Marie Antoinette Cake Lust

Ever since I watched Marie Antoinette when I was younger there has been a scene that has stuck in my mind... It was the scene where she sat around with other ladies and feasted on all these beautiful amazing cakes while sipping on french champagne with beautiful floating red raspberries in old school champagne saucers

There's one piece of cake in particular that I remembered and it was this one.. 

YUM! how could you resist sinking your teeth into those ? The crack of the white chocolate coating and the pretty red rose petal on top. I can imagine the inside would taste like creamy vanilla and tangy raspberry. 

But really, just once more isn't this everyone's idea of a dream come true?? 

My cake is slightly different, I've tried to keep true to what I imagined the cake would taste like but at the same time I just had to pull out these cool cameo brooch molds that I have been dying to use!

Here it is...

What you need: 

Cake:

- 120 grams of unsalted butter
- 1 cup of caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cups of self raising flour
- 2/3 cup of plain flour
- 1/3 cups of sour cream
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
- 5 freeze dried strawberries crushed

Icing: 
- 100 grams of soften unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup of icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons of double cream
- 1 small drop of pink food colouring gel (optional)

White chocolate:
- 200 grams of white chocolate

Decor (optional):
- small piece of fondant , about the size of a golf ball.
- little molds of your choice.
- lustre dust and alcohol
- a little icing sugar for dusting
- Pink edible pearls
- Rose petals


What to do:
Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy
3. Mix in the eggs and sour cream
4. Mix in the flour and salt
5. Add the buttermilk and vanilla Bean Paste.
6. Fold in the crushed freeze dried strawberries
7. Pour into a lined baking tin (9in x 9in)
8. Bake for 25-28mins (Until skewer comes out clean)
9. Allow to cool before using a circle cookie cutter to cut out circles of cake.

* Tip: If you find it is hard to cut the cake with a cookie cutter because a slight crust has formed on top . Brush a very small amount of hot water to moisten the top making it easier to cut into.

Yummy vanilla Cake batter speckled with Freeze dried strawberries 

Perfect sized little cakes ready to be turned into glamorous little pieces  

Icing: 
1. Sift the icing sugar
2. Mix the butter and icing sugar until well combined and smooth
3. then mix in the cream and colouring.


Assemble:
1. Ice the cake circles with the frosting (I used a turntable with a piece of small baking paper to help me keep the cake from moving without touching it)
2. Place the frosted cakes into the fridge to set and harden.
3. Now to make the molds for decorating.
4. Dust the molds with icing sugar and then roll a small piece of fondant and press it into the mold
5. Pop the fondant out of the mold and paint it with a mixture of lustre dust and alcohol.
6. Now to cover the cakes in white chocolate
7. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for around 40 - 60 seconds.
8. Pour the chocolate over the cakes and don't stress it doesn't have to be perfect!
9. When it has set a little pop your decorations on and be brave with your creations!

Stage one! icing the little cakes with a pastel pink frosting

Lustre dust painting my fondant pieces. 

I got my pretty little Cameo and heart molds online from Ebay. I also have the complete set of fancy Alphabet molds with little cherubs on them. It cost quite a bit but if you buy it as a set it isn't too bad!

Enjoy! 

xx Mel 

Cheesecake In A Glass

I love cheesecake! The silky smooth texture contrasting harmoniously working with the subtle tangy flavour of the cream cheese.
I am also aware that a normal baked cheesecake takes around an hour in the oven and there is the risk of the ugly dreaded cracking on top. I being the hungry impatient person I am like to make my cheese cake in a glass cup so I can speedily eat it up with a spoon. Oh the best thing about my cheesecake? you don't need to bake the cheesecake part! :)

What you need:
Cheesecake:
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
- 250 grams of cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons of lime juice
- 1/2 cup of freshly whipped cream

Base:
- 1/4 cup of chopped roasted pistachio
- 1/4 cup of chopped roasted almonds
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
- 3 pieces of crushed freeze dried mango
- 1/4 cup of self raising flour
- 2 teaspoons of caster sugar
- 3 teaspoons of butter
- 2 teaspoons of honey

What to do:
Base:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend well.
3. Place the processed crumbs onto a lined baking tray
4. Bake for 10 minutes
5. Once it has been baked allow it to cool down.

Cheesecake:
1. Boil the water and sugar together in a saucepan for around 5 minutes until the water and sugar is slightly thicker (The consistency of really runny honey)
2. Allow the sugar syrup to cool
3. Whisk the cream cheese until it is smooth
4. Whisk in the cool sugar syrup until combined
5. Mix in the lime juice.
6. Finally fold in the freshly whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Assemble:
1. Place the base mixture in the bottom of the glass of your choice.
2. Add the cream cheese mixture on top of the base.
3. Place in the fridge to set (about 10-20 minutes was fine for mine)
4. Now you are ready to eat!

Enjoy



xx Mel

My Little Crushes

Just a few days ago my beautiful but clumsy Greyhound knocked over my Nigella Lawson Cake stand and broke it into bits. Needless to say my heart broke with that cake stand... Fast forwards to 10 minutes later and I was already furiously flicking through the internet trying to find myself a replacement. As a person with the attention span of a goldfish I of course lost track of what I was looking for and found some beautiful treasures that I one day hope to own in my humble little kitchen.


Here they are, bits and bobs that I have fallen in love with !

This Robert Gordon Pitcher is to die for! Imagine lush peonies, elegant hydrangeas or whimsical orchids sitting in this copper pitcher.  

Another Robert Gordon piece. I imagined myself wrapped in a chunky knitted beige throw while sipping on some hot cocoa on a rainy day

This tumbler is from Freedom and I just LOVE it. The gold just takes it to another level and I could see this fitting perfectly into a dinner party with some friends 

This tumbler is another piece from Freedom. There is something about the bubbles on the tumbler that I find so charming and cute. 

This Churchill rolling pin is the stuff of baking dreams... What a perfect way to turn a boring basic tool into something so beautiful you could proudly display. 

Now that I've shared my new loves you with all.. I have to say I did replace my Nigella cake stand  :) Duck egg blue <3

Enjoy

xx Mel

Matcha, White Chocolate and Wasabi...Cupcakes?

I know what you are all thinking after reading the title to this post !... YUCK ! How could Matcha, White Chocolate and Wasabi go well together ? Well it isn't that much of a stretch actually, I love this quirky flavour combination!

The flavours work really well together. The Earthy Matcha cupcake,  Creamy white chocolate ganache and Zingy Wasabi White Chocolate drizzle all work together in an order within chaos kind of way.

What you need:

Matcha Cupcakes:
- 120 grams of unsalted butter
- 1 cup of caster sugar
- 2 eggs
-3/4 cups of self raising flour
-2/3 cup of plain flour
- 1/3 cups of sour cream
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoons of Matcha powder (For those of you who are unfamiliar with Matcha it is an intense earthly green tea powder)

White Chocolate Ganache: 
- 1/3 cup of cream
- 200 grams of white chocolate

Wasabi White chocolate Drizzle:
- 1/3 cups of cream
- 100 grams of white chocolate
- 2 teaspoons of wasabi
- green food colouring (optional)


What to do:

Matcha Cupcake:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy
3. Mix in the eggs and sour cream
4. Mix in the flour and salt
5. Add the buttermilk and vanilla Bean Paste.
6. Add in the Matcha powder
7. Spoon into Cupcake case lined muffin tins, 3/4 of the way filled)
8. Bake for 25 mins (until golden on top and skewer comes out clean)
9. Allow to cool completely

Cupcake Mixture with Matcha Powder

I use an ice cream scoop to spoon my cupcake mixture into the paper cases 

White Chocolate Ganache:
1. Place ingredients in a microwave proof bowl
2. Microwave for 60 seconds , 30 seconds at a time to make sure you don't overheat the mixture
3. Mix the ingredients and allow to cool
4. Once it cools whip the white chocolate ganache for a few minutes to thicken it up, this also makes the ganache whiter in colour.

Wasabi White Chocolate Drizzle:
1. Microwave the white chocolate and cream for 30-40 seconds
2. Mix in the Wasabi and colouring and mix well
3. Allow to cool

Assemble:
1. Ice the cupcakes with your white chocolate ganache.
2. Drizzle with the wasabi white chocolate after using a pipping bag or fork

Enjoy


xx Mel.

Getaway Gourmet

Happy Long weekend everyone!

I hope everyone has had a safe and long weekend filled with fun and sun :)

This long weekend Lee (My other half) and I decided to get away to a cabin in the middle of a farm, away from society civilization. I know what you are all thinking... How does a girl like me who loves delicious beautiful things survive on meat cooked over an open fire ? Well to be honest I love meat cooked over an open fire but I also need my little bit of gourmet style food while I am away. Two words... Gourmet Damper.
Seems almost impossible gourmet damper... an oxymoron almost? Not really my damper is cooked elegantly on a stick and smothered in all things amazing.

Here is it!

What you need : (done over an open fire)
- 1 1/2 cups of self raising flour. (seeing as I didn't have a measuring cup with me I used a normal mug as a measure so when I say 1 1/2 cups I mean 1 1/2 mugs - about 300-350ml in capacity)
- 100 grams of cold cubed butter unsalted
- 2 teaspoons of caster sugar (just use a normal small spoon)
- approx 1/5 of a mug of cold milk (add more if needed)
- extra self raising flour for dusting
- Very long sticks that have been washed
- lots of your favourite toppings , chocolate hazelnut spread, marshmallow spread, nuts, freeze dried fruits

What to do:
1. Create your fire! The best place to cook your damper is over a log that has been slow burning for a while , not over direct fire otherwise you will end up with charcoal.
2. Mix the flour, sugar and butter together until it resembles bread crumbs . The best way to do this is by rubbing the flour and butter together in between your fingers
3. Mix in the milk and knead until you have a soft dough and you have no more dough sticking to your fingers
4. Add more flour if the dough is too soft, it should have the texture of soft bread dough that isn't as elastic
5. Make some thing sausages with the dough and wrap the dough around the end of the stick like a twirl.
6. Squeeze the dough around the stick to seal it and keep it on tight. remember the thinner the dough the faster it takes to cook
7. Now cook slowly over some burning sticks or logs that are no longer on fire, mine took around 10-15 minutes of slow cooking
8. Once it is cooked (the dough will will firm like damper should) add your toppings !
9. I added chocolate hazelnut spread, fluff (marshmallow spread), salted roasted peanuts and freeze dried strawberries!

Enjoy! This is a great thing to do with a bunch of friends over a campfire!Just make a big bowl of the dough pass it around and everyone can cook their own damper and then dip it into different toppings in the middle.

xx Mel.