just add jam and cream

I know what you're thinking...

Something like 
"Andie, where have you been? It's been so long since we heard from you"

Or 
"I've missed your oh-so-inspirational words of wisdom... why haven't you been writing more regularly"

Or perhaps more likely 
"What is the recipe for the scones you made on the weekend and posted on Instagram?"

Since I'm the girl who adds easy things like 'Write to do list' on my To Do list just so I can tick it off, it will come as no surprise that I'm going to tackle that last question first. 

Not just because it's the easy one.. But also because these scones were delicious and I am a caring/sharing kind of girl.

W I N T E R   I S   P E R F E C T   S C O N E   S E A S O N



Scones were my Nan's speciality;

And being the anniversary of her death last week, I was feeling nostalgic.(I can still hear her voice in my head when I work the mix by hand - "GENTLE!")
But I have misplaced the handwritten recipe she gave me many years ago.

Every recipe I found on Google 
(from taste.com.au, Donna Hay and all the other usual suspects) 
required butter, but I knew butter wasn't an ingredient in Nan's scones.
Then I looked up the good ol' Country Women's Association recipe.

VOILÀ!

Four ingredients and so damn simple!

3 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 cup of cream
between 1 and 1 1/2 cups of milk (add a cup first and see how your dough forms)
a pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl, cut the cream and milk into the flour and work (GENTLY!) into a dough;
Place onto a floured surface and cut out scone rounds;
Brush the tops with milk;
Bake for 10-12 minutes in a hot oven (220-230C).
Serve warm with jam and cream.

xx

lime tartlets

Sometimes life gets crazy and suddenly it's months since I have posted anything.

Rest assured - I am still (baking and) eating my feelings...

L I M E   S H O R T B R E A D   T A R T L E T S

 Tartlet Base

1/2C sugar

16 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2C all purpose flour

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla, giving a quick mix. Finally add in flour and salt, mixing until smooth. Shape dough into 2 equal discs, wrapping separately in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a mini cupcake pan.

Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/4-inch flower cookie cutter, cut out enough shapes to use up dough. Gently press cut out dough into greased cupcake pan. Fork each throughout, transfer to the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Lime Filling

4 egg yolks

1C sugar

1/4C lemon juice (roughly 2 lemons)

Zest of 1 lemon

4 Tbsp butter

Meanwhile prepare lemon filling:

In a double boiler over simmering water, whisk all ingredients for 8-10 minutes. Press through a fine mesh strainer, into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to the surface of lemon curd so to avoid a skin forming. Cool to room temperature.

Fill each cup 3/4 full with lemon curd, or roughly 1/2 of a small cookie scoop. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool until completely set.

Carefully remove tartlets from pan. Sprinkle with optional powdered sugar prior to serving. Store chilled.

xx

churro waffles

My eating habits range from supermodel yoga enthusiast -
Hello raw green veggie juices.

To hungry unsupervised child in a candy store -
Hello cookies for breakfast and M&M's for dinner.

My baking skills (and subsequently, my pantry contents) enable me to have a thought like
"I feel like waffles"
And then be back in bed eating waffles 20 minutes later,
Without the need to leave the house,
Or (perhaps more importantly) put any pants on.

These waffles are a winner,
Because I don't drink milk at home,
And this recipe (unlike many others) is milk-free.
So once again - A celebration of not having to leave the house or put on pants for a trip to the supermarket.

Sometimes in life, you have to celebrate the little things.

I recommend you do it with these waffles.

C H U R R O   W A F F L E S

1 cup plain flour

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup water

1.5 tbsp cinnamon

4 tbsp sugar

Turn on the waffle iron to pre-heat.

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, over low heat, combined water, sugar, salt, and butter.

Stir until butter has melted and sugar dissolved -make sure the mixture doesn't boil.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in flour until dough forms.

Return mix to low heat and use spatula to fold dough and cook dough until it leaves a film of flour on sides of pan.

Remove dough from pan and divide into equal portions.

Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and cook portions for 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown.

Coat hot waffles in cinnamon/sugar mixture while hot.

Serve.
Eat.
Die of happiness.


xx

covered in freckles

A half eaten packet of freckles;
and a craving for something sweet to dunk in my peppermint tea.

That's all it took to inspire my latest batch of cookies.

F R E C K L E S   C O O K I E S

200g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 1/4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Chocolate freckles

Preheat oven to 180C and line baking trays with baking paper.

Place butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Sift in flour and baking powder and mix to form a dough.

Roll dough into balls and place onto baking tray.

Lightly flatten, then press a chocolate freckle into top of each.

Bake 10-12 min or until lightly golden

Set aside on wire racks to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
Or eat them all... Whatever.

xx

christmas is a time for cake

It's Christmas Eve!!!

How did that even happen?

I am completely unprepared for Christmas this year...

Presents? Haven't bought any..

Baking? Umm.. Sorry family, but I've got nothing for you this year...

I do however, have something I prepared earlier for you, lovely readers :)

A  C A N D Y  C A N E  C A K E

(Proudly brought to you by 2014 Andie who was obviously far more festive and prepared...)

220g butter

220g dark chocolate, chopped

125g self-raising flour

125g plain flour

50g unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

480g caster sugar

4 eggs

7 tsps vegetable oil

100ml buttermilk.

Preheat your oven to 160C.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan with 160ml of water

Sift the flours, cocoa and bicarb soda into a large bowl

Stir in the sugar

Add combined egg, oil and buttermilk

Then stir in the chocolate mixture until completely combined

Pour mixture into greased cake tin and pop into the oven

Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes

Frost with cream cheese frosting, flavoured with a little peppermint essence;

Sprinkle with crushed candy canes;

and poke a few in the top for decoration.

M E R R Y  C H R I S T M A S !

xx

putting the FUN in funfetti

It's been a while since I turned on my oven to bake.

(Unless you count last weekend when I 'baked' then demolished a packet of frozen curly fries....?! 

Which were pretty awesome, but don't technically fall into the official 'baking' category...)

Yeah... so it's been a while.

But as I prepare to dust off the cake tins and create a dinosaur birthday cake for my favourite mini human and (self-appointed) God-Son, I realised I never posted the recipe for the cake I baked his Mama months ago for her special day.

So (through the magic of the blogesphere)
Here's a little somethin' I prepared earlier....

T H E   F U N F E T T I   C A K E

(For one of my favourite adult humans - xx)

T H E   C A K E 

1 and 2/3 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup greek yogurt 

3/4 cup milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sprinkles

Preheat oven to 180C degrees. Spray cake tin generously with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave.

Whisk in the sugars vigorously getting out any brown sugar lumps - mixture will be gritty.

Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined.

Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain.

Batter will be thick. Slowly stir in sprinkles, but do not overmix because the sprinkles will bleed their colour.

Pour batter into prepared cake tin.

Bake for approx. 35 minutes.

Allow to cool.

T H E   I C I N G : 

W H I T E   C H O C O L A T E   B U T T E R C R E A M

300g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

750g icing sugar

150g  white chocolate, melted

Cream the butter, vanilla and icing sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. 

Stir in the melted chocolate.

Cake stays fresh covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 5 days.

H O T   T I P
This cake was dense.
Best served warm.
With icecream.
For breakfast.

(because why not?!)

xx

the retrograde cake

I've said it before; And I'll say it again - 

I   E A T   M Y   F E E L I N G S

and they taste

D E L I C I O U S !

Hands up if you agree it's been a strange few weeks...

Let's blame Mercury.

Apparently it's been in retrograde.

Although, even though it's not something I follow closely, 

I swear, it seems to be in retrograde an awful lot lately...

Never fear though! It's over now.

*phew*

But if you are still feeling a little down,

I've got just the thing for you - 

F E R R E R O   C A K E

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Grease cake tin. Heat oven to 180 C.

In a large mixing bowl - stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. 
Beat on medium speed for one minute.

Stir in boiling water (the batter will be really runny).

Fill cake tin with batter.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes.

Allow to cool. 

Dress up with Ferrero Rochers.

xx

a little apple pie

For those days when you just need a little warmth. 

A little comfort. 

A little love.

A   L I T T L E   A P P L E   P I E

"We must have a pie.

Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie."

                                                        -- David Mamet

T H E   P A S T R Y

1 3/4 plain flour

1/2 cup self raising flour

1 pinch of salt

185g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon chilled water

1 tablespoon milk

Sift flours and pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add butter and rub lightly into flour with your fingertips, 

until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir through sugar.

Add lightly beaten egg, and chilled water.

Knead together as dough forms.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Once chilled - Roll pastry out on a floured workbench ready to assemble.

T H E   F I L L I N G

1kg peeled & cored granny smith apples; cut into cubes

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, caster sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

T H E   A S S E M B L Y

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk whisked together

raw sugar for sprinkling

Roll out pastry to line individual pie trays.

Fill with apple mixture.

Add small piece of butter.

Cover with rolled out pastry to create a lid.

Brush with egg/milk wash

Sprinkle with raw sugar.

B A K E

On 200C for 30mins;

Then reduce heat to 160C and bake until golden.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

xx

sunday agenda

S U N D A Y

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do;

The fun is in having lots to do

And not doing it.

Take it slow;

Give your soul a chance to catch up with your body.

I make my pancakes from scratch.

Tipping flour from the canister into a large bowl.

Adding milk. And egg. More milk.

Some sugar. A bit more...

Whisking.

Mixing.

Tasting.

It's not an exact science.

In fact - it's the only time I work without a recipe.

Everything else I bake is weighed and measured.

I am usually so precise.

But not on a Sunday morning.

Not with pancakes.

There's a special kind of freedom in the guesswork.

And they taste delicious. 

Every. Single. Time.

xx

that time i made a wedding cake

Making someone's wedding cake wasn't on my Bucket List or anything.

But now that I've done it, I'm totally writing it on The List..

Just so I can have that sweet satisfaction of ticking it off!

∙ Make someone's Wedding Cake  ✓

But it wasn't just someone..

I honestly don't think I could make a wedding cake for just any old couple..

This was probably a good thing though..

Because it meant that it wasn't your standard, fancy, fondant-frosted, rose-piped cake.

This cake was a special order.

For a special pair.

T H E   C L I E N T

Lady P and The Thomas

T H E   O C C A S I O N

Their Wedding! (eek!)

T H E   B R I E F

Make a cake.

Any flavour.

Any frosting.

Put dinosaurs on top of cake.

C R E A T I V E   L I C E N S E

The part where I decided to create a 3-tiered cake despite never stacking cake on cake before in my life. Ever.

Each layer a different flavour.

Playing dress ups with the dinosaurs...

Because even dinosaurs deserve to look a bit fancy for a special occasion.

T H E   F L A V O U R S

Tier 1. Chocolate Fudge Mud Cake

Tier 2. Chocolate and Coffee Mud Cake

Top Tier. Orange and Almond Meal Cake

M I D - C R E A T I O N   M O C K   U P

T H E   F R O S T I N G

Vanilla Cream Cheese Buttercream

It is the ideal “crusting” buttercream to create cakes with a bakery-style smooth fondant look but with the classic cream cheese buttercream taste everyone loves!

1 cup (226 grams) butter, slightly softened

12 tablespoons (144 grams) organic palm shortening

24 ounces (680 grams) chilled cream cheese

2 kg icing sugar

1½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) pure almond extract

Beat butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy. 

Add cream cheese and extract(s); beat until fully incorporated. 

Gradually increase mixer speed to high and continue beating until light and fluffy.

Gradually add icing sugar, beating on low to medium-low speed, until well combined. 

Beat on high speed until well combined and smooth. 

Buttercream will be very stiff and thick. 

Before frosting cake layers, rebeat buttercream to ensure smoothness.

If not using immediately, keep bowl covered tightly to keep buttercream from drying before frosting cake or cupcakes.

The buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 1 week in an airtight container. 

Before using, bring to near room temperature before beating smooth again.

T H E   U N V E I L I N G

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S   
P I P P A   A N D   T O M   

xx

the best kind of tart

A little bit of sweet; 

A little bit of sour.

When life (or that lemon tree you have been dutifully watering for the past 18 months) gives you lemons -

M A K E   L E M O N   M E R I N G U E   T A R T S

Who doesn't love a tart?!

The kind of lemon tarts that give you that buttery tart base crunch;

And tangy lemon curd perfection;

Topped with sweet marshmallowey meringue caramelised just a little bit from the quick flash of a blow torch flame.

ahhhh...

T H E   T A R T   C A S E S

125g chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes

30g caster sugar

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons chilled water

Combine dry ingrediants (flour, sugar, salt) in a bowl.

Using finger tips - gently rub butter into the dry mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Slowly add water, rubbing together until it forms a rough dough. 

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead to form a smooth firm dough. 

Flatten the dough into an inch thick

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

THEN

Roll out the dough and cut round disks to line your pre-oiled tart cases.

Bake at 180C for 10 minutes or until golden.

Allow to cool.

T H E   L E M O N   F I L L I N G

50g (1/3 cup) cornflour

125ml (1/2 cup) water

250ml (1 cup) fresh lemon juice

215g (1 cup) caster sugar

60g butter, coarsely chopped

4 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

Combine the cornflour, water, lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan. 

Use a balloon whisk to stir over medium heat for 4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. 

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a further 1 minute. 

Remove from heat. 

Whisk in butter and egg yolks. 

Transfer to a bowl. 

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours or until cooled completely.

T H E   M E R I N G U E 

4 egg whites (left over from the Lemon Filling process)

1 cup caster sugar

Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. 

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoonful at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy.

T H E   A S S E M B L E Y

(to create little tarts of delicious)

Fill cooked tart cases with cooled lemon filling.

Pipe meringue over lemon filling on each tart.

Use a kitchen blow torch to gently brown the meringue.

Let's Blow Torch These Babies

I'm not gonna lie - I love any excuse to play with fire...

But if you don't have a blow torch on hand, popping these in the oven to turn golden brown will also work a treat. 

(Not as fun.. but still delicious!)

Love At First Bite

xx