Tag: how to

Chocolate swirl meringues and sweetness

sceneI cannot get enough of meringues. Before I was given my gorgeous mixer, Penelope, I found meringues really challenging. Now that I have her, however, they’re a cinch. They’re so simple to whip together (although it does take some patience) and everybody loves them.

Top them with sprinkles for a touch of nostalgia – this addition will make them irresistible for adults and children alike.

I made these meringues as an accompaniment to a super sweet treat for you all to make this Valentine’s day. I’ll post the recipe that goes with these meringues tomorrow, but here’s a sneak peak of the romantic dessert…

Chocolate meringues:tea

  • 2 egg whites
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 100g milk chocolate


lemonBefore you start making your meringues, wipe your whisk attachment and bowl down with half of a lemon. Just swirl the lemon around and then wipe off the excess. This will remove any residual fats that may be lurking, and could flatten your meringues!

whiskWhip your sugar and egg whites together – I’d recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer because it’s far more efficient! Start on a lower speed (I went for 3 on my stand mixer) and speed it up a notch at a time (up to about 8) over the course of a minute; I find that this method gets the most air into the meringues.

While the egg whites whip up, preheat your oven to 120°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.

swirlKeep whipping until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture turns white, thick and glossy. This should take about ten minutes. Your mixture should hold soft peaks and should stay in place if you turn the bowl upside down.

candlesMelt your chocolate and spoon it into the meringue. Give it a quick swirl (literally, like one swirl, if you want veins of chocolate through the meringues) and spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle.

Pipe onto your lined baking trays bake for 50-60 minutes – you’ll know they’re done when they’re dry to touch. Transfer to a cooling rack and devour once they’re cooled!

 

Citrus cupcakes and picnics

biteFriends and I had a post Australia-day picnic and I wanted something nice and zesty to perk people after their Australia day celebrations. The day was hot and windy, and our location at Sydney Park was perfect. I instagrammed it, obviously. 

What I love about these cupcakes is that they’re so simple, but awesome – they’re beautifully moist and citrus-laden. I can’t think of more ways to explain how glorious these cupcakes are, I just love them… you should bake them!

groupThe little cakes are moist and sweet, while the icing is mouth-puckeringly tart – the combination of the two is just gorgeous. The icing stops the cakes from being overly saccharine, while the cake softens the edges of the citrus tang; these two are a match made in citrus heaven.

Citrus cupcakes:

Makes 20bite

  • 125g butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 250g (2 ¼ cups) almond meal
  • 1 cup self-raising flour
  • 1 orange, zest and juice

Icing:

  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 1 small lemon, zest and juice

zestPreheat your oven to 180°C

Cream butter and sugar together until pale and smooth. Add the eggs and almond meal and mix until incorporated. Sift the flour into the bowl and mix that too.

fillPop the zest and juice of the orange into the mixture and give it one final mix before scooping generous spoonfuls of batter into cardboard cupcake cases. Aim to fill them about ¾ of the way up, as this mixture doesn’t rise very much.

lemonBake for 20-23 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean*. Transfer cakes onto a cooling rack.

While the cakes cool, zest and juice the lemon. Combine the lemon juice, icing sugar and about half of the zest to make the icing. Reserve the other half of the zest to decorate the cupcakes with.

iceTo ice, drop a tablespoon of mixture onto the crest of each of your cupcakes and allow It to run down the sides naturally. The icing is pretty thin, so should sort itself out – if this approach is too messy for your liking, simply use the back of the spoon to spread the icing out. Top some of the iced cupcakes with  your remaining lemon zest.

holder*This batter can also be made into a cake – simply pop the mixture into a greased cake tin and cook for 40-50 minutes.

 

Damper and brown butter sugar

sceneAustralia day is dawning, and I love how it brings people together. This holiday is laidback, community-focussed and gets pretty warm. The same can be said of this damper! The fact that damper only has six ingredients and needs very little attention is just a plus! Damper is an easy dish to serve at your Australia day gathering – even though I would say it is best enjoyed with a cuppa, this rustic Australian classic will sit comfortably alongside whatever you choose to drink this weekend. Continue reading “Damper and brown butter sugar”

Vanilla slice and Australian icons

cornerVanilla slice is an Australian icon. I associate vanilla slices with Australianness so much that I’m currently trying to imagine how structurally stable a vanilla slice version of the Opera House would be.

My brothers and I were transfixed by the sweets section at the bakery when we accompanied mother to the bakery. Cream buns, doughnuts, lamingtons, meringues, and the vanilla slice was the king of them all. Whether the vanilla slice had vanilla icing or passionfruit, it was always the filling that was the best – that tall, cold, unusually firm layer of custard sandwiched between two teeny bits of pastry… bliss. Continue reading “Vanilla slice and Australian icons”

Chocolate blueberry friands and alliteration

sceneI’m taking a brief break from my Australian recipes. I’m still busily baking all things Australian, but I made these friands for a dinner party recently and I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you. They’re super speedy to make, and they always look impressive.

They’re such humble little morsels, but they pack so much flavour! Deceptively delicious is how I would describe them.

And the mixture of blueberry and chocolate? Divine. Continue reading “Chocolate blueberry friands and alliteration”

Berry lemonade ice blocks and Australian Summer

In keeping with my Australia-loving session (inspired by my recent trip to Cairns), I wanted to showcase a food that reminds me of my childhood.

skyIce blocks. Iced lollies. Ice pops. Call them what you will, they’re a Summer favourite.

My mother used the same, primary-coloured ice block moulds for years. When it came to throwing them out (a move which was much protested by myself and my brothers), the stems of the moulds were so chewed and beaten up loved that they were no longer straight. Continue reading “Berry lemonade ice blocks and Australian Summer”

Anzac biscuits and patriotism

This past week reminded me of how much I love Australia. Not in a stupidly patriotic kind of way… I’m just completely gobsmacked by the beauty that is hidden away from major cities and highways.

I struggled with the lack of phone signal, and cursed Google maps when it couldn’t locate us on a map when we were hopelessly lost, but I loved that aspect of the trip as well. I know that I’m glued to my phone far too much, but this trip made me appreciate that there is value to be found in doing nothing and simply being, staying still and watching.

Don’t think I didn’t grab every opportunity to document my trip on Instagram though!

Qld roadtrip Continue reading “Anzac biscuits and patriotism”

Blackberry jam cake and being away

biteThis post was done in advance. I’m in Cairns and I will have been instagramming like mad (check here to see all of the photos), but I made sure I wrote up this cake recipe before I left. It is pretty divine. It’s full of spices and sweetness in just the right measures. It’s super moist too – it’s kind of like a really fragrant sticky date pudding.

I bought the blackberry jam when I was away in Mudgee recently. I still haven’t blogged about Mudgee yet, but I loved it.

Continue reading “Blackberry jam cake and being away”

Herb thins and easy food


IMG_7509Summer is a time for easy food. Chips and dips are de rigueur barbecues, pool parties, weekend getaways… basically any event you will attend this Summer! I split my New Year’s Eve between the 9pm fireworks with The Boy’s parents and a rental house with friends at Cottage Point, and we had chips and dips at both!

I did have a fabulous New Year’s – we had a great position at Lavender Bay for the fireworks, and Cottage Point is glorious. I could have instagrammed everything, but restricted myself to gorgeous Westhead Beach and the adorable wharf at the bottom of our house.   Continue reading “Herb thins and easy food”

Chocolate basil crinkle biscuits and New Year’s Eve

I’m very excited about 2014 – it will be my first full year of blogging, and things are going to be very busy for Norman and I! 2013 has been fabulous; I started the blog, I tried a bunch of new recipes, and I even convinced my family and The Boy to try some new things too.

My final post for this year is nothing too spectacular, it’s understated, but impressive, which is how I like my New Year’s Eve. The chocolate element of the biscuits has a lovely fudginess to it, which contrasts beautifully with the hard shell that forms as a result of the white sugar.

basilIf you’re hesitant about the mix of chocolate and basil mixture, don’t be. You mix chocolate and mint all the time without thinking about it! I converted a few members of my family, although The Boy was somewhat reluctant to concede defeat. I think that the basil heightens the chocolate taste, he just disliked the green bits that he saw in the mixture. Continue reading “Chocolate basil crinkle biscuits and New Year’s Eve”