Behold! The Rainbow Cupcake

Because nothing says "Happy 30th Birthday! Welcome to responsible adulthood!" like rainbow cupcakes :)

I made these for a birthday party we went to today. I don't actually count these as food because they were made with packet vanilla cake mix, and lots of food colouring. But they were fun to make and look fantastic.

To get the layers, I allowed the cake mix to partially cook and firm up in between colours. The cake needed to be cooked at a lower temperature, so the mixture didn't rise too quickly and warp. I also used silicone muffin cups in the tin so that I could peel them off easily to show off the layers.

I got the original idea from Allrecipes.com, but I feel that using 6 layers in a cupcake is unnecessary. Not only will it take too long to make (especially if you have lots of them to make) but as you can see from the original photo, the violet layer looks grey and the orange layer is lost between the red and yellow. Having just blue, green, yellow and red gives the impression of a rainbow, but is much easier to make.

The topping is Betty Crocker Creamy Vanilla Frosting, with a piece of sour strap lolly on top, and some sprinkles.

PS. Rainbow Brite turns 30 next year. I'm starting to feel old.

Apple Pikelets for Shrove Tuesday

Today is Shrove Tuesday. The little boy ate several of these apple pikelets for his morning tea. The custard powder gives the pikelets a lovely vanilla flavour and a nice yellow colour.


½ cup self raising flour
1 tablespoon custard powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
¼ cup milk
pinch of cinnamon
6 dried apple rings, diced
2 tsp melted butter


Mix the flour, custard powder, and sugar in a bowl. Add the egg and blend until it forms a smooth paste. Add milk and mix to form a smooth, thick batter. Add cinnamon and apple.


Cook in a non-stick frying pan brushed with melted butter. This made about 8 pikelets.


Time: 15 minutes

Home made fruity snacks

My little boy is a big fan of little fruity snack bars. The commercial ones are not cheap (especially the organic ones), so I've been looking into home made versions.

Chewy fruit and oat energy bars

Yummy!

There's some great recipes for these by Camilla at Enlightened Cooking. These would also be fantastic to whip up if you're a sporty type who prefers to nibble little snacks when you have a big event (I never could eat much food on race days).

I'm using dried dates soaked in some warm water for 10 minutes.

This recipe made about 8 little finger sized bars.

⅓ cup dates
⅓cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup sultanas
⅓ cup coconut
⅓ cup quick oats

Process the fruit until very finely chopped, then remove from the food processor. Add the oats and coconut and process until fine. Mix by hand with the fruit to make a smooth ball. Use damp hands to shape the mixture into bars or balls, then keep in the fridge. I imagine these would freeze very well too, so you can just pop one in a lunchbox in the morning.

The best thing I liked about this recipe is that I already had all of these things in the cupboard.

Guavas!

I got a lovely bag of fresh guavas from my friend at A Sydney Foodie. I've never eaten fresh ones before, only the nectar in a bottle. The first thing that stuck me is the perfume - they smell so absolutely divine! The flavour is all tropical - hints of banana, passionfruit...but they won't keep long so the best thing is to cook them into something delicious.


First up is an asian-inspired dessert, then a simple cake with macadamias and guavas.


Pandan and Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Guava Jelly


Tapioca is one of those love-hate things. I love the bubbly chewy texture of the little pearls in desserts and drinks. You can cook tapioca the same way you would cook a rice pudding with milk, sugar and vanilla, or you can go with more asian flavours like coconut and pandan. I find cooking the pearls separately gives you a better result, with more control over the starchiness. This dessert is also dairy free and gluten free!


1/2 cup sago(seed tapioca), cooked and rinsed
100ml coconut cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon tapioca flour
2-3 drops of pandan essence (optional)


Mix the tapioca flour with the coconut, sugar and tapioca pearls in a small saucepan. Cook for 3-5 minutes over a medium heat until the mix thickens. Add the pandan essence and remove from heat, Pour into heat-proof serving glasses and allow to cool.


Pulp from 5 guavas (or use guava nectar)
150ml water
1 tbsp sugar
½ tablespoon of gelatine powder


Blend the guava pulp with 50ml of water, and then strain to remove the seeds. Mix the gelatine and sugar with 100ml boiling water and mix into the guava pulp. Allow to cool slightly then pour over the tapioca layer and chill for at least 2 hours. I made 2 servings.


Guava and Macadamia Cake

Not a great picture

Based on this recipe by Steve Manfredi, but with a couple of modifications - green ginger wine is great for cooking (and drinking - it's yummy!) This is a pretty basic cake recipe. You could swap the macadamias for other nuts, and swap the fruit for anything you have that needs cooking up.


6 guavas, peeled
80g macadamia nuts, processed to a rough meal
150g flour
100g sugar
125g softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp Stone's green ginger wine
Jam for glazing


Chop 2 of the guavas and place them in a blender or food processor. Scoop the seedy flesh out of the other 4 guavas and add to the food processor. Slice the 4 guavas and set them aside.
Add the ginger wine to the guava pulp and blend, then pass through a sieve to remove the seeds.
Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the guava puree, then beat again. Mix the baking powder with the flour and add this gradually to the cake mix, beating in between. Finally, stir in the ground macadamia.
Pour the mix into a round cake pan and place the guava slices on top. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes. To glaze the cake, warm a tablespoon of jam in the microwave, then brush over the top of the cake.