White vegan vanilla cake and going vegan

vegan cakeI’ve got heaps of friends who are vegetarian. I love them for their dedication to the cause and often join them in devouring delicious vego meals. I’ve got a couple of vegan friends (and have even made a sumptuous raw vegan dessert before) and I really admire them for their efforts. It’s not easy being vegan – in my research for this cake I found out that some sugars (apparently mostly in America) are processed with animal bones. I read that some baking paper isn’t vegan-friendly. I also learned that some apple juice is clarified using fish bladders.

Bleh. Continue reading “White vegan vanilla cake and going vegan”

Easter cupcakes and less than

groupI love these little cupcakes. So much. The icing is one of my favourite icings ever. It’s cream cheese and chocolate – it’s so delicious that it should almost be illegal. Part of what I love about the cupcakes is that they’re not quite perfect. The batter is simple and not too sweet, the icing is delicious, but lends itself to a more rustic look. They’re a little bit less-than-perfect…and that’s completely fine. As someone who is constantly striving to achieve perfection, sometimes I need to take a step back and remind myself that being “less than” is not always a bad thing. Perfect isn’t always fun. Continue reading “Easter cupcakes and less than”

Recipe testing and a tea giveaway

Yay! Competition time! I used to love entering competitions. Actually, I still do, I just don’t often find the time to do so. If I weren’t at a distinct advantage with this giveaway, I would totally enter it myself.

I’m currently recipe testing for cakes that will feature on my (currently non-existent) Etsy shop, so I don’t have a recipe for you all. I do have progress pictures though, and I’m super excited about the process! I’m going for vintage-style, flower-garnished tiered cakes. After the success of my three tiered vanilla cake recently, I was inspired to perfect this vanilla and rose cake. Continue reading “Recipe testing and a tea giveaway”

Baileys bundt and St Patrick’s Day

sceneSt Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays which brings people together. Everybody loves it! People don silly hats and wear ridiculous amounts of green, and it’s just fun. For the past two years I’ve completely forgotten about St Patrick’s Day and inadvertently worn a green item of clothing and it’s like you’ve joined a club; people smile at you on the street, give you a little nod. I love it!

I haven’t decided whether or not I’ll wear green today…this cake is making me feel rather festive though. Continue reading “Baileys bundt and St Patrick’s Day”

Baileys buttercream sandwich biscuits and St Patrick’s day surprises

pileI started making these biscuits so that I’d have a St Patrick’s Day appropriate recipe. I don’t really like to go for the super cliched option when it comes to occasion baking, so I’ve stayed way from green desserts this year. Last year I made the delicious Guinness cake, but this year I opted for Baileys instead because I drink Baileys all year round. Now that I’ve made these delightful little morsels, I know that they’re far too delicious to only make once a year. This babies are going to be on high rotation because they’re addictive!

I also had lots of fun messing around with videos as I was making them. I was surprised at how fun playing with Instagram videos is – I’m going to be making lots more videos! My new, adorable baking paper and speedy baking are a match made in heaven! Continue reading “Baileys buttercream sandwich biscuits and St Patrick’s day surprises”

Giant vanilla cake and gratitude

sceneA little bit of gratitude goes a long way. I deal with lots of people through Baking with Gab, and I love that it puts me in contact with amazing, creative, kind people. Like Bianca from Communicake It, or Meredith from DeeDub Designs, or the lovely duo from TTotaler.

I strive to be positive and pleasant in all of the dealings with people who come into contact with the blog (and even those who don’t!) It’s just good practice. Continue reading “Giant vanilla cake and gratitude”

Angel food cupcakes and lightness

singleI had one of those weekends where everything seems to float on by. It was most enjoyable. I baked most of Saturday, had a long-awaited catch up with a good friend, and entertained on Sunday. By entertained I mostly mean that I force-fed my friends so that I didn’t eat all of Saturday’s baking efforts.

It was all fabulous, easy, lovely. After my jam-packed weekend in Melbourne, the lightness of it all was refreshing. There is no better segue into these cupcakes than this – they’re easy, fabulous and breezy. They’re also quite a show-stopper, with their brilliant white inner. They’re the kind of cupcake that looks like you’ve put in loads of effort, when actually you haven’t – I love those recipes! Continue reading “Angel food cupcakes and lightness”

Catch ups and simple orange biscuits

aboveI’ve been a bad blogger. I haven’t updated the blog in over a week! I have an excuse, I promise. I’ve been trying to organise a super-cute giveaway for the blog (keep your eyes peeled in the next few blog posts), I’ve been working like a crazy lady, and I was in Melbourne over the weekend. I do have a biscuit recipe to share with you though – that’s go to count for something, right?

So here is what I’ve neglected to tell you: Continue reading “Catch ups and simple orange biscuits”

Peanut butter brownies and procrastinating

flowersI’ve had a crazy few weeks. Work has been busy, I’ve been baking with renewed gusto (and trying to get the recipes posted, rather than just consume the finished product) AND trying to have a social life.

It’s like I can only have two out of three – I can either work and socialise, and leave my beloved blog to gather dust, or I can socialise and blog, and get fired from a job that I love. Neither of these options are ideal!

I need to plan my life. Continue reading “Peanut butter brownies and procrastinating”

Mini mango cupcakes and Summer flavours

Mango is Summer to me. It is impossible to imagine one without the other. When I was at school I always knew that the holidays were close when mango prices had fallen enough for us to buy a box of them. To this day, the thrill of buying a box full of mangoes brings me a ridiculous amount of joy.

image2Which is why long road trips up (or down) the NSW coast also bring me great joy – there are countless roadside fruit vendors! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen my mango haul.

We bought them about four hours into our trip, and the sweet, syrupy smell filled our warm car, becoming increasingly enticing over the remaining two hours. Continue reading “Mini mango cupcakes and Summer flavours”