Finally time

Its been AGES since I have been on here.  Thought it was about time to get back on the wagon.  Will hopefully start posting things at least once a week.  Will leave you with a photo of our puppy Ivy.

First time using Royal icing!!

I have always wanted to make biscuits & decorate them using Royal icing, so this weekend after finding inspiration from this blog Bakeat350 I thought, well why not ;)

I used one of Bridget's biscuit recipes found HERE  these biscuits were so very simple to make.  I rolled & used various cookie cutters.  I decided to do some plain with a freckle chocolate on top & then iced the others with the royal icing.  I have learnt so many things already with this first attempt, I needed to make the icing a little thinner to pipe around, same with the flooding icing, but its all trial & error & will hopefully do a whole lot better next batch :)  Here are the pics.

Choc Chip Slice

Here is the other recipe that I baked on the weekend.  I love to make slices as I find them quick & easy to make for Kev & the kids lunches.  Anyway, you can find the recipe here  

Choc Chip Slice Recipe  I love that website :)

Here is a photo of the finished product :)

Till next time, happy baking ;)

Jesse

Easy Cupcakes

Well finally got my stuff a bit more sorted & after a lovely weekend of cooler weather, rain & wind, I finally got around to baking something.  The kids were after cupcakes so I pulled out the trusty easy as recipe that I got of a forum a while ago.  These are so very yummy & I iced them with Buttercream Icing

Here is the recipe

Best-Ever Cupcakes:

Into 1 cup metric (250ml) measuring cup, place 2 eggs, then fill to the top with thickened cream. Pour into mixing bowl.

Beat 1 minute with electric mixer.

Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 3/4 cup caster sugar.

Beat 3 mins.

Add 1 cup SR flour (sifted), fold into mixture with wooden spoon until incorporated.

Place mixture into 12 muffin tins (lined with paper cases), bake in mod oven until light golden and cakes spring back when lightly touched in the centre.

Ice with buttercream icing 

Decorate :) thats the fun part ;)

I have a Choc chip Slice baking away in the oven & will share that recipe tomorrow :)

Till then, happy baking :)
Jesse

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Well have finally started to find some of my baking things in the mountains of boxes that are swamping the house from the move.  I've been itching to get back into baking some goodies!! I don't have my pantry fully stocked yet, so had to find a recipe using the ingredients I knew I had.  Did a google search & found this blog

PERFECT.  Nice & easy to make.  Its in the oven atm but will post a picture & let you know how it tastes tomorrow :)

Jess

Back in Action

Woohoo, we have found a house to rent & will be moving in next Saturday.  I can't wait to get all my stuff unpacked & to get back into the swing of things!!! Will hopefully have something up within the next two weeks :)

Sorry

Just wanted to touch base with any of my blog readers.  We've had a busy couple months, our family has moved & my husband has started a new job.  I won't be doing any baking till I get all my things out of storage, which is god knows when as we don't have a permanant house yet, lol.  I hope to be back blogging in March :)

Birthday Cake

Just wanted to show off some pictures of my daughters birthday cake that I made.  I did cheat & use packet cake mixes.  I just used my Buttercream icing recipe for the icing.

Will hopefully be back into making some things on the lead up to Christmas!!

Yankee Crunch Slice

I made this slice the other day, one of our family favourites that I got from my mum.  Very quick & easy to make.  Didn't get a chance to get a photo as it was eaten within 24hrs of making it, lol.  Hope you enjoy it.

YANKEE CRUNCH

¼ to ½ cup butter or marg

¾ cup either white or brown sugar

Melt together on stove. Take off heat & add:

1 tablespoon Cocoa

1 cup Self-raising Flour

½ cup coconut

Mix well.  Turn out into slice tin & bake for 20-25mins.  Ice whilst warm to hot.

Icing:

1 cup icing sugar

½ cup coconut

1 teaspoon butter or marg

1 tablespoon cocoa

Combine together with a little hot water… spread over slice.

Milo Biscuits

Been a busy week for me this week, back to work after my son was sick last week & school started back for my daughter.  Got home from the school pickup this afternoon & felt like baking something simple, so found my recipe for these Milo Biscuits, which are yummy.  Got the mix all happening when I realised someone has been raiding the Milo tin (hmmm yes you, husband of mine) and there was only a spoon of milo left, so I chucked in some chocolate drinking powder & some colour sprinkles for the kids.  Anyway, they turned out great & the kids just love them :)

& here is the recipe

Milo Biscuits

Ingredients
• 125 grams butter
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 1 ¾ cup self raising flour
• ½ cup Milo

Instructions
1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C.
2. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla essence in large bowl until light and creamy. Beat in egg.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Fold dry ingredients into egg mixture.
4. Take teaspoons of mixture and roll into balls. Place on greased oven tray and flatten with fork.
5. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Conga Bars

While watching Huey's Kitchen last week, he made these Conga Bars .  I thought they looked rather easy to make & my hubby is a big fan of slices etc, I thought I would give it a go.  The mixture was quite runny, but it cooked up nicely.  The chocolate settles to the bottom of the slice, making the nice layered look.  They taste pretty good & will make again.

And here is the recipe

Conga Bars 

Ingredients
225 gm brown sugar
4 large eggs
250 gm unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
150 gm self-raising flour, sifted
300 gm good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
cooking oil spray


Method
1.   Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced (200°C normal).
2.   Beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl using an electric mixer until smooth.
3.   Then add the melted butter, vanilla, salt and flour, continually mixing.
4.   Add the chocolate and fold in with a wooden spoon. Then transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled slice tin,     smooth the top and give it a bang on the workbench (to remove any air bubbles). Cook in the oven for about 20-30 mins until just set, but still a little soft in the centre.
5.   When ready, set aside to cool before slicing into bars.

Choc Cherry Macaroon Slice

I found this recipe on My Food Obsession blog over the weekend.  I also have this Australian Women's Weekly cookbook, so I thought I would give it a go.  It is so yummy, I'm really happy with it & it was so very easy to make!!!  Give it a try & let me know what you think :)

Okay, here's a pic of the end product

And here is the recipe

Makes 16

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 100g  dark eating chocolate, grated coarsely
• 1/4 cup plain flour, sifted
• 1 1/3 cups of shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup red glacé cherries
• 50g  dark eating chocolate, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150c and line a 19cm x 29cm slice pan with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric beater until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved between additions.
3. Fold in the grated chocolate, flour, coconut and cherries.
4. Spread the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 45 minutes.  Cool in pan.
5. Drizzle the cooled slice with the melted chocolate and refrigerate until set before cutting.

Buttercream Icing

This is the buttercream recipe that I use when icing my cupcakes & cakes.  I normally double the recipe.  Enjoy.


Buttercream Icing

125g butter, softened

1 ½ cups icing sugar mixture

1 tablespoon milk

Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until pale.  Gradually add icing sugar mixture & milk, beating constantly until combined.

Sister's Birthday Cake

Well I am trying to start making a few more cakes & since it was my sisters birthday on wednesday & she is having a BBQ tonight I offered to make a cake for her.  She loves chocolate, so I decided on a Chocolate cake.  This one is a Four layered chocolate cake with White Choc ganache & dark choc ganache in the layers.  Covered with dark chocolate ganache & topped with Maltesers. Mmmm, can't wait to cut into it tonight & will upload some photos of the layers tomorrow.  So here it is........

Okay, here is the dodgy photo after it had been cut into.

Here is the recipe that I used to make it.  I didn't use the packet mixes, but the option is there for you if you don't want to make the cake batter yourself, lol.

Recipe

2 quantities Homemade chocolate cake (see recipe below) or 2 x 370g packets of chocolate cake mix

600g Dark Chocolate, chopped

1 2/3  cups thickened cream

360g White chocolate, chopped

Bag of Maltesers to decorate

1. Preheat oven to 180*/160* fan forced. Grease two 20cm round cake pans. Line base & sides with baking paper.  Make cake mixture & divide between two pans.  Bake for 45mins or until cooked through.  Stand in pans for 5 mins & then turn onto wire rack to cool.

2. Place dark chocolate & one cup of cream into a glass microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on medium (50%) for 2-3mins, stirring every 30sec with a metal spoon, or until smooth.  Transfer ¾ cup of the mixtureto a bowl, refrigerate till thickened.  Set aside remaining mixture at room temp.

3. Place white chocolate & remaining cream in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on medium (50%) for 1-2 mins, stirring every 30secs.  Transfer to bowl & refrigerate till thickened.

4. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half.  Place base on board, spread half the white ganache over cake. Top with second layer cake, spread with all refrigerated dark choc ganache. Top with another cake layer, spread the remaining white ganache.  Top with last cake half. Spread top & side of cake with the room temp dark chocolate ganache.  Decorate with chocolate balls. Serve

Homemade chocolate Cake

125g butter, softened

¾ cup caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ¼ cups Self Raising Flour, sifted

¼ cup cocoa, sifted

½ cup milk

1.  Using an electric beater, beat butter & sugar till light & fluffly.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Stir in flour, cocoa & milk till combined.  Bake in oven.