Just Cake Pops

Cake Pops have become a huge thing lately and I think Bakerella just may have something to do with it. There is everything right with a bite sized piece of cake, mixed with frosting, rolled up into a ball, shoved on a lollipop stick and decorated to your liking. What wouldn’t you love about that?

It’s perfect for any, if not all, occassions and there are endless opportunities to let your creativity run wild. Continuing with my baking obsession I thought I would show you just some of the things I’ve made for all sorts of reasons. Credit does go to Bakerella who I find absolutely inspirational and some of my ideas have been derived (note, not copied) from hers. I really hope you enjoy this photo post to come =)

Bride and Groom Cake Pops

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish my cousin Jerry, and my soon-to-be cousin, Joshua, a happy wedding day for tomorrow (April 28, 2012). JJ, here’s to your perfect wedding day and a lifetime full of happiness, love, hugs, laughter, smiles and desserts. xoxo

Football Cakepops

Happy 24th Birthday to my boyfriend, who I like to call, Biggie A. Knowing that the boy likes to eat bite sized things, I figured cake pops (or balls as some like to call it) were the way to go. I didn’t want to do the boring old cake ball on a stick so I made something that I knew he would appreciate – a football.

Valentine’s Day Pops

I’m generally not one to celebrate Valentine’s Day but I thought I would try and get into the spirit and make a few things for this occassion.

Happy One Month, baby Leon

This is just a quick post to say.. Happy One Month to my baby nephew, Leon. I cannot believe he is a month old already! To celebrate this occassion I baked my favourite cupcakes – red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (recipe used from my friend, Betty’s Bites).

Enjoy it little man…. and can I just say, I love my baby bottle and baby jumpsuit cookie cutter :D And please excuse the wonkyness of the shapes – it was my first time dying fondant and using cookie cutters (yes, I am a noob).

Auntie Tina loves you very very very very veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy much! xoxo

Chocolate Lava Cake

As a lover of all things chocolate, what better way to end a weekend than with a comforting, warm, gooey, home made chocolate lava cake? To some this dessert is also known as chocolate fondant. After many weeks of telling my pregnant sister that I would make this for her, I finally came around to fulfilling that promise.

Freshly baked Chocolate Lava Cake

The recipe that I have found feels almost fool-proof, well, to me and the 5-6 times that I have attempted to make this dessert. I have always ended up with a moist chocolate cake, with a gooey centre that just leaks out as you cut it open. Perfect, absolutely perfect I say.

Watching the oozey centre leak out

Chocolate Lava Cake (Serves 2)
(adapted from Trissalicious)

Ingredients:

50g dark chocolate (I used 50% cocoa)
50g unsalted butter
60g caster sugar
50g plain flour
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Optional; 2 Lindt Lindor squares (white or milk chocolate)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160ºC (for fan forced).
2. Butter two ramekins (approximately 7.5cm diameter).
3. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl in the microwave until fully incorporated. Time varies but try 15-20 second intervals until well combined.
4. Whisk the egg, egg yolk and sugar until pale and thick. (Can use either a hand whisk or electric. I used hand for the convenience). Pour in melted butter and chocolate and mix until well combined. Fold in the flour until just incorporated.
5. Divide the mixture between the two ramekins. Optional: Drop a lindor square in each ramekin and slightly tap it so that it sinks in and is submerged in the cake mixture
6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Let the ramekins sit for 5-10 minutes to slightly cool, then turn onto a plate, remove the baking paper and now it is ready to serve.

Tina’s Tips:

• Best eaten straight away with a scoop vanilla ice cream, which helps cut back the slight richness of the chocolate lava cake.
• I like to line the bottom of the ramekin with a small piece of baking paper so the cake won’t stick to the base when turning it out.
• Feel free to dust the buttered ramekins with a little cocoa powder before adding in the cake mixture

So very glad that my first proper post has been published. I cannot wait for the journey ahead…….