Author Archives: cakecrumbs

Gingerbread Boxes

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As if one attempt at making gingerbread for the first time wasn't enough for one Christmas, I decided to try it twice.

Last year I set the table with take home goody bags. I loved making them, but they were made last year when I was only working part time in between tertiary courses and actually had free time. They're also not the sort of thing you want to give away every year lest people find themselves with a stash of them. So I decided an edible take home bag was the way to go this year.

I also didn't have time to make napkin rings this year, and so the idea was for them to function doubly as placeholders.

Open yours up…

Chocolate Gingerbread House

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Gingerbread houses are one of those Christmas traditions I've never embarked on. Largely cause I seldom like the taste of gingerbread. That's what happens when you're solely exposed to the store-bought variety: it's just never a true representation of what the fresh baked stuff tastes like. So I decided it was high time I gave it a go.

I'd wanted to try something more elaborate, but decided that instead of setting the bar too high, I should attempt a simpler design first. Turns out, these babies are easier to make than I'd imagined and lots of fun!

Come inside…

White Christmas Cake

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Wow, Christmas was an eventful one this year. I spent three days baking the week before Christmas then froze everything while I was away on holidays. I came home on the 24th and proceeded to decorate the defrosted goodies and prepare all the canapés for my annual Boxing Day feast and fell into bed at 4am with a whole list of things yet to be done. Spent a relaxing lunch with the boyfriend's family then came home to visit my dad.

Then the storm hit. Amidst the biggest hail storm anyone in the area can remember, me and my boyfriend drove to my house to rescue my puppy who was outside in it. He was thankfully not seriously hurt. But when we attempted the drive back to my dad's in time for dinner we found the roads flooded. People were swimming on the road, cars were abandoned after people had tried to drive through them and shorted their cars, trees snapped clear in half and most people were standing out on the street in awe of the swampland that had been clear in the light of a beautiful summer's day only hours before. Apparently there was even a small tornado right near my house, though we never saw it through the hail. Thankfully we found one road in that hadn't been flooded and made it back in time. Phew!

Melbourne. She is a crazy place to live.

So it was a bit odd the following day when I had mine and my boyfriend's family over for lunch and everything was normal again. As always I made far too much food and filled up every corner of stomach present in the house. It was lots of fun to make everything and lovely that everyone was so appreciative.

I have so much to show you guys. Today I'm going to start with this.

Some months ago I had an idea for a Christmas cake I really wanted to try. I had no idea how to do it or if it could work as I'd never seen it tried before. Oh well, only one way to find out!

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

Chocolate and Sherry Cherry Gift Box Cake

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Christmas is not that far away, and I am getting so excited conjuring up ideas for my Boxing Day feast. But before we tuck into the feast, first we have to unwrap the goodies bequeathed unto us by Santa! And what better gift than one involving chocolate?

This one was conjured up from a competition by Harris Scarfe. The task was to cook one of 6 different recipes, from the sweet to savoury. I, of course, had to go the sweet route.

Unwrap the gift…

Cook Book Challenge: Week 13

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Admittedly, this cook book challenge was one I did some time ago. But time is escaping me and so I am only just posting it now.

A little while ago my boyfriend's sister-in-law gave me this book. "The Asian Cook", By Linda Doeser. She'd somehow ended up with two copies, and so I was more than happy to take the extra off of her hands when offered. She's told me that it was full of scrumptious recipes, and she was not wrong. It was difficult choosing a dish to make and it is certainly a book a shall return to time again.

This time, however, it was Pineapple Fried Rice…

Baklava Scrolls

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There were so many middle eastern desserts I was wanting to try for Bakebakebake’s challenge this month, so I resolved to do two and then choose which to enter. In the end I only found time for this first one: baklava.

I have to admit to not being a huge fan of baklava. I find often they are soggy masses of sugar-dripping pastry that I don’t find as appealing as everyone else seems to. Then once I had baklava in a scroll form. I loved it. I’m not sure why it made such a difference.

So I decided that when I made it, I was going to try my hand at the scroll.

Time to unravel the scroll…

Frozen Chocolate and Berry Chequerboard Parfait

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I said that I wanted to bake my way through this chocolate cookbook, and I totally mean it. The cake recipe used for both the gateau forestiere and the jungle cake was from that book, as is the following recipe. It's wonderful.

I prepared this mixture in advance, but we ended up having a super hot weekend and so on the night I constructed this for dessert, the vanilla layer began melting all over the place. So there went my grand plans of having a perfectly chequered parfait. But what it's lacking on the aesthetic side it certainly made up for it in taste.

This recipe gives you the freedom to choose your favourite berry. I used strawberry for both the parfait and the sauce. I also sieved out the seeds for a nicer texture. Alternatively, you could prepare two berry layers (such as raspberry and blackberry) if you want a multi coloured/flavoured parfait.

Recipe and assembly instructions…

Cook Book Challenge: Week 12

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If you have a list of sauces in your repertoire, you can turn any basic meal into something a little more special. This satay sauce recipe the The Australia Woman's Weekly's "The great chicken cookbook" serves that purpose. This sauce is made with common pantry ingredients and is <i>far</i> from traditional – served with marinated chicken shaslicks, it's perfect for those nights of zero inspiration.

Recipe under the cut…