i heart cake

Posted By jen on February 24, 2010

I can’t believe it’s taken me a whole year to use up the Planet Cake voucher that i was given for my birthday last year. I guess life just got in the way and before i knew it my next birthday was approaching fast!

I ummed and ahhed about which class to take and as it turns out there was the Basics 103 scheduled for the day of my birthday. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day so booked myself in. It also helps that i could use the cake for my birthday dinner the following night!

As i started off with the Novelty series, covering a square cake was new to me. Thankfully i didn’t run into too much trouble and was able to keep up with the class.

Our facilitator for the day was the lovely Linda. I found her very helpful and really appreciated her help when it came to standing and positioning myself with my baby bump. Linda told me she did a PC course 2 weeks before she was due! Now that’s dedication

For the Magnolia cake, we started off with 2 square cakes that we had to cut and ganache. This i found relatively easy. The only tricky bit was when we got the corners but Linda helped me with that.

Once the cakes were ganached, we left them to dry and started work on the magnolia flowers. It was my first time using modelling paste and wiring so i was glad to have learned something new. First we made the bud, then the leaves.

Once the cakes were dry, it was time to cover them with fondant. This bit always has me a little stressed as you need to work especially fast ensuring the corners are attended to first so they don’t crack. Once we did both we used dowels to stack the top tier onto the bottom one.

I felt that once the cakes were covered, the fun part started where we got to actually decorate the cake. Since my birthday dinner theme was red and white, i decided to flow the theme through to the cake so i used red ribbon. Anyways, here is the final result which i pretty pleased about!

Category: Birthdays, Cakes & Cupcakes, Decorating Classes, Events | 8 Comments »
Tags: Birthday, Cake, Chocolate, Course, Planet Cake

Posted By jen on November 19, 2009

Recently, i was approached by a friend to help out one of her friends with her wedding cake. Up until then, i’ve only ever made cakes for people i knew so having to make a wedding cake, as well as making it for someone i didn’t know was very nerve wracking. It also couldn’t have come at the worst time with so many things going on that particular weekend but i am pleased to say that it all turned out fine. I also heard the bride was happy and that’s all that matters to me.

I also have to give a shout out to my hubby for helping me. It took the stress off just a little bit!

Category: Cakes & Cupcakes, Events, Weddings | 3 Comments »
Tags: Marble Mud, Wedding Cake

Posted By jen on September 4, 2009

I am sure NYC is filled with some wonderful cafe’s that serve excellent breakfasts and brunch. Seeing as we only had 9 days in NYC, we didn’t want to waste time scouring for the right one so before we left home we were recommended Sarabeth’s by a work colleague. The restaurant is located across from Central Park, between 5th and 6th Avenue, and was an easy spot to find. We love recommendations and thankfully this one did not disappoint. The long queue into the restaurant was also a good sign that we were onto a good thing (although this is not always the case and i’ll explain why in another post).

For a group of 6, we were seated pretty much straight away. On our second visit (yes we went back again) it was a much longer wait due to it being a sunday and popular with the locals. The menu is quite simple and the food in one word is: delicious. You can really tell that the ingredients are fresh and i wouldn’t be surprised if it was all organic too.

I chose the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Sandwhich ($19). It came on Sara’s own made English muffin with matchstick fries, tartar sauce and a watercress and apple salad. It was probably a little heavy for a brunch so i pretty much left the muffins alone but crab cake was cooked to perfection. The matchstick fries in my opinion were too skinny as it felt like you were just eating fried sticks.

My husband ordered The Red Omelette ($13.50) which was the fluffiest omelette i have ever seen. It was filled with a chunky sauce of tomatoes, red peppers with cheddar cheese and topped with a dollop of sour cream with chives. He had no trouble finishing this dish off at all.

On our next visit to Sarabeth’s, i ordered the Lemon Zested Tuna Salad ($16.25). The serving of tuna was very generous and oh so good. It was served over toasted sourdough with fresh tomatoes marinated in virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar and oregano. I loved the tomatoes as it added a kick to the dish. I wish i knew how to recreate it!

My friend R ordered the CPS Burger ($15) which i’m assuming stands for Central Park South. As you can see, it was a huge serving and probably went unfinished despite it being a tasty burger. You have the option of having freshly ground turkey or sirloin (she ordered sirloin) and came with grilled spring onion, lettuce and avocado salsa on a brioche bun, served with french fries.

My husband ordered the New Classic Club Sandwhich ($16.50). The sandwhich is filled with roasted turkey breast, fresh mozzarella, aged Virginia ham, lettuce, tomato & ranch dressing. Whilst this may be a standard size serving here in Australia, my husband (also being a big eater) was still left feeling a little hungry afterwards. It was also probably one of the healthiest dishes we had on the entire trip!

Sarabeth’s, Central Park West

40 Central Park South, NYC

Category: Around the Globe, Breakfast & Brunch, Breakfast Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Recommendation, Restaurant Review, Review, Savoury | 1 Comment »
Tags:

Posted By jen on September 3, 2009

When you mention New York City, a few things automatically pop up in your head:

1. Yellow taxi’s
2. Central Park
3. Hot dogs

When we initially planned our holiday to NYC, i imagined myself eating hot dogs every day. As bad as they are (and sometimes gross, but you don’t really want to think about whats actually in them), i do love a good hot dog, especially if the bun is super soft. Thankfully for us, our first food stop in NYC was Gray’s Papaya Hotdogs. Opened in 1972, Gray’s Papaya is well renowned for their inexpensive, high quality hot dogs and is open 24 hours a day. If only we had them here in Sydney it would be the perfect stop after a late night out (not that i really have those anymore)

Once you step into America, it is clear by the signs you see that the GFC has really affected businesses everywhere. Everywhere we went we noticed ‘GFC Specials’ and Gray’s Papaya were obviously one of those businesses who were feeling the pinch. For $4.45 USD, you got yourself 2 hotdogs and a drink. The hot dogs are on the small side, so polishing off both of them wasn’t a problem and for my drink, i opted for the Papaya shake, seeing that that’s what it’s famous for. The papaya drink was very freshing on the hot and humid day we were experiencing.

So it may not have been the greatest hot dog you have ever eaten, but for the price you pay it was definitely was value for money.

Gray’s Papaya

The Midtown branch at the corner of Eighth Ave. and 37th St.

Category: Around the Globe, Lunch Ideas, Recommendation, Restaurant Review, Savoury | 4 Comments »
Tags: NYC

Posted By jen on September 2, 2009

If you’re a Sex and The City fan, then you’ll know what a Magnolia Cupcake is. If not, you can quickly read about it here.

I have just come from an awesome 4 week holiday from the States where i visited some great places such as Vegas, San Fran, Hawaii and of course New York. It was a holiday to take in the sights but i think the culinary delights overshadowed everything. The food in America is so expanse that we never ate at the same place twice (except for a few exceptions). One of those exceptions was The Magnolia Bakery.

Before heading over there i was debating about whether to do the SATC tour. I had read a number of reviews where they said it that it wasn’t as good as it used to be. One of the highlights was of course Carries apartment. Now that the TV series is over, the apartment was sold to a private vendor and as a result they have cordoned off the front steps so you can no longer sit and take a photo. Most reviews also stated that the cupcakes at Magnolia’s were over-rated. Reading this had me highly disappointed and subsequently put me off so i decided not to do the tour. As luck would have it, whilst we were down in West Village taking in the sights and the shopping, we happened to stumble upon the bakery so it was much to my delight that i got to try them out anyway!

The bakery was busy (as expected) and since it was almost evening, a few of the cupcakes were sold out so i opted for the regular vanilla and chocolate. As soon as i bit into the cupcake i was instantly transported to cupcake heaven. It was delicious! The cupcake was super moist and oh so fluffy. And the buttercream! It was vanilla buttercream (with colouring) but it left this sort of tingle on the lips. I instantly wanted more!

We loved the West Village/SoHo area so much that we headed back there a few days later and i was able to have another hit of these cupcakes. This time i got to try the red velvet cupcake which i was dying to. Australian’s don’t really know what red velvet is so i was determined to try it on this holiday and i am so glad i did. Again the cupcake was just divine and but the colour! The red was so bright it really popped.

Now that we’re back home (boo) i was asked to make some cupcakes for a friends birthday. Instantly i knew i had to try and recreate the Magnolia Cupcake. A quick google search and i had the recipe in my hand. Now i don’t know if these are as good as the ones at the bakery (who am i kidding), but if not they’re still pretty darn good.

Magnolia Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 24 cupcake wrappers
• 55 minutes 30 mins prep

Method

1. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a small bowl, add the flours; stir to combine; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
3. Add the sugar gradually and beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overmix.
5. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 full. Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25
   minutes.
6. Cool the cupcakes in the tin for 15 minutes. Remove cakes from the tins and cool on a wire rack before icing. Ice with tinted Vanilla Buttercream.

Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

Makes enough for a 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 6-8 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 layer 9-inch cake Change size or US/metric
• 15 minutes 15 mins prep

Method

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add in 4 cups sugar, then the milk and vanilla. On medium speed of an electric mixer, beat about 3-5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well (about 2 minutes) after each addition, until the icing is thick enough for good spreading consistency (you may not need all of the sugar).
3. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. Use and store the icing at
4. room temperature because icing will set if chilled. The icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe adapted from here.

The Magnolia Bakery

401 Bleecker Street

Corner of West 11th Street in the West Village

Category: Around the Globe, Cakes & Cupcakes, Recipes, Recommendation, Review | 6 Comments »
Tags: Cupcake, NYC

Posted By jen on July 6, 2009

Forgive me dear reader, for it has been way too long between posts. I must admit i took a baking hiatus as life just got in the way. Lately however i’ve had the urge to bake again and my latest creation is the humble lemon tart.

I love anything sour and tangy (much to my husbands distaste) moreso because it contains no chocolate whatsoever. But to me it’s just as satisfying. It was also the first time i made pastry and thankfully it turned out. I guess watching Masterchef master classes does pay off!

1. Put the flour, ground almonds, salt, icing sugar and butter in a food processor and whizz to make fine crumbs.
2. Add the yolks and 2-3 tablespoons of cold water and pulse until the mixture comes together to make a firm but moist dough.
3. Lightly shape the pastry into a ball, then roll out on a floured surface and use to line a 20cm fluted flan tin. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 10 minutes. Lift out the paper, return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes until the pastry is dry.
5. Brush the pastry case with egg white and return to the oven for 5 minutes until the egg white has dried and the pastry is shiny – this will prevent the pastry going soggy once the filling is poured in. Lower the oven temperature to 150°C/fan130°C/gas 2.
6. For the filling, whisk the caster sugar and eggs until foamy.
7. Beat in the cream, then the lemon zest and juice.
8. Pour into the tart case and return to the oven for 40–50 minutes until just set – don’t worry if it’s wobbly in the centre as it will set as it cools.
9. Cool, slip out of the tin, then dust with extra icing sugar.

Recipe courtesy of Delicious Magazine

Category: Desserts & Sweets, Recipes | 3 Comments »
Tags: Lemon, Tart

Posted By jen on May 1, 2009

Last night Christine and I spent roughly 5 hours or so making this cupcake cake for Amy and Telma’s birthday. The idea came from the Planet Cake book that was released early March and as soon as i saw it i knew i had to make it. What a coincidence that Christine was thinking the same thing!

As we were busy making the cake, i forgot to take progress shots but here’s how it turned out. Not bad if i say so myself

The cake was chocolate mud which Christine baked earlier that week. We used a soccer ball tin to get the top section round.

The finishing touch was the glazed cherry on top. Or as Marc would call it, the apple. Oh, and Genevieve thinks it’s a tomato LOL

Happy Birthday Amy! x

Category: Birthdays, Cakes & Cupcakes, Events | 21 Comments »
Tags: Chocolate, Cupcake, My cakes

Posted By jen on April 29, 2009

If you’re a Sydneysider like me, you may have noticed the weather lately. Freezing, freezing, freezing! And it’s not even winter yet. It’s meant to be Autumn, but why are we already donning jackets, gloves and scarves? During the next couple of months, i will be complaining about the cold a lot because i loathe it. No wait, i hate it. I’m the type of person who finds it cold at 23 degrees. If it’s 29 degrees i’m at my most comfortable. Anyway i digress.

Here’s a recipe i came across whilst browsing Flickr. The recipe states that you should let it cool completely before removing from the pan but of course we couldn’t wait. We ate it warm and found it better than letting it cool.

Sour Cream Banana Crumble Muffins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped fine dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 egg whites (or 1/2 cup plain yogurt)
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Method

1. Combine chopped chocolate, almonds, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup sugar.
2. Beat butter and remaining sugar (1 1/2 cups) on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Beating slowly, add remaining ingredients (including 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon) until smooth (about 3 minutes).
4. Sprinkle some of the chocolate-almond-sugar mixture in the bottom of six large or 12 regular muffin cups. Plop in half the batter, then sprinkle with more chocolate-almond-sugar mixture. Top with remaining batter and chocolate-almond-sugar mixture
5. Bake at 350 F 40-45 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.

Cool completely before removing muffins from pan.

Recipe and picture from Flickr

Category: Breakfast Ideas, Cakes & Cupcakes, Recipes | 3 Comments »
Tags: Banana, Muffins

Posted By jen on April 27, 2009

When it comes to cheesecakes, the choices are endless. I saw this first hand whilst we were in the U.S last year. A favourite restaurant of ours is ‘The Cheesecake Factory’ where as soon as you walk in the door you are greeted with a window display of cheesecakes. Some of their selections include: White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Dulce De Leche Caramel cheesecake, Tiramisu, Kahlua Coco Coffee, Adams Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake and many many more. In fact, they have 30 cheesecakes to choose from in total. However, the cheesecake of all cheesecakes however has to be the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake.

Oh. My. God.

Whilst this would’ve been my preferred cheesecake to attempt, i didn’t have any Godiva chocolate on hand so i decided to go with another cheesecake on their menu which i think i would’ve enjoyed. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake. Just the name has me drooling. The cheesecake itself is delicious with the cookie dough surprise inside.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 2 packets oreo biscuit cookies (250 grams)
• 40 grams butter, melted

For the cookie dough:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips

For the cheesecake batter:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 500 grams cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Crush and mix the Oreo cookies the melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 8 -10 minutes.
3. To Make Cookie Dough: In a bowl beat 1/4 cup butter with the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the white sugar. Stir in the water and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat in the flour and the semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until combined.
4. To Make Cheesecake: In a food processor or with a mixer beat 1 cup of the white sugar, and all the cream cheese. Add 1 cup of the sour cream, the eggs, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Mix well and pour into prepared crust.
5. Drop cookie dough in 2 tablespoon portions evenly over the top of the cake, pushing dough beneath the surface. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 40 minutes. Cake will jiggle slightly in center. Spread topping over hot cake. Let cake cool than chill in a refrigerator until cold, at least 4 hours.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Category: Cakes & Cupcakes, Daring Baker's Challenge, Recipes | 12 Comments »
Tags: Cheesecake, Chocolate, Daring Baker's Challenge

Posted By jen on April 25, 2009

Lest we forget.

ANZAC biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 125g butter, chopped
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in oats, coconut and sugar.
2. Place butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Remove from heat. Combine bicarbonate of soda and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Stir into golden syrup mixture (mixture might become frothy). Add immediately to flour mixture and stir until well combined.
3. Roll mixture, into balls and place the biscuits on the baking tray. Flatten to about6cm (diameter) round, allowing room for biscuits to spread. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until biscuits are golden. Allow biscuits to cool completely on trays. Serve.

Category: Biscuits & Cookies, Recipes | 2 Comments »
Tags: Biscuits