Pistachio and Strawberry Rose Meringue Cake

This stunning cake is the ideal centerpiece for a girly afternoon tea in the sunshine. Serve with beautiful rose champagne, and make sure you have lots of hungry guests with a sweet tooth. The lightness of this cake is perfect for warmer weather or a wedding celebration. The pictured cake was made by my talented friend Georgie, who has a cupcake and sweet business in Brisbane called Narnies Cupcakes. She can make an array of gorgeous treats, including macarons of all colours and flavours, beautiful wedding cakes and cupcakes, and can cater to your personal preferences and occasion.
Pistachio and Strawberry Rose Meringue Cake

*Please note, I have modified this recipe slightly from the cake pictured here. Original recipe was featured in the 2013 Gourmet Traveller Magazine, 'The Baking Cookbook'. 

Ingredients:

Cake by Narnies Cupcakes

• 1 punnet of strawberries, cut into small wedges
• 3 tablespoons of caster sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 200 grams of creme fraiche
• 3 tablespoons of sifted icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon of rose water

Cake:

• 5 eggs, separated
• 150 grams of caster sugar
• 170 grams of plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 140 grams of pistachios, finely chopped
• 80 grams of butter, melted and cooled

Icing:

• 3 eggwhites
• 190 grams of caster sugar
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon of rose water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Whisk yolks and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (5 - 7 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. 
2. Whisk egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form (3 - 4 minutes), fold in yolk mixture, then sieve over flour and baking powder and fold in along with pistachios and butter. 
3. Spoon into a 20-cm diameter cake tin (buttered and lined) and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Cool slightly in tin and turn out to completely cool on a wire rack.
4. Trim the top of the cake so it is flat and cut in half horizontally.
5. Combine strawberries, caster sugar, lemon juice and rose water and lightly crush with a fork, leaving ingredients to sit together to macerate for 30 minutes.
6. Strain the liquid from the strawberries to use to cover the sides of the cake. Keep the strawberries aside.
7. Whisk together the creme fraiche, icing sugar and rose water and set aside for later.
8. To make the icing, stir caster sugar and 50ml of water in a saucepan over low heat to dissolve the sugar, then simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk the eggwhites and cream of tartar with a electric mixer until soft peaks form (2 - 3 minutes). Whisking continuously, add in sugar syrup in a thin steady stream until mixed. Increase speed of the mixer to high until the mixer is cooled - this takes up to 12 minutes, then whisk in the rose water.
9. Place one piece of the halved cake on a serving stand. Cover the top of this cake with the creme fraiche mixture and scatter over the reserved strawberries.
10. Top this first half of cake with the second half and cover with meringue icing. Smooth over the outside of the cake using a palette knife. You can serve with scattered rose petals or candied rose petals**.

*This cake is best eaten the day it is made.
**To make candied rose petal, brush unsprayed rose petals with eggwhite and rush in caster sugar. Set aside to dry on a wire rack and store in an airtight container until required.

Giant Chocolate Button Cookies

These cookies will win the hearts of many and they are so satisfying, I think you can stop at one and feel you have adequately treated yourself; although I can't promise that theory will stick! The key to these rich biscuits is using Cadbury's giant chocolate buttons, making every bite filled with the perfect ratio of chocolate and cookie. You only need a few ingredients to make these stunners; they are the perfect present for young and old alike and never disappoint.

Giant Chocolate Button Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 180 grams of organic butter, very soft
• 1 cup of caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
• 1 packet of Cadbury's giant chocolate buttons
• 1 egg at room temperature

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees and line a large baking tin with grease-proof paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, whip the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fluffy.
4. Sift in the flour and pour in the chocolate buttons, mixing with a wooden spoon to gradually combine.
5. Once the ingredients are combined, take a large tablespoon of the mixture and roughly shape into a ball.
6. Place the ball on the tray and slightly flatten.
7. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, leaving a couple of centimeters between each biscuit and they will spread when cooking.
8. Bake for 18 minutes, until golden but still soft. If you prefer your cookies more crisp, leave in for a few minutes longer.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Store in an airtight container for a few days.

Jam and macaroon slice

So after blogging about the macaron/macaroon fiasco, I reminded myself how much I do love some decadent macaroons. To recap, macaroons are not the delicate little French beauties, they are the plain and simple (but absolutely delicious) rich coconut cookies. With a lonely jar of jam sitting in the fridge, I decided to take my baking one step further and make a jam and macaroon slice. Old-fashioned and a frequenter at bake sales, jam slice is one of my favourite afternoon cheat treats. Slices are easy to make and I use a disposable foil tray, which means there is hardly any clean up and you have a portable present to bring friends.

Jam and Macaroon Slice

Ingredients:

• 140 grams of organic butter, softened
• 3/4 cup of caster sugar
• 2 organic eggs
• 1 and 2/3 cups of plain flour
• 3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 3/4 cup of jam of your choice (I used raspberry)

Coconut macaroon topping:

• 2 cups of dessicated coconut
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• 1/4 cup of white sugar

Method:

1. Spray a large deep baking tray or disposable foil tray with cooking oil.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (moderate heat oven).
3. Beat butter, sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir together to combine into a dough. 
4. Press the dough into the baking tray until flat.
5. Heat the jam in the microwave until melted and stir. Then pour the jam on top of the dough and cover evenly.
6. To make the coconut topping, beat the eggs, butter and sugar together and mix in the coconut. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the slice.
7. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until browned on the top and cooked through. If the coconut topping is getting too brown, cover with foil and continue baking until the bottom dough is baked.

Kit-Kat flavours: 'Cause you're big in Japan!

Now I know I am a skinny cook, but confectionery is of such interest to me. The packaging, creative flavours and pure diversity is just so darn enticing! Damn those clever marketers! I am still coming to grips with the fact that while chocolate and candy should comprise a tiny part of our diet, it takes up half our grocery stores. While I resist the urge to buy chocolate most of the time, one chocolate bar that has sparked my interest is the humble Kit-Kat. While it may not have an illustrious career in Australia, the Kit-Kat is Japan's most beloved snack. And conquering the competitive snack food market in Japan is no small feat. Visiting a convenience store in Japan is a breath-taking experience, with glittering packaging, inventive and umimaginable foods, and endless choices. For someone like me, who would admittedly buy anything in pink or glitter, I would find an excuse to pop in just to gawk.

Now while I think chocolate dominates our grocery stores enough, in Japan, Nestle's faithful chocolate bar the Kit-Kat has its own dedicated aisle. Visitors to this aisle will find Kit-Kats in a stunning array of flavours, from soy sauce or sweet corn, to salty caramel or blood-orange. Kit-Kat has something for everyone.... I'm sure there is someone out there who just has to have that soy sauce Kit-Kat!

Over a decade, Nestle has produced more than 200 Kit-Kat flavours to suprise and delight. So famed, one advertisement depicted a student taking a rhinestone emblazed Kit-Kat to an exam as a good luck omen and now one quarter of Japanese students do the same! Some flavours are traditionally inspired, such as pickled plum, mashed edmame or red azuki bean. Others capitalise on particular seasons in Japan, such as the cherry blossom Kit-Kat, only sold in Spring. Some Kit-Kats are sold in specific regions, the potato Kit-Kat is sold in Hokkaido, which is famous for producing spuds.

While it is impossible to list all the Kit-Kat flavours, let your tastebuds imagine these: pineapple, green tea, chestnut, caramel macchiato, apple, espresso, pumpkin, muscat grape, watermelon, vegetables galore, sweet vinegar and beef! Beef?! Have you tried any of these? I think I need to do further investigation... think of the cupcake possibilities!

Peanut butter cookie muffins

Freshly baked peanut butter cookie muffins

Peanut butter is one of my favourite flavours of all time; I just love it so much, so so much! I don't know why it is such a magical food to me but I can't get enough of it (until I read the back of the jar and remember one tablespoon is 150 calories, then I quickly shove the jar to the back of the pantry.) It's a bit of a love/hate relationship. This little creation I came up with is the combination of half cookie, half muffin in a bid to satisfy both cravings. Crunchy on the outside and soft and substantial in the middle, these muffins are robust enough to constitute a full meal, which means you can get away with having this for breakfast occasionally. Slightly over baked to get a full golden crust encasing the entire cake, they are best eaten when still warm. While these muffins are a bit of a cheat's meal, they are low GI, which means they will keep you fuller for a much longer time than your average muffin and it would be a pretty tricky feat to eat more than one.

Peanut Butter Cookie Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of crunchy peanut butter
• 100 grams of salted butter
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar + extra for topping and base
• 3/4 cup of low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup of oats
• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• butter for tops and greasing pan

Method:

1. Microwave the butter on low heat for 10 seconds until softened and very slightly melted. Add the 3/4 cup of sugar and peanut butter and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until creamy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
3. Heat the milk in a small jug until warm and pour into the peanut butter mixture, mixing well. Allow this to cool before adding to flour.
4. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder and add the oats.
5. Make a well in the centre of the flour and oats mixture and add the peanut butter mixture.
6. Gently mix ingredients all together until combined but not overworked as the flour can go tough and make the muffins like rocks in the centre.
7. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
8. Fill each muffin hole with your muffin mixture and top with a small knob of butter and more brown sugar.
9. Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 25 - 30 minutes until very golden brown and crunchy.
10. Immediately remove to a wire rack to cool, and after 5 minutes, cover with a tea towel.

Valentine's Day turkish delight and fairy floss cupcakes

These cupcakes are the epitome of romance flavoured with rose petal and sugary fairy floss. I made mine gluten-free and with soy milk; they turned out perfectly. I've been told it's one of my best efforts - and a great flavour for a girly party. In saying that, the boys love them too!





Valentine's Day Turkish Delight and Fairy Floss Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 quantity vanilla cupcake or cake mix
Fairy floss - I used Pariya food Pashmak persian rose flavoured fairy floss
Red food colouring
Turkish delight, 8 pieces chopped
120 grams of butter
3/4 cup of icing sugar

Method:
1. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2.Make the vanilla cupcake mix as per instructions and add 1/2 teaspoon of red food colouring.
3. Mix in the turkish delight and 1/2 cup of fairy floss.
4. Fill each muffin hole 3/4 of the way up with the cake mix.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until set and cooked through.
6. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
7. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar and 1/2 cup of fairy floss until light and fluffy.
8. Ice each cupcake and top with heart-shaped freckles.

Sweet and salty crunchy slice

This is the ultimate chocolate slice that sets off explosions in your mouth of sweetness, crunch and a hint of saltiness. The combinations are heavenly and this is a treat to whip up for a party (yes you will impress all) or to use as a gift for someone extra special. This recipe came from Nigella, who devised the recipe after snacking on salted peanuts and chocolate simultaneously. I don't know of anyone else who would admit to doing that late at night but I will thank her for it because this recipe is great. Although, I will issue a slight warning - very addictive. Best to make this with the intention to give most of it away...

Sweet and salty crunchy slice

Ingredients:

• 200 grams of milk chocolte
• 200 grams of dark chocolate
• 150 grams of organic butter
• 4 tablespoons of golden syrup
• 1 packet of salted roasted peanuts
• 1 large Crunchie bar
• 1 oven foil tin

Method:

1. Melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup on low heat in a small saucepan. Once melted and mixed together, take off the heat and mix in peanuts and crush in the Crunchie bar. Immediately pour into the foil tray and smooth down with a spatula.
2. Cover with clingfilm and put on a flat surface in the freezer or fridge. The freezer will obviously cut down setting time (which is four hours in the fridge.)
3. Once set, cut up into squares with a sharp knife. I like to individually wrap each piece in foil and store in a container in the freezer (I think they taste better cold from the freezer but this is personal preference.)

Decadent royal scones and home-made cherry jam

Do as the Royals do and indulge yourself in tea and a sumptuous scone. I must confess, this scone recipe does not qualify as a skinny sweet. I did use thickened cream as an ingredient and double thickened cream as a topping....need I say more...but I have also devised a skinny sweet counterpart for this recipe. Check out my skinny scone version here.

What made these scones even more delicious was the accompaniment of my home made cherry jam (and yes, some gorgeous fresh cream). Making my cherry jam is very simple and is well worth the little extra effort. As a child, I remember loathing the chunky bits of strawberry in the jam on my toast. My cherry jam is a little chunky but instead of chewy over-processed strawberries, the jam is filled with juicy cherries which have a slightly sour edge, balancing the sweetness of the jam itself. The combination is truly delightful.

This is a fabulous recipe to serve at an afternoon tea with girlfriends, to make as a treat for your family or to serve as a special dessert, adding the jam and cream to create a take on the strawberry shortcake. I call them my Royal Scones because there is nothing more British than a scone and these ones are the creme de la creme of their category.

Decadent Royal Scones

Ingredients:

*3.5 cups of self-raising flour
*300 ml of thickened cream
*250 ml of organic lemonade

Directions:

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the fizzy lemonade and drizzle over the cream. To mix together, cut through the mixture with a blunt knife until all the ingredients start to come together. Then lightly flour your hands to begin gently kneading the dough until a soft ball forms. If the dough seems a little too sticky, don't worry, just add a sprinkle more of flour until the right consistency is achieved. The key here is to not overmix the dough, treat it with loving respect and the outcome will be light fluffy scones. This is not the time to pound out your frustrations, or your scones will be rubbery and hard enough to be quite the weapon if throw with a good arm. Although if you are feeling particularly angry, this might be the exact scone you are after...

Roll out your ball of dough quite thickly onto a lightly floured surface. I cover my kitchen bench with two pieces of cling film, which is easy to wrap up and throw away the mess when you are finished. Using a knife, cut your dough mixture into rough squares (or whatever shape eventuates). I made ten scones from this recipe.

Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees) for about 10 - 15 minutes, until the scones have risen and coloured golden.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cool, wrap in foil to keep fresh and leave them on the kitchen bench - your family will happily help themselves!

Cherry Jam

Ingredients:

*1 tin of stoned cherries in natural juice (mine was 350 g)
*1/2 packet/50 g of jam setta (or whatever jam sugar you can find)
*250 g of white sugar
*1/2 a vanilla pod

Note: The idea with jam is to equal the quantity of fruit with the quantity of sugar. I use less white sugar in this recipe because the jam setta is very sugary tasting and after experimenting with quantities, I think this is the best balance. I prefer my jam to not taste too sweet.

Directions:

In a large saucepan, add the cherries and juice, sugar and jam setta. Turn the heat on high. Halve your vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the saucepan, then add the pod, which you will remove before storing your jam.

Bring jam to the boil then let vibrantly simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. You can now transfer your jam mixture to a jar/jars of your choice, remembering to take out the vanilla pod. I use recycled jars from around the house. To steralise your jar, make sure you have run it through the dishwasher first. Once you have poured the jam into your jar, seal tightly and refrigerate. Be careful not to let the jam stick to your skin during this process, it will still be molten hot and thus be quite painful....

Rachel Bilson's skinny tips

In the March edition of Madison, Rachel Bilson gave a few tips on how to dress for your body type. Being so petite, Rachel understands that lengthening your siloutte is key to looking more slender. Rachel says a pair of nude heels is 'the best trick' as they give you a few inches more leg.

The former OC cutie doesn't play into Hollywood drama and doesn't take her beauty and fitness routine too seriously. She wears what she likes with light make up and natural hair.

When friends stop by, she prefers to do her own cooking to entertain. Loving baking, she credits her skills to her Italian mother. Her favourite is an orange coffee cake.

Orange Coffee Cake - recipe by Paula Deen

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan
* 1 (16.3-ounce) can refrigerated biscuits
* 1/4 cup minced walnuts
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons orange zest

Glaze:

* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 2 tablespoons orange juice, or more as necessary

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

Separate the biscuit dough into 8 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in the center of the pan. Cut the remaining biscuits in half, forming 14 half-circles. Arrange the pieces around the center biscuit with cut sides facing in the same direction. Brush melted butter over the tops of the biscuits.

In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, granulated sugar, and orange zest. Mix well and sprinkle over biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, and orange juice. Blend until smooth adding more orange juice, if needed, to thin. Drizzle glaze over the warm coffee cake and serve.

Nigella's christmas cheer and her star-topped mince pies

Now don't worry, I will have PLENTY of low-fat Christmas sweets and treats for you this holiday season, but to kick off the cheer, here is one of my favourite Christmas foods - the traditional mince pie. Many people are quick to write off the mince pie, full of fruit and spice, they don't have much to do with the 'mince' you may think of but are so much more special than that. I love mince pies because they are one of those tastes and flavours that you don't encounter at any other time of the year. They instantly bring on Christmas cheer.

Nigella is the queen of Christmas; she adores the season and embraces all facets of the holiday - from decorations, to mulled wine, kitchy treats and edible gifts. She is the go-to source for Christmas recipes and her star-topped mince pies are quite a treat. I made tiny baby versions, as I figured this made them automatically more skinny. They make a divine gift and are freezer friendly if you want to be nice and prepared for entertaining over the Christmas break. Just defrost them a few hours before serving or pop in the oven.

Follow Nigella's poetic instructions:

This is the way I make my mince pies, and there is no changing me or them: they are small, to be popped straight into the mouth in one go; the pastry is plain, the better to contrast with the rich, fruited filling; and they have not full casings but little stars as lids, which makes them look beautiful and taste flutteringly light.

By all means use good shop-bought mincemeat if you want, but I’m hoping you might give my new Cranberry-Studded Mincemeat a go (see p.189): it tastes both rich and boozy and fresh and fruity at the same time; and it makes for a slightly different mince pie, but in a welcome rather than challenging way.

With mince pies, I must have butter of some sort: I’ll take brandy butter (my mother’s), rum butter or a brown-sugar bourbon butter (see p.190 for butter recipes). Mince pies are to be savoured – not just as one of the last truly seasonal foods in England, but also as a home-grown culinary triumph, provoking one delighted Frenchman to exclaim in a letter, as quoted proudly by Agnes Jekyll in her Kitchen Essays: “ce que j’adore dans la cuisine anglaise ce sont vos petits mince-pi”.

Star-topped Mince Pies

Ingredients:

* 240g plain flour
* 60g vegetable shortening, such as Trex
* 60g cold butter
* juice of 1 orange
* pinch of salt
* approx. 350g mincemeat
* icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Get out a tray of miniature tart tins, each indent 4.5cm in diameter, along with a 5.5cm fluted, round biscuit cutter and a 4cm star cutter.
2. Measure the flour into a shallow bowl or dish and, with a teaspoon, dollop little mounds of vegetable shortening into the bowl, add the butter, diced small, shake to cover it, then put in the freezer for 20 minutes. This is what will make the pastry so tender and flaky later.
3. Mix together the orange juice and salt in a separate, small bowl, cover and leave in the fridge to chill.
4. After the 20 minutes, empty the flour and fat into the bowl of your food processor and blitz until you’ve got a pale pile of porridge-like crumbs. Pour the salted juice down the funnel, pulsing until it looks as if the dough is about to cohere; you want to stop just before it does (even if some orange juice is left). If all your juice is used up and you need more liquid, add some iced water.
5. If you prefer to use a freestanding mixer to make the pastry, cut the fats into the flour with the flat paddle, leaving the bowl in the fridge to chill down for the 20-minute flour-and-fat-freezer session. Add liquid as above. I often find the pastry uses more liquid in the mixer than the processor.
6. Turn the mixture out of the processor or mixing bowl onto a pastry board or work surface and, using your hands, combine to a dough. Then form into 3 discs (you’ll need to make these in 3 batches, unless you’ve got enough tart tins to make all 36 pies at once).
7. Wrap each disc in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.
8. Roll out the discs, one at a time, as thinly as you can without exaggerating; in other words, you want a light pastry case, but one sturdy enough to support the dense mincemeat. This is easy-going dough, so you don’t have to pander to it: just get rolling and patch up as you need.
9. Out of each rolled-out disc cut out circles a little wider than the indentations in the tart tins; I use a fluted cookie cutter for this. Press these circles gently into the moulds and dollop in a scant teaspoon of mincemeat.
10. Then cut out your stars with your little star cutter – re-rolling the pastry as necessary – and place the tops lightly on the mincemeat.
11. Put in the oven and bake for 10–15 minutes: keep an eye on them as they really don’t take long and ovens do vary.
12. Remove from the oven, prising out the little pies straight away and letting the empty tin cool down before you start putting in the pastry for the next batch. Carry on until they’re all done.
13. Dust over some icing sugar by pushing it through a tea strainer, and serve the pies with one of the butters on p.190.