Top Five For Friday - Europe!

Au Revoir everybody!

Today is the day of the Royal Wedding which I am sadly going to miss, as I will be flying all the way to Europe (will arrive in London the day AFTER the wedding!)

So here are my top five of things I'm looking forward to seeing/doing/eating in Europe:


1) Eating Macarons - I am OBSESSED with macarons!(as anyone reading my blog will know already!) so I can't wait to try the best of the best, I have a list of five of the best macaron shops in Paris and I'm definitely going to all of them!

2) Meeting Family - I'm going over to Holland for two weeks before starting a two week Europe tour. My hubby is from Holland and we're having a family get together over there which I'm really excited about!

3) Trying Dutch Foods - I've had a few Dutch foods already but I have been told there is heaps more to try! I love Stroopwafels, so I'm going to stock up on those!

4) Sight Seeing - Along with the two weeks in Holland I'll be visiting such places as Paris, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and London. I can't WAIT to see the sights, go on the tours and eat their food!

5) Italy Food - I don't think I need to explain myself here. I'm almost drooling on the keyboard while I write this, just thinking about fresh pizza and pasta is making me hungry!

I will be away for one month and in that time will post some old photos of cakes and cupcakes along with Top Fives and recipes!

Bon voyage!

Pretty Products!

Easter sale shopping brings out the worst in everyone! I was trying to do some urgent "necessary" shopping (yes, shoes are necessary) and it just happened to be Easter Monday. The shops were chaos!

One such shop I didn't get time to look at all the pretty things, I pined over a Macaron recipe book that I didn't need and a two tier high tea cake stand that I also, didn't need.

Here are some other pretty things from Living and Giving:
1) Ice cream Fan - Being cold and rainy today, it's hard to believe that it's going to be hot and sunny once again but when that day comes I want this little guy to keep me cool!

2) Zebra Striped Neck Cushion - I NEED one of these, you don't understand I actually NEED one of these! For the plane ride! Plus it's zebra striped! How cute can you get!

3) Condiment Gun - How cool is this?! Stick 'em up partner! You shoot tomato sauce (or mustard) at your opponent...I mean at your food!

4) Leopard Print Clear Umbrella - There's something about animal print, in particular, leopard print, that draws me. Who needs a clear umbrella with leopard print when you can buy a cheap black umbrella at the $2 store? I do, that's who!

5) Pink Three Tier Cake Stand - I actually have the green version of this but in separate cake stands that stack on top of each other. I don't know where I would fit another cake stand in my house...but I'm sure I could find room! (sorry the pic isn't pink, not sure why that is!)

Easter Cupcakes

The day before Easter Friday I decided to make some Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes for an Easter lunch I was having with my family.

I followed a recipe online and substituted the flour in the recipe for the Healtheries Baking Mix Gluten Free flour. Let me tell you now, it wasn't pretty!



They looked absolutely horrible! But as I was peeling all the mix off the cupcakes cases I was eating bits and pieces and it tastes really good!

I wasn't going to give up just yet!



I threw together some cream cheese frosting and toasted some coconut then topped them with tiny Cadbury candy coated Easter eggs.



I love how they turned out! They hid all the mistakes and no one had a clue...until I told them!



The cupcakes actually tasted really nice but I'm not going to post the recipe because, lets face it, who wants that mess again?! (Not me!)



Now I'm on a mission to find a good Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe! Wish me luck!

Top Five For Friday - Easter Eggs!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!

Here are my top five favourite Easter Eggs:

1. Hollow Chocolate Eggs - I love hollow chocolate! I think it's because you can't get it all year round. I love that first bite/smash into the egg and all the chocolate caves in!



2. Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs - I have to be honest, I can't eat a normal sized one anymore, but the minis I can handle!


3. Candy Coated Eggs - Those little speckled candy coated eggs look so adorable, I think I might have to use them on some cupcakes this weekend!


4. Crunchie Bunny - Does a bunny count as an egg these days? Hope so! I bought my hubby two! (they're small so it's okay) The Crunchie bunnies taste sooo good with little bits of hokey pokey in amongst the chocolate.



5. Marshmallow Eggs - Does anyone really like the old marshmallow egg? When I was a kid they were always picked last...looks like nothing has changed!

Tattoo Cake

I'm currently going through all of my old (old as in from the last year...so not that old!) cake decorating photos. This was my first cake decorating experience, after taking Wilton's course 1 on buttercream decorating. It's a tattoo cake, it reminds me of those big biker men who have MUM tattooed on their bicep!

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

These cupcakes are delicious and very indulgent. They are fabulous as a dessert cupcake or even for a nice afternoon tea.

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 ½ C Flour
¾ C Cocoa
¼ t Baking Soda
2 t Baking Powder
¼ t Salt
¼ C Butter (softened)
1 C Sugar
½ C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs (room temperature)
1 t Vanilla Extract
1 T Orange Zest
1 C Milk

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line two muffin trays with cupcake cases.
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Add vanilla and orange zest.
• Alternating in three additions, beat in the sifted dry ingredients and milk at a low speed, starting and ending with the flour.
• Fill muffin tins about half or three quarters full and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Cool completely on wire rack before icing.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing
250g Cream Cheese (softened)
60g Butter (softened)
1 T Orange Zest
3 T Orange Juice
3-4 C Icing Sugar

• In a large bow, beat together cream cheese and butter until well combined.
• Add orange zest and orange juice and mix.
• Sift icing sugar into a large bowl and add to butter mixture one cup at a time.
• Mix until well combined and smooth.
• Add colouring if desired and pipe onto cupcakes.
• Enjoy!

Top Five for Friday - Bakerella Cake Pops!

My Top Five Favourite Bakerella Cake Pops

Sheep Pops! - It's not just because I'm a Kiwi and we're surrounded by sheep (no, not literally) these are just so darn cute!

Wedding Cake Pops - How cute are these? More so because there was an actual proposal on Bakerella's website! Amazing!

Pooh Pops - These are so well done, I can't get over the fantastic detail.

Hamburger Cake Balls - We've all seen the hamburger cupcakes and frankly I'm a little over them, cake balls, however, look AWESOME!

Mr Potato Head - I LOVE these! How perfect do they look?! A lot better than my attempt!

Fish Tacos!

YUM!

Last night I made fish tacos for dinner. We had never tried these before so didn't know what to expect. They were so yummy!

I don't have any photos (sorry!) but this is what I did:

Ingredients:
Fish -we used two pieces of Orange Roughy
Tacos -we had hard shells but they were so annoying! Next time we'll use soft ones
Salad fillings - tomatoes, grated carrot and cheese, lettuce
Mayo
Hot Nandos sauce (or sweet chili sauce if you like)
Home made mango salsa - cut up some mango, tomato and red onion into little cubes and add a bit of lemon juice

I promise you this tastes FABULOUS with all the flavours combined! Just fry up the fish, flake it up a bit and pop into your tacos. Add the salad, salsa and sauces and you won't regret it!

Pretty Products!

I was browsing one of my fave 'pretty things' shops in the weekend, check out these pretty products:

Pretty passport holders, luggage tags and travel wallets - With my trip to Europe happening in under one month now I'm getting more and more excited about the trip. I have the passport holder, and the luggage tags and the travel wallet...just not all matching like these!

Cute vintage decor - I want want want to decorate my townhouse! Trouble is, we won't be here for long so there's not much point...but that makes me want to even more!

Cute handbag with matching scarf - I think these would look fabulous on me!

Stylish matching cushions - I would like to theme a whole room in teal, I love teal right now!

Beautiful clutch and pretty floral notebook - I just want these...do I need an excuse? I don't think so!

Top Five For Friday - Pancake Toppings!

My Top Five Favourite Pancake Toppings!

This might sound random...but I absolutely LOVE pancakes, if I ever entered a pancake eating competition I think I would win hands down!

While we're on the topic, if you haven't seen these already, check out Jim's Pancakes they're A-Mazing!

1. Lemon and Sugar - I can't explain the happiness I get when I put these two together on my pancakes, I get tears of joy!


2. Bacon, Banana and Maple Syrup - I don't understand when people who have never tried this amazing combination think it sounds 'gross' it's fantastic! Everything you could want on a pancake, sweet AND salty!


3. Golden Syrup - This is sort of like maple syrup but without the maple flavour...make sense? It's nowhere near as yummy as maple though!


4. Ice cream - I only found out recently that not EVERYONE puts ice cream on pancakes for breakfast, why not?!


5. Jam - I like to think that when I put jam on my pancakes they're slightly healthy (I know that's not true but who cares?!)

Chocolate Cake Recipe

You know how some people seem to have that one recipe which is magical? It's their go to recipe, the one they brag about at dinner parties (or is that just me?) the recipe they never need to replace. Well this is that recipe for me. It is not just a basic chocolate cake recipe, it is a throw-in-one-bowl, easy peasy, tastes great every time recipe. I would love to say that it was passed on from many generations and that there is a great story behind it but in reality my old work mate gave it to me. In fact, she just rambled off the ingredients and quantities as I sat there writing it all down. She wasn't even sure if the quantities were right! They seem to have worked a charm for me and I've even adapted the recipe for several different shapes and sizes (cupcakes included). So without further ado, may I present to you MY go-to chocolate cake recipe:

Chocolate Cake 
Ingredients
1 C Black Coffee (made with 1t instant coffee)
2 C Flour
1/2 C Cocoa
1 t Baking Powder
2 t Baking Soda
1 3/4 C Sugar
1 t Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 C Oil (Canola)
1 t Vanilla Essence 
1 C Milk
1 T White Vinegar

• Preheat oven to 180 Degree C. Grease and line two 8" cake tins.
• Make one cup of black coffee and leave to cool and add to the cake mixture later on.
• Sift dry ingredients into large bowl.
• Add eggs, oil and vanilla to the mixture.
• In a measuring cup, pour in milk then add the one Tablespoon of white vinegar. This will go separated and lumpy (don't worry that's what it's supposed to do). You've just made home-made buttermilk! Add this to the mixture.
• Lastly, add the coffee and mix on medium speed until ingredients are combined.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto wire wracks.

Mixture should be really runny, heaps of fun to work with when you're making mini cupcakes (not!)

Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
220g Butter (softened)
3-4 C Icing Sugar
3/4 C Cocoa
1 t Vanilla Essence/Extract
2-3 T Milk approx

Beat butter until light and add vanilla.

Sift icing sugar and cocoa together in a separate bowl.

Add icing sugar mixture one cup at a time to the butter mixture.

When mixture becomes to dry and lumpy, add milk until you reach the consistency you like.

Ice the cake and then lick the bowl because this icing is really yummy!

Recipes Notes:
You can make this recipe into cupcakes. Just adjust your cooking time to about 15 minutes, it will make over 24 cupcakes, depending on how much you use in each cupcake case of course! It's also useful to note that I use this recipe all the time for my stacked cakes, it hold up really nicely yet is still deliciously moist!