bread is right-out-of-the-oven fresh because it’s made on the premises. Their sandwiches and some of their other products are similar to Paris Baguette. My favorite foods from Tous Les Jours are the walnut brioche, English muffins, raisin walnut loaf, and garlic rusks.

Brioche is a pastry of French origin. It is made in the same basic way as bread, but its high egg and butter content give it the rich and tender texture of a pastry. Brioche should be light and slightly puffy, with a golden crust. Often cooked with fruit or chocolate chips and served as a pastry, or as the basis of a dessert. The walnut brioche RMB 14 at Tous Les Jours ticks all of the boxes that a good brioche should. It is incredibly light and fluffy, packed with chopped walnuts and sweet sour cranberries. Glazed with egg wash and sugar which gives it a wonderfully sticky crust. It is delicious served just as it is, alongside a really good cup of coffee.

An English muffin is a small, round yeast-leavened bread which is commonly sliced horizontally, toasted, and buttered. It’s the perfect bread for a breakfast sandwich filled with crispy bacon, sausage, or fried egg. English muffins are also the base ingredient in the traditional American brunch dishes Eggs Florentine and Eggs Benedict. They need to be light, with a good rise, and soft in the middle. The muffins at Tous les Jours are very good indeed, albeit a little expensive at RMB 12 for one muffin.

The raisin and walnut loaf RMB 28 has big juicy raisins and sultanas, and crunchy pieces of chopped walnut. Baked with whole wheat flour, it’s soft inside yet with a lovely thick crust. The slices are cut on the thick side too. It tastes delicious topped with a mild and creamy hard cheese. Alternatively, toast it and spread with salted butter, or smooth organic peanut butter. I always have a bag of Tous les Jours crunchy garlic rusks in the cupboard. They come in a 110g re-sealable bag for RMB 13. You can snack on them straight out the bag, or top them with something Mediterranean like olive tapenade or sun-dried tomatoes. My favorite way to enjoy them is to float them on top of a home-made soup. They go particularly well with a thick, rich onion soup or a creamy chicken soup.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Debbie Tingzon (Flickr), Sally Wilson

Saturday, May 16 saw Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) celebrate Founder’s Day and 10 years in Beijing. The school and wider community came together on a beautiful blue sky day. At 3pm the day began with a rousing dragon dance and the International Flag Parade. Activities for children included a slippery slide, bouncy castle, face painting, kite making, paper cutting, and water games. There were a few sports events on, including DCB vs Harrow in rugby and netball cup matches, and soccer, volleyball and basketball for everyone. Live music was on the main stage throughout the day. In the afternoon, the Early Years and Junior School music groups entertained the crowds. There were ten finalists for Junior Pop Idol and for the first time, the whole Junior School filled the stage, singing African inspired piece Kusi Mama.

In the evening, after the speeches, the Senior School musicians took over the main stage. Talented DCB DJs and bands warmed up the crowd before the five Dulwich Idol finalists took to the stage. This year, the finalists were accompanied by a live band. Other musical performances included light a cappella singing from the Dulwich Singers, some dramatic favorites from the orchestra, before the whole event was wrapped up by a combined Orchestra, Choir, and Percussion Army performing Christopher Tin’s Grammy-Award Winning BABA YETU complete with pyrotechnics.

The highlight of the day was the International Food Festival. It featured food and cultural showcase from 17 country and regional tents, plus exquisite raffle hampers prepared by the parents. All profits made from the food festival and all drinks sold on the day will go towards the Dulwich Student Enrichment Fund and the Nepal Earthquake relief efforts. For the fifth year running I was part of the team running the British and Irish Food Stall, serving up hundreds of glasses of Pimm’s, and dozens of traditional British and Irish cakes and breads. I thought I’d share a few of the recipes, of some of the delicious things that were on our stall at this year’s Founder’s Day.

English Trifle
Trifle is the quintessential pudding that has graced British tables for more than four centuries. This decadent, rich dessert is simply delicious. Recipes vary, but the more traditional versions include jelly mixed with fruit, sponge cake soaked (if for adults) in sherry, a thick layer of creamy custard and a deep layer of lightly whipped fresh cream to top it off. You can make life easier by using a ready to mix pack of jelly, a packet of sponge fingers, and ready-made topping. A home-made trifle however cannot be beaten, and here’s an easy recipe for you to try.

Ingredients
For the base
500g frozen summer fruit (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blackcurrants)
50g caster sugar
500ml cloudy apple juice
5 sheets leaf gelatin
250g Madeira cake
For the custard
250g mascarpone
500ml ready-made vanilla custard
For the topping
300ml whipping cream

Put the fruit into a saucepan, add the sugar, then cook gently until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is slightly syrupy. Remove half of the berries and juice to a bowl and set aside to cool. Add the apple juice to the fruit in the pan, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Soak the gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water for five minutes, until soft and floppy. Lift the gelatin from the water and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add the gelatin to the fruit in the pan and stir until it has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, and transfer the jelly mix to a bowl. Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge until the mix has set to a softly wobbling jelly.

Cut the Madeira cake into 1cm slices. Give the fruity jelly a stir – it should be softly set. Layer the cake, jelly, fruit and juice in the bottom of a glass dish 20cm/8in diameter. For the custard layer, put the mascarpone into a large bowl then add the custard. Whisk together until creamy and smooth. Spoon the custard over the fruit and sponge. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Spoon the cream over the top of the trifle. Chill the trifle for an hour before serving.

Irish tea cake is a traditional Irish fruitcake which is also knows as Barmbrack depending on the time of year that you’re eating it. This recipe makes a really beautiful moist fruit loaf which is packed with flavor from the mixed spice and dried fruit, which sits overnight in cold tea and whiskey to soak up all the goodness. You can drop the whiskey if it’s for kids, but I think it adds another flavor kick and makes it perfect for St Patrick’s Day. This recipe makes one 900g loaf.

Ingredients
225g plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
375g packet of mix dried fruit
250ml cold tea
50ml of whiskey
125g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice

Place the fruit mix in a bowl and pour over the whiskey and cold tea. Allow to soak up the liquid overnight. Preheat the oven to 170˚C/Gas Mark 3 and grease and line a 900g loaf tin. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and mixed spice in a mixing bowl. Make a well and break in the egg, using a wooden spoon, mix the egg with the dry ingredients. Add a little bit of the liquid the fruit mix is sitting in and mix it through. You’re looking for a wet dough mixture. Stir through the fruit mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Spoon the wet dough into the lined loaf tin and place in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly, before removing from the loaf tin and placing on wire rack. Cover in cling wrap and tin foil and allow it to sit for 1-2 days before cutting into it. Serve in slices spread with a little butter.

Scones got their start as a Scottish quick bread. Originally made with oats and griddle-baked, today’s version is more often made with flour and baked in the oven. As for the origin of the word, some say it comes from Stone of Destiny, where the Kings of Scotland were crowned. According to Webster’s Dictionary, scones originated in Scotland in the early 1500s. Scones became popular and an essential part of the fashionable ritual of taking tea in England when Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788 – 1861), one late afternoon, ordered the servants to bring tea and some sweet breads, which included scones. She was so delighted by this, that she ordered it every afternoon and what now has become an English tradition is “Afternoon Tea”. The secret of good scones is not to handle them too much before baking.

Ingredients
450g self-raising flour
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
75g butter, at room temperature
50g caster sugar
2 eggs
225 ml milk 

Lightly grease two baking trays. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Measure the flour and baking powder. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs together until blended and make up to a generous 300ml with the milk, then put about 2 tablespoons of the egg/milk aside in a cup for glazing the scones later. Gradually add the egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients until you have soft dough. It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand to a thickness of 1-2cm.

Use a 5cm fluted cutter to stamp out the dough by pushing the cutter straight down into the dough (as opposed to twisting the cutter) then lift it straight out. This ensures that the scones will rise evenly and keep their shape. Gently push the remaining dough together, knead very lightly then re-roll and cut more scones out as before. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking trays and brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg/milk mixture to glaze. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the scones are well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, covered with a clean tea towel to keep them moist. Serve as fresh as possible, cut in half and spread generously with strawberry jam and top with a good spoonful of thick cream.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: courtesy of DCB, Kellie Wong Photography, underclasscameraman, Linnie (Flickr)

The BSB Sanlitun Christmas bazaar not only delivered hours of fun for my kids, as they set about decorating ginger bread men with icing and candies, chocolate slabs with nuts and fruits, and Christmas cards with glitter, it also introduced me to Da Giuliano Pasticceria Panetteria. This great Italian pastry shop and bakery is a stone’s throw from the BSB Sanlitun campus. A warm croissant or pain au chocolat is a truly wonderful thing, especially on a cold Beijing morning. Those distinct layers of pastry, light and crisp on the outside, with a softer dough texture inside. It’s all about the quality ingredients that go in to the dough, namely the butter, the flour, and sometimes the chocolate. Da Giuliano does a pretty good job of getting it just right.

The perfect accompaniment to a fresh pastry is of course a decent coffee based beverage, something else which Da Giuliano does well. With a very good selection of coffees, including espresso, cappuccino, latte, and a wonderfully rich Italian hot chocolate. Teas include English breakfast, red, jasmin, and green, and prices are a very reasonable RMB 26-28. There’s a range of smoothies and fresh juices, including orange, carrot, and celery with apple.

Their pastry offerings extend to almond croissants, chocolate twists, and cinnamon swirls. All of their pastries are much larger in size than in other city bakeries. The chocolate twist could easily be shared with at least two of your friends, and prices range from RMB 12 to 18. There are homemade artisan biscuits RMB 25 for 100g, and a vast array of pasticceria mignon, or mini pastries, for just RMB 7 each. Perfect for breakfast or brunch is to order one of their special sets for RMB 55. You can have a hot drink, fresh juice, croissant, with jam and butter, or the coffee or tea set, which includes seven mini cakes.

If you need a cake for a special occasion, you can order from a selection of cheesecakes, tarts, gateaux, and tortes. If your Christmas isn’t complete without a pannetone or two, Da Giuliano must have the largest range of any one store in Beijing. With a range of sizes and flavors available, all of which are beautifully packaged. They also have individually wrapped Italian chocolates, which would make a great gift this holiday season.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Joy (Flickr), Sally Wilson

Charlotte Friis Lodahl is a Danish mother of two (4 and 7, both daughters) and a 10-year resident of Beijing. Since taking a break from her career in product marketing for Nokia in 2011, she has been spending her time consulting, doing charity work, and enjoying quality time with her daughters – during which she stumbled upon a talent for making spectacular home-made cakes. We sat down with her for a brief Q&A before her cake-baking workshop scheduled for next week.

Q. Why did you start making your own cakes?
A. I make my own cakes first of all because I like to know exactly what my kids are eating. Apart from the additives that come in store-bought mixes and mass-manufactured cakes, I’m always reading about food scandals here – so I prefer to make my own. The other reason is out of guilt: Where I come from, we have a tradition of making our own cakes, and I was feeling bad that I hadn’t done that for my own children here in Beijing.

Q. Tell us about your first attempt.
A. My first cake was a Barbie cake. The thrill in my daughter’s eyes when she saw it was indescribable … and it was even better when she showed it to her friends. She was so proud of the cake and so proud to tell her friends that her mother made it by hand.

Q. That’s it? You just up and made a masterpiece on the first try?
A. Not exactly. A did a few trial runs, and looking back on it, it looked so easy … but there was a lot of screaming and swearing and ordering people to get out of the kitchen during the process. However, once it was there, even though it wasn’t perfect, I was very proud because people actually recognized what I made.

Q. How long did that first cake take you?
A. Actually, including the trial runs, it took an aggregate time of about 48 hours to complete it. Nowadays I’ve improved my track record considerably – from top to bottom I can make a cake almost in any form you can imagine in a bit less than 8 hours. The cakes are no longer just cakes for me: they’re more like art. Luckily for me, people like to eat my art.

Q. What’s in your cake repertoire at this point?
A.  I’ve made the Death Star, a Teddy Bear, a shark, Spongebob … I look for a new challenge each time. To date the biggest challenge was a 4-tiered castle. My older child is totally into the movie “Brave” and she wanted a castle like the one in the film – and by then my 7-year-old was pretty jaded over the ‘mom makes the homemade birthday cake’ bit, so she wanted to be a part of making it as well. That adds a new level of complexity to working in the kitchen. She ended up doing an awesome job and we had so much fun together.

Q. Any cake disasters to tell us?
A. I made a shark cake on request for my daughter Asta’s 3rd birthday. I thought in order for it to be authentic, the inside should be red, but when the kids cut into it at the party, they started screaming “the shark is bleeding! The shark is bleeding!” It took a while for me to get them to realize it was make believe, but eventually they got over it and enjoyed the cake.

Then there was the first time I tried to make a castle for my daughter: I used a mold, but I couldn’t get the cake out of the mold and it broke in several places in the process of taking it out. I managed to salvage it by covering it up with some grass and flowers made out of frosting, so in the end it was still a hit with the kids.

Q. Have you had to fit out your kitchen with tons of gear to get started?
A. Not really. I bought a good rolling pin and a knife, and I already had a decent baking pan, but that’s basically all I started with. I have an old, crappy oven that was installed probably 20 years ago in my flat. My most loved piece of equipment is my KitchenAid – which does all the mixing for me. It’s not a “must-have,’ but it makes life easier. You don’t really need anything but a knife, a rolling pin and a pan to get started.

Q. What will you be teaching at the workshop?
A. It’s really just a basic intro to give people a taste of what it’s like to make your own cake, and give people the satisfaction of bringing home something they’ve made by hand. Unfortunately we won’t have the full eight hours it would take to make everything right then and there from scratch, but everyone’s going to walk away with basic framework for making any of these cakes at home, as well as developing some passion for the art of cake-making. Participants will also get to do the part that people really see – the exterior decorations.

Charlotte’s workshop takes place Wednesday, June 11 at the Siemens Test Kitchen from 10:30am to 2pm. Participation in the workshop is restricted to a maximum of 10 individuals. The price for this workshop is RMB 300, which includes a take-home custom cake, refreshments and a light lunch. Full details and registration information can be found here.