My first challenge in 2014 - A Dessert Table

HAPPY 2014!!!! My resolution for 2014 is to consume less sugar and here I was preparing a dessert table on the first day of a brand new year! But, it's my nephew's first birthday! I thought it would be fun to prepare a dessert table even though it was my first attempt. There were several challenges like storage space in my fridge, how I should bake and what I could order.

I was looking for cake ideas and chanced upon Irina Tokyo's swiss rolls. They were mini swiss rolls sliced into chunky pieces and assembled with fruits and ribbon. I thought that was a brilliant idea because there's no need to store them in the fridge. And the best part, they looked so cute!

Instead of baking the swiss rolls myself, I decided to order from my local bakery shop and they cost $2.40 per piece. 18 pieces of mini swiss rolls were used to assemble this cake. The cake was tied with ribbons and transported to the event venue before adding the fruits and macaroons. I would strongly advised you to assemble this entire cake at the event venue as the swiss rolls were very tender and easily damaged during transportation. They look perfect when you assemble them and not move them after assembling! The birthday cake should be elevated on the dessert table so that it stands out. White cake stand ($45) from Totts store. Cake topper from Rainbows and Stickers

Customised stickers are useful in presenting the event theme. From Rainbows and Stickers.

Goodies bags were packed with chips, lollipop and candies. The boxes cost $1.50 per piece from The Sweet Favor.

Meringue biscuits make such pretty gifts! They were from Khong Guan and each pack can fill up about 2.5 containers. The container (63 cents each/100ml size) comes with lid that are not tightened so you have to seal them with tapes. Containers and silver tapes from Phoon Huat. Ribbon ($5.90/20 yards) from a gift shop at Great World City, 2nd level.

Made a croquembouche from this choux pastry recipe. The white chocolate compound ($8.90/1kg) was melted before coating with the choux pastries and assembled. They sticked together firmly when cooled and dried. The berries were then added. I only used about 250gm of the white chocolate compound so you should try to get smaller packs. White chocolate compounds from Phoon Huat. Mini bunting ($10.80) from Rainbows and Stickers.

Made peach trifles using this recipe. I replace the fresh fruits with canned peaches. The syrup was drained away before blending the peaches into puree. You can packed 32 cups into a 10 inches cake box. The cups on top layer is slightly higher than the cover but I managed to tape the covers down.

These cute macaroons were ordered from a friend. You have to inform your baker to prepare the shells harder so that they are more suitable for handling and assembling. They could cost $3 to $4 per piece. I used a few pieces on the cake and served the rest in a bowl.

Last but not least, decoratives add a nice touch to your dessert table.

I am so glad for this opportunity to make a dessert table finally! Cheers and have a great 2014!