The antidote to worrying about colour choice? Start a project with random scraps of yarn. It can’t go wrong!
Work in Progress
Fourteen squares completed, I think I’ll need about 40 or so to make this blanket. And, like usual, I’m having what I call craft anxiety. I’ve mentioned it before and it happens at some point during most major projects, whether its crochet or painting or an extravagant six-layer rainbow cake. The I did love it, but now I’m not sure I like it at all thoughts usually pass and I keep working on the project. Sometimes though, I deliberate for a while before continuing and sometimes I don’t finish the project. When I do keep going I always end up happy with the result. Fingers crossed that happens with this granny square blanket.
Filed under Craft, Crochet, Work in Progress
Anzac Biscuits
April 25 is Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand, a day of remembrance for those who served our countries. These sweet, oaty, crispy biscuits were said to have been sent to Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers during World War I by their wives and families.
Recipes for Anzac biscuits don’t vary too much, just remember they never contain egg and are never to be called cookies. Golden syrup is a pale-coloured treacle, similar in colour and consistency to honey. It is widely available in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. I’ve also read a version of golden syrup is popular and locally produced in Louisiana, so US bakers may have luck finding it in that area. Light corn syrup is a suggested alternative, but true Anzac biscuits always contain golden syrup.
Anzac Biscuits
Recipe from Woman’s Day magazine
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
125g butter, chopped
1 tablespoon golden syrup
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Directions
Preheat oven to moderately low, 160°C. Line baking trays with baking paper.
In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar and coconut.
In a small pan, combine butter and golden syrup. Stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes until melted.
In a small jug, combine water and bicarbonate of soda. Stir into butter mixture. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix well.
Roll pieces of mixture into walnut-sized balls. Arrange on prepared trays, leaving a 4cm space between each biscuit to allow for spreading. Press lightly to flatten.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Biscuits will harden on cooling.
Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Cake
This recipe is my new favourite chocolate cake recipe. Chocolate cake with mousse-like chocolate frosting and dark chocolate ganache drizzled on top. I think I’ll tweak the recipe a little further but it’s pretty darn good just the way it is.
Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Recipe adapted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented, By Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.
Ingredients
For the classic chocolate cake
3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup sour cream
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbs vanilla extract
For the chocolate frosting
180g dark chocolate, chopped
180g milk chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tbs light corn syrup or golden syrup
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, chopped into 1 inch pieces
For the chocolate glaze
180g good quality (60-72%) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8 inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the parchment with flour and knock out excess flour.
In medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder and sour cream with 1 1/4 cups hot water and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes – the mixture will appear to string or ribbon throughout the bowl. Add the sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing about 10 to 15 seconds after each addition until the egg is incorporated into the mixture. Then turn the mixer to low, add the vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.
Beginning with the dry ingredients, add the dry mixture and the cocoa mixture to the mixer bowl in three alternating parts, ending with the dry. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Use an offset spatula to level the batter. Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 30 to 45 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack and let them cool completely. Remove the parchment.
Make the chocolate frosting
Place the chopped chocolate and milk chocolate in the bowl of am electric mixer. In a small saucepan bring cream and syrup to the boil, remove from heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture until completely smooth. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
With the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed, gradually add the butter and mix until well combined and smooth. Chill frosting for a few minutes until it can hold its shape.
To assemble the cake
Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Trim the top to create a flat surface, and evenly spread about 1 1/4 cups frosting on top. Add the next layer, trim and frost it, then add the third layer. Spread a very thin layer of frosting over the sides and top of the cake and put it in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to firm up. (This is known as the crumb coating and will help you keep loose cake crumbs under control when you frost the outside of the cake.) Spread the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate it for 15 minutes to firm it up.
Make the chocolate glaze
Place the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir the glaze to release excess heat. Cool until it is still pourable but not hot to the touch. Otherwise you may melt your frosting right off your cake. Drizzle glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake about 15 minutes to set the glaze before serving.
Glaze the cake
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your cake on a wire rack over the baking sheet. Slowly pour about 3/4 of a cup of the glaze over the cake. Use a small offset spatula to smooth it out to the edges. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to set the glaze. Remove from the refrigerator and slowly pour the rest of the glaze over the cake. It should run down the sides in thick streams. You should be able to control the size and length of the streams by the pour. Feel free to experiment, and have no fear in playing around. This is the fun part, and there is no right or wrong way. Chill the entire cake for approximately 20 minutes, or until glaze is set, then transfer to a cake plate. Serve at room temperature.
The cake can be stored, covered in a cake dome or cake saver, at room temperature for up to 3 days
Work in Progress
A new project has begun, with a due date in late June. It is an eight-colour granny square throw and this time I am following a colour scheme I found in a pattern, rather than putting together my own. I’m using Panda Magnum Soft 8ply yarn straight from my stash and I’ve matched the suggested colours in the pattern pretty well. This yarn is so soft and warm, my only wish is the range included more colours – especially a warm yellow. I used the same yarn on the big ripple blanket I finished last year.
Click here for the pattern for an eight-colour granny square throw from Lion Brand Yarn.
Filed under Crochet, Work in Progress
Wish List
I just love these spotty bowls and jugs by Maxwell and Williams. The range is called Sprinkle and I’ve seen it on sale at both Myer and David Jones recently. I wouldn’t mind a large blue jug, a small red jug or red butter dish. And look at how fun those bowls are. The range is priced from about $2.95 – $29.95 a piece before any discounts so they are quite a fun bargain.
Image from International Housewares Association. * I was not paid or compensated for this post, I just like the product.
Filed under Wish List
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Yes, I make these often don’t I? Another batch today – Easter M&Ms and McGrath Foundation pink-and-white M&Ms.
More kitchen sink cookies -
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Adapted from recipe by Martha Stewart
Makes about 40
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Any variation of chocolate, nuts, candy etc like -
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped milk chocolate
2 cups M&Ms
Directions
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line baking sheets with baking paper.
- In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Stir in oats, M&M’s, chocolate chips and chocolate.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto trays, about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. (I roll into balls). Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes (8-10 minutes in my oven). Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.
Hot Cross Buns
Eat these when freshly baked, that’s when they are best. Warm with butter of course.
Hot Cross Buns
Recipe from Gourmet Traveller
Serves 16
Ingredients
Buns
750 gm (5 cups) plain flour, sifted
55 gm (¼ cup) caster sugar
2 tsp (14 gm) dried yeast
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp cinnamon
250 gm (1½ cups) sultanas
100 gm candied orange peel, coarsely chopped
1 orange, finely grated rind only
300 ml milk
100 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
1 egg
Glaze
55 gm (¼ cup) caster sugar
¼ tsp mixed spice
Directions
1. Combine 700 gm flour, sugar, yeast, spices, sultanas, orange peel and rind and 1 tsp sea salt in a bowl. Gently warm milk and butter over a low heat until butter melts and mixture is tepid. Add egg to milk mixture and whisk. Make a well in the centre of flour mixture, add milk mixture and stir. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Knock back dough and cut into 16 equal pieces. Knead each piece into a ball, place in a lightly greased 22cm-square cake pan, cover with a damp tea towel and stand in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
2. Preheat oven to 220C. Combine remaining flour and ¼ cup water and stir to a smooth paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle. Pipe lines down each row to form crosses. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 200C and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden. (They’re ready when they sound hollow when tapped).
3. For glaze, combine ingredients with ¼ cup water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Brush glaze over hot buns, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
