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!