Champagne pop rocks cake and New Year’s Eve

aboveThis cake is an occasion cake. It’s two-tiered, it’s got champagne in it, and POP ROCKS! All those components make it just a little bit more special than the average cake. This cake really embodies New Year’s Eve traditions to me – it’s fun and unexpected, it’s got a little bit of champagne in it, and the pop rocks are like little fireworks for your taste buds. Continue reading “Champagne pop rocks cake and New Year’s Eve”

Ginger spice cake and excitement

above sliceThe closer it gets to Christmas, the more excited I get. The more excited I get, the more I crave clichéd Christmas foods – give me pudding and rich spiced cakes, mince pies and roasts. It’s funny that Australians indulge in Christmas foods inspired by their northern hemisphere counterparts. Even though Christmas day can be stinking hot, we still want to have delicious cooking smells filling the house.

Christmas day is supposed to be humid and rainy this year, but that’s not going to stop me. Continue reading “Ginger spice cake and excitement”

Choc cinnamon Christmas cake and delight

half cakeThis cake is delightful. It’s festive and delicious – what more could you ask for over Christmas?

For those of you who aren’t big on fruit cakes (my mother being one of those people) it’s handy to have an alternative. If you forgot to start soaking your dried fruit weeks ago, or you’re just not that keen on hanging a pudding in your garage for months on end, this is the cake for you.

It can be made the day before, or even Christmas day and it is just as festive as my dad’s Christmas pudding or caramel-filled cinnamon men.

daisy close upI have no better segue to introduce Miss Daisy than to compare her to this cake – she is also delightful. She is deliciously cheeky, excitable, and so tiny that she makes the handsome Norman look rather imposing (hah!) Continue reading “Choc cinnamon Christmas cake and delight”

Choc coconut tray bake and winning friends

slicesYou may or may not know that recently I started a new job. Everybody in the office knows that I bake, because Baking with Gab is on my CV…I think that the prospect of cake is part of what got me the job (and I’m totally okay with that!)

But this meant that there were expectations. Expectations that I would bring cake into the office. Delicious cake.

So much pressure! Continue reading “Choc coconut tray bake and winning friends”

Halloween recipes and squeamishness

Blood spattered meringues

I don’t rate horror movies. I’m a massive wimp. I startle easily and I make involuntary “eeps” when frightened. I don’t like doors slamming themslevs, and I’m awful at being home alone.

Choc chip pumpkin bundt
So Halloween is not really my thing. I don’t delight in gore. In fact, I’m almost the complete opposite of everything Halloween-y. Continue reading “Halloween recipes and squeamishness”

Chocolate pumpkin bundt and a cute Halloween 

scene (1024x528)You’ve all seen how much I love bundt. I recently wrote about my love of mini tarts as well. My love of all things miniature doesn’t end there, though. Norman is testament to this! My older brother claims that Norman isn’t a real dog, and sometimes we joke that a few Normans stacked on top of one another would equal a “regular” dog. But I wouldn’t have him any other way.  I just adore down sized versions of things! Continue reading “Chocolate pumpkin bundt and a cute Halloween “

Chocolate blueberry cake and impressions

tableThis cake doesn’t shy away from attention. The amazingly vibrant (and naturally-coloured) icing draws people to it. I brought it into work today to share with work mates and was overwhelmed with kind words. It’s amazing how cake brings people together.

The love that I received was received with a tiny bit of sadness, because I’ve only worked with these wonderful people for six months and am moving on. I’ve loved working with them and hope that I leave them all with delicious, cake-filled memories! Continue reading “Chocolate blueberry cake and impressions”

The Boy’s Nutella birthday cake and 4WDs

sceneIt was The Boy’s birthday on Friday and all he asked for was an “epic cake.” I always make him a birthday cake, so that was no big deal, but having it prefixed with the word epic made the task slightly more daunting.

I love baking, but presentation isn’t always my strongest point – I value taste over looks!

The Boy is a big fan of 4WDing (and I’ve played dutiful partner and tagged along before), so I decided to give him a 4WD themed cake. In the end it wasn’t hard, we just ended up with massive amounts of cake. Like, three tiers of cake. I know what I’ll be eating for the next week… Continue reading “The Boy’s Nutella birthday cake and 4WDs”

GF Rosewater rhubarb bundt and bundt obsession

dat bundtIf you’re up to date with Baking with Gab, you will have seen my darling little bundt babies. They were so cute that I almost struggled to eat them.

Almost. They were delectable enough that the guilt subsided eventually.

And those little cutenesses reminded me how much I adore bundt. They’re show-stoppers, centre-pieces, let-me-have-the-first-slice kind of cakes. Continue reading “GF Rosewater rhubarb bundt and bundt obsession”

Strawberry rhubarb bundt and miniatures

closeI am a fan of all things miniature. Norman is a testament to this – my family joke that if we had three Normans and stacked them one on top of the other, we’d have a real dog. I love that mini old-fashioned milk bottles are in vogue at the moment, I’ve used mine in various photo shoots. (You can see them in my chocolate milkshakes post.)

It’s  rather funny that I made mini cakes out of the rhubarb I purchased, which was ginormousContinue reading “Strawberry rhubarb bundt and miniatures”