Sarah-Rose's Pantry ♥

Raw Raspberry Cheesecake Bites

2017-09-21T22:25:00.002+12:00

Raw what?

Lately I’ve been really interested in creating healthier alternatives to traditionally high fat treats, like cheesecake. With my new dairy-free diet I actually can’t tolerate a lot of cheese so that means cream cheese has pretty much been eliminated :(

I’ve been researching some new recipes online and I found this one by Vegan Huggs. I made the filling pretty much exactly like their recipe but instead of cherries (because they aren't in season here) I used frozen raspberries. I also eliminated the bottom layer because I didn't have any almonds but I think the base might give it more stability so if I was to make them agin I would put the base on the bottom.

The filling is actually so delicious. You do need to blend the filling for a long time in your food processor to get it smooth and to be honest mine could have been smoother which would have been even nicer I think.

The hardest step I thought was remembering to soak your cashew nuts for at least 6 hours before hand. If you can I’d do it overnight though then it’s even better because they will blend much easier.

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pitted dates
Pinch of sea salt

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups raw cashews soaked in water for 4 hours or more
Juice of one large lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut oil, liquified (in the microwave or a pot)
1/2 cup of canned coconut milk (use creamier part)
1/4-1/3 maple pure syrup ( I like it less sweet, so I used 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons coconut shreds
1 cup raspberries (thaw if using frozen)
Pinch of sea salt

CRUST METHOD:

Process the almonds and dates until if forms a loose dough. Press between your fingers to make sure it sticks together. Add more dates or nuts for the needed consistency.
Fill muffin liners with the crust. Press firmly down. (I used a muffin pan as well, to keep things sturdy)
Pop in freezer while you make the filling.

FILLING METHOD:

Combine all ingredients (except raspberries) in a blender or food processor. Blend until really creamy and smooth.
Pour on top of crust to the halfway mark. Pop back in freezer, while you prepare the raspberries filling.
Place the raspberries into the remaining other half of the filling, blend until creamy and smooth.
Pour raspberry filling on top of vanilla layer.
Freeze for 2-4 hours

Recipe Notes:

Let sit out for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh coconut whipped cream (just whip your left over coconut cream) chocolate shavings, coconut flakes or a little raspberry like I did.

I was a bit too eager and didn't wait long enough so my first one wasnt the best but if you can wait (clearly I couldn't) I think the wait will be worth it.

-Recipe adapted from Vegan Huggs -

Making Lime Curd

2017-09-08T22:25:00.001+12:00

As you know I'm a huge lover of citrus things! So when my lovely antenatal friend offered me a kg of fresh limes from Nelson I jumped at the chance. I had lots of ideas about what I wanted to make but ended up deciding on some Lime Curd.

I made a test batch first because I wasn't sure how it would go and wanted to make sure the recipe worked before comitting to using the whole kilo.

I'm pleased to say the recipe was really great! The hardest part was cooking your mixture so that it thickens but doesnt scramble the eggs. I got a few lumpy bits but they were easily strained off in a sieve.

I'm going to make another batch this weekend and hopefully it will last a few months in the fridge.

Here is the recipe I used and a few pretty pictures. I really love making things like this! Maybe I'll have to go fruit picking in the summer and try my hand at jam making next?

Yummy Breastfeeding cookies (but you don't need to be breastfeeding to enjoy them!)

2017-09-03T18:40:00.003+12:00

A few weeks ago (when I was still desperatly trying to breastfeed) I made these yummy breastfeeding cookies. This recipe makes a huge batch so I shared some of them with my antenatal group friends and some for friends in my baby RIE classes.

They are a little complicated the first time you make them becuase you need to toast the fennel seeds and I also like to grind them up a bit so they are a nicer texture. My beautiful fellow Mama friend Kate gave me the recipe- Thank you! Who knows if they actually do help with your milk production but they sure taste delish! So why not give them a go?

Here's the recipe she sent me. The picture doesn't really do them justice because they are truly super delicous! (Just click on the picture of the recipe below to enlarge it).

Some thought's on becoming a Mama and some more healing foods

2017-08-31T23:04:00.001+12:00

Today I went to a pretty exciting fundraiser event for Wellington Hospital. It was a 'pop in' photo shoot where you give $20 and get one professional photo of your baby. As I was waiting for our turn I started to casually chat with the Mum sitting next to me. I complimented her on her sweet baby boy and asked her about how it was going for her. Then I suddenly realised I was the ' more experienced' one. CRAZY! She had a little baby maybe 2.5 months and here I was with a rather big for his age almost 5 month old- where has the time gone!?

Becoming a Mama

Becoming a mum is honestly the single most joyous thing I have ever done. Whilst my journey to parenthood was anything but ordinary I think in those very trying circumstances you can grow and learn a lot. I ultimately learnt that I am 1000 times stronger than I ever knew I was or could be and even if I could have had my 'natural or dream birth' I'm not so sure I would have really wanted that now.

Let me explain...

I think that when you get everything you want or imagined easily it's not always as sweet. With that in mind I think that when I look back on the last 4.5 months of my new life as a mummy I honestly wouldn't change a single thing. It's been in those extreme moments of pain or difficulty that I have learnt the most about myself, about my husband and also the strength of my own families love for us. I definitely don't wish eclampsia on anyone - not even on my worst of enemies but what I am saying that this experience has added richness to myself like I never could have imagined. Not only do I have the most gorgeous lovely baby who's little smile lights up my day continuously but I also have a new appreciation for lifes difficulties. There were days I couldn't move, days I couldn't lift him, days I thought I would never get better and days that I cried and cried for the 'natural birth' that I never got. Through it all I kept positive! I held on to the glimpse of hope that I could do this and that I had to do this for my little boy and my husband.

Almost 5 months on...

Now that I'm 95 % better I can announce that I *think* I have done it! and by done it I mean I have got through the single most difficult thing in my entire life. Not only have I done it but I have emerged with a new lease on life and a new positive take on the fragility of life. I think becoming a Mama has also made me become a better human being. I'm more conscious of the foods I eat, I'm more careful with the exercises I choose, I'm more giving and loving than I ever thought I could be and most of all I'm just more happy than I ever thought it's possible!

No one can tell you what it's like, no one can say for sure what experience you'll have but all I can say is that you have to live it and know that even in those hard moments when you think you are alone or you think you can't do it- YOU CAN!!

I have been sharing with some of my close friends that what got me through was telling myself daily that I could do it! I started saying mantras to myself like

"You are strong, you are capable, you got this!"

I say it EVERY MORNING! It sounds bizarre but don't dis it until you try it. Theres actually a lot of psychological research that shows how beneficially this is to all kinds of aspects in you life. Give it a go...

Healings foods:

As some of you know I went through some pretty extreme pain. I'm talking pain that is so bad that radiates in every part of your body and in places you never knew even existed!

I've discovered that milk is a big contributor to the inflammation and tiredness I was feeling so have eliminated than completely but I have brought back things like gluten now after trialling a gf diet for for a little while.

I talked about green tea in my last post but I've also been enjoying turmeric tea and ginger teas with ginseng.

Coconut has a lot of great energy boosting properties and I've been enjoying buying those little energy balls from the supermarket or making my own.

Iron! I'm still taking iron supplements and I think they really help me with my tiredness but I also have found that iron rich foods are not just red meat or chicken. There's actually a lot in nuts ( heaps!) and lucky for me I love nuts so have been adding them to everything. I have a few great nut recipes I will share with you next week after I trial a few new flavours out. I'm also enjoying sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds that are toasted with a little sugar and some spices. I recently went to a foodie photography class for Wellington on a plate that showed us how to plate food. The head chef of Zibbibo loves them too! (just saying!)

This was a long post but if you made it to the end, Thank you!

Thank you for supporting me and my family and thank you for being you xx

SR

Naturally boosting your immune system and metabolism (and some yummy baking tips to help)

2017-08-21T15:27:00.002+12:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about natural alternatives to prescription medicine and just a lot about holistic well being in general. After the birth of my little boy I was on heavy pain killers which ended up having some pretty awful side effects. What I discovered about myself is that pain is really relative and unique to everyone, it depends on what you’ve been through in your past experiences or what you might be currently going through too (especially your current mental health).

When you're in so much pain that even the big opioids (e.g morphine type) drugs don't work then you suddenly realise you are a lot stronger than you ever imagined possible!

Heres the thing…

4 month on I still feel as though those drugs only work sometimes.

I have painful days where my muscles and organs ache and yes thats pretty weird but I’ve found natural ways to manage it. Boosting my immune system has been one key aspect of getting back to a healthy and happy me.

Immunity:

1. Try natural anti-inflammatory foods

I’ve been using a lot of turmeric in dishes I cook which is a natural anti-inflammatory properties and also popping in extra green veggies which can really help give your immunity a boost.

Turmuric lattes are a thing now and they are so yum! especially if you ask for extra cinnomon and honey like I do.

We are also also growing our own silverbeat this season and I’m looking forward to making a big spinach, silver beat and feta pie soon when we harvest it.

Click on the pie for a yummy recipe

2. Only eat when you feel hungry.

Getting up in the middle of the night frequently ( to feed my little one) has really helped to boost my metabolism, weird but true! Sometimes I will be awake for an hour or so and that means I get crazy hungry! I've decided to not fight my body anymore and instead eat when I'm hungry. That might sound silly but your body gets hungry for a reason and in those moments if you really listen instead of ignoring it your body it seems to be rewarding me with weight loss!

Metabolism:

Tip 1: Drink more.

This sounds easy but when you have a busy job or already low energy levels its very challenging! My tip is to buy a good quality drink bottle that you like drinking out of and preferable pretty with cats (ok thats just me). That way you’ll enjoy drinking out of it. Leave it on your desk or take it with you if you go out. Then in any spare moment chug some water back! If your not a big water drinker then how about cold tea? Iced tea is pretty much just brewed tea that has some sugar but I’d skip the sugar and try a lil honey for sweetness. Anything natural is better than a teaspoon or two of the ‘hard stuff’.

I’ve also been drinking green tea and only one coffee in the mornings. Green tea has some really wonderful immune system and metabolic benefits and if you don't like the taste you might just not have found the right one for you yet. Keep searching!

My favourite is this one from Tea Total an Auckland company that sells loose leaf and it is delicious!! My Dad actually introduced me to it- Thanks Dad!

You can buy it online from their website.

Tip 2: Probiotics!

These beautful things are sadly not made by me they are called antioxident probiotic bites. Click the above photo to check out one of my favourite nutritionists x

Probiotic are my new best friend. I take one everyday or sometimes every second day. I really think they help a lot to aid digestion and also increase my energy levels. Did you know you can make probiotic cookies? OMG! So delish. Check out this recipe from

What is a probiotic?

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.- Thanks Dr Google for this Info!

So there you go a few little tips and tricks I’ve learnt in the last 4 months as I recover from my traumatic birth. I'm not a medical professional but these are some simple things that have really made such a difference in my life, I'm still not there just yet but I’m on the mend!

xx SR

Vegan chocolate cake and the perfect ganache

2017-08-18T07:23:00.000+12:00

Since my lovely friend sent me this recipe a few weeks ago I've baked it twice. I love this cake because it literally takes 5 minutes to assemble and then 45 to bake in the oven. The cake can easily be made gluten free and is already dairy and egg free as well as having low sugar compared to most cake recipes. My favourite part is how moist and decadent it is!

Perfect ganache

My one tip for the ganache is that you can't reheat it otherwise it loses it's shine. My wee man decided to scream when I was just about to pour it over and I ended up having to leave it on the bench for about 30 mins while I put him to bed. When I got back it had gone really hard and I couldn't spread it so I heated it briefly over a bowl of water to bring it back to spreadable consistency. You can see the differences between the two cakes. One is matte and the other very glossy. Science aye? soo fascinating. This is the recipe from Chelsea Winter and I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you beautiful Shevaun for sharing it xx

Anti-inflammatory ginger and turmeric crunch

2017-08-08T21:10:00.000+12:00

Thank you for this beautiful photo Amelia!

Recently I've been experimenting with old recipes and trying to make them a bit more healthy. Replacing the dairy milk with nut milks and adding in anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric.

As most of you know I am still recovering from a lot of complications from our birth and I have choosen to eliminate dairy from my diet in an effort to speed up my healing. Almost 4 months on and sadly I STILL have severe pain but the pain is slowly beoming less frequent so that's pretty positive (phew!)

A couple of weeks ago I made this yummy Ginger Crunch for my lovely antenatal class friend. She has some food senstivities as well so I made it gluten free for her and dairy free for me.

It's from an early 90's cookbook that is actually from my old primary school up in Auckland. The school as I knew it doesn't exist now because it got bought out by the expanding high school next door and now are about 2 km's up the hill over looking Orewa Beach.

Anyway! Here is my recipe. I used a dairy free spread instead of butter and added in about 3 tablespoons of turmeric to the base and 1 tsp into the icing. It does stain everything it touches so my pro tip is be VERY careful with it and wash your hands afterwards. I some how managed to get it all over my tea towels and I have no idea how I did it?

I hope you enjoy this as much as my friend and I did! What classic kiwi slice should I tackle next?

Our HYGGE Mid Winter celebration

2017-07-13T16:28:00.003+12:00

I recently purchased this gorgeous little book from the book depository called "HYGGE" It gives you an overview of what the Danish concept is (Pronouced hoo- ga, which I think sounds like a big warm hug) and why it can turn your winter blues upside down and leave you feeling warm, fuzzy and content instead of cold, sad and down in the dumps.

We decided to embrace this concept head on and had HYGGE party at our flat.

James' Spicy pumpkin soup

Yummy dutch cookies

James' Sourdough

My Hot Chocolate creation. Hot Choc with marshmallows, pretzels and mini candy canes.

My Winter cupcakes. Dairy free freeze dried strawberry & vanilla flavour

We turned up the heaters, turned on the Christmas lights and made some yummy warming treats for our friends.

We made a big pot of spicy pumpkin soup
Homemade sour dough
I made a hot chocolate bar with assorted sprinkles and toppings
Lots of marshmallows and thing for smores

The best part was that our friends got to meet our sweet baby boy and have a cuddle if they wanted to. It was so lovely to have lots of our favourite people under one roof, sharing a glass of red wine, a hot chocolate or some yummy homemade pumpkin soup and just sharing great conversation.

I think it was a great success and if your looking for a fun party idea I would totally throw another one xx

I hope your staying warm in this nasty cold snap!

Love

SR

Dairy free life and the very delicious lemon cupcakes

2017-06-28T21:00:00.001+12:00

As some of you know I recently had a very big trauma with the birth of our first baby. After many scary complications it was suggested by some midwifes and nurses that I trial a dairyfree diet to help reduce all of the inflammation in my body. I love milk and milk products so it's been intially challenging but after almost 6 weeks of it now I'm happy to report a marked improvement in my energy levels and also in my general well being. I've also been cutting back gluten as that is a common inflammatory food as well.

Mmm lemons!
🍋🍋🍋🍋

Baby Shower Cupcakes
💜

Last weekend I had two special occasions, an old friends catch up and a lovely Mama to be's baby shower. I put one of my favourite dairyfree recipes to good use and also made them gluten free by adding gluten free flour instead of regular flour.

Intially I was a bit skeptical that they would work because the mixture seemed VERY sticky but to my surprise they not all worked but tasted great!

Here is the recipe! I've adapted it from one I found at www.taste.com.au

Ingredients:

2/3 cup polyunsaturated spread (I use Olivani)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or one teaspoon of real vanilla seed paste)
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 egg
Zest of half a lemon
3/4 cup of cold water

Icing:

2/3 cup polyunsaturated spread (Olivani)
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Yellow food colouring

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line one 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.
Step 2
Using an electric mixer or cake mixer beat spread, vanilla extract, sugar, flour, egg and 3/4 cup cold water on low speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to high. Beat for a further 4 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Spoon into patty cases. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into one cake comes out clean. Stand cakes in pans for 2 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Step 3
Make icing. Using an electric mixer, beat spread, icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add 2 to 3 drops of food colouring and beat to combine. Place icing in a piping bag or plastic bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe icing onto cakes. Top with sprinklesor decorations of your choosing,
Serve. YUM!! YUM!!

Dairy free, gluten free chocolate cake (By Nigella)

2017-05-31T13:04:00.001+12:00

Recently I've been on a healing journey to get better faster from rather a lot of complications and issues arising from my birth.

One of the things the midwives suggested was to limit gluten and cut out dairy so that's what I've been trying to do for the last few weeks. The good news is I actually feel great and I'm definitely healing! So far going dairy free hasn't been that hard. I mostly enjoy milk in my coffee and on my breakfast and so I've just swapped out normal milk for almond milk or coconut milk. Both are tasty and not too different to regular milk. In saying that I do miss cheese but I think as long as it's not cows milk it's totally fine. Bring on the Buffalo mozzarella I say!

Here is quick and delicious cake I tried out recently. It's an "Olive oil chocolate cake" by Nigella.

I don't care what people say about her and think she's fabulous! I mean anyone who can pull off that about of hair and cooks with such sass and style is awesome in my book!

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-olive-oil-cake

Life update and getting back into cooking and baking

2017-03-22T09:34:00.002+13:00

Hi Blogger friends!

Holy moly it's been almost 6 months since my last blog post (sorry about that). I think that is the longest stretch I've ever gone! Firstly, I think a lot of my absence has been due to my insane busy-ness at work and then adding pregnacy into the mix has really thrown me off my blogger game. However, I'm pleased to annouce that I'm now resting and relaxing for our little ones arrival.

Only 3 weeks to go!

So what have I been up to lately you might be wondering? I think after working well into my 8th month of pregnacy I've mostly just been sleeping Zzzz and unwinding from a full on year of teaching. I've also been enjoying simple things again like cooking. I'd been so crippled with morning scikness for a lot of my pregancy poor James was cooking almost every night for us after work and I've been enjoying having the energy and time to make dinners agian. I've been trying out some new clean recipes like this yummy mince and cabbage stirfry as well as some baking treats like homemade afghans.

We've also had some new neighbours move in up the road and they've brought the most beauitful ragdoll kitty cat with them. Not only is he stunning but he's also very cheeky and if you have your door open he'll stroll right in making himself comfortable on your couch or rug. Yesterday I heard a little meow upstairs and discovered him asleep on our bed!! Needless to say I was not impressed! He gave me a look like ' Excuse me! I'm sleeping here' The cheek!. Look at that little face though...

In terms of pregnant life.. I'm starting to get to the point of being 'Over it!' which I'd heard about from a lot of people but have only really discovered in these final weeks. I think it's just got a bit annoying not being able to pick up things or reach for things because your bellies in the way. It's a pretty weird feeling really. I'm also finding driving tricky because I'm short so ordinarily I have to move the seat forward to reach the pedals except now my belly gets stuck between the steering wheel and the seat and I'm like this beached whale trying to undo my seatbelt- ugh.

I'm really looking forward to that very first moment of meeting our baby and I think that is acting as the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I am however loving coffee agian which I'm very pleased about. The very thought of it made me physically ill for about 4 months and for this long time coffee lover that was pretty rough!

Cravings and Christmas treats

2016-10-18T18:50:00.001+13:00

I haven't been baking in a little while because I just haven't had that much energy really but lately I've been feeling a bit better (early pregnancy sucks!) A few things I've been really loving and I think help my morning sickness are....

Lemons! I just really love them at the moment. Lift seems to be my absolute favourite drink as well as lemonade ice blocks and lime juice. I've been dying to make a lemon meringue pie but it takes a long time so perhaps for Labour weekend? We'll see.

Oranges! For about 2 weeks all I could really keep down was bread, crackers and oranges. They have become my new best friend. Even orange flavoured things seem to really help me like orange zest in muffins or orange chocolate. So far I'm finding this whole pregnancy thing is pretty weird and I feel anything but 'glowing'. I'm now well into my second trimester and I can only hope that feeling good phase is very near!

In other news I've noticed some of my favourite places have their Christmas ranges out already (hooray!). I LOVE Christmas! Lush has some adorable bath bombs which I can't wait to try. The penguin is my fav and it's citrus scented!Totally need to get one of those.

Ezibuy also has an adorable Christmas selection this year. Plus some yummy looking treats like these pretty chocolate bars and lovely decorations which I think I'll be purchasing. This Woodland one is so cute!

Hopefully I'll be back to my old baking self soon... I'll keep you posted blogger friends xx

SR

Easy Key Lime Pie

2016-07-16T20:58:00.001+12:00

After going a bit OTT with my lime supply for our 30th party I decided to bake a delicious Key Lime pie to use them up. Technically it wasn't a real 'key lime pie' because I didn't use Key Limes but it was still zesty, limey and tasty! I've made one once before in a jar but I much preferred this one, plus there was heaps which meant we could enjoy it all through the week.

Here's the link I used and some mouth watering pictures for you to enjoy x

This month has been super cold in our flat and at my work and I think just generally everywhere in Wellington really. Thank goodness we decided to buy a heater for our room because some nights have actually been too cold to sleep without it on! We've been enjoying lots of hot chocolate in front of the TV at night to stay toasty. I've also been wearing these amazing warm fluffy socks my husbands Aunt in Scotland sent me -so warm and cute! How have you been staying warm friends?

Our 30th Birthday Party

2016-06-26T17:57:00.000+12:00

A couple of weekend's ago we celebrated our 30th Birthday's, Mexican style! We decided to do a joint party because our Birthday's are only 2 months apart and also it just seemed like a fun idea for a mid winter party. What better way to celebrate than to dress up and pretend like it's not really freezing outside!

We turned our flat into a little piece of Mexico with lots of bright coloured decorations, delicious homemade Mexican fare and of course a pretty rad and appropriately themed cake. If you didn't know already I love coconut and this cake was a great way for me to make a cake I'd always wanted to try! It was called the 'You put the lime in the coconut cake'. I used Rachel Allen's recipe and got my inspiration for the cake from Pinterest. I was so pleased with the cake, I had done a test run first to make sure it was really delicious and then whipped it up the morning of the party. Luckily for us our beautiful friends decided to come down especially from Auckland and spent most of their Saturday helping us prep the food and drinks which was an incredible help! The party was everything I think we had hoped it would be. We had so much fun and it was really great to see lots of our friends (some of who we hadn't seen since our move back to Wellington last November). For added fun factor we decided to make a photo booth in our home by sticking up some crepe paper streamers and providing a few props. It made for some hilarious photo opportunities throughout the night and now we have some great photo memories to treasure!

Here are a few...

I made the tiny bunting myself from washi tape and some paper straws, it worked really well and was much cheaper than the bunting you can buy online from cake shops.

Here some of the snacks we made... The tiny taco cups were my favourite.

Cheers to being 30 (almost) and to great friends <3

Apple Shortcake

2016-05-21T22:56:00.001+12:00

A few weeks ago I found a bag of decidedly dodgy looking apples in my fridge and decided I would make them into an apple shortcake. Having never made one before I was a bit nervous it would be a total flop... I haven't been baking that much lately and let me tell you I am feeling a bit out of practice. Anyway it all went pretty much according to plan and I was so pleased with the results I thought I'd share it.

James was super pleased with it too because it tasted just as good as a bought one! I'm pleased to say I would totally make this again :) This is the recipe I used (Alyson Gofton of course!)

My no sugar (ok almost) no sugar carrot cake

2016-04-17T17:20:00.000+12:00

I made this tasty cake a few weekends ago now using a traditional carrot cake recipe as the base and then making a few substitutions. The result of pretty great really and I'm proud to say I managed to make it taste a good amount of sweetness with only 1/4 cup of brown sugar!

Carrot cakes are an ultimate favourite cake for me (up there with chocolate!) so it's important that even if its a 'healthier version' it still tastes really good.

This one is definitely one of those recipes...

For the cake:

1/4 cup of brown sugar (the original recipe had 2 cups!)
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of wholemeal flour (the original recipe used white flour)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't put these in because my friend doesn't like walnuts).
1 cup of carrots, grated
1/2 cup diced fresh or canned pineapple

Method

Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light yellow. Add the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Toss the raisins and walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold in the carrots and pineapple. Add to the batter and mix well.

Divide the batter equally between the 2 pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set over a wire rack.

I decorated mine with cream cheese icing and some pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds and diced dried apricots.

Lemon poppy seed muffins

2016-04-17T17:06:00.002+12:00

A couple of weekends ago I made a these delicious lemon poppy seed muffins because I realised that I had a huge bag of poppy seeds to use up! Did anyone else know that poppy seeds can go rancid in as little as 3 weeks?! Not me... Anyway it was a good reason to try out a new recipe.

I really liked these muffins but they weren't lemony enough for my taste, I think 3 tablespoons of lemon zest (instead of 2) would be just right for next time.

I used my trusty friend "Allyson Gofton" for the recipe she never steers my wrong. Her website was recently revamped and their are HEAPS of great recipes online now so you don't even need to buy the books.

It was actually a loaf recipe by I just put it in muffin tins instead and cooked it for 25 mins.

Ingredients

¾ cup milk
½ cup poppy seeds
150 grams butter, softened
¾ cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1¾ cups flour
1 tsp each baking power and baking soda
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon rind

Method

Heat the milk in a small saucepan and when hot but not boiling, stir in the poppy seeds. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda and fold into the creamed mixture, alternately with the poppy seeds and milk. Lastly fold in the lemon juice. Turn into a greased and paper-lined 22cm x 12cm loaf tin.
Bake at 180ºC for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.. Allow the loaf to stand for 20 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool.

Friendly cats and making our own Crème brûlée

2016-03-05T13:46:00.002+13:00

This month has been a busy month for us as we got settled into our new flat. We moved just over a month ago now to a house on the top of a giant hill in Wellington. It's nice to have a different view and perspective on a city we know so well. I'm still getting used to being able to see the ocean (it's very exciting!). I love watching all the comings and goings in the harbour and the planes landing into Wellington city.

Something a bit weird about our new house is all the cats that seem to visit us! I've counted 4 now that seem to roam our back garden daily. Too bad none of them are very friendly and I haven't managed to get one pat in yet. This is not your house kitties and if you want to live here that is fine as long as I can pat you. One is so cheeky it tries to push it's face through our cat door!

Also this month we have been making a lot of creme brulee mostly because James bought us a blow torch from Briscoes and has just been going a bit crazy trying it out.

So far we have made 3 different Creme Brulee's, one from scratch, one from a packet mix and one with pineapple. Fun fact about Creme Brulee is it actually means 'burnt cream' in French and I guess that makes sense because that's literally how you make the topping (by burning sugar on top).

After a few really successful attempts we've discovered some tips.

1. Always use white sugar for the topping because caster sugar just doesn't taste right or have the same effect. Maybe something to do with the surface area? or the crystal sizes in the sugar? I'm not sure but there you go.

2. The packet mix you buy from the supermarket is actually really great if your running short of time. Hansel's makes one and it saves you the 40 minute cooking process and the custard making but I personally think it's only about 1/3 as good as the made from scratch version.

Crème brûlée

We just used 'Betty Crockers' recipe I found online and it's been awesome!

You start with making the custard which is vanilla bean paste, sugar, egg yokes and cream. Then you cook them in a water bath for 30-40 mins until almost set but still a bit wobbly and then you chill them in the fridge for 2 hours.

Finally, before you serve them you sprinkle them with some sugar (make sure its plain white sugar) and blow torch! When it starts to bubble and turn a nice caramel colour you're done!

My favourite part it that first scoop when you break it's crunchy sugary surface into a million pieces. YUM!!!

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

2016-02-03T22:02:00.002+13:00

On the weekend I baked my first ever Beetroot Chocolate Cake.

I was a bit nervous about it because I've never made one before and the recipe is pretty unusual!

You basically boil up a bunch of beetroot and then let it cool in the pot before rubbing off their skins.
Which means you end up with VERY red hands! After that it's a fairly normal cake recipe but it does make a wet mixture which is also VERY red. As I tipped it into the baking pan I was feeling pretty unsure about the whole thing. I mean a vegetable in a cake?! but I thought if it can work for the humble carrot? Luckily it tasted great (phew!) and was perfectly cooked after 50 mins just like the recipe said.

I first heard about this cake when watching an episode of Nigella on FoodTV and then a friend of mine made us one for dessert and I was so intrigued by the unique flavour it brought to a chocolate cake.

I think I would make it agian for sure, very moist and moreish. Hooray for chocolate cake and hooray for unusual recipes.

Side note: This recipe is also gluten free and if you wanted you could make it lower in sugar by adding a natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey.

Beetroot Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients

85 grams dark chocolate
3 medium eggs
2 cups coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 cup olive oil or melted butter
300 grams cooked beetroots (see method)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1tbsp vanilla essence)
1/2 cup cocoa
200 grams almond meal
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (or gluten free baking powder)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
To cook the beetroots, wash thoroughly and place in a pot full of cold water. No need to peel.
Bring the pot to the boil and cook the beets until soft when poked with a knife – approx 30 minutes though this depends on the size of the beets.
When cooked, run the beets under cold water and gently rub off the skins.
Blend or mash the beetroots until slightly smooth but still some ‘chunks’ remaining.
Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler or place the chopped chocolate in a bowl, cover with cling film and microwave on low for approximately 1 minute until chocolate has just melted. When you remove from the microwave, stir quickly to melt any pieces that are still solid.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and oil.
Slowly add the cooked beet puree, the melted chocolate and vanilla into the egg mixture.
Stir well to combine, but take care not to over work the mixture.
Sift the cocoa and add this, the almond meal, baking powder and salt to the beet batter.
Fold just until everything is combined. Again, don’t over mix the batter.
Grease and line a 20 cm cake pan
Pour in your cake batter

Bake for approximately 50 minutes.

Cake is ready when a tooth pick or skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Baking time may vary depending on the pan and oven you are using.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan.
I made chocolate ganache for the icing but you could use regular chocolate icing or just dust it with icing sugar if you like.

From this:

To this!

Who knew Beetroot could be so wonderful in a cake?

Building the tiny gingerbread town

2015-12-21T13:55:00.000+13:00

Last year my husband bought me this awesome tiny gingerbread house cookie cutter (off Amazon) unfortunately it didn't arrive in the mail until after Christmas. That means I have basically been waiting a whole year to use it!

Their construction was actually not as difficult as it might look. We just follow the recipe and instructions on the back of the cookie cutter. My pro tip is that you need to make sure your royal icing nice and thick! This stuff is like your cement for building them, if it's too thin it won't hold them together and you'll be waiting for ages before you can put the next piece on.

We had so much of fun decorating these cute little houses instead of making one big one this year. They were pretty fiddly and time consuming but they are also so cute that I think it was worth it :)

We decided to put silvered almonds on for roof tiles, as well as coconut and cranberries- yum! We also piped on some glitter icing for a few of them and then decorated them. Each one was a little bit different just like a real neighborhood of houses.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! xx

My quick and easy Christmas mince tarts

2015-12-03T19:57:00.000+13:00

Christmas mince tarts are one of my favourite Christmas foods. I've made them from scratch lots of times in the past but it's a pretty time consuming process and sometimes you just want a quick version that tastes really good.

This is my quick and easy mince tart recipe, the whole thing takes about an hour including cooking time. I really love the addition of chocolate chips and coconut but you can leave those out if you'd prefer.

Ingredients:

1/2 a standard pot of fruit mince mix (I used this one by the brand Tasti)
1/4 cup of coconut
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 packet of red glace cherries
Pre made frozen shortcrust pastry (thawed out)

Combine all of the ingredients except the pastry in a large bowl. Mix until combined.

Preheat your oven tow 190 degrees Celsius. Roll out your shortcrust pastry to about 1 cm thick and cut out 8 circles using a large cookie cutter or a wine glass works well. Place them into pre greased muffin tins. After this you should about a quarter of your dough left over. Roll this left over dough out and cut 8 snowflakes or any other shape of your choosing. Divide your fruit mince mixture into even amounts for your 8 pies. Place your snowflake or shape on top of each pie and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and baked through. Dust with icing sugar.

Going to Hummingbird Bakery, London

2015-08-12T23:33:00.001+12:00

So many pretty cupcakes!

Getting to visit the Hummingbird Bakery in London was one of those amazing 'Wow!' moments for me because as long as I've been interested in baking I've dreamed of going there.

I've you haven't heard of Hummingbird Bakery it is one of the founding cupcake stores in London and has a series of beautiful and delicious recipe books you can purchase around the world.

I first started using their recipes about 6 years ago (about the time I started this blog) because my Brother-in-law gave me one of their books for Christmas.

Their recipes are just really, really good! Even if you are an absolute beginner just follow their instructions and you will be able to make great cupcakes, I promise.

Here are some photos of my experience.

Their famous Rainbow cake was my pretty impressive!


I got the classic 'Vanilla Cupcake' because it's my favourite to bake

On our way there my sister and I stopped to say hello to Paddington Bear.

Some of my favourite North American treats.

2015-08-11T02:51:00.004+12:00

As some of you know I've been on a healthy eating quest for the last year or more so spending the last 6 weeks in North America probably wasn't the best thing for that! What it was good for though was lots (and lots!) of sensational baked treats which I couldn't resist but indulge in.

This is a run down of some of my favourites and recommendations for any friends who might be planning a visit to America or Canada soon.

1. Donuts.

Theres just nothing like their donuts! Think of the best, most delicious donut you've tried in New Zealand and you're not even close to most of the ones they just sell in their local coffee shops or supermarkets.

One of my ultimate favourites was this coconut cream custard filled one from Firecakes in Chicago. The best part was that the donut was coated in toasted coconut flakes and for this coconut lover it was sensational!

We also had some really great lemon poppy seed ones. Probably not conventional donut flavour but still great! I liked how the different flavours of donut seem to have very different doughs. These ones below were more of a dense cake consistency than the fluffy spongy textured ones we seem to find in our stores. Either way there really wasn't a bad donut I tried in the last 6 weeks. Some of my favourites included the Boston cream, cherry filled, bacon maple, custard cream, toasted coconut and just plain frosted. Simple but so good! We also tried many different kinds in Canada thanks to Tim Horton's incredible selection.

2. Banana splits

It seems like such a simple concept but getting it right is hard and American's have really nailed it! I think the 3 different flavours of ice cream is key here.

3. Pie

I actually only tried pie once in the states (I know what's wrong with me!) but that was because their dinner portions are so huge that you physically can't eat dessert no matter how much you want to. This pie was so great that it automatically comes in at number 3 in my mind.

It was at Manhattan Diner in New York, it was Cherry and it was incredible!

4. Cupcakes

We went to the cupcake ATM at Sprinkles Cupcakes which was pretty exciting. Unfortunately for us the machine didn't seem to be working so we had to go into the store to purchase our treats. They didn't have that many flavours but I love how beautifully presented they all were! These were their black and white cupcakes.

We also tried mini cupcakes from a store called Baked By Melissa in New York City. They were so cute and very addictive!

Mine was peanut butter and jelly and it was divine!

5. Boston Cream Pie.

Sometimes you can imagine what something is going to be like in your mind but then get it so very wrong. This was one of those times for me. I had always assumed that a Boston Cream Pie was in fact a pie. Nope! It's a cake and I also discovered that it is incredibly delicous. I'd really love to try and make one of mine own at some point.

Here is a rather ugly picture of my piece which I purchased from a cake shop called Mikes pastry shop in Boston's North End. It was (as my husband would say) legit! It's pretty much the best sponge cake you've ever had filled with fresh vanilla custard and topped with rich chocolate icing.

Here's a much prettier picture of one from the Betty Crocker website. It honestly doesn't look that hard to make so I'm looking forward to taking up the challenge when we get settled into a new place.

Slightly disappointing for me were the cinnamon rolls we had from Cinnabon. My husband enjoyed them but they just seemed really soggy and kind of uncooked to me. Anyway, I guess you can't win them all!

Thanks for the wonderful treats North America :)

ANZAC Biscuits, movie cake pops and the very delicious cupcakes!

2015-05-18T22:04:00.001+12:00

I've been doing a lot of baking recently but have sadly been neglecting my blog big time! This is mostly due to my study, work, life balance or should I say imbalance at the moment.

I made these awesome ANZAC biscuits last month thanks to a previous post I did over 3 years ago. I used the same recipe and it served me well again :) They are just so, so good!

I also this month I made some delicious popcorn inspired cake pops for my friends movie night :) Yes! I totally got the idea from Pinterest hehe.

I cheated and used a red velvet cake mix but they were still pretty good considering!

Last but not least this month I finished my practicum and celebrated by baking all the lovely teachers I worked with my famous raspberry chocolate cupcakes.

These are seriously the best cupcakes I've ever tried and after years of perfecting the recipe I think its a hard one to go past when I need to bake something special. They are super moist and rich hence I call them 'The very delicious cupcakes' AKA the best cupcakes ever?

Also this month we are in the process of packing up our lives and heading off on our big O.E! This might be one of my last baking posts for a while because 'Eat, Bake, Love' moves to aboard in less than a month, exciting!

I'll let you know when I'm all settled into my new life and as always I'm looking forward to sharing more treats and delicious baked goods with you all very soon.

xx SR

My March Favourites

2015-04-07T17:09:00.001+12:00

I've been watching a lot of Youtube tutorials this past month and have been inspired to do my very own March favourites blog post.

I case your not sure what I'm talking about I'll explain. A common thing to post on Youtube are these monthly favourites videos where people talk about some of their favourite things they did, bought or tried for the past month plus some reviews. I figured why can't I do this in a blog version? So here I go....

While we're on the topic of Youtube I figured I'd start with one of my favourite Youtubers at the moment. Her name is Brittany and she is so awesome! Her channel is 'beautywithbrittanyxo'

She mostly does makeup tutorial videos but she also does cool hair tips and outfit ideas. Plus she's really sweet and has a really funky style. I'm pretty sure we are kindred spirits even though I've never actually meet her. She's just really good, you should check out her channel.

All things Cinderella!

Over the Easter weekend I was lucky enough to twist the arm of my husband and we went and saw Disney's Cinderella together. WOW! What an awesome movie! So many sparkles, cute animals and of course magical spells that end in a fairytale romance *sigh* What's not to love? It really was great, you should go an see it!

So when I read online that they have their very own range of M.A.C makeup in Cinderella colours I decided I needed to buy some asap! Unfortunately for me and to my absolute horror they have sold out of basically everything in the range (in Wellington stores anyway). Just look how pretty it is, it's no wonder really!

The lipsticks especially look like they are great neutral colours and they have really pretty shimmering eye shadow too! I will get my hands on one, somehow!

Cinderella inspired cakes

If you're looking to waste a few hours of our life just google image or Pinterest the word 'Cinderella'. Oh man! I found some many lovely things! Here are some of my favourites...

Click on the picture to see more photos and details.

How about this for a Wedding cake? Soo pretty! If you want to check out some more of the 'prettiest wedding cakes' click on the picture for 20 more :) They are seriously gorgeous!

You could even make Cinderella cake pops, talk about adorable.

My final March fav is...

Netflix.

I'm sure if you're reading this from the states or the UK you will already know all about the awesomeness of Netflix but in case you don't I will sum it up for you in one word. Life-changing.

Netflix basically means you can watch shows and movies on demand whenever you like! It's also really cool because it remembers your shows and recommends shows/movies to you that you will actually like!

I just started watching this hilarious new show called 'The Unbreaklabe Kimmy Schmidt' and having just been really sick with the flu I've been able to watch the Gilmore Girls (they have all 7 seasons!) whenever I like and that's pretty awesome :-)