Spiced Pear and Cardamom Cake

I went looking for a cake idea for my Mother in laws 64th birthday celebrations the other day, one that didnt contain any chocolate as they are migrane inducing for some poor family members! (the stuff of nightmares for me right there!!) 

Anyway, I came across a picture of a pear and cardamom cake on Instagram that I thought looked amazing but couldnt find a recipe anywhere for one that didnt include chocolate, so I took this recipe and made a few adjustments, came up with this.. and it is a winner! 

Spiced Pear and Cardamom cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cardamom
250g butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

3 large pears, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 180°. Generously grease a 10-cup round cake tin.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer (or food processor like me) on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Stir in sour cream.

Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Stir in pears.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 50-55 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove cake from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

~~~~~

I had been wanting to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream for ages and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.. I'm now hooked! So much nicer than regular frosting and not half as sweet. I looked up a number of recipes and settled on this one from Serious Eats.

• 1/2 cup egg whites from about 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250g butter, cubed and softened at room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Continue to whisk until sugar has dissolved (you can check by rubbing a bit of the mixture between your fingers; the mixture shouldn't feel grainy). If you're not worried about salmonella, you can take the mixture off the heat and proceed.
• If you want to pasteurize the meringue, keep whisking until the mixture registers 160°F on a thermometer, then remove from heat. Using a hand-held or a stand mixer, beat the warm mixture until the meringue holds stiff peaks and has cooled to room temperature.
• Beat in vanilla. Add butter one cube at a time, beating well with the electric mixer after each addition. Sprinkle with salt and continue to mix. The mixture may start to look as if it’s separating during this process but don't panic, just keep beating and the buttercream will come together and become smooth.
• (Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container or a zipper-lock bag for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To use buttercream that has either been refrigerated or frozen, first allow to come to room temperature, then beat until smooth and spreadable again. Cakes or cupcakes decorated with buttercream generally keep up to 3 days when refrigerated in an airtight container. Allow buttercream to come to room temperature before serving)
• 
  
• Decorate your cake and enjoy! 
• 
  
• 
  

Our favourite cookies

Hey guys! Its been nearly a year since I last posted something on here! I've missed this space so much but kinda lost my blogging mojo. I found it again today, not sure if it will last or not but in the meantime here is a super yum chocolate and almond cookie recipe I came up with to use my favourite chocolate. 

Pretty much the perfect combo. 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2T hot water

2t vanilla

1 cups rolled oats

3 cups flour

1t salt

1t baking soda

3/4 block of whittaker's dark almond chocolate (roughly chopped).

Cream the butter and sugars in the food processor, add eggs, vanilla and hot water. Scrape down the bowl and throw in the rolled oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Empty the mixture into a big mixing bowl and add the chocolate.

Roll into balls and place onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins until lightly browned.

You're welcome

x

stress free lunches

With a total of 7 school lunches to be made every morning these past weeks 

 I needed to devise an easy plan. I was reminded about these stuffed bread parcels I used to make and just like that the stress was gone!

A few batches of these, wrapped straight from the oven and popped into the freezer meant that the kids could easily make their own... a bun and muffin from the deep freeze, a piece of fruit, one treat and voila! 

Done!

Here is my super easy, yummo recipe for stuffed buns or scrolls 

(I use a breadmaker at the moment for these but also make them by hand... it's just a tad more time consuming!)

6 tsp yeast

2 T sugar

50g softened butter or 3T oil

1/4c milk

2 1/2c warm water

1 1/2 tsp salt

6 cup flour

Set to dough timer but pull out once it has all kneaded and started to rise. On my one this is when there is about an hour to go but all breadmakers are different so it may be a wee bit of trial and error. As it is a large batch it will overflow if left too long!! Also keep an eye on it and add more water/flour as needed to produce a soft but relatively firm dough (does that even make sense!!?)

Tip out the dough and roll it out to a large rectangle about 1/2 cm thickish. I split this lot in half and made half sweet and half savory 

For the savory ones I spread a mixture of tomato paste and relish over the top, added grated cheese and ham/bacon and then cut them into squares and pulled the opposite corners over and squished them in the middle.

 I also roll them up sometimes and make scrolls like I did here with the sweet ones. These have softened butter rubbed over, been sprinkled with cinnamon, brown sugar and chopped up dark chocolate. In a word. Divine.

Cook at 200C for around 15-20 mins. Till golden brown and oozing melted cheese. 

Or chocolate.

 Preferably not both at once.

If you have the self control to not eat them right then and there...

Cool slightly, wrap and throw in the deep freeze 

and enjoy an extra few minutes with your coffee in the mornings without the time consuming hassle of making lunches!

Go you!

xx

this week - a stills collection

     1. Capsicums a-ripening in the greenhouse

     2. Through the fence  - wishing our yard included this space!

     3. Baby olives 

     4. Sneeky, cheeky boy!!

     5. Getting my bake on - so many tummies and lunchboxes to fill.. its a neverending story!

     6. Succulents. My fav.

     7. My five school babies. Only two left at primary now! The years are flying.. slow down!!

Joining in over here 

xx

MOST SCRUMPTIOUS BANANA CAKE {IN THE WORLD}

... and did I mention it is so easy and super fast!?! Win win in my book that's for sure!

125g butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
2 mashed bananas
1 1/2c self raising flour
1/4 c milk

Melt the butter, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the banana then the egg. Mix through flour then milk gently

Bake at around 170 for around 40 mins. 

Done.

I then drizzled with a simple chocolate icing for extra yumness but that is entirely optional. 
Also.. I will try doubling next time. By the time afternoon tea was consumed and a slice wrapped for lunches the next day it was all gone. Oh the joys 

Let me know what you think? 
Baked anything simple and scrumptious lately?

~ our week ~

Em

                    1. Rainy day muffins - perfect with a cup of  tea by the fire
                    
                    2. Player of the day! Whoop whoop
                   
                    3. Getting organised - I made a weeks worth of these to fill the lunchboxes

                    4. Busy building his Lego creations

                    5. Sunday afternoon sleeping with mama

                    6. A constant struggle for all of us... wise words by Theodore Roosevelt 

Belatedly joining in with Em from the Beetleshack for the weekly stills collection

xx

~Utterly Divine Passionfruit and Coconut Cake~

If you are looking for a super easy and totally divine cake for dessert or afternoon tea today then this is the one for you!

•   
• 1 cup self raising flour, sifted
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 125 g butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 passionfruit pulp
• 2 tbsp lime/lemon zest, finely granted
• thickened cream, to serve
• 
  
• Syrup
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 4 passionfruit pulp
• 1/3 cup lime/lemon juice (I used lemon instead of lime throughout and it was delish)
• 1 tbsp finely grated lime/lemon zest
• 
  
• Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Lightly grease a ring cake tin
• In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut and sugar. Add butter, milk, eggs, passionfruit pulp and zest. Mix lightly until combined.
• Pour into prepared  tin. Bake for 30-35 mins or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer. Transfer to a wire rack, top-side up.
• 
  
• Lime & Passionfruit Syrup: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over a low heat without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil on high. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-10 mins, until thickened slightly.
• Serve cakes drizzled with syrup and accompany with cream.
• 
  
• To.Die.For
• 
  
• Note: Just in case you are interested... I realized as I started this cake that I had no baking powder... eeek! With a baby soundly sleeping I didnt want to run to the shop and I needed to get this in the oven.... a quick search on the ole' interweb and I discovered that I could mix 1tsp of cream of tartar and 1/2tsp of baking soda and Voila... you have baking powder! Whoop whoop.. it worked a treat!!
•