princess ruffle cake

My friend Maddy is a hard-core Disney lover, she looks and acts like a princess (and I mean that in the best possible way), and she can beat anyone at Disney trivial pursuit. When she sings, woodland animals prance into her bedroom and do her hair. She is an excellent singer and I can’t wait for her to be famous.

Maddy had her eighteenth birthday recently, and had a princess themed birthday dinner. We all dressed up, leading to some slightly alarming Disney princesses, and ate cupcakes and pizza and Indian food. I contributed some beauty and the beast inspired cupcakes (which you’ll have to pick up my zine to see) and a flourless chocolate ruffle cake. Unfortunately I didn’t get to taste it as there was a small medical emergency; however Maddy ate it in bed the next day and informed me that it was delicious.

vanilla glazed doughnuts

In a previous post, I have outlined my love of cinnamon doughnuts, and although they will always hold the highest position in my heart, I cannot ignore all other flavours, that would be unethical. I decided to make some vanilla glazed doughnuts, and as I never follow recipes when making icing, they didn’t turn out quite how I expected.

 

I was aiming for a thin, pastel glaze in blues and pinks, and instead managed to way over pour the food colouring and ended up with very dramatic looking doughnuts. Although they weren’t what I was aiming for, I was still pleased as they just looked so pretty!

raspberry and dark chocolate macarons

Macarons are without a doubt one of the most fun, whimsical and pretty things that anyone can bake, they can be any colour, any flavour (as Adriano Zumbo is well aware of, vegemite flavoured!? I’m not that Australian,) and are incredibly impressive when tucked into a nice box or stacked on a cake stand.

 

Before I received this book for Christmas this year, my macaron adventures had been a bit wishy washy, sometimes I’d sit outside the oven bouncing and clapping my hands as I saw the feet forming, and other times I’d pull them from the oven only to see flat, cracked blobs of disappointment.

I made these raspberry and dark chocolate macarons for my sister’s boyfriend’s sister, whom I had never met, because they’re her favourite. I was particularly pleased with how these turned out, and the combination of a raspberry reduction and rich chocolate ganache was perfectly sandwiched between the pastel pink shells. I then used some pink, red and blue food colourings and vodka to paint hearts onto the macaron shells.