BLACK FOREST CUPCAKES

Posted in Cupcakes by

Yield: 16 Cupcakes

Ready to eat

Ready to eat

The cupcakes were created for one of the lovely ladies I work with who was leaving to go onto maternity leave. Her favourite style of cake is Black Forest but being a work party I wanted something a little easier to share. Hence breaking down the key elements of a black forest cake into a cupcake version: chocolate cupcakes, cherry filling, whipped cream, chocolate shavings and of course a cherry on top!

These are a real treat and whilst the can be a little messy to eat the flavours all meld together to create a very moorish indulgence. If your after something that has your workmates, friends and family going back for seconds this is the receipe for you!

Continue reading →

COCONUT & BANANA BUNDT CAKE #BUNDTBAKERS

Posted in Cakes by

Yield: 1 Bundt Cake

Delicious!

Delicious!

The busy period at work is finally over (sorta) so I have finally been able to get back into my baking and what better way than this month’s bundt challenge from the ‘Bundt Bakers’ group. Our theme for the month: Coconut!  Whilst I like coconut I sometimes feel that it can be too dry at times so I thought I would use coconut milk in the cake batter and Malibu (Coconut Rum) in the glaze.

The cake itself if fantastically moist with the combination of banana and coconut milk and they blend together without overpowering each other. If you want substitute the vanilla bean paste with a tablespoon of vanilla extract. I am sure you will enjoy this cake as much as I do!

A big shout out to my new Bundt Baking friends and especially to Terri Truscello Miller at http://loveandconfections.blogspot.com/ for hosting this month’s event.

Continue reading →

FRANGELICO & FIG BUNDT CAKE #BUNDTBAKERS

Posted in Cakes by

Yield: 1 Bundt Cake

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!

I am super excited about this cake as it’s my first event / challenge since I have joined ‘Bundt Bakers’ that I get to share with you all! Since joining I have been obsessing over what type of bundt cake I should make given this month’s theme of ‘Boozy Bundt Cakes’. After much deliberation and going back and forth I decided to use Frangelico and Fig and this is the outcome.

The figs are simmered with Frangelico, vanilla bean and cinnamon to produce a wonderfully delicate infused cake batter than in turn bakes into a lovely and moist with a slightly chewy crust. The addition of more Frangelico in the glaze gives it that lovely kick without becoming overpowering. This is an absolute keeper of a receipe!

A big shout out to my new Bundt Baking friends and especially to Lauren Mitchell for hosting this month’s event.

Continue reading →

GLUTEN FREE HAZELNUT, CINNAMON & MAPLE SYRUP COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by

Adapted from: ‘Ovenly’ by Agatha Kulaga & Erin Patinkin

 Yield: 24 Cookies

So delicious

So delicious

 

It’s been a little while since I’ve had the opportunity to post anything as I have been crazy busy at work and when I got home all I wanted to do is sleep. With things finally settling down (sort of) I wanted to make something for my gluten intolerant friend at work as she has been amazingly supportive.

I found this receipe in one of my latest Amazon purchases, and after a little tweaking I think it makes a great cookie – lovely and crispy on the outside but wonderfully chewy on the inside. It’s also a snap to make and can be thrown together at the last minute. Try and use the best quality maple syrup you can find and leave the skins on the hazelnuts after toasting.

Continue reading →

BLUEBERRY POLENTA CAKE

Posted in Cakes by

Adapted from: ‘Huckleberry’ by Zoe Nathan

 Yield: 25cm / 10-inch Cake

Can you stop at just one slice?

Can you stop at just one slice?

As you may have already realised, I love all things to do with blueberries. Therefore, when I came across a cake in one of my new cookbooks – ‘Huckleberry’ by Zoe Nathan – I knew that I just had to try it. I have had to rework the receipe as it originally used cornmeal, an ingredient that is not readily available in Australia.

Instead of the cornmeal I used polenta and it adds a great texture to the cake, making it wonderfully chewy with little ‘pops’ of tart blueberry juiciness. The cake is not overly sweet, rather buttery with a great crunch from the raw sugar topping. I think it makes an ideal afternoon teacake as it is also very easy to whip up.

Please don’t use frozen blueberries, however should you not be able to get fresh blueberries try using another type of fresh berry such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries etc.

Continue reading →

GLUTEN FREE LIME & COCONUT MACAROONS

Posted in Cookies by

Adapted from: ‘Wintersweet’ by Tammy Donroe Inman

Yield: 24 Cookies

Ready to Eat!

Ready to Eat!

One of the wonderful ladies I work with came in with a case of limes the other day, and after restraining myself from greedily taking them all I am very proud to tell you I restricted myself to just 10. However then came the next problem… what to do with the limes! I have so many receipes, both sweet and savoury it was really hard to decide what to do with them.

My original intention was to make some Lime, Coconut and Rum cupcakes however after having a rather long day at work I decided to postpone my original intention and make these quick and easy cookies instead. They are an absolute cinch to make and drizzling them with a bit of white chocolate gives them a lovely flourish.

Just a note to be very careful to only zest the green part of the lime, the pith (or white part of the skin) is very bitter and will ruin the flavour of the cookie if included in the batter.

Continue reading →

ORANGE & POPPY SEED CAKE w/ CANDIED ORANGE PEEL

Posted in Cakes by

Adapted from: ‘Lick the Bowl Good’ by Monica Holland

 Yield: 23cm / 9-inch Cake

Orange & Poppy Seed Cake with Candied Orange Peel

Orange & Poppy Seed Cake with Candied Orange Peel

I made this cake on a bit of a whim after noticing some forlorn looking oranges sitting neglected in the fruit bowl at home. Whilst I love orange juice, I’m not a fan of eating oranges. Mainly because I find the whole process too messy and sticky. I mean, why is it that even if you are really careful when eating oranges you still end up with some spot that hours later is sticking to everything?

The cake is moist and dense and distinctly ‘orange-y’, perfect for afternoon tea. I have topped it with an orange glaze and candied orange peel which gives a great distinction between the soft cake and chewy orange peel.

Continue reading →

SALTED CARAMEL & NUT BUNDT CAKE

Posted in Cakes by

Salted Caramel adapted from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com

 Yield: 1 Bundt Cake

Gorgeous cake with a wonderful crown of salted caramel and nuts

Gorgeous cake with a wonderful crown of salted caramel and nuts

You may call me crazy but I actually love caramel more than chocolate! I was introduced to salted caramel several years ago by one of my wonderful sister’s and became instantly addicted. There is something about salty and sweet that I can’t get enough of! Maple syrup and bacon, apple and cheese, watermelon and feta, chocolate and pretzels… the list goes on!

Combining the salted caramel with some toasted hazelnuts and slivered almonds onto of a tender, buttery cake just seemed like a natural step with my obsession. However, the salted caramel is amazing on a good quality vanilla ice-cream, or pancakes, or for any receipe you may have that you think could use a dollop of awesomeness!

Make sure that you don’t wait more than 5-10 minutes after you finish baking to flip the cake over to remove the pan or the caramel will set and stick to the sides of the pan and make a mess to remove. Yes, I do speak from experience… may have gotten a little distracted looking at cookbooks on Amazon… oops! No matter what this cake is a keeper!

Continue reading →

WHITE CHOCOLATE & MACADAMIA COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by

Yield: Approx. 60 Cookies

Better be quick before my boyfriend eats them all =)

Better be quick before my boyfriend eats them all =)

These are my boyfriend’s favourite cookies! I don’t make them very often but when I do I have to stand guard over the cooling cookies so he doesn’t eat them all at once. Once cooled I like to drizzle a little white chocolate over the cookies to finish them off, however they are fantastic even without this step.

I prefer to chop my white chocolate rather than use chocolate chips. I find it makes the cookies chunky and the slivers of white chocolate that you get whilst chopping melt into the batter and make the cookies extremely more-ish. The same goes for chopping up the macadamia’s. If you’re allergic to nuts you can omit the macadamia’s, try substituting dried cherries or cranberries. They give the cookies a lovely tart note.

Feel free to also substitute milk chocolate chips and pecans for the white chocolate and macadamia, the recipe works well either way!

Continue reading →

BLUEBERRY BRAN MUFFINS

Posted in Muffins by

Adapted From: Huckleberry from Zoe Nathan

Yield: 12 Muffins

Delicious!

Delicious!

I have spoken before about my love of all things blueberry so when I got my latest cookbook haul from Amazon I was immediately drawn to this receipe in ‘Huckleberry’. I have never tried bran in my muffins, partly because that sounded way too healthy for me and partly because it’s not something I keep readily handy in my pantry. However this receipe makes it well worth the effort!

I reduced the honey content and added more maple syrup from the original receipe as I found the honey overwhelmed the taste of the muffin. A few more tinkers with the receipe and here is a lovely muffin, very dense and moist with a great crunchy blueberry topping due to the sprinkled sugar. The texture is wonderful, not cakey at all.

Just remember, when making muffins you want to barely combine the mixture. Do not under any circumstances use a mixmaster or any type of electric appliance when mixing. A bowl and wooden spoon is your friend for any muffin receipe.

NOTE: Due to how dense the batter is the blueberries do not sink into the mixture like other muffin receipe’s. Instead they bake on top of the cupcake and release their juices creating lovely splotches of purple on the cupcake liners.

Continue reading →