Taylors Soups

Last month I was sent a most lovely package. One of the best packages I have received in the last year... Free soup!!! And not only was this free soup, this was free, new soup!! With free new soup flavours I had never come across before.

Taylor's soups came in the awe inspiring flavours such as sweet potato, pumpkin and pear, or spicy vegetable and red lentil and Asian style tomato and coconut. I was in love with these flavours! I couldn't wait to try every single one of them.. But this package came with a mission... To take them for a taste test at work and see what my colleagues thought.. And in one word.. Success!!!

My first soup was the sweet potato. Being an avid fan of pumpkin soup I was eager to see how these flavours pulled together. It was by far my favorite!

The spicy vegetable and lentil soup was a tad on the spicy for me, but I found that teamed with a slice or two of buttered bread I was a fan of this also.

The stand out at work was the Asian style tomato and coconut and sadly the Spinach and Asparagus didn't get much of a fan base. But all in all, these are soups I could see myself buying from the supermarket so I would say that Taylor's have out done themselves.

If you like Piña Colada... Cupcakes

Hello all,

Happy 2014!! I hope the New Year is treating you well.

New Year Fireworks Melbourne 2013-14 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I decided to mark the coming of year with a good old fashioned cocktail party with a few of my closest friends.... and what is a cocktail party without the ever so awesome, boozy cupcakes. Although, I'm less interested in the booze part and more in the cake. So I needed to think up a delicious cupcake flavour that would completely satisfy with its taste and fit my cocktail party.

And while I was dancing around my living room thinking which of my most beloved cocktail mixes should I turn into a dessert, a very familiar song came on the radio....

"I was tired of my lady, we'd been together too long.
Like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song.
So while she lay there sleeping, I read the paper in bed.
And in the personals column, there was this letter I read:
If you like Piña Coladas, and getting caught in the rain..."

I love Piña Coladas... and the rain!!!! Piña Colada Cupcakes... it had been decided. Now to put it all together. 

They came out a treat. And so cute with the little pineapple lollies to decorate!! Big hit, perfect for my cocktail night, and the best part of all, if you want mock-tail cupcakes just omit the rum. No need to change anything else. Simples!!!

Piña Colada Cupcakes:

114g Butter

1 Cup Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

1/3 Cup Coconut Rum
3/4 Cup Coconut Milk
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon Bi-Carb Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Desiccated Coconut
1 Cup Crushed Pineapple Pieces

icing:
225g Cream Cheese
57g Butter
2 Cups Icing Sugar
3 Tablespoons Coconut Cream
3 Tablespoons Coconut Rum
1/2 - 1 Cup Desiccated Coconut (Add to desired consistency)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the rum, coconut milk, pineapple juice and vanilla extract.

5. In another bowl combine the flour, bi-carb and salt.

6. Alternately add the liquid mixture followed by the flour mixture to the butter and mix until smooth.

7. On a low speed, add the desiccated coconut and the pineapple.

8. Divide into cupcake liners (fill about 2/3 full). Bake in oven for 20-25 mins, until a skewer comes out with slight crumbs stuck to it. Leave cupcakes to cool in the tray until the tray is at room temperature then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

9. For the icing; Mix together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar gradually until combined. Add the coconut cream and the rum. On a low speed add desiccated coconut to the desired consistency. 

10. Spread icing on cupcakes and top with cute little pineapple lollies. 

Happy Baking!!!!

Mini Choc Mint Cupcakes

I made the most delicious mini cupcake for a friend's birthday party this week. They taste just like peppermint chocolate chip ice-cream. No joke.

The funniest part is that it all started with an aim to make a lovely triple tiered peppermint chocolate chip cake. Which failed... miserably. The third tier didn't bode well. Once the tin had completely cooled I opened it to place it onto the rack. The entire thing crumbled into pieces. It just fell apart in my hands. I blame the horrid vindictive oven! Then my icing wasn't right. It set. Hard.

So I channelled my hatred into tiny, cute mini cupcakes. And they were delicious! Yummy little bite sized treats that everybody loved.

Try them for yourself!

Mini Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes:

9 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
180g Plain Flour
3 Tablespoons Corn Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Bi-Carb Soda
115g Butter
300g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Coffee (I used a long black setting on my Nespresso Machine, but instant coffee is fine)
1/2 Cup Milk

Icing:
280g Butter
500g Icing Sugar
2 Teaspoons Peppermint Essence
150g Chocolate Flake
Green Food Coloring

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line two mini muffin trays with mini cupcake liners

2. Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy.

3. Sift together dry ingredients.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together coffee and milk.

5. Add eggs to the butter mix, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated.

6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mix, followed by half of the milk mixture. Repeat and mix until smooth.

7. Divide mixture evenly between cupcake liners, so they are filled approx halfway.

8. Bake for 10-15 minutes until skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in tray until at room temp then transfer to a wire rack.

9. For the icing; Beat the butter until smooth, add icing sugar 1 cup at a time until smooth. Add the essence and coloring to desired color. Gradually mix through the flake pieces.

10. Pipe icing onto cupcakes. Voila!

Happy Baking!!!

Chewy Coconut Biscuits

Beware... These cookies are addictive. I took them to a picnic with my girlfriends and they were devoured!

Nice and chewy on top, a little bit crunchy on the bottom and melted chocolate on top. So so good!

Enjoy these... If your friends don't eat them all before you get to try them!!

Chewy Coconut Cookies:

1 1/4 cups Caster Sugar
4 Egg Whites
1 Teaspoon Honey
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
200g Desiccated Coconut
100g Plain Flour
Melted Chocolate to drizzle on top if desired

1. Half fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to the boil.

2. In a heatproof bowl, over the boiling water; whisk together the sugar, egg whites, honey, vanilla and salt until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture lightens in color.

3. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the coconut and flour.

4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours.

5. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

6. Spoon tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet then flatten slightly with the back of the spoon.

7. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the tray, then bake for another 5 minutes until the edges of the biscuits are golden brown.

8. Allow to cool completely on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.

9. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.

Happy Baking!!!!

Noodle Night Market

On Friday night the little sis and I ventured down to the noodle night market at the Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne to indulge in some Asian food by twilight. 

The set up of bars with lounges to sit on and all the food tents set up was pretty good... Until everyone wanted dinner and then the lines were so mammoth they all intertwined with each other. 

The little sis is a big fan of Pad Thai since I dragged her to Thailand early this year so, Rekorderlig's in hand, we were headed straight for the tent with the Pad Thai. 

This was accompanied by some delicious pork buns and prawn and chive dumplings and before we knew it... We were stuffed!

Was very busy as it was a Friday night, the market would have benefitted from being a bit more spread out to allow for lines to vendors etc. but all in all a very satisfying Friday evening dinner!

Night noodle market is on in Alexandra Gardens until 30/11... If you want to head down there... And happy baking!!!!

Cinnamon Donut Cupcakes

"Oh no!" I thought "Bad craving for a cinnamon donut!"... Unfortunately it was 6pm and there are no open donut shops at this time around my area, because we are not in the USA, And I don't know about you but supermarket donuts just don't cut it for me.

But all was not lost, because while I don't like to fry my desserts at home (purely because I can then physically see all the oil that covers it) I was sure I could make a cupcake that, with my eyes closed, could fool me into thinking I was eating a cinnamon donut. And it paid off!

My only regret... I should have made them into tiny bite sized cupcakes rather than regular sized. But there is always next time. Try these beauties out for yourself! Let me know how you went!

Cinnamon Donut Cupcakes:

60g butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

100g caster sugar 

73g brown sugar

340g plain flour

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bi-carb soda

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Glaze:

40g melted butter

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons hot water

128g icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.

2. Beat together butter, oil and sugars until smooth.

3. Add eggs one at a time and mix on low until well combined. 

4. Add baking powder, bi-carb, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.

5. Add the flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.

6. Scoop into cupcake liners and bake 15-20 mins until bouncy when pressed slightly. 

For glaze 

7. In a bowl, whisk butter, sugar, vanilla and water until smooth.

8. Spoon a small amount of glaze into each cupcake and allow to set before serving. 

Orange Cake... Best cake I've made yet

I love cake... all cakes. I've always been partial to the mud-cakes. Caramel mud-cake, chocolate, white chocolate; you name it.

But lately I've found myself drawn to the world of citrus, and I must say, it has quickly developed into a serious relationship. I may even be in love.

It all started with my very first  Lemon Cake which came out a tasty dream, even with the burnt top from my horrible. sadistic oven.

My most recent attempt at a citrus sponge is this Orange Cake. And for some reason I was so nervous while making it. This probably had something to do with the experiment I was doing with cupcakes last week that failed miserably.

But while the Orange Glaze came out a bit runnier than I had anticipated, the whole process turned out this most delightful, amazing Orange Cake. It is, by far, the best cake I have baked yet.

Enjoy it yourself,

Orange Buttercream and Base of cake

Orange Cake
adapted from "The Primrose Bakery Book" by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas

225g Butter
225g Caster Sugar
The zest of 1 Large Orange
4 Eggs
225g Self-Raising Flour

Buttercream filling
125g Butter
15ml Fresh Orange Juice
150g Icing Sugar
The zest of 1/2 and orange

Glaze
200g Icing Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line or grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins.

2. For the sponge; cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Gradually sift in the flour and beat well, but not for long.

3. Divide the mixture between the two tins and place in the centre of the oven for approx 25 minutes. A skewer should come out of the cake with a few crumbs remaining. Let the cakes cool in the tins until able to remove with bare hands, then cool on a rack.

4. For the buttercream; Beat together the butter, orange juice and half the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the remaining icing sugar and the zest and beat until smooth and creamy.

5. For the glaze; Place the icing sugar into a mixer. Gently pour in the orange juice while the mixer is on a low speed. The glaze should have a liquid consistency.

6. To assemble; Cover the base cake with the orange buttercream then place the second cake on top. Pour the glaze slowly over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Garnish with orange edible glitter.  Place the cake in the fridge for the glaze to set before serving.

Happy Baking!!!