31-12-2008

Well, this will be the last post for what has been a very eventful year! Next year, I hope to spend more time with my friends and family, keep my blog up to date, and my NY resolution is to try to swear less.

So from Harrison, Adam & I, we wish you all a very Happy & Safe 2009.

Say cheese!

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

My Most Favourite Dessert

Growing up, this was always my favourite dessert, I made my mum make it for all of my Birthdays. I had a copy of the recipe, and I lost it quite a few years ago. Well, yesterday, whilst attempting to clean up our spare room, I found my little book of hand written recipes. I know Mum had the recipe, but have no idea of its origin. I have adapted it to make it yummier, Lol.

Choc Mint Cheesecake

Base

250 grams Nice biscuits
2 Tablespoons cocoa
90 grams margarine (melted)

Crush biscuits finely, add cocoa, mix well. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture on to the base and sides of a 9" spring form cake tin. Refrigerate.

Filling

500 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (room temperature)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon water
1 block Peppermint chocolate ( I use Nestle Club Peppermint Dark Chocolate)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons gelatin
2 cups thickened cream (whipped)
1 Tablespoon water (extra)

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small dish. Place dish into a a larger dish, and pour hot water into larger dish. Stir gelatin until dissolved. Once dissolved remove from hot water bath, and let cool. Add to cream cheese mixture, beat well.

Fold in whipped cream.

Spoon mixture into base.

Place chocolate and extra water into a heat proof bowl (one that is bigger than a small saucepan). Place a small sauce pan onto stove, put about 2cm of water in, and boil. Once boiled turn down to low, and place bowl on top. Stir chocolate until melted, remove from stove and cool slightly.

Spoon chocolate mixture over cream cheese mixture, and swirl mixture with a spoon.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Additions

As I love peppermint, I added about 4 Tablespoons of Creme De Menthe into the cream cheese mixture, Yum Yum.
Even if your not a fan of dark choclate, please use the one specified.

Harrison & Santa

Today we took Harrison for his Santa photos. We are so happy with this years photo. He was perfect, and went to Santa straight away.

Sunday's Cake Class

On Sunday I went to a cake decorating class, at the teacher's house. It was great. the class was for a "Sleeping Santa" cake. We had to take a 7" iced cake on a board, and the cutouts of the head board and bed side table in with us. I decided to make mud cake, as I'm not a huge fan of fruit cake.

Once we got there, she showed us how to put the bed side table together, then we painted it, and stuck it and the head board onto the cake board. Then we were shown how to make Santa. From then on it was free time, we could do what ever we wanted with the cake, and if we needed any advice or help she was there.

I decided to make Santa sleep like a starfish, just like my husband.

The completed cake

Bedside table

Toy sack & bear

The only thing not edible was the curling ribbon. I am so happy with the finished cake. I ended up using 2kg of RTR icing, and 1/2 a kilo of modelling paste.

I already have 1 order!

In the past..

I thought this morning, since this is a blog about me and my cakes, that I should post some photos of other cakes I have made. I have made quite a few more than this, but back then, didn't think to photograph them. Amelia's Number 3 cake.

The request was for white chocolate mud cake, pink and girly.

Harrison's Baptism Cupcake Tree

The top layer was actually the top layer of our wedding cake

Top - Cherry ripe mudcake

Blue cupcakes - Chocolate mud

White cupcakes - White chocolate mud

Tayla's 9th Bratz Cake

Tracey's 28th Bunny Cake
My best friend told me that she had never had a Birthday cake, she has now!

My first cupcake sale!

Yesterday I completed my first cupcake order! It was for a 30th Birthday, and basically they had to be chocolate mud cake, and boyish, oh and 30 of them. The rest was up to me.

So I coloured some RTR icing, rolled it out, got out my cutters and set to work. I managed to get all of the decorations cut out by Tuesday afternoon, they were quite easy to do. I made the cupcakes yesterday morning, iced and decorated yesterday afternoon, and they were collected this morning.

How they were to be set out.

I quite like just these ones on their own too.

(In one level of my Cupcake Courier)

Close up

Chocolate Mud Cupcake w/ Chocolate Buttercream & RTR icing decorations

Off to the park!

It was such a lovely day today, so my good friends Rach, Jillian & I decided to take the kids to Maitland Park. The older kids went on the play equipment and the swings, whilst Harrison stayed on the picnic rug, played with his toys and tried to eat every bodies food. I took my camera, but the kids weren't really in the mood to pose. Rach took a fruit platter and some cordial, it was yummy.I love this photo of Harrison!HarrisonKeenanAidan

Reaghan

My messy little man.

The last few months have been filled with independence for Harrison. He loves doing things himself. He is such a little man these days. Part of this independence is feeding himself. For me it has been hard because I hate messes (or I hate cleaning them up), but I have had to forget about the mess and let the man do his thing. It's been a few months since he will even attempt to let us help him. If we spoon feed him, he just pulls the food out of his mouth, and smooshes it onto the highchair tray, the scrapes it back up and eats it again. It's just gross. He now has a bath after most meals, as it's easier than wiping him down.

This photo was taken the night before his 1st birthday. I love it.

Happy 1st Birthday Harrison!

I can't believe my little man is 1 already! how fast has this past year gone.

Harrison just after he attacked the cake

The lion cake, Choc mudcake, w/ vienna buttercream icing & RTR icing face.

The colours in this photo are better. More true to life.

Adam, Harrison & I cutting the cake

The kids at the party

Elijah, Kaileb, Harrison, Keenan, Reaghan, Isabel & Aidan

The big stack of presents. he was one spoilt boy!

My Final Project

Today was the last lesson, from my cake decorating classes. We have spent the past 7 Saturdays learning how to cover cakes, and how to make all of the flowers etc. I am really happy how my cake, icing and flowers turned out, but I'm not happy with the colour of my piping around the bottom, the colour was the same as the one I used to do the dark fuchsia roses, but went yuk in the royal icing. The cake

I got a certificate, Yay!

The roses

Happy Father's Day!

Who would have thought getting a 10 month old to hold cardboard letters, whilst I took some photo's would be so hard. All Harrison wanted to do was eat the letters, he ended up with dark blue dye all over his mouth. I didn't get as many photo's as I would have liked, but they turned out ok.

Adam has been at work since 9pm last night (he also worked all day yesterday), and only just walked in the door, so probably not the day he had expected. We are off to my parents house for dinner later on. I have made lemon meringue cupcakes, will post the recipe later on.

On other news, Harrison has ditched his dummy. He now clamps his mouth shut at the site of it. After 2 days of bad sleeps, he is now back to normal. : )

Males are Annoying!

Tonight I was quitely sitting on the lounge watching tv, when Adam decided to start poking me. Then Harrison crawled over and started biting my foot. Then, like on cue they both started to laugh! They both thought it was hillarious.

Harrison's first night away!

Last Saturday night, Adam & I had a wedding to attend. So Harrison spent from lunch time Saturday till lunch time Sunday at Granny & Gramps's house. I had a few tears as I said good-bye, lol. I stressed all night that he wouldn't sleep for them, and that they would have to spend the entire night resettling him. Well he proved me wrong. He slept from 9.20pm till 7.45am asleep. He is such a good boy.

Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Vienna Buttercream Frosting

These cupcakes were delicious, light yet moist. They were so quick and easy too. I had them made and in the oven in less that 10 minutes. I halved the recipe, and made 6 standard size and 12 mini size cupcakes. You may need 2 quantities of frosting if you make the 2 dozen standard size cupcakes. It depends on if you pipe, or spread the frosting on.

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Original recipe from Baking Bites Blog

Makes 24 standard size cupcakes, or 60 mini size cupcakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons bi-carb soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Celsius fan-forced). Line trays with cupcake papers
2. In a large bowl whisk cocoa, flour, sugar, soda, baking powder and salt thoroughly.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.
4. Whisk wet mix, into dry mix until all of the ingredients are combined with no flour streaks.
5. Fill cupcake papers 3/4 full with mixture.
6. Bake for 11 minutes (mini), 15 minutes (standard), or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Remove cupcakes from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Once cool they are ready to ice.

Chocolate Vienna Butter Cream
Recipe from the Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book

Ingredients

125 grams margarine
1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Method

Beat margarine until light & creamy, add in half of the icing sugar, continue to mix until fully incorporated. Add half the milk, followed by the remaining icing sugar, beat until mixed. (sometimes you need the rest of the milk, sometimes you don't). Mixture should be smooth and easy to spread with a spatula.

Boys Night In!

Every Tuesday night for the past 2 months, I have been going out. 7 weeks of it I had Tafe, and the others I go to beading classes. Basically it's my night to do what I like.

Adam (& Harrison) have been inviting their mate Mick, and Adam's Dad Steve over for a boys night. They watch TV (Wipeout & Two & a Half Men), eat pizza & drink beer (Harrison doesn't).

Well last Tuesday, my class was cancelled, so I stayed home, so I decided to make my own pizza. The boys aren't very adventurous with their pizza, and I was asked to make Hawaiian. Easy.

Hawaiian Pizza

Dough

220ml water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
300 grams / 2 cups plain flour
75 grams / 1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast

1. Add ingredients in order they are listed to bread maker pan.
2. Set to pizza dough (50 minute)
3. Scrape down sides of pan after approx 10 minutes.
4. Let it do its thing.
5. Once the bread maker has finished, take dough out of pan, and roll out on a lined tray. (I used a biscuit tray)

Topping

2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce
Ham
Pineapple
Pizza cheese

1. Mix together the paste and sauce. Spread over pizza base.
2. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese over.
3. Cover with Ham, then pineapple, then cover with cheese.
4. Place in oven, and cook for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.
5. Slice & eat.

Five Minute Chocolate Cake

I have been wanting to have a go at this cake for a long time. It has to be the quickest cake in history. Two minutes to prepare, and three to cook, can't be too hard. I didn't really follow the directions, I just bunged it all in the mug, stirred and hoped for the best. So here it is.

Five Minute Chocolate Cake
Original recipe from Dizzy Dee's Blog

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons cake flour
4 tablespoons caster sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

1. Put all ingredients into mug, stir.
2. Place mug into microwave, cook for 3 minutes on high.
3. Tip mug upside down an shake slightly above bowl, cake will fall out.
4. Add some icecream and eat!

Ingredients mixed

Cake just out of the microwave

Ready to eat

The result is not like a normal cake, but quite gluggy and dense. More like a pudding. Definately needed ice-cream. Not something I would make for guests, but if I was needing a quick chocolate fix, is worth the effort.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Recipe

adapted from recipe in The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook

Makes 12 standard + 12 mini cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups Self Raising Flour
3 grams Bi-Carb Soda
7 grams Cinnamon
2/3 cup vegetable oil
170 grams brown sugar
2 eggs
1 2/3 cups grated carrot (firmly packed)
2/3 cup walnuts (chopped)
1/3 cup raisins (or sultanas)
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Celsius fan-forced), Line trays with cupcake papers.
2. Sift together flour, soda & cinnamon.
3. In mixer bowl, beat the oil, sugar and eggs, on medium speed. Beat for about 5 minutes or until thick and creamy.
4. Add the carrot, walnuts, raisins and zest. Beat on low speed until combined.
5. Add the flour mixture and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over beat as the mixture will toughen.
6. Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean, (mini cupcakes approx 12 minutes, standard cupcakes approx 20 minutes). 7.Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack. Wait until completely cool before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

50 grams margarine
125 grams cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar (sifted)

Method

Beat margarine, cream cheese and vanilla for a couple of minutes until softened and creamy, add 1/2 the icing sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add remaining icing sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and of a spreadable consistancy.

DQ #14 Alchemy & Ice

I am also a member of another forum, dedicated to beading.

Ever few months they have a challenge called a Designer Quest. Each participating entrant purchases a pack of beads (there is 2 to choose from) from a set supplier (different each time), and everyone has to design and make something of their choice (can be anything jewellery, wind chime, napkin ring, bag dangle etc). I haven't entered in quite a while, as other things have been a priority, but this month I really liked the beads, so I made the time to enter.

This months host was Alchemy & Ice, gorgeous online supplier of beads & findings. And this was what I started with. Beads. And this is what I came up with. Quite simple, but I love it.

.

Day One of Cake Decorating!

What we learnt!

How to:-

Cover a cake board
Make royal icing
Make modelling paste
Make rose centres
Empty our wallets

Homework for next week:-

Bring in a batch of royal icing
Make 6 rose centres (3 x white, 3 x coloured)
Make cornflour bag

I so hope this class gets a bit more exciting, as all of the above was pretty self explanatory. The teacher likes pre-made icing and paste : (

The Not-So-Scary Green Dinosaur!

A little while ago, a friend asked me to make a cake for her "soon to be" 3 year old's birthday. Josh wanted a green dinosaur like that one (pointing to an elaborate cake in a photo). It's a Stegosaurus apparently, and was green and had huge orange spikes in its back. Well you can't disappoint a little boy with huge ideas can you? So here is my attempt at his dream. It is his birthday party tomorrow, I hope he likes it!

The cut out dinosaur

I decided to crumb coat, as it there was quite a few crumbs
1/3 of the way through the star piping

The piping is finished : )

Spikes are in place

The finished cake

The details:

Cake - Butter cake

Frosting - Vienna Butter Cream

Spikes - Pastillage

Eyes & Toes - Dark Choc Chips

Ground Cover - Toasted Shredded Coconut

Harrison 8.5 months

He makes my heart smile everyday!

I'm so excited!

Yay! Like the title says, "I am so excited" I have just ordered my new kitchen toy! I need an emoticon for happy dance, lol.

I have wanted one for ages, and have been tossing up which one to buy. I have decided on this one, as it has a bigger motor, and comes with extra attachments. I shopped around and got a good price from a catering supplier in Erina, and they do free delivery. Double Yay! It will make cakes and icing so much easier. As my poor little hand held mixer cops a hiding!

The manager of the store thinks she may be able to get it to me by Friday, but if not Monday.

It was sorta scary spending so much money on one thing, Adam buys expensive things all the time, so I thought why not. And my tax cheque paid for it, well nearly all of it anyway.

I will take a photo of it set up when it arrives.

Ooh what to make first?

My Completed Tafe Project.

I have just completed a 7 week Tafe course in Cake Decorating.

It was a very unstructured class, taught by a part-time teacher, (who I think had never taught cake dec before). There were a few things that I wanted to learn, which were taught in the class. So that was good.

The course covered,

- Chocolate work (ganache, piping & making a mud cake)

- Royal Icing (making & piping)

- RTR icing (colouring & how to cover a cake)

And our final project. We basically had to choose a cake of our liking, and the teacher was there to help us.

I decided I wanted to make a girls birthday style cake, (as I will have heaps of practice on boys cakes over the years). So I ended up getting some ideas online for a castle cake.

We were meant to make the cakes at Tafe, but as we were running out of time, we made them at home.

The cakes I had to cook them separately, as they had to go on the centre shelf in the oven, and my oven wasn't large enough to do a 10" & a 7" together.

So anyway, this is the final result.

It was a good learning cake, although I probably should have chosen something a bit simpler. It has quite a few mistakes, but overall I am happy with the result.

Cupcake Hero - Red, White & Blue

I have been wanting to enter the Cupcake Hero for a while now, so I thought I might as well have a go. I am no where near as imaginative as most of the other entrants, but Hey, I don't need much of an excuse to make cupcakes do I?

So the theme for July, is Red, White & Blue. It is usually hosted by Laurie from Quirky Cupcake, but she is having a break so, Clara from I Heart Cuppycakes, and Nikki from Crazy Delicious Food are hosting this month.

Basically the cupcake must have the 3 colours in it, and if you must use food colouring, you can only use it for one of them.

I decided to make Raspberry (red) filled Coconut (white) Cupcakes with Coconut Butter Cream Frosting (blue).

Coconut Cupcakes
Crabapple Bakery

Makes 24


Ingredients

3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 1/3 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
3 egg whites, extra
200g softened unsalted butter (I used margarine)
1 3/4 cups caster sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milkMethod

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius, Line two 12-hole trays with cupcake papers.

Using a food processor, process the coconut until very fine. Add coconut to a bowl with sifted flour, salt and baking powder. Mix until combined.

In a separate bowl combine eggs and egg whites. Do not beat.

In another bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition. After the last addition, beat until mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved.

Add the eggs a quarter at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add a third of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add half the coconut milk and beat until combined. Repeat this process. Add the remaining third of the flour mixture and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over-beat as this will toughen the mixture.

Spoon into cupcake papers, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.

I wanted to fill the cupcakes with something red, and I love coconut with raspberry, so I then got a small paring knife and cut a small cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, and filled with approx 1/2 teaspoon of my favourite raspberry jam.

Then I cut a sliver of the piece I cut out, and placed in on top of the jam.Then they were ready to ice. I had no idea what to have for the blue, so I decided to tint the icing blue.

Coconut Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients

188 grams butter, room temperature (I used margarine)

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups icing sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

blue food colouring

Method

Beat butter, scrape bowl.

Add the sifted icing sugar, beat, then add milk and vanilla.

Beat until smooth.

Add colouring, in small amounts, till you reach the desired colour.

Add coconut and mix until combined.

These are my new favourite (non-chocolate) cupcake. they are so yummy.