There's something charmingly nostalgic and whimsical surrounding popcorn. It's that airy delight that is awfully difficult to resist and restrain yourself when in confronted with its presence. Loved by all kinds of kids and those at heart; never discriminating and always comforting. And all from humble kernels of corn. Petite and adamantine in form and when submitted to extreme torridity, completely transforms into fluffy perfection.
Wondrously doubling in volume; in every sense of the word.
Popcorn has always been perpetually within reach, easily on hand for Netflix binges or sporadic moments of indulgence; be it alone or with company. And until recently I felt that I was quite informed when it came to all things popcorn. That was until a quick search on Pinterest awakened my mind to a marvellous novel world of flavour sensations and combinations.
Who actually knew that popcorn could be flavoured in profuse medleys?
You know, aside from the usual butter, salt or sugared varieties that is. From chilli versions to ranch flavours to dappled with chocolate and caramel versions. Pages upon pages of delicious combinations, the possibilities are endless. So while debating over chocolate or caramel choices I decided to simply combine them both. And with that an image of molten caramel sprinkled with lashings of dark chocolate immediately fills the mind and overpowers the senses.
A delectable temptress, if ever there was.
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INGREDIENTS:
Popcorn, popped and unseasoned.
Dark chocolate
Salted caramel sauce (I used up some leftovers but almost always use this recipe from Live Well Bake Often)
Lay and seperate popcorn on a large baking tray lined with baking paper and pour salted caramel over the top. Use a spoon to thoroughly coat each popcorn piece. (You can either set aside to absorb further or quickly proceed to the next step for a more "molten" and "oozy" finish.)
Melt the chocolate and drizzle atop the popcorn then leave aside to set.
Salted caramel sauce (I used up some leftovers but almost always use this recipe from Live Well Bake Often)
Lay and seperate popcorn on a large baking tray lined with baking paper and pour salted caramel over the top. Use a spoon to thoroughly coat each popcorn piece. (You can either set aside to absorb further or quickly proceed to the next step for a more "molten" and "oozy" finish.)
Melt the chocolate and drizzle atop the popcorn then leave aside to set.
Et voila
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Hands up if you know what a 'semifreddo' is?
If you're not familiar with this term it's simply a light semi-frozen dessert; like a frozen mousse. It's one of my favorite types of dessert and also one of the easiest to make yourself. It also goes a long way and is super impressive to serve up. For those of us living in the Southern Hemisphere, this would make for an ideal Christmas lunch/dinner treat. Better than the traditional Pavlova. Ok I might have crossed a line with that one but you could do what our family does and have both!
And our Northern friends could also enjoy this too. Winter be damned.
As much as I loathe and complain of the perils of an Australian summer; oh hello ridiculously scorching sun and unsightly tan lines, like yesterdays patchy right arm sunburn from driving around all day. Remarkably I can still find some good. For example the abundance of tempting and enticing fruit. Like mangoes or berries, peaches too. Then of course there's cherries.
Those bad boys pictured above are curtesy of the overgrown cherry tree in my parents front yard.
Every year at the start of December that tree turns from a leafy green mass to being lush with plump red baubles of fruit. It's impressive really, they always come away with crates laden with cherries. Mind you, those crates never last long with my father. This year I managed to grab a heap to add to this chocolate semifreddo. And the results were positive. I'm not a fan of "cherry ripe" bars or anything with artificial or candied cherries period. I prefer it in it's natural state. And this recipe manages to catch and retain it's authenticity whilst also bringing chocolate to the party.
INGREDIENTS:
200g dark chocolate
3 eggs, separated and at room temperature
300ml thickened cream
400g fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
1 tsp vanilla extract
Grease and line a cm x cm loaf pan with baking paper.
Melt dark chocolate in the microwave, making sure to stir at 60 second increments.
Allow to cool slightly before adding in egg yolks. Stir until just combined.
Beat cream until whipped then combine to chocolate mixture.
Add the vanilla extract and cherries and mix well.
In a seperate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form then fold into chocolate mixture.
Pour into loaf pan and flatten the surface. Cover and freeze for a minimum of six hours or leave overnight.
To serve, dust with cocoa powder and top with more fresh cherries.
Et voila.
Just when you thought chocolate chip cookies couldn't get any better, bam, in comes peanut butter being all smooth and irresistible.
When I found this recipe over at the Ambitious Kitchen, I knew I needed to rekindle this relationship once again, thinking this would be a perfect way to achieve that desired balance. Plus they're sans flour and butter. Not that I have anything against those two; but I know some people do. These little morsels smell like peanut butter and leave you with a delightfully slight and subtle aftertaste too. There is still a risk of overindulgence because, cookies. But the upside is you can't technically spoil that love for PB as you would consuming straight out of the jar (don't quote me on that). So it kind of cancels the other out (again, don't quote me). If you share a similar relationship to PB as I do.
I didn't feel the need to recreate or modify this recipe in the slightest. Say for the chocolate chips which I replaced with standard chocolate. If you were wondering why I hardly ever add chocolate chips to anything it is because I personally I don't like using them. I once read somewhere that the reason why they retain their shape when baking is because there is a wax coating covering their surface which prevents excess melting. For me the thought of consuming some unnatural, heat resistant wax coating doesn't sound appealing to me at all. Seriously I consume enough junk as it is, so I try to avoid and substitute them as much as possible. Plus it is a million times more satisfying to bite into a gooey cookie and be left battling a mouthful of oozing chocolate then small semi-soft pieces.
Just saying.
-Sxx
To be honest, peanut butter and I have a volatile relationship. We've been like this since day one. And it's not him, it's me. You see, I have an unhealthy relationship when it comes to PB. Gluttonous at the best of times, to the point were one brings themselves to the point of nausea. Then the mere sight of him displeases. I have zero self control which quickly turns our lust into disgust. I know I need to find balance and avoid over indulging in it's salty, nutty goodness. But how? Is there a peanut butter anonymous group out there?
Even a shrink?
Hypnotist?
I didn't feel the need to recreate or modify this recipe in the slightest. Say for the chocolate chips which I replaced with standard chocolate. If you were wondering why I hardly ever add chocolate chips to anything it is because I personally I don't like using them. I once read somewhere that the reason why they retain their shape when baking is because there is a wax coating covering their surface which prevents excess melting. For me the thought of consuming some unnatural, heat resistant wax coating doesn't sound appealing to me at all. Seriously I consume enough junk as it is, so I try to avoid and substitute them as much as possible. Plus it is a million times more satisfying to bite into a gooey cookie and be left battling a mouthful of oozing chocolate then small semi-soft pieces.
-Sxx
I don't know about you guys but there's something about a tarte tatin that has had me secretly longing to perfect one day. That said I was also terrified to bring myself towards finally making this, somewhat from scratch, as the French do. Truthfully I was inexplicably and utterly terrified about making this and thus decided upon taking some small shortcuts. Overall it's the creation of making puff pastry from scratch that has me reeling. I mean, have you ever actually seen a recipe for it?
Holy cow!
All that kneading and folding and chilling, perpetually repeated for all eternity. I can't get pastry to do it's thing even on a good day let alone when chucking all ingredients into a food processor, so can you imagine what horrors would emerge from me trying to do so? That my friends would be a strong contender for the basis of another new Saw movie. Plus, ain't nobody got time for that.
So lets talk about shortcuts. Seemingly this isn't a proper, traditional tarte tatin. In fact most French would most probably turn their noses up to this "abomination". Especially since it features pears and not apples as the recipe calls for. But what some people don't know, won't hurt them either. I will one day attempt the real deal; apples and all. But maybe not the pastry. Maybe.
Seriously t recipe is utterly idiot proof, guaranteed. It's effortless and takes minutes to prepare. Then once it's out of the oven all you have to do is turn it onto a plate, maybe top with some vanilla bean ice cream then just devour it.
INGREDIENTS:
30g butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
825g canned pears, sliced
1 sheet puff pastry, partially thawed.
Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F and line a 20cm round tray with baking paper.
Combine butter and sugar in a heatproof bowl and microwave at 350W for 30 seconds. Remove and stir then microwave for a further 30 seconds or until mixture has come together and is smooth then pour over the base of the tray.
Arrange pears onto the base of the tray, overlapping slightly.
Place the puff pastry atop the pears and trim the side around the cake tray, leaving a slight border so you can tuck it into the sides.
Bake for around 15-20 minutes or until the pastry has puffed and turned golden.
Turn onto a plate and serve immediately.
[ Recipe via Super Food Ideas magazine ]
Et voila.
Holy cow!
All that kneading and folding and chilling, perpetually repeated for all eternity. I can't get pastry to do it's thing even on a good day let alone when chucking all ingredients into a food processor, so can you imagine what horrors would emerge from me trying to do so? That my friends would be a strong contender for the basis of another new Saw movie. Plus, ain't nobody got time for that.
So lets talk about shortcuts. Seemingly this isn't a proper, traditional tarte tatin. In fact most French would most probably turn their noses up to this "abomination". Especially since it features pears and not apples as the recipe calls for. But what some people don't know, won't hurt them either. I will one day attempt the real deal; apples and all. But maybe not the pastry. Maybe.
Seriously t recipe is utterly idiot proof, guaranteed. It's effortless and takes minutes to prepare. Then once it's out of the oven all you have to do is turn it onto a plate, maybe top with some vanilla bean ice cream then just devour it.
INGREDIENTS:
30g butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
825g canned pears, sliced
1 sheet puff pastry, partially thawed.
Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F and line a 20cm round tray with baking paper.
Combine butter and sugar in a heatproof bowl and microwave at 350W for 30 seconds. Remove and stir then microwave for a further 30 seconds or until mixture has come together and is smooth then pour over the base of the tray.
Arrange pears onto the base of the tray, overlapping slightly.
Place the puff pastry atop the pears and trim the side around the cake tray, leaving a slight border so you can tuck it into the sides.
Bake for around 15-20 minutes or until the pastry has puffed and turned golden.
Turn onto a plate and serve immediately.
[ Recipe via Super Food Ideas magazine ]
Et voila.
Speaking of cheesecakes (mentioned in the last food porn posting here), I once had a friend who was famous for her Toblerone cheesecake concoction. Constantly requested it was; be it a birthday or a case of the munchies. It was a cake that could bring a grown man to his knees, it was that good people. And of course it was the most delectable thing because it mainly consists of chocolate, Swiss chocolate no less, and if there is one thing the Swiss do best it is chocolate and Toblerone is no exception.
So to call this a crowd pleaser is a gross understatement, especially with the addition of salted caramel.
And indulgent? Oh hell yes it is.
This may be a one hit wonder so savour, savour this moment in.
So why the addition of salted caramel? And swirls no less? Well, why the hell not. I went into this creation knowing full well that I'd never get it remotely near as perfect as that friends combination, so I decided to alter it ever so slightly. Plus it makes this cheesecake even more indulgent and delectable. And it's caramel, salted caramel. Who doesn't enjoy a sprinkling of that on something sweet?
INGREDIENTS:
250g chocolate ripple biscuits
60g butter, melted
500g cream cheese
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp powdered gelatine
200g Toblerone
1 cup thickened cream
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (I used a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction)
In a food processor add biscuits and process until they resemble crumbs then add the melted butter to combine (add more if needed).
Press into the base a greased and lined pan then place in the fridge to set slightly.
In another bowl combine the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.
Melt the Toblerone chocolate in a separate bowl.
Dissolve the gelatine with 2 tbs of boiling water.
Add melted Toblerone and gelatine mixture in with the cream cheese and mix until combined.
Beat the thickened cream until soft peaks form then fold into the cream cheese mixture.
Remove pan from fridge and pour mixture over the base, smoothing the top.
Heat the salted caramel so that it is slightly runny and pour dollops onto the top of cheesecake. Using the end of a parfait spoon or a bamboo skewer create swirls throughout.
Place back in the fridge to chill for at least four hours or overnight.
Serve as is or topped with fresh raspberries or grated Toblerone.
[ Recipe adapted from the Philly website ]
Et voila.
So to call this a crowd pleaser is a gross understatement, especially with the addition of salted caramel.
And indulgent? Oh hell yes it is.
Going slightly off topic now but I don't know about you guys but does anyone else have extreme difficulty creating swirls? Gosh, I always have. It is the bane of my culinary existence (that and cursed pastry). Truthfully, I've never been able to create that perfect mess without it looking like an actual hot mess. So how it came to be that my caramel swirls actually look like perfect little estuaries of goodness is beyond me! Perhaps the kitchen Gods looked down with favour on me. Or perhaps it was my improvised use of the back of a parfait spoon. Either way, can we please all take a moment to marvel at my perfection.
This may be a one hit wonder so savour, savour this moment in.
So why the addition of salted caramel? And swirls no less? Well, why the hell not. I went into this creation knowing full well that I'd never get it remotely near as perfect as that friends combination, so I decided to alter it ever so slightly. Plus it makes this cheesecake even more indulgent and delectable. And it's caramel, salted caramel. Who doesn't enjoy a sprinkling of that on something sweet?
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INGREDIENTS:
250g chocolate ripple biscuits
60g butter, melted
500g cream cheese
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp powdered gelatine
200g Toblerone
1 cup thickened cream
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (I used a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction)
In a food processor add biscuits and process until they resemble crumbs then add the melted butter to combine (add more if needed).
Press into the base a greased and lined pan then place in the fridge to set slightly.
In another bowl combine the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.
Melt the Toblerone chocolate in a separate bowl.
Dissolve the gelatine with 2 tbs of boiling water.
Add melted Toblerone and gelatine mixture in with the cream cheese and mix until combined.
Beat the thickened cream until soft peaks form then fold into the cream cheese mixture.
Remove pan from fridge and pour mixture over the base, smoothing the top.
Heat the salted caramel so that it is slightly runny and pour dollops onto the top of cheesecake. Using the end of a parfait spoon or a bamboo skewer create swirls throughout.
Place back in the fridge to chill for at least four hours or overnight.
Serve as is or topped with fresh raspberries or grated Toblerone.
[ Recipe adapted from the Philly website ]
Et voila.
I don't know about you guys but as the weather shifts more significantly to arctic temperatures I find myself craving something slightly sweet. And with these biting chills my sweet tooth isn't satisfied with any old thing. It demands something thats going to settle it's yearnings as well as soothing and comforting my cold bones. Something irresistibly decadent whilst dangerously balancing between savoury and sweet. Something no humble chocolate chunk cookie nor macaroon can sate. I guess this longing comes down to that childhood favourite, hot chocolate. The perfect commodity for below freezing cold days. Except I don't like hot chocolate anymore, I ceased that affair many years ago friends. So what is a girl to do?
Well, while cheesecake is almost always the answer (lets face it, when is it not people?) I was still itching for something a little different. Something that is essentially the same, but different, you know?
(Obviously one quick glance at the title gives it away.)
But in rides ricotta cheese astride a gallant white steed. Trumpets blazing, vibrant banners strung. Well not really, but you get the picture. I found this recipe over on Carrie's Experimental Kitchen and immediately my sweet tooth began chanting it's praises. Not only was ricotta cheese involved but raspberries and lemon were invited to the party and hell, we all know how partial I am to lemon anything.
So, I hadn't actually baked with this ingredient in the longest of times and truthfully, ricotta is something I'm rather fearful of. It's not something I feel like you can mess about with. You've got to stick with the measurements or disaster is bound to strike. Which as history shows is inevitable if your name is Sonia De Macedo. So what did I do? I changed shit up. Not too drastically but enough to make a right kerfuffle of it. I had a "genius" idea to use a small cake tin, the one I've become increasingly obsessed with lately for which I blame Pinterest for this infatuation. Sadly my cake wasn't cooked through as delectably as it would have been had I used the proper tools. It was still consumable though but nonetheless a somber shame considering how enticing this cake is. Not all hope is lost however, I have every intention of producing this little number over the weekend. Though I might amp up the lemon flavour and slightly increase the sugar too. What could possibly go awry there?
Check out the recipe and more from Carrie's Experimental Kitchen.
Much love.
-Sxx
Well, while cheesecake is almost always the answer (lets face it, when is it not people?) I was still itching for something a little different. Something that is essentially the same, but different, you know?
(Obviously one quick glance at the title gives it away.)
But in rides ricotta cheese astride a gallant white steed. Trumpets blazing, vibrant banners strung. Well not really, but you get the picture. I found this recipe over on Carrie's Experimental Kitchen and immediately my sweet tooth began chanting it's praises. Not only was ricotta cheese involved but raspberries and lemon were invited to the party and hell, we all know how partial I am to lemon anything.
Check out the recipe and more from Carrie's Experimental Kitchen.
Much love.
-Sxx
Ok guys, I can confidently say that these cookies are the best ever. Truly. These are the best chocolate chunk cookies in the world and I'd be willing to stake my life on it. Not only are they the most delectable, chocolaty-chunky morsels ever, they're also incredibly effortless to make. All you have to do is mix, roll and bake. Et voila. The only problem you may encounter is finding the will to stop yourself from devouring the entire tray. Especially when they come out of the oven and are at their most irresistible. Warm, molten and gooey. How does one resist such temptation?
The original recipe called for walnuts. And if you're anything like myself you would have been thinking, "ewww, walnuts". I did contemplate substituting them for something significantly less bland and more flavourful like pecan nuts but thankfully I did not. Somehow those earthy tones walnuts emanate pair well in this cookie. You get the crunch and texture from these nuts and all sans that awful insipidness that I associate walnuts with. Best of all they reduce the overall sweetness, making all that chocolaty goodness more prominent for your taste buds. It's actually a perfect pairing. Who knew?
That said, am I walnut convert? Probably not. Would I consider using them again? In this recipe, hell yes. In others? Probably not.
What can I say, I'm stubborn when it comes to certain dislikes, especially concerning food.
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INGREDIENTS:
125g butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
180g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
30g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Beat butter and sugar until well combined.
Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat until thoroughly incorporated.
Add flour and mix well using a wooden spoon then add the chocolate and walnuts.
Roll mixture into large walnut sized balls and place on the baking tray, leaving a space of 3cm between each ball.
Flatten slightly with the underside of a spoon.
Bake for around 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Allow cookies to rest and completely cool
[ Recipe adapted slightly by Sarah Hobbs for Australian Good Taste magazine ]
Et voila.
In my previous post were I suggested possible gifting ideas for Valentine's Day, I noted how the majority of you mentioned that you associate the colour red with Valentine's Day and not pink. I wanted to clarify something here, I completely agree with you. When we think about symbols pertaining to love or a simple heart in general we immediately correlate it to some sort of red hue. I was never disputing this, rather bringing attention to my own person weirdness. This particular day and month seemingly brings out an unknown girly-girl side to me. And of late I can't help but be drawn to anything pretty. Hence those glittery suggestions of pink tones.
Red is truly the colour of love and after the last post (read about it here), I felt like I needed to highlight this. And really, what better than via the form of food porn.
So, I'm guessing most of you have organised your Saturday shenanigans by this stage. If not, well, you better get to it then. But if you're feeling stuck on ideas then how about entertaining something slightly different this time round? Why not try something out of the norm like creating a feast for your special other? Or better yet bake this delicious peachy mother, find a grassy nook somewhere beneath celestial palm trees and indulge in a picnic lunch, some vino and each other. I suppose this is more fitting for those of us living in the Southern Hemisphere but I also imagine this tart would be divine parked by a heated fireplace too.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup almond meal
1 tbs caster sugar
1 egg, separated
2 sheets puff pastry
2 large peaches, sliced into thick wedges
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 tbs raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F and line a large circular tray with baking paper.
Place pastry sheets atop one another on the baking tray. Using the base of a small round cake tin (approx 20cm) as a stencil cut both sheets into a round. Then cut a smaller round into the top pastry sheet only, leaving a 1cm border and prick the smaller round with a fork.
In a bowl combine almond meal, sugar and egg white.
Spread mixture evenly onto the smaller round.
Top with peaches and raspberries and brush the outer border with a the whisked egg yolk.
Bake for around 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed.
While still warm brush the peaches with raspberry jam. (You may need to warm the jam slightly to make it more spreadable)
Serve with ice cream.
Et voila.
Red is truly the colour of love and after the last post (read about it here), I felt like I needed to highlight this. And really, what better than via the form of food porn.
So, I'm guessing most of you have organised your Saturday shenanigans by this stage. If not, well, you better get to it then. But if you're feeling stuck on ideas then how about entertaining something slightly different this time round? Why not try something out of the norm like creating a feast for your special other? Or better yet bake this delicious peachy mother, find a grassy nook somewhere beneath celestial palm trees and indulge in a picnic lunch, some vino and each other. I suppose this is more fitting for those of us living in the Southern Hemisphere but I also imagine this tart would be divine parked by a heated fireplace too.
And don't get me wrong, don't just reserve this quick and simple delicacy for Valentine's Day. Oh no. This is definitely a treat to indulge in on any given day or month of the year people. In fact I recommend you drop what you're doing, get to the fridge, put your apron on (if that's your thing) and get baking. And don't forget to send me a quick snap of your creation too. I love when you guys do that.
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1/2 cup almond meal
1 tbs caster sugar
1 egg, separated
2 sheets puff pastry
2 large peaches, sliced into thick wedges
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 tbs raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F and line a large circular tray with baking paper.
Place pastry sheets atop one another on the baking tray. Using the base of a small round cake tin (approx 20cm) as a stencil cut both sheets into a round. Then cut a smaller round into the top pastry sheet only, leaving a 1cm border and prick the smaller round with a fork.
In a bowl combine almond meal, sugar and egg white.
Spread mixture evenly onto the smaller round.
Top with peaches and raspberries and brush the outer border with a the whisked egg yolk.
Bake for around 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed.
While still warm brush the peaches with raspberry jam. (You may need to warm the jam slightly to make it more spreadable)
Serve with ice cream.
Et voila.
I don't know about you guys but I have a love/hate relationship with coconut. Like accompanied with chocolate, which I strongly dislike. But fresh and drunk with a hipster-style straw, straight out of its fuzzy shell (or carton), I adore. It's either wonderfully soft and moist or annoyingly dry. And as much as it can disappoint me, like a moth is to a flame, I am utterly attracted to it. This slice is a mixture of the two; the best of both worlds really. The bottom chocolate part of the slice tends to be on the drier side but not overly dreary thanks to our friend raspberry jam. And the topping itself is heavenly airy, melting like butter on ones tongue. But the goodness doesn't stop there because there's also a slight crunch which comes from the smattering of coconut flakes dancing all golden-like on the top.
Suffice to say, the two combined are perfectly delicious.
"Didn't that crazy bitch just say she hates chocolate and coconut combined?"
INGREDIENTS:
[ For the base ]
126g butter
1 egg, lightly whisked
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam
[ For the coconut ]
2 eggs, lightly whisked
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F and line a small square cake pan with baking paper.
Beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
Add the egg and beat until incorporated fully.
Mix in the cocoa and flour and once combined spread into the cake pan, making sure to smooth the surface flat.
Bake for around 10 minutes or until firm then set aside to cool.
For the coconut whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl.
Add flour and desiccated coconut and mix until well combined.
Back to the cake pan, spread a layer of jam on the base, making sure to cover the entire surface equally.
Spoon the coconut mixture on top of the raspberry jam and once smooth sprinkle with flaked coconut.
Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
To serve simply cut into squares.
Et voila.
Suffice to say, the two combined are perfectly delicious.
Now I know what you're thinking.
"Didn't that crazy bitch just say she hates chocolate and coconut combined?"
Yes friends I did say that but I was referring to the confectioner kind. Plus this recipe calls for cocoa powder and not the solid or melted kind so it's completely different. And there is a thick layer of raspberry jam in the middle. And raspberry combined with chocolate trumps anything, on any given day.
And for those of you with a keen eye you would have noticed that there is indeed a lack of coconut flakes dancing atop of said slice. Yes there are no flakes per se, just the shredded variety as I can't seem to find them. Correction, I do find them sporadically but when I actually need them, they always bloody vanish. Does anybody else have this problem? Or like most bizarre things, is it just me?
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[ For the base ]
126g butter
1 egg, lightly whisked
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam
[ For the coconut ]
2 eggs, lightly whisked
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F and line a small square cake pan with baking paper.
Beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
Add the egg and beat until incorporated fully.
Mix in the cocoa and flour and once combined spread into the cake pan, making sure to smooth the surface flat.
Bake for around 10 minutes or until firm then set aside to cool.
For the coconut whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl.
Add flour and desiccated coconut and mix until well combined.
Back to the cake pan, spread a layer of jam on the base, making sure to cover the entire surface equally.
Spoon the coconut mixture on top of the raspberry jam and once smooth sprinkle with flaked coconut.
Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
To serve simply cut into squares.
Et voila.
The silly season is well and truly here and in less than a week (major eek!) we'll be sitting by the Christmas tree opening presents and lavishing our eyes upon a feast of festive delights. Consuming until bellies are sated, then devouring even more until the buttons on our J Brand jeans indiscreetly pops open. Ahhh Christmas, a time of perpetual joy, peace and stuffing ones face. But until then from the sound of things, most of us are yet to find our Christmas spirit. Myself included. Where has it gone? Or why it has remained dormant is beyond me. And though I can't produce a miraculous cure for a case of bah-humbug nor conjure a location spell for finding the sneaky little bugger, I do believe these little Rudolph tarts will help ease you into all that Christmas effervescence. And if it's cutesy little face doesn't bring you a smile or sense of cheer then it's gooey, caramel insides definitely will because it's caramel.
Caramel.
Now kids, don't be fooled by it's appearance. You need not be a skilled craftsman nor patissiere extraordinaire. They're actually pretty easy to produce and decorate. But to be honest the decorating can be annoyingly fiddly at times and if you're a perfectionist like me then probably frustrating at the best of times but trust me, it is worth it.
INGREDIENTS:
20 Butternut Snap Biscuits
395g sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
50g butter, cubed
150g milk chocolate
10 vanilla marshmallows, halved
20 Jaffas
20 mini marshmallows, halved
40 pretzels, cut into desired antler shape
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Using a muffin tray rest 1 biscuit above each hole and bake for around 2-3 minutes or until soft to the touch.
Remove from oven and gently press the softened biscuits into a cup shape and allow to cool.
In a saucepan place sweetened condensed milk, sugar and butter and stir on medium heat for around 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
Fill biscuit bases with the caramel mixture.
Melt the chocolate and pour evenly over the caramel.
To decorate and using the photographs as a guide, place one marshmallow sticky side up on the base of the tart. Place one Jaffa in the centre of the marshmallow, the sticky side will adhere it together.
Add two of the halved mini marshmallows above the nose and using a skewer or toothpick add a small drop of the melted chocolate to the mini marshmallows centre to form Rudolph's eyes.
Place the cut pretzels above the eyes and press them gently into the chocolate mixture to secure in place.
Set aside to firm then and serve.
Et voila.
Caramel.
Now kids, don't be fooled by it's appearance. You need not be a skilled craftsman nor patissiere extraordinaire. They're actually pretty easy to produce and decorate. But to be honest the decorating can be annoyingly fiddly at times and if you're a perfectionist like me then probably frustrating at the best of times but trust me, it is worth it.
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20 Butternut Snap Biscuits
395g sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
50g butter, cubed
150g milk chocolate
10 vanilla marshmallows, halved
20 Jaffas
20 mini marshmallows, halved
40 pretzels, cut into desired antler shape
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Using a muffin tray rest 1 biscuit above each hole and bake for around 2-3 minutes or until soft to the touch.
Remove from oven and gently press the softened biscuits into a cup shape and allow to cool.
In a saucepan place sweetened condensed milk, sugar and butter and stir on medium heat for around 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
Fill biscuit bases with the caramel mixture.
Melt the chocolate and pour evenly over the caramel.
To decorate and using the photographs as a guide, place one marshmallow sticky side up on the base of the tart. Place one Jaffa in the centre of the marshmallow, the sticky side will adhere it together.
Add two of the halved mini marshmallows above the nose and using a skewer or toothpick add a small drop of the melted chocolate to the mini marshmallows centre to form Rudolph's eyes.
Place the cut pretzels above the eyes and press them gently into the chocolate mixture to secure in place.
Set aside to firm then and serve.
Et voila.
It's funny how we immediately associate the festive season with the colour red. Not green but red. And naturally it's ubiquitous right now. I hadn't given much thought to this before and perhaps I have far too much free time on my hands right now but this not-so-rare phenomenon fascinates me. Especially in the blog world where you'll note that the majority of bloggers who share their outfits with us are also turning to wine tones. Most are electing to add a touch of festive cheer to their ensembles and it's almost aways through a splash or complete saturation of crimson. Red is the undeniable primary colour we swerve to most during the Holiday season. Be it in your outfit, home decor or (especially) in food, in both savoury or sweet morsels, from sauces to fruits, red will be found. In reality this should come as no surprise given that colour certainly dictates our world. It's used to sell us products, invoke emotions and create biased hunger. We paint and create our world with it, affiliate brands and events with them. Colour is not as basic as you may think. It's complicated. Not only in the spectrum of hues but in its overall presence. There's an actual science to it.
And while chocolate is always a good idea so should be a feather soft cake. And that is exactly what these cupcakes are; airy with a hint of delectable lemon. Silken and supple with a touch of creamy frosting and topped with a fresh raspberry. I should mention how the recipe also calls for a generous sprinkling of icing sugar, hence the name "snow angel", though having run out at the most inappropriate of times I ventured to improvise and attempted to create my own icing sugar by using a food processor. Of course to a normal person that's easy enough, for me it also involved an annoying coating of powdered sugar on the marble bench top I was working on. And it's at times like those that I wish I had my own cleaner.
Happy eating.
-Sxx
I've been rambling far too much about colour and not enough about these charming little cupcakes which I came upon via Pinterest (oh God bless Pinterest!). All it took was a quick glance at the ingredients and method and I was reaching for the beater and eggs. Another thing I find to be peculiar is how little we mention angel food in general. Its become rather rare these days and I can't tell you the last time I saw one for sale in a bakery or tempting me at a cafe. Well we do live in a world brimming with total chocolate addicts who continually foam at the mouth at the mere mention of devils food cake.
And while chocolate is always a good idea so should be a feather soft cake. And that is exactly what these cupcakes are; airy with a hint of delectable lemon. Silken and supple with a touch of creamy frosting and topped with a fresh raspberry. I should mention how the recipe also calls for a generous sprinkling of icing sugar, hence the name "snow angel", though having run out at the most inappropriate of times I ventured to improvise and attempted to create my own icing sugar by using a food processor. Of course to a normal person that's easy enough, for me it also involved an annoying coating of powdered sugar on the marble bench top I was working on. And it's at times like those that I wish I had my own cleaner.
Feel like serving these ethereal and dainty beauties during your own Holiday soirees or Christmas gatherings? Click here to view the original recipe from The Cake Blog.
Happy eating.
-Sxx
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