F is for FLORA

OK... decided to post something not about my cakes... cos I have done quite a few post this week alone hahah....

I have never really been a person who includes Plants in my living space. At most.. I had some plastic plants haphazardly strewn into some obscure corner.. Until I relocated DownUnder ;)

BFF made a comment one day that I should just get some fresh plants/flowers to brighten up the house., bring the outdoors in...the first day I decided to buy a bunch of these home... I never looked back.

There is something about the presence of nature that brightens and warmths the somewhat coldness of living in an urban jungle...

In The Mood for Berries...

These cakes were actually some sort of a mistake...as far as I can remember ...I actually wanted to bake something else... but halfway through the process....I totally craved for a fruit/berries laced cake ..... and ended up with these ;)

2 Dense cakes made with hazelnutmeal & laced with generous amounts of baked berries - a strawberry  & a blueberry version!


As though it wasn't berrylicious enough... I wanted the taste of baked and fresh berries in one bite... so used that as an excuse to top it with ...yeah...fresh berries ;)


Those little clouds surrounding the berries... it's brown sugar frosting!!  So good... that it puts me in The MoOd For berries ;)

Of Nashi Pears,chestnuts & Custard

Not sure when I made this... but got inspired by these baked custard fruit  tarts I saw in a bakery shop...but was kinda expensive to buy....might as well try making one then ;P

Anyway...toyed with the idea of using some Japanese Nashi pears lying around ( once again...bought on impulse..) and a packet of foil sealed boiled chestnuts which was about to expire... Found my recipe...and Voila!!! a Baked Custard TArt with Nashi pears & chestnuts ;)   Quite a unique flavour I must say.. teases the taste buds... interesting...but totally Moorish... Awesome in thin slices with earl grey tea ;) " Poifect!!"

Once again... threw in a sprig of rosemary & dusted the tart with some icing sugar... Just for Presentation.... 

Eat. Cake .Love

Bittersweet chocolate sourcream cake

This was one of the first few cakes I remembered making when I relocated to melbourne from perth.

It has a bittersweet memory attached . One that tells a story of a  chance meeting via remote channel, emails, chats & finally getting acquainted. Although the conclusion was not the typical fairytale ending... it would be one which I will always be grateful for & cherish till this day ;)

Oops...got carried away.......... SO. ..back to the cake... hahah.....I have totally forgotten where I got the recipe.. but I still remember the warm dense texture & chocolatey flavour of it.  

The dollop of cream with a sprinkle of cocoa was not part of the recipe.

However, being a believer of presentation... I just had to add something on it hahaha.... something which over the later years made me realize that sometimes , less is more.. ;) 

And then there was ..Nothing

Omg... I totally forgot about this blog.. until a friend told me about it!  I guess the hustle and bustle of life caused me to forget about it overtime... for over a year hahaha.. wtf?!

Somehow reading back on what I have written brought a smile to my face and i think it might have reignited my passion to continue with this blog ;)
 Thanks A. I owe you one! xo.

Anyhoo...Might as well start with a compilation of cakes & stuff which I have made over the " missing " year ;P

I am a fan of the domestic goddess herself- Nigella lawson... I simply love watching her cook...there's just something very very comforting about her... perhaps its her voluptous motherly figure or the way she looks at the screen ...or probably the food that she whips up... all full fat...all comforting...its always a bad mistake eating infront of her food shows....I always end up eating more than usual ..somehow feeling strangely justified..

The other thing.. I am extremely envious of Nigella- her Fridge, cookbook collection and Pantry...Omg... it's an every cook's paradise hahha( as far as I'm concerned)....That fridge of hers is sized like a Cupboard and that pantry ... its magic!! Someday I desire to have ownership of a simliar if not even larger- in an obscenely vulgar sense Fridge like that... and a Pantry the size of a master bedroom... :P

For now however.....I have to be content with a humble :human" not "goddess-like"pantry cupboard. BUT I always aim to fill it up with all sorts of stuff . reason- Because I can ! ;) and who wants to go down all the way to the grocery to buy a missing ingredient when one's in the midst of baking/cooking a dish? Nothing's more fustrating than realizing midway that you dont have THAT ingredient...which you will always believe - IT is The Crucial ingredient that makes or break the dish.... or putting it in another way.... your reputation ;)

To date... I am proud to say that I am an owner of a KITCHENAID mixer...yes the CHAnel of all cakemixers... THat's the mixer every aspiring chef has ..you see it on cook shows...TV series ( like F.R.I.E.N.D.S)... i somehow always manage to spot the exact same mixer on these shows...and decided that THIS is IT..and will have to get it at all cost.... ;P

A Heavyduty blender is another MUST to have!! I dont own a KitchenAid one at the moment...somehow I have managed to resist from purchasing one.... the moon must have turned blue and pigs flew over it ... I do have an excellent blender from another source/brand....BUT I have to stress that owning a KITCHENAID blender is still a possibility! ;)

So at the end of the day... not everyone of us can be like Nigella or Jaime ..complete with a big fat pay check....guess I gotta make do with what I've got! Here's some pics of my current pantry ( quality not quantity!) , my greatest invesment in life- KITCHENAID... and the blender which is not KITCHENAID.... heheh.. ONe must be abundantly equipped with the right tools to create wonderful dishes....but the most important tool- is a passionate heart( well having talent helps of course...of which I am blessed ! ;P) HAhaha...whatever!