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Tuesday 31 July 2012

Step House Hotel.


We went for our first family Sunday jaunt out of the city yesterday
 and ended up in Borris, Co. Carlow.
 We stopped by the wonderful Step House Hotel for lunch and 
I just had to share a couple of photos of our incredible desserts.


I had the 70% Chocolate Pavé with Roast Banana, Peanut Butter Ice-cream and Kahlua Syrup



 My other half had the White Chocolate Delice with Passionfruit Sorbet, Roasted Peaches and Mango Pureé.




The rest of our lunch was pretty amazing too, although I scoffed the lot before I remembered to take my camera out!...oh well there's always next time.



Thursday 26 July 2012

Nectarine Upside-Down Cake


Nectarine Upside-down Cake


Since having my baby girl 6 weeks ago I've been trying my best 
to stay on the straight and narrow.  And what better 
way to indulge my sweet tooth then with fruit. Some deliciously
 ripe and juicy nectarines.....baked in a cake.....that's still healthy, right?
 


We came across these beauties on our weekly shopping trip to Aldi, where they were
on special offer for an unbelievable 45cent a punnet!! We ended up carting home two boxes full. I flicked through my bookshelf and a few of my favourite blogs for some ideas.
I first spotted this on David Lebovitz.com but after much deliberation I decided to try out a home grown blogger's recipe instead (with a few tweeks as I was lime-less!). Many thanks to Babaduck for the inspiration!!

Here's what you'll need:   

5-6 Nectarines, sliced 
175g Soft Butter, plus 1 tbsp
150g Light Golden Brown Sugar, plus 2 tbsp
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
 3 Eggs
3 tbsp Creme Fraiche
120g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
 


 How to:

Preheat oven to 180c/350f/Gas Mark 4. 

Melt 1tbsp of butter in the base of a 9inch (23cm) springform tin over very low heat.

Then sprinkle with 2 tbsp of golden brown sugar.



Slice the nectarines and arrange in concentric circles. 

Try to pack in as much fruit as possible as it they will shrink in the oven.



Repeat this process until all the gaps have been filled.



Cream the butter and sugar together for 3-4 mins until light and fluffy.


Add vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
( I use a homemade vanilla paste. I'll post more about that later!)


 
Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is well incorporated.


Next, sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold until 
everything is well combined.


Fold in creme fraiche.



Pour the batter over the nectarines and smooth the top with a spatula or palette knife.


Ready for the oven!

Bake for approx. 40mins or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.


Leave to cool in tin for 10 mins. 
Then invert the tin onto a wire cooling rack.
 Once turned upside-down, the juice from the fruit will run 
into the sponge leaving you with a deliciously moist cake.









YUM!

Monday 23 July 2012

Fondant Flowers.



My first attempt at covering a cake with fondant.


Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ruffle Cake.


I first spotted this wonderfully frilly number on marthastewart.com and I thought that it looked like a good place to start on my baking adventure. I wanted a challenge. And as I've never made a Swiss meringue buttercream before or used a piping bag, I figured that this was as tricky as it gets for a cake decorating novice.
 


After doing little more research online, I discovered the
incredible Sweetapolita.
 I just loved her version the Buttercream Ruffle Cake and
 I adored the contrast of her Rich and Dark Chocolate Cake
against the pretty peachy pink buttercream.
 So I decided to give it a go!

 Thanks Sweetapolita for the endless inspiration!


The final result is far from perfect but for my first attempt I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty proud!!


You can find the original Sweetapolita recipe for the cake layers here.

And all you need to know about Swiss Meringue Buttercream here, here and here!

Enjoy!!