Shabby Chic Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday Mum :-)
My first attempt at covering a cake in sugarpaste - ok, it's not perfect but I had a go!!
This was for Mum's 60th - a yummy almond sponge hidden beneath the little adornments.

Sugarpaste roses and butterflies with a little sprinkling of edible glitter

Hong Kong Goodies

Whilst travelling in Hong Kong for the past few days, I was slightly overwhelmed with the oh...so ...dinky sweets and yummy scrummy packaging which was on offer in the local 7 11 (YES!?) and City Super stores.  My daughter has obviously loved playing with the boxes.. I daren't tell her about the world of goodies inside... surely, she'll work that out soon! 

Gorgeous little lollipops! :-)

Moomin and Minnie metal tins with boiled sweeties... I just want to keep the tins out on display

These have got to be my favourite.... Minnie and Mickey chocolate lollipops!  

...Then I found the cutest stationery! I just wanted to buy everything! :-)  Thankfully, it's all so tiny, that you just manage to squeeze in a few more things into the already exploding luggage! :-)

Tiny sandwich bags...for super tiny sandwiches! :-) Cute!

I love these stickers... and the tic&tac 2 coloured pen! 

Teeny weeny bows :-)

Custard White Chocolate Cookies

These yummies are a treat if you love that custard  flavour plus easy peasy to make!  I have adapted the recipe from Mary Cadogen as they were initially on the uber sweet side!!

Ingredients

140b butter at room temperature

150g caster sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

225g self-raising flour

85g custard powder

85g white chocolate chunks (or dark/milk if you prefer)

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
2.  Line 2-3 baking sheets with baking parchment. Mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well. Sift together the flour and custard powder, then tip into the bowl and mix into a dough. Work the chocolate in by hand.
3. Roll the dough into balls a little smaller than a walnut, then place on the baking sheets, a little apart to allow for spreading. Press each biscuit down lightly with your fingers.
4. Bake for 12-15 mins until lightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

White Chocolate Rocky Roads

Wow! These were very photogenic!  I love the combination of colours and textures.   I just added in whatever took my fancy at the time and they turned out a treat!  All gone within the hour! :-)

Ingredients
350g good quality white chocolate chopped (I like to use Lindt)
200g mini marshmallows 
100g macadamia nuts halved
100g dried cranberries
50g pistcahios 
50g flaked almonds

1) Line with greaseproof paper, an 8 inch pan.  I used a silicone lasagne dish for ease!!!
2)Use a microwaveable dish to melt the chocolate, ensuring it is checked every 30-40 seconds.  Make sure it is not over melted, or the white chocolate tends to stay quite runny.
3)Meanwhile, mix all dry ingredients and incorporate.  Pour melted chocolate over the top and mix making sure all of the ingredients are covered in the yummy chocolate.
4)Add mixture into the pan and refrigerate for around 3-4 hours until completely set.
5)remove from the dish and cut into pieces using a warm knife.
YUM! yum :-) 

Mini Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts

These cute little doughnuts were made by me....yes Me!   I was so chuffed with how these turned out and no frying involved!!
I absolutely adore Peggy Porschen's books and recently received this one as a gift - Boutique Baking.  I need to start working through the recipes, but thought this was a good first attempt at baked doughnuts!

The recipe can be found below.  I used ready to mix Fondant icing, which worked for me!  

Vanilla Cookies

These are the little beauties made with my new cookie press.
Such a simple recipe and wow... you can make a lot from the one batch, so the mixture can be divided into lovely flavours and shapes!
The recipe actually comes with the press.. I have just added vanilla sugar on top! My daughter was literally asking for these as they were cooling on the tray....and wow- they are super yummy whilst still warm...
I am sure you can make these without the press but it does make them look extra special

Ingredients:

1 cup (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose 

vanilla sugar for dusting on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl.
3. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract and salt
5. Using a spoon stir in the flour until well mixed.
6. Remove the white ring at the base of the plastic barrel and pack the dough into the cookie press. Fit with the desired disk and screw white ring back in place.
7. Place the press flat against the cookie sheet and squeeze the trigger to compress dough in the barrel. Use one click per cookie, lifting straight up and off the sheet.
8. Space the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.
9. For perfectly identical cookies, keep pressing cookies at consistent intervals every 1 - 2 seconds until no more dough remains.
10. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Be sure to watch them so they don't burn!
11. Gently transfer cookies to wire rack.
12. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar if desired and let cool.
13. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Maya's 2nd Birthday Tea Parties!

Maya's weekend of Tea parties! YES - 2 days!

Mummy's first attempt at pompoms!  I was quite pleased with them :-)

I just adore these Belle and Boo Cake Frill and Toppers... so cute!  The cake was obviously my own creation of vanilla and raspberry layered sponge with white chocolate buttercream and lots of funfetti and mini jazzles.... YUM! went down very well!! :-)

The cute candy party bags with printed labels... I think the children (and grown ups!) loved their little retro bags to take away!

I found these sweet little napkins at a trade fair but they can also be purchased online from Dotcomgiftshop.
Maya had a great party which we will always remember.

Lush Lemon Yoghurt Loaf

Lush lemon yoghurt loaf

ok... so this was just one of those last minute things... try and find a quick recipe with what you have indoors!! Worked out really well... tender, moist and full of flavour, both tart and sweet!  
Adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home 


Ingredients

• 190g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 240ml natural whole-milk yoghurt
• 280g caster sugar, divided
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
• 120ml vegetable oil
• 80ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Grease a 21 by 11 by 6cm loaf pan. Line the bottom with greaseproof paper and grease and flour the pan.

2) Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, 200g of sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

3) With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the centre of the loaf comes out clean.

4) Meanwhile, heat the fresh lemon juice and the remaining 80g of sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside to cool.

5) When the cake is done, allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully place the cake on a baking rack over a sheet tray. While the cake is still warm, pour over the lemon-sugar mixture and allow it to soak in. I tend to insert a toothpick in several places in order for the mixture to soak all the way through... Cool...