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