carrot cake

I remember first being introduced to the idea of carrot cake and thinking to myself how carrot in a cake could possibly be yummy. Let’s just say that I’m glad my mum persuaded me to try some, because it has since become one of my most favourite cakes to eat.

I used a Martha Stewart recipe to make my first ever carrot cake, and considering the great reviews I got from my mum and my friends who tried it, I think it worked out really well. I made a two-layer cake instead of a three-layer one, just out of sheer laziness. I also made the mistake of not putting enough cream cheese frosting between the layers, so my advice is to definitely overdo it! Overall, a deliciously moist, lightly spiced, pecan encrusted and well-balanced cake that I’m sure I’ll be making time and time again.

xx

gingerbread cupcakes

It’s that time of year again when gingerbread becomes a more prominent flavour in many households. Having made gingerbread cookies last year (find the post here), I decided to make some gingerbread cupcakes this time around. It’s a super simple recipe, bursting with just the right amount of ground ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon to create a really beautiful gingerbread taste. I swapped the cream cheese frosting in the original recipe for this one, and made a double batch because you can never have too much frosting, especially if it has cream cheese in it! To finish off, I whipped up some gingerbread cookies from the recipe I used last year, iced them and placed them on top. The cupcakes sort of even look like Christmas trees…

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the festivities with your family and friends! =)

Thil

xx

petits fours

Petit four is derived from the French meaning small oven. These delicious goodies are generally served at the end of a meal and are various in type, including biscuits, mini tarts, macarons, small cakes, layered slices, mini éclairs and so much more. I attempted two iced cake petits fours, more correctly known as petits fours glacés. 

One of these was a two-layered brown butter pound cake with buttercream in between and a coating of chocolate glaze. The original recipe uses a layer of ice cream between the two cake layers, which got me super excited, but after reading the blog it seemed more of a hassle than anything else (in the way of time and the ice cream melting when trying to work with it), so I went the easy way and used buttercream instead.

The other one I made was a three-layered cream cheese pound cake with strawberry jam in between and poured fondant over the top. I’d recommend actually measuring out the jam because if you use too little (like I did) you can’t see it very well between the layers. Whilst the poured fondant was easy enough to make, it was difficult to use to coat the small cakes. It would basically harden before it had spread evenly on top and around the cake. Thinning down the mixture with water, continually reheating it and working super fast helped to some degree, but I eventually gave up having only iced about half the cakes. Next time I think I’m just going to make the cream cheese pound cake and eat it by itself – it’s a really good cake! You can find the recipe here, and if you want step-by-step photos, I’d recommend going here.

Overall, a lot more effort when into making these petits fours than I had originally thought. Icing them was definitely the hardest and most frustrating part, but I’m sure would get easier with practice. But if you persevere, these petits fours are delicious, cute and can be decorated in so many ways to suit any occasion.

xx

mint green

From left to right, top to bottom: Rachel Gilbert - Sonya gown, Sant and Abel - polka mint boxer shorts, Lucy in the Sky - Fields of Fresh dress, Tony Bianco - Alite high heels, Colette - Croc Flapover basic clutch, Baublebar - Teardrop Bib necklace, Sabo Skirt - Pearl Tea dress, Mara Hoffman - embroidered triangle bikini, Bariano - Halter gown.

I'm currently obsessed with this colour. Every time I go shopping, I find myself looking to buy pretty much anything that is mint green. These are a couple of my favourite items.

xx

double decker oreo fudge

If you’re looking for a simple, quick and yummy treat to whip up, then here’s your answer! This fudge consists of a white chocolate layer with oreos and a dark chocolate layer on top. It’s as easy as mixing together the ingredients, layering them on top of each other and then letting it set in the fridge. Find the recipe here.

Thil

xx

flute fine food

Breakfast Complete - chorizo, roasted bacon, potato and feta galette, tomato onion jam, white wine sauce, scrambled eggs and toasted turkish pide.

Breakfast Complete - accompanying chips and aioli.

Flute Signature Breakfast - roasted bacon, potato and feta galette, tomato onion jam, avocado, white wine sauce, poached eggs and toasted turkish pide. 

Iced Mocha with chocolate shot.

Spanish Pilaf Breakfast - chorizo spiced rice, white wine sauce, tortillas and poached eggs.

Ever since seeing a Facebook photo of my family friend’s visit to Flute, going there for breakfast has been on the top of my to-do list since coming back to Brissy. Despite reviews of a never-ending line to get in, we managed to get lucky and were seated relatively quickly. As the food was brought out to us, it looked amazing on the plate, and so did the drinks. However, the large portion size meant that none of us managed to finish off what we ordered and we were all super full by the end of it. Saying that, every single component of our dishes were beyond delicious and I’d definitely do breakfast or brunch here again.

xx

the marble, cookie dough and fudge brownie cake

Two layers of vanilla and chocolate marble cake, filled and covered with cookie dough buttercream, then topped with chocolate fudge brownies and chocolate ganache. YUM!

When I first saw this cake, I knew it was something I had to attempt, and what better excuse to make it than for my housemate's belated birthday? Whilst the cake was a little time consuming with its various components, it was relatively simple to make. I found my cake layers quite thin but after spreading buttercream in between the layers and on top, the cake increased in height just enough to keep me happy. If you love cookie dough, you'll love the cookie dough buttercream because it somehow actually tastes just like cookie dough! I used a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the brownies instead of the melted chocolate - I'm sure that both options are equally as delicious. This cake has so much happening, and as a result is a bit of a sweetness overload, so one word of advice: cut a small slice when eating it. And if you're not game enough to bake the whole cake, why not attempt just the brownies? Find the recipe here.

Thil

xx

chocolate and caramel

Whilst I haven’t made many layered cakes in my time, this one is definitely my most favourite. I made this chocolate and caramel cake for a friend’s birthday and it was gobbled up insanely quickly. There are four lovely layers of cake - vanilla, caramel, choc-caramel and chocolate – with caramel sandwiched in between each layer, and a coating of milk and dark chocolate ganache. The cake layers are beautifully moist due to the addition of yoghurt in the mixture, taking the cake to another level. And despite the caramel in between and chocolate ganache coating, the cake isn’t overly sweet which is perfect if you want to have more than just one piece (which you most definitely will want to do!). I got a bit lazy with decorating and decided to keep it simple by using chocolate shavings. Find the recipe here.

xx

strawberry cupcakes

Another non-chocolate-based cupcake, another surprisingly delicious result! Due to the strawberry buttercream epically failing (I have no idea what I did wrong!), I whipped up a simple vanilla buttercream to accompany the strawberry cupcakes instead. Find the recipe here.

Thil

xx

sweet, sweet sydney

Pizza topped with pure melted chocolate, caramelised pecans, cornflakes, marshmallows and white chocolate droplets, with a side of strawberries - Max Brenner.

Malted milkshake macaron and pancakes & maple syrup macaron - Adriano Zumbo, Star City.

Strawberry and mascarpone torta - Manfredi at Bells at Killcare, Central Coast.

Chocolate, raspberry and amaretto brownie with vanilla ice cream - Jamie's Italian, Sydney City. 

Buttermilk pancakes with fresh strawberries, cream, vanilla ice cream and strawberry coulis - Pancakes on the Rocks.

The Cupcake Bakery - QVB, Sydney City.

I love Sydney for so many reasons, but I especially love it for the endless culinary experiences it has on offer. Best of all are the deliciously sweet goodies you come across at every corner as you explore this beautiful city.

Thil
xx

bananas and cream cheese

Banana cake and cupcakes are the perfect way to make something scrumptious from bananas that have been hanging around uneaten for a bit too long. Whilst these cupcakes are nice by themselves, the cream cheese frosting is an absolute hero and a perfect partner to this cupcake. A caramel buttercream or honey-cinnamon frosting could also be used. As a finishing touch, I drizzled maple syrup over the top, but caramel sauce, fresh banana slices or walnuts would work just as deliciously.

Find the banana cupcake recipe here, cream cheese frosting here, caramel buttercream here and the honey-cinnamon frosting here.

xx