Beeted Chocolate Fudge Cake

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Yvette

The crisp cool mornings have arrived with the changing colours of our trees, and the early evening smoke clouds from chimney tops from warm lit fires. Autumn is here, and with it beautiful Autumn vegetables. Pumpkins, Squash, Parsnips and beautiful, beautiful Beetroot.

I bought this beautiful bunch of beetroot from our local Organic Grocer, such wonderful fresh produce, this bunch cost AUS $3.50, and I used it for a couple of dishes. My first idea was to make that gorgeous magenta rich Bosch soup, but I didn’t have too many green flags on that one..so I thought I might be a little sneaky and make a chocolate fudge cake..everyone loves chocolate! I had seen red velvet cupcakes before made with beetroot, lower in calories and beetroot gives the mixture a smoother, moist texture.

Scouting through many wonderful new and exciting beetroot dishes, I found this one from the ‘girls’ from the BBC program ‘Cook yourself Thin’, I have adapted it due to the amount of coffee in it, not good for the smaller generation.

It is however a beautiful moist textured cake, and no one would ever know that there’s beetroot in the recipe.

Continue reading for this delicious recipe…

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Jaffa Extravaganza

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Yvette

Take a look! What comes to mind? This is decadence!

Mmmmmmm, chocolate and orange. Chocolate and Orange cheesecake!

This cheesecake has a rich smooth texture, dressed to impress with a luscious chocolate mousse filling,chocolate biscuit base, garnished with tangy orange segments and orange scented chocolate. Remember small slices!

Read on for the recipe…

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A golden egg

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Yvette

My Easter parade has been full of chocolate eggs, chocolate and ooooh some more chocolate, so I thought I might take a break and do a couple (maybe one, as it’s Wednesday) recipes away from the chocolate.

I’m always on the look out of mix and matching some of my favourites together, or maybe and ‘old’ fashioned recipe given a little bit of a face lift and ‘new life’ on the plate.

Here it is, the humble boiled egg.

Side by side with one of my favourite salads..

Read on to see the recipe…

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Chocolate Rocky Road Eggs

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Yvette

I know, aren’t they cute! And great fun to make for the children as a special Easter chickadee treat!

Chocolate eggs filled with delicious home made rocky road.Chocolate,marshmallows,nuts and glazed cherries.

Recipe: Chocolate Rocky Road Eggs

1 carton (14 eggs) chocolate hollow eggs

1 packet of glazed cherries (coarsely chopped)

1/2 packed of mini marshmallows

1/2 packet pistachios (coarsely chopped)

100g milk chocolate (melted)

2 cherry ripe bars

1/2 cup of shredded coconut

1 packet sugar coated Easter eggs

Yellow and Black tubes of coloured icing

Preparation:

Firstly gently cut the chocolate Easter eggs in half. If eggs break put aside for the melting process. Melt 50g of milk chocolate, working quickly, place a dollop of chocolate on baking paper on a tray, place the half chocolate cup into the chocolate making a base for the chocolate cup. Refrigerate chocolate cups until mixture is ready.

Melt the remaining chocolate in a bowl over boiling water on a medium heat, add the cherry ripe bars, and when melted stir in the rest of the ingredients: mini marshmallows, chopped glazed cherries, pistachios and shredded coconut. Scoop the mixture into chocolate cups and refrigerate until ready to serve. Decorate with Easter egg chickens.

A special Easter chocolate treat.

Enjoy, my friends

Yvette…x

Layered Macadamia White Chocolate Slice

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Yvette

This little slice looks divine, tastes not too sweet, but somehow takes a little longer in the time department, so set the morning free to spoon and swirl in the kitchen. Just to get it right! Because it’s a little winner…

It’s full of all those ‘yummy’ ingredients,coconut, treacle, butter, chocolate and the decadence of nuts, the macadamia

Follow me for the recipe…

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Marshmallow Velvet Cake

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Yvette

Hello Lovelies,

I’ve really missed these times of creating in the kitchen, and believe it, this is my first recipe of the year. A wonderful ‘fluffy’ start to the countdown to our most chocolaty time of the year – Easter.

My mind is whirling with recipes and creative threads for Easter, and time allowing I hope to show you a few in the upcoming days and weeks…It’s not long so that means for us here in the southern hemisphere our first holiday break. And I’m so looking forward to it!

Marshmallow red velvet cake, smothered in mascarpone frosting, half with coconut and the other with mini white marshmallows. Served with Arabic coffee.

This truly is a luscious moist velvet cake recipe…

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One for us…

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Yvette

I’m not sure about you, but since being immersed into the world of cupcakes, nothing is impossible, those little things once in your life are hard to get rid of.

I guess we love them even more because they’re inexpensive to make, can be made in batches of twelve, our creative mind and hands can do their work and best of all they’re portioned sized…right! We take one, no more, just one and indulge in a decadence of flavours, frostings and taste sensations. All under control!

I wanted to put a little pizzazz on that little cupcake…made for ‘little’ grown ups and a little surprise for those taste buds.

A red velvet cupcake mix, with a surprise dash of kirsch, cream cheese frosting and chocolate Monetta luxury cream wafers. How does that sound to get your taste buds tingling!

An easy entertainer…and a great eye teaser!

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Rocket Pesto and Pasta Salad

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Yvette

This month’s Regional and Seasonal Challenge from Tandy over at Lavender and Lime, is to cook with rocket.

Rocket and Rucola (Italian) is also known as arugula, roquette, rugula and is popular in Italian cuisine, it’s an aromatic salad green. I love it’s peppery, mustard-like flavour, and is great just with a dash of virgin olive oil, and grated shards of parmesan cheese, settled on a tenderloin.

This recipe is one of my favourites however…Rocket Pesto and Pasta Salad served with Prosciutto and a Balsamic Glaze.

Recipe:

Serves 4

Boil ,(as directions on packet) drain and run under cold water 250grams dry pasta, I used orrechiette, any of the spirals, or mini shells would be fine,

Combine and chop 1 packet (125 grams) of fresh rocket, 1 big bunch of fresh basil, 1 clove of garlic, 6 heaped tablespoons of parmesan cheese and a handful of pine nuts, while mixing drizzle in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

In another bowl, wash,cut into quarters and scoop out the middle seeds of 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes. Add 12 kalamata olives seeded and cut into quarters then add about 8 baby boccoccini of mozzarella. Season with salt and freshly grounded black pepper. Add the cooked pasta to rocket pesto. Serve on a bed of fresh rocket with slices of prosciutto and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

There it is..a delicious tasty pasta salad. Enjoy!

Have a great week,

Yvette…x

Whispering Sponge

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Yvette

Things have been busy, buzzing like a bee, hovering over a full Spring bloom. Not too much time in the kitchen for me this week, so I share with you my sisters work this week. She had a catering job, to prepare a birthday cake. The order was for one of her whispering blow away sponges. Now my mum is a champion sponge maker diva, and she’s passed on her secrets to us, although truth be it that I’ve never tackled one myself..not to disappoint! So I’ll just keep the secret onboard until I make one!

What better way than to serve Sponge, filled with strawberry jam, fresh chocolate coated strawberries and fresh cream.

Read on for the this special recipe…

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Strawberries my love…

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Yvette

Seasonal flavours from the earth….

The sweet temptation of fresh strawberries. Nothing fancy involved, just pineapple jelly, blueberries and strawberries, vanilla ice cream sprinkled with white chocolate and coconut mixed topping.

Served in parfait glasses. Mix 250ml of boiling water with the jelly, pour into serving glasses, insert fresh chopped strawberries and blueberries and leave to set overnight. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with melted white chocolate buds and shredded coconut. Sweet temptations!