Catie's Cakes & Cookies

Santa Moustaches

2011-12-16T08:10:00.001+08:00

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Santa Moustache Cookies

Gingerbread Men

2011-12-15T07:03:00.001+08:00

On the 5th day of Christmas
My true love gave to me...

A tray full of miniature gingerbread men!!

Can He Fix It?

2011-07-11T00:11:00.001+08:00

Bob the Builder cake and cookies for a little boy's 3rd birthday.

Fairy Cookies

2011-07-04T22:49:00.010+08:00

I made these cookies for a little girls birthday party late last year.
All girls love fairies.

Baby Girl

2010-12-11T18:23:00.000+08:00

Alise from work left us to go and have a baby.. :(
Because I couldn't make it to her baby shower, I thought I would bring her some cookies on her last day and also some cupcakes for party food day..

Update: Congratulations Alise & Mark on their new arrival Romy!

Engagement Bouquet

2010-11-20T22:05:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine asked me to make these for some friends of her's that had recently got engaged. A big congratulations to them and thanks Jade for letting me make some cookies to help celebrate!

Golf Bag Birthday Cake

2010-11-13T23:31:00.000+08:00

I was lucky enough to make this cake for a lovely lady's dad - Max - who just recently turned 70. I hope he had an amazing day. Happy Birthday Max.

chocolate cake, with chocolate icing and fondant decorations.

Halloween!

2010-11-06T20:45:00.001+08:00

My brother and I decided to have a halloween party this year. There was apple bobbing,

mummifying,

witch's brew,

spiders that dropped down when you walked under them (the spider is still up, and everytime I park my car I get a fright!) and a lot of dressed up guests!!

I didn't get any pictures of the treats that we made for the night.. But these are some that I made for another family who were having a halloween party. Ours were kind of similar..

Fashion Fights Breast Cancer

2010-10-18T22:43:00.001+08:00

Friday was the Fashion Fights Breast Cancer event at Skatt in Mt Hawthorn. The whole event was amazing, and I had so much fun! I don't remember who each of the designers were in the following photos, so designers if you're reading, please let me know and I'll put the appropriate acknowledgements.

They put my logo up on the screen at the interval. Which was exciting.

Fairy Cake for Olivia

2010-10-16T15:05:00.017+08:00

Olivia turned 6 last week, and this year she wanted a pink cake, with a fairy and flowers. Last year I made her some Madagascar themed cupcakes.

Happy Birthday Olivia.

Happy Birthday Cupcakes

2010-10-09T10:02:00.000+08:00

A mixture of white chocolate mud cakes and chocolate mud cakes.

Cupcake Camp Perth

2010-10-06T22:36:00.002+08:00

I'm sorry for my lack of posts lately!! I've been super busy with uni, and the markets, and.... helping organise the very first CUPCAKE CAMP PERTH!!!

It's going to be held on the 31st October 2010, at the Fresh Ideas Centre, 280 Bannister Road Canningvale. Go here if you want to register as a baker or a helper!! There will be kids activities, raffles, cupcake eating competitions and of course CUPCAKES!! Cupcake Camp will be donating all of the proceeds to Telethon this year. If you're in Perth, please come down and enjoy some cupcakes!

Please tell as many people as you know, and help support Telethon 2010.

Pirate Ship Cake

2010-10-02T11:03:00.000+08:00

I made this cake for a little boy who was turning 4..

Fashion Fights Breast Cancer

2010-09-30T11:00:00.002+08:00

The amazing stylist Emily Bathgate has organised an exciting event to help raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Fashion Fights Breast Cancer will raise money by showcasing 15 talented Perth designers and silent auctions on the 15th October 2010, at Skatt in Mt Hawthorn. Tickets are only $35 from moshtix. Get in quick before they sell out!

Did I mention.. Catie's Cakes & Cookies will be providing the cupcakes on the night!!

Happy 50th Kevin!

2010-09-25T22:21:00.009+08:00

These were made for my friend's dad's 50th. He enjoys cooking and Tanqueray.

Recipe of the Week - Apple Crumble Cupcakes

2010-09-19T13:48:00.002+08:00

I thought of many different things that I could enter into this month's Mystery Box Challenge. When I was little, my friends and I would buy a bag each of pick and mix chocolates and share them at the park... I remember always waiting for the sound of Mr Whippy coming so I could order an icecream that had been dipped in chocolate and had a flake... Ice Cream Sundaes... The time my brother made home made lemonade...

Then I remembered a time when we had a bbq at our house. The bbq was made from an old 44 gallon drum and I thought it was cool!! Dad would always play music that I hated at the time and there was always potato salad with parsely in it. Now I love both "old music" and parsely in my potato salad!

This particular time, I had been watching tv - Two Fat Ladies to be precise. I think it was late 1998/early 1999.. So I would have been 10 or 11.

They made something called an Apple Pandowdy...

Now, before I go any further, I think I should tell you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE any dessert that has apples in it. Apple Pie, Apple Crumble and now after watching them make it, this Apple Pandowdy thing.

I decided that I was going to make it! So I ran to the pantry to see if we had all the ingredients, and after realising that we didn't.. I improvised.

I cut up the apples, mixed them together with some sugar then put them in a baking dish. Then I combined some oats with some more sugar and some butter, sprinkled the oats over the top and put it in the oven. I had made my first apple crumble!!
It may not sound too exciting considering it was just apples and oats, but to me it was amazing!! Served with some ice-cream, it was the best!!

Everyone at the bbq ate it, and that's all I cared about..

So I decided that I would recreate my 10 year-old-self's version of apple crumble, and the Two Fat Ladies Apple Pandowdy into a cupcake!!

The winner of September’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:
Bake It Pretty; a $5 electronic gift card
Bakerella; an autographed copy of her new book Cake Pops
Beanilla; 2 each of 4 special vanilla beans
Hello Hanna; a pack of Sweet Stands cupcake stands
Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25
Tundra Books; a selection 3 very sweet children’s books
Thank you to all our prize sponsors!

If you want to enter, make sure you check out The Sweetest Kitchen next month for the new mystery box ingredient!

Printable here
You Will Need...
For the Cupcake

160 Grams of Plain Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
110 Grams Caster Sugar
110 Grams Butter - Melted
125 mls Milk

For the Filling
1 Apple
1 Tablespoon Golden Syrup
2 Teaspoons Mixed Spice

For the Topping
1/2 Cup Oats
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Butter

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Place the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl.
Melt the butter and pour into the flour, along with the 1/2 cup of milk.

Mix ingredients together until smooth.

Pour 1/4 cups of mixture into the cupcake liners and place in the oven at 180 degrees celsius.

While cupcakes are in the oven, make your filling and crumble topping.
Peel and cut the apple. Place in a bowl with the golden syrup and mixed spice.

Mix together, so that all the apple pieces are covered in the mixed spice and golden syrup. Let sit.

Place the oats, brown sugar and butter in a bowl

Mix together.

After approximately 20 minutes, look at the cupcakes. If you touch them and they leave a slight indent, take them out. We'll be putting them back in the oven again to continue cooking. Leave them in if they're still not cooked. If they don't leave an indent, that's ok too.

Scoop out the centres.

Spoon in the apple mixture.

Put a tablespoon full of the oat mixture ontop of the apple and place back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Take out when the crumble ontop is crunchy.

I highly recommend eating this cupcake warmed in the microwave for 40 seconds, with a big scoop of ice cream.

Sea Creature

2010-09-18T19:36:00.000+08:00

I made this cake for my boyfriend for his birthday.. It's a sea monster/octopus crushing a boat..

Princess Doll Cake

2010-09-11T18:04:00.000+08:00

It was my niece's 5th birthday a couple of weeks ago, and she asked for a princess cake.

It had to be pink...

and it had to have roses...

Thor's Hammer

2010-09-04T18:07:00.011+08:00

I love that Blake is wearing a t-shirt with Thor on it in these photos!

Rufus 1st Birthday

2010-09-02T22:23:00.001+08:00

It was Rufey's birthday today, so along with this giant bone, I also made him a meat cake. There was mince, carrot, celery & oats, with a mash potato and sweet potato icing. He loved it. I can't believe I've had him for almost a year...

If you want to celebrate your dog's birthday and make him/her a birthday cake, here's how..

You will need..
500 grams mince
2 carrots, grated
3 celery sticks, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup oats
1 egg
2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 small sweet potato, boiled and mashed

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Place the mixture into a cake tin, and bake in the oven at 200 for approximately 30 minutes. (I assume this is like how you would make a meat loaf?)
Once meat is completely cooked, remove from oven and let cool.
Spread mashed potato and mashed sweet potato on top like you would icing. You could even put it in a piping bag and pipe on small rosettes, if you want to make it more decorative!

Let your pooch enjoy!

Christening Cake for Ethan

2010-08-28T19:42:00.003+08:00

One of my mum's friends rang me and asked if I could make a cake for a little boy who she was about to be godmother for.

I tried to keep the cake as simple as possible. It was originally only going to be one layer, however something made me decide to cut the cake, which ended up with (what is now the top tier) being a very very lopsided tier. So I baked some more layers and made it into 2. Note to self: if it doesn't need cutting, do NOT cut it!

I hope everyone at the christening enjoyed the cake and may god bless baby Ethan.

Housewarming

2010-08-21T22:20:00.022+08:00

I made this cake for some friends who just moved into a new house. It's not exactally what their house looks like, but it's a house shape. I also included their dogs sitting out the front. Left is Stella, right is Harry.

Recipe of the Week - White Chocolate and Raspberry Mud Cupcakes

2010-08-15T22:55:00.020+08:00

This month's cupcake hero ingredient is Raspberries. August's mystery box cupcake challenge is White Chocolate (read all about it here). I thought I would combine the 2 ingredients instead of creating 2 different cupcakes - my funds didn't really agree this month to let me!
Here's how you can also make them.

You Will Need...

For the Cupcakes
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Plain Flour
1/2 Cup Self Raising Flour
125 Grams Butter
1/2 Cup Water
100 Grams White Chocolate (I used Cadbury Dream)
1/2 Cup Raspberries (I used frozen raspberries)

For the Icing
220 Grams White Chocolate
1/2 Cup Cream

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius and line a cupcake tray with cupcake wrappers.

In a saucepan place the butter, sugar, water and white chocolate.

Keep stirring until butter and chocolate are completely melted.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl and allow to cool for 15 minutes or so.

Once cool, stir in flours.

Then stir in egg.

Lastly stir in the raspberries.
Spoon 1/4 cups of the mixture into a cupcake tray lined with cupcake wrappers and place in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. You can test with a skewer. Keep in mind they are mud cakes, so the cake is a little moister then other cupcakes.

While cupcakes are cooking, break the white chocolate for the icing up and place in a heatproof/microwave safe bowl.

Pour 1/2 cup of cream in a saucepan and gently simmer until it just comes to boil. (I've often let my cream boil too much forgetting I had put it on the stove, it's no problem if this happens!)

Pour the boiled cream over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is completely melted. If you find that after a lot of stirring you chocolate is still not melted, just place in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 second interval until chocolate is melted.
Place in fridge to cool completely.

Once cupcakes are cooked, allow to cool in their tray for 5 minutes then put on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cream/chocolate mixture is slightly firm to the touch (when you touch the top it leaves an imprint, your finger doesn't go all the way through. Kind of like jelly..) whip using your electric beater until fluffy.

Pipe ontop of cupcakes and sprinkle some extra raspberries on top.

Don't forget to visit Amy's blog, Vegan Cupcakes and other Culinary Creations to see everyone's entries for this month and vote for your favourite.. As well as look at some of Amy's amazing recipes.

Visit Sweetest Kitchen after the 20th and see what everyone has created with the white chocolate ingredient, and vote for your favourite. You can still have time to enter to win some amazing prizes!
The winner of August’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:

Bake It Pretty; $5 electronic gift card
Beanilla; 3 Indian + 3 Tahitian vanilla beans & a jar of Ground Vanilla
CT2Designs; a cupcake ring
Miss Kitty Creations; a cupcake charm of your choice
Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a prize pack worth $25

Thank you to all the prize sponsors!

Pik-a-chuuu!

2010-08-14T10:27:00.003+08:00

I made this cake for 2 boys (twins, Ethan & Nathan) who were turning 10. They didn't know they were getting it, so I hope they liked the surprise! Happy Birthday boys.

'Metal' Cupcakes

2010-08-07T12:25:00.023+08:00

I made these for my boyfriend. He wanted some to take to band practice for the boys in the band.

Recipe of the Week - Chocolate Espresso Cookies

2010-08-01T11:50:00.000+08:00

I regularly search through the Martha Stewart website, just looking at all the things she has put up. I found this recipe and thought I would make them.
I halved the recipe because I didn't want as many. You can get the original recipe here.

You Will Need.. (I halved the below amounts)
1 1/2 Cups Plain Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Espresso Beans
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Icing Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Firstly beat together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla essence.

Next, beat in the flour, cocoa powder and espresso beans.

Similar to the freezer cookies, knead the mixture and roll it into a sausage type shape.

Wrap it in glad wrap and place in the freezer for 45-60 minutes.

Take the mixture out of the freezer and cut into slices. (I made mine a bit thick, so make them about 0.5-1cm thick.

Place in the oven on 160 degrees celsius, on a baking tray lined with baking paper for 20-25 minutes until they are firm to the touch.

Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

"Happy Birthday.. To You.."

2010-07-31T12:24:00.012+08:00

I made this Marilyn Monroe cake for a 21st a couple of weekends ago. I think I made her a bit too 'booby' and I'm not happy with her face...

Recipe of the Week - Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream

2010-07-25T09:29:00.000+08:00

I felt like ice-cream the other night, but we didn't have any because Raph wouldn't let me buy it when we went grocery shopping. So.. I made some.

Here's how you can too.
You Will Need..

First, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Start with 20 second intervals so the chocolate doesn't burn.

Once melted, let the chocolate cool completely. While it's cooling, place the condensed milk and cream in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

Once soft peaks form, beat in the cooled chocolate.

Stir in oreo cookies.

Place mixture into a container/cake tin - I used a loaf pan. Cover with glad wrap and put in the freezer overnight.

Once ice cream is frozen, scoop out and enjoy. It might be a bit hard at first, but just put your spoon in hot water before scooping.

Dracula

2010-07-24T12:23:00.022+08:00

Ignore my bad photos. I was in a hurry, so didn't put the cakes on any backgrounds. To top it off, as I was putting this one in the car, the lid decided to fall off and break Dracula's arms. Luckily I fixed them. Phewf.

Recipe of the Week - Green Tea & Strawberry Cupcakes

2010-07-18T11:27:00.022+08:00

One of my favourite blogs, The Sweetest Kitchen, has come up with a new challenge. It's called 'The Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge.'

The first ever challenge has an ingredient I have never used before - TEA.

As well as getting the chance to say they won the first ever challenge, the winner of the July Mystery Box will get some amazing prizes!

A $5 gift card from Bake It Pretty
Tahitian Vanilla Fleur De Sel and Organic Indonesian Vanilla Beans from Beanilla
The new Tsuki Tea Pot & 2 tins of Tea from Rishi Tea
A Soapy Pop from Soapy Love.
A $25 prize pack from Sweet Cuppin Cakes

Here is my entry for the first Mystery Box Challenge. It gave me the chance to use my teapot that I got for my birthday. If you want to enter there is still a bit of time, you have until the 20th of each month. After that, go here to vote for you favourite! If you miss this month, a new ingredient will be announced on the 1st August.
Printable Here
You Will Need...

For the Cupcake

45 Grams Butter

1/2 Cup Self Raising Flour

1/4 Cup Caster Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Green Tea

For the Filling

150 Grams Strawberries

1/4 Cup Caster Sugar

1/2 Cup Green Tea

Firstly make a pot of green tea. If you don't have a teapot, you could just make a cup of green tea using a teabag.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and place cupcake liners in a cupcake tray.

Place strawberries, caster sugar and green tea in a saucepan.

Bring to the boil.

Use your potato masher to mash the strawberries into a pulp, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Place in a clean bowl and cover with glad wrap so the glad wrap is touching the mixture. Place in the fridge to cool.

Place all ingredients for the cupcake in a bowl and beat together.

Scoop out 1/4 cups full of mixture and put in the cupcake liners.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes until cooked.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely, then cut a hole in the top.

Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the strawberry mixture into the hole. Top with a teaspoon of thickened cream.

Purple Bra Day

2010-07-17T12:20:00.027+08:00

These were made for a company morning tea for Purple Bra Day.

Recipe of the Week - Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

2010-07-11T11:09:00.012+08:00

There are new rules to Cupcake Hero now. The winner from the previous month gets to host. So last month (Blueberry), was hosted by Dorothy at Kitchen Koala. This month, the winner of the Blueberry challenge, Sharlene at Small Town Oven is hosting. Her ingredient choice... COCONUT! I had NO idea what to make. Especially because last time I made two recipes because I couldn't decide. This time, I decided to make Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes. Printable Here.

You Will Need...

For the Cupcake

1 Cup Self Raising Flour

1/2 Cup Caster Sugar

90 Grams Butter

1/3 Cup Pineapple Juice (I used the juice from the tin)

3/4 Cup Dessicated Coconut

2 Eggs

For the Topping

100 grams Pineapple (I used pineapple from a tin)

1/2 Cup Caster Sugar
3/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
12 Teaspoons Thickened Cream (a teaspoon for each cupcake)

First, preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
Add eggs.
Beat in coconut, flour and pineapple juice. (You might need to add a little more pineapple juice if it looks a bit thick.)
Spoon mixture evenly among cupcake liners and place in oven for 15-20 minutes. Until they bounce back when touched.

Let cupcakes cool completely on a cake rack.
While cupcakes are cooling, place the pineapple, juice and sugar in a saucepan.
Stir continuously until sugar is dissolved and then bring to the boil.

Turn temperature down and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Let mixture cool slightly, and then spoon teaspoon fulls into a hole created in the centre of the cupcake.

Top with thickened cream.

Keep in the fridge in a sealed container.
Don't forget to VOTE for your favourite cupcake at Small Town Oven. Voting closes 22nd July.

Gaga & Glee

2010-07-10T10:16:00.000+08:00

I made some cookies for my friend. They are Lady Gaga and Glee themed Sugar Cookies.

Recipe of the Week - Melting Moments

2010-07-04T13:57:00.038+08:00

I love the filling inside melting moments. I love the texture of the biscuit and how it melts in your mouth. They're definately one of my favourites.
Here's how you can make them too. Printable here.
You Will Need..

For the Biscuit

For the Filling

Plus 1 Teaspoon Pink Food Colouring

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Beat butter, icing sugar and vanilla essence together.

Sift flours and icing sugar and add to the butter mixture.

Beat on slow speed until a ball of dough forms.
Lightly flour hands, and form small balls of dough.
Place on tray and flatten with the back of a fork slightly.
Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked through.
Let cool completely on the tray.
While biscuits are cooling, make the filling.

Beat together the butter, icing sugar and jam.

Beat in the food colouring.

Once biscuits are cool, spread one biscuit with filling and press together with another biscuit.

Wags the Dog

2010-07-03T11:45:00.000+08:00

A very nice lady ordered this cake for her 2 year old's birthday a couple of weeks ago.

I kept asking my nephew "Who is this Josh?" and he would reply "Waaagggsss!" - just to make sure I was on the right track.

Recipe of the Week - Eclairs

2010-06-27T17:58:00.119+08:00

I had lots of custard cream left over from these, so I thought I would make some eclairs. Printable Here
You Will Need..

For the Custard Cream
Ingredients and how to here.

For the Pastry

For the Chocolate Topping

First make the custard cream.

Then make the pastry.

Place the butter and water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil

Remove from heat and quickly stir in flour, creating a ball of mixture.

Transfer mixture to a bowl and beat in egg until mixture is glossy.

Place mixture into a piping bag with a plain tip.

Pipe out mixture into approximately 5 cm strips.

Place in the oven at 200 degrees celsius for 7 minutes. Decrease the heat to 160 degrees celsius and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cut in half. Scoop out any mixture that is still doughy.

Place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.

Once cool, place the custard cream in a piping bag and pipe mixture into 1 half of the eclair.

Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat and melt the chocolate.

Spoon chocolate mixture over the eclairs.

Sheep and Ships

2010-06-26T11:48:00.000+08:00

I made these for my last day of work back in April. Sheep & Ships..

They kind of look like cruise ships, which is probably what the exporting industry wants you to think the sheep/cattle are travelling in.

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing and fondant decorations.

Recipe of the Week - Blueberry Custard Cream Cupcakes

2010-06-20T21:48:00.005+08:00

After a brief break, Cupcake Hero is back! Yay!! There are new rules this time around. The winner from last month, is the next month's host. So this month (June) the host is Dorothy of Kitchen Koala. I think it is a great idea.

It gives all different blogs some exposure, and lets everyone see the amazing talent that is out there. Dorothy picked Blueberries for the ingredient this month.

So my entry for this month's challenge is Blueberry Custard Cream Cupcakes.
You Will Need..

For the Custard Cream

For the Blueberry Sauce

(save 50 grams for topping at the end)

For the Cupcakes

First make the custard for the custard cream. You need to let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

This will make a bit of filling, so you can use the remainder for eclairs or profitoroles. Or use it as an addition to apple pie or dessert.

Place the custard powder and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.

Gradually add the milk while constantly stirring.

Keep stirring until mixture thickens.

Once thick, remove from heat and pour mixture into a heatproof bowl. Cover with glad wrap so the glad wrap is touching the custard. This will prevent any skin from forming.

Place in fridge to cool.

Once cool, remove from fridge and beat until smooth. Once the custard is smooth, add the cream and continue whipping.

Next make the blueberry sauce. There will be quite a bit leftover, so put it in a jar in the fridge and use it next time you have pancakes or waffles.

Place the sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, corn flour and water in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Once the mixture starts to bubble, add 100 grams of the blueberries.

Continue stirring, until mixture starts to bubble again.

Remove from heat and place in a heatproof jug to cool.

Next make the cupcakes.

Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Place the eggs, butter and sugar in a bowl and beat on high until creamy.

Add the flour and the vanilla essence and beat until combined.

Once mixed, spoon a tablespoon of mixture into the prepared cupcake tray and place in the oven on 180 degrees celsius, for approximately 15 minutes.

Once the cupcakes are cooked, let them cool completely. Cut out a small hole in the top of the cupcake.

Spoon in the blueberry sauce, enough to fill the hole completely.

Spoon on dollops of the custard cream.

Drizzle with more blueberry sauce and top with extra blueberries.

I just realised they might not LOOK the best, but they do definately TASTE amazing.

Update: I forgot to send my email to Dorothy to let her know that I was entering. Next time I will definately remember!! Go here to vote for your favourite. You only have until Friday.

Baby Shower Cookies

2010-06-19T14:09:00.000+08:00

A couple of weeks ago I volunteered to donate some cookies to the BubHub Conference.

I wasn't sure what to make, so I decided on a variety of decorated cookies that would be aimed at children and mums/dads, especially considering that's who the website is aimed at.

Here are some cookies for baby showers/new born babies/new mums/dads.

Recipe of the Week - Rice Krispies

2010-06-13T17:34:00.000+08:00

Rice Krispies. Yummo.

Here's how you can make them as well. They're a real crowd pleaser.

You Will Need..

Line a tray with baking paper, and grease thoroughly.

Place the marshmallows and the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Stir until marshmallows are completely melted.

Once completely melted, pour the marshmallows into the rice bubbles.

Mix together until combined. Once combined, spread evenly over prepared tray.

Place in the fridge to firm up. Once firm, cut into squares and enjoy.

Sex & The City

2010-06-12T12:49:00.006+08:00

I had the pleasure of creating cupcakes for a Sex and the City 2 screening hosted by I-Spy Perth last Thursday and Friday.
The event was amazingly organised and all the guests looked like they were having a great time!
I was lucky enough to get tickets to see the movie on the Friday night, so mum and I watched it, sipping cosmos and champagne.

Here are some of the cupcakes I made for them.

They ordered 900 altogether, so there were:

225 Cosmo flavoured cupcakes with cosmo flavoured buttercream, decorated with cocktail glasses and edible printed SKYY Vodka bottles.
225 Vanilla Cupcakes, with pink Vanilla buttercream and silver sprinkles - like in the show!
225 Vanilla Cupcakes with whipped white and dark chocolate ganache icing and handbag toppers
225 Chocolate Cupcakes with whipped white and dark chocolate ganace and shoe toppers

Louis Vuitton handbags.

Heels with pink bows

Chanel & Chloe Paddington Handbags

The Chloe Paddington bag is my favourite bag in the whole wide world. So was super happy they turned out good.

These were made to resemble the Monolos from the first Sex and the City movie.

These resemble the gold Louboutins that she wears in the 2nd movie.

A lot of the glitter came off when they were completely dry..

I'm Lovin It...

2010-06-05T10:37:00.000+08:00

I made these for my friend's birthday. Cheeseburger cupcakes and sugar cookie french fries. Happy Birthday Kitty!

I also 'had' to eat chips and a cheesburger to create this stand. Thanks McDonalds!!

She is a vegetarian now, so this one is a Big Mac that has 'no meat'

Recipe of The Week - Freezer Cookies

2010-05-30T23:11:00.032+08:00

These are super easy to make, and you can wrap them up and leave them in the freezer for when unexpected visitors drop by, or you just feel like a cookie.

You Will Need...

Beat butter, icing sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in sifted flours in two batches then milk.Divide mixture in half. Knead each half on floured surface until smooth.

You can stop here if you want PLAIN freezer cookies. Just roll each half into logs, wrap in baking paper (and then glad wrap if you're not using them then and there) and place in the freezer until firm.

If you want to add a bit of variation to your cookies, this is where you add some yummy bits.

You could add... walnuts, chocolate chips, cranberrys, nutmeg, cinnamon, mixed spice, apple, orange, lemon, pecans, peanut butter chips anything you want really.

Put your ingredients in when you are mixing in the flour if you want a big batch of the same cookies. Or, once the flour is mixed in, divide the mixture into 2 batches, and add your choc chips, nuts and knead in until all incorporated.

Roll into a log and place in the freezer. Same as you would with the plain cookies, until firm.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.

Using a sharp knife, cut the logs into about 1 cm slices.Place on a cookie tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let them cool slightly on the cookie tray, then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Groovin The Moo

2010-05-29T14:41:00.010+08:00

Some cookies for our recent road trip down south to Bunbury for the Groovin The Moo concert.

It was a great weekend!!!

Recipe of the Week - Dog Treats - Peanut Butter Bones

2010-05-23T21:19:00.000+08:00

I made these for Rufey after his accident on Monday night. He's been limping around all week, but is quickly getting back to his old jumping ways.
You can make them for your dog. Rufus is a bigger dog, so I made these quite big and made aproximately 30 of them. However you might like to halve the recipe if you have smaller dogs.

Peanut Butter Bones
Adapted from You Bake 'Em Dog Biscuits by Janine Adams
You Will Need
For Biscuits...

Please use natural peanut butter

For Filling...

Again - Use natural peanut butter. Normal peanut butter isn't really all that good for your pooch.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

In a bowl, beat the peanut butter, milk, cream cheese and molasses together.

Add the flour and oats and mix together with your hands.

Place on a floured bench and roll out dough until about 1-2 cms thick.

Cut out desired shapes and place on a baking tray. Place tray in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, until slightly browned.

While treats are cooling, mix together the additional cream cheese and peanut butter.

Once treats are cooled, spread an even layer of cream cheese/peanut butter mixture over one treat and sandwich together with another.

Give to your dog to enjoy.

Baby Shower Cupcakes

2010-05-22T11:58:00.000+08:00

These were made for a Baby Shower in April. They wanted a surprise when the baby was born, so the baby shower was both pink and blue.

When I'm 64!

2010-05-15T15:33:00.008+08:00

This cake was made for a 64th Birthday Surprise Party, with a Beatles theme.

It's a vanilla cake with jam and cream filling, covered in buttercream and fondant.

Graffiti Cake

2010-05-08T12:49:00.017+08:00

I made this for my friend's birthday. She likes street art, and painting/drawing. So I thought this was perfect.

Top Layer chocolate mud cake, with chocolate ganache.

Bottom tier, vanilla cake sandwiches together with jam and cream.

Covered in fondant.

Thanks Kitty for the idea!! :)

Alice In Wonderland Cookies

2010-05-02T15:46:00.009+08:00

I made these when I went to see Alice In Wonderland...

Holiday

2010-04-26T03:03:00.000+08:00

I'm off on a holiday for 2 weeks. I'll be back on the 9th of May...

I've scheduled some posts for the next 2 weeks. Just some cakes/cupcakes/cookies that I have recently made...

Upon my return I'll be baking up a storm...

Recipe of the Week - Orange & Pecan Loaf Cake

2010-04-18T11:37:00.004+08:00

My mum came home a couple of weeks ago with 2 loaf pans... Then on the weekend, we were shopping and she bought another one.

I think it was a hint.

So I made this...

I originally wanted to make it lemon, but for some reason our lemon tree is only growing green lemons. I guess it's just not lemon season yet. Hoping we had some oranges, I looked in the fridge and found one lone one. Phewf! I think maybe someone put it in there saving it for themselves... But I took it. You have to be quick in my family!

Orange & Pecan Loaf Cake.

[Printable recipe here]
You can make it in just a normal tin if you so desire.
You Will Need...
175 Grams Butter
3 eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Orange (I found it wasn't very orangey.. So if you like orange, make it 2 oranges!)
2 Cups Plain Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Plain (thick greek style) Yoghurt (or sour cream)
1 cup pecans roughly chopped (Save some for the top)
1/4 cup sugar (extra)
Juice from the orange(s)

Grease your loaf tin, and preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius.
Grate the orange, until you have as much orange zest as possible.

Place the sugar, butter and zest into a mixer, and beat until creamy.
Add the eggs 1 at a time, and beat after each one until fully incorporated.
Add the yoghurt and continuing beating.
Mix in the flour, baking powder and pecans. (Remember to save some to put on top)
Spoon the mixture into your tin, and place pecans all over the top.

The cake mix will be very thick. It's a dense cake!
Place in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Once cake is cooked, leave to cool in tin.
Place in a saucepan, the extra 1/4 cup of sugar and orange juice.
Stir until sugar has dissolved, and then let boil for 1-2 minutes.
While the cake is still in the tin, drizzle the orange syrup all over. Allow the cake to soak up as much syrup as possible before turning out onto a plate.

Serve slices warm with cream for dessert. Also perfect cut into slices the next day.

Super Mario

2010-04-17T10:25:00.001+08:00

I love playing Super Mario. It is definately one of the best inventions in the world... I made this cake for my brother's birthday. I intended to buy him Mario Galaxy on wii for a present, but all the shops I went to didn't have it! (That's what happens when you leave birthday present shopping down to the last hour)

I used this cake recipe, and covered it in Baileys buttercream and fondant. (I also left most of this down to the last hour... Note to self - improve your time management skills.)

He liked it.

Boys are silly...

Michael Jackson

2010-04-10T15:38:00.000+08:00

I made this cake for a friend's birthday. She's a huge MJ fan...

Pizza & Yogo...

2010-04-07T14:33:00.000+08:00

This is my neice Kayla. I think she was turning 3 when I took these..
"Hrmm.. Do I like pizza?""I'm not quite sure...""Maybe if it was a dessert pizza...""Yogo.. MUCH better"
"Yum, Yum, Yum"Finger - Licking Good..

Recipe of the Week - Lemon Cheesecake

2010-04-03T22:19:00.000+08:00

We used to make this cheesecake when we were little. I remember crushing up the biscuits for the base..
It was a recipe that came on the back of the Philly Cream Cheese packets, but they don't have it on there anymore. I went searching on the Kraft website and found it.

Perfect for Easter Sunday lunch.

You Will Need..
1 1/4 cups biscuits crushed (I used milk arrowroot, and I used almost 2 cups because our cheesecake plate is huuugge)
80 grams butter - melted (If you're using 2 cups, you need more butter, I probably ended up doubling this..)
500 grams Philadelphia Cream Cheese
400 gram can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 teaspoons gelatine, dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup lemon juice (worked out to be 1 1/2 medium lemons)
2 Tablespoons grated lemon rind (I used 2 lemons)

Crush your biscuits until they are like breadcrumbs. (Place your biscuits in your food processor, or in a bowl and crush with the end of your rolling pin)
Combine the melted butter and biscuit crumbs.

Press evenly into the base of your pan.
Chill in the fridge until you've made the filling.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Beat in the condensed milk and geletine mixture until smooth.
Add the lemon juice and rind and beat until its all mixed together.
(I added everything at once. I sometimes fail to read recipes completely before starting.. It's a bad habit!)

Pour the cream cheese mixture into your prepared dish and smooth out evenly.

Add some left over lemon to the top if you wish...

Place in the fridge to set for 3 hours or overnight. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week - Dessert Pizza

2010-03-21T14:38:00.051+08:00

I was making pizza scrolls the other day and thought it might be nice to make some dessert pizza...
It was an experiment, but the verdict was in - and it was good.

If you want to make a dessert pizza here's what you need..
1 Cup Self Raising Flour
1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
15 Grams Butter
90 ML Milk
Your choice of toppings (we used: left over dulche de leche, chocolate ganache, strawberry jam, mini marshmallows, choc chips, crushed peanuts.)

and here's the printable

Knead dough on a floured surface

Roll out onto a baking paper lined tray. I'm not good at circles!

Spread your favourite topping over the base of the pizza. We used 1/4 strawberry jam, 1/4 dulche de leche, 1/2 chocolate ganache.

Dulche de leche on the left, chocolate ganache on the right.

Sprinkle your extra toppings over your bases. We used choc chips, mini marshmallows, crushed peanuts etc.

Chocolate ganache & mini marshmallows.

Dulche de leche, sea salt and chocolate chips.

Chocolate ganache, crushed peanuts and chocolate chips.

Strawberry Jam and chocolate chips. (I like chocolate chips!!)

Once you've put all your toppings on, place it in the oven on 200 degrees celsius.

Cook it for about 20-25 minutes. It's ok if some leaks off the sides.

You can see here that the mini marshmallows completely melted. They ended up being a bit crunchy. I'll have to rethink that quarter next time.

Cut into slices and serve.

My favourite was the strawberry jam and chocolate chips. It tasted like one big scone!!

Flowers for my Nan

2010-03-20T11:25:00.002+08:00

I made these for my Nanna a little while ago when she was in the hospital having an operation.

She is a baking genius. One day I hope to be just like her.

She always had fresh home made biscuits in her cookie jar and would make fresh scones when people came to visit. I don't even think she needs to read recipes! She's amazing.

Thursday Tutorial - Pots of Gold

2010-03-11T14:19:00.014+08:00

Want to make these pot of gold toppers?

You Will Need...

Black fondant, yellow fondant.

Circle & rectangle cutters. Small round cutter (I used the end of a piping tip). Gold Shimmer Dust (optional)

Cut out a circle of black.

Cut a rectangle of black, and then cut the rectangle in half long ways.

Roll 2 small sausage shapes.

Attach the 2 small sausage shapes to the bottom of the circle with a little water.

Cut out 6 or 7 small circles of the yellow.

Attach 3 of the yellow circles to the top of the black circle with a little water.

Put the black rectangle over half the yellow circles and the black circle, creating the "lip" of the pot.

Attach the remaining yellow circles with a little water to create a "mound of gold"

Brush yellow circles with gold dust.

Recipe of the Week - Chocolate Stout and Baileys Chocolate Cake.

2010-03-07T11:26:00.048+08:00

Did anyone not watch Masterchef when it was on? I loved it! I bought the masterchef cookbook for my brother because he wanted to make the Beerimisu that Chris made in one of the episodes.
We ended up making it for Christmas dessert.. I think we might have made it wrong, because we just weren't that blown away with it? If anyone else has made it, tell me what you thought...

Anyway... because of this we had 3 bottles of chocolate stout left over. Plus 2 bottles of baileys in the cupboard (completely unrelated to the beeramisu). So I thought I would make something that would be suitable for St Patrick's Day.. You can find the printable recipe here.

You Will Need..

Grease and line 2 cake tins. (I used 22 cm round ones. You can use anything you want.)

Place the cocoa, butter and stout in a saucepan on the stove.

Stir until butter is completely melted. Leave to cool down a little.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and the sugar and mix together.

Add the baileys and the 2 eggs and mix together thoroughly.

Add the chocolate mixture and mix until there are no more lumps. (You can use your mixer if you want to. But I never do with this cake.)

Pour mixture into your tins and place in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. Until a skewer inserted in comes out clean.

When cakes are cooked, sandwich together to a layer of baileys buttercream.

Just make your favourite buttercream recipe, adding 2 tablespoons Baileys.

Enjoy!

I used a different memory card when I took pictures of the finished cake and am unable to locate it.. Once I have found it, I will update with pictures. :)

Leprechaun Hat Cookies

2010-03-06T15:36:00.003+08:00

Thursday Tutorial - Leprechaun Toppers

2010-03-04T14:20:00.028+08:00

Want to make these leprechaun faces for St Patricks Day.
Follow these simple instructions!!
You Will Need...
Light Green, Dark Green, Orange, Skin, Yellow & Black balls of fondant.

Square, rectangle, mini flower, mini heart, circle cutters & black edible marker.

Cut out a circle from the skin (this will be his face)

Attach a nose with a little water

Cut the same size circle from the orange, and a small flower.

Cut the small flower in half, and carefully cut a scalloped edge around the circle. (this will be his hair and beard)

Attach with a little water.

Cut out a square and a rectangle from the light green.

Cut the rectangle in half, and a little bit off the edge of the square. (you don't need to keep those extra bits)

Place half a rectangle over the bigger bit of the square to form a hat.

Cut out 3 small hearts from the dark green, and roll a sausage shape.

Attach the sausage shape to the hat first, and then the hearts positioned like so over the sausage shape. (this will be the clover)

Roll out a thin piece of black, and attach to the edge of the hat. Place a little square of yellow over the black.

Attach the hat to the top of the head.

Use the black marker to draw on some eyes, a mouth and a little black square within the yellow.

Leprechauns and Pots of Gold

2010-02-28T14:21:00.012+08:00

Just some fun cupcakes for St Patricks Day, on the 17th March!!

Recipe of The Week - Dulche De Leche Apple Cupcakes

2010-02-27T11:30:00.045+08:00

I made these cupcakes for the March Cupcake Hero Challenge. You can see more entires here after the 15th of March. I'll let you know when voting begins!
(Also... Sorry this one doesn't have many photos... I failed at charging my camera battery this weekend)

You Will Need...
1 Cup Self Raising Flour
90 Grams Butter
1/2 Cup Caster Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Milk
2 Green (or red) Apples - Peeled & Grated
1 Can Condensed Milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt (preferrably sea salt)

For the Dulche De Leche.
A lot of Dulche De Leche recipes say to just put the can of condensed milk into a saucepan of simmering water. This scared me way too much! I did not want a can of condensed milk exploding all over the kitchen. I have a hard enough time as it is cleaning it to mum's standards. (They're higher standards then most normal folk)

Pour your condensed milk into a glass (oven proof) bowl/pie dish/something.
Sprinkle the salt and brown sugar over the top and mix in.
Cover with alfoil and place in a deep baking dish.
You want to then pour water into the baking dish, so that your condensed milk is sitting in a bath of water. Pour it in until it is 1/2 way up the glass bowl.
Place in the oven at 220 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Take out of the oven (be very careful because the water will be SUPER hot, as will everything else)
Leave it to cool.
Once completely cool, whisk the condensed milk (which should now be a darker colour, and should be dulche de leche) until smooth.
Refrigerate in a sealed jar until you need it. (Or eat it all there straight from the bowl, and make a second batch later.. I won't tell anyone if you don't!)

For the Cupcakes...
Place the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla essence, milk & apple in a bowl and beat until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Spoon mixture evenly into prepared cupcake cases.
Place in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 15 minutes, or until skewer inserted into one comes out clean.
Leave to cool completely.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, cut a hole in the top and spoon in some of your dulche de leche.
Replace the bit that you just cut out, and place a slice of apple on top.
Drizzle dulche de leche on top.

Update - After posting this, I completely forgot to send an email to CB at Iheartcuppycakes. So I didn't enter March... But you should still go and vote for your favourite!!

Some of My First Cupcakes..

2010-02-23T12:12:00.001+08:00

I've been looking back at some photos that I had completely forgotten about recently. There are some funny photos in some of those folders!!!I found some photos of the cupcakes I made for my friend's 21st in December 2008. They were some of the first that I made.

Just making sure they're doing it right... (I'm a bit of a perfectionist!)

Yes, we did use packet mixes.. (but don't anymore!!)

They're doing good! I have some new apprentices...

Vanilla Cupcakes, with vanilla buttercream.

She loved them at the time, but I bet she now wishes that her 21st was this year. Especially now that I've been practicing my decorating skills...

Bronte's Christening

2010-02-21T11:55:00.046+08:00

This is Bronte...

She's my cousin's daughter and yesterday was her christening.
I had the lovely pleasure of making the cake for the party afterwards.

I also had the pleasure of driving 300 plus kilometres to where they live - all the while stressing that I was going to do something to ruin the cake.. Luckily I didn't!
Although, some of the icing did melt a little, even with the air con on freezing.

At the Church.

With Grandma.

This is her older sister, Mackenzie. I'm one of her godmothers. :)

Do you think we look the same?

With Pop back at home.

A stubby holder! They're might be beer in there!

I can almost reach...

Damn! No beer!

mmmmm.. cake!

Recipe of the Week - Apple Walnut Muffins

2010-02-20T17:43:00.000+08:00

You Will Need... The vanilla was an afterthought..

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius, and grease a muffin tray. (I used cooking spray - it's magical.)Put flour, baking powder, sugar and spices into a bowl.In a seperate bowl, whisk the milk, apple and egg.Mix the apple mixture into the dry ingredients until combined.Add the butter. (You would also add the vanilla essence here with the butter, but I added it after because I thought it needed something else.. You don't want to be over mixing your mixture.)Add the vanilla essence.Divide the mixture evenly among your muffin tray.Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top.

Bake for about 20 mins or until well risen and golden in colour.

These are amazing if you warm them up, and spread a little butter on them.

Also amazing if you dip the tops into a little melted butter and sprinkled some sugar/mixed spice over the top. Keep in an air tight container.