Freeze dried fruit meringue

blackberry bash eton mess cupcake with freeze dried blackberry meringue and fresh tarragon 

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Ok, I confess. I did tell him they were lollies, my step son that is... when he was little and we were going to the city for the day I'd buy him a packet of freeze dried fruit for a treat.

Freeze dried fruit is an awesome patisserie ingredient, with the intense flavour and natural colour of fresh real fruit and slight "fizz/sherbet" mouth feel. 

Freeze dried fruit powders come in a plethora of fruit, veg and herbs, whole, pieces and powder. 

You can use freeze dried fruit powders in all of your favourite frostings from buttercreams to seven minute, just add a few teaspoons of powder (or to taste) in the last minute on mixing.  

freeze dried black berry whipped cream

Ganache and whipped cream you betcha :) The more creamy, the more fat your mixture contains the more powder you will have to use. The resulting flavours aren't as intense as "meringue" but still add a flavour boost. 

Macaron shells and meringues come to life with a fresh flavour burst of chosen fruit. Think pavlovas, meringue based roulades and souffles too. 

Cookies, biscuits, cake batters, tart and pie crusts can all be flavoured/coloured with freeze dried fruit powder. I made the best ever passionfruit shortbread last Christmas thanks the to addition of freeze dried passionfruit powder. 

Wake up your breakfast by adding freeze dried fruit powders or pieces to your homemade granola, stir through yoghurt, add to your waffle batter or add a spoonful to your smoothie. 

One of my favourite uses for freeze dried fruit powder is just flavouring sugar. Here castor sugar/super fine is flavoured with freeze dried berry powder and used for donut coating sugar. Flavoured sugar; a few teaspoons of freeze dried fruit powder per cup of sugar, mix and then store in an airtight jar. Use as required on you tea cakes, pancakes, donuts and the like. 

Blackberry meringue

You can use any meringue recipe italian, french or swiss... just add powder in last, about a tablespoon for 3-4 egg whites.

Pre heat oven to 90cel  (194F) 

line baking tray with non stick paper

4 egg whites are room temperature

220g (7.75oz) caster sugar (superfine)

I pinch of cream of tartar

10 to 15 grams (0.35 to 0.50oz) of freeze dried blackberry powder

Whisk egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, gradually add sugar until combined, add blackberry powder and continue to whisk until thick and glossy.

Spread onto prepared tray and bake for one and a half to two hours. Turn oven off and leave in oven until cool about another 2 hours.  

Bash or break pieces off to stir through chantilly (vanilla) whipped cream with fresh berries for you eton mess. Either serve in small glasses, a giant bowl or fill cored cupcakes with the mixture. 

I used fresh tarragon to add, ummm well "freshness" and the herbal aniseed flavours compliments the blackberries beautifully. 

Haven't used freeze fruit before? Then I would suggest you start with raspberries, whole, bits or powder or passionfruit powder. Unless you are growing your own, both these give you the most bang for you buck and they are popular too!  

A note on colours; blackberry, blueberry and black currant all give a "purple colour range", for pink or red use raspberry, sometimes the strawberry powder whilst tasting of fresh strawberries gives you an orange colour hue.

Pros:   intense concentrated real fruit flavour, intense natural colour, slight fizz, a little goes a long way, your not adding excess liquid to you mixes, enjoy fruit out of season. Whole freeze dried fruits can be ground to powder or broken into small bits. 

Cons:  cost, it's not inexpensive, powders will clump, pieces soften if exposed to moisture... silica sachets recommended if you buy a larger quantity than a sachet. 

Where to get it is going to depend on where you are located: places to look specialty supermarkets and food stores, health food stores, patisserie supplies store. Seek out local growers for supreme quality. 

New Zealand: Fresh As this brand is available to ship to Australia and also available from gourmet grocer online  

Australia: The Essential Ingredient Sydney, Melbourne and online    

Tastebom has a nice range, as does Melbourne Food Depot 

US:  Amazon  

Happy Baking :)  

You might also be interested in red plum fruit caviar 

or an easy white chocolate plastique

Brûlée crusted Fig cupcake

Brûlée crusted Fig cupcake 

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Fresh fruit brulee crust ... yummm!

Not too exciting if you are located in the UK but for Australian's "Yay" a range of Billingtons Sugar is available from Woolworths (at least in Victoria). The range includes the much coveted muscovado and golden caster sugar. 

Now you can bake cake, desserts and the like from your Nigella, Jamie, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood books without substituting ingredients. Plus the golden caster sugar makes for a fabulous brûlée crust when sprinkled on cut fresh fruit and given a quick torch. 

Sprinkling cut fruit with *golden caster sugar and "torching" makes for a quick dessert cupcake topper.

Whether from a kitchenware store or the hardware shop, mini blow torches make quick work of melting sugar into a caramel crust.

Very ripe fruits only hold the brûlée for a few minutes before they start to dissolve into a lovely caramelly drizzle... perfect topper for dessert cupcakes, cheesecake or even a pavlova. My stepson (when he was old enough to wield a torch) loved making brûlée crusted banana slices to serve with vanilla ice-cream. Brûlée fruit is wickedly good on cornflakes, your porridge or morning yoghurt. 

Today I used fresh figs, but halves of small ripe plums, or apricots, wedges of fresh peach, banana slices, orange segments and the like make a fab quick dessert. Cupcake bases that work well include almond sponge, vanilla sponge or butter cake, spiced and nut flour cakes. Ummm, something creamy for the topping is good, whipped cream, cream fraiche, a yoghurt whipped cream combo or perhaps your favourite butter cream. 

Have your cupcakes ready and just before serving lay you pieces of fruit cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with golden caster sugar, liberally (but don't go crazy!!). Light your torch, pass the flame over the sugared fruit pieces (almost like spray painting, even sweeps) holding the tip of your torch 7-8 cm (around 3 inches) away from the sugar. You sugar will start to bubble and caramelise. All done,  just wait a few minutes before handling, sugar drips burn! Enjoy. 

Happy Baking :)

* can't get golden caster sugar? raw or white caster sugar work well or just plain white sugar in a pinch.  

Ready to stretch your sugar skills? How about a toffee dipped hazelnuts or banana chips how to...

Want to know more about brown sugar? Updated chart here 

50 Shades of Grey cupcake

50 Shades of Grey cupcake

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Another Monday at the nursing home, By the Light of the Silvery Moon tinkles in the main rooms piano sing-a-long session, yet a short distance away rap in the way of Kanye West Bound 2 is blaring from one of the residents rooms. It's a 50 shades of Grey cupcake idea in the making! 

I've been gone for almost a year, during that time my Dad has gone into a nursing home with dementia and my health has deteriorated, leading to time split between doctors, hospitals and the nursing home. It's baking and cooking that have kept me going throughout and I'm so excited to be back!! I've learnt lots of new techniques to share with you, and of course I'll have to do a Halloween cupcake or two in the next week.

Definitely aiming for ummm "slightly" more detailed tutorials than this... but it's first day back and I'm out the swing, or is that the loop? Oh you know what I mean. The elderly lady is a "marked head" figure, roll a ball of fondant and mark out eyes, nose, mouth with a toothpick, piping tip or cake tool. This type of head is quick and useful, it can be a man, woman, baby even a dog.  

I'm so looking forward to getting back into all things bakerrrrrryish.  

Happy Baking :) 

You might also be interested in Hippy Dippy using a clay gun to make hair, wool, grass etc. 

Happy Halloween

               the continuing adventure of the Gingerbread man

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The Gingerbread man is still on the run from his first blog appearance Christmas 2009.
Caught up with him in Egypt in 2010.

Lost him in 2011 but found him under attack by Zombies in 2012.

This year I thought I'd cut him a break and let him cut himself a costume to do some Trick and Treating. 

Happy Halloween :) 

You might like to do some "gingerboy eating" with this chocolate truffle ginger cupcake recipe

Albert Einstein 'think!' Cupcake

albert einstein 'think!' cupcake

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"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

Albert Einstein

Ahhhh, love Albert Einstein and he is the perfect cupcake topper for my single coffee mug gift. Try your hand at a making a figure topper of your favourite sportsman, actor, loved one or scientist by starting with photos.

For Albert Einstein, I started with a Google image search and printed out a few for my inspiration board. 

Then using pre made white fondant with a little CMC powder added, I coloured and rolled the balls I needed to make up the figure.

Here are the balls for the hair, eyebrows and mustache plus the balls for the head, eyelids, eyes, ears and nose

partially made Einstein, plastic wrap balls are are used to support drying pieces.

From here I attach the pieces with a little water and with the aid of my inspiration photos start to build the figure. I used a toothpick to mark out his wrinkles and hair details. I made off centre clothing the same way.

Black food marker was used to mark the hair, moustache and eyes.... and coloured petal dusts with the aid of a small artists brush were added for shading.

That's about it... do give it a try with your own photos of choice as your inspiration. 

Ohh, and trying to "think" of gift ideas? It is the time of year for the single "coffee mug" gift, my best friend Jacinta and I have fallen in love with UK designer Keith Brymer Jones Word range of bucket mugs, cups and bowls. Loads of different "words" are available in the range such as "love", "caffeine", "teatime" etc. 

We got ours in Australia from Victoria's Basement and Peters of Kensington . Amazon UK has them too and Amazon US has a huge range..... Keith Brymer Jones Word Mugs and Bowls

Happy Baking :)

Fast Bubble Sugar Cupcake Decorations

             mini cupcake topped with bubble sugar (isomalt) topper

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Well, you know I love a bubble sugar decoration... today an even faster way to produce *isomalt bubble sugar toppers. 3 minute baking time, cool and taaa daaa you have bubble sugar toppers for your cupcakes and plated desserts.

For this method use CakePlay isomalt sticks or left over cooked isomalt. Ideally two Silpat baking mats but two good quality silicone mats will do. 

CakePlay sticks are precooked isomalt, available in clear and a range of colours. I used left over cooked isomalt that had already been coloured with americolor electric shades. 

Method

Pre heat oven to 180c (355 F)

Grind a few sticks or left over isomalt in a mortar and pestle (or zip lock bag and a rolling pin) until you have a fine powder. Isomalt shatters quickly with little effort.

Sift the crushed isomalt over your first Silpat. Reverse the second Silpat and place on top of the crushed isomalt to create a "sandwich". 

Bake 3 to 4 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and allow to cool without lifting the top Silpat.

Once cool peel back the top Silpat and break bubble sugar into shards. Wearing gloves will protect the pieces from fingerprinting. Pieces are tissue paper thin, yet sturdy enough to handle. 

Happy Baking :)

Coca cola cupcake topped with traditional bubble sugar, where hot sugar is poured over a tilted alcohol covered tray.

*Why Isomalt??: Bubble sugar made from sugar tends to be a thicker and we don't want to take out someone's crowns when they are eating your cupcake. The isomalt method is alcohol free. Isomalt holds up better than sugar work, that said it's always best to top your cakes/desserts just before serving.

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You might also like to see another method of making bubble sugar with isomalt...

Baking isomalt powder bubble sugar

Or try your hand at toffee springs 

Dan the Shrunken Head Halloween Cupcake

                 Dan the shrunken head halloween cupcake

I've been drying chicken in the oven for dog treats this week, the pugs love the shrunken pieces... and yep, this is segue into today's shrunken head cupcake.

Firstly, don't stress about your sculpting skills when you whip up shrunken heads of your hubby, boss or teenagers... you really just need to pick up a few identifiable features. 

Here is Dan, my step son. I could have put his hair shape and beard on a ping pong ball and people would have still said "it's Daniel". Sooo, a bald head, eye glasses, big ears, red hair, curly hair or maybe a nose ring will make up the features of your shrunken head. 

Dan's shrunken head started with this basic shape modelled from a 50/50 modelling paste/modelling chocolate combination.

It's easy with modelling chocolate to smooth and blend joins (like the top of Dan's nose), the heat of your fingers will do it. The addition of modelling paste or fondant with CMC powder added will make sure your piece dries firmly, important if you are living in a warmer climate.  

The bonus of making Halloween shrunken heads and zombies is that if a bit doesn't look right you just give it a squeeze or break a bit off, "it's shrunken". 

Have fun.

Happy Baking :) 

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You might also be interested in an easy white modelling chocolate recipe

Fondant Masquerade Masks

                   green with envy fondant masquerade mask

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You are invited to the ball, the Masquerade ball... 

Special post today on getting more use out of your silicone moulds. Hmmm, doesn't sound that "special" does it? But what you make will be!!

Don't you love those cake decorating silicone moulds, press in a bit of fondant or modelling paste and hey presto you have a modelled shape in no time. But, but, but, what happens when you have used your mould a few times and you're bored with the shape? Does it end up in the draw with all those other moulds that you just "had to have"? Why don't you try extending the shape, you'll have the time saving aspect of using a mould combined with your own decorating ideas. 

measuring a tiny 4.5 cm (less that two inches) across the  jewel mask uses the same mould as the green with envy mask in cake one.

The masquerade masks on cake one and two today are make with the same mould. Cake three adds a mask to the mask mould and cake four gets it's pizzazz from a side extension. All cakes displayed in fondant covered mini cupcakes today.

For the gold and diamond mask I've added a "mask onto the mask"

Pretty in pink mask has a simple side extension added.

Extensions to your masks can as simple as rolling a thin snake of fondant, from there you twist, twirl and roll to create trims and ribbon.

Create extension pieces by matching the base with mask depth, thinning out from there as required. I use small pieces of plastic wrap to create shapes in the fondant before and after they have been attached to figures. When adding fondant feathers and the like, make sure they are rolled as thinly as possible as you don't want to add too much weight to your pieces.

Use a tootpick/cocktail stick to create twirls.

I used Americolour food spray paint sheen colours undiluted to paint the masks. Try mixing two colours together for a unique finish. A small brush like the type used to paint toy models is ideal for painting trims and details.

 first of two coats on mask, orange food pen circles eyes before painting to change colour of painted finish.

All bits and bobs attached with water with the exception of the isomalt gems I attached those with a dab of melted isomalt. Some of the fondant I marbled by twisting several colours of fondant together, I like how that adds a textured element to the feathers. Americolor gel paste was used to colour fondant. Ummm, what else... oh, ok if you want to put your masks on toothpicks make sure you make a hole with toothpick in the unmoulded piece before it hardens.

Have fun getting more from moulds and happy baking :)

Stockists: Full face mask moulds from Cakes Around Town (Australia) Masquerade Masks mould from Baking Pleasures (Australia) and Windsor Cake Crafts (UK)

Baking Pleasures has the airbrush sheen colours in Australia (*note we are paying a lot more than the US price)

Amazon (US)  

Want more fondant? How about Eric the Valentine Emu

or go gold with a fondant gold fish

A Spun Sugar Purple Christmas

spun sugar purple christmas tree mini cupcake

Goodness me, I must admit I haven't enthusiastically embraced my husbands choice of "purple" as a Christmas theme but I thought I should make an attempt and produced a batch of fondanted cupcakes... I stood back and they looked far too "menopause mauve". 

Instead I'll go with purple spun sugar Christmas tree toppers for my mini cupcakes. Watch out for tea light holders in your chosen theme, they make for fab mini cupcake stands like the one I've used today. 

cream horn form

To make the spun sugar tree you will need cream horn forms and follow the instructions for one of my earlier posts; blue sugar springs. Instead of using a spoon to create a spring use a kitchen fork to produce threads to wrap around the form. Start of third of the way up and scroll to the top. 

I used an empty egg carton to hold the cream horns whilst sugar is drying. Sprinkled on edible lilac disco glitter and star sprinkles. 

Storage: like all sugar pieces trees are best made on day of serving. Sugar work breaks down quickly in a humid enviroment. 

 Have fun, happy baking :) and Merry Christmas!!

Not enough purple for you? Try purple butterflies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Spiders

                                     chocolate peanut butter spiders

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Finishing off "easy ideas" week with Chocolate Peanut Butter Spiders. Five minutes and three ingredients, that's all you'll need to make 24 crunchy and chocolately mini spiders. 

If your an Australian with kids you have probably made these or eaten these before, they are made with the popular fried noodles made by 'Chang's'. This is pretty much the recipe you will find on the packet and I added black cachous on the dark spiders for the extra crunch of "spider eggs" ;) 

Chang's Original Fried Noodles

Ingredients

1 pkt Chang’s Original Fried Noodles 100g (3.5oz)
2 Tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter
200g (7oz) chopped Milk or Dark Chocolate... this can eating chocolate like I used today or cooking chocolate or even compound chocolate/candy melts if you prefer. 

Optional: black cachous 

Method

Microwave chocolate and peanut butter in microwave safe mixing bowl for about 30 seconds on high. If not melted, then microwave again in 5 second intervals. Stir until smooth. Add noodles, stir lightly with a metal spoon until well coated. With a teaspoon, spoon the mixture onto non-stick baking paper or mat. Using heaped teaspoons, this mixture will yield 24 to 40 spiders. Top with black cachous if using. 

black cachous for spider eggs

Place in refrigerator until set. Package as gifts or just eat them straight away!!

Happy weekend baking :)