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Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

By on October 4, 2013 in Food, Personal

I have been in search of the elusive holy grail of a recipe book for a while. You know the one, where every single recipe turns out exactly the way you want it to, every time you bake something. Well, I’ve found it, and it’s definitely a keeper.

I bought The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days a little while back on Kindle. (It’s pretty handy to view on the iPad but I’m going to have to invest in an iPad holder. Talk about new age baking.)  I’ve tried a few of their recipes now, the Chocolate cake, Apple Streusel Cake and most recently their Vanilla cupcakes. My decorating and photography on this one could use a little work, but I was in a massive rush to eat them, so you’ll have to forgive me. Next time I will use a proper lighting setup, I promise.

In any case, if there is one book I recommend to anyone who loves to bake, then this is it. There is a recipe for every occasion and quite a few of them have variations as well, which is always a bonus.

Like I said, I bought my version from Amazon for Kindle. If you want to go that route you can get it here. If however, you’d like a hard copy of the book then you can get it from Kalahari here. Happy baking.

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

By on September 27, 2013 in Food, Personal

I found this recipe on mybakingaddiction.com and adapted it to suit my personal tastes. If you love chocolate as much as I do, then this will be perfect for you.

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups dark chocolate chips, divided use (I used 1 slab of milk and 1 slab of dark Lindt chocolate cut into pieces)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Stork baking margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170º C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 2/3 cup chocolate pieces (half milk, half dark) on medium power for 30 seconds; stir. Continue to microwave and stir in 15 second intervals until chocolate is just melted. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate and mix until thoroughly combined. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well blended, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir in remaining 1 cup of chocolate pieces. Using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) drop dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes until tops have a cracked appearance. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

5. Eat!!

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World Baking Day 2013

By on May 30, 2013 in Food, Personal, Photography

Last year I looked on as people I knew on Twitter and Facebook baked their little hearts out for the Stork, I Love Baking initiative for World Baking Day 2012. This year, when Stork Baking contacted me and asked if I’d like to be involved I jumped at the chance.

My mission this year was to bake a Turkish Delight Cake, which had a rating of 22/100. Easy right!! haha, not so much. I set off to Port Edward with my box of goodies (my mom has a much bigger kitchen than me) and on the Saturday, I got my bake on. While the making of the actual cake isn’t so hard, it was the icing that threw me for a loop. I really should have stuck the cake in the fridge to help the icing set quicker, I totally forgot that tip from Donna Hay until after I was done. Oops.

In any case I had loads of fun, the cake was delicious, if a little overdone and I am definitely going to try out some of the other recipes available on the I Love Baking SA facebook page. Follow them on Twitter as well – @ILoveBakingSA

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

230g Stork Bake
280g sugar
5 extra large eggs
270g cake flour
10ml baking powder
2 drops red food colouring
7ml rosewater
75g Turkish Delight sweets, finely chopped
130g icing sugar
Sugared roses and extra Turkish Delight sweets to decorate

Method:

  1. Beat the Stork Bake until soft and creamy. In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together until thick and light.
  2. Fold the sifted flour and baking powder gently into the egg mixture. Fold the Stork Bake in.
  3. Add a drop or two of red food colouring and 5ml rosewater. Fold gently then spoon half of the mixture into a greased ring pan. Sprinkle the Turkish Delight pieces over the batter. Top with remaining batter and bake at 180ºC for about an hour until a skewer inserted comes out clean. (Side note: I would reduce the cooking time to about 45 mins max)
  4. Remove from the oven, cool, and then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
  5. Sift the icing sugar and add a little warm water along with the remaining 2ml rosewater. Stir to make a spreading consistency. Add a few drops of colouring if you prefer. Drizzle over the cake and allow to run down the sides. Decorate the cake with sugared roses.

And here are some pics of what went down on my little baking mission.

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Hall & Woodhouse Bar and Restaurant, Bath

By on October 1, 2012 in Food, Lifestyle, Out and About

I don’t live in Bath but if I did I’d probably be at the Hall & Woodhouse Bar and Restaurant a lot. The decor is amazing, the vibe is fantastic and the food is superb (enough gushing adjectives for you?).

Hall & Woodhouse is located right in the centre of Bath and offers award winning Badger cask ales, lagers from around the world and offers a good-sized menu of fresh, seasonal dishes. If you’re going there with a South African budget start saving though as mains start at around £15 with the Fillet Steak topping out at £22.

Opened in 2010, Hall & Woodhouse has four floors including a stunning rooftop terrace.  “Dine in the restaurant, sip drinks in the potting shed, socialise in the pantry/common room or soak up the sunshine on our roof terrace. Private dining is available in the Pavillion, perfect for business meetings or events.”

If you’re visiting Bath for the weekend, I highly recommend making some time for lunch or dinner or even a quick drink, you won’t be disappointed.

Take a look at their website for menus, online bookings, latest news and specials.

Hall & Woodhouse Bar & Restaurant, 1 Old King Street, Bath, BA1 2JW
Tel: 01225 469259
Email: [email protected]
Website: hall-woodhousebath.co.uk
Facebook Page

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Donna Hay – Fast, Fresh, Simple

By on March 20, 2012 in Food

I love the Donna Hay magazine so I was seriously stoked to find the Donna Hay – Fast, Fresh, Simple recipe book at Exclusive Books on the weekend. It’s split into 6 sections. Fast, Fresh and Simple recipes for both savoury and sweet dishes. I could spend hours gazing at all the amazing pictures alone but the recipes are delicious and easy to follow as well. Bonus! It doesn’t stick to one style of cooking, which in my opinion is awesome, as there’s nothing worse than being stuck with an Asian only recipe book and wanting to cook pasta.

I’m going to sneak one or two recipes into this post and I hope Donna Hay doesn’t mind as I seriously recommend you go out and BUY THIS BOOK. (Amazon, Kalahari or Exclusive Books)

Berry Mille Feuille

8 square wonton wrappers
50g butter, melted
2 tablespoons icing (confectioner’s) sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) single (pouring) cream, whipped
125g blueberries
125g raspberries
extra icing (confectioner’s) sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Place the wontons on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Brush the wontons with butter and sprinkle with icing sugar. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until golden. Cool on trays. Place a wonton on each of 4 serving plates. Spoon half the cream onto the wontons and top with blueberries. Top with another wonton and the remaining cream and sprinkle with raspberries. Dust with extra icing sugar to serve. Serves 4.

Cheat’s Goat’s Cheese Soufflé with Roasted Beetroot Salad

150g soft goat’s cheese
1 1/2 cups (375ml) single (pouring) cream
sea salt
2 eggs, separated
2 cups (140g) fresh white breadcrumbs

roasted beetroot salad
600g baby red and golden beetroot
6 rosemary sprigs
olive oil and sea salt, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF). To make the roasted beetroot salad, trim, wash and scrub the beetroot, reserving the smaller leaves. Discard the stems. Place the beetroot and rosemary on a baking tray and sprinkle with oil and salt. Roast for 40 minutes or until tender. Set aside. To make the soufflé, place the cheese, cream, salt and egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Fold through the breadcrumbs. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the cheese mixture. Spoon in 4 x 1 1/2 cup capacity (375ml) lightly greased ramekins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden. To serve, halve the larger beetroot and toss with the leaves. Whisk together with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and spoon over the salad. Serve with the soufflé. Serves 4.

All recipes and images remain the property of Donna Hay.

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