Key Lime Pie w/ Ginger & Coconut Crust

Key Lime Pie has been on my list of many things to make for a long time now. I dont believe I have actually ever tried a Key Lime Pie, but for some reaons this creamy, sweet yet tart dessert has always caught my eye in recipe books.

As usual, a recipe which is a little different from the norm always appeals to me, so when I spotted a recipe for a Key Lime Pie with Ginger & Coconut Crust I knew it was the one for me.

I hope you enjoy this super easy recipe as much as I did.


Key Lime Pie adapted from The Capitol Baker and Joy of Baking

Key Lime Pie
For the Crust:
1 cup digestive biscuit crumbs
1/2 cup ginger snap biscuit crumbs
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons caster sugar
90g butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and spray a 9-inch (23cm) tart pan with non-stick spray.

Mix together the digestive biscuit crumbs, ginger snap crumbs, coconut, and butter until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into the tart pan and make sure to cover the bottom and sides. Bake for 10 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Filling:
4 egg yolks
1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (approx 5 limes)
zest of 2 lime

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks until pale on high speed until fluffy (this took me about 3-4 minutes). Gradually add the condensed milk and beat until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the lime juice and zest on low speed.

Pour the filling over the cooled crust and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once it has completely cooled, cover and refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

For the Whipped Cream:
1 cup thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Whip the cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until nearly stiff. Spread the cream over the pie and serve.

Chocolate Peppermint Slice

Hi All,

I love trying to re-create something delicious that I have bought, in particular, a certain peppermint slice.

My love for a good peppermint slice came from the drive from Canberra to Sydney. Every time I made this journey I would stop at the Sutton Forrest McDonalds and have a chicken burger and a piece (or 2..or 3) of their deeee-licious peppermint slice (seriously, this stuff is good!).

I don't make the journey to Sydney all that often anymore (I know, I can get it at any old McCafe, but there was something special about only getting from a McDonalds in the middle of nowhere), so I decided it was about time that I try to make it.

Now, this special peppermint slice was different to others. Most of them I have seen have a boring biscuit base. Macca's base was a rich chocolate coconutty base (reminiscent of mum's chocolate coconut slice), the peppermint middle had the perfect amount of peppermint and the chocolate topping was a smooth, creamy ganache. YUM.

So once again, I played Frankenstein and came up with this little number. I hope you enjoy!


Chocolate Peppermint Slice
Chocolate Base
1 ½ cups self raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup coconut
½ cup brown sugar
125g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg

Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter a 16cm x 26cm x 3cm slice tray (or close to those dimensions).

Combine flour, cocoa, coconut and brown sugar in a bowl, stir in melted butter and egg and mix until well combined. Press mixture into slice tray and bake for 10-15 minutes until starting to brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Peppermint Crème Filling
3 cups icing sugar (sifted)
1/3 cup cream (you may need more or less to get a desired spreadable consistancy)
40g melted butter (or you could use Copha)
1 1/2 tsp peppermint essence (or to your taste)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and spread a layer over the cooled chocolate base. Refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes to 1 hour).


Chocolate Glaze
150g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
100ml pouring cream
20g unsalted butter, softened

Combine chocolate, butter and cream in a small bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until the mixture is smooth. Spread over cooled peppermint filling and refrigerate immediately until set.

Once slice is fully set, cut into bit-size squares.

Raspberry Melting Moments

Here is another of my re-creations. I recently picked up an amazingly lovely client at work who recently started her own business, Puddin' Boots. She makes all sorts of puddings, mini cakes, brownies (my personal fave) and melting moment biscuits for morning tea's, afternoon tea's and birthday parties. All of which are delicious.

You can check out her adorable website here .

I recently went out and visited her at the Hall Markets in Canberra and purchased a few of her goodies. I loved the raspberry melting moments so that I decided to make some for myself.

After a quick google, I found this recipe from taste.com.au which seemed perfect. One hour later I had beautiful biscuits filled with a scrumptious pink filling. This recipe is definitely a keeper and would also work well with a passionfruit or orange filling.

Raspberry Melting Moments inspired by Puddin' Boots, recipe from Taste.com.au
125g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons custard powder
pure icing sugar, to serve

Raspberry Filling
60g unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
6 frozen raspberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan-forced and line a baking trays with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift flour and custard powder over butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined and a soft dough forms.

Roll out dough to about 1cm thick and cut out rounds using a small round cutter (I used a 2.5cm one) and place on the prepared trays. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden. Cool on tray for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make raspberry filling. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until light and creamy. Add vanilla. beat to combine. Add icing sugar. beat until fluffy and well combined. Beat in raspberries.

Pipe or spread the flat side of 1 biscuit with the filling. Sandwich with 1 biscuit. Repeat with remaining biscuits and filling. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Chai Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream Frosting

I have a bit of a Chai Latte addiction at the moment, which inspired me to make this gorgeous Chai Cupcakes.



Chai Vanilla Cupcakes - adapted from Joy of Baking
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons of instant chai drink powder
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line a 24 hole cupcake tin with paper liners.

With a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, chai powder and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly fill the cupcake cups with the batter and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or just until set and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.)

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing.


Maple Buttercream Frosting - adapted from Joy of Baking
230 grams icing sugar, sifted
130 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk or light cream
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer) cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and maple syrup and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).

Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed to get the right consistancy.

Using a piping bag and tip (I use Wilton's 1M piping tip), pipe a swirl of the butter cream on each of the cooled cakes and decorate as you like.

Now go eat your delicious creations!

Carrot Cake

This cake right here is one of THE BEST cakes I have eaten in a long time, so much so, that even my boss blurted out "this cake F-----G rocks!"

It is moist, delicious, dead easy to make (I promise) and will have you going back for more and more!



Carrot Cake from The Cake Mistress
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
Pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Bicarb Soda
2 cups Self Raising Flour
2 cups finely grated Carrot (around 4 large carrots)
1/2 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg

Heat oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease desired cake tin (I used 2 8 inch cake tins to make a double layered)
Beat sugar and oil until thick, then add 1 egg at a time and keep beating for a few more minutes.
Add salt, bicarb soda, carrots, flour, walnuts and spices.
Mix with wooden spoon until all combined.
Put batter in well greased loaf pan or tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until light golden and cake springs back when touched in the middle.

Cream Cheese Frosting
300g Icing sugar
125g Cream Cheese, cold
50g Unsalted Butter, room temp

Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until well mixed.
Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated.
Turn the mixer up to medium high. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.

Catch up...

I admit it... I have been extremely lazy, which has led to the blog being...well, quite unkept.

So in an effort to start updating again, I thought I shall update you on some recent cakes I have made.

Ruffle Cake
Lemon chiffon cake, lemon curd cream filling, Swiss meringue buttercream and a fondant bow


I was asked to make a cake for a baby shower, the only request being a chiffon cake to use purple as the colour - the rest was up to me! I was originally going to make something completely different but had diffiulty sourcing fresh flowers. Luckily, I came across this cake on the Martha Stewart website.

Whilst it may look quite difficult to do, the ruffle is actually quite simple. It involves using a small petal tip (I used wilton tip #103). Starting at the bottom, holding the piping bag straight with the smaller side of the tip facing outward, do a back and forth motion until you reach the top of the cake then start again beside that row until the cake is covered.

If you are a visual person, watching this ruffle cake tutorial on YouTube will be beneficial.

My technique was a little rough (not too bad for a first effort though!), but it is a very forgiving technique.

Lemon Chiffon Cake (to make a 3 layer cake as I have done, you will need to make 3 of this recipe)
3/4 cup cake flour (this can be found at Coles supermarket)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon caster sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest, (about 4 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Heat oven to 170 degrees and have ready an ungreased an 8 inch round tin. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 cup sugar; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vegetable oil, 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add reserved dry ingredients, and beat until smooth.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Gradually fold egg-white mixture into the batter; start by folding in 1/3, then fold in the remaining 2/3. Pour batter into pan. Using an offset spatula, smooth the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden, about 45 minutes.

Remove cake from oven; invert the pan over 2 glasses (rest the sides of the tin on the glasses) for 2 hours to cool (THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT). Turn cake right-side up. Run a table knife all the way down between cake and pan; invert again, and remove cake.

To read more about chiffon cakes, looky here.

Lemon Curd Cream (adapted from Joy of Baking)
3 large eggs
150 grams granulated white sugar
80 ml fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
56 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest

500ml Thickened Cream, whipped to soft peaks

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate until completely cool.

Once the curd is cool, fold through the whipped cream and refrigerate until required.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
450g unsalted butter, room temperature (if you prefer a saltier taste like I do, use salt reduced butter)
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat butter with electric mixer until fluffy and pale. Transfer to small bowl.

In double boiler over simmering water, whisk sugar and egg whites until warm and sugar is dissolved, 3 - 5 minutes. Transfer to clean bowl of electric mixer; beat on high with whisk attachment until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes.

Reduce mixer to medium-low; add butter a scant 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

Switch to paddle attachment; beat on lowest speed 3 to 5 minutes (add your require food colouring now). Leave at room temperature if using same day. Or store airtight in refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature; beat until smooth.

To assemble
Lay one of the cakes on a cake stand or plate. Spread desired amount of lemon cream and top with a second cake, spread with another layer of lemon cream and top with the third cake.

Crumb coat the entire cake with approx 2 cups of the buttercream and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Using a wilton #103 tip, fill a pastry bag with the buttercream (don't overfill the bag as it can be a little hard to manoeuvre). Hold bag vertically, slot of tip perpendicular to cake; use swift back-and-forth motion 1 inch wide to make ruffle, pulling tip up side. Repeat until the entire cake is covered.

To finish the top of the cake pipe back and forth around the edge of the cake with the large end of the tip facing outwards.

To make the fondant bow, looky here.



...and matching vanilla cupcakes.



Red Velvet Cake
Isn't this red velvet cake just gorgeous? Not only is this dramatic cake beautiful to look at, it has a wonderfully soft, fluffy texture which is just divine with the creamy frosting.


250 grams sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 grams regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
300 grams granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
240 ml buttermilk
2 tablespoons liquid red food colouring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C and place rack in centre of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food colouring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight).

Cream Cheese Frosting
250 grams cream cheese, room temperature
250 grams tub of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
115 grams icing sugar, sifted
360 ml cups cold heavy whipping cream

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Assemble: With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting. Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake.


Rainbow Layer Cake & Choc Mud Cupcakes
How AWESOME is this rainbow layer cake? I've been wanting to make this cake for a while now, but didn't have an occasion until I was recently asked to make a 3rd birthday cake.



To learn how to make this cake, looky here..



And last but not least, here are some chocolate mud cupcakes with a swirl of classic buttercream frosting and fondant toppers.

Pork Belly with Caramel Dressing

It's not often I make a savory dish worthy of making it's presence on my blog, but damn, this pork belly was finger lickin' good!

Recipe to follow shortly...