Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes with Lemon Curd & Cream

I am finally blogging again, well at least for today. I have to admit that the past few months my work has taken most of my time. And all I wanted to do on the weekends is to put my feet up and laze around at home. But I thought I resurface to say hello and Happy New Year! This year will be a very exciting year for me and my husband (lot of changes), the big Europe trip is one of them.

I am keeping this entry short and sweet, as I wanted to share my latest attempt in trying the recipe from the Delicious Sweet magazine. The reason for choosing this recipe was because I had all the ingredients at home and it looked simple enough to follow.

Makes 8

125g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
175g plain flour, sifted, plus extra to dust
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs milk, plus extra if needed
1/2 cup good-quality lemon curd*
150ml thickened cream, whipped
Icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and flour two 12-hole patty pan trays.
Using electric beaters, beat butter and caster sugar until thick and pale. And eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Fold in flour and baking powder, then stir in milk to give a soft dropping consistency (add a little more milk if needed).
Divide mixture among cupcake pans and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and cool slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble, turn one cake upside down, spread with 1 heaped teaspoon each of curd and cream, then sandwich with another cake (right way up). Repeat with remaining cakes, curd and cream, then dust with icing sugar.

*Lemon curd - available from gourmet food shops or you can use the following recipe to make your own.

Make 1/2 cup

1 egg
30ml fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1/2 tbs finely shredded lemon zest
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature

In a heat proof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (careful not to boil), whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Stirring constantly (to prevent from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week.

Sweet Infinity, The Strand

I have fallen into my own trap, I call it the lazy trap. As you can see the last blog I posted was more than a month ago when my family was here visiting. So this week with much hesitation I forced myself out of my laziness and start blogging again.

Last week when I was looking for a camera strap at The Strand, I stumbled upon Sweet Infinity. I have been wanting to go to Sweet Infinity at Woolloomooloo for quite some time now, but I can't see to find the time to do it. I was quite disappointed to find a limited selection of cakes, nevertheless I still managed to leave the shop with a box of goodies.

Sweet Infinity is famous for its brownies, they make around 400 a week. As a chocolate lover, this is one treat not to be miss! Unfortunately I was not entirely satisfied with the brownie, to be honest I've tasted better ones. The outer layer was almost too crispy and crumbly for my liking, however the texture inside was soft. Mostly it just tasted of sugar, which overpowers the chocolate flavour.

My two(2) favourites would be the custard berry tart and lemon meringue tart. They come in two(2) sizes, small and regular. Since I wanted to try both flavours, I opted for the more reasonably (less greedy) small size. The custard berry tart, which was topped with fresh blueberries has a milder flavour compared to the lemon meringue. However if you are a HUGE fan of lemon meringue like myself, then you will love the burst of citrus flavour as you bite through it.

When it comes to tarts, I love the pastry to be just crumbly enough to bite and not overly sweet custard filling. I have to admit that both tarts delivered the same excellent consistency in the pastry and filling.

The chocolate wafer mousse was such a delicious treat. Its small bite size made it so innocent for me to have more than just one. Crunchy chocolate wafer filled with soft dark chocolate mousse that was sweet enough and topped with a blueberry for a touch of freshness.

Head over to Sweet Infinity at The Strand or Woolloomooloo for an afternoon tea indulgence. You can also grab a quick lunch - delicious selection of pies and sandwiches to choose from.

Sweet Infinity
53 Riley Street
Woolloomooloo
NSW 2011

tel 02 9331 2448

Opening hours
Mon - Fri: 7am - 4pm
Sat: 7am - 1pm

A Weekend of Self-pampering

Every now and then we deserve to pamper ourselves, give our mind and body a relaxing treatment. Last week I received a gift voucher, free footbath and facial at Endota Spa. I decided to use it on the weekend and treat myself to an hour of pampering. It was a really nice and relaxing treatment, so much so that I fell asleep towards the end.

As a dessert lover, self-pampering also means an afternoon of cake indulgence. I went to La Renaissance for lunch, sat at the backyard and enjoyed the warm and sunny day. I ordered the Baguette Saucisson et Crudités and Lemon Tart.

I really love the Baguette, fresh and crunchy. The salami was not too spicy and it was complimented with fresh mixed salad, a light and refreshing meal.

Hungarian salami with mixed salad and cornichon mayonnaise $9

The lemon tart was a real delight for me, it was the perfect dessert to complete my meal. The tart was of the right texture, almost crumbly when you bite it. The lemon custard is probably not for everyone's tastebud, but if you love lemon or sour flavour then you will love this. It was soft and creamy, I just kept wanting more and more. The only complain I have about the cake is the size, it was way too small for me!

Lemon Tart $6

Now it's your turn to pamper yourself!

Mini Cupcakes from Cupcakes on Pitt

A couple of weeks ago I decided to take a 'sweet' short walk during my lunch break. What is so dangerously appetizing about working in the city is that I am surrounded by different variety of cake shops. So that afternoon I set my heart on the mini cupcakes from Cupcakes on Pitt. 

 

Cupcakes are one of the most popular sweet treats in the world. They taste pretty ordinary, mostly made either from vanilla or chocolate sponge cake. However, it's the beautiful icing decoration on top that makes people go 'woww'. I am one of them! One who so easily fall for the pretty little cupcakes even though I know how ordinary they taste like. 

My favourites are the passionfruit and lemon meringue flavours. Both are vanilla base which is quite light and not overly sweet. I can taste a hint of passionfruit when I first bite into the passionfruit cupcake. Unfortunately the taste slowly disappears with every single bite.

From left to right: Passionfruit Cupcake, Lemon Meringue Cupcake

I love how the lemon meringue sits nicely on top of the base and melts softly when I put it in my mouth. Not as sour as I was hoping it to be, but overall I still thoroughly enjoy the lemon meringue cupcake. 

Blueberries are always great for making desserts and I had that expectation when I chose the blueberry cupcake. Regrettably, it does not taste like blueberry at all. The only thing that I can taste in the blueberry base and icing is sugar, lots of sugar.

From left to right: Blueberry Cupcake, Passionfruit Cupcake

Lucky last is the cherry ripe cupcake. Rich chocolate base, slightly heavier than the vanilla base, topped with sweet pink icing. Another one of the ordinary taste but pretty looking cupcake that uses cherry ripe chocolate as the finishing touch.

From bottom left to bottom right: Cherry Ripe Cupcake, Blueberry Cupcake, Lemon Meringue Cupcake, Passionfruit Cupcake

These mini cupcakes from Cupcakes on Pitt are great for parties, office hour tea time or whenever you fancy a sugar hit. They cost $2.50 each and are always delicately packed in a secure box. 

Check out their website for flavours, store location and opening hours.

Black Star Pastry, Newtown

Newtown, a funky & lively suburb filled with a lot of hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Black Star Pastry is definitely on that list. The owner, Christopher Thé is a former pastry chef at Woollahra's award winning restaurant Claude's. This tiny pâtisserie is bustling with the locals enjoying their Saturday morning coffee and breakfast, sitting on one of the stools scattered outside on the footpath. As I enter the cafe there is a short queue, however within less than three(3) minutes I am immediately served by one of the friendly staff.

While waiting for my cakes to be carefully packed in a box, I take the opportunity to snap some pictures of the cafe. To my surprise, this friendly barista suddenly turn towards me and put on his best smile for my camera.

The hardest part after buying cakes is always the journey home. I will carefully put the box of cakes on my lap, open the lid every once in while and salivate over them! To torture myself even further, I seem to take the longest time ever to photograph each of the individual cake. I guess I'm just building up the momentum for my sweet indulgence. 

Lemon Meringue with Basil Jelly

The lemon meringue with basil jelly is my cake of the day. A beautiful pentagonal pyramid shaped like cake with a solid and crunchy pastry base. It is topped with a smooth, creamy and citrusy lemon meringue. Once you get to the middle of the cake, you'll find the partially transparent basil jelly. Like any jelly, its texture is soft with a resilient consistency and full of basil flavour.

Strawberry, Rose & Watermelon Cake

An interesting layered sponge cake with a slice of fresh and juicy watermelon, strawberries and cream. Unlike the typical vanilla sponge cake with strawberries, this cake is layered with almond dacquoise sponge. The nutty almond dacquoise sponge is light and the crunchiness compliments the juicy watermelon. A refreshing cake that is neither too sweet nor heavy, perfect for your lazy afternoon tea-time indulgence. 

Hazelnut & Chocolate Cake

Nothing can ever go wrong with a hazelnut and chocolate cake. To me, these two ingredients combined together is like a match made in heaven. This cake is layered with rich chocolate sponge and hazelnut-crunch mix, and topped with a thick layer of chocolate plaque and gold leaf. 

Chocolate Gingerbread Ninja

My last treat of the day is the chocolate gingerbread ninja. A cute and almost crazy-like gingerbread looking ninja coated in rich chocolate. It is gingery and just the right consistency of crumbliness as you bite through it. 

Black Star Pastry

277 Australia Street, Newtown
Tel: (02) 9557 8656
0700 - 1700 Tues-Sun

Lemon Tart

My obsession with lemon tart started with Jamies Oliver's restaurant Fifteen in Melbourne. It was the best lemon tart I have ever tried so far. Here I am trying to rekindle that wonderful experience by baking my own lemon tart. I found this recipe and meticulously followed every step of the way. The hardest part for me was making the pastry from scratch and transferring it (without breaking) to the pan. Did I successfully transfer the pastry without breaking it? Definitely NOT. The edge of the pastry was breaking into pieces and I inelegantly 'stitch' them back together. Let's hope for a better luck next time!

My imperfect pastry - with all the holes & unevenness

Making full use of my blowtorch to create a caramelized top

Do treat yourself with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or crème fraiche which goes really well with the sourness of the lemon tart.

Rekindle my love with Strudel Baron

After our delicious breakfast at Rosebud, we dropped by Strudel Baron (only a few doors away) to stock up for our Sunday night desserts.
Studel Baron at 172 Victoria Road, Drummoyne, used to be our occasional breakfast/dessert place when we lived around the area. I was delighted to see that they have ventured out to the neighbouring suburb, Balmain.

Freshly made pastries...

Plum Tart $4.90

Lemon Roulade $4.50

Passionfruit Tart $4.90

I can definitely taste the freshness of the pastry on both the tarts, soft and crunchy at the same time. The plum was more on the mild side, however my favourite was the passionfruit tart. The passionfruit flavour was very strong and the seeds were not only for decorative purpose but added that playful crunchy bite to the tart. The lemon roulade was soft and light, unfortunately missing the sharp lemon taste. 

Overall, I am glad to have stumble upon Strudel Baron again.

Tea Time with Pattison's Patisserie

Pattison's Patisserie is one of the newest shop recently opened at Top Ryde City Shopping Centre. I have been wanting to try the cakes every time I do my weekly grocery shopping there. Last Saturday I finally bought myself two(2) cakes. I managed to take a couple of pictures with my phone before the shop assistant told me no pictures allowed. 

Baked Lemon Lime Tart $5.20

'Shortbread base filled with a lemon and lime custard filling consisting of fresh cream, fresh eggs and sugar and of course lemon and lime'

Apple & Cinnamon Tart $4.90

'Shortbread base filled with poached apples and cinnamon finished with a shortbread lattice top and glazed'

I was hoping that the Baked Lemon Lime Tart will be more on the sour side, however I have to actually squeeze the lime juice to give it a kick. The texture of the custard was not as soft as I like it to be. I guess ever since I had Jamie Oliver's Lemon Tart from Fifteen I have high expectation for lemon tart.

As for the Apple & Cinnamon Tart, I like the filling. Its not too sweet and the apple & cinnamon definitely compliment each other. I wish the shortbread was thinner so I get to enjoy more of the filling.

Will I ever go back there and try the other cakes? Maybe...and hopefully I'll have a more satisfying experience.

'Crostata di limone' FIFTEEN

I have been wanting to try Jamie Oliver's restaurant FIFTEEN ever since it opened in Melbourne, located at Basement, 115-117 Collins Street (Enter through George Parade). So with my last minute booking, I managed to get a table for Friday lunch. I made the reservation through the website and received an email confirmation pretty much on the same day.

Upon arrival, we were welcomed by the cozy and relax 'bar' area where you can enjoy you meal.

It was a really hot day when we arrived in Melbourne that morning, so I decided to order a cocktail. Being a vodka lover, my eyes were immediately set on the Pomegranate Caprioska $16.

Just the right amount of sweetness from the raspberry & sourness from the fresh lime!

Patiently waiting for the chef to prepare our feast..

Our Antipasti, Primi and Secondi, which consist of (from top left clockwise):

Parmesan with jamon Serrano, cheese sticks and black pepper $16

Sourdough bruschetta with grilled squid, zucchini ribbons, chilli and salsa rossa piccante $16

Galletto 'al mattone' with chorizo, capers, grapes and a pearl barley salad $35

Risotto (vialone nano) with zucchini, zucchini flowers, king prawns and Shiso cress $20

However, the highlight of my lunch was this lemon tart. It was smooth and creamy, with a refreshing lemon taste. If you like your dessert to be on the sour side, you'll definitely love this dessert! I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to make one myself.

'Crostata di limone' with vanilla crème fraiche and fresh raspberries $12