lime and thyme loaf

May 14, 2013

This post has been hanging in my drafts for nearly 8 weeks. I had planned to post it on the 26th March – but on the 25th our little birdy decided to arrive instead.

So here we are, nearly 2 months later and I haven’t baked a thing (other than lactation cookies…).

I can pretty much say with a 100% guarantee that this is the tastiest thing to ever come out of our oven. It was fan-frikkin-tastic.

I poured the syrup over while it was still hot from the oven and enjoyed a nice thick slice straight away.

Zingy, ultra-citrussy. Oh-em-gee my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Lemon and thyme are pretty good together, but lime? Out of the ball park dudes.

Lime & Thyme Loaf

 

Ingredients (sponge):

  • 190g unsalted butter, softened
  • 190g plain flour plus extra for dusting
  • Zest of two limes
  • 3 teaspoons finely chopped lemon thyme leaves
  • 190g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 25ml sour cream

Ingredients (syrup):

  • 40g caster sugar
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 40ml water
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon thyme leaves plus extra to decorate

Method:

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yoghurt and apple pikelets

March 21, 2013

A quick post for you on this windy and grey Melbourne morning.

Now that I’m nearing the end of baby quest 2013 (hello there, under 1 week to go… hopefully) I’m finding myself increasingly unable to sleep. (Yes yes.. Ho-ho, wait until the baby comes and see how much sleep you get, nudge nudge).

The bump is not exactly a huge one, but the simple task of turning over to alleviate the never-ending “dead leg” on my left hand side, or trying to get up is no small feat. Add in some grunts, sighs and whinging and you get the sexy picture.

Cue 3:30am this morning, which seems to be a recurring body alarm clock mode this past week and does NOT come with a snooze or delete option. I could not get back to sleep to save me, so up I got and pottered around for 4 hours before the birthday husband arose. *streamers* *party hats*

Feeling positively zombie like by the time 9am rolled on in, I needed something that was not Allbran, or oats, or toast.

Hello, pikelets!!

apple and yoghurt pikelets

I would have loved for these to have been a bit stronger on the apple flavour, next time I’ll try to grate in some fresh apples to give them a bit more apple kick.

That said, they were thick and fluffy without being dense (Loathe dense pancakes, thus my crepe lust). Even a carbo loading preggo like me was happy with three of these.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2-3 depending on how piggish you’re feeling)

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup apple puree
  • 1/2 cup natural yoghurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 1/4 cup water

Method:

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coconut and lime curd cupcakes

March 19, 2013

The festival of limes continues!

Following on from the lime curd I posted about last week, I’ll share a couple of limey treats I’ve made on the back of that.

One of my favourite cupcake recipes on the blog that I keep going back to is the coconut cupcakes – super fluffy and moist and the cake itself works beautifully with a number of different frostings.

With Adam not having a very sweet tooth I have to donate my efforts to someone! So when I went in to visit my lovely workmates last week I dropped in a batch of these as a treat.

Ingredients - Coconut cake:

3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 1/3 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
3 eggs whites extra
200g unsalted softened butter
1 3/4 cups castor sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk

Lime Curd:

Hop on over to this post for the how-to.

Method – Cake:

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gooey cinnamon cake

March 12, 2013

Do you know what one of the nice things about this long-stint-of-leave business is?

No, not sleeping in – I’m not very good at that unfortunately (perhaps a good thing considering I’ll never get any sleep again heh).

Sadly it’s something a bit.. stupid. Being able to make stuff that I’ve pinned! Lame? Yeah probably.

I’m sure 99% of the DIY type stuff I’ll never get around to, but being home-bound has meant I could catch up on many of the “eats and treats” pins I’ve had under my belt. Although… there’s probably quite a few pins on that board that I could never bring myself to make for fear of instant artery congestion. (Ahem, ahem, ahem, and… AHEM!) But hey, it’s fun to droooool on the keyboard.

I digress.

Gooey Cinnamon Cake

A recent pin saw me stumble across a delicious sounding cinnamon cake over at David Lebovitz‘s website. The allure of a crunchy cinnamon sugar top, a gooey chewy moist centre and a slightly crispy base had me sold.

So, check out the recipe below and do not delay my friends, go and make this cake now – and eat it with a dollop of that leftover thickened cream when it is warm out of the oven. You deserve it.

Just… go!

Ingredients:

Cake Base

190g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
60ml whole milk (I used light – we don’t buy full cream)

Gooey Layer

60ml golden syrup
60ml thickened cream (although recipe said you could use full cream milk in lieu)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
225g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
155g cups plain flour

Cinnamon Topping

2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method:

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lime curd

March 7, 2013

When doing our weekly grocery shop online a few weeks ago, I accidentally ordered 31 limes. I had only wanted 3, but alas, sausage fingers prevailed and here we were.

limes

Are you for serious… 31 limes? Thankfully they freeze.

Thankfully again it has been 30+ for nearly 2 weeks now, so any guests are getting a lime wedge shoved into their beers.

What else to make?

A zingy, citrusy curd tart has got to be one of my all time faves, so I thought why not whip up some lime curd for safe keepin’ – it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, so I’ve used it to fill a lime curd tart and some cupcakes (posts v soon).

Citrus treats f.t.w.

Lime Curd

Ingredients (I got 2 jars worth out of this recipe):

  • 2 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons corn flour
  • 1 cup fresh lime juice (I needed 6 limes for this)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 yolks
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter

Method:

  1. Place the sugar and corn flour in a saucepan and whisk to combine
  2. Add the lime juice and eggs/egg yolks and whisk
  3. Turn the heat on medium
  4. Add the butter a little at a time, whisking as you go
  5. Cook over a medium to high heat whisking continuously
  6. Once the mixture starts to bubble, whisk quickly for 1 minute
  7. Strain into jars and cool in the fridge for about 3 hours
  8. If you’re using it to fill a tart you can add it to the tart now

This recipe was from Faux Martha – check it out here!

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Posted in fruit, misc treats, pies/tarts etc | 3 Comments »

caramel cupcakes

February 12, 2013

Officially into the second week of leave. I’ve been super productive (at least it feels like I have?). Have fancied-up some curtains, sewed a sheet set, painted some stuff, made a couple of cakes, ummm.. watched a whole bunch of Girls.

I’m having a day of laziness today, I seem to have pinched a nerve in my shoulder and one in my lower back from all the above mentioned hard work (ahem).

I have started to miss my work buddies. This is to be remedied on Friday when I visit and go for lunch with the ever fun and always chirpy Cazz (we love Cazz). Maybe I’ll even make them a treat! Some cookies? More cupcakes? THINGS?!

When I wound up a couple of weeks back I wanted to give one last baking hurrah, so whipped up a batch of delish caramel cupcakes. And “just because”.. some bunting. FUN!

Caramel Cupcakes

The recipe for these is from one of my faves, the Hummingbird Bakery book, Cake Days. Buy it – it’s pretty ace.

caramel cupcakes
Ingredients – Cake

  • 80g unsalted butter, softened to room temp:
  • 280g caster sugar
  • 240 plain flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 240ml milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g tinned caramel or dulce de leche

Ingredients – Frosting:

  • 500g icing sugar
  • 160g unsalted butter, softened to room temp
  • 50ml milk
  • 100g tinned caramel or dulce de leche

Method:

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stewed nectarine & apple loaf

February 4, 2013

Day 1. Day 1 of being on leave, on a temporary break before the arrival of bebbeh later in March. What have I been up to so far?

I walked Adam to the station. Because, you know.. I’d stay in my pj’s all morning if I didn’t make myself leave the house. I sat and enjoyed a coffee at a little cafe near our place. Walked the long way home, collected a delivery, did some washing, cleaned the kitchen benchtops, went for a walk to get some groceries, put a soup in the slow cooker and then I sat down.

Hello guilt!

Why aren’t you vacuuming, or crocheting mittens, how dare I finish work so early, is that DUST on the table? Lazy cow.

But you know what, pffft to feeling guilty. This is the last time in a long time that I can sit, and do nothing, and shouldn’t feel bad about it.

So now, a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

‘Cause I can.

nectarine and apple loaf

It’s nice and moist without being dense, and the tartness of the nectarine counters the super sweet apple.

You could pretty much stew up any fruit you like. Rhubarb and peach? Yeah baby.

Ingredients – stewed fruit mixture:

  • 3 pink lady apples
  • 3 white nectarines
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • sprinkle of nutmeg
  • 1 cup boiling water

Ingredients – cake:

  • 210g cups plain flour
  • 150g brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup rice bran oil
  • 1 large egg

Ingredients – Crumble top:

  • 2 tablespoons butter, chilled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/8 plain flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

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chewy oat, almond and currant cookies

January 3, 2013

EGAD. A POST?

I know. I’m as as shocked as you.

Why the absence? Well.. 2012 was an especially crazy year on all fronts, with not much space left in my brain after hours for much at all.

With the last half of the year taken up by the excitement (and nausea) of some baby news I found myself thrown into 2013 and was wondering if tumbleweeds and spider-webs had taken over the bloggity.

Anyways, the urge to “nest” has seen the oven fired up again, and some bellies filled with delicious baked treats once more.

Hurrah – cookies!

cookie-oatalmondcurrant

Ingredients

(Made about 16)

  • 115 grams unsalted butter, softened
  • 125g brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste – which I luuuurve)
  • 3/4 cup plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups oats
  • 1/2 cup currants (the original recipe called for 3/4 cup raisins – but I was all out)
  • 1/2 cup almond slivers (but you could substitute any nuts, or even choc chips – you lush!)

Method:

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green chilli purée

March 3, 2012

Adam makes a mean-ass pizza. I’ll often call for pizza night when I’ve lost my kitchen mojo, or I’m feeling a bit low – pizza cheers me up. It can be the silver lining on an otherwise crappy day.

A few weeks ago we bought a new cookbook, Pizza modo mio (John Lanzafame – world pizza champ just as an FYI!) and hot damn, if the pictures in this book don’t get your mouth watering there’s something amiss with your tastebuds.

Tonight we’re attempting the Tuna tataki pizza (the ingredients of which have cost a small ransom), the recipe calling for a green chilli purée as the base sauce.

Thankfully it’s a dreary old day outside, so we spent the morning de-seeding, frying, baking and then puréeing 300g of fresh chilli.

The pizza recipe calls for only a tablespoon (!!!) of this purée, but I think it would be great served with some tuna steaks, or a nice piece of kingfish. Just pop it in a jar and into the fridge.

Green Chilli Purée

Ingredients:

250ml olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh herbs including thyme, basil and rosemary
300g fresh long green chillies, seeded and chopped

Method:

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coconut and rose cupcakes – revisited

February 27, 2012

I miss this blog, and having the time to bake, and photograph, and post, and to sleep in, and to read my google reader, and riding my bike, and.and.and…  the list goes on.

And when I do find the time to bake I sometimes feel like I need to make something new so that I can make a post out of it.

Other times I just want to make something that I know I love. Something that I can just get stuck into and share it with the people I think are ace.

I know a lot of ace people. I should bake more.

Which is why I decided to revisit the coconut and rosewater cupcakes I made many many blog moons ago.

Amazing to see how much I’ve improved, I think. (Seriously, click here - Hilare!)

Coconut Cupcakes with Rosewater Buttercream

Rather than eat all the leftover cake batter (which I have been known to do and promptly regret) why not use it for a little something special.

Why not bake your love or a dear friend a mini layer cake?!

Yes!

Coconut and Rose Mini Cake

Then pack it up and send it off to work with them for morning tea.

Better than some nuts and fruit, right?

I promise – a real post soon.

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Posted in cakes, cupcakes | 9 Comments »

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