Anyone for Tennis???

Every year about this time, our friends the Clymas have a tennis tournament. This year the theme was the U.S Tennis Open. We all rocked up in our stars and stripes, there was a gridiron player with his own chairleader, a U.S Marshall, McEnroe made an appearance and Uncle Sam with his patriotic better half. Mickey and Minnie Mouse came too and the U.S flag was wrapped around our newly single female. We all adopted American names, there was a Randy and Chip, Patty and Betty, Candy and Chuck, Larry and Nancy, to name a few.

There were hotdogs, hamburgers, deep fried donuts, lots of barbequed meat and salads, and cake.

The cake was a 'tennis cake' straight out of the Edmonds cook book.

It was really quite nice, with a dash of vanilla and almond essence, raisins and glace cherries.

Nice finish to a fun filled, sunny, great day.

Thank you to Crispin and his lady Di. ( or should I say Mack and Betty )

Happy Birthday Julie

Another birthday is upon us again this week. I am making the weekly cake a few days early as our friend Julie turns 50 tomorrow. After receiving the invitation for bubbles tonight, I thought that a cake could go down well with her throng of visitors.

Her Hubby recommended I make a moist chocolate type mud cake. So I consulted the Treasure of New Zealand Baking (again!) and found one I hadn't made yet called Vanna's Chocolate Cake. 'A family recipe that has been made by boys, girls, men and women, good cooks and novice bakers. It is quite sticky and keeps well.' says Kate Fraser. Sounds perfect.

I find with a lot of these cakes, their seems to be some strange ingredient that you can't always taste, but without it the cake wouldn't be quite right. In this cake we have a tablespoon of marmalade. Ground almonds too, so the taste will be interesting.

The icing is always a difficult one to get right. I have always iced my cakes with icing sugar, cocoa and small amount of butter mixed with just the right amount of hot water. This cake icing is melted chocolate, water, cream and butter......resulting in a runny texture that will fall off the cake. As I write this, I am watching the icing in the bowl and hoping it will miraculously thicken before my eyes! May have to help it along with either more chocolate or some icing sugar.

So, I contacted my cooking friend who I just knew would have the right advise and she suggested I melt more chocolate and add it to the runny mixture and then wait until it cools, as it will thicken upon cooling.

All fixed, the cake looks good and heres hoping it tastes good too.

Well what a weekend it has been already and its only mid Sunday!

Hubby and daughter joined forces with friend and commonwealth swim champion from a few years ago, Mel, to do the South Island Half Marathon in Lake Hood on Saturday. They did extremely well coming in second in the mixed team category, calling themselves 'Two girls and a cyclist'. Our other male friends, Ant, Greg, Clarky, Marty and Richie also did the event as individuals and they were just awesome, achieving individual life goals.

Today, we are meeting up with a family cousin from America. Hubbys father Cor, is calling her, his cousin, but we are not so sure....we think it could be his cousins daughter.....what do you call your cousins daughter? We have decided that she should be called just that. Cousins daughter.

Anyway, we are all having dinner at sister-in-laws place tonight and I thought that we should really have a kiwi type of cake on offer for dessert. Enter, the Treasury of New Zealand Baking again and on page 118 a recipe by Lauraine Jacobs, Hazelnut Meringue Cake with Kiwifruit.

The cake is very similar to a pavalova but no soft marshmellow. It crumbles when cut but the taste is exquisite with a lovely hazelnut crunch.

Barbara the 'cousins daughter', absolutely loved the dinner and dessert and she is off on the Trans Alpine to Greymouth today and the Trans scenic to Picton and beyond, tomorrow.

This is the type of dessert that is so easy and quick to make and bake. Will certainly be made again!

Show Weekend 2010

Show Day on Friday and the day after, has been the best weather that I can remember for a Show weekend in a long time. The pool got a wonderful work out, looking lovely and clean and at a temperature of 27 degrees!!! The BBQ was thrashed on both evenings as we entertained our nearest and dearest friends. Ping pong competition and sitting around the outside gas fire till the early hours. It is lovely to have an overcast Sunday to relax and bake a cake.

Sunday is our friend David's birthday. He is on his way home from the Sounds as his birthday cake cooks. Dave normal requests banana cake but I have no ripe bananas so I am making him something very different.

In the Foodtown magazine, they have a section called 'you asked for it'. Readers write in and ask for the recipes of their favourite food they have at cafe's around the country. The Old Vicarage shared their Citrus Slice, Cafe Metro in Kilmore St shared their Chocolate Cookies. I chose to make the Grindz Cafe's Coffee, Apple and Walnut Cake. Grindz Cafe is in Tauranga, owners Steve and Lindsay Graham. (there is a bit of useless information for you!)

This really does sound like a very delicious cake. Sour cream and the grated apple adds plenty of moisture and the coffee and walnuts will add lovely flavour and texture.

(Warning David, this cake contains nuts, so don't share it with Nick!)

Recipe reckons it serves 10, so it is a good size.

Happy Birthday Dave, now you have a cake to share at work tomorrow.

Dawn French in todays Sunday Star times said this about cake.....

'Its not really just the cake. Its all about the warmth of it, the smell of it and the fact that everyone comes together to eat it. Its a very useful tool, cake.'

I have to agree with her.

The Nest is Full Again.

Adam arrived home this morning from his 6 months of adventure in many countries around the world. He arrived looking very tanned and hairy and craving all of the comforts of home, including cake.

The washing machine has been working hard today, as his pack that he has been living out of for the past half year was upturned and the contents washed in nappysan and Amway SA8.

We have been entertained with many an interesting story and it really was quite fantastic to have all of us sit around the dinner table tonight enjoying Adams favourite meal of fillet steak, and catching up on all the happenings of late.

Dessert time and enter my cake of the week......

Since this is all about Adam, his request was for a chocolate jelly cake with pineapple lumps!

Well the chocolate cake was the easy part. Then I decided it would be nice to have the jelly in the centre and on the top. Jelly doesnt stay on the top of the cake. It all cascaded down the sides and the pineapple lumps also subsided down the sides and so it looks very ugly and lumpy! ha ha, but it tastes very lovely and sweet and has gone down a treat.

Welcome Home Adam, the nest is full again, the ironing pile is huge, the fridge is full for the moment, the television is on the sport channel every moment of the day, another car up the drive, wet towels on the floor, and I am loving it.

Orange and Chocolate = Jaffa Cake

My daughter came home from work one night armed with Cake recipes from her work collegues. This week I decided to make one of them. I love Jaffas and so I chose to make the Jaffa cake.

The recipe said to mush up an orange, skin and all, in a food processor until it resembles pulp and then add the pulp to the butter, egg and sugar mixture. No problem there for someone who doesn't like and use food processors (too many bits to clean, I find them a nuisance in the kitchen, not a necessity like many people!), out came the magic bullet....great invention. Pulped that orange in an instant.

Then once the mixture is in the tin, the recipe said to poke chocolate pieces into the mixture....gosh what a good idea...means the chocolate stays in chunks and is decadent to eat.

45 minutes later and the cake was complete, smelling very lovely and orangey.

Emma went to work yesterday morning with morning tea for all. I heard it went down very well accompanied by yoghurt and a coffee from nearby cafe, Ng.

I also shared the cake with my cycling buddy of the day and a friend popped in for a taste at lunch time.

This is what this cake making is all about. Sharing, enjoying something a little naughty in the nutrition department (although, nothing wrong with oranges!) putting on smile on someones face and a chance to sit and chat over coffee and cake.

The prodigal son returns next Monday from his adventures, so will be a chance to kill the fatted calf and also make him a welcome home cake! I think he would prefer a corona and fillet steak actually.