Sunday, February 17, 2013

finally some food!

It has been a while since I posted some food - and that's not to say that I haven't been cooking because I most definitely have! I forgot to photograph a whole lot of it though, since I have been so lazy with my postings as of late. I was looking through my photos and thought I would share a recipe for the easiest and most delicious moist chocolate almond cake that you make in the food processor! The original recipe is from the Peter McInnes website (although my version is adapted, but the website has a whole stack of delicious recipes designed for KitchenAid appliances of which I have a growing collection. I love them all, they are brilliant and mix, chop, blend, knead and do pretty much anything else that you want them to in the most efficient way! This recipe uses the food processor, and turns out a delicious, moist, mouthwatering cake that rises exceptionally well, is firm enough for fondant icing, and will leave everyone begging for the recipe!


Read on for the recipe, but i had best be off, much to do now that I'm a Mum!

much love,
frankie.pleure

Chocolate and Almond Swirl Cake

Chocolate and Almond Swirl Cake (Photo by Frances Wright)


Ingredients:
125g butter
1 3/4 cups caster sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
3/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup milk

Chocolate icing ingredients:
125g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pure icing sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180C and line a 22cm cake tin with baking paper.
Place butter and caster sugar in your food processor and process for two minutes.
Sugar and Butter in food processor (Photo by Frances Wright)
Add in the brown sugar and process until well combined.
Add brown sugar (Photo by Frances Wright)
Add in eggs, vanilla paste, self-raising flour, almond meal and milk.
Add other ingredients (Photo by Frances Wright)
Process until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Process until combined (Photo by Frances Wright)
Pour half of the mix into the prepared cake tin.
Half of mix in tin (Photo by Frances Wright)
Add cocoa powder to remaining mixture in the food processor bowl and pulse until combined.
Add cocoa powder (Photo by Frances Wright)
Pour mixture into cake tin on top of the other cake mixture and swirl with a knife until you can see white mixture marbled through the chocolate but be careful to not over mix.
Put chocolate mixture into the tin (Photo by Frances Wright)
Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer. Set cake aside to cool.
Bake cake and allow to cool (Photo by Frances Wright)
To make the icing, place all ingredients in the food processor and combine.
Combine icing ingredients in food processor (Photo by Frances Wright)
Split the cake in half and fill with icing.
Split cake in half (Photo by Frances Wright)Sandwich the two halves together and spread icing all over cake.
Spread icing on cake (Photo by Frances Wright)
Decorate as you wish, or leave plain and enjoy with a cup of tea!
Chocolate and Almond Swirl Cake (Photo by Frances Wright)

Saturday, February 16, 2013

The Slackest Blog Writer in the Interweb...

It has been 2 years, 4 months and 12 days since I last posted (or something like that). A lot has changed since then! My mister came home from Afghanistan in October 2010 and we moved 3,000kms (or so) to Adelaide not long after that. Adelaide was a wonderful place to live, so much amazing food, so many wonderful people. Our house backed onto a reserve where apple and pear trees grew along the path, and the path to the bus stop was hedged with rosemary. We had a fantastic herb garden - with a few veggies thrown in for good measure - and our garden had lemon, lime, blood orange, blood plum, nectarine, and apricot trees, plus the most amazing rose bush. My lovely boy gave me a beautiful diamond ring and became my fiance, and we got pregnant and had a baby (the day before my birthday!). I also finally finished my university degree. Phew! Not slowing down, within 15 months we were again uplifted and on our way to Darwin, NT for a brief six month stint before once more my man was deployed and I moved back home to Townsville, QLD with our gorgeous daughter who is now 13 months old.
Life as a Mum has been pretty full on but so incredible!

You will have to forgive me for not having a chance to post but I am really looking forward to getting back to sharing food and life experiences. Bear with me, but hopefully I will be more diligent about posting regularly! Priorities have changed since my last post, though.

First, the important stuff: Family.

A bit of bling!
The Ring! (Photo by Frances Wright)

Cletus the Foetus
Cletus the Foetus

Best early birthday present ever!
New Baby (Photo by Frances Wright)

Next most important: Food porn (aka - a sample of what I have been cooking and baking over the last two years).

Engagement Pizza.
Pizza (Photo by Frances Wright)

Lentil and Tomato Pie
Lentil and Tomato Pie (Photo by Frances Wright)

Rolled Pavlova with Lemon Curd
Rolled Pavlova with Lemon Curd (Photo by Frances Wright)

Beetroot Fettucini
Beetroot Fettucini (Photo by Frances Wright)

Onion Port Jam
Onion Port Jam (Photo by Frances Wright)

Red Velvet Macarons
Red Velvet Macarons (Photo by Frances Wright)

Rose and Cardamom Macarons
Rose and Cardamom Macarons (Photo by Frances Wright)

Palmiers
Palmiers (Photo by Frances Wright)

Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki (Photo by Frances Wright)

Ninjabread
Ninjabread (Photo by Frances Wright)

Crispy Skinned Salmon with Homemade Beer Mustard and Sourdough Crumbs - Mummy and Mini Meal
Crispy Skinned Salmon with Homemade Beer Mustard and Sourdough Crumbs - Mummy and Mini Meal (Photo by Frances Wright)

Mother's Day Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup and Chocolate Drizzle
Mother's Day Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup and Chocolate Drizzle (Photo by Frances Wright)

Christmas Spiced Rum Balls and Apricot Balls
Christmas Spiced Rum Balls and Apricot Balls (Photo by Frances Wright)

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes (Photo by Frances Wright)

I hope that you have enjoyed, I look forward to writing more in the near future, next post I will share some of the cakes that I have made and the parties I have planned - two of my favourite things! Until then,
much love,
frankie.pleure