Adventures in fondant

A quick blog before we set out on a family bike ride with our new family bikes - yes, we are the height of cool. With all this baking and tasting (quality control only) it is definitely time I got a bit more exercise.

I can now add bread rolls to my baking repertoire. I held up dinner waiting for them to prove and then bake. I'm not sure Neil really thought they were worth the wait, but choked one down nevertheless.

Feeling pretty confident with buttercream icing now, I decided to venture into the world of fondant icing - which I am not good at. I've had a few attempts with the stuff before, and clearly I need many more as there appears to be no improvement. The layered madeira cake turned out well though!

Right, enough blogging. Time to get the helmet on! TTFN x

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker's (wo)man

There is, as it turns out, a rare perk of getting up at the crack of dawn with the kids: making bread. While Dora or Thomas or some other mind-numbing cartoon plays in the background, I've discovered that it requires little alertness to measure out flour and yeast, and oil up a bowl. The dough is then left to double in size under the warmth of the heat pump while I slowly come to life. Then there is the kneading - a lovely, mindless, therapeutic activity - shaping of the dough and baking. It is difficult to describe the delicious wafts of freshly baked bread filling the house and almost impossible to convey the equally delicious smugness of being the sort of mother who has managed to whip up a loaf of bread for the family before 8.30am. Who cares if the kids are still in their pyjamas watching TV, the kitchen looks like a flour bomb has hit it, and, if we're being honest, the bread actually has a rather yeasty, doughy flavour and everyone would rather eat Vogels....?

Wholemeal bread loaves

My first bread loaf ever!

Still, the fact that I've entered the bread zone at all, makes me feel like my baking has gone up a notch.

One notable failure, which didn't even get a picture and was swiftly converted into a bread and butter pudding, was my attempt at brioche. Tips and recipes are very welcome from accomplished brioche makers!

On more familiar territory, I've also tried a few more cupcake recipes and believe I am improving. Check these babies out...

They got the nod of approval from this baby too...

Emily - cupcake taster #1

The Hummingbird Cafe recipe book has some awesome cupcake recipes. Tamara Jane's cupcake recipe books are also inspirational for decorating ideas. I just need more time. And talent. TTFN!

Cupcakes: check. Catastrophes: check.

This blog is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Emily & Dan eating cupcakes in their 'boat'

Here are the rascals, sampling the fare. They are my biggest fans and my toughest critics. Fortunately my baking is not good enough yet that I have to worry about them getting too chubby. I'm not as discerning... I'll need to get a pair of trainers soon I think!

Cupcakes. I'm on the hunt for the perfect recipe, so anyone out there, please feel free to send me yours... even if it was your beloved great-grandmother's tried and true secret concoction.

I'll be honest, it may come down to execution rather than recipe. Since we moved to our current abode in Papamoa, NZ (nearly two years ago now) I haven't bothered to find out what the various settings on our oven are - they have all been rubbed off by the previous owners (seriously, who wears off the settings on an oven?!) Brings new meaning to the term 'blind baking'.

My secretive oven

But I can't just blame my oven. While there have been some successful cupcake attempts...

...there have been some not-so-good products too. Among them were the under-cooked yo-yo biscuits and coffee kisses with lumps of unsifted flour. I promised I would be honest in this blog so here are the catastrophes...

Even the culinary disasters have brought a smile or two. Emily, who is not yet two, can now name all ingredients even 'bah-ee powda' (baking powder) and 'anillah' (vanilla). Dan, three, informed me very seriously after taking a bite of a blueberry buttermilk scone, "Mummy, these are good. You're getting better."

Dan and the blueberry buttermilk scones

And so I soldier on with this challenge. I'm not sure my baking really is 'getting better'... but it is a lot of fun trying! TTFN.

Did I sign up for this too quickly??

In hindsight, it would have been sensible to wait to see what the final of this year's NZ's Hottest Home Baker had in store before making this my challenge! Fourteen mini baked goods in five hours... seriously?!

However, I have made progress on the muffins. Straying away from lemon and poppy seed (I know, really living dangerously now), I decided to get a bit innovative and produced blueberry, coconut and lime muffins with different fillings involving various concoctions of passionfruit curd, boysenberry jam and cream cheese. The curd and cream cheese was the standout winner in my view; Neil liked the jam filling but "would have preferred a more marbled effect" (yes, he actually said that).

Blueberry, coconut, lime and passionfruit curd muffins

More muffin perfecting to come (after all, I have heaps of buttermilk to use up!) but Dan had other ideas. Together we made some cut-out biscuits, which was so much fun, even if every second question is 'can I lick the bowl now?' which might explain his main motivation for baking. They turned out excellently. I almost took some in to Dan's pre-school to show them that I can make decent bikkies, as apparently Dan keeps telling the teachers that 'Mummy burnt the biscuits'. One time that happened!


My sous chef, Dan (3.5yrs); note the innovative use of the last of a lovely pinot! Note to self: must buy rolling pin.

And that's a thumbs up from D

I also thought I'd have a crack at pastry while I was in the zone. I did the cream cheese pastry I learned how to make at a cooking course I went to once. Rubbed a little rosemary into it and used it to make a chicken, leek and mushroom pie. It tasted great, but didn't cook very well on the sides and the bottom of the pie. Clearly more work to do on the pastry front...

 Last, but not least, I thought I'd try a new cupcake recipe. I'm not convinced and will need to try it a few more time I think. No complaints from the family on this. Until next time - TTFN!

Let the baking begin!

If you've got to start somewhere, it might as well be with the humble muffin. I've never been very good at muffins - I find it all too easy to over-mix the batter and produce something more stodgy than scrummy.

And so begins attempt number 1: lemon and poppy seed muffins. I actually felt a little nervous as I went about making these, as, since I've 'gone public' (she says tongue firmly in cheek) I feel like my baking is under scrutiny...which is, of course, the whole idea.

Anyway, upon taking from the oven bulging, golden muffins, with lemony wafts all through the kitchen, I thought I'd nailed my first challenge... and then watched in horror (yes, horror - I'm attempting to create a sense of drama and suspense here, people) as they began to deflate before my eyes.

I would love to say their taste made up for their appearance, but sadly, computer says no. My critics all agreed they were under-cooked and not sweet enough - Neil was kind enough to express this verbally; Dan and Emily were more explicit in their dislike. I blame the recipe (always easier than blaming the cook) which used only honey and no sugar.

The glaze - basically a concoction of icing sugar and lemon juice - helped sweeten matters and covered all manner of muffin sins. But glaze alone will not get me to NZ's Hottest Home Baker (although it was very tasty glaze).

Clearly I have a long journey ahead of me.


Batch 1



Batch 2

Lemon and poppy seed muffins - take 2

Not to be deterred (this being day one, and all, it would show poor form to give up now) I set about making a second batch, using a different recipe with more sugar, and cooked them at a  lower oven temperature for longer. I experimented with lemon curd in the centre too. I know, check me out.

The verdict? Much better. Cooked beautifully all the way through and delicious. The lemon curd ones were especially awesome, if I do say so myself. Neil, the ever-informative and helpful critic, commented, "They're good, just not cafe good." Kids actually ate it this time and Dan even managed a "Mmmm, yum" (which sounded a little staged to me and I suspect prompted by Neil).

Even so, better result than the first. Who knows what I might be capable of with a third batch??!However, I tire of lemon and poppy seed muffins, and have my sights set on other baked delights... and on that cliffhanger, I shall say TTFN.

Getting my bake on

Two things have prompted me to start this blog: 1) becoming hooked on the TV show 'New Zealand's Hottest Home Baker', and 2) the fact that I am staring 30 down the barrel and need a distraction.

In my quest to become, at best, a cupcake queen and domestic goddess of Nigella proportions, and, at the very least, someone who doesn't need to resort to Pak 'n' Save when it's her turn to provide morning tea at Play Centre, I have decided to set myself the challenge of becoming a contestant on next year's NZ's Hottest Home Baker show. (Note, I say 'contestant', not 'winner'- one of this year's finalists makes cheese in her spare time, for crying out loud!)

Going public (to the two people who will be obliged to read this - my husband and my mum) is my way of holding myself to the challenge. Over the next year I will endeavour to honestly share the triumphs and failures of my baking attempts, complete with the verdicts of my biggest critics, aforementioned husband (Neil) and my little sous-chefs, Dan (3yrs) and Emily (nearly 2yrs).

Right, time to get my bake on!
Jude