Lemon poppy seed with lemon boiled frosting

I made this cake a while ago but misplaced the pictures. The recipe is a classic that's always a hit and you never get sick of eating it (I certainly don't :D). I must admit I love poppy seed. They are very addictive, especially in cakes :P

Pretty much everyone has made or eaten this cake with or without slight variations. The icing that goes with it enhances its flavor even more. There are various icings that are used with this cake, Lemon drizzle, butter cream ...... many more, and they all go equally well.

I however chose a very different frosting to compliment this gorgeous citrus cake, lemon boiled frosting. This particular frosting is a little bit tricky to make but the result is certainly awarding. They taste absolutely divine together.

Also, for this cake I got a bit carried away and added a dash of vibrant colors and made a rainbow lemon poppy seed cake :) I love pretty colors.


Lemon poppy seed cake ( Womens weekly)

butter - 200 g
self-raising flour - 2 c
eggs - 3
sugar - 1 c
milk - 180 ml
poppy seed - 45 g

- preheat to 180 c, line and grease baking pan
- combine milk and poppy seed and leave for 10 min
- beat the eggs, butter, sugar until pale and mix in the flour and mix in the poppy seeds
- bake for 45 min or until done

pretty flowers :)

Lemon boiled frosting

egg whites - 2
sugar - 1 c
water - 1/3 c
lemon juice 1/2 tbs
corn syrup - 1 tbs
salt - a pinch

- put the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan and sitr until dissolved
- boil without stirring until reaches 120 c
- in a bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, slowly add the syrup whilst beating
- add the lemon juice and continue beating for 10-15 min until very stiff and holds its shape

mmmmm.....

Pumpkin oatmeal cookies

I love pumpkin, especially in desserts. They taste great and have loads of benefits.

Did you know that they are low in calories? I certainly didn't. It only has 26 calories per 100g and so are used by dieticians in weight reduction programs. Besides being low in calories, it is also packed full of antioxidants.
Anyway, bottom line- Its is good for you and you should have more of it.

So this particular recipe is also good for you as it is made from oats and wholemeal flour and of course the low in calories pumpkin (I'm lovin it).

For this recipe I made my own pumpkin puree as I bought fresh pumpkins for only 50c a kilo (BARGAIN!!!). I bought quite a bit and they are now happily sitting in my freezer :) The good thing about buying fresh pumpkin is that it doesn't cost you as much (if you find yourself a bargain) and also canned pumpkins don't come seeds (my seeds are sun bathing atm :p).

Again, it is a very easy and stir-everything-together recipe that takes no time to make at all.



Pumpkin oatmeal cookies (homestyle magazine)

margarine - 1 c
brown sugar - 1 1/2 c
pumpkin puree - 1 c
egg - 1
chopped nuts - 1 c
wholemeal flour - 2 c
oats - 1 1/3 c
baking soda - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1 tsp
vanilla - 1 tsp

- preheat to 180c, grease and line baking sheets
- beat the egg, margarine, sugar, vanilla until light and fluffy
- Add the pumpkin puree, flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and mix well-stir in the nuts
- drop table spoons on the baking sheets and bake for 15-20 min until done

Sesame twists

As you know I bought a pack of ready-made puff pastry the other day for almond and fig tart. I only used a couple of sheets and I'm still left with a few. I don't like to store things and plus my freezer was overly crowded. So i had to make something of it.

This is a no-brainer. really simple, really quick. I used sesame seeds but you can use a whole range of variations. For the seasoning, I kept it simple and used just salt but again you can season with pepper or garlic or chili or whatever you like.

Also, next time I make it, I will make a sweeter version of it. Probably sugar with a hint of cinnamon or cardamom and poppy seeds and.... I can go on about this and come with heaps of different flavors. It's simple yet the result is outstandingly delicious and crispy.


Sesame twists

puff pastry sheets
sesame seeds
salt

- sprinkle heaps of sesame seeds on the puff pastry and sprinkle a bit of salt, with a rolling pin slightly press down the sesame seeds.
- cut strips and twist each strips and bake on high until golden

Fig and almond tart with chocolate ice cream

This was my first time trying out fresh figs. I have had figs before but they were dried figs and they are much more sweeter than the fresh ones. In fact the fresh ones are hardly sweet (at least the ones I tried).

I pre-planned everything for these gorgeous fresh figs. I wanted to make a beautiful fig and almond tart with chocolate ice cream that I had made the day before. So I went to the supermarket and bought all the things I needed.
I came home happy that I will be home all day by myself baking-but of-course to my disappointment I was told that we are expecting guests (had to happen didn't it).

But I had already made my mind that I'm having almond and fig tart with chocolate ice cream. And so I did but with few changes.

I used ready-made puff pastry. :D Yes, the good old ready-made puff pastry from the handy frozen aisle. They are there to be used right? So why not.

This is a quick recipe that I managed to pull off and indulge in the small time frame that I had. Honestly, I don't think I wanted anything better :)



Almond and fig tart

almond paste - 110g
cream cheese - 1/3 c
vanilla - 1 tsp
honey - 2 tbs
fresh figs - 4-5
Puff pastry sheets

- preheat to 180c
- mix everything well except the figs
- spread the filling on the pastry
- slice the figs how ever you like it and lay it on top of the filling and fold the sides of the pastry
- bake until golden




Chocolate ice cream

dark chocolate - 110g
milk - 1 c
cream - 1 c
sugar - 1 c
coffee flavor - 1 tsp (or other variations)

- Heat the milk and remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth-cool
- whisk the eggs until fluffy and in the sugar and mix well
- add the cream, coffee and the chocolate mixture and blend well
- chill and freeze according to the ice cream maker and set.

Milk powder halwa

Yes the name doesn't sound too fancy (I'm not good with names at all), I have done a direct translation of it and originally it's called khushk dhood ka halwa. Anyway it doesn't need any fancy name because it is a hit on its own.

And I gotta admit I'm in love with middle eastern food a lot, probably because they use a lot of different spices and this beautiful sweet is no exception. Even though its categorized as a sweet, it is not overly sweet like some out there. And that's a good thing because then you can eat heaps of them right ;)

This recipe was given to me by a family friend who is also equally passionate about baking and cooking. Shes much older than me but we do get along quite well, probably because we share the same interest and that becomes sort of our connection point.

I have tried and eaten a lot of different sweets and this is easily in my top 5 (I have got a long list). It is very easy to make, very quick and very yummy. I always make this when I'm running out of time or when I don't feel like going through a lot of hassle.

Milk powder halwa

Butter - 1/2 cup
Milk powder - 2 c
Condensed milk - 1 375g can
Almond - 1/2 c slithered
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 4

- In a pan over medium heat, add butter and milk powder and stir 3-4 min until browned evenly. make sure not to burn
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and add to the milk mixture, add condensed milk, cardamom powder and keep cooking till it comes together and it's doughy.
- stir in the almonds and transfer the mixture in a square or rectangular baking pan and smooth it out.
- decorate with some almonds and let cool- cut into square or diamonds.

Cherry muffins with passion fruit glace icing

The famous box of cherries :P

Yes, I Still have plenty of cherries left from that big box.
And no, I am not whinging about it at all.
In fact, I am excited and thankful for that big box of cherries because that means I can try out many different recipes out there and have fun.

And so continuing my hunt for recipes that use cherries I came across various gorgeous recipes including this soft and fluffy Cherry Muffins. These muffins are totally a breeze to make, only a matter of a quick stir with simple easily accessible ingredients.

These muffins are a hit by themselves but you can make them extra special by topping them with passion fruit glace icing, which will make them deliciously glossy.

I know youll find these muffins completely irresistible (coming from experience :D)

Just out of the oven :)

Just as good by itself

Cherry Muffins (readers digest)

cherries pitted - 400g
butter - 125
eggs - 3
brown sugar - 140g
vanilla - 1tsp
sour cream - 150g
self-raising flour - 350g


- preheat oven to 180c and line muffin pans
- whip up the butter, sugar, vanilla, sour cream and eggs just to combine
- sift in the flour and fold in the cherries
- bake for 20min or until done

The glace icing looked a lot vibrant in real

Passion fruit glace icing

- passion fruit pulp - 4tbs
- icing sugar - 360g

- mix the icing sugar and passion fruit pulp in a bowl
- stir the mixture over a bowl of simmering water until its smooth and glossy.
- simply dip you muffins in the icing and your done (told you its a too good too quick recipe)

And the fluffiness :D

Banana oat bran muffins

Another healthy snack.

Seems like I am totally after a fiber and protein filled healthy diet doesn't it. Well its not that really. I just bought a big bag of oat bran (it was on sale, never miss out on a bargain :D) and thought what a better way of using it than in a muffin. And having bananas ripening away, I thought, let's make banana oat muffins.

This recipe uses all the good stuff, ripe banana, nutritious carrot, healthy oat bran, wholemeal flour, honey, and not to mention the amount of butter it has (only 2 tbs) and I'm sure it can easily be swapped with vegetable oil for even healthier result.

They are gorgeous, they are simple, they are irresistible and the best part is they satisfy your taste buds AND provide nutritional benefits.

you can enjoy them for breakfast along with a glass of milk or a cup of earl grey. These muffins you can never have enough off. You can simply swap the fruits and try different variations, which I am planning to next time I make these munchkins. :)




Banana oat bran muffins (adapted from homestyle magazine)

butter, melted - 2tbs
brown sugar - 1/3 c
wholemeal flour - 3/4 c
baking powder - 1tsp
salt - 1/4 tsp
oat brain - 1/2 c
egg - 1
honey - 2 tbs
buttermilk - 1/2 c
vanilla - 1tsp
ripe banana - 1
carrot, grated - 1
applesauce - 3tbs

- preheat oven to 180c and grease and line 6 muffin pan.
- beat the egg, honey, butter, vanilla, buttermilk and the brown sugar.
- sift in the flour, add the oat bran, baking soda, salt, the mashed banana, carrot and applesauce. combine well
- spoon mixture onto into the paper liners and bake for 30 min or until done


* I added sultanas to these muffins and turned out they are not a family favorite. Next time I'll stick to the recipe :)