No Oridinary Chocolate Cake

This past weekend we had afternoon tea for our lovely friend Nick's belated birthday. Being a fellow sweet-tooth we decided to design a cake to suit not only his favourite flavours but one that is rich, decadent and just plain delicious! This creation is all Nat's, I just helped create it. 

 















This cake is very deceptive, from the naked eye (when it's whole) it looks like a good ol' chocolate cake with yummy frosting but when you cut into it there are surprise layers. These consist of chocolate fudge cake hollowed out and filled with peanut butter cheese cake, topped with salted caramel sauce and iced with chocolate frosting. 
Yes, I know what you're thinking, a heart attack on a plate and you may be right, but let me tell you this cake is amazing and I am still dreaming of it now! The really cool thing is that it can be adapted to whatever flavours you like.
This particular cake is going to be dubbed 'The Giant Peanut Butter Cup' and is now in the top 5 of my favourite sweet things, perhaps even my number 1 choice at the moment!!

Tonik Night Market Stall

Last Thursday the 21st June, Nat and I had a dessert stall at the Tonik Night Market. It was a cute little market held in the function room at my work Tonik Bar. It was quite a successful night as we only came home with a couple of bags of biscuits.

Things we sold:
- Cranberry and white chocolate biscuits
- Nut Loaf
- Chocolate tarts with assorted fillings: jaffa, homemade honeycomb, peanut butter, mint, key lime meringue, salted caramel and oreo
- Homemade honeycomb

There will be another one near Christmas so you should come down for a look (and a sweet treat). There were lots of other cute stalls that sold clothes, handmade jewelery, cake stands, candles and lots more. 

Here are some pics of our sweet treats.

Chicken, Sage and Pumpkin Pie

When I think of winter dishes I think of hearty soups and casseroles and of course pies!! This pie is really quick and easy and is packed with flavour.

 This recipe makes a medium pie (for 2)
What you will need:
200g pumpkin, cut into 2cm pieces
3/4 chicken breast or roast chicken, cut into 2cm pieces
Olive Oil
Garlic clove, crushed
1/2 brown onion, chopped
25g plain flour
25g butter
200g chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped sage leaves
1 sheet puff pastry
egg/milk to brush pastry

How to create:
- Oven to 180 degrees
- Place pumpkin onto a tray and drizzle with oil 
- In a frying pan, add some oil then cook chicken until cooked through, remove from pan
- Add butter to pan and melt, add onion and garlic, cook until soft 
- In a small bowl, make a paste with the flour and some of the chicken stock, add this to the onion mixture, cook for a couple of mins
- Add the rest of the stock to the pan, stir well and make sure there are no lumps, bring to the boil then remove from heat
- Put chicken in a bowl with pumpkin and sage, season and then add to the stock mixture
- Pour pie mixture into pie dish and cover with pastry, trim sides if you want or leave them if you want a bit more pastry to have with your filling
- Brush with egg or milk and prick a few holes in the top 
- Bake in the oven for about 30-40 mins or until pastry is cooked and golden
- Serve with roasted veggies

Roast Pumpkin Soup

With rain falling from the sky and a cool breeze at your back, all you feel like is something that will warm the soul, and let me tell you, this soup sure does the trick. This is an adapted recipe from my mum's, it's super easy and delicious.

 
What you will need:
To create:

1 medium pumpkin, chopped in to roughly 2cm cubes (don't be too fussy as you blend it later)
1 small-medium sweet potato, roughly chopped like the pumpkin
1 medium brown onion, roughly chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock (you may need a bit more depending on the size of your veggies)
1 dessert spoon of curry powder
salt and pepper
olive oil

- Oven to 200 degrees

- In a bowl combine the pumpkin, sweet potato, onion and garlic, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the curry powder over, season here, toss to coat all veggies well
- Roast in the oven for about 40 mins (or until cooked through and slightly golden)
- Place roasted vegetables into a large pot on the stove and pour in stock (put a bit less than recommended as you can always add more once you have blitzed it), simmer for about 20 mins,
- Blitz with stick blender, add more stock if it's too thick
- check if it needs seasoning again

- Serve with toast, fresh coriander and natural yoghurt/cream

 

Blue Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes are fun but what could be more fun than BLUE cupcakes!! These are very yummy and to be honest, the icing is my favourite part (but who doesn't love cream cheese frosting?!)

What you will need:

300g plain flour

30g cocoa powder

1tsp bi-carb soda

315g caster sugar

250ml buttermilk 

200g unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs, whisked

1tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp blue food colouring 

Icing:

250g cream cheese, room temperature

3 cups icing sugar

50g butter, room temperature

1tsp vanilla

How to create:

- Oven to 170 degrees and line a muffin tray with patty pans

- Sift flour, cocoa powder and bi-carb into a bowl, stir through sugar

- Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, vinegar and vanilla in a jug, this mixture looks quite gross but trust me it's ok

- Make a well in the center of the flour and add the butter milk mixture

- Stir until just combined, stir in the food colouring

- Put into patty pans and bake for about 20-25 mins or until skewer comes out clean

- Transfer to a wire rack and cool

To make icing:

- Use electric beaters and beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla, then add the icing sugar and beat until well combined

- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes

Optional: sprinkle cupcakes with sprinkles or something else blue of your choice

Salted Caramel Brownies

Heading over to our friends' places always calls for a sweet treat to be created. This weekend Nat baked chocolate brownies (same recipe as the chocolate fudge cake-Donna Hay) and salted caramel to pour over the top. Who could resist that? Not me, that's for sure! They didn't last long and I think they will probably be a regular on our list of desserts.  
 

Carrot Cake

For years I have been making this cake, adapting it for been birthday cakes, cupcakes and even baby wedding cakes! It's such an easy recipe and was given to me from a great friend of mine Lucy, so thanks Lucy- best carrot cake recipe ever!
I made it for a friends birthday recently and then, getting massive food envy wanted to make one for us to eat. Luckily we were going to a friends place for dinner the other weekend and I thought what a perfect opportunity to make the carrot cake and get to eat it too!!

You will need:
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 cup self raising flour, sifted
2 tsp baking soda, sifted
2 tsp cinnamon, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup raw sugar
3 cups grated carrot
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup oil
optional: chopped pecans or walnuts

Icing: 
125g philly cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar
50g butter, room temperature

How to create:
- Oven to 180, lightly grease 22cm cake tin
- Combine all sifted ingredients
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine
- Pour into cake tin and bake for an hour or until skewer comes out clean

Icing:
- add all icing ingredients and combine well, this can be done in a mix master or with hand beaters 


Optional: To turn this into cup cakes, make the cake batter the same way, put into patty pans in a muffin tray and bake for about 20-30 mins or until skewer comes out clean.


To assemble:
- Cut the cake in half (horizontally) and ice the center layer, place the top section of the cake back on and ice with remaining icing, you can also ice the sides if you want too. 
- To decorate either sprinkle over some nuts or make some toffee (1/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar in a saucepan, swirl gently until it is an amber colour) sprinkle in some grated carrot, pour onto a tray lined with baking paper and let it set, crack the toffee shard and arrange on the cake.
- The toffee will melt if it is kept moist but this adds a nice caramel sauce over the cake.

Poached egg on toast anyone?

This morning I was lucky enough to find some left over chorizo in the fridge and decided to make one of my favourite breakfast. Poached eggs and things on toast.

You can adapt it to the flavours and ingredients you prefer but for my this was my combination for today:

- Grilled toast with hommous
- Pan fried chorizo, then chop it into pieces
- Pan fried sliced mushrooms (cooked in the chorizo fat)
- Pan fried cherry tomatoes, halved, cooked in the same pan after the mushrooms
- Poached egg, just bring some water to the boil in a saucepan, then reduce to a simmer, add a dash of vinegar and then gently crack the egg in, it should only take a few minutes
- Rocket
- Shaved parmesan

I placed the mushrooms onto the toast, then the rocket, the egg sits on top, then scatter the chorizo and tomatoes over the top. Then sprinkle with shaved parmesan.

It's quick and super delicious and a great way to use random ingredients for a hearty breakfast. I sometimes like to drizzle over some Tabasco sauce too- for an extra punch of heat!

Enjoy. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake

For my gorgeous girls birthday I let her pick a cake for me to create and of course it had chocolate and caramel in it! It was a day of baking 3 mini cake layers (separately), making the richest caramel butter cream (which is amazing) and the chocolatiest fudge frosting I have ever tasted! Needless to say the cake was delicious and I am so thankful I only made a baby cake as it was super rich and decadent.

        

 *Adapted from  Sweetapolita

3-layer cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake (I used Donna Hays Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients

200g butter, chopped

200g dark chocolate, chopped

30ml water

3 eggs

220g caster sugar

¾ cup self-raising flour, sifted

¼ cup cocoa, sifted

Method

- Oven to 160°

- Place butter, chocolate, vanilla and water in saucepan over a low heat and stir until melted and smooth

- Allow to cool

- Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 6 mins or until pale and thick

- Add the chocolate mixture and beat until combined

- Fold through flour and cocoa, don’t over stir though

- Split the mixture into 3 bowls, pour the first one into a lightly greased 22cm spring form tin and bake for about 45-60 mins (keep checking)

- Repeat this with the other 2 batches of the cake so that you have 3 even cooked layers

- Set aside to cool

Salted Caramel Swiss Buttercream (for the filling)

Ingredients

200g sugar

60 ml water

60ml heavy cream

generous pinch of sea salt 1 1/2 cups (340 g/12 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 large egg whites (120 g)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

- Place 130 grams of the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan to a boil over medium heat. 

- Brush down the sides of the pot with a dampened pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Stop stirring and cook until caramel is dark amber, gently swirling from time to time. 

- Remove from heat, and slowly add cream, whisking by hand until smooth. It will be splatter, so be careful. Whisk in sea salt and vanilla. Let cool.

- Place butter in an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

- Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer clean with lemon juice, and place egg whites and remaining sugar into bowl over a pot of simmering water (not boiling–you don’t want to cook the eggs). Whisk occasionally and gently until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160° on a candy thermometer.

- Remove the bowl from heat, and place back onto the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form (about 5-6 minutes). Once the bottom of the bowl is neutral and no longer warm to the touch, reduce speed to medium-low, and add beaten butter, one cup at a time, whisking well after each addition.

- Switch to paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add cooled caramel and beat until smooth (about 3-5 minutes).

Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting

(This makes a fair bit)

Ingredients

45g cocoa powder

90ml boiling water

340g unsalted butter, room temperature

63g icing sugar

pinch of salt

454 good-quality dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Method

- Combine cocoa powder and the boiling water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and stir until it cocoa has dissolved.

- In an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment, beat the butter, the icing sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until it is pale and fluffy–about 5 minutes.

- Reduce mixer speed to low, and add melted chocolate (cooled), beating until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

- Beat in the cocoa mixture until well incorporated.

Notes:

Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month in an airtight container.

Assembly of the Sweet & Salty Cake

- Trim any doming from the tops of your cake layers with a sharp, serrated knife and place first layer, face up, on your cake board, pedestal, or plate.

- Using a small offset palette knife, spread approximately 3/4 cup of the caramel buttercream evenly on the top.

- Repeat this 1-2 until you come to the final layer, which you will place face down on the top of the cake.

- Place cake on a turntable (if possible), and using a small offset palette knife for the top of the cake, and medium straight palette knife for the sides, cover the cake in a thin layer of chocolate frosting (or chocolate butter cream, if using) to mask (seal in crumbs).                

- Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more). *This does not need to be perfect, as that will come with the top “coat” of butter cream.

- Once the icing has cooled, ice again over the top, using a palette knife and a glass of warm water to get a smooth clean finish.

- You can keep it in the fridge but keep it out for 2 hours before serving so the butter cream has softened.

- Sprinkle with salt

- Use a sharp heated knife to cut the cake, cleaning it every cut to get a nice clean finish

Banana Muffins

For our friend Jack's birthday, we decided to bake him some banana muffins with cream cheese icing. Definitely one of my favourites and a great way to use up ripe bananas.

(Makes about 18)
You will need:
125g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar 
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1tsp vanilla
About 4 ripe bananas (this is a little more than the original recipe but I think it's better)
1tsp bi-carb soda
1/2 cup milk
2 cups SRF, sifted


Icing:
125g philly cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar
50g butter
Optional: you could decorate with walnuts 

To create:
- Oven to 180
- Line muffin tray with patty pans
- Using electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar until creamy
- Add eggs gradually, beating well
- Mash the banana, add it to the mixture as well as the vanilla, beat until combined
- Dissolve the bi-carb in the milk
- Using a wooden spoon, fold in the flour alternately with the milk, stir until the mixture is just combined and smooth
- Spoon it into patty pans and place in oven
- Bake for about 25-35 mins or until skewer comes out clean
- Let cool on rack then ice with cream cheese icing


How to make the icing:
- combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth, this works well with electric beaters

Vegetable Tagine

A nice warm, healthy dinner to sooth the soul after a busy week at work. This is really easy and full of vegetable goodness!!

You will need:

2 tbs olive oil 

1 onion, chopped 

2 garlic cloves, crushed 

1 tbs grated ginger 

2 tsp ground cumin 

2 tsp ground coriander 

1 tsp paprika 

1 cinnamon quill 

1kg pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2.5cm cubes 

400g can chopped tomatoes 

2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock 

175g thin green beans, topped 

2 tbs chopped mint 

2 tbs chopped coriander 

2 tbs honey 

Couscous, cooked to the packet instructions 

Natural yoghurt with paprika sprinkled on to top to serve

To create: 

- Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. 

- Cook the onion for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds until fragrant. 

- Add the ground cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon quill, then stir for a further 1 minute until fragrant. - Add the cubed pumpkin, canned tomatoes and the vegetable stock, and stir to combine. 

- Season to taste 

- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the tagine for 12-15 minutes, uncovered, until the pumpkin is tender. 

- Add the green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes until they are tender and bright green. When ready to serve, stir in the chopped mint, coriander and honey. 

- Serve in bowls with couscous and natural yoghurt

Pad Thai

I am such a huge fan of Pad Thai, such strong bold flavours packed into a dish. A perfect dinner really. I decided to try making it from scratch, sauce and all and I was pretty proud of the result. 

 















What you'll need:
1 chicken breast, cut into strips
5 prawns
1 tsp corn flour
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 spring onions, chopped
Pad Thai noodles 
1 egg, lightly beaten
Peanut oil
optional to serve: 
red chilli, finely chopped
bean sprouts
crushed peanuts
lemon/lime wedge


Sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
3-4 tbsp fish sauce
1-3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
3 dessert spoon brown sugar


(You can adapt each of these flavours to taste, remember it's better to add less and slowly add a little more to get it right)


How to create:
- Place noodles in a bowl and pour over boiling water, leave for about 8 mins. The noodles should soften but they will still have some resistance, they will soften when you cook them in the sauce though, so don't panic. Once they are done, drain and rinse with cold water.
- Now combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small jug or bowl, now the quantities I have given make a fair bit but I just slowly added it until there is enough.
- Combine the corn flour and soy sauce, make sure there are no lumps, now add the strips of chicken and stir through to coat it well.
- In a wok or large frying pan, heat 1-2 tbsp of oil, then add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, now add the spring onion and fry for a couple of mins. 
- Push the garlic and onion to the side and add the egg, stir it to break it up, then mix in the onion mix, then remove from wok.
- Add a dash more oil if the pan is dry, add the chicken, stir until cooked through, add the prawns here is you are using them.
- Add the noodles now and about 1/2 of the sauce mix, toss gently so that you don't break the noodles. If the mix is getting too dry just add a little more sauce, cook until noodle have softened.
- Stir through the sprouts once the noodles are done.
- Taste it and alter flavours if necessary.
 - serve topped with more bean spouts, fresh coriander, crushed peanuts and a lemon/lime wedge.

The perfect afternoon tea.

Banana Bread with Cranberries and Sultanas.

Whilst I was at work the other day, My gorgeous girlfriend baked again for me. This time I came home to a lovely loaf of banana bread with cranberries and sultanas.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
optional: dried cranberries and sultanas

How to create:
- Oven to 160 degrees
- Sift the flour and baking powder, then add sugars and cinnamon, combine
- Add eggs, vanilla and bananas to the flour mix, stir well, add dried fruit here (if you want it)
- Pour into greased loaf tin and bake for 40-50 mins or until cooked
- Cool in pan for 10 mins, then cool on wire rack 


This is delicious served warm (you can re-heat a slice for 10 seconds in the microwave) and spread with butter and a drizzle of honey. 
Enjoy with a nice cup of warm tea.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Biscuits

With winter just around the corner, I couldn't think of anything more fitting than spending the afternoon baking. I have been meaning to try this recipe for a while and I was very pleased with the result. They were such a hit that after only baking them yesterday, there is 1 left. I made sure I shared them around otherwise I would have eaten them all myself. 

Coca-Cola Cupcakes with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting

On the weekend whilst I was at work, Nat was home baking a delicious treat for afternoon tea. And once again she made a wonderful rendition of a recipe from Sprinkle Bakes.

The cupcakes were delicious and I almost made myself sick eating the left over icing on it's own. They may sound bizarre but you can hardly taste the coke and it made the cupcake batter fluffy and well, simply amazing.

Breakfast on the beach

On a beautiful sunny day on the Eyre Peninsula, what could possibly top it off? Perhaps taking a boat ride out to the National Park in Coffin Bay and pulling up at a secluded beach and having a BBQ breakfast. Seriously, what could be better?

Filmer Family (Master Chef) Cook Off

For some wonderful reason, my entire family loves to cook and on those rare occasions that we are all together there is usually one day where we participate in our own (less dramatic version) of Master Chef. There is far less crying about things not working and more drinking and laughter that fills the kitchen whilst everyone stirs, blends, crushes and creates their own delicious food. We had a bit of a cook off over Easter- there were no prizes at the end, just full, satisfied tummies! Here is a sneak peak into that joyous day.

Mum made grilled cherry tomatoes with basil and bocconcini.

Katty made goats cheese and caramelised onion tarts.

My pork and fennel meatballs in napoli sauce with fresh basil.

Dad's spiced lamb cutlets with harissa hommous and peanuts

Tuna rolled in spices and sesame seeds with lemon

Nat's amazing lemon curd nutties with raspberry coulis

Kat's chocolate mouse cups with raspberry coulis

Luke's cinnamon and sugar pastry swirls

Ricotta Hot Cakes

Thanks to some very amazing people (you know who you are) I have been  given the opportunity to work in the kitchen at Tonik Bar (in Kensington). I am starting out as the Saturday breakfast chef but will also be learning the dinner menu. 

My first official weekend in the kitchen was last weekend and I must admit it was pretty full on but it was definitely one of the most rewarding things I have done in a long time. With the orders flowing in I slowly worked out how to operate a commercial kitchen. 

At the end of the shift there was still a whole batch of our ricotta hot cake mix left over so Bryan (the head chef) and I took it home so it wouldn't go to waste. So below is my home version of the dish, served with berry compote, fresh bananas, mint and maple syrup. I made this for breakfast this week as well and topped it with natural yoghurt! It was delicious.

I am not going to share the recipe for these bad boys because you should come down to Tonik Bar and try it for real!!!   

Hot Cross Buns

Nat and I were lucky enough to be in Coffin Bay (SA) for Easter with my family, there was lots of cooking, eating and relaxing and I really wish we were back there now. We were lucky to have Kat, my brothers girlfriend, whip up a batch of hot cross buns. I have never had homemade ones before but I must admit I was mighty impressed and we hoovered the lot!! Great work Kat!!! 

I am sorry to disappoint, I don't have a recipe for these as it was a bread maker recipe and I don't own the book. Maybe I will find one between now and next Easter!! 

Mum's Green Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cut into 2cm pieces
1 handful green beans, cut into 3cm pieces
1/2 eggplant, cut into 2cm cubes
Basmati rice, as much as required
1-2 tbsp green curry paste (I like it spicy so I go for about 2)
2x 165ml cans of coconut milk (I find these make it creamier)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 a brown onion, finely diced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp grated palm sugar
1/2 lime, juiced
coriander, roughly torn
Optional: red chilli, finely chopped

Method:
- Cook rice
- Heat oil, add onion then garlic and fry off
- Add the curry paste and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant
- Add the chicken and cook until brown and pretty much cooked through
- Add the coconut milk and stir, then add the fish sauce and palm sugar
- Taste it to make sure the flavours are balanced, add lime juice here if you want 
- Add beans and eggplant and cook for a few minutes to take off the crunch
- Serve on a bed of rice with fresh coriander and red chilli 


Enjoy. This is super easy and it tastes amazing.