Thursday, November 27, 2014

Choc-Coconut Cupcakes

This should appeal to many people. The coconut isn't so full on like drinking from the reef tan oil bottle, but it's there enough to please lovers of coconut. Not quite a bounty bar or Raffaello, but more on par with the humble Lamington - with more chocolatey goodness.



WARNING: Not suitable for messy children (or a lady-child like me) if you desire a clean floor and furniture! These babies are crumbly to the max!


CHOC-COCONUT CUPCAKES
Beat together 1/2 block butter and 1 cup caster sugar.
Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of coconut essence.
In a separate bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 cups self-raising flour, 1/4 cup cocoa and 1 cup dessicated coconut.
Alternate the addition of the flour mixture with approximately 1 cup of cream.
Gradually add the cream until you get the consistency of chocolate mousse. 
You may not need all the cream.
It's not worth licking the batter - it's got that bitter baking powder taste. Believe me, I tried it.
Bake at 160 C for about 20 minutes.
Once cool, get to work on the easy-peasy icing!

Beat together 1/2 block soft butter with 1 cup of icing sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa.
Spread your cupcakes with the icing and finish with a sprinkling of coconut.
Be prepared for the delicious crumbly mess! Having a small animal underneath you helps too.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

My Halloween Gaieties - Part 2

This was a smart idea! Have your Halloween party after Halloween is over - when candy and costumes are on sale!

I don't own much in the way of costumes so built an outfit based on things I already had. There was one thing I needed but couldn't find - yellow socks. So I got these instead:
Yes, I came as Dora the Explorer! I already had a monkey (but unfortunately not grey with red boots) and a backpack (not a talking one). I drew my own little "map" too.
The socks fit me perfectly well!
The rest of the costumes on the night put mine to shame! There was a technicolour plethora of body paint and wigs, children's games, and of course, food (my contribution being some mini red velvet cupcakes).



Tuesday, November 04, 2014

My Halloween Gaieties

Being born and raised in Australia, Halloween was always virtually non-existent and I only knew of it from American TV such as Simpsons Halloween specials and Bette Midler's performance in "Hocus Pocus". To me, witches, cauldrons and jack-o-lanterns belonged in the same category as white Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Meeting my husband changed all that. Actually, he doesn't care much for festivities (thinks they're a commercial waste of money). It was actually the arrival from Canada of his cousin Sarah 2 years ago, that encouraged me to "try" Halloween. (She was staying for a year on a working holiday visa)

I tried my hand at carving a pumpkin, Teddy dressed up and we got candy - but alas, the Australian children of the neighbourhood didn't make an appearance.

Halloween 2013: A tiny fairy and a tiny witch show up. I run to the pantry - hmm... packets of mi goreng. Tuna cans. Baked beans??? Thank goodness there was an old family block of chocolate. I didn't even check the expiry date and gave it to them.

Come 2014, I was determined to be prepared! By having dinner and dress-ups!! I wasn't about to go buy Teddy a new costume so I dressed him in his tux once again. He looked dashing!

To build a theme from his outfit, I chose "black and white" - left open to interpretation! Most guests turned up in black and/or white clothing, but a few dressed up! I have a black and white top that Paul has always called my "mime" shirt so it only seemed appropriate (with white dental gloves)


Dinner included my meatballs and sweet potato bake (see previous posts)
As well as roast veggies and pasta bake.
Thanks to friends for bringing spring rolls and ensaymadas (sweet Filipino bread)



Red Velvet Cake

This cake is one of those recent resurgences of a retro recipe. It's probably thanks to Manhattan's Magnolia Bakery's resurrection of it, that it has become so popular of late.

I remember when I first tried this cake. It really messed with my mind. The blood red colour makes my mind say "beetroot????" whilst if I close my eyes and eat it, it's simply a deliciously light chocolate cake.

And that's what it basically is! Apparently the reaction between the vinegar and buttermilk causes something in the cocoa powder to turn red, but the colour is normally enhanced with beetroot or red food colouring (which I use). It'd be interesting to see what effect beetroot would have on it.

RED VELVET CAKE
Into a bowl combine 250g plain flour, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
I find the type of cocoa you use affects the colour - I go for a premium Dutch cocoa which tends to be a dark brown, resulting in a deeper red in the cake.

Beat together 100g soft butter with 200g caster sugar.
Add 2 eggs, one at a time followed by a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Add 2 tablespoons of red food colouring (I use Queen's Pillar box Red)
Careful not to stain your clothes!
Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to 175ml buttermilk.
Alternate the addition of dry ingredients with the buttermilk.
Bake at 160C for 40 minutes or so (whenever a skewer comes out clean)
You can make one cake or many cupcakes with this batter.
I made 2 small cakes to layer together.

Cream Cheese Icing
I use this easy-peasy icing for many cakes and have even used it to sandwich macarons together.
Beat together a whole bag of CSR Pure Icing Sugar with 1/2 a block of Philly cream cheese and 100g soft butter. 
Add a squeeze of lemon.
Place in a piping bag if making cupcakes or just spread with a spatula onto your cakes.
You can decorate it with sprinkles and the like, but I put my Halloween cookies on top with crushed Arnott's Chocolate Ripple cookies for "dirt".

I originally wanted to make cookie tombstones for a graveyard cake, but my Halloween cookie cutters are just too cute!

Sunday, November 02, 2014

Sweet Potato Bake

This post will be short & sweet - just like the recipe. You have to love sweet potato to like this dish! I know sweet potato isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really love sweet potato, so I love this dish.
Told you I love sweet potato

SWEET POTATO BAKE
Peel and cube 4 sweet potatoes then boil until tender.
Pierce with a fork to test if they're ready.
 Drain the sweet potatoes and mash.
Mix in 1/4 cup white sugar, 100g butter, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup evaporated milk.
It will look like spew.
Mmmm. Spew.
Bake at 160 C for about 30 minutes.
Prior to baking I made a crumble topping of a bit of flour, butter, brown sugar and crushed walnuts.


And that's it! Told you it was short & sweet.

Saturday, November 01, 2014

Gingerbread

Ginger has grown on me over the years. I used to abhor it the way I abhor black licorice. I dunno if it's acquired taste or just age, but I now enjoy ginger beer, ginger cookies and I am even giving pickled ginger a chance!

These biscuits keep really well in an airtight container so are ideal to bring over as a gift or give out at Christmas time.

I actually just wanted an excuse to finally use some cookie cutters I bought ages ago! Halloween was the perfect excuse.

GINGERBREAD
In a saucepan melt 100g butter.
Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup golden syrup.
In a bowl combine 1 cup plain flour, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon each of ground ginger, cinnamon and all-spice.
Slowly incorporate the wet to the dry ingredients. 
Mix until a ball forms.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out to about 0.5cm thickness.
Use your cookie cutters. Keep rolling and cutting until the dough is used up.
Place cookies onto lined baking trays and bake at 160 C for about 15 minutes.
Leave to cool on the trays.

Royal Icing
These cookies are a bit plain-jane if you don't jazz them up with some icing!
This is a fun way to make some mess with the kids!

Mix together 1.5 cups icing sugar with 1 egg white and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice.
(Keep that lemon handy)
Mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Separate your icing into ramekins which will hold each colour you will use.
I made orange (red + yellow, duh) for my pumpkins and purple (blue + red!).
Be careful when adding food colouring because you can add but you can't take back!
I hope you've kept that lemon handy. Before decorating we need to check the consistency.
Drizzle the icing upon itself - it is right when the peak disappears in about 10 seconds.
If too thick, squeeze more lemon. If too thin, add a tiny bit of icing sugar.
Spread directly onto your cookies or use a piping bag if you wanna be pedantic.