My Little Helper

I was going through photos from Christmas, and I just wanted to share some with you.
My niece asked me once if my job was making cupcakes for people. I wish I could say yes, but at this moment in time I am stuck in my 9-5 job.. She also used to call me 'Aunt Cakie' when she was younger. (Secretly, I loved that!)I would like to say 'we' made this cake, but I was under strict rules about what strawberries went where, how much cream to put on and wether or not I was allowed to lick the spoon. (Apparently the rule is no, "Not until we're finished Aunt Catie") My Perfect Apprentice!!

Australia Day Cupcakes

Cupcakes for Australia Day..

Recipe of the Week - Road Trip Cookies

These are now called Road Trip Cookies because they are quick to make, and taste great. Even when they've been sitting in the hot Australian heat all day, they're still good (maybe better). Perfect for those long car trips! They still retain their crunch, while the heat keeps the chocolate chips slightly melted.
Printable Here

You Will Need...

At room temperature, softened slightly

You want to use cold eggs straight from the fridge

I used Margaret River Chocolate Factory Chocolate Chips.
I recommend them. They're like little bites of heaven.
(Any chocolate you have will be fine!)

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius, and line a cookie tray with bakign paper.
Beat the butter and brown sugar in your mixer until combined.

Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix until creamy. (It's ok if it looks curdled)
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined. (Try to not over mix, because that will make the cookies tough.)Stir in the chocolate chips.Scoop out tablespoons of mixture, and plop onto a cookie tray lined with baking paper.Cook for approximately 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the centres are a golden colour.
Let cool on the tray, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.These are amazing when eaten straight from the oven.You could even place them in individual bags for the road trip.

I WON!!!

Just incase you didn't already know...
Jamieanne from The Sweetest Kitchen was in the midst of deciding a winner for the December Coconut Cupcake Hero Challenge last week.

Over the weekend, she slaved away, making and baking my Coconut Rough cupcake and Sugar Plum's Batica, so they could be put head to head in a Cupcake Hero Throwdown.

and.... I WON!! :)
It was a close call, with 3 out of 5 taste testers liking my cupcake the best.

So thankyou to those taste testers (especially that 3rd one!) and thankyou Jamieanne for picking me as the challenger! It really did brighten my day finding out I had won!!

Congratulations to Sugar Plum as well!! Your cakes look amazing, and when I have the time I will definately be giving them a try.

An Engagement

These were made for an engagement party..

Vanilla Cupcakes, with Vanilla Buttercream and fondant hearts. Stamped with the couples initials, and hand painted with silver and gold edible paint.

Donna (the bride to be) & Jason (the groom to be) wanted simple hearts with their initials on them. They liked the hearts I made for a wedding last year and wanted something similar, but in gold and silver.

Congratulations Donna & Jason. :)

Recipe of The Week - Date & Walnut Scroll Cookies

Date & Walnut Scroll Cookies. Printable Here

[Makes about 24]

You Will Need....

For the Biscuit

I couldn't find them already ground, so I put them in the food proccessor until they were ground. For the Filling

Place the butter, sugar, egg and mixed spice in a mixer and mix until creamy.
Once mixed, gently stir in the walnut and flour.
Then use your hands to make it a dough.
Break into two batches (it's easier) and roll out a rectangle. (As best you can..)

Place on the baking tray, and put in the fridge for 20 minutes.While the dough is in the fridge, put the dates (roughly chopped) lemon juice, lemon rind, sugar, mixed spice and water in a saucepan over a low heat, until sugar is dissolved.

Turn the heat up and let boil.

Turn the heat down once boiled and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You want it to have a paste like consistency.
Place in a bowl once it has reached paste form, and put in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool down.

Once cool, spread the paste over the dough. Leaving a 1cm border aroung the edges.
Roll up the dough, and wrap in baking paper.
Put back in the fridge for a further 20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. Cut 1-2 cm slices of the dough, and place on a cookie tray lined with baking paper.
Put in the oven for about 20 minutes.Once cooked, let cool completely and then place in an airtight container.
I put mine in little cellophane bags, because I was giving them away.

365 Days

I started a new blog... It's all about taking at least one photo a day for an entire year. Mainly so I can practice my photography skills, and also so I remember things that I may forget.
You can check it out by clicking the 365 days link up the top!

There will be baking photos, cooking photos, Rufus photos, family photos, friend photos. All kinds of photos.. Hopefully I can find something new to photograph everyday. It's my challenge for 2010..