To The New Year!

Im not quite sure what happened to this year. It feels like just the other day that I was sitting on a balcony with one of my best friends drinking champagne and welcoming in 2012. This year, like most years of my life has been so full of interesting changes and constant growth. I feel like the person I started the year as is so very different from the girl I am ending the year as. 

This year I catered my first wedding, perfected my tart making skill, threw some lovely dinner parties and of course fell in love a couple of times. 

One of my clearest memories of this year was sitting in a bar with one of my best friends despairing, and saying "I'm just working so hard. All I do is work, and get no where. All I do is go to work, practice recipes, and read cook books with no promise of actually getting any work once I finnish my course." I wanted to cry with frustration. Then three months later I found myself getting a wonderful job, starting my cookie business and somehow fitting into my favourite skinny jeans. Everything just fell into place, suddenly. 

This year I did all the beautiful things I set out to do (apart from remembering to attend yoga classes) and I feel I became the person I wanted to be. This however was not without working the hardest I have ever had to work in my life. 

If I learnt anything this year it would be that you can always do the things you want with your life, if you don't mind a little hard work, and if you have the right friends to back you. 

So here's a little recap of my favourite parts of this year. Hope you're year was beautiful too. x 

A very late blog post

I know, I know its been soooo very long since I wrote last. I really don't want to spend another blog post telling everyone how busy life is for this tiny pastry chef.....but goodness, its been crazy. I think its coming up to nearly two weeks since I've had a day off.  I'm actually not sure how I'm doing it at the moment, but can I just say, I'm kind of loving it. Yes Im tired, and yes I do want to sleep in past 5 am so badly, but at the same time I feel like everything in my life is falling into place.

It never quite happens how you expect it does it? I've spent so much time pushing at life these past few years, and now finally its like life is saying "ok ok if you are going to be so persistent, you can have all those things you wanted," and I kind of feel like I do. Despite the fact that my new job is insanely stressful at times I have so many moments where I'm just like "Your really going to pay me to bake cakes all day? Really?" Its so very beautiful. 

Lovely things just keep happening in my life. I feel so ready for this new year thats so quickly approaching. I feel so joyful for this new life that is approaching. 

I have some really lovely Christmas recipes to share with you...and I really cant wait. I hope your lead up to Christmas is lovely and without stress. 

Being brave......

I'm not going to lie......I have been crazy nervous about starting my new job. This however isn't a surprise. I get nervous about a lot of things. On my first date my hands shook so hard I was worried that this blond, long haired, beautiful boy would think I was crazy. I lost countless hours of sleep over the wedding I catered this year. When I launched my first range of cookies I was terrified that no one would buy them.

The strange thing is though, Im no scaredy cat. I just doubt the things I can do at times, and don't we all? 

My dad called me this week and told me a story about a small girl named Cherry who cried on her first day of school. Apparently she was too scared to go because she couldn't read. He had to explain to her that thats what you do at school......learn to read. 

Sometimes I get so ahead of myself. It can be hard to go fearlessly into the world holding our gentle and sometimes scared hearts in our chest. This however is exactly what we must do.

So this is what I have been doing.....and my first day at my new job was kind of lovely. 

Also, my new range of Christmas sugar cookies is in store. I had such fun making them. I'm starting to get excited about Christmas cooking, and crafts. 

So if I can give you any advice for the week it would be: 

1. Be brave.
2. Eat some cookies
3. Listen to the song 'candles' by daughter (I would not be exaggerating to say I listen to this everyday on repeat about 20 times.....sooooo soulful!) 
4. Have some faith in yourself. 

Ginger Wine Cocktails.

Today I had a bit of a revelation.....

So it turns out I have spent the better part of this year stressing about what to do next year. Once I started to realise that my two year course would come to an end in no time, I was surprised to find I had no back up plan. I mean yes I have long life plans (open a cafe, start a catering company, write for food magazines, open a bed and breakfast, teach yoga classes)......but no immediate ones. I had spent so much time and effort just getting myself to culinary school, working two jobs, saving all my money and then moving to Melbourne. So it hadn't really occurred to me until this year that pastry school would come to an end.....and I probably wouldn't yet be able to launch my career as a cafe owner/yoga teacher/writer just yet.

Suddenly its dawned on me that things will probably be ok, as I have landed an amazing job in a lovely pastry kitchen. Once I finally let myself believe this......I started to realise how much time I have wasted stressing over next year. I mean for goodness sake, I'm young, I'm single, and I'm in a wonderful city.....I should really just be having the time of my life pretending Im in the show 'Sex and the City.' 

In all honestly though....who really does that (I'm talking about who really lives without stress.....not who really pretends they are in the show 'Sex and the City' because I totally do that all the time)? Who really glides through this life without a worry? Without being at least a little scared that the things they are pouring their hearts into wont pan out for them.

 I sometimes think that when we are born, we should come with a little manual, or guide book to help us through life. Mine would say something like "Dear Cherry this is the guide book for an insanely creative, ambitious girl. Mainly you will bake a lot of cakes. You will fall in love A LOT (like every few weeks.....and sometimes just with strangers who make your coffee in the morning.) You're going to feel everything A LOT. And love your friends, family and lovers really really passionately. Here's some tips for you....Its all going to be ok. Sometimes your cakes wont rise. Sometimes you will wear outfits you really shouldn't have. Sometimes you wont fit into skinny jeans. All of this is ok. Just keep loving people so much, even when it hurts, stop worrying about life so much, and for goodness sake stop dating boys with dreadlocks who cant hold down a steady job (they smell)."

Unfortunately life doesn't come with one of these. If it did though, what would yours say?

Would it make you want to change something in your life?

What would you change?

I don't have all the answers to my own questions or worries......but I can make a lovely ginger wine cocktail. So while you ponder all this I suggest you make one.

Ginger Wine Cocktail

You will need:

• Ginger wine
• Sparkling water
• Lime
• Strawberries
• Ice

What to do:

1.  Find a glass....any will do, it all depends of how much cocktail you need. When I wrote this post I needed a lot of cocktail....so I made them in a jar (don't judge.)

2. Fill one third of the glass with ginger wine.

3. Cut a lime into quarters. Squeeze half of the lime into the class and add whole.

4. Cup up some strawberries and add them to the mix as well.

5. Add ice

6. Top the glass up with ice and sparkling water,then give it a stir. 

If all of this doesn't make you feel super happy about life......I highly recommend that you go into a formal shop, tell them you have a Christmas ball coming up, and try on all the dresses. It makes you feel like your in 'Sex in the City.'

Hazelnut and Chocolate Cupcakes

Im just going to start this blog post by saying: CAKE and NUTELLA.

Interested? 

I've had another crazy few days getting ready for a little catering job I had this week. It was so lovely to have the work......but I still have a head cold so the whole ordeal was just a little draining. Goodness I'm so board of being sick. I just want to put on my runners and go for a big 5k run, but instead Im stuck at home.

Yesterday when I went into my local coffee shop to get a latte one of the waitress' ran out the back to get me some cold and flu tablets. It was such a lovely gesture, and nice nice to think that even my local coffee shop is looking out for me, with coffee and flu drugs. Its so lovely when you realise that you have built a little community of people around you, who know, and care for you. 

Even when I went to get a haircut today my hairdresser was friendly and happy to see me. It was kind of lovely. (Ok just as a side note, I totally cut my hair today because thats what I do when I'm stressed or emotional or anything along those lines. Anyway, I have this really lovely hairdresser. I think its a mans barber shop, because I've never seen any ladies in there. They do do girls hair cuts and they only cost $15 but no girls go. I think I'm the only lady customer, but I love the place. Firstly because its crazy cheap. Secondly because its hilarious, because no one speaks english, so I just point to a picture of what I want while they yell at each other in Lebanese. Thirdly because the guy who cuts my hair is lovely and always assures me "I will make you look nice." At first I think he thought I was really strange because I would make him cut my hair really short at times, or shave one side of my head, but now he is used to me, and kind of views my hair ideas as comedic value. The place is great.)

Anyway.....I have veered way off topic. Lets talk about cake. Lets talk about Nutella. Lets talk about Nutella cakes. I got this recipe from the wonderful hummingbird bakery cook book. 

Hazelnut and Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 100g plain flour
• 20g coco powder
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 40g butter at room temperature
• 120ml milk
• 1 egg
• 120g hazelnuts and chocolate spread

Frosting:

• 250g icing sugar
• 80g butter, at room temperature 
• 25ml milk
• 80g hazelnut and chocolate spread

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170.

2. In an electric mixer or kitchen aid with paddle attachment mix together the flour, sugar, coco, baking soda and butter until the consistency is like sand.

3. Slowly pour in the milk and mix on a low speed until incorporated.

4. Add the beaten egg and mix until incorporated.

5. Scoop mix into patty pans in a muffin tip and fill up to 2/3.

6. Bake for 20 minutes. 

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

8. To make icing beat together the butter and icing sugar until fully mixed and light in colour. 

9. Slowly pour in the milk and beat for another five minutes on a low speed.

10. Fold in the chocolate spread.

11. Cut a small hole in the top of each cake and place a dollop of chocolate spread inside each hole. 

12. Ice the cakes the the frosting. 

Feeding the Soul

Tonight I'm curled up in bed with a little head cold. It has been another crazy full week, and to be honest it was a bit of a hard week. Over the last few days I was just feeling a big weighed down by life.  I hadn't felt inspired at all, and was getting so bored of all my tests and assessments at school. All I wanted to do was pull my blankets over my head and watch girly movies. Life was just getting to me.

So this is what I did:

I took myself to Jellystone, my favourite cafe where I ordered my favourite breakfast.

I set some goals. I've decided to run a 10 k marathon. So I spend a lot of my free time running all over town, and clearing my head.

I worked on a cookie order, and invented some new cookie designs.

 These remind me of wild flowers

 I think I had a barbie with this dress once

 I love these lace ones (and I hate to do a sales pitch but all these new designs are now selling at Little Cupcakes in Degraves street!)

I Listened to the Lumineers.......and danced and danced and danced in my bedroom.

But best of all, I took a small trip to the country to a private night market. One of my best friends and I made a little road trip out to this tiny market in a tiny town and it was just bliss. I think I turned to my friend about twenty times during the night to say "I'm just soooooo happy."

Sometimes living in the city can be a little strange after growing up on a big farm and a trip to some clean open air is all you need to heal your soul. So we sat out under the stars eating fresh pizza that was coming out of a wood fired over, while we listened to a few bands play. It was so perfect and lovely to remember that there are so many other people out there who care about feeding their souls with creativity, music and fresh country air. It was the best medicine, and I felt like my old self again.

So now....after such a week I'm sick in bed. The thing is though I feel so happy and filled up with beautiful things again. I think I'm ready to face another week at work and school.

I hope sharing these little lovely things with you make your soul feel a little nourished too. I hope your not feeling too worn out by life or tests at school. I hope wherever you are you are feeling content, and creative, and loved and blessed.

I promise to share a recipe next time too.

For now though this little pastry chef is off to bed.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

This week while reading a few of my favourite blogs I was surprised to read that some these wonderful, talented women (who I look up to) were feeling a little down about their lack of 'hosting' skills. All of these ladies were expressing how they truly wish they could be the sort of person who whips up a cake at a moments notice. The sort of woman who can host and prepare a dinner party in only a few hours.This however was something that eluded them......and always remained a distant ideal in their heads. 

I really hate to brag......but I think I am that woman. That kind of hostess skill is my forte. I'm not really sure how it happened, but its just the way I am. After getting up at five a.m, going to work, and doing some food shopping, I can come home and whip up a three course meal for at least five people in about two hours (at most). This I find easy. At any given time that you drop into my house I will have a fresh pot of coffee or tea sitting on the table within minutes along with some cake or cookies. This my friends is just what I do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to be perfect,there are many things I can't do in life (read a map, paper work, work out how to use my computer, drive, pick a decent man to date, change a tyre, or remember to shave my legs once a week.....just to give you a few examples) but this is 'my thing.' I'm good at hosting.

So you can understand my surprise this week when I found myself phoning a friend to cancel a dinner party. I was feeling like all the crazy running around I had been doing in the last three weeks had finally caught up on me. I was stressed, cranky, work out.....but mostly tired!  

I'd love to tell you that instead of the dinner party I cleaned my house and whipped up a batch of scones, to continue with the domestic theme, but instead I lowered my blinds, crawled under my blankets, ate chocolate, and watched movies in bed all day.It was bliss.  

Why am I telling you this? Usually I like to keep the appearance that everything is under control. When life is falling apart I just bake a cake, and slap on a smile........but at the moment I'm leaning its ok to just stop, and not try to do EVERYTHING. 

Because lets be honest, it doesn't really matter how wonderful everything looks around you, if your'e not being real with people there is no point in serving them cake, there is no point in inviting them around, and there is no point in being a host. The most important thing, is that we make people feel loved, and sometimes in order to do that we have to take some time to love ourselves (and go back to bed for the day.)

So that's exactly what I did.......and then the next day I got up and made a cake and some cookies, for my friends birthday, packed  it up in a box and took it to her house to celebrate.....and be real. 

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Cake Ingredients:

(This cake recipe is adapted from Donna Hay's 'No Time To Cook' cook book. I made a double batch for this cake though.....I've just listed the single batch.)

• 350g dark chocolate
• 185g of unsalted butter, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of coffee (I just brew some really strong in my plunger, but if your fancy and have a machine use a few shots.)
• 1 cup of almond meal

Frosting Ingredients:

(From Taste.com.au web sight) 

• 250g butter at room temperature
• 100g brown sugar
• 2tbs of golden syrup
• 1 tbs of milk

Instructions:

1. In a pot melt together the butter and chocolate on a low heat. Stir continually. 

2. Once the butter and chocolate are melted, take the pot of the stove and stir in the coffee, sugar and almond meal.

3. Whisk together the eggs, and whisk into the cake mixture(make sure the mix is off the heat so that the eggs don't scramble.) Mix the cake together until there are no lumps.

5. Pour the batter into a greased and lined cake tin, and place in a preheated oven at 170. Cook for 45 mins -1hour, checking from time to time. Check the cake by sticking a squire into the middle, if it comes out dry the cake is ready. 

6. Let the cake cool on the bench for 20 minutes, and then transfer it to the fridge (this is something I always did with this cake because I ran out of time to cool and then frost it......but then i found that, it actually worked better this way, as the cake sweats in the fridge, and instead of forming a crispy surface, becomes moist and soft.

7. To make the frosting, cream together the butter and sugar for 7 minutes or until lighter in colour. Add the syrup and milk and whisk for an addition minute.

8. Cut the cake in half, and spread one layer with frosting. Place the second half on top and also spread with frosting. 

9. Pile on anything pretty you want. I used candied nuts, and fruit....but you can use anything you like. Sometimes I just use fresh flowers to decorate my cakes, and it looks lovely.