Banana & Macadamia Muffins (Grain Free)

It's school holidays in Melbourne and so far this first week has been miserable weather. Luckily today the sun is shinning and I can actually see blue sky! For some reason this makes me want to bake so I've just made up a batch of these yummy muffins to have with a cup of tea this afternoon and some extras to put in the freezer for school snacks. They are a bit healthier then your average muffin so great to have on hand.

Enjoy xxx



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I cant believe its not Nutella!

Sugar Free Nutella

As part of my campaign to cut back on the amount of processed snack or convenience foods that my children have access to after school I became fixated on Nutella. Mmmmm, sweet, silky smooth Nutella. Choc full of healthy fats from hazelnuts right? WRONG. Have a look at the ingredients list next time your dipping your spoon in to the Nutella jar. The first ingredient listed is sugar, the second is vegetable oil, hazelnuts don't come in until number 3, and then there is all the preservatives and emulsifiers. Now don't get me wrong I wont be banishing Nutella from my house forever, there is definitely a place for Nutella in baking and as an occasional treat straight from the jar. But in my house it had gotten to the point that I was buying a large jar of Nutella a fortnight, that was a bit excessive.

So to replace the Nutella sandwiches and toast that was consumed in copious amounts of a morning and after school at my place I now have what I like to call - 'I cant believe it's not Nutella'.

So here it is a sugar free Nutella recipe for you to try out. Feel free to add some stevia, argave syrup or a little but of caster sugar if you don't want to settle for my extreme sugar free version.

Enjoy xxx

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Coco Pops Bear Cake

 

This is a fun and easy cake to make for a child's birthday cake, for a party or just for the family at home. My son helped me put this together for his 3rd birthday. That's right I've pulled this one out of the archives, but I really loved how cute it was. We had the cake for a teddy bears picnic themed party which is so easy to create.

Enjoy xxx
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Protein Packed Banana and Flaxseed Muffins

 

Today we are discussing healthy baking options. I know ..... shock, horror, there will be no butter, sugar or (shudder) frosting involved! (insert gasp here)

You see I've been on a bit of a health kick of late and although I indulged in a range of sugary and buttery delights on Sunday whilst celebrating my daughter Emily's 6th birthday I knew that come Monday morning it was time to get back on track.

I have committed myself to a 14 day slim down challenge. This involves completing regular exercise challenges and completing a 'clean eating' program.

If your wondering what exactly I've gotten myself into, Clean eating is about eating foods in their most natural state.  This means avoiding processed foods, foods with loads of preservatives, foods with lots of added sugar, and foods with high levels of bad fats (some saturated fats/all trans fats).  Its about eating unrefined, whole-grains, lots of fresh vegetables, drinking plenty of water or other no-calorie drinks and making healthy cooking choices, such as baking, steaming, and light sauteing whenever possible.

I know, I know, sugar is not exactly clean. But, I am allowed one free meal a week so I'm just going to  have to make do with some experimental healthy 'clean' baking until the weekend.

So last night I began my experiments. My aim was to come up with a muffin that I could use as one of my high protein snacks post workout. I had visited my local health food store and bought a few ingredients not really knowing what I intended to create but purchased them more based on the health benefits of the items. I left the store with whole flaxseed (otherwise known as linseed), chia seeds, raw cacao nibs and no added sugar apple sauce.

After much thought I decided on 2 flavour combinations, banana and flaxseed, and orange, cacao and chia.

The banana a flaxseed was a complete success although the orange, cacao and chia muffins were made with oat flour (ground rolled oats) and were a little to dense for my liking so I will keep working on them because the flavour combination was a success.

Back to the banana and flaxseed muffins. Considering they have no butter, no flour and no sugar they are delicious, filling, and the exact same texture as a regular full fat, full sugar muffin.

Flaxseed is known to assist in burning body fat, being high in omega-3s and charged with fibre, these little seeds can really fire up your metabolism. Bananas are a storehouse of essential nutrients like potassium, magnesium, dietary fibre and B vitamins and with the added benefit of protein powder these muffins fill you up.

So make yourself some of these fantastic healthy muffins, even my children love them!

Enjoy
xxx

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Chewy Anzac Biscuits

25  April Anzac Day

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served."

Anzac Day is a national public holiday and is considered by many Australians to be one of the most solemn days of the year. Marches by veterans from all past wars, as well as current serving members of the Australian Defence Force and Reserves, are held in cities and towns nationwide.

In my house we bake Anzac biscuits to commemorate the day.

An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit popular in Australia and New Zealand made using rolled oats, flour, coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and boiling water. Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I.
It has been claimed the biscuits were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation. One notable omission from any Anzac biscuit recipe is that of eggs, because of the scarcity of eggs during the First World War (after most poultry farmers joined the war effort), and so that the biscuits would not spoil when shipped long distances

Lest we forget

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Easy Lemon Tart

Happy New Year everyone and Happy Australia Day!!

Sorry its been so long but we have been in Hawaii and now are in preparation mode for the beginning of the school year. My eldest daughter is starting prep this year so its going to be an exciting couple of weeks for us.

I hope everyone has had a safe start to 2013. We had such a relaxing couple of weeks on the island of Oahu. We stayed in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and then headed out to Ko 'Olina to stay at Aulani Disney Resort.

We swam, we shopped, we swam, we shopped some more. I visited a craft store called 'Ben Franklins's, (it was like spotlight for us Aussies) and stocked up on some Wilton cake decorating products, for about half the price of what we pay here in Australia for Wilton products. I even did some dessert research and have some new recipes to try over the next couple of weeks.

Hawaii is a great place to vacation with young children. Everyone was very accommodating to the children and extremely helpful. We will definitely be repeating this trip again in the future!

Ok enough about me, todays recipe is a super quick and easy lemon tart. Its a perfect summer dessert or afternoon tea selection which can be served warm or cold, plain or with a dollop of cream. Give it a go, I promise you wont be disappointed!

Enjoy xxx
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Gingerbread House

1 more sleep until Santa comes and we just have some last minute baking left to do and some prep work for tomorrow. The presents are wrapped and my three children are very excited today.

I had my three children working hard last night. They were given the task of decorating their gingerbread houses and they loved every minute of it!

Making gingerbread houses isn't a quick process but it is definitely worthwhile. Nothing beats the smell of gingerbread baking in your oven. I started the process of making my gingerbread houses on Wednesday and we finished on Sunday.... I got distracted.

Basically you need to make the dough and bake the pieces for the house on one day. I assemble my houses over 2 days to ensure that they are structurally sound as last year I had one collapse while we were decorating and I've now been scarred for life. I then leave assembled houses to dry overnight before I let the children decorate them as the children are never exactly gently when applying the decorations. I'll share with you my ginger bread recipe, royal icing recipe and basic template link.

I hope that you can also find the time to make a gingerbread house for yourself or with your family this year or the next.

Merry Christmas xxx


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Chocolate Chip cookies for Santa

Three more sleeps till Christmas, so now is the time to decide what you are going to leave out for Santa and the reindeers on Christmas eve.

Depending on where you live Santa might need something to warm him up or if its a hot night in Australia Santa is often left with an ice cold beer to quench his thirst. I wonder if anyone ever leaves Santa a healthy snack option on Christmas eve?

In my house Santa often gets a plate of cookies and a cold milo. The reindeers get a bucket of water left out the front for them and a bunch of carrots.

This year Santa is getting some chocolate chip cookies. These cookies are quick and easy to make and store well for up to a week (or so I'm told - mine have never lasted that long).

Enjoy & Merry Christmas xxx
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Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes have not been 'dressed up' for Christmas but they taste great.

Whenever my bananas are over ripe in the fruit bowl and if I don't have time to bake I just put them in the freezer where they turn completely black. Then when I'm ready to use them in my baking I take them out and within an hour they are ready to use.

This super moist cupcake recipe is lovely. It combines the sweetness of ripe mashed bananas with cocoa powder and to make it even more heavenly, the cake is frosted with a smooth and creamy  cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are very popular in my house and I'm sure you will love them to.

Enjoy xxx

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Whimsical Cakehouse Foundation 1 course

This week I had a great day with some fantastic ladies at Whimsical Cakehouse. The class was held in Sweet by Natures premises in Heidelberg West.

I completed their foundation 1 course and have found out about working with ganache to get my cakes just right.

Spending a day away from home without any interruptions was bliss. I was lucky enough to have a fantastic teacher Anita  whom was willing and able to share all her knowledge and those all important hard to come by tips.

Here are some pictures from the day.

Enjoy xxx
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Christmas Shortbread Tree

 

 

Not long until Christmas now, only 6 more sleeps to go!. The countdown is on in my house as in many homes all over the world.

Today I thought I would share an easy gift idea. A Christmas shortbread tree is by no means a new idea but it is a great idea none the less. I make these trees each year for my children's teachers and family friends. They are not complicated to make and can be decorated anyway you like.

Enjoy xxx
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Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Fresh strawberries make a beautiful summer cupcake. The strawberry shaped lollies on top of my cupcakes are from a lolly shop in Carlton and when I spotted them I just had to use them. They made an easy cupcake topper and were very popular with children and adults alike.

So what makes this cupcake so amazing? Two very important elements: An incredibly moist and light cake that’s loaded with tons of chopped fresh strawberries, and a strawberry buttercream that balances the cupcake perfectly . But don't just stop with strawberry cupcakes by starting with a light and moist vanilla cupcake and tweaking it with different seasonal fruits you can produce some amazing results.


Enjoy xxx
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Classic Vanilla Cupcakes

With so many vanilla cupcake recipes out there its hard to know which one to use. I couldn't tell you how many I've tried over the years. After a lot of taste testing this is my favourite basic cupcake recipe, its moist and not at all crumbly.

Hope you enjoy this one as well xxx

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Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Choc-Peppermint Twist Buttercream Frosting

 

 

Its a winning combination every time. Whether its a slice, a biscuit or a cake,  chocolate and peppermint are always a hit.

The cupcake itself looks intensely rich but when bitten in to is light and fluffy due to the butter milk and not overly chocolatey either (is that a word?)

 

The icing is choc- peppermint twist. The effect is created by taking a piping bag and half filling it with chocolate buttercream and then taking a second piping bag and half filling it with peppermint buttercream. The 2 bags are then placed in a larger piping bag fitted with a pipping nozzle and piped together, creating the twist. To finish it all off I placed a mini chocolate mint biscuit on top.



Enjoy xxx
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My Favourite Chocolate Buttercream for Cupcakes

 

I know that I'm saying that this is my favourite chocolate buttercream for cupcakes and it has been for quite sometime, but that doesn't mean I'm not open to other recipes.

There’s just something about the buttery, satiny smooth and sublime taste of this frosting. The combination of butter that is whipped, just enough icing sugar, and a moderate amount of chocolate makes this positively dreamy. It makes me want to lick the frosting off of the cupcakes and pass on the cupcakes themselves. It’s really that good.

You can easily play around with this basic recipe to make a milk  or white chocolate frosting. I just love everything about the texture and flavour ratios of this frosting. The key is giving the butter a good whipping before adding any other ingredients – it creates a fabulously soft and melt-in-your-mouth frosting.

Enjoy xxx
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Basic Buttercream Frosting

A great frosting for cakes and cupcakes alike is buttercream frosting.

I find that the secret to a light buttercream frosting is in the whipping. I'm sorry but a good buttercream requires a mixer. When making my buttercream frostings I whip the butter with the paddle attachment for a good 6 minutes before adding the sugar and flavourings. I mix them for a minute or 2 on low speed to combine the frosting and then I whip it all again for another 6 minutes to get a light texture to my buttercream.

Buttercream is a great frosting as it lends itself to any type of flavouring, be it essences, fresh fruit, crushed cookies or liqueurs. All you may need to adjust is the amount of icing sugar to get the consistency you need.

You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.

Enjoy xxx
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Overnewton Country Fair Cake Stall

Hi there, for anybody who is looking for recipes for the cupcakes from the fair today, they will be online by Sunday night. Feel free to look around at my other recipes and in the meantime enjoy your cupcakes.

Update: 11/11/12 - recipe links

• orange cupcakes with orange buttercream
• chocolate peppermint cupcakes with choc-peppermint twist frosting
• classic vanilla cupcakes

Sarah xxx Pin It

Orange and Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Cupcakes are perfect for every celebration. This particular celebration was my nephews 18th birthday in October.

My nephew Brandon is a an enthusiastic and talented cook and excels in baking. He made his own 18th birthday cake under the guidance of his bakery teacher at school and presented a delicious Ferrero Rocher mud cake complete with lashings of ganache and chocolate curls.....now I'm making myself hungry.

Anyway back to cupcakes, the beauty of cupcakes is that they can be plain or embellished to suit any occasion and theme. Yon only have to google cupcakes to see that you are only limited by your imagination when decorating these delicious morsels. From bite size to giant cupcakes, you decide the scale and intricacy of what is presented.

Enjoy xxx
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Another Lemon Slice

I really love lemon! I have to admit that I'm quite partial to a bit of lemon tang. I never feel quite so guilty after a lemon dessert as I do when I've just had a piece of chocolate, but that's just me.

I've included another lemon slice recipe as I just cant decide which one I like better, Tangy Lemon Squares or this Lemon Slice ...... try them for yourself and let me know.

Enjoy xxx
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Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

This easy and irresistible Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect topper for everything from carrot cake to red velvet. It not only tastes delicious but is perfect for piping and decorating your cakes or just dolloping on. Depending on the weather in your area you can always add a little more sifted icing sugar to stiffen it up if necessary.


Enjoy xxx
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