I think I am in the minority when I say it should be a case of ‘never the twain shall meet’ with chocolate and peppermint. Followers of my blog will know that I don’t have a sweet tooth but that’s not the reason for my somewhat controversial belief. Continue reading
It was my niece’s birthday and she had flown down from her home near the Queensland border to catch up with her fav cousins (misses 7 and 9) and her nana. Naturally a cake was in order but the biggest decision of the moment was the nature of the cake. As the niece is a self-confessed a sweet tooth (her mum made her a cake that used 2 kilos of icing sugar!) a chocolate cake was in order but that didn’t really help – have you SEEN how many recipes for chocolate cake lurk on the web?
The idea of rocky road crept into my mind… Continue reading
When I was a teenager, many millennium ago, tequila was the go to drink for party people. Never me, of course – I drank nothing but water on nights out with friends #Ummmm
Anyway, the image of tequila as a cheap and cheerful beverage was only recently extinguished for me when the Hungry Dad brought home a fancy bottle of tequila. Clue number one that it was nothing like the drink of days gone by: the bottle stopper wasn’t a mini sombrero. Clue number two: it wasn’t a ginormous bottle and it cost more than I care to admit. Continue reading
I was looking for red velvet-themed baking recipes to make. I found enough to keep me baking every day for the rest of my life but there was something about this one that caught me eye. Red velvet is my fav flavour on the rare occasion that I indulge in sweet treats so I knew I had to make these. Continue reading
This recipe is perfect for Christmas and I’ll tell you why:
It combines a few different building blocks which means you can adjust the quantity to suit numbers.
It allows you to make the elements in advance and assemble just before serving, meaning less stress and more chat.
If guests don’t like strawberries they can just have the meringue. Or vice versa.
The colours are reminiscent of Christmas.
It is easy – let’s face it, by December, when Chrissy get-togethers are in full swing, you need something that doesn’t require hours in the kitchen using every utensil you own.
These are the cookies Santa is waiting for each Christmas Eve as he frantically makes his journey across the planet on his sleigh.
Rich, chunky, chocolatey and with a hint of rum they will give Mr Claus a much needed energy fix to help him keep on keeping on. The oats will help his cholesterol levels after all those other treats he has snacked on during his journey and the rum will soothe his weary bones. Continue reading
I admit: chocolate peppermint is my least favourite flavour combo. I know, I know – I can hear your howls of protests from here. This unorthodox position has lead to at least two people questioning the fact that we could possibly be friends. On the plus side, I am the best person to share a box of choc with, as I will insist that you have the peppermint filling. No really – it is all yours…
These squares, or slice as we Antipodeans call it, are chock full of pepperminty pleasure. You can, of course, adjust the mintiness by adding more or less flavouring. Continue reading
Ho ho ho – it is getting very close to all that is festive… the ‘where has the year gone?’ conversations, the ‘what am I going to buy Aunty Carol?’ questions, the musings on when to bake to avoid the heat of the day…
Here in Sydney December is always a bazillion degrees. Often humid, too. And very often followed by a thunderstorm late in the day. As I type we are experiencing a house-shaking, sky-piercing, ear-throbbing thunder and lightening spectacular.
I used a snowflake cutter to make these cookies / biscuits as it is the newest member of my constantly expanding cookie cutter collection. We don’t get snow, so I don’t understand the fascination with all things frozen. Having said that, I’m not sure what a Southern Hemisphere festive-season cutter would be shaped like – a sun? A huge fly? A sunburnt tourist on Bondi Beach?
Maybe we’ll stick with tradition then…
So the internet is awash with chocolate cake recipes. Dark chocolate cake. Flourless chocolate cake. Fudgy chocolate cake. Full fat with whipped cream chocolate cake. Low fat chocolate cakes. Mud cake. Chocolate and fruit/nuts/booze/ cake.
In my time I have baked and eaten many, many chocolate cakes. Many are not worthy of the time or calories. Often they are insipid. Or dry. Or forgettable.
This is the chocolate cake that you have been waiting for.
Sometimes you want an easy-to-throw together cake that isn’t vanilla or chocolate. Sometimes you have a pantry full of honey as every time you’re at a fair or farmers market and you see another variety of honey you just can’t help yourself and end up buying yet another jar. Sometimes you just want to watch the hypnotic sensation of honey oozing from a spoon and falling lushly into a bowl of cake batter. Or maybe that’s just me. Continue reading
the hungry mum 