Happy 2nd Birthday Angus - toot toot!

Angus' second birthday today was Thomas the Tank Engine themed, Fleur supplied the Thomas and James and I made a simple scene for them to drive on, and Angus gets to keep them!

 

 

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Hayley's Gender Reveal Cake

Hayley and Dan had their 20 week ultrasound and got the sonographer to write down the gender of their baby in a card instead of telling them, I was entrusted with said card and made a gender-neutral cake for them to share at a family dinner, only revealing PINK or BLUE when they cut into it!

 

 

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Happy 5th Birthday Lia

I've always wanted to do a Dolly Varden cake so when Lia kept changing her mind about what cake she wanted, I took the chance.

 

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Stephanie Alexander kitchen gardens in schools

This article is in the paper today but not online so I took a photo because I really want to share it.

Border Mail Page 12 Friday April 12 2013

 

For my birthday this year I asked for vouchers for The Essential Ingredient so that I could buy Stephanie's book, The Kitchen Garden Companion. It's not cheap but it is worth it for the wealth of practical information it contains. The front cover reads 'Dig, plant, water, grow, harvest, chop, cook' and it really does cover all those things. One of my favourite parts is the section at the end of each vegetable (there are 73) titled 'Especially for Kids'.

Stephanie's writing style and approach to gardening are both pretty laid-back and whilst giving her best advice, she also recognises that in gardening there are many approaches and opinions.

The website for the Kitchen Garden Foundation and schools program is Here.

One fine morning I shall get out in my own little veggie garden and take some photos to post here.

 

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Something different

If you have spoken to me lately, you probably know I have a lot going on. I'm taking a break from cakes not really because I don't have time, but because I have too many other things buzzing around in my head!

My vegetable garden is coming along swimmingly, with my first pumpkin harvest last week and more still on the other vine. I think the first one I cut should have matured for longer, it was definitely ripe but a bit watery and bland. I've made some pumpkin soup which sort of saved it and I can't wait to have it for lunch today. Busy day today so I whipped it up last night.

Giving this 3.6kg beauty a little longer to cure.

Also, with my break from cakes and my foray into vegetable gardening, I've added a couple of gardening blogs to my list on the right, and also the totally unrelated 'What Ali Wore' which I just thought was really charming. They have formed a friendship from passing each other in the street every day. Cuteness.

Easter camping was fab, Cory, Elise and family were great company. Shane did most of the cooking and it was almost exclusively in the camp ovens. We have decided there should be a spin-off of MKR called My CAMP Kitchen Rules because we would definitely win. Items on the menu included Jones St Butcher chicken kievs, roast chicken and lamb with potatoes and home grown pumpkin, and pizzas. Of course we also had dessert, which consisted of chocolate caramello bag pudding (Fleur's recipe) and a chocolate and marshmallow roll thingy made with leftover pizza dough.

I'll post photos if Elise sends me some, but I think that's it for me for now.

Until next time!

 

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Pretty pink christening cake

This cake was pretty in pink and nice and simple, inside is marble mud with vanilla buttercream.

The booties are a bit like the ones I made for Liana's baby shower which then got used on Jaylah's christening cake as well. They are so cute and a really nice keepsake I think. Everything but the ribbons on the booties is edible.

 

Just as I went to start making the sugar flowers, I realised that I only had a three petal flower cutter but I think the layered six petal flowers turned out really nicely and added a bit of dimension.

I'm going to have a little break from making cakes, I just have so much else going on. That doesn't mean I won't be making anything though, and my vegetable garden is coming along really nicely so I'm sure I will still have plenty of food things to blog about!

 

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Lorna Jane - Local is lovely

You may or may not know that I am a little addicted to Lorna Jane.

I also love getting down to my local farmers markets and (hopefully soon) using my own home-grown produce, so this is particularly relevant at the moment.

 

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Swirling sixties

I was given free reign on the colours and design but I went with a tie-dye pink and blue theme for this 60th cake for twins. It was a bit bigger than I usually do, a 30cm this time. Thanks Dayarna for asking me to do another cake for you, I'm glad everyone liked it!

 

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Cake decorating by Laura

My cousin Laura has come from USA to spend a year studying in Australia, going to James Cook University in Townsville and is home in Albury for the holidays. Her boyfriend went home for Christmas and Laura asked me to help her make him a cake to welcome him back, here is the result.

 

 

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Another first

My uncle Greg celebrated his birthday yesterday while visiting from USA. I volunteered to make him a birthday cake, Australian style! This was my first ever time making a sponge, and of course I filled it with Allan's Flat strawberries and freshly whipped cream.

 

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Cookie!

 

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Jaylah's Christening

This is probably the most formal cake I've done, we used the booties off Liana's baby shower cake which made it a bit special, and my home made set square really helped me get the quilting better than last time, on the handbag cake. Who would have thought that geometry skills I learnt in high school would come in handy with cake decorating!

 

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Carrots are healthy... Right?

My first ever giant cupcake, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

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Baa-kaching!

Two cakes this week, and boy did my KitchenAid get a workout whipping up some buttercream! They were both chocolate mudcake, the money bag had chocolate buttercream and the sheep's wool is all vanilla buttercream. The sheep party has 8 kids going, so the sheep has 8 little vanilla cupcake friends - how cute!

 

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Bursting at the seams

Hayley's hens night cake is NSFW, so if you would like to see it you'll need to CLICK HERE

The cake was a gluten free chocolate mud cake with dark chocolate ganache. to make it gluten free I just use my usual mudcake recipe with Orgran gluten free flours, and add an extra egg to hold it all together. I love people's reaction when I tell them it's gluten free, they are usually pleasantly surprised, and hardly believe me. Some gluten free things aren't that fabulous, but I reckon this mudcake rivals any other.

 

 

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Ty Story 3 - to infinity and beyond!

Oh Liana, why must you torture me!? I can't complain though, I did get more than enough notice for this one - months!

The latest request was for a Buzz Lightyear cake. Have I told you lately I hate doing faces? Well I don't rally hate them, I'm just not confident with them, the slightest mistake and they end up looking a bit, you know, special... It worked out ok, and I think it resembles Buzz pretty well, even if it's not perfect. I love how he's bursting out of the cake.

Inside this one is what is now Liana's standard order, white chocolate mud cake with vanilla buttercream.

Oh, and its not a typo, it was meant to say 'Ty Story 3', because it's for Ty's birthday!

 

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Happy 60th Birthday Mum

Orange syrup cake with candied oranges and marscapone cream was my contribution to Mum's 60th high tea, which we held at Must Love Dogs B&B in Rutherglen. Chris and Charles were wonderful hosts, Chris made biscuits, cupcakes and her famous scones and Charles made us some yummy sandwiches. Ruff, Millie and Some of Mum's closest friends joined us to wash it all down with some freshly brewed coffee and tea.

Everyone learnt a bit about the house's history, from being a pub, to a place of worship, and even a brothel. Chris decorated one of the guest rooms with a lovely red Murano glass pendant light before finding out about it's sordid history!

I hope everyone had a pleasant afternoon, especially Mum! Happy birthday!

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Inspiration

I often stumble across beautiful cakes, whether on the internet or in magazines - not to mention talented cake designers and decorators, but I have just discovered Maggie Austin. I had never heard of her before I read that she made the cake for Ryan Reynolds and Blake lively's wedding, which was then driven 8 hours from Maryland to Boone Hall Plantation in Mt Pleasant, where The Notebook was filmed.

I haven't been able to find any pictures of the actual cake yet, but Maggie Austin cakes are known for their elegance and touch of Haute Couture. Below is a portrait of Maggie with one of her designs, but check out her whole gallery yourself here

I can see myself using her cakes for inspiration and ideas in the future, even her logo is divine!

Wood Fired Oven Awesomeness

I ventured down to the Community Wood Fired Oven at Hovell Tree Park to see Tobie Puttock cook today. He was here as part of the Write around the Murray festival. I'm really glad I went. The food he cooked was beautiful, he was a great speaker and I even picked up a couple of tips. I can't wait to cook something out of his cookbook, 'Cook like an Italian' which he kindly autographed for me!

We enjoyed some chickpea pancakes, roasted capsicum, ricotta and of course the filetto di manzo arrosto in crosta di sale e erbe - beef fillet roasted in herbed salt, which I can't wait to try at home.

It's a girl!

Thanks for asking me to do your baby shower cake Casey, I hope you had a wonderful day.

I just love these gift box cakes! This one is white chocolate mudcake with vanilla buttercream - yummy!

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