Looking for a last minute Halloween treat?: Swirled Bundt Cake

Halloween is this coming Monday - are you ready?!

In recent years, Halloween has become more popular in Australia, with carving pumpkins stacked in big crates at the supermarket and costumes selling like hot cakes.

I decided to make a Halloween themed Bundt cake to kick off the holiday early.

This cake is perfect for Halloween parties and is super simple!

I mean, really, eating brains just isn't my thing - nor is spending the entire weekend slaving away in the kitchen over halloween themed treats.

Plus if you get an invitation last minute, this cake is your best friend!

Vanilla Bundt Cake Recipe

makes 1 large bundt cake

250g butter, softened

1 3/4C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs 

3C plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1C buttermilk*  

Preheat oven to 180*C (350*F)
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time until combined.

Add in flour and milk alternatively, with mixer on a low speed, until just combined.

Separate half of mixture into a clean mixing bowl.

Colour one batter bowl with purple food dye (or a combination of blue and red dyes) and the other with orange dye (or yellow and red) - the colours should be really bright as they will fade during cooking.

Pour in 3/4 of the purple batter into the bundt tin, being sure to cover the entire base.

Gently pour the orange batter on top of the purple batter, towards the center, leaving about 1 cm of the purple batter on the edge.

Pour in the remaining purple batter, trying to cover as much of the orange as possible.

Place the filled bundt tin into the oven and bake for ~ 1 hour, until the tip of a knife or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Leave cake to cool before turning out and leaving to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

*If you don't have buttermilk, you can use milk soured with 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice

Drippy Milk Chocolate Glaze

200g Milk Chocolate 

2-3 tsp Vegetable Oil 

(the oil will depend on the chocolate, add as much as needed to get a slightly runny consistency)

Melt chocolate and oil on a low heat until completely melted.

You can do this on the stove (bain marie technique) or in the microwave - just be sure not to burn the chocolate!

Place the cooling rack with the cooled cake ontop of a lined cookie sheet and pour the chocolate glaze on the top of the bundt cake, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. 

Leave cake to set at room temperature or in the fridge (if you're impatient!) 

and there you have it! easy as easier than pie! 

So tell me! 

Do you celebrate Halloween?! 

What are your plans this year?
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Sunshine and Super foods

I'm actually wary of posting about sunshine because it seems every time I do, it disappears.

But let's keep our fingers crossed it stays around!

As I first mentioned in this post, I'm still not eating gluten, so lately I've been trying lots and lots of new fun foods to make sure I still have plenty of variety.

I love trying new foods - especially ones other people mightn't have ever heard of or tried themselves.

So, naturally, I was super excited to receive a package from Power Superfoods

Golden Berries, also known as Incan Berries or Cape Gooseberries, are native to South America

and were one of the first non-native fruits available to early Australian settlers. 

Global explorers would carry Goldenberry seeds on their travels to ensure a rapid growing and nutrient rich fresh fruit source upon finding land. 

The fresh berries are yellow in colour and encased in a papery latern-like husk. 

The dried berries have the texture of a raisin and a sweet flavour with a citrussy tang.

Goldenberries are an excellent source of vitamins C, A and P and are also an excellent source of anti-oxidants, calcium, phosphorus, fibre, B vitamins and protein (yes, you read that right!)

The berries are delicious on their own and mixed into cereal, baked goods or trail mixes. 

They taste especially good with chocolate! 

Now, speaking of chocolate, Cacao Crunch is a blend of crushed chocolate beans coated in a paste of roasted chocolate liquefied nibs and rolled in panela. 

It tastes very much like dark chocolate with a delicious smokey and slightly bitter flavour - it even tastes somewhat nutty. 

Cacao Crunch is perfect for adding to baked goods, sprinkling on top of desserts or yogurt and they're a fantastic source of anti oxidants. 

It's perfect for any chocolate lover and an amazing addition to granola,

It's definitely one of my new favourite products! 

You can get your hands on some Power Superfoods products by checking out their stockists, buying online 

or heading to your closest Go Vita store!

But tell me, 

Do you like trying new foods?

What's your latest food find?!

Kristy received Power Superfoods products courtesy of www.powersuperfoods.com.au

If you'd like a  review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com  

Recipe: Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

When your Mum comes home from a trip to your Grandmother's house with a big bag of fresh limes,

What do you do?

You switch on your brain and start figuring out what you're going to bake with them, of course!

While I may have given up gluten for now, you don't think I'd stop baking - did you? 

The first thing that came to mind when I saw the limes was key lime pie,

but lately I've made quite a few pies so I felt like making something different.

I remembered I hadn't made cupcakes for a while and then the idea hit me...

Why not take a Key Lime Pie and turn it into cupcakes?

Then I set off to create Key Lime Pie Cupcakes or Lime Meringue Pie Cupcakes - whichever name you fancy.

I took my favourite, tried and tested Vanila Cupcake recipe,

made a simple lime filling and topped it off with a soft meringue.

For something that looks a little fancier than your average cupcake and will wow your guests,

it's delightfully simple - just how I like it!

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes 

recipe by ksayerphotography

Makes 12 cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes:

125g Butter, softened 

2/3C + 2 tbsp Sugar

2 Eggs 

1/2C Milk 

1/2 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/3C Plain Flour 

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 160*C (320*F).

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add in eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each egg. 

In a bowl combine milk and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. 

With a mixer on low speed, alternatively add the flour and milk mixtures until all is combined. 

Beat for a further 3 minutes on high.

Divide into lined cupcake pans and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Using  piping nozzle, skewer or small knife make a hole in the top of the cupcakes for the filling.

Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire racks.

Key Lime Filling:

100g Condensed Milk

1.5-2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice  

(this depends on your taste preference and the strength of your limes)

Mix condensed milk and lime juice together until combined and desired flavour is reached. 

Fill/pipe filling into cooled cupcakes.

Meringue Topping:

2 Egg Whites

50g Caster Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Preheat oven to 230*C (450*F)

Beat the eggs and salt until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks. 

The mix should be thick and glossy and the sugar should be completely dissolved.

Pipe onto cooled and filled cupcakes and bake for 5 minutes until meringue is golden.

...

And there you have it! 

It seems a bit more complicated than it actually is, but trust me, it's as easy as... well, pie!

Tips:

- Add the lime juice gradually and taste as you go so you don't add too much!

- It's easier to cook the meringue topping if you place the cupcakes back into the cleaned cupcake tins

- This recipe can be easily adapted! Switch the lime juice for lemon, fill them with chocolate or caramel instead - the possibilities are endless!

So tell me -

Do you have any favourite recipes using lime?

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