Ensaymada- Filipino Sweet Brioche Buns

I am really excited to make this post as Ensaymada is something is close to my heart as it really reminds me of my childhood.

My Mum would visit one of her Filipino friends Lucy and borrow Filipino movies.. I would LOVE to come, as every time we would visit I would get some Ensaymada.

Cheesy, sugary, buttery buns.. I haven't eaten them in years as I could never remember the name of them.. I had found this recipe by Burnt Lumpia on http://www.foodgawker.com/.. and all I can say is THANK YOU!!

Even though I don't really like to make bread as I don't have the patience for it and it is SUPER high carb.. I HAD to make it. I have never been THAT excited to make something.. I stayed up sooo late watching my dough rise.. I really felt like a baker :D

As a surprise, I'm also posting some to my Mum back at home. I know that she loves them too and I can imagine the look on her face when she opens up the parcel :)

Surprise Mumma!

Ensaimada- Filipino Brioche Buns
Sourced from: http://burntlumpia.typepad.com/burnt_lumpia/2009/03/filipino-ensaimada.html

Makes: 12 sweet brioche rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

2 envelopes active dry yeast

3/4 cup milk, warmed (105 degrees F--110 degrees F)
1 tablespoon, plus 4 tablespoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
4 teaspoons salt
3 whole eggs
9 egg yolks
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened at room temperature


Filling (all are optional):

Grated Edam cheese (I'd used this filling in 4 buns)
Cinnamon and brown sugar
Macapuno (coconut strings)


Topping:
(Do not skimp on these as they are the highlight of the buns)

Milk: for brushing on top before baking
Softened butter: for brushing on top after baking

Sugar: for sprinkling
Grated Edam cheese: for sprinkling

Method:

Day #1

In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the yeast, warmed milk, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Stir with a spoon to combine and let sit for 3-5 minutes until mixture is foamy.

In a separate large bowl, sift together the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, all-purpose flour, bread flour, and salt. Stir to combine.

Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and beat with the paddle attachment of your mixer for 2-3 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks together.

Add the eggs to the dough and continue mixing on medium speed for 3-5 minutes more, until dough just comes together (you may have to scrape down the sides of your bowl and your paddle a couple of times before everything is combined).

At this point, the dough is pretty tough, but your mixer can handle it. (mine did.. just)

After the dough just comes together, remove it from the stand mixer and place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick.

Place half of the butter in the middle of the dough, then fold 1/3 of the dough onto the butter towards the centre. Place the other half of the butter onto the middle of the dough, then fold over the other 1/3 of the dough onto the butter making a parcel.

Fold the dough into a little package or ball shape, and place back into the work bowl of the stand mixer. (This way of incorporating the butter ensures that it actually gets into the dough. If you just added the butter a tablespoon at a time to a running mixer, most of the butter ends up on the walls of the work bowl and on the outside of the dough, rather than on the inside. I learned this tip from Alton Brown's brioche recipe.)

Exchange the paddle for the dough hook on your stand mixer, and knead the dough and butter for 10-15 minutes on medium speed until butter is well incorporated and the dough becomes glossy and elastic--you may have to scrape down the bowl and hook a few times. (you will notice that it will begin to pull away from the sides)

Remove the dough from the work bowl and roll into uniform ball. Add the dough, seam side down, to another large bowl that has been lightly greased. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in volume, 1-3 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. (Mine rested for 1.5 hours and it was HUGE!

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, roll it into a ball again, then place back into the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the covered bowl into the refrigerator overnight.

Day #2

The next day, pinch off 24 balls from the dough, each about 2-inches in diameter. Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the dough balls to rise again for another hour.

Roll out a ball of dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is about 12x4 inches. Sprinkle your filling of choice (cheese, cinnamon and sugar, macapuno) in the center of the rolled out dough.

Roll the dough over the filling lengthwise into a rope shape about 14-inches long. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls until you have 24 ropes.

Take two of the ropes and twist them around each other to braid them. Repeat with the other ropes until you have 12 sets of braids. Then form each of the braids into a spiral shape, making sure to tuck in each of the ends.

(I only filled 4 with cheese and used the rope method.. I gave up and ended up making the rest in spiral shapes with no filling). Place each spiral into a greased fluted brioche mold, or into a greased 4-5 inch tart ring. I'd used just a plain baking sheet. I like the rustic look

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 Celsius). Brush the top of each of the Ensaymada rolls with some milk, then place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Bake until the rolls are golden brown on top (you can leave them in there for longer if you want them a deeper brown).

Fresh from the oven...

Remove the buns from the oven and let cool slightly. Brush the warm buns generously with melted butter butter, then sprinkle on as much sugar and cheese as you'd like.

Enjoy the AWESOME!!

Individual Crispy Topped Shepherds Pie

Sadly, after an awesome weekend... Sunday rolled around :(

Sunday nights are usually my chance to let my creative juices flow as I have more time to create really yummy dishes.

My feet still looked like two big hunks of dirty, slapped around pieces of meat after Soundwave festival and I wanted to whip up something easy and get out of the kitchen ASAP - So that I could recover and do nothing!


Individual Crispy Topped Shepherds Pie

Sourced and adapted from www.taste.com.au

Now individual pies as my pie dish and is now missing..


Ingredients (serves 6)

1/3 cup olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons Fountain Tomato Paste - Used Home Brand
1kg lean beef mince
1 tablespoon Gravox Concentrated Beef Stock - I used OXO Cubes
1 cup water
400g can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons Gravox Traditional Gravy Mix
2 carrots, peeled, diced
1 cup frozen peas- Didn't have any peas on hand lol
700g Desiree potatoes, thinly sliced
125g tasty cheese, finely grated


Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 8 minutes or until soft. Add tomato paste. Cook for 3 minutes.

Increase heat to high. Add mince. Cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until browned. Add stock, water and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Stir in gravy mix and carrots. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Add peas.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 10-cup capacity ovenproof dish (or in my case 5 Ramekins). Spoon in mince.

Combine potatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper. Arrange one-third potatoes over mince. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers, finishing with potatoes. Drizzle with remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Increase heat to 230°C. Remove foil. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Please let me know what you think of my photo. I made up a lighting box on Friday, but somehow it may have offended my new kitten Lola..

Lighting box no longer exisits LOL.

Soundwave Choc Mint Rice Bubble Bars

FINALLY! After 6 months of patient waiting... Yesterday was Soundwave Festival! Mr BB had bought the tickets for my Birthday last year and it is the best present I have ever recieved! (Sorry Mum, but a granny-style table cloth isn't going to cut it anymore)

For those of you who don't know what Soundwave is, you can loosely say that Soundwave is a 'Big Day Out for metal bands'. It is MASSIVE!

I saw some of my FAVOURITE bands: Taking Back Sunday, Clutch, Paramore, Meshuggah, AFI, Jane's Addiction, Trivium, Escape the Fate and Finally HIM. I wish I could have seen a few more but ran out of time :(

Below is a video of Paramore.. I was in the crowd somewheres lol:



HIM is my favourite band, and has been for a LONG time. I even have 2 HIM tattoos!.. So, I was in the mosh pit and only 1 Metre from Ville Valo..*drools* (After waiting an Hour, unwillingly watching Escape the Fate who was on before them). Let me just add the Mosh pit is what I would imagine hell to be like - It was hot, damp, crap around your feet, people shoving, fighting, dying of thirst, but no water in sight.. all of that pain to see a band? It was worth it :D

Anyways, I bet you are wondering if I am going to talk about food yet...

As Soundwave was going to take up the majority of my weekend (Prep-sleep, pre-drinking, the actual festival, then recovery Today- Yep I have the WORST headache right about now). I figured that I may as well get my baking fix out of the way in the morning before I left...

These are 'No-bake'.. but you get the point :D

Choc-Mint Rice Bubble Bars

Adapted from http://www.kelloggs.com.au/ricebubbles

Cooking time: Refrigerate until set

Makes: 24

INGREDIENTS

4 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Bubbles®- I used Home Brand.. (Its cheaper)

1½ cups icing sugar, sifted

1 cup desiccated coconut -Used Shredded Coconut

250g copha®*, chopped - I just used regular Home Brand unsalted butter.

3 tbsp cocoa

¼ tsp peppermint essence- I added this into the slice mixture

100g of dark cooking chocolate 50g of unsalted butter

M&M's (optional)

METHOD

Line a 23 × 33cm rectangular cake tin with Aluminium Foil

In a large bowl, mix the Kellogg’s® Rice Bubbles®, icing sugar, cocoa & coconut.

Slowly melt the copha® in a saucepan over a low heat.

Allow to cool slightly.

Add to Rice Bubbles mixture, stirring until well combined.

After preparing chocolate crackles mixture and press firmly into a foil lined cake tin. Refrigerate.

Slowly melt the cooking chocolate in the microwave, stopping and stirring in 10 second intervals. When melted. add butter. Microwave for a further 10 seconds and stir to incorporate

Spread over chilled base

Return to refrigerator until firm.

Cut into pieces.

copha®* – Registered trade mark Unifoods Australia *Kremelta in New Zealand

I found this to be quite redneck-ish so I guess I wouldn't make it again lol.

I've also started experimenting with a lighting box to take better photos.. What do you think?

Sickey Friands

I wasn't feeling 100% at work today, and I went home ill.. The funny thing was that when I got home, I felt better! It was a sign! :D

So I bring to you, Cherry and White Chocolate Friands!


Cherry and White Chocolate Friands!
Adapted from Sunbeam recipe on the back of my Almond Meal


Ingredients
1/2 Cup of Plain Flour
1 1/2 Cups of Icing Mixture
100g of Almond Meal
5 Egg Whites
125g Butter, Melted
100g White Chocolate, Melted
Glace' Cherries- not too sure how many, I would say about 15-20?




Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Beat your egg whites until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, combine flour, icing sugar and almond meal, mix well.

Once combined, gently fold in your egg whites, then add butter and melted chocolate. Add chopped cherries and mix until evenly distributed.

Grease a friand tray or in my case a mini muffin tray. Fill until about 3/4. Bake for approximately 20 minutes





Really easy to whip up and don't forget to serve along side with a cup of tea or coffee.

The Best Pancakes

Well, well well.. Happy Pancake Day everyone!

I know that everyone claims to have their own famous recipe and techniques for classics of the cooking world, but I kid you not, I have the BEST recipe for good old traditional pancakes.

I find that our Saturdays are pretty hectic these days- with work, our social lives and not to forget our pain in the ass housemates who NEVER know when to leave us alone. It's hard to finally have some decent one and one time with Mr. BB.

I find that if I manage to grab him before he is rushed out of the house, then I can get atleast 5 seconds alone. Solution? Pancakes.

I'd originally stumbled across this recipe on www.leaveroomfordessert.com mid last year. I gave it a go and looking back on my pancake track record (since I was about 8), these have been the best ones yet.

The Best Ever Pancake Recipe
Recipe from www.leaveroomfordessert.com

2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
75g butter, melted
extra butter for frying

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Whisk in beaten eggs, milk, sugar and butter. Sizzle some extra butter in a non-stick frying pan and pour in batter to desired size.

Flip when bubbles appear and cook until golden.

How simple is that!?

Toblerone Cheesecake

YUM YUM YUM YUM! I heart Toblerones.. and to make a Toblerone flavoured cheesecake.. EVEN BETTER!

Soo, I bet you're wondering how I was inspired to make this.. Well I was visiting the Coles at Mt Ommaney during lunch and they had a clearance on Dark Chocolate Toblerones for $0.51.. No joke! 100g of awesome, delicious, dark, Toblerone for 51c! I bet you guessed it.. I bought the LOT! so about 16 total. 1.6Kg of one of my favourite chocs for $8.16.. Not bad if I don't think so myself.

I made heaps of goodies out of my super stash of chocs.. But this one in particular I had made for my friend Tish. She loves it when I cook up a storm, as she does deserve a bit of a break as she works full-time, has a husband annnddd 3 kids.. I'm tired already just thinking about it *phew*.

I wanted to make her something sooo yum, but I REALLY couldn't choose what to make out of the 2 recipes I had.. So I made both.. My the other 1/2 of her gift will be on my next post... Perfect example of how they say "Saving the best for last". It's worth the wait!

So here's my recipe:

Ingredients

Base

250g Oreo biscuits (with filling)
100g unsalted butter, melted

Filling
4 gold-strength gelatin sheets or 2 tsp of gelatin powder
500g cream cheese
200-300g of Toblerone chocolates- It's up to you what kind you want to put in
3/4-1 cup of castor sugar (amend to taste)
300ml thickened cream
1 tsp of vanilla essence
1x 100g Toblerone to decorate
Melted white chocolate to decorate

Method

Grease and line the base of a 21cm spring-form pan. Place the biscuits in a food processor and process to fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process to combine. Press into the base of the pan and chill for 30 minutes.

In a microwave proof bowl, place broken up Toblerones into microwave, stopping and stirring chocolate at 10 second intervals with a spatula until completely melted. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese with a beater until smooth and fluffy. Heat about 1/3 of cream in a saucepan over low heat, then add gelatin to the warmed cream. Stir off the heat until gelatine dissolves. Stir cream mixture into the cheese mixture.

Beat remaining cream with electric beaters to soft peaks. Fold into the cream cheese mixture with the cooled chocolate. Pour over the base, then chill overnight until set.

Melt white chocolate in microwave using the same method. Drizzle over the chilled cheesecake. Use as glue for pieces of decorative Toblerone so that they wont fall off.

That's it! Mmmmmm, Keep reading to see my next post to see what was the other 1/2 of her delicious, mouth watering gift :D

Decadent Brownies!

When I'm seriously craving some sugary food- you know how you just can't get those thoughts of really yummy things out of your head! I know that I can't help but be naughty, and HAVE to get my fix and definitely want something worth being bad for. I know that if I head to Woolies or the bakery down on Park Rd, there is a chance that I may be let down and could be a total waste of my empty calories! Therefore, I always try and make it my sugar fixes myself.

I always wonder what I'm going to make, and this is my fail-safe. Super decadent, chocolate of course, moist to the point where could almost consider it juicy, BROWNIES!

I effing LOVE brownies! Brownies are the bomb, not to forget my Emo doesn't mind NOM-ing a few down too.. Chocolatey, buttery goodness! And would you believe it? I had NEVER tried one up until about 6 or 7 months ago! Usually after about a month or so, I change my mind about what I'm into, but brownies? Well there hasn't been anything close to them yet.

Good on their own, or with toppings like peanut butter icing, chocolate ganache, white chocolate chips? Hell you can even add things like strawberry oil or mint essence.. Mmmmmmmmm.. In the picture above, I've added white chocolate chunks, bittersweet glaze and white chocolate squiggles to dress them up a bit.

So here is one of my successful recipes I use 90% of the time. I can't remember where exactly I sourced it from.

Makes approximately 12-16 pieces.. I suggest doubling this recipe as they won't last.

Ingredients

3/4 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
200g unsalted butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a 5-6cm deep, 18cm square pan with parchment paper.

Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Add eggs and vanilla.. Mix well then sift flour and cocoa over chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.

Pour batter into your cake pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until just set I like to pull mine out about 5 minutes early as the heated mixture continues to cook once removed. Set aside to cool. Once cooled lift out cover in Cling Wrap and refrigerate overnight as this helps it set again

The day after - if you've waited that long, remove from fridge cut into squares and EAT!

Bacon and Corn Relish Dip

Ok, so I have a date night coming up. No not one of those 'Date Nights', I already has my Emo, but with one of my besties Tish :D

So we're heading to the movies to see Daybreakers (Yep, filmed here is Brisvegas) at the Myer Centre. Honest to god, I HATE the lack of variety of snacks at the movies. Ohh popcorn, ice cream.. it's always the same. So always bring my 'Extra large handbag' to sneak in some low-carb goodies.

One of my all time favourite snacks to make is Bacon and Corn Relish Dip. I whip this up if we're going to have guests over, a party (in a Cob Loaf), or even if I just want it on its own. So therefore I wanted to share my faithful recipe.


Ingredients

1 Tub of creamed cheese
1 Jar of Corn Relish (About 300mL)
100g of diced Bacon
1 Brown onion (diced)
1/2 Tbs of oil for cooking
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley or Chives (Optional)

With this recipe, you don't really need to measure as you can go entirely by taste.

Heat your oil on a medium-high heat, add your onions. Fry until softened. Add your diced bacon and fry to your liking. I usually make it a bit crisp.

Once your onions and bacon are cooked, add your creamed cheese. After a few moments, it will melt/soften from the heat, that's when you add your corn relish, and season to taste.

Stir until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Spoon into a ramekin and garnish with parsley or chives.

Serve with water crackers, toasted turkish bread or cut veg..

Heart Shaped Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Sooo, I was thinking about the upcoming Valentines day..


Sometimes I wonder if Valentines Day is just a holiday made up by Hallmark or Florists to try and boost sales.. But even if you do think that, I know that everyone still is secretly hoping that someone will be their Valentine.


So, I was trying to think of those who wont get anything- As I have been one of those people many times in the past, I wanted to try and make some goodies to give away before Valentines day.


Instantly cupcakes came to mind.. but I always do cupcakes- Mainly because they already come in individual servings and does'nt require cutlery of any descripton.. but screw cupcakes! I am sick to death of always being the person at work who brings in cupcakes. "Great pattycakes.", "Cupcakes were yum.", "Can you give me the recipe for those cupcakes you brought in the other day?" "Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!"


I want something wayyyyyy better to make those super ronery people feel better about themselves :D


When I think of St Valentines, I think: Hearts, chocolates, cards, LOTS of the colour red.. and not forgetting your unmentionables ;). I thought cake pops, but I am sick to death of seeing them everywhere aswell! And like a light to moths, I was instantly drawn to Red Velvet Whoopie Pies!


Moist, soft, delicious, filled with decadant cream cheese frosting, and not to forget red.. But, I didn't want them to be in just 'flat cupcake form', and also wanted to incorporate a few more aspects of Valentines day into it. So I decided to make them heart shaped! :D




Red Velvet Whoopie Pies



2 Cups of general purpose flour
1 Tsp of salt
1 Tsp of baking powder
2 Tbs of unsweetened coco powder
1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 Cup of unsalted butter (softened)
1 Large egg
1/4 Cup of sour cream (room temperature)
1/4 Cup of milk (room temperature)
1 Tsp of vanilla extract
1 Bottle of pillar box red food colouring



Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (approx 160g) Packet of creamed cheese (room temperature)
160 Grams of unsalted butter (room temperature)
400 Grams of powdered sugar
1 Tsp of vanilla extract


Preheat your oven to 160 degrees and line 2x baking trays with parchment paper.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla in a jug, set aside.

In a seperate bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg.

Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then add 1/2 of the wet, repeat again until you end with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients until just blended, do not overbeat.

Spoon batter into a piping bag (I used a disposable one as I assumed that the batter may stain my good piping bag (as it did my bench top and my hands :D)

I piped my batter into heart shapes, but you can do whatever shape comes to mind.

Bake for 6-9 mintues or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean, being careful to watch the pies as they will cook quickly. Allow them to cool completely on baking trays.

For cream cheese frosting, use an electric mixer to beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla and start adding powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. It's not necessary to use all of it, whatever you feel is right.

To assemble your pies: Once cooled, match your pies up (so that both sides are the same size, as mine ranged in sizes), pipe your cream cheese frosting into the inner flat side of one pie, and attach other side. Repeat until all are done.

You can be patient and wait until they are refridgerated, but I ate mine straight away.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to tell me how your Valentines Day goes!

Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes

So, I had a dilemma: 2.36pm I get an email at work letting us know that we have a morning tea the next day.. Lunch has already passed and my Emo wants my car when I get home - so I couldn't really go out and buy any ingredients or even some grocery shop goodies that I can claim as my own. So what could I do?

Of course I was looking though http://www.foodgawker.com/ instead of actually doing any work and I stumbled across a recipe from http://www.mysweetkitchen.blogspot.com/ for Ice cream Sundae Cupcakes.Seriously that is some serious food porn right there.

I fantasized about diving into one as soon as I saw them! As soon as you bite into them, light, moist, chocolaty cupcake, with delicious buttercream, a rich thick sinful chocolate ganache centre.. and don't forget the toppings.. More ganache, mini marshmallows and crushed peanuts... mmmmmmmm *drools*.

I could NOT help but want to make these! I love making sweets that trick the eye and also had almost all of the items in the recipe - the only thing lacking was Maraschino Cherries what was a let down, because I lovvvveeeee Marachino Cherries. *sad face*.

In the end, my cuppycakes turned out OK, not as pretty as the ones on sweetest kitchen. Most of them went throughout the day even though there were a lot more sweets you can choose from- Monte Carlos, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Swiss Roll, Apple Tea Cake, Party Pies, Chips, and some heavenly looking chocolate, cherries and cream layer cake.

I ate about 4 of the 24 total.. Trying to make it not so obvious except the noises coming from my desk.. "Mmmmmmmm...!" and "Munch Munch Much"

I seriously recommend making these, you won't regret it!!

Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Hershey’s
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

Method
Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper baking cups.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Using the cone method, fill cupcakes with chocolate ganache (recipe follows). Frost with buttercream (recipe follows) using a round piping tip, then spoon chocolate ganache glaze (recipe follows) on top of buttercream. Put sprinkles on as soon as you finish putting the ganache on each cupcake, just in case the ganache hardens too much for the sprinkles to stick. Push a maraschino cherry into the top of each mound of frosting (the ones with stems make a better presentation!).

Chocolate Ganache Filling
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes enough to fill 12 cupcakes (with a little leftover)

Ingredients
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

Method
Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and stir until combined.

I put the ganache in the refrigerator to firm it up just a little teeny bit, about 15-20 minutes I think it was. It was still pourable, but it wasn’t dripping everywhere, either.

Vanilla Buttercream
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method
Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes enough to top 12 cupcakes (with a little leftover)

Ingredients
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup

Method
Place chocolate in a medium-size heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.

Gently stir chocolate and cream until totally combined; begin near the center of the bowl and gradually work your way toward the edge, pulling in as much chocolate as possible, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Coconut Macaroons

Simply more-ish!

Lately, I haven' had that much time to myself to bake as I have been moving house.. I really wanted to get my baking fix but really only had limited time... and when you move house with the people I live with, well it seems like your the only one who puts in any effort.

Anyways.. I was searching recipes on http://www.taste.com.au/ instead of working (he he) and stumbled across the recipe for Coconut Macaroons. With only 3 ingredients and 20 mins cooking time, I couldn't help but make these.

So simple to make, if you have ever made royal icing, then you can make Coconut Macaroons..

Ingredients
3 eggwhites, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut- I tweeked this a little bit, I used shredded coconut


Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the eggwhites in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until soft peaks form.

Add the sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, beating continually, until the mixture becomes stiff and glossy. Add vanilla extract and fold through with a spatula.

Add the coconut, 1/2 a cup at a time, and gently fold through with a spatula until evenly distributed, being careful not to overwork the mixture.

Place spoonfuls of the batter onto a baking tray lined with greased baking paper. For classic French-style macaroons, use a piping bag.

Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the macaroons are lightly browned. Remove from the baking paper immediately and cool on wire racks before serving.

and Vio-la! Light, airy and don't forget really delcious tea time treats!