Beautiful on the inside.

Baking is part of my Sunday routine and I love it.  My Sunday bake is less beautiful and more practical, however as whatever comes out of the oven goes into our lunch boxes.  Now that I'm a mumma, health and wellness through food is vital as I find more and more way to pack in nourishing nutrients.  As a result, this week's recipe is worlds apart from what I normally share with you: not in taste, of course but in nutritional value.  Quinoa flakes and oats form the base of these cookies, packing a fibre and protein punch.  Rapadura and maple syrup replace simple, refined sugar and Chia seeds provide superfood superpowers.  These don't taste unlike ANZAC bikkies but without the nasty sugar high (and low). Perfect for my little ladybug's lunchbox.  If these weren't meant for a lovely little person, I might have considered adding chocolate chips or cacao nibs.  Maybe next time... 

Quinoa, Coconut and Chia Cookies

125g unsalted butter

40g rapadura

30g maple syrup

95g quinoa flakes

90g rolled oats

60g desiccated coconut

1 tbsp white chia seeds

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 egg

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees.  Melt butter and then mix in rapadura and maple syrup until well incorporated.  Add all the dry ingredients and the egg and combine.  Place tablespoons of the mixture onto baking trays and cook for 15 minutes or until you get lovely golden crunchy edges.  Allow to cool slightly before removing from the trays.  Makes 24.

Put your feet up and enjoy munching on one of these with a lovely coffee.

F. x

A very happy birthday.

Yesterday marked one of my good friend's milestone 30th birthday.  So many of her family and friends celebrated with her last night and for the occasion, I created a darling lilac celebration cake with matching cupcakes.

I must admit to being a little in love with this cake - ok, a lot in love with this cake.  The colour is divine and the cake was absolutely perfect.  This really is a fail safe recipe.  I used my white chocolate mud recipe and baked the cupcakes for forty-five minutes and the large round cakes for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Decorating the cake and cupcakes required four batches of lilac vanilla buttercream and one batch of white buttercream for between the layers.  The cake was topped with Rafaello chocolates which was a very easy and elegant touch.

White Chocolate Mud Cake

250g unsalted butter

150g good quality white chocolate, chopped

2 cups caster sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup SR flour

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, beaten lightly

Preheat over to 140 degrees. Melt butter, chocolate, sugar and milk together over a low heat. Continue stirring, without boiling, until smooth. Pour mixture into your mixing bowl and leave to cool. Whisk in sifted flours before mixing in vanilla and eggs. Bake a 23cm round cake for 75 minutes and cupcakes for 45 minutes. A skewer will not come out completely clean with these cakes but the top of the cake should be springy to touch.  Allow cakes to cool completely before decorating with vanilla buttercream.

Vanilla Buttercream

150g unsalted butter

400g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

Beat butter for 4-5 mins until very light in colour. Stir through the vanilla before adding icing sugar and milk. Once icing sugar is incorporated, beat on a high speed for 2-3 minutes. Colour as desired.

Happy 30th Birthday, Jem!

F. x