South African baking: crunchies

One of the most treasured items in my pantry is my golden syrup. The way I hoard it you'd think it was made of real gold. I've never been that good at sharing ;) I grew up on Illovo syrup in South Africa, but this British brand at Andronico's is just the same.

Golden syrup is just the best on crumpets (aka US pancakes, AUS pikelets), nothing can beat it!
But it is also great for baking crunchies. I finally got around to making some recently after a South African blog I follow posted the recipe (thanks Kit!).

These things bring me straight back to my childhood. My mum used to make them a lot on the farm. I don't think her version had cinnamon so I left that out, and I used dark brown sugar to make it a little less sweet (at least that's my theory). They turned out just the same as I remember them.

Soft, warm, and, well... crunchy :)
The perfect complement to a cuppa tea!

Crunchies

3/4 cup plain flour
2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/3 cups dessicated coconut
pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
30 ml milk

1. Combine flour, oats, coconut, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Gently melt together butter and syrup on the stove, then stir into the dry ingredients.
3. Dissolve bicarb in the milk and add to the mixture stirring well.
4. Tip into greased baking tray, press down all over till even with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake at 350 F/180 C for 15 - 20 min until golden brown. Cut into squares in tin then leave to cool for a while before taking out of the tin.

March op-shop finds & sticking to a budgie

This year I've been enjoying working with my budget in a much more intentional way. Usually I'll just guesstimate as I go along from month to month, since I'm not typically a big spender and figure it will all even out in the end.

But what I'm finding is that being intentional about what I spend, and keeping a close tally of where it all goes, is actually pretty rewarding. I have a wish-list of things I want to get, which helps me keep an eye out as I shop. This week I happened to stop by the goodwill store (op shop, in Aussie terms) and knocked out three things from my list, and for much, much cheaper than I was expecting to pay for them new!

March op-shop finds:
24 Wilton mini muffin pan 2.99
aluminium ring mold pan 2.99 (no, spellcheck, it's not aluminum)
Target black flats (brand new with the tag) 9.99

fairy cakes

My first shot at making cupcakes from scratch!

I have to say, I'm not sure I can ever go back to using a box, these cupcakes were so light, and a cinch to make, too. I used a recipe from Nigella Lawson's cookbook, "How to Be a Domestic Goddess" (I cringe to quote a title like that! haha).

I was icing them in a bit of a hurry, so some of the flowers (which I bought pre-made from Spun Sugar) ended up sinking into the icing before it was set. But overall I was very happy with the result and can't wait to make them again.

South African baking: milk tart

I'm on a South African baking kick. I've come across some great recipes from my childhood, the first I'll share with you is Milk Tart (aka Melk Tert). My mum used to make these by the dozen to give to friends. I might just have to do the same!

I had some filling left over so I poured it into a couple ramekins and chilled in the fridge for dessert. The best part about it is that it has the flavor of a rich dessert but it's not very rich at all, no cream, though a bit of sugar.

SERVES 10 -12

Change to: Servings US Metric

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

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Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 125 g butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour, sifted
  
• salt

Filling

• 1 liter milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 10 ml vanilla essence

Directions

1. Cream the margarine and sugar together and beat in the egg.

2. Add the flour and salt and knead until a soft dough is formed.

3. Press the mixture into a greased circular pie dish and bake at 350°F/180°C for 15 minutes.

train cake

I'm getting lots of practice on cakes for boys! My dear neighbors Wungsem and Vareho had a joint birthday party on the weekend. I made their dinosaur cake last year. This year they wanted a train cake, so I followed this trusty howdini.com video and had some fun!

This was made from two cakes baked in loaf pans. One cake for the engine and one cut into quarters for the cars.
All they need are some Oreo wheels and some colorful cargo and they're good to go!



All aboard!

Apple cake

This is not your typical "apple cake" :) It was for a friend who started a job at Apple. This cake was a fun challenge for me. The cake itself is a very simple design, but I enjoyed working with the fondant to get just the right colors, and then rolling it out as smooth as possible.

noah's ark

Is it normal to have motherly feelings toward a cake you just made? As a friend was leaving with the Noah's ark cake I made for her daughter's first birthday I felt like a mum parting with her child for the first time (not that I have any idea what that feels like, but I think I just caught a glimpse!)

"Did you pack your socks?"

"Don't forget to change your underwear, and if anyone bullies you, call me!"

"...I love you!"

Since my sugarpie (emphasis on sugar) walked out the door, I've had my phone right next to me waiting for it to ring. I feel like an empty-nester.

Something tells me this is not normal. Somebody help!