Cookie Monster cupcakes Cookie Monster Cupcakes will go down a treat at any little kids party and with this technique they will be done quickly without the use of any fancy equipment. You will need: Cupcakes (vanilla cake recipe at bottom of princess cake post or chocolate cake recipe) Blue Buttercream (buttercream recipes can be found here) White chocolate melts ... »
I took these melting moments to playgroup this week and the mums loved them. So here is the recipe for you. The biscuit recipe is the one used by Julia Taylor in MasterChef - an Australian TV show. Buttercream and Jam are my own versions. Melting Moment Biscuit Recipe 180g (6.35 ounces) or 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp ... »
The Adriano Zumbo cookbook 'Zumbo' is filled with all the sweetest things that you could imagine from 'salted butter popcorn zumabrons' (macarons) to 'gibbo & zumb's australian adventure' - my rendition is pictured above. But is ithis cookbook too complicated to be of value to most home cooks? In my opinion this book definitely has not ... »
Believe it or not, you can make these buttercream cupcake frosting flowers using only a ziplock bag. They are super easy and quick, making them ideal if you need to frost a large number of cupcakes with buttercream. I wanted to develop a way of piping flowers without the need for specialty nozzles and piping bags. ... »
Basic butter cream or American buttercream is an easy cupcake frosting to make. Today we will look at the basic recipe and some of my favourite variations. UPDATE: See seven different frosting recipes in a taste test and in the Aussie sun for a heat test on this more recent post. You may also like ... »
Take 2 x 250g (8.82 ounces) packets or 5 2/3 cups marshmallows and split into white and pink. So you end up with 250g (8.82 ounces) or 2 3/4 cups white marshmallows (eat the pink ones or use in hot chocolate). Add one Tablespoon of water and microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir, repeat until melted. Mix in 450g (15.87 ounces) or ... »
Chocolate sphericals are like an explosion of melted chocolate in your mouth. After many failed experiments I have finally developed a recipe that not only works but tastes divine. You have got to try these. Molecular Gastronomy Kits are available here... 200mL (6.76 fluid ounces) or 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp cream (35% fat) 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (optional) 20g (0.71 ounces) ... »
I am often asked why have my macarons failed?! Why are there no feet?! Why have the macaron shells cracked? And which recipe do you use for your macarons? So here it is... french macaron recipe and troubleshooting. On a recent holiday I found a 200 year old cookbook on my mums bookshelf. It tells ... »
Fondant Recipe Ingredients 1/2 cup or 176g (6.21 ounces) glucose syrup 1 tablespoon or 15ml glycerin 1 tablespoon or 14g (0.49 ounces) gelatin 1 tablespoon or 15ml water 900g (31.75 ounces) or 7 cups plus 2 Tbsp pure icing sugar Extra 1-2 teaspoons of water as needed Fondant Recipe Directions Place the glucose syrup and glycerin in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and then add t... »
"Your flight has been delayed..." " Your flight has been cancelled. Please collect your baggage". Not the words you want to hear when you have a cake to make! I usually plan ahead sufficiently to ensure that I do not have a very late night before a kids party. I need energy for the party. ... »
My youngest is now a one year old, running around the house opening draws and pulling things out of the pantry cupboard. I wanted his first cake to be special - not just in looks but in taste. He had never had chocolate, lollies or cake before so this was a big day. The cake I ... »
The fondant decorations on this cake were based on some of my little ones favourite toys - I wanted something that he would recognise. He gave the biggest smile when he saw the cake - priceless. Fondant Teddy Bear, Owl and Sock Monkey Video Instructions for Fondant Teddy Bear Video Instructions for Sock Monkey Video Instructions for Fondant Owl Here ... »
As my youngest son's first birthday is rapidly approaching I realized that I have never posted the 1st birthday cakes for my other two boys. So here is a pic of the first fondant covered cake I ever made. I used a book from the library, yes it was back in the ... »
Make you next dinner party stress free by planning ahead. Cheesecakes can be prepared weeks ahead and left in the freezer. Pull them out the morning that you need them, decorate and defrost in the fridge. You can even make individual sized ones using fancy cupcake wrappers in a muffin tin. Just defrost one for ... »
Chocolate is so versatile it makes a great decoration for most plated desserts. Here are just a few examples of what you can do. Firstly make sure you are using tempered chocolate or your decorations will not set firm. VIDEO PART 1 VIDEO PART 2 Chocolate Curls (pictured below on Banoffee Tart) Spread some chocolate onto overhead projector sheet, ... »
Water is to chocolate what kryptonite is to superman. Just a tiny drop and melted chocolate seizes and becomes thick and grainy. So how do you fix seized chocolate? You add more liquid - while adding more kryptonite might kill superman, it will fix chocolate. Try adding some hot cream and the chocolate will smooth out again ... »
Here's a fun video for you to watch... the long summer school holidays are drawing to a close and I thought I'd let the boys loose in the kitchen! A great time was had by all. Easy Brownie Recipe 100g (3.53 ounces) or 1/3 cup plus 2Tbsp butter 2 eggs 1 cup or 216g (7.62 ounces) sugar teaspoon vanilla and dash marsala (optional) 3/4 cup or ... »
Why Temper Chocolate Have you ever melted chocolate to make decorations only to find once it sets it is soft, dull and bends over when it is not in the fridge? That is because it is not tempered. Chocolate manufacturers use equipment to precisely control the temperature of the chocolate during processing to cause the fat molecules ... »
To quote a friend... "I HAVE to get the recipe off you for that pavlova...I think I am having withdrawls this week and can still taste how divine it was!" If you've never had it, then imagine chocolate mousse encased in a crisp meringue shell, topped with cream, chocolate and strawberries. Yummm! And the ... »
As we walked to the party venue carrying this cake my eldest remarked "Mum everyone is staring at us". I reassured him that they were looking at the cake not us. Step 1: Make your fondant details up to 4 weeks ahead of time (fondant basics tutorial) and allow them to dry hard. For this cake ... »
The perfect dessert for someone who likes a little bit of everything. "This is the yummiest thing I have ever tasted in my life", was a comment from one of our beautiful dinner guests. Entremets are amazing to eat but can seem complex to make because of the sheer number of elements involved. Here is ... »
Dessert Candy Buffets can look impressive on a small budget or they can look cheap on a big budget. Use these tips to get your table looking like it's out of a magazine. 1. Work out your budget - This is the best place to start because it effects everything else. Think about the number of ... »
Are you UP for a challenge? Download the printable pattern below for this gingerbread mansion from the UP movie and start baking. Purchase the UP Gingerbread House Pattern To make the size house shown print on A3 paper. Hover over pictures for instructions. For this house I used the gingerbread dough recipe from masterchef. I swapped half the glucose ... »
Before guests arrive prepare an array of toppings - you will need the basics for the kids like ham, cheese and pineapple. For the adults try some chicken, prawns, bacon, cabanossi, sun dried tomatoes, chilli, terryaki sauce, olives, red and green capsicum, baby spinach, haloumi cheese and baby bocconcini. You will of course also need pizza ... »
You can flavour your ice cream by adding different things to the boiling cream - for example a mashed banana, melted dark chocolate, a donut, vanilla beans...it's up to your imagination. If you would like a fruit syrup based ice cream swap the 150ml of cream for 150 ml of fresh strained juice from ... »
