About that resolution...

...the one I made at the start of the year?



On my latest project I discovered that when experienced tailors and seamsters bang on about taking triangles out of your seam allowance around curves to allow for a better curve to the over-all project they aren't kidding around. It really does make a difference! Who knew?

Bananananananana Bread

You haven't been reading this blog for very long if you are yet to realise that I have a sweet tooth.
In my quest to convince myself that my sweet lustings are "healthy" I bought some bananas last week - some of which were left to brown on the counter. Thus; banana bread!

I used a sugar-free recipe from allrecipes.com, that used honey and vanilla essence as sweetener instead. I also used 2 bananas instead of 3 (since that's all I had) and threw in some choc-chips at the end instead of walnuts (because I love choc chip banana bread and alas, had no walnuts). The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it's also dairy free!

Upon reflection, I think it may have been better as a less-sweet walnutty version. I also think 1 less banana meant I should have cooked it on a slightly lower heat, as the edges got a bit burned whilst the centre was still very moist and just cooked. But it was still VERY tasty.

Experimental Cake Making

So I've been fiddling with that white cake recipe I posted last month, and come up with a sweet, dense variation that is a little moister than the original recipe. I didn't get a picture of the finished product (with peppermint buttercream icing) because we ate it ALL before I had a chance. It was that good.


ingredients

* 1 cup white sugar
* 125g butter
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
* 1 1/4 cups plain flour
* 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder
* dash of milk
* 1/3 cup coca cola or cola drink


what to do
The order seems to make a difference to the final texture and taste of the cake.

* Preheat oven to 180C.
* Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. essence. You could substitute this for peppermint essence if you like.
* Combine flour, cocoa and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
* Stir in the milk and then cola, a dribble at a time, until mixture is smooth. Pour or spoon into a prepared pan.
* Bake for 35 minutes or so.


Peppermint Buttercream Icing
This is adapted from the Buttercream Icing recipe in Jane Price's the home guide to cake decorating.

ingredients
*125g of softened butter, margarine or (in my case) soy-based margarine substitute
*Approx 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar, sifted
*1 teaspoon of peppermint essence
*food colouring

what to do
*Use an electric mixer to beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.
*Slowly add the icing sugar, beating all the while, until it tastes 'right' (ie, like icing, not soy-based margarine substitute)
* add peppermint essence, beat well.
*add food colouring, beat again.
*Smush on cake. I used a spoon and then a butter knife but it's up to you. Really.


EAT THEM!

Adventures in Cooking

As my friend Jenni says "I am NOT a Domestic Goddess".


In my case, people are even less likely to get confused than in hers, as I am also decidedly not a dab hand in the kitchen anyway. So after reading about all the additives in packet cake mixes it was with some nervousness that I resolved to try making cake from scratch from now on.
Australia Day presented the perfect opportunity to test out my caking abilities - with green and gold cakes! So I headed over to trusty Allrecipes and found this easy-peasy white cake mix recipe.


I'm happy to say the cake proved super easy to make, and just over an hour later I had two dozen tiny cupcakes, iced with peppermint butter icing. They were very well received, and went within about ten minutes.



I'm now wondering why on earth I've been using packets all these years - the recipe was just as easy, only required a little more measuring, not really any more time, and tastes so much better! I think I'm sold on the cake-making from scratch from now on, and am going to try tweaking the recipe a bit to make extra moist cake (extra plain yoghurt or sour cream?) or chocolate (choc bits or cocoa powder).