tolly wedding cake trials

i was a little surprised when my good friend asked me to make her wedding cake. immediately the image of the leaning tower of wedding cakes came to mind but of course wouldn't turn down a bride's request and at least I had over a year to figure out how to tier. luckily, I have friends who are happy to go untraditional and more fun to play with different ideas and rather wanted more of a dessert table. Ace. still nerve racking but something I could do. a year later and this wedding is only months away so it was time to get cracking. half term was the perfect solution with a week of down time to bake and trial the recipes I had been gathering..with as little tears and panic as possible. much to my surprise the Italian merengue buttercream came out fab (beginners luck?) and there weren't too many disasters so feeling confident about the real thing in May! 

what to do with three cakes and dessert samplers? invite everyone over for an evening of cake and bubbles of course! and what a relief to have a happy couple who were satisfied with the outcomes of the trial. 

28.

no January blues over here. celebrations carried over past the first to kick start 2014 with more birthdays, MD and mine first anniversary and ending with my birthday before the year was officially on its way. it was another week long do beginning with  an unusual civilised dinner with the girls and ending with a fantastic weekend in Paris to finish it off. 

my gorgeous and very talented friends made me the most beautiful and de.li.cious cake ever. there is no escaping future birthdays for them. but before we gorged on cake, we noshed on my favorite guac, pita chips, and mango salsa (costco favorites anyone?!) it's a basic combination but most importantly easy to put together before your guests arrive.

pita chips: cut up pita bread in desired size triangles and then open the triangles and cut them. I like them crispy and this gets them thin enough; if you desire them thicker and toasted then just cut the pita into triangles. toss with olive oil, s&p and pop into the oven at 200C/400F for about 8 minutes, but they do need to be watched depending on the variety of sizes! once they've cooled down, arrange to the side of the guac and watch them go :)

guacamole 

there's only one way to eat this and it's fresh- none of that packaged tube junk. as long as the avos are ripe it's all good. cut the avo in half, grid it by making cuts vertically and horizontally then scoop it out. add chopped tomatoes, red onions, cilantro (as little or much as you like but don't omit it) then squeeze a lime and season with salt. 

dip, eat, repeat.

Donny's pizza cake.

i have been so excited to make MD his first birthday cake (with funfetti!) i first came up with this idea a couple months before the birthday boy's day  after he proudly made me dinner using my pizza recipe. (Which he has perfected by the way by using 00 flour/the finest you can find). unsurprisingly, Pinterest users already thought this would be a fun idea so did a bit of research for the best effects. although I didn't use fondant at all it does produce a good lool alike for shredded mozzarella and mushrooms. 

I went with:

grated white chocolate - cheese

Forrero Rocher halves- sausage

Rolled fruit leather- pepperoni

Cocoa powder and water -mixed, brushed on to the edges for crust. 

with prepping for dinner and last minute touches i didn't get around to piping the cupcakes however it worked out wonderfully as it turned into a 'Design Your Own Cupcake'. As if we hadn't nibbled, ate or drunk enough, everyone was well up for a nostalgic child party activity of icing and decorating their own cupcake. Thanks mom for the tubs of sprinkles!! 

faffa's bday cakes

i went through an oreo phase a couple months ago which turned out to be delicious! as they were on hand,  i decided to plop them into the middle of this birthday girl's treats. while this is nothing new to the Pinterest world it was a first for me and definitely not the last. putting a little batter into the case first will allow the sponge to bake around the Oreo and be involved in the first bite to 'reveal' the surprise inside. don't be put off by the three bowl process, it isn't more work and just keeps it organised when you're ready to assemble.

after my trial run i decided to stuff them with oreos and peanut butter cups (or use the pb ball method below!) but make sure if you do this you mark the cases in some way so as to frost them properly! 

the recipe

1 stick/113g  unsalted butter

1c/200g sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1c buttermilk

1/2c sour cream

1 3/4c/224g flour

1c cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

the temperature 350F/ 180C

the preparation 

bowl 1: cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add each egg, one at a time, and then the vanilla. mix well.

bowl 2: mix together the buttermilk and sour cream. 

bowl 3: sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt.

add the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture alternatively in thirds, beginning with buttermilk and ending with flour. mix until completely combined.

fill cups and bake for about 20 minutes.

*if filling the cakes with an Oreo: cover the bottom of the liner with a small amount of batter first. if filling with PB, add half of the batter then a small spoonful of filling and top again with batter.

peanut butter filling- the recipe calls for the following but I think, and cake testers have reported, that it takes away the PB flavor so next time ill just add a spoonful straight from the jar!

1/4c smooth pb

icing sugar 

butter 

raspberry cheesecake for two.

I'm slightly obsessed with these cute little springform tins. they're ideal for  

a small or rich treat such as this one.

It was a pretty and perfect way to celebrate a sweet work friend's birthday. 

I halved the original recipe which was perfect for two 4" tins. Or bake into cupcake pans for an individual bite of bliss..OR just go for it in one cake tin. As for the raspberry whipped cream topping- I'm not sure why I don't do this more often. It will definitely be part of summertime picnics with strawberries or merengues! 

this is the halved recipe 

the ingredients:

for the brownie

100g dark chocolate 

for the cheesecake 

200g cream cheese

75g icing sugar

1 egg

1/4tsp vanilla

for the whipped cream

150ml cream

50g / 1/4c sugar 

1/4 c raspberries, add more or less depending on preference 

the temperature 180C 350F

the preparation

for the brownie

combine the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time mixing well in between and scraping the sides. gradually beat in the flour until smooth. slowly pour in the melted chocolate and mix. pour the mixture into your pans and set aside for the cheesecake!

cheesecake

combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and  beat slowly until smooth and thick. add eggs one at a time. mix until it is smooth and creamy but not too much as the cheese will split. spoon this mixture on top of the brownie and smooth. bake for 30-40 minutes (even with both small cakes it took this long) the cheesecake should be firm to touch and slightly golden around the edges. allow to cool then refrigerate over night or for at least 2 hours. 

finally, whisk the cream and sugar until peaks begin to form. then add in the melted chocolate 

another birthday celebration with my mini pans..

moms beef bourguignon

September always comes with a bang and it's been non-stop since back to school. October has been busy with birthdays, taking in the change of season, and obviously all things Halloween.  This is one of my favorite times of year when the  brisk autumn weather is just beginning to settle in. it always brings memories of  growing up in New York with annual apple and pumpkin picking weekends as well as endless visits to the latest haunted house, hay ride or corn maze, even though I scared out of my mind. And of course moms delicious witches stew which it has become famiously coined and a Cabrera household tradition. Why wouldn't you serve it in a pumpkin?

It's delicious with mashed potatoes, thick egg noodles or as I just recently had it, with boiled new potatoes tossed (lightly) in butter and fresh chopped parsley. This recipe is easy with a minimal market list- but not for the impatient as it needs to cook for at least an hour to perfectly combine all the wine and beef flavors leaving the meat to fall apart easily as oppose to chewy.  I've come across some recipes that call for two hours but based on the following portion it would be too long. (I guess also depends on the type of meat)

Although this is the traditional French recipe I have a new found love for parsnips so threw a few in there, but adjust the quantity of ingredients to your liking. After all, isn't that one of the best part about making it yourself? 

bon appetit! 

the ingredients 

5 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1kg (2 lbs) boneless beef rump roast cut into 1" cubes (they shrink quite a lot)

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp plain flour

3c dry red wine (cote du rhone or burgundy) 

2c chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Parsnips

1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

10 ounces pearl onions, peeled* I haven't been able to find these on this side of the pond

the temperature 180C 350F

the method

season the beef well with salt and pepper.

in a large pot with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook mushrooms until browned, about 10 minutes, and set aside on a separate plate.

in batches, brown beef, 2 to 3 minutes per batch (adding up to 1 tablespoon oil per batch if needed); transfer to plate. 

add bacon and cook until brown, 5 minutes. 

add tomato paste and stir.  add flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

return beef to pot- add wine, broth, bay leaf, and garlic. bring to a boil, cover, and transfer pot to oven for about 45 minutes. 

add carrots and onions and cook until meat is very tender, an additional 45 minutes-1 hour more, adding mushrooms 15 minutes before end of cooking. Stir butter into stew and serve topped with parsley if desired.

summer pizza.perfect.

London weather's been on good form the last six weeks which means alfresco coffee, lunch, din, drinks...and as mentioned before the bbq. it's been a while since i last made pizza on the grill but it's a fun, light and yummy summer nosh. embarrassingly, i was excited like Adam on man vs food when everything kept turning out as planned..I was expecting a mess and quick hands during the cooking but the dough was perfect and all went smoothly! i combined ingredients from previous recipes and this is by far the best turn out. if you don't have access to a barbecue, don't worry you won't be left out. just pop your masterpiece into the oven for about 15 min at 200C/400F

why not whack on some veg while you've got the grill hot?! Eggplant (aubergine) and goats cheese is my fave.. What's on your summer pizza?

the ingredients 

1 sachet of yeast (7g)

1c warm water

1/2tsp sugar

a bit of beer or white wine (1/4c?)

1/2tsp salt 

3c plain flour 

1tbsp olive oil 

the method 

combine the yeast, sugar, warm water and alcohol and let sit to dissolve for about 5 minutes or until it starts to fizz. add salt and olive oil and stir. add a cup of flour, mix well then slowly add the rest of the flour (i think we used just about 3 but see how it feels, it was a little sticky when we took it out to knead) place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-8 minutes (or enjoy the rest of the wine while someone else does it for u ;) 

lightly oil a bowl, moving it around so all sides are covered. place the dough in the bowl, cover with a tea towel or cling film and place in a warm part of the kitchen for about 45 minutes. 

prep your toppings and heat your barbie while the dough rises! 

once dough has risen divide into 3 and roll it out to your desired shape. 

then...

bon appetit!