Cupcake Craziness

This week has been a week of meetings, cupcakes, work, cupcakes, fete, AND cupcakes! I simply adore cupcakes but this has been a little much and I will be happy not to make another late-night or early-morning cupcake for a few weeks.  My little ladybug has also taken to skipping around the house singing the word "cake" so you can see how much cake has featured in our lives, this week!

Thursday afternoon marked our annual school fete.  As is now 'tradition' (or my personal tradition, at least),  my class was responsible for the cake stall.  Even though I knew this was going to be THE craziest week at work, I just couldn't help but get excited about planning my baking.  So I used A moment on the lips... as my recipe book and here's what happened...

Whole Orange Cupcakes with Zesty Cream Cheese Frosting

I used my Orange Cake recipe and baked the cupcakes for 20 minutes.  They turned out perfectly.  Take care not to overcook, however, as they'll get dry very quickly.  The sharpness of the frosting cuts through the sweet orange beautifully.

Sticky Date Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and a Salted Caramel Drizzle

Sticky Date is my all time favourite dessert and these cupcakes completely did it justice.  Again, I used my Sticky Date Cake recipe and baked for 20 minutes.  They were light and spongy like a steamed pudding - beyond amazing! This is the buttercream recipe and I used the caramel sauce that I drizzle over the top of my Salted Caramel Cheesecake.

Chocolate Sponge with Chocolate Whipped Cream and Sprinkles

The only Chocolate Cake recipe I ever use is my Mum's because it's the best.  The batter is ridiculous and you have to make sure that you employ some self control so that you manage to get some cake into the oven!  These were topped with chocolate whipped cream and sprinkle because they make me smile.  

White Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

This is such a lovely recipe that works every time and is absolute heaven for white chocolate lovers....mmmm.  The cupcakes take a lot longer to bake than the others (45 minutes) but would still be worth it if they took 45 hours!  Cupcakes like this make people happy.

They looked amazing all packaged up and the rush was on to get in quickly enough to purchase a box of loveliness!

I urge you to try at least one of these wonderful recipes and let me know all about your beautiful baking adventures!

F. x

Winter + White Chocolate

Think about it...
It's a cold winter evening and you're snuggled on the couch with a lovely knitted blanket over your knees.  What could make this a better picture?  Only biting into a warm white chocolate chunk cookie!

Heaven!  You see, white chocolate and I...well, we have a bit of a 'thing'.  But please don't allow this to hold you back from experimenting with this recipe!  Instead of white chocolate, you could use ANY type of chocolate, chocolate bar, nut or dried fruit.  This is the wonderful cookie recipe of my childhood and you really can do anything with it.

White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

250g butter, unsalted

70g caster sugar

70g brown sugar

1/2 can condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla essence

350g S/R flour

80g plain flour

200g good quality white chocolate, chopped roughly

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugars until well combined and lightened in colour.  Mix in the condensed milk and vanilla before adding your flours. When your mixture has come together, add the chocolate.  Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place onto baking trays, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 15 minutes or until lovely and golden.

This recipe makes a whole lot of cookies so you could halve the mixture but what would be the fun in that?

F. x

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

My happy dance.

You've heard of the "happy dance"?  Well, while I'm a fan, I must say that I definitely prefer the "happy bake".  A moment on the lips Facebook page now has over 200 likes and is growing every day.  My mode of celebration?  Why, the "happy bake", of course! And isn't it a beautiful thing? Recipe to come: good things come to those who wait, darlings.

Here's to the "happy bake" catching on!
F. x

A little slice of heaven.

 For the first time in the longest time, I'm snuggled on the couch with a cup of English Breakfast and a Scotch Finger....bliss! Being back at work full time now and juggling all that goes with being a working mummy means that moments like these are few and far between. It also means that I'be neglected you all for far too long. But, I promise that what I'm offering you today with more than make up for it.
This...is ah-mazing.
I give you, my Salted Caramel Cheesecake. I give you not only my Salted Caramel Cheesecake BUT my Salted Caramel Cheesecake with Vanilla Cream and Caramel Sauce! Forgive me, now?

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

500g plain sweet biscuits 

60g almond meal 

150g unsalted butter, melted 

350g ricotta 

500g cream cheese 

175g (1 cup) brown sugar 

4 eggs 

2 tbsp golden syrup 1

/4 tsp table salt 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

250mL pure cream 

240g (1 cup) sour cream 

1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted 

Caramel Sauce 

250mL pure cream 

60g butter, chopped 

175g (1 cup) brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees C. Blitz the biscuits and almond meal in a food processor until you have a course crumb.  Add the butter and process to combine.  Press the mixture onto the base and sides of a 20cm springform tin and pop in the freezer while you make the filling.

Using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta and cream cheese for 5 minutes or until very smooth.  Add the sugar and beat for another 3-4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, before adding the syrup, salt and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  

Pour the mixture into the biscuit shell and then place in a large baking tin.  Pour boiling water into the tin so it comes halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.  Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm to the touch (with a slight wobble to the centre)  Remove the cheesecake from the baking tin with the water and allow to cool.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, although overnight is best.

Place the cream, sour cream and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla in a mixing bowl and whip to soft peaks.  Swirl the cream across the top of the cool cheesecake.

To make the caramel sauce...Place all ingredients into a saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil.  Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Serve with the cheesecake.

Love this!

F. x

Food Tales

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend the "Food Tales" workshop at the Blackwater Library.  These travelling workshops are a joint venture between the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Writers Centre. The incredibily charismatic and talented Dominique Rizzo presented throughout the Capricorn region, visiting Yeppoon, Rockhampton, Emerald and Blackwater and discussing the food memories of travel with the locals.  She talked about her own food journey and the experiences along the way which lead her into cooking as a career and were fundamental to her food philosophy.  I was also lucky enough to be able to purchase her beautiful book, "My Taste of Sicily" which she kindly signed for me.  This book is full of simple, versatile recipes perfect for every day cooking.  There is also a gorgeous sweets and desserts chapter which I fully intend on working my way through!

If you get a chance, I also recommend that you check out the "Food Tales" blog which is full of local and community content from the workshops. Dominique Rizzo also has a selection of delicious recipes available on her website that aren't included in her book (Click Here) so definitely have a click through!

Look out because I've got a stunning Silician cake from Dominique's book coming your way!

F. x