On the cake decorating missions

Yeah so I'm nannering it up, baking cakes then decorating them.

Here are some pics of what I've been up to.  All rather beginner at the mo - but I'm well inspired and will be completeing another this week.

PS sorry the blog looks ugly.  Must fix.

Final cake decorating class cake

Abel's third B'day cake

Cake wrapped in chocolate with chocolate sea shells

Tony's B'day cake

If anyone needs a cake made let me know!  Ingredient cost only.

Apple pie wontons
And no posts lately - I'm learning how to cake decorate.  It's freaking hard.  Might post some stuff up at some point.  Right now I'm trying to complete a giraffe shaped 3d cake.  More later...

Another post on chocolate

Today I happened by Kokako cafe in Parnell.  Jacquie and I were off to the museum for the Kai to pie exhibition and we stopped by the cafe for coffee beforehand.


While I was waiting for my coffee I noticed their boxes of hot chocolate - which I had only heard good things about. So I picked up a box for Jacquie and I at the modest price of $7.50 each.


This evening, after dinner, I whipped William and I up a batch.


In a large mug combine 1 T of Kokako hot chocolate, 1/2 T of sugar and a little hot water to combine.  Fill with milk and microwave (sorry I know evil - I was feeling very lazy though)  once hot throw a layer of marshmallows on top.


It was definitely enough sweetness for dessert.  However perhaps I'll try a less sweet version next time - to try and get some more of that deep chocolate flavour I was hoping for.

Best chocolate cake

This is the very best chocolate cake recipe ever.  Fullstop. Can't believe I'm sharing this little beauty.  I've had it for over 10 years and it never fails to impress.
Enjoy.


Best chocolate cake


125 gms butter
1c sugar
2 eggs
2 T golden syrup
1t baking soda
2c flour
1/4c cocoa
1t baking powder
1c milk
1t salt


Cream butter and sugar, make that butter white.  Add golden syrup and eggs, try and keep all the ingredients at room temp - to avoid curdling the batter.  In a separate bowl sieve the flour, cocoa and salt.  Warm the milk and add the baking soda.  In batches add the flour mix and milk mixing gently in between.  Finally stir through the baking powder.


Don't over mix. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 180 for 45mins.  Or until the cake springs bake lightly.
Don't forget the cake will continue to cook with its latent heat once it's out of the oven, so don't overcook.


Favourite butter icing


I also made proper butter style icing for the first time.  Totally worth it.  Get your beater out again and get 50gms of butter all creamy.  Add a cup of icing sugar and 1/4 cup of cocoa, large pinch of salt and some vanilla.  Keep beating as it will combine to a creamy texture after awhile, it will look like it's not going to happen but keep beating. You can then add milk a teaspoon at a time til you get the required consitancy.  This mixture is forgiving, add more cocoa or icing suar or milk to get the consistency you want.  Do not leave out the salt, the juxtaposition of it and the chocolate and sugar is mouthwatering.


Wrap that icing around the cake in a delicious chocolatey hug.


Slice up and delight your friends and family.


xx

Another musing

Mmm earl grey tea ice cream, with some sort of crispy apple thing, or perhaps the ice cream is with a caramellised hazelnut and pastry tart.  Add a spoonful of apple compote on the side.


Seared tuna on a deep fried sticky rice ball.  With either a tomato consume or a pea sauce.


Fried circle of polenta with juicy roast chicken and onion gravy piled on top.


Teriyaki tofu with a crispy coating, on fluffy rice and asian greens.


Thats all for now.

Friendly coffee

Waste, I hate it.  Whether it be food, rubbish not recycled properly, stupid packaging or blatant wastage of disposable items.


When I worked in the film industry plastic and paper cups were de-rigor.  Because we would often be shooting on location, so no kitchen facilities were available, plus when you're on set it's a hazard to have drinks around.  Which basically means dishes and personal cups are hard to work with so disposable it is.  It was the bins chocka full of disposable cups which made me sad, those cups were made of materials purged from our earth, punched into shape by some factory in a far off land with Co2 belching from its chimneys.  Then placed in a boat chugging across the ocean.  For a meager minute life span, filled and drained then tossed away.


So how does this relate to our everyday lives, those of us that don't work on a film set, and who diligently reuse our cup at work and home?  Well how about take-away coffee? we all love it, and many of us will have a good couple a week.  The chunky cups which sit cosily in your hand have become a trend in themselves, check the gossip pages filled with pictures of undersized trend setters toting over sized coffees.  All of which get biffed in the bin after a single use.


So any way we can re-use is a friend of mine.  Specially when we can do it in a stylish way as well.  My work mate brought in one of these this week.  A cute, chubby re-usable coffee holder.  Still got the trend factor as well as being kind to the environment.  Plus you can use it for whatever you like!  To friends and family you're a long black swilling beat nick - but little do they know your cup actually holds a rare chinese tea blend.  Too cool.

Green soup

It's dark as outside.  The rain has started - it's really bucketing down.  And it's only 630.

Perfect soup weather.

Weekend just been, popped into my head was a picture of a soup - a bright green puddle in a bowl.  

To avoid the browny coloured soup that you'll get with kumera, meats, or too many coloured ingredients - everything in this soup is bright green.  You could probably try anything green in this. But keep the celery and the peas.  With a toasted bagel and cheese this soup is filling, the flavours taste fresh, sweet and almost spring like while you will feel good, clean and revitalised inside (probably due to eating straight veges, you'll be getting a good cup or two of them per serving).

Green Soup

2 onions

5 cloves garlic (I like garlic - use however much you like)

1/2 celery

1 kg pack of frozen peas

1 brocolli head

Big handful of spinach

1 l beef stock (this is what I had, another stock would be fine)

Herbs (I used bay leaves, a bit of rosemary, and a bit of italian mix I had in the fridge)

In a large pot with oil add onions, garlic and celery.  Can be chopped fairly roughly as it's going to get blended at the end.

Cook through till translucent.  Add broccoli, including the stalk, finely chopped.  Add stock and bring to a simmer.  Quickly add the peas and spinach.  Once it gets back to the boil remove from heat straight away (we don't want mush) and cool for a bit.

Blend in a processor till really smooth.

Return to pot and bring back to a simmer before enjoying a bowl with crispy toast as pictured or cheese on bagel.  Delightful.