Nigella's Mini Pavlovas

Strangely enough I've never made a pavlova before, I've always been a little bit scared to make them. Every Christmas l always hear my mum and aunties complain how their pavlovas didn't rise enough or were too sweet. I think one of their problems was that they all use the same recipe and are probably unwilling try something new.

I came across this recipe in Nigella Lawson's "How To Be a Domestic Goddess". They were really easy to make and everyone raved about them!

Enjoy!

Y x

Mini Pavlovas

(Makes 18. Recipe Nigella Lawson)

8 egg whites
a pinch of salt
500g caster sugar
4 tsp corn flour
2 tsp white wine vinegar (makes the meringues chewy inside)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I didn’t have any so I just substituted 100 gram of the above 500 gram caster sugar with my own vanilla sugar, which basically is a jar of caster sugar to which I add scraped used vanilla pods instead of throwing them in the trash).

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.

Beat the egg whites and salt until the miixture form satiny peaks. Keep beating the egg whites while adding sugar little at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the corn flour, vinegar (and vanilla extract, if using). Fold in gently.

Form round meringues on the trays lined with baking paper, around 10 cm a cross and 1.5 cm high. Make an indentation in the middle of every pavlova with the back of a spoon. Put in the trays in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 150°C. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the Pavlovas inside for 1.5-2 hours.

Serve the Pavlovas with whipped cream, fresh fruit and a nice fruit syrup.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Ginger Caramel Icing

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! Sorry l've been a bit slack with my posts but l've been busily baking for one whole month. Our family Christmas's are not the norm and tend to be a really large affair, this year we had 60 people for a sit down dinner. Luckily l don't have to prepare all the food myself, but l volunteered to make a dessert buffet. So over the next couple of weeks l will share all the wonderful recipes.

You all know of my love for Gingerbread Cookies! I can now add to that, with Gingerbread Cupcakes. These are just divine, the crystallized ginger gives it an extra zing that you would never expect.

Makes 24

300g Plain Flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tblsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp mixed spice

150g unsalted butter, softened

400g Caster Sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

100g finally chopped crystalized ginger

160ml sour cream

Pre-Heat Oven to 170'C, line two 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger and mixed spice.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar one third at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each additions. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence, half the sifted dry ingredients and the chopped ginger and half of the sour cream and stir until just combined. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Divide mixture amongst the cupcake papers ad bake for 20 minutes or until the cakes spring back when gently pressed.

Ginger Caramel Icing

125g Butter

200g brown sugar

80ml cream

1 tblsp ground ginger

500g icing sugar

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mix to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cream and ginger.

Cool to a lukewarm temperature. Gradually stir in the icing sugar and cool the mixture completely. Beat until the frosting is light and creamy. If the frosting is too stiff, add a little more cream.

Enjoy!

Y x

Christmas Treats for the Neighborhood Kids

There is nothing nicer then living in a street where there are quite a few Children and that they can actually play with one another.

This year Cooper who is always very generous wanted to give his friends a little gift. Unfortunately time wasn't on my side, so instead of baking something l found these gorgeous little red boxes and filled them with red and white lollies. I think it looks really affective and festive to boot!

Enjoy!

Y x