Coffee and Walnut Cake

It was one of those booky, readingy, coffeey, listening to laid-back music kind of days.
I was hanging with my trusty side-kick Buster thinking it's more like an
Autumn day than a Spring one.
The ghosts of 'autumn cakes past' were calling me.

I had a recipe I was keen to have a go at so I chopped some firewood
and stoked up the old range (or more accurately, clicked the gas gun
and fired up the white enamel Chef cooker) and set to work.

This recipe has a big slurp of sour cream in it and then it's all the
regular gang, butter, flour, eggs, sugar.
A whizz around with the electric beater then in the oven.
Easy Peasy.

You can't beat the flavour of baked walnuts in a cake, can you?
I love 'em.
Think I'll pop on over to my neighbours and share a big fat slice.

Photos: Spring, 2011

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Pear, Macadamia and Creme Chantilly

Beautiful juicy pears from the vacant house over the back.
Recipe from the June 2011 iss-yoo of Real Living Magazine.

I'm trying to think of the right word to describe this cake, but I keep
coming back to "flat on the tongue".
I dunno even know what that means!
You know that flat feeling that goes across the mid back of your tongue?
No?
Just me then?
It's very cocoaish - without the sugar.
The first piece I had, was while it was still warm, and I was disappointed.
The second piece - the next day, I liked A LOT better.
The flavours seemed to compliment one another much better.
And the pears!!!
Heavenly.
I think by my third piece, I'll be totally in love with it.
It's a grown-up kinda cake.

Wanna taste?
I'll slip some in the mail.

Added: can most DEFINITELY confirm - after pieces 3,4,5 & 6,
this cake is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.


Photos: June, 2011

Pear, Pistachio and Chocolate Cake

Well, hello there, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.
I see you've been conspiring with your mate the sun
to fill all fruit with ripeness to the core!
Thanks!
You're awesome!
(apologies to John Keats)

This is such an easy recipe to make.
If you are new to baking I'd thoroughly recommend giving this one a crack.

It comes from an excellent little book
my sister, Leigh found for me - The SBS Foodies' Diary.
As soon as she saw the type of recipes it featured,
she knew it was for me!

We (Mum, Clarrie the Morris Minor and me
- Vince had to stay home in case Clarrie packed it in and I had to ring him to come and get us)
took the cake - still warm - on a picnic.
I felt obliged to give it a round of applause after I polished it off.
It was just like a big gooey nutty peary jaffa.
What's not to love?

Photos: April, 2011

Apple Cake

So, after I made the Green Apple Jelly, I had some mush leftover.
I don't like to waste stuff.

Those apples put so much time and energy into growing, it would seem cruel
just to throw them in the bin.
I went looking for a apple mush leftover cake recipe.

Now, if I was an experienced baker
- I would know there are basic rules for cake-making and I probably could have made up my own.
But I don't really have a clue
- so I put my trust in some random recipe from someone's blog and had a crack.
What I really liked about this recipe is that you cook the sultanas and currants in tea (I'm a big tea fan).

Well, well, well
- (3 holes in the ground - have you ever heard that before? A fellow I worked with used to say that)
I was pleasantly surprised.
It's a bee-yooo-tiful cake.
Made even more beautifuller by splitting it and putting
in a layer of Green Apple Jelly and cream.
(Tip-which everyone probably already knows except me
- wait til the cake is cool before you put the whipped cream on,
coz it melts - but geez it tastes good!).

Photos: Home - April, 2011