Smith Island 14 Layers Cake

I have seen this cake on a few blogs and on an Oprah episode and thought I would give it ago.  The Smith Island layer cake is now the official dessert of the USA state of Maryland.  It wasn't too difficult to make just time consuming and all 14 layers of cake are individually baked.  It is then filled with a cooked chocolate fudge icing and  I then covered it in chocolate fudge cream cheese frosting.  This was more like a ganache as I found the cooked chocolate fudge icing a little thin for the outside of the cake.  So I ended up whipping through cream cheese and melted chocolate to thicken it.  This is for my husband's Birthday today. 

I think the layers of cake before iced looks like a tower of pancakes with chocolate sauce!  If you want to try out the recipe this is the one I used http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipesdesserts/food_20030508_cake or this one on Bakerella blog which has the best step by step photos http://www.bakerella.com/fourteen-for-the-fourteenth/

More Gingerbread Houses!

This is the gingerbread house that I made for our family and another small house that was given as a gift.

Cupcake Cookie Birthday Favours

I made these cookies for my son to give out as party favours.  They are organic spelt blackstrap molasses ginger snap cookies decorated with rolled fondant and royal icing.

Small Gingerbread House

A small gingerbread house made for a Christmas gift.

Mini Chocolate Mudcake Christmas Puddings

With so much mudcake in the house I made these little Christmas puddings.  They are cake balls, made with crumbled up mudcake and mixed with Baileys liquer.  Topped with white chocolate and royal icing.

Sonic The Hedgehog Birthday Cake

I made this cake for my son's 8th birthday.  Sonic the hedgehog is made entirely of chocolate.  Done using the chocolate transfer method Sonic is made from dark and white chocolate tinted with food colouring. 

Inside is chocolate mudcake covered with chocolate ganache, fondant and royal icing. 

21st Chocolate Mudcake

Simple chocolate mudcake filled and covered with dark chocolate ganache and surrounded by chocolate shards.  The birthday boy's name and number is made from fondant.

Chocolate Mudcake Brownies

So moist, rich and dense. This chocolate mudcake is the best I made this batch in a large tin so they were only thin and cut them into brownie size portions. The kids enjoyed them with cream.

The Australian Women's Weekly Recipe http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=777184

Mississippi Chocolate Mudcake

Can be made 3 days ahead. Storage: Covered, in refrigerator. Freeze: Suitable. Microwave: Chocolate mixture suitable

250g cold unsalted butter, chopped
150g dark chocolate, chopped
440g (2 cups) caster sugar
250ml (1 cup) hot water
80ml (1/3 cup) whisky
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
225g (1½ cups) plain flour
35g (¼ cup) self-raising flour
25g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Grease 23cm square slab pan, line base with baking paper. Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, whisky and coffee powder in medium pan; stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Transfer mixture to large bowl; cool. Stir in sifted flours and cocoa, then eggs; pour mixture into prepared pan.Bake at 160°C for 1¼ hours. Stand cake 30 minutes; turn onto wire rack to cool. Serve dusted with sifted icing sugar.

** I didn't use whisky but added in vanilla extract and made up that quantity in water.

Christmas Present Cookies

I made these Christmas present cookies for the kids school teachers and put them into a pretty box with a ribbon. They are organic spelt ginger snaps and golden syrup ginger snaps (lighter cookie). Decorated with royal icing. I really like these cookies as they are so crunchy and delicious. I do double the quantity of the spices as I think it was too subtle. Here is the recipe http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/11366/pepparkakorginger-snaps

Get well cookies

I made these get well cookies for a friend. I was inspired by these cookies on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/polka-dotzebra/3995666789/ Prescription bottles, pain killer capsules, flowers and hearts. Chocolate cutout cookies decorated with fondant and royal icing.