Spring has sprung! At least, it has in the southern hemisphere and today, the first day of Spring, the skies were blue, the wattle was out and all was right in the world.
To celebrate this most beloved of seasons it seemed fitting to make a dessert as sweet as the weather. Continue reading
The Hungry Dad is a huge fan of black forest cake and it recently occurred to me that I had yet to make it for him.
We were headed out on a picnic with some friends and I decided to bake this cake. Let me interrupt myself here by saying that picnics for me are heaven, while The Hungry Dad treats them as something along the lines of purgatory. All that eating in the fresh air – pah, says he.
So this cake was a peace offering / bribe to encourage him to enjoy the day. And a good time was had by all. Hooray! Continue reading
Like most people I love a lazy Sunday morning – the type of day when you can sleep-in then stay in your jammies for hours. Like most people we are always go go GO so a lazy Sunday is a rare event. Last weekend we managed to sneak in a slow start. The cherry on top of a relaxed morning at home is a delicious breakfast that you would never usually have time for. Continue reading
Regular readers will know that while I love baking I don’t have an overly sweet tooth. Put a mud cake or cupcake in front of me and the response is usually, meh. Place a cheese board within a 5 kilometre radius of me and watch me run and attack it.
The cake I will always eat is a syrup cake. I know – they are usually pumped full of sugar which contradicts everything I just said. What I love about them is their moistness. Part of this is due to the fact that most syrup cakes are made with semolina, almond meal or polenta, which keeps cake soft. But drenching a hot cake in hot flavoured sugar water also goes a long way in ensuring a cake stays beautifully fresh and soft.
And as is often the way, every time I make a syrup cake and offer it to the Hungry Dad he reminds me of how much he doesn’t like syrup cake – in a nice way but still #grrrrr Continue reading
I always thought pound cakes were heavy, rectangular-shaped items. I have long loved pound cake and have fond memories of eating frozen Sara Lee pound cake with sultanas at my nana’s house (nana wasn’t a baker, bless).
Then I saw my guru Donna Hay had made a pound cake in a circular shape and my mind.was.blown. #easilyImpressed Continue reading
The saying ‘better than sex’ is thrown around a lot in relation to certain foods. This pie – served as squares – with the addition of whiskey caramel sauce, may not be better than sex but it sure is up there with some of the best PG-rated times you’ll ever have. Continue reading
Summer in Sydney is just too hot. Balmy days. Hot nights with no drop in temperature. Cooking is just too hard and dinner is often salad or something equally refreshing.
While I won’t go near the stove for make a meal I will happily prepare something sweet. 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.
At Christmas you NEED this recipe in your repertoire. At Easter you need it. Heck, I doubt you’ll ever regret learning how to make the easiest, most luscious vanilla-speckled custard from scratch (unless you are a custard fan and this recipe pushes you into full blown addiction).
I have tried many, many custard recipes over the years and I can say, hand on heart, that this is the easiest and best. It is true and real and the sort of finishing touch that desserts such as apple pie, crumble or even just ice-cream benefits from.
As well as tasting incredible it is faff-free and easy as 1 2 3. Continue reading
the hungry mum 