“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!” That’s me screaming with excitement as I left university this afternoon (an internal scream of course). It was my final exam of the year and I have never looked more forward to the end of semester than I have this year. When I decided to go back to uni part time coupled with full time work, I didn’t think it was going to be a breeze, but I didn’t think it was going to be as tough as I have experienced. I have learnt a lot in my studies over the last two semesters and have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly discussion with my peers, but I spent way too many weekends reading and studying at the library and fighting peak hour traffic on Tuesday nights to get to lectures on time. There were also too many nights where I had to come home after a full day of constant meetings, emails and headaches to complete an assignment late into the night. Suffice to say, Linda was not a happy girl!

Now that school is over, I finally have some more time up my sleeve! I’m looking forward to summer, going to the beach, catching up on reading and exploring photography more (my camera has been idle and gathering dust on my bookshelf). More time up my sleeve means more time with Z, friends and family, lazy days and just having more time to do whatever the hell I wish to. I’m going to start another blog with a my sweet friend Amanda too which is rather exciting! I will also get to spend more time baking and blogging, sharing more yummy recipes like this upside down pear and ginger cake. It’s sticky, it’s moist and has just the right amount of sugar and spice.

So three cheers for finishing school and celebrating with yummy cake! Hip hip hooray!

Upside Down Pear Ginger Cake

Adapted from a recipe found on Taste.

1 and 2/3 cups brown sugar

250g butter, melted

4 medium pears, cored, peeled and cut into 2cm slices

1 cup golden syrup

2 eggs

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

big pinch of salt

2 and 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

200ml buttermilk or sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 160C (140C if fan forced). Grease and line a 23cm square cake pan.
2. Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the base of pan. Pour 1/3 cup butter over the sugar and arrange the pear slices in a single layer over the butter and sugar.
3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining butter, eggs, sugar and golden syrup. Sift in the flour, spices, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Fold through the buttermilk or sour cream. Pour this batter over the pears.
4. Bake for an hour and half or until cooked through and tested with a skewer. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve warm or cold.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: “zucchini in cake?!” You’re  probably used to sweet baked goods made with chocolate or fruit, but using vegetables in cakes isn’t as odd as it would seem. There are so many different sweet recipes out there that use all kinds of vegetables; think traditional favourites of pumpkin pie and carrot cake, and more unusual recipes like chocolate beetroot cake or spinach brownies! After being in a bit of a baking  funk, I wanted to make something that was not only delicious but also something a little different. I thought about making Jessica Seinfeld’s recipe for brownies with spinach, but I wasn’t in the mood for something chocolatey. After searching through my very disorganised folder of online recipes I’ve bookmarked, I came across this recipe and knew it was the one to make.

It’s very similar to a carrot cake, only with grated zucchini and different spices instead. It is a very simple recipe and takes hardly anytime to prepare at all.  I didn’t follow the recipe as printed (I’m such a rebel!) and used walnuts instead of pistachios and added cinnamon and cloves to the mix. I’m quite time poor these days, so I didn’t even bother with the frosting and it’s a one-bowl recipe which means less time washing up and more time eating!

Zucchini Spice Loaf

Adapted from recipe found in Delicious magazine, February 2007 here.

3/4 cup (185ml) sunflower oil

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup (75g) walnuts, finely chopped

1/2 cup (60g) almond meal

2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 big ones)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of ground cloves

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour

1/2 cup (75g) plain flour

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf tin and line base and sides with baking paper.
2. Using a whisk, combine the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla until thick. Stir in chopped nuts, meal, zucchini and spices. Sift over baking soda and flours, and stir to combine. Pour into pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Thirty things that make me smile…

A perfectly baked sponge cake with jam and cream.

Photographing in natural light.

Reminiscing about my first kiss.

Soulful music.

Eating anything wrapped in pastry.

Laughter and uncontrollable giggles.

Receiving a compliment from a stranger.

Birthday and festive season celebrations with family.

Deep and meaningful conversation with close friends.

The kind of love that makes your heart ache when you’re not with them.

Ice-cream in summer anytime of the year.

Kindness. Gentleness. Understanding. Patience.

That look on someone’s face when they open up their gifts.

Farmers’ markets and fresh, seasonal produce.

Shopping until my feet hurt and so much money is spent.

Cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles.

Making new friends.

Flicking through design magazines for inspiration.

A coffee made from ground beans, perfectly steamed milk and served at the right temperature. Then drinking another one.

Fruit smoothies with honey.

Being loved for who I am.

Spending hours and hours in a bookshop, trying to find the right book to take home.

Turning the mobile/laptop off and being disconnected.

Being appreciated and acknowledged.

Log fires, hot chocolate and marshmallows in winter.

Watermelon, floral dresses, flip-flops, last minute BBQs and trips to the beach in summer.

Finding that perfect dress/top/skirt/jeans/shoes that actually fit for a bargain price.

The sense of accomplishment when something difficult has finally been completed.

Reading a book from beginning to end in one sitting.

Thick slices of banana chocolate bread, still warm from the oven…

Banana Chocolate Bread

250g plain flour

2.5 teaspoons baking powder

big pinch of salt

125g dark or milk chocolate, finely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup caster sugar

2 large eggs

4 large, ripe bananas, mashed (don’t add anymore bananas – it will be too stodgy).

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Grease and line a loaf tin and set aside.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir through the chocolate.
3. In a larger bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and banana.
4. Gently combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and be careful not to overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack, but eat it warm. It tastes good toasted the next day too :)

Sunday is my favourite day of the week in winter. It’s the perfect day to stay indoors, curled up on the sofa with a warm blanket, a mug of hot tea and a little something sweet to nibble on. That “little something sweet” for this Sunday is this really lemony blueberry cake. I first saw it on Deb’s blog a year ago but had never tried to make it until this morning.

Read more »

October is Breast Cancer Month in Australia and October 27 is Pink Ribbon Day. It is a day to help raise funds for the research into the causes and treatments for breast cancer, for support services for women and their families and community education programs to increase awareness of early detection and the need for regular screening.

Breast cancer affects many women, with one in eleven women diagnosed before the age of 75. It is unfortunately the most common cause of death among women.

Please support either through donation, the purchase of merchandise or by attending special fundraiser events. There are breast cancer networks around the world and in Australia, this is through the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

For all the mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers and nieces in the world affected by breast cancer, think pink and get involved to raise some money in aid of fighting breast cancer.

Linda x

Vanilla Cupcakes

To show my support for Pink RIbbon Day this year, I made a big batch of pink-frosted cupcakes to sell at a morning tea fundraiser being held at work.

Recipe from Marie Claire Taste 101, Edition One.

1 ½ cups self-raising flour

½ cup caster sugar

175g unsalted butter, softened

150ml milk

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting

2 ½ cups icing sugar mixture

2 tablespoons liquid glucose

50g unsalted butter

pinch of salt

pink food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to 175C. Line a twelve hole half-cup capacity muffin tray with paper liners.
2. Place all ingredients into a bowl of a mixer and beat on low speed until mixture just comes together. Increase the speed and beat for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is thick, smooth and aerated. Spoon into the prepared tin, filling them two-thirds full.
3. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes or until the cupcakes are firm and golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. For frosting, beat all ingredients in a bowl of an electric mixer until combined. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water and pink colouring, then beat on maximum speed for 6-8 minutes until frosting is smooth and shiny. Frost the cooled cupcakes using a small spatula. Decorate as desired.

Regular readers would have noticed that the frequency of my baking and blogging has dwindled down to either once a month or even more. I used to bake up a storm, trying several recipes a week and posting at least once a week. I have just been so lazy in the winter months, uninspired and really low on the creativity front. There’s just something about winter, the depressing weather and dreariness of it all which manages to somehow zap my energy levels and eagerness to be as inventive and creative as I can be.

Now that spring has arrived, bringing with it warmer weather and more sunlight during the day, I seem to be happier, re-energised and re-inspired in all almost each key facet in my life: relationships, health/fitness, work and of course my photography and baking.

Also, starting this week, my blog will be updated more regularly, with hopefully more creative recipes, photographs and posts. I also have the intention of changing the layout of my blog too, with a new colour scheme and banner, but this won’t be implemented until the new year I think. I’ve played around with a few ideas in my head, but I need to work out all the geeky stuff first (i.e. moving from Wordpress.com to Wordpress.org and getting my own host), then I can work on the creative.

So, with all that out of the way, my first spring-inspired recipe is the one I am going to share with you today: little mandarin, almond and chocolate cakes. Such a mouthful to say for a tiny cake, but they are so delicious, you wouldn’t care what they are called. The best thing about this recipe too, is that you make it all in the food processor without too many additional bowls, spoons and utensils to wash!

These cakes are so deliciously moist, with the perfect balance of sweet and fruity (the mandarin), nutty and fragrant (the almond) and a small hit of chocolate without overpowering the other flavours. It is also the perfect recipe for those who are gluten intolerant and cannot digest gluten. It can be made into little cakes for afternoon tea as I have done, or made in a big tin, served in slices with double cream and mandarin segments on the side for a fancy, but easy dessert.

Little Mandarin, Almond and Chocolate Cakes

Adapted from Claudia Roden’s recipe for Orange and Almond Cake.

4 medium mandarins (honey murcotts are ideal)

6 eggs

250g almond meal (if you blitz whole almonds yourself, you get a wonderful pebbly texture in the cake)

250g caster sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

150g dark chocolate, finely chopped

50g slivered almonds

icing sugar, to dust

1. In a saucepan, cover the mandarins with water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 45 minutes or until they are soft (they will most likely split). Allow to cool until you can handle them with your fingers.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease 2 x 8 mini loaf tins and set aside.
3. Chop up the mandarins and remove the seeds. Place the mandarins in a food processor along with the eggs, sugar and almond meal. Whizz until combined.
4. Stir through the chocolate and divide the cake batter into the prepared tins. Sprinkle over the slivered almonds and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
5. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Makes 16.

* This post is dedicated to my boyfriend Z who always pushes me to be the best I can be. Thank you always for your encouragement and support.

Ever since I made my wicked banana cake for a morning tea event held last month at work, I’m beginning to gain a reputation for being a good baker/cook and now I am always harassed to make something. “When will you be bringing in some sweets, Linda? … It’s my birthday tomorrow, please bake me a cake! … I hear you’re a whiz in the kitchen; make something and I’ll be the judge of that *wink wink*”. It’s quite flattering, but I keep finding myself in situations where I can’t refuse them and as a result, I have to make something. I never break a promise, so, this weekend, I made my ever famous hummingbird cake and a tiramisu roulade-turned-layer cake.

I thought making a roulade would be easy. It’s basically a rolled up sponge cake with cream in the middle. How hard could that be? Well, after trying to make one today, I’ve realised that it’s quite difficult!

I attempted this recipe twice and failed both times. The sponge cakes came out beautifully cooked each time, but when it came time to roll it, it would create three distinct cracks, then subsequently break. I contemplated giving it a third go, but I didn’t have enough eggs and was just over it. As W.C Fields once said, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.” Which is exactly what I did. I tried again, and again, but then gave up… As I was about to mush it all together and eat it like an Eton mess, I suddenly had the brilliant idea of creating a layer cake instead. I trimmed the edges, brushed each sponge piece with the syrup and lathered on the coffee mascarpone cream filling. It turned out well, don’t you think?

So for my dear work colleagues, you ask for cake, I give you cake. I truly hope you don’t like it. That way, you’ll never ask me again to bake for you ;)

Tiramisu Layer Cake

Although I made a layer cake, if you’re blessed to have magic roulade rolling skills, then by all means assemble the cake as a roulade. Just don’t tell me about, I’ll get upset :)

Adapted from a recipe in ‘Cakes Biscuits Slices’ by the Australian Women’s Weekly.

Syrup

¼ cup caster sugar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons coffee liqueur

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

Cake

3 eggs

½ cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1 tablespoon boiling water

½ cup plain flour

cocoa powder, to dust

Filling

250g marscapone cheese

125ml cream

2 tablespoons icing sugar

2.5 tablespoons coffee liqueur

caster sugar, to sprinkle

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Line a Swiss roll pan (roughly 25×30 cm) with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and coffee liqueur and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy. Remove from heat and stir in the instant coffee granules. Allow to cool and set aside.
3. Dissolve the coffee granules in the boiling water. Beat together the eggs and sugar in another bowl until pale and thick. Fold in the flour and dissolved coffee. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned and springy to the touch. Allow to cool.
4. For the filling, whip the marscapone and cream until soft peaks form. Stir in the icing sugar and liqueur. To assemble, cut the sponge into three equal strips. Brush half of the syrup onto one strip of cake. Spread half of the filling onto this cake strip. Repeat this step with another strip of cake. Place the last strip of cake onto the top and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
5. When it is time to serve, liberally dust the top of the cake with a good layer of cocoa powder.

Serves 6.

Yep, I admit it, I’m an internet junkie. I use it every single day and I think I would have withdrawal symptoms without it. I use it to check the weather, pay my bills, find out the latest news, email, chat, blogs, shopping, download music or movies, catch up with friends on Facebook, read restaurant reviews, I could go on and on.

I particularly love to shop online. So many sites offer products at a cheaper price than you would find in the retail stores and even with postage, I can still end up saving lots of money. I think it’s the convenience factor which sucks me in. With a credit card and a few simple clicks, that’s it!

Two of my favourite shopping sites are eBay and Amazon. I’ve bought all kinds of things off eBay: cosmetics, books, kitchenware, DVDs and so many other random bits and bobs. One of my most favourite eBay bargains is the cake stand I’ve used in the photos for this post. It was brand new, sealed in its box and I got it for $15 with postage! :)

Amazon is my favourite for books. Although Australia stocks most internationally printed titles, the price comparison between here and the US is ridiculous. For example, Dorie Greenspan’s ‘Baking from my Home to Yours’ retails at around $80 here in specialty cookbook stores but I can buy it online at Amazon for just over $30 and with postage, I’ve still got change from $50! Since the Australian dollar is doing so well at the moment, I’ve gone a little crazy with online shopping. I’ve even got Z onto Amazon where he purchases his medical textbooks (yeah, I know, boring!)

I just love the internet. Without it, I would never be able to sit on my butt and abuse my credit card or be able to write all this gibberish and share the most kickass carrot cupcake recipe with you! :)

Carrot Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

The best thing about this recipe is that you only need two bowls, one for the cupcakes and one for the frosting. No need to use the huge mixer and spend forever cleaning it, yay!

Makes 12 perfect cupcakes.

½ cup caster sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plain flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ½ cups grated carrots, around 4 medium carrots

¼ cup pecans, chopped

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

125g cream cheese, room temperature

30g unsalted butter, softened

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

¼ cup maple syrup

6 pecans, cut in half

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease or line with papers a 12-hole muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars and oil until combined. Add the eggs one by one and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla extract.
3. Sift all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix. Add the grated carrots and pecans.
4. Divide the batter between the muffin pans and bake for around 14 minutes or until golden brown and springy to touch. Allow to cool.
5. For the frosting, mix the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Frost the cooled cupcakes and top with the pecan halves.

In five hours, yesterday afternoon, I managed to whip up four cakes: hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing, orange poppyseed syrup cake, peach raspberry almond yoghurt cake and a chocolate buttermilk cake with chocolate ganache. I made them for the christening celebration of my friend Chloe’s beautiful daughter Alyssa today.

The party actually finished a few hours ago and all of the cakes were a hit. Not surprisingly, the first one demolished was the chocolate buttermilk cake :)

Try it yourself, share it with your friends and family and you’ll see why it’s such a crowd pleaser.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

250g butter

300g caster sugar

3 eggs

275g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

75g Dutch-processed cocoa powder

250ml buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 25 centimetre ring tin with oil spray.
2. Cream the butter and the sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating well within additions.
3. Add the sifted ingredients (cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, flour). Mix in the buttermilk until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes or when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache

250ml thickened cream

200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped

25g unsalted butter

1. Place all ingredients in a heatproof bowl (metal, glass or ceramic).
2. Balance the bowl on top of a saucepan which is a third full of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir the ingredients until the chocolate has melted and becomes smooth and shiny.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

You can use the ganache while it’s still rather warm and runny and pour it over your cake, or you can leave it to thicken and spread it on your cake.

Alyssa is just so darn cute that I just had to post a photo of her! Just gorgeous :)

Note: The original photo of the cake I used was terrible, so I have replaced it with another one :)

To celebrate Australia Day yesterday, I spent all day at the beach in Williamstown just chilling out with a few friends. We had a couple of beers, enjoyed some munchies and it was quite relaxing. It was beautifully warm day, but unfortunately, the weather was very Melbourne and erratic as ever, with sunshine one minute, then pouring rain the next and Mother Nature was kind enough to repeat this behaviour a few times during the day. Sigh… still, our spirits weren’t dampened and the little portable radio we brought along provided musical relief as it blasted out funky tunes from Triple J’s Hottest 100, with Muse’s ‘Knights of Cydonia’ taking out top spot for 2007.

To take to the beach, I decided to make something quintessentially Australian: the humble lamington. It is basically a cube of sponge cake, sometimes split in two and sandwiched together with a thin smear of jam, dipped in chocolate icing and then finished off with a tumble in dessicated coconut.

Lamingtons

I’ve decided to add my own little twist by simply toasting the coconut beforehand. It adds a really nice depth of flavour and a touch of colour too.

(base recipe by one of my favourite foodies, Bill Granger, in his book ‘Every Day’)

Sponge Cake

6 large eggs, at room temperature (recipe will not work if they are straight from the fridge)

150g caster sugar

200g self-raising flour, sifted

30g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

60ml hot water

Chocolate icing

500g icing sugar, sifted

200g dark chocolate, chopped

15g unsalted butter

150ml milk

375g shredded coconut (you can use dessicated coconut if that’s all you have)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line with non-stick baking paper an 18 x 28cm (7 x 11 inch) tin with baking paper.
2. Spread out the coconut onto a baking tray and lightly toast until just golden tinged. Allow to cool and set aside.
3. For the cake, beat the eggs for about 5-10 minutes until they are light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is thick, all the sugar has dissolved and it has tripled in volume. Sift in the flour and gently fold in using a metal spoon. Add the butter and hot water and combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for around 30 minutes or until light golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
4. For the icing, place the chocolate, icing sugar, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Constantly stir until melted.
5. Once cool, cut the sponge into however many squares you like. I managed to get 20.
6. The easiest way to ice the sponge cake squares is to set everything up before you begin. Have your cake ready on the left, your big bowl of cooled chocolate icing in the middle, a tray of toasted coconut beside that, and a wire rack for your completed beauties. I find it easiest to coat the cake with the icing using my hands instead of using the usual method of two forks. With your left hand, dip the cake cubes into the icing, place it onto the tray of coconut and then using your right hand, toss in the coconut until covered. Place on a wire rack to set.

Easy as that! :)