Victorian Chocolate Sponge Cake

A few weeks ago I cooked this lovely Victorian Chocolate Sponge cake from a recipe I found in the latest The Simple Things magazine.



 

It was so easy in that all the cake ingredients were just thrown in a bowl and mixed, then thrown in the oven. The icing was a little fiddly (used 2 saucepans!) and perhaps not completely necessary, but looks nice in pics, so I suppose that's important :)

It is a recipe I will have to make again soon. In fact, it's Lyn's birthday next week and he loved it, so it might make a good birthday cake.

As you can see, I had a bit of fun styling these photos  a la "What Katie Ate" style and I'm pleased with the results. I quite like this 'styling' caper, it's a lot of fun.

Hmm, not sure I can wait a whole week until I eat this cake again...

I hope your week is going well.

xx

We all scream for ice cream!

My sister gave me an ice cream maker for Christmas and I have been busy making ice cream ever since!

I've tried a number of different recipes, mostly made up from the accompanying booklet and internet recipes and thought I should write them here for future reference (and in case any of you might be interested!)

My first batch was raspberry - I cooked the fresh raspberries without any sugar or water until they were very soft. For the base I used 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream, with about 1/3 or so cup of pure icing sugar and a drop of vanilla.

Result - nice flavour and colour, but a bit icy.

ps I made a coffee version with this recipe. Was nice, but icy.

Cookies and cream...

Base - 2 cups of pouring cream, one egg and 1/3 cup pure icing sugar. I cooked these until the icing sugar had melted, cooled and then chilled in the fridge. Whilst churning I added in crushed Oreo biscuits.

Result - super creamy, just like you'd get at a nice parlour!

( I also tried this recipe using 1 cup cream and 1 cup pouring custard from a carton, but the results were not as creamy)

Banana...

Same base as above, except I used 2 egg yolks instead of a whole egg ( as that's what was in the fridge). Add in 2 mashed bananas with a touch of lemon juice.

Result - Yum!! Better than a Barney Banana :)

Peppermint...

Same basic base and then I added in a crushed Peppermint Crisp bar and a drop or two of green colouring.

Result - absolutely delicious! My sister has requested another batch after eating the first.

So there you have it. I feel kind of guilty for eating so much cream, but it tastes so good and has none of the extra nasties that shop bought ice cream can have. Also, once Molly's leg is better we will get back into walking :)

If you don't have a machine I reckon it would still work if you mixed it up and placed it in a container you had kept in the freezer overnight. You just might need to take it out a few times and mix it up a bit.

What's your favourite flavour? Any suggestions for me to try?

xx

My heart wanders...

My homemade kiss biscuit on a vintage plate

As many of you will know, I have been having a lot of fun on Instagram lately.

Imagine my excitement when author and blogger Pia Jane Bijkerk posted one of my Instagram shots on her blog the other day! I have to admit I was very excited. Lyndon couldn't quite understand my thrill!

I also found a link to my Instagram feed on the net so here it is if you'd like to take a look at some of my shots. Many of them have featured on the blog already, but there are some cute pooch shots as well.

But then, how could I not take a cute shot of my Molly girl?

Well, I'm sorry I have been so slack with my blogging. It just seems like a mammoth effort at the moment with my dodgy old computer technology. I am hoping by midyear there will be a shiny new computer addition to the family which will make things a lot easier :)

Have a lovely day friends!

xx

Easter treats - edible and cute

Happy Easter friends.

I hope you are in the middle of a relaxing, peaceful and fun time.

We have been having fun painting the weatherboards on the house, but I did manage a bit of Easter cooking.

Anyone fancy a cheescake filled chocolate egg, complete with passionfruit flavoured yolk?

I found the recipe on the beautiful Raspberri Cupcakes blog and had to try them.

I added a bit of Easteryness to the table with my bunny and some eggs which are in fact lovely soaps. Don't tell anyone :)

Oh, who's this you ask? It's Mr Rabbit!

Isn't he beautiful? Another sweet handstitched creation by Natasha of the Snow Queen's Garden.

Natasha has an etsy store and you can find her on Facebook too :)

Who could resist that sweet face?

xx
Edit: we ate some of the choc cheesecake eggs at dinner last night and they were very yummy :)

Doiley teatowel hot off the press

Hot off the press and perhaps in need of a good press with the iron, it's my new doiley teatowel design!

I designed the fabric in Photoshop and sent it off to Spoonflower who printed it for me on a lovely 55%linen/45% cotton fabric. I then finished the edges and attached a handy hanger thingamy on the back.

Blowing in the breeze on our ancient Hills Hoist clothes line...

Looksee, it's labelled Molly's Maison. Ignore those lineny creases :)

And styled with a yummy banana and raspberry muffin topped with lemony cream cheese frosting and a raspberry on top baked this morning by moi!

What do you think?

I'm rather taken with it, though that's no surprise given my slight addiction to teatowels.

I'd love your opinions :)

xx

ps there's one available in my little Etsy store :)

Lamingtons and ivy

Hi friends, the title conjures up images of pretty garden tea parties, does it not? Unfortunately there was no pretty garden party here over the last couple of days.

Yes, I did cook lamingtons for the very first time and they're delicious! A bit sticky but nice and moist inside. Yum. I'm delivering them around the family tomorrow and taking them to work to share.

How about that pretty Mozi plate and tea towel? I'm a bit obsessed by pretty tea towels.

Wow, the ivy, what a monster.

I'm so pleased our helpful neighbour started on his side as it made it a lot easier to rip it out from this side of the fence. Though, in parts I think it's holding up the fence!

The area in question is the back corner where one of my vegie patches is.

The ivy does look pretty but it really has taken over, even growing into my patch which means less room for vegies. We can't have that!

Mollsie is always in the thick of the action.

Here is one side after a bit of work. Yes, that's the roof of our neighbour behind us. There is a retaining wall on the fence line and their house is a few metres below our ground level. Quite handy.

There's poochy again surveying the damage. We still have a way to go. Things slowed down a bit when Lyndon sustained a big, deep cut to his hand. Nurse Sarah fixed it up but it meant no more ivy attacking for him.

Today we took two big loads to the tip and I reckon there's at least one, maybe two more to go.

Look at the poor old fence! The ivy has split palings in parts. We are going to pull some palings off and replace sometime in the future. That will also allow us to cut the big ivy trunks off at the ground.

Well, this has been a not so pretty "before" and almost "after". It certainly looks prettier "before", but not good for the fence or the garden. Oh well.

Well, back to work for me tomorrow. Boo hiss!

Must be time for a cuppa and some more of that lamington...

Take care

xx

Painted sticks and magic puddings

Yesterday I painted a stick. Yes, a stick. And then I put the painted stick in my lounge room.

I must say, I rather fancy my new little grouping. Lyndon, on the other hand, thinks I am going mad.

(but I'm pretty sure he likes the look of my stick)

Doesn't my painted stick just finish it all off?

My lovely paper creation by talented friend Leonie Oakes.

A little group of inexpensive vases. The big one from Freedom, the middle one is a carafe from a local homewares store and the little green vase from good old friend, Ikea.

I adore the little cast crystal dress sculpture. It's by a New Zealand artist.

On to other things (though I doubt this is the last painted stick you will see from me... I'm thinking neon pink stickage next)...

Last night I cooked (for the first time ever) a coffee and chocolate self-saucing pudding.

This pic is from an old Donna Hay magazine, but mine did look the same.

I just don't get how it comes out with the sauce all separate and yummy?

It's like magic!

How does it do that? No, don't tell me, I like the magic of it. Great winter dessert goodness.

How are you Aussie readers enjoying The Block? I'm loving it though I wasn't so keen in last night's rooms.

Hope you are keeping warm.

xx

Yummy treats

Yesterday I made eclairs and profiteroles for the first time.

The recipe I used is here and despite all the reviews on the site saying the choux pastry was a bit tricky to make I thought it was rather easy. The custard cream filling was so yummy I had to pipe the remains straight into my mouth. Yes, gross of me.

Sorry for the dodgy image, it was low light. They're perched on a Spode plate on my new Mozi tea towel which I think might be too nice to use as a tea towel. I thought it might be better as a placemat of some description. I like the overload of pattern :)

xx

Spicy apple tea cake

One word...YUM!

I made this super yummy cake yesterday and it's ever better than it looks (and I think it looks pretty good).

The recipe came from the recent edition of Real Living magazine. It's my new fave magazine.

Well, I may have to go to work today, but at least I have nice cake to eat at morning tea.

So that makes it all ok :)

xx

The verdict : choccy pav with salted butterscotch sauce

Well, there it is, the much talked about Chocolate Pavlova with Salted Butterscotch Sauce that I made over the weekend.

I have never made pav before and I think I may have cooked it a tiny bit less than I should of as it collapsed a little when it cooled. Thankfully the 600ml of cream (lots of healthy calcium!) filled the ditch :)

Well, the verdict is that it is rather good but very rich. I'd have been happy with a little less chocolate in the pav itself as it had both cocoa and chopped chocolate. The butterscotch sauce is delicious and I'd say it would be wonderful in a sundae with banana or on some lovely crepes. YUM!!!

I should really post the butterscotch sauce recipe. I left out the schnapps as it didn't seem worth buying a whole bottle for 1tblsp of it in the sauce. I really don't think it needed it.

Next on my baking list is that gorgeous looking applecake that my bloggy friend Catherine baked over the weekend. It's from the most recent Real Living magazine. I like to tell myself that because it includes fruit, that makes it healthy :)

What have you guys been baking? Something nice?

xx

Cooking cuteness

I had to treat myself the other day to this super cute apron by Austalian company Mozi.

This one is called "Mon Coeur" and has a pretty folk-inspired print. I had been avoiding purchasing it for an age, but a girl can only hold off for so long :)

Some close-ups. How cheery!

I might break it in this weekend when I become chef extraordinare and cook Lyn (who is coming home from a stint of work on the mainland) a Chocolate Pavlova with Salted Butterscoth Sauce. It was in the January Real Living magazine. Yum!

I got very excited at the supermarket yesterday buying ingredients and decided to treat myself to REAL vanilla extract. None of that crappy vanilla essence for this choccy pav. Who'd have thought $6.50 could make me so happy :)

It's a bad piccy, but trust me, it looks very naughty and therefore yummy.

I'll let you know how it goes :)

xx

Lots of cake + MONA = a good day

Today has been a good day. Yes, it's Australia Day and yes, it's a day off work for me, but it has also been a generally rather good one.

First thing we sat around with a cuppa and watched some episodes of True Blood.

I then baked my very first Sponge Cake. I ended up with two different textured halves as I forgot to add water to the mixture and so added it to the second half. Not bad, not perfect, but the jam and creamy middle is good.

Lunch was a bbq over at Mum and Dad's. Yum.

Then, Lyn and I went out to the newly opened MONA (museum of old and new art).

One word.....WOWZA!!!

Absolutely world class. A lot of great art, a lot of ugly art, amazing antiquities but well worth a visit for the architecture alone. It has to be one of the most incredible spaces I have been in.  The massive sandstone walls were stunning! All in little old Hobart.

So, now it's wine-o'clock. I hope you have all had a nice day too!

xx

Fluffy scones and some carroty info

I made some super fluffy scones yesterday. It was the stickiest, messiest mix that required an egg and extended resting time before cooking. Sound odd? They are, but I have to say, they are the fluffiest, lightest scones I have ever made, or maybe ever tasted.

I was just about to take a pic of the scone (above) when someone couldn't resist and dived in!

Lyn and I also had them today, heated up in the microwave and they still tasted great!

Here's the link to the recipe, just in case you are interested...

For those of you who were intrigued by my carrots, here is the packet. I bought them at K&D Warehouse (only in Tassie) but the Johnsons seed company itself has a website where you can contact them for stockists. I have also seen other purple varieties sold by heirloom seed companies. I was going to sow more seeds today but it's rainy and miserable outside.

Speaking of, I have been stunned by footage of the floods in Queensland. I can't imagine the horror of it and it really does put things into perspective, doesn't it?

Keep safe xx

Gingerbread House

Here's the little gingerbread house that I baked and decorated the other day.

This year I went with a simple red and white design. I must say I'm rather pleased with the results :)

Boy, did it make the house smell nice while it was cooking.

xx

In the kitchen

I had a lovely time in the kitchen yesterday. I baked some raspberry melting moments and my friend Leonie dropped by for a cuppa.

Look at that beautiful rose. It is one of the biggest blooms I have ever seen!

ps the biscuits were yum!