Golden Gaytime "The Crumbs"

                                    golden gaytime "the crumbs'

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'It's hard to have a Gaytime on your own' 

Streets ice-cream advertising slogan

First released in 1959 a Golden Gaytime is an ice-cream centre, choc dipped and biscuit crumbed on a stick.

The flavour most identifiable with a Golden Gaytime is toffee and vanilla, although it was originally Strawberry Shortcake, Cassata Roma (I would have like to try that one!), Raspberry Rough and Turkish Delight before the 1970's saw the Golden Gaytime actually become a bit more golden with it's now iconic toffee/vanilla combo. 

Now days it's available in what most of think as original toffee/vanilla, on sticks, in tubs and as an ice-cream sandwich. Plus new flavours like Pina Colada, Choc Mint, Cappucino and Unicorn. 

And now for the "crumbs" the smart marketing department at Streets released limited edition tins of the crumbs that coat the ice-cream. Yep, a tin of crumbs. 

Open the tin and as expected "crumbs". Guess what I put in the Christmas stocking this year along with the *limited release vegemite! 

For Aussies this is the taste of Golden Gaytime, especially when you pair it with vanilla, toffee and a bit of milk chocolate. 

Think choc dipping cubes of toffee swirled vanilla cheesecake and topping with the crumbs, invent a cocktail and toffee dip the rim of a cocktail glass and dip into the crumbs, swirl toffee into vanilla yogurt and sprinkle on the crumbs... few choc flakes too if you are starting the New Year living dangerously. 

Any patisserie application where you would use Paillete Feuilletine flakes for crunch. 

My first try using them was coating the inside of a choux buns with milk chocolate, a scoop of store bought vanilla ice-cream and a good drizzle of toffee with the crumbs on top. 

I scrapped my usual toffee sauce, I love it but it belongs in a sticky date pud not summery ice-cream. Ended up going with a butterscotch sauce from Taste where I used golden syrup replace some of the sugar. It's a quickie to avoid hot days in kitchen over summer.

Butterscotch... moving towards toffee sauce. 

Ingredients

2/3 cups of pouring cream

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of golden syrup (it can be maple or honey... each adds a hint of that flavour)

2 1/2 tablespoons of cubed butter

2 teaspoons of vanilla 

Method

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes until well combined.

Watch for toffee rising up in pot, don't be tempted to multi task you don't want the toffee covered stove. Keep stirring to prevent catching. 

Increase heat and bring to boil, once boiling reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring often until sauce thickens slightly. Takes about 5 minutes. 

Once cooked the bubbles subside and you have your sauce.

Set aside to cool for a couple of hours. Serve at room temperature... swirling it over your creation... top with crumbs. 

This sauce keeps in an airtight jar in the fridge for a week or so. It does set firmer in fridge so bring to room temperature before serving.

*the tins of crumbs were a limited Christmas release... if you missed out try the end of this year or give Streets a call and see if a bakery near you can supply you with any from a bulk lot. 

Happy Baking :) 

Cherry Eton Mess

cherry eton mess

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Tis the time for lots of macaron's that haven't quite "footed" and meringues that didn't quite, ummm "meringue?". What to do? Why make Eton Mess for dessert of course.

Eton mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, pieces of meringue and cream, which is traditionally served at Eton College's annual cricket game against the students of Harrow School. wikipedia

Oh my, I couldn't resist the boxes brimming with sweet dark cherries that fill the Australian fruit shops in December, plus I had macarons "oddments" and end of batch meringes from Christmas gift baking. So lets make a delightful mess... albeit a bit "girlie" today, I'm afraid I went too far with the 100's and 1000's (nonpareils).

Cherry Eton Mess 

(by all means go traditional and use strawberries instead if preferred) 

Ingredients 

*2 cups of chilled whipping cream

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 vanilla pod scraped of seeds (use vanilla extract to taste if you don't have pods)

700 grams (25oz) of fresh cherries 

leftover macaron shells, meringue pieces or buy a packet of meringue shells

Method

Pit most of the cherries, leaving a few whole ones for decoration. Place the pitted cherries and one tablespoon of the sugar in a small bowl and give the mixture a gentle squeeze to release a little of cherry juice, stir to combine. Refrigerate until serving time.

Whip the cream, with the remaining one tablespoon of sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until serving time.

Assembly

When you're ready to serve, in no particular order, spoon cream, cherries, broken pieces of meringues and macaron's into serving glasses. 

Top with whole cherries dipped in melted white chocolate if desired. 

*variations; try adding plain yoghurt or creme fraiche to the whipping cream. I often use 1 1/2 cream to half yoghurt, it will lighten the mouth feel and is more refreshing in summer. 

Macerate the cherries or strawberries with sugar and a juice or alcohol of choice before assembling, brandy, grand marnier or a favourite dessert wine are good choices.

Have fun and happy baking :)

Want to make your own meringues? Here is a recipe for 4 individual pavlova shells that you can break up for your Eton Mess... omit or change colour as desired. 

More desserts in glasses? How about Peach Verrines in Minutes

More cherries? A quick cherry cupcake decoration

                      Snow Cherries

Emma's Whoopie Pies Review

Harriet and Emma

Meet Emma the 14 year old daughter of my best friend Jacinta. Emma is a fabulous baker and has kindly stepped in tonight as guest reviewer in a packet mix vs homemade challenge. Take it away Emma.....

Betty Crocker Vanilla Sprinkle Whoopie Pies

I don’t normally use a packet mix, but I love whoopie pies and thought I’d give the packet Betty Crocker Vanilla Sprinkle Whoopie Pies Mix a go.

straight from the oven

While the recipe and the whoopie pies themselves were easy to make and follow, the overall taste was very disappointing (such a shame because they looked very delicious).

making vanilla cream filling mix

finished Betty Crocker Whoopie Pies

They just had that artificial taste that you often get with a packet mix.

I then decided to compare the packet ones with some whoopie pies made from scratch. I got the recipe from the “Whoopie Pies” book by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell, given to us by The Lone Baker.

I used the Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies sandwiched together by a cream cheese filling.

classic chocolate whoopie pies

cream cheese filling

The homemade ones were far superior to the packet ones (they were just as easy to make as well). My family preferred the homemade ones over the packet ones.

 We soon devoured them all!!! 

Emma 

text and photography by Emma Darlison

The Lone Baker back tomorrow with two ingredient tuile... topping a cupcake of course :) 

Easy Cupcakes by Colour - Australian Women's Weekly

vanilla cupcake with fluffy mock cream frosting and crystallised vanilla pod sliver

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Off the shelf 

baking book reviews

Easy Cupcakes by Colour by the Australian Women's Weekly is a 120 page softcover baking book for beginners. Divided into 'colours'; pink, white, yellow, blue/green & chocolate, it offers simple decorating techiques many using commerical lollies and sprinkles. 

In the back of back you'll find 16 cupcake recipes from sponge cakes to fruit cakes, including four gluten free recipes. There is 10 icing/frosting choices, amongst the ganache and lemon glaze is this unusual one they call 'fluffy mock cream' which is quite white in colour and colours more easily than standard butter cream frosting.

Fluffy Mock Cream

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

2 tbs milk

1/3 cup water

1 cup caster sugar (superfine)

1 tsp gelatine

2 tbs water, extra

250g (8.8oz) butter, softened 

1/2 vanilla extract (I added the seeds from half a pod as well)

Method

Combine milk, the water and sugar in a small saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle gelatine over extra water in cup, add to pan; stir syrup until gelatine is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Beat butter and extract in an electric mixer until as white as possible. While mixer is still running,  gradually pour in cold syrup; beat until light and fluffy. Mixture will thicken on standing.

If you or someone you know is just learning to bake then this book is a great introduction to baking from scratch, nothing difficult and with the help of a few lollies or fresh flowers they will get a delicious and confidence building result.

Happy Baking :)

available from Angus & Robertson (Australia)

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Vanilla Essence, Extract, Beans, Paste & Sugar

you might also be interested in An Australian Kind of Christmas Cupcake

Iced

                                    Vanilla Glacé Icing shines

In Australia we tend to ice cakes with simple icing rather than use frosting. Sure cake shops carry the range of American style swirled & twirled frosted cupcakes and I do love them, but there is something about seeing a simple iced cupcake that evokes childhood memories & is so Australian.

Glacé Icing straight from the source I grew up with 'The Australian's Women's Weekly'.

Ingredients
2 cups (320g) pure icing sugar sifted
1 teaspoon of butter or oil
2 tablespoons of hot water

Method
In a heatproof bowl stir icing sugar, butter and water together to make a thick paste. Place bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water; stir until icing is spreadable. The icing will "just warm", you don't want it to be hot or sugar will crystallise.

Flavour with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and spread onto cupcakes.

Variants
Coffee flavour; dissolve 1 teaspoon of instant coffee into the hot water before adding it to icing sugar
Chocolate; sift 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder with sugar.

You can also use your favourite citrus by adding zest to the icing sugar after sifting and replacing some of the water with citrus juice.