Now what...?

Sadly Monday night was the last day of my cake decorating course – the night that we had spent the last 7 weeks preparing for!

We had the choice of either working on the polystyrene mould or making an edible cake and bring it to class already covered in fondant and piped.  I chose the latter because who really wants to spend all that time decorating a cake that you can’t eat?  Not me.

So Sunday I got up early and tried to make as little noise as possible whilst baking my chocolate cake – I think I did pretty well at the noise control but Craig might beg to differ..  I decided to make a regular cake and cut it into three layers with chocolate butter cream inside.  All good so far.  Then came the icing part – I coloured my fondant icing blue (one of the three colours I have) and managed to roll it out and cover cake without too many problems.  I did notice that there was a slight leaning tower of piza feel to the cake but hopefully it would be only my critical eyes that would notice.

Piping next and this was the part I was nervous about, once you make a mistake it is hard to fix it – so I didn’t want any mistakes!  I placed my template on the cake and it actually fit better than it had on the mould which was good.  Once I got going on the piping it was pretty easy, my pattern wasn’t too tricky.  Once the sides were done I thought that it needed something else so decided to cover the top of the cake with a cornelli lace pattern which is basically lots of squiggles but looks very effective.  It took longer than I was expecting and my hand almost started cramping up but I was happy with the way it turned out.

So Monday night we painted our frangipanis and blossoms and arranged them on our cakes.  I have learnt that cake decorating is not for the impatient, if you try and rush something you will probably break it or put something on wrong – so it helps to get yourself in a bit of a meditative state first. I am still learning how to do this!



The finished product



I went for subtle colour on my frangipanis and added a bit of pink petal dust to my blossoms to give them a bit of depth and I think they turned out well. 

There was one frangipani casualty when I was attaching them to the cake but luckily a couple of well placed leaves filled the gap. 

All in all I was really happy with the cake and everyone one was very impressed – I have even scored myself a cake order for next week!

Here are some photos of my cake and some of the groups finished cakes – hope you like it.




I can't make it the right way up!



Now I have to decide what to do next!!

Perils of Piping...

It was the penultimate cake decorating class last night and we were practicing our piping techniques.  We had already designed a pattern for our our cake and marked it on the fondant icing using a template we had drawn and a pin.  Last night was the night we would pipe straight on to the cake and hope our royal icing was the right consistency and our lines were straight!

Now when I say cake here, I actually mean polystyrene mould (aka “the pretend cake”).  We have been using this mould the last few weeks to practice covering with fondant and then the piping last night.  Next week we can bring our own real life cake if we choose and finish it off with the frangipanis and blossoms that we made at the start of the course.  I am definitely going to bring an edible cake – which means that I will be spending Sunday baking, covering and piping onto the cake in preparation for next Monday.

According to Rose (our lovely teacher), piping is one of the most difficult skills to master in cake decorating.  I can believe it...   Who would have thought that a straight line, wiggly line or most of all a single dot could cause so much grief!  It is one thing to pipe on to flat paper but another story all together piping on to the side of a cake, all sort of things start to happen – cramping in the hand, fuzzy vision from concentrating so hard, and the possibility of keeling over due to holding ones breath while doing a particularly tricky pattern.  The perils of cake decorating..

I decided on doing a pretty simple pattern but I think it will look quite good once the cake is all decorated with flowers and pretty things.  I am not sure what colour the cake is going to be yet – probably one of the three colours that I have ...

Here is a pic of the practice piping on the paper round the cake.

In other news I have decided that every weekend (social life permitting) I am going to try cooking something that I have never attempted before,  I might even write a list of things I want to try and knock them off one by one.  In fact that is definitely what I am going to do.. Any suggestions welcome – I am going to start on the list right now and let you know how I go..

Stitch and Bitch round 2....

This past weekend definitely saw me make up for my last week of not much craft of any sort..

I had another “Stitch and bitch” day to attend on Saturday and I thought since I am now the proud owner of a sewing machine, I should really try and sew something other than a straight line on scrap material.  So I decided that I would surprise Craig with a dressing gown (actually the pattern called it a kimono) on his return from fishing.

The Stitch and Bitch was on Saturday and so on Friday lunch time I was in a fluster running round Lincraft trying to find a pattern and material.  I wasn’t really thinking properly and wound up with a grey sweatshirt material which is not really ideal coming into a (hopefully) hot Sydney summer.  Not to worry though – I was viewing this project as a bit of a practice to remind myself how to sew!

So I headed out on Saturday with my pattern and material all cut out and my sewing machine in my Aussie Farmers chilly bag – it was the perfect size.  I was ready to get down to business and had high hopes of finishing my project on the day.  I did have a little bit of trouble interpreting the instructions but luckily the host of the day Nicola is an amazing sewer and was on hand to help with any problems.  She actually caught me a couple of times before I did something really stupid – for example sewing the entire thing with the wrong side of fabric facing out!  Unfortunately she was not quick enough to stop me using a hot iron to press the belt loop, which proceeded to melt onto the iron....we live and learn...

 It was all about the stitching and not so much about the bitching (no one really bitches to be honest) for me this week. I sat myself down in the corner and put my head down and pins in.  I didn’t get to finish it on Saturday but I got far enough that I would be able to complete it on Sunday before Craig got home.



Craig in his (mini)
dressing gown



Skip to Sunday (and forget about the Tri-nations on Saturday night ) and after about 20 minutes of working out how to attach the sleeves,  I got on a roll and managed to finish it.  It wasn’t the neatest of dressing gowns but it was recognisable as one and anyway isn’t it the thought that counts?



So here is a picture of the finished product.  As you can see I may have taken the hem up a tad too much – but Craig has nice legs so he should be happy to show them off! I am quite proud of my effort and looking forward to the next project. Craig has requested that I learn how to make suits... so not going to happen.



Red Throat Emperor
with salad and tartare



As an end note – we now have a freezer full of delicious fish from the fishing trip.  Here is a photo of dinner last night – Red Throat Emperor fish with salad and homemade tartar sauce.  Delicious!!

Kitchen Capers..

I obviously have not been very crafty the last week or so hence the absence of blogging and posting pics of cakes!
I did however have a busy weekend of cooking and eating which was great.  Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos (probably due to the refilling of my wine glass) so you will have to use your imagination.



Token photo of Howie relaxing..
upside down photo that is...

 A few months ago Craig told me the dates that he was going off the radar for his highly anticipated week long fishing trip at the Swains.  Of course the first thought that came into my head was not – I will miss Craig while he is away (which I do), but that I should have some sort of dinner party while he was away - a girls only food fiesta! (apart from Howie of course - he is always invited).  So the email went out about literally as soon as I decided – about two months before the date.  I invited my sister and her friends who have been very nice about inviting me out and about in my new home town – they probably thought I was a bit nuts getting in so early but they are all social butterflies so I didn’t want to miss my opportunity.

As soon as I hit send on that invite my head was swirling with ideas of what to cook, I was thinking about it before I went to sleep, at work, on the bus and all sorts of other places where I should have been thinking about something else.  Half the fun of a dinner party is deciding what to cook and then writing the multiple lists of what I am going to cook,  what to buy (from each different shop), what I can prepare before, what I am going to do on the day... I am such a geek with lists.  I reckon I probably write at least two lists a day and I am ALWAYS finding post it notes in pockets and stuck to random places...  Often during the day I will have to surreptitiously slide a shopping list that is sitting on my desk under some work stuff when someone comes over to talk to me – they don’t need to know that I am picking up pink peppercorns and 3 different types of cheese after work!

Back to the dinner party however, after a bit of mind changing I decided on stuffed shoulder of lamb served with potato dauphinoise, carrots and green beans.  I also made a delicious salsa verde that I have served with fish before but which goes with pretty much everything.  Dessert was to be chocolate éclairs and strawberries...

Saturday rolled around and I had already done the potatoes and nibbles the night before and was on track and feeling organised if not a little exhausted..  But can I just ask why it is that no matter how organised I am, no matter how well I know the dish that I am cooking, I always end up all flustered and in a state of slight to medium to major disarray just as I am serving up?? And my face always gets really red!  I place some of the blame on the size of my kitchen, I am sure if I had lovely big kitchen with lots of serving space and a nice big oven then things would be a lot easier.  I should probably also blame the glasses of wine I had before dinner, it’s not the best idea but I wanted to be social and everyone else was drinking!
Anyway – the meal went down well and everyone seemed to like it, but it was the chocolate éclairs that were the hit of the day.  Thanks need to go out to Penelope for saving my butt with the chocolate icing – she knows what I am talking about....


Here is the recipe for the Salsa Verde which I would recommend serving with pretty much everything, I think it is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe with a few side notes added by my old boss who gave me the recipe.

Salsa Verde

The secret of a good salsa verde is to chop all the ingredients very finely and to use it the same day, as it doesn't tend to keep for long, even in the fridge. A fantastic accompaniment to any grilled meat or fish. Particularly good with the sea bass recipe. [ NOTE:  I love this stuff. I use with chicken and any fish.    Just toss everything into a food processor and whizz it. Jamie say chop very finely- I say it doesn’t have to be too fine.]

2 cloves garlic, peeled [NOTE: I use just one]
1 small handful of capers
1 small handful pickled gherkins (the ones in sweet vinegar)
6 anchovy fillets
2 large handfuls flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
1 handful fresh mint, leaves picked
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons best quality olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely chop the first 7 ingredients and put them into a bowl. Add the mustard and red wine vinegar then slowly stir in the olive oil. Balance the flavors with freshly ground black pepper and, if necessary, sea salt and a little more red wine vinegar.

RSPCA - Cupcake Day

Today is the RSPCA cupcake day which is held all over Australia to raise money for the services and support that the RSPCA provides.  As this involves two of my favourite things - food and pets, I decided to organise a morning tea at my work.

So many cupcakes

I sent a note round to see if anyone else would be interested and had one taker - so it was down to the two of us to provide cupcakes for a company of approximately 80 people.. On the day however quite a few people bought goodies in and we had a plethora of sweet treats that people could choose from!  In fact we had so many that I am staring at a tray of cupcakes right now and deciding if I need an appetiser before lunch. 

My contribution to the day was some lemon cupcakes (with lemon and lime zest), chocolate cupcakes and mocha cupcakes.  I used recipes from the Hummingbird Bakery and adapted the mocha one just for something different.  They seemed to go down pretty well (as any good cook  should - I tasted every single batch so I was confident they would be enjoyed).



But wait there's more!



If anyone would like to donate to the RSPCA you can do online via the following link: donate - I promise I will bake you cupcakes when I see you!  Update - we raised $264 for the RSPCA which is great :)



Check out the view :)







A Winning Weekend

I was looking forward to this weekend - I had some crafty fun planned and it didn't disappoint!
Friday night I was unexpectedly treated to dinner by my lovely boyfriend - it always tastes better when it is a surprise and a treat!
We went to the Rum Diaries just down on Bondi Road which is a cool little bar/restaurant specialising in rum cocktails and tapas style food.  They were very busy on a Friday night so we sat at the bar and had a glass of wine before sitting down to eat.  Whilst at the bar we were kept entertained by the barman who was creating all sorts of interesting drinks with bunsen burners and the like..this time we weren't in the cocktail mood but will be back to sample from the extensive menu for sure.

By the time we sat down I was starving and a bit worried that we were not going to order enough so I ordered the bread plate which came on a wooden platter and had a lovely sweet roasted head of garlic to spread, white bean puree, olive oil with balsamic and a pesto - I really enjoyed this but I did find the bread a bit dense and dry (but of course I finished it).  For our main course we ordered the meaty platter and two sides (again the fear of not having enough food) the standouts were the jerk chicken with rice and beans and the steak which had a lovely jus.  The sides were green beans and "naked wedges" with chipotle mayo and sour cream - Craig described the wedges as being like "pillows inside" - this was a good thing and they were very soft and fluffy - the chipotle mayo did it for me too.

Needless to say we over ordered and we wandered home feeling very full but content, I would go back but this time perhaps order two of the platters (you can also get a vege and a fish one) and pass on the sides.. (next time I will also take some pics before the food is devoured).

The before shot...

Saturday was a day of food and fittings (curtains that is).  My sister Penelope has been wanting to replace her lounge curtains forever and I don't blame her - they are a kind of seventies floral pattern and at least 10cms too short, not a great look.  So the purchase of my new sewing machine was the chance to have a day of curtain making and a mini makeover for Penelope's lounge.

Howie got attached to the old curtains.

  First a visit to Spotlight was in order and we wandered around aimlessly for a while not knowing where to start before asking for some help.  The very helpful saleswoman found it quite amusing that we were attempting curtains when we obviously didn't have a clue..we both looked at her blankly when she started talking about drops.  Her advice was pretty sound though - "get a couple of bottles of wine and some nibbles".  We had the nibbles sorted already but we didn't think it would be a good idea to drink and try to sew straight lines so we stuck with juice.
Penelope actually had a pretty good idea of what to do and it didn't take all weekend as we were were warned it might - there were a few stops when Howie (our kitten) decided he wanted to get involved but for the most part it went pretty well.  My contribution to the day was a chicken and leek pie to keep us going, I adapted the recipe a bit to use what we had in the fridge and it was pretty yummy - washed down with some lamington fingers and what more could you want?  Oh maybe some trashy telly (a.k.a Jersey Shore) - could it get any better?  I think not. Penel went home with her new curtains and I knew that my sewing machine worked - and also who to call if I ever need curtains :)

Ta da!  

So the last day of the weekend has been a day of baking cupcakes - 4 batches to be exact.  I am taking them in to work tomorrow for the RSPCA cupcake day.  Hopefully everyone will enjoy them and donate generously to a good cause.  I am still trying to decide whether to make the icing tonight or get up extra early tomorrow....still undecided.....

Blossoms and Leaves

Monday night was the third week of the cake decorating course and as the title suggests it was an evening creating blossoms and leaves.  The course runs for seven weeks and by the end of it we should have created enough blossoms, leaves, frangipanis and other bits and pieces to cover a cake and make it look beautiful!

I didn’t realise that cake decorating required all the equipment that it does – I have so much stuff that I have been taking it along to class in my little roll along suitcase – I think I might have to buy a big tool box though as that looks a bit cooler and not so much like I am going away for a long weekend..

Here is a photo of all my new toys – and there are so many other things out there to buy!  I have a feeling that my cookbook and kitchen appliance purchasing obsession may be taken over by cake decorating tools..other people fill their cupboards with shoes and handbags – I fill them with ready to roll icing and flower dividers J

The only thing about all this fancy gear is that I am going to have to use it – so anyone with a birthday coming up watch out.. and I hope you all like frangipanis, blossoms and leaves! 

The beginning of a blossom

So it turns out that blossoms are quite tricky and nimble fingers are a bonus... after my success last week creating (what I thought were) okay looking frangipanis I was a bit over confident and found it frustrating that my blossoms didn’t look as perfect as those of the instructors.  But I persevered and by the end of the class I was quite happy and after a bit of practice at home they are looking much more blossomy.

We also made leaves which are nice and easy and not so finicky– although you do have to be careful with the green dye, too much and they turn out almost fluorescent – not quite the look I was going for.

Anyway here are some pics of the creation of a blossom and some leaves.  Please excuse my dodgy photo placement - still working that  one out..