Monster Cake and Smash Cake's

Here are some cute little Monster Cakes I made for my nephews first Birthday. The recipe is from Little and Friday's new book Celebrations.

They had lots of fun playing with the bright Icing.

Iraia liked using the candle to swirl the icing around.

Chassin had a go at touching the icing

But didn't like that to much :)

This is what the inside of the Mummy Monster cake looks like. This effect was made by colouring vanilla cake batter in three different shades, baking them in a cake pop mould then once baked and cooled bake them in a chocolate cake batter. This was such a fun cake to make.

Auckland Food Show 2012

I went to my first Food Show on the weekend it was so much fun and right up my alley. I chose to go on Sunday so I could see Kim Evans from Little in Friday doing a demonstration on pastry. 

She made her famous cheese straws, I love how she packs on the cheese.

And she signed my book.

Petal cupcake had a stand and all I can say is there cupcakes are AMAZING! the best cupcakes I have ever tasted.

They had flavours like Tropical Mango, Ripe Strawberry, Salted caramel, Black Doris Plum, Hawkes Bay Peach and Red Velvet.

We got one of each flavour, Tropical Mango was my fav.

Annabelle White was there promoting her new book.

This was all butter. Incredible.

A new Ice cream product yum!, I had to try the Baby cupcakes flavour which was OK but I wish I tried the caramel slice flavour.

Whoopi also had a stand which Ive been wanting to try.

We chose the Banana walnut flavour and Red Velvet, Red Velvet was so moist and Scrummy.

I cant wait for next years show.

xxx

Apple Charlottes

Ive been meaning to post this for awhile but been very busy this week, these Apple Charlotte's are very yummy and a great winter dessert. This is Little and Fridays recipe but I used store bought pastry instead of homemade, slack I know but store bought is so much easier and still taste great.

Apple Charlottes

Treats From Little and Friday

1 Recipe Sweet Pastry

8 Apples

juice of 1 lemon

125g unsalted butter

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

seeds of 1 vanilla pod( I used Vanilla Extract)

For the Apple Charlotte Filling

On a lightly floured bench, roll pastry to 3mm thick and line either one 28cm round tin or six 6cm round tins. Trim pastry to form a neat edge and keep left overs for lattice work. Place lined tin/s in freezer.

Preheat oven to 180^c. Place a try in oven to heat.

Peel, core and quarter apples. Cut into 1cm cubes and toss in lemon juice to prevent from browning.

In a saucepan melt butter and sugar, stirring regularly. Add apple cubes to melted butter and stir continuously over a med-high heat. When apple is tender, add cinnamon and vanilla, stir to combine and remove from heat. Leave to cool.

Remove cases from freezer and fill with cool apple.

Roll left over pastry to 2mm thick and cut into long strips, make a lattice top.

Bake on oven tray 45 mins , until golden brown and pastry is cooked through.

If you aren't cooking peeled apples immediately, cover in water and lemon juice until ready to use. When cooking apples, aim for tender, not mushy, texture.

Little and Friday Pear Tarts

If you have been reading my posts you will now know I love Kim Evans book and cafe Little and Friday. In my last post I posted her recipe for Poaching Pears, I used the poached pears in her delicous Pear Tarts recipe.

I love how these turned out golden and crispy on top. I did how ever over fill them to much, because I wanted to use up all the fragipane filling as it made quite a bit.

The pastry is store bought, I know i know shocking right, but this recipe has a few elements to it so I cheated on that part. You can make homemade sweet pasrty by using the the same recipe I used to make these Lemon Tarts.

I only had four removable tart tins (I bought mine from The Warehouse), so I used these mini foil cases I found at the good old $2 shop. These tarts are pear and apple.

Pear Tarts Recipe

Adapted from Little and Friday

• 1 recipe Sweet Pastry or store bought
• 1 cup Frangipane ( recipe below)
• 6 Poached Pears
• 1 tbsp Manuka honey, to glaze.
• 
  

On a lightly floured bench, roll out pastry to 3mm thick and line tart tins. Rest pastry cases in refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes. place on a baking tray, as these drip a bit while baking.

Preheat oven to 180c. Spoon 3 tbsp Frangipane into each tart case. using a sharp paring knife, carefully slice the bottom off each pear so they sit flat. Keeping the tops intact, cut vertical slices from the stalk of each pear, making each slice a few millimetres apart.

Gently spread the pear slices apart to form a circular fan from the stalk. Place a pear fan on top of each tart, twisting slightly so slices extend to edges.

Bake for 30 minutes or until Frangipane is cooked. Make a honey glaze by melting manuka honey with a dash of boiling water. Using a pastry brush, paint glaze over pears while hot. Leave tarts to cool slighty before removing from tins. Serve with Mascarpone or Ice cream.

Frangipane Recipe

Little and Friday

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds ( I used 3 small 70g pks)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 
  

Makes 2 cups.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stop the beater and scrape the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure ingredients are being thoroughly combined. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Ensure first egg is well integrated before adding the next. Using a wooden spoon, stir in ground almonds and flour to form a paste.

Frangipane will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Little and Friday

http://www.facebook.com/LittleAndFriday

Little and Friday Poached Pears

Since its pear season we have had an abundance of pears. So I thought I would poach them, I used Kim Evans recipe from her book Treats from Little and Friday. 

Poached Pears Recipe

Adapted from Kim Evans Treats from Little and Friday

• 6 Pears, peeled and cored ( I used a melon baller to core the pears)
• 2 star Anise (I didnt have any so I used 1 tsp of Mixed Spice)
• 2 cinnamon quills or 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Manuka Honey ( I didnt have any so left this out)
• 1 cup Sugar

Place enough water in a large saucepan, to cover pears (I used 1 cup of water per pear). Bring to a boil. Add spices, honey and sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved, then add pears. Simmer for 30 mins, or until pears have softened and becomes transparent but retains their shape. Remove from saucepan, reserving liquid, and allow to cool.

Pears can be refrigerated in an airtight container with their liquid for up to 5 days.

A few Notes: To prevent the pears discolouring while cooking, make a cartouche. Before cooking the pears cut a circle of baking paper to fit the circumference of your saucepan. Cut a hole in centre of the circle to allow some of the steam to escape. Lay the paper on the surface of water while the pears are cooking, pressing down every so often to make sure the steam is released. (I was all out of baking paper, so I used Tin foil instead).

Little and Friday Lemon Tarts

If you havent got your little and friday book yet make sure you go get it they have some delicious recipes in the book. I made the lemon Curd from the book and it was perfect for the Lemon tarts I made for Morhers Day. If you havent been to little and friday cafe you should check it out next time your near Devonport or Newmarket.

Lemon Curd Recipe
Little and Friday, Kim Evans

125g unsalted butter
1cup sugar
Juice and zeat of 4 lemons
3 large eggs

Place all ingrediants except eggs in a metal bowl. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until sugar has dissolved completely. You can check this bu rubbing a small amount of mixture between your fingers. It is not ready if the mixture is still grainy. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl beat eggs with electric mixture. Add butter and sugar mixture to eggs and beat until combined. Poor mixture through a strainer to remove zest.
Place mixture back over simmering water and cook slowly until think enough to coat a spoon. Place in fridge keeps for up to 3 weeks.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
Little and Friday, Kim Evans

2 3/4 cups Flour
1 cups Icing Sugar
Pinch of salt
250g unbutter, well chilled and roughly chopped
1 Egg
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Vanilla essence
( you can use salted butter just opt out the extra salt)

Place flour and icing sugar in food processor. With motor running, drop butter in piece by piece until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg, lemon juice, zest and vanilla and pulse until pastry fos a ball. Wrap in glad wrap and keep in fridge or freezer until ready to use.
Makes one 28cm round tart.