Glorious Cupcakes

These gorgeous cupcake toppers where made by my friend Glory who lives in the USA. I have been pleading with her to open her own online store, she makes THE most amazing creations... and the prettiest cards I have EVER seen!

Bakers’ Best Friends

I get loads of emails asking advice on baking, recipes and equipment. While working, baking and looking after my family I don't always get time to answer in detail so I have decided to try and make a regular post on my blog to share some of my favourite tips/recipes with you.....

Equipment & Tools

Whether you’re an avid baker or just enjoy having homemade treats on hand for your friends and family, there’s no harm in making sure you have the appropriate cookware sets and bakeware available to you at a moment’s notice. As baking is considered more of a science than cooking, it’s helpful to keep a great set of measuring cups and spoons on hand to ensure your baked dish has the correct proportions and will cook through evenly. Furthermore, you can never have too many mixing bowls for complex recipes that require special blending instructions or indicate that specific ingredients need to be kept separate.

Depending on your experience, dough may be one of your most basic ingredients that you have to prepare for each dish. Whether you roll out mounds of dough once per day or as little as once per month, it’s never an easy task if you aren’t equipped with a quality rolling pin that does a great job every time. In addition, it’s a smart idea to splurge on a hand or stand mixer from KitchenAid that ensures a good blend every time you use it. Investing in low-quality baking basics will leave your oven running for more time than you wish as you’ll be spending extra time rolling, blending, and mixing.

To add versatility to your baking experience, consider purchasing a variety of different shaped baking pans that include the basic shaped pans like rectangular, square and round. This will give you the versatility you need in the kitchen to keep up with all of your delicious recipes whether you’re making a side of cornbread, a pie for dessert, or breakfast muffins. If you’re a cookie connoisseur, the top bakeware items on your list should be a reliable baking sheet and durable cookie cutters that will make clean cuts in your baking designs. Plastic baking sheets typically are more expensive than dishwasher-safe aluminum ones but are easier to roll on and are less sticky when coming in contact with cookie dough. In contrast, shop for metal cookie cutters as this sharper material provides a cleaner cut and truly defines the shape of your cookie.

Happy Baking :O)

Jammy Dodgers

(Taste NZ Magazine)
Makes 16-20

250g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
375g plain flour, sieved

200g raspberry jam
juice of 1 lemon

Beat butter and sugar until pale & creamy.

Add vanilla and egg yolk and beat until just combined, then gradually stir in flour until the mixture comes together.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 30mins.

Preheat oven to 180c fanbake

On lightly floured surface roll the dough out to about 3-4mm thick and cut into 8cm rounds. Use a small cutter to remove the centre of half the rounds. Re-roll and cut out trimmings.

Bake in preheated oven for 10-12mins or until lightly golden. Transfer to cooling rack and leave to cool.

While the cookies are cooling, put the jam and lemon juice into a saucepan and heat it until it just comes to the boil, reduce and simmer for 2-3mins, then remove from the heat. Spoon about 1 tsp of jam over each of the whole cookies and top with cookies who have had the centre removed.

Store in an airtight container. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Butterfly Cupcakes

Little sponge cupcakes filled with the most delicious lemon curd, whipped cream & topped with 'butterfly wings' and a dollop of jam.

Thank You Cupcakes

Mocha Fudge Cupcakes

Sweet Valentine

I guess these guys got to give chocolate & roses all in one go! :O)

"Mwah Mwah!"

Wishing you a happy Valentines Day xx

Baby Shower Cupcakes

Cupcakes made for my lovely neighbour Odette who is having a baby shower for her daughter Rachael today.

Chocolate fudge cupcakes topped with milk chocolate frosting

Merry Christmas!

All my cakes & cupcakes are finished for 2008. Once again my family and friends have kept me busy this year!!!

I have been flat out in the last month putting together Christmas Baskets. This year they contain Christmas cakes, relish, cookies, preserves, baby Christmas mince pies and my homemade vanilla extract.

I wanted to take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas... hope it is a very happy and safe one for you all.

Kathryn :O)

Little 6 inch fruit cakes


Homemade Vanilla extract

Rhubarb & Vanilla bean Christmas mince

Christmas mince gift boxes

Homemade relish

Homemade Chilli Jam

Christmas Chocolate Cookies

Ben 10

Happy 5th birthday Mclain!

Molly's 'Barbie' Doll Cake

Chanel Makeup Bag #2

A 'Grown-Up' version of the last Chanel Makeup Bag Cake.... for a 60th birthday

Again all accessories are handmade and edible

Penrhyn's Chanel Makeup Bag

All Make up is hand made and edible

Custom Made Kiwiana Cookies

These wonderful cookies were made by Bex from "Consumed by Cake". They are so special that I wanted them to grace my blog for all of you to see.

Bex lives in the UK and runs her own cake business. I was fortunate to connect with her through a cake group.

Over time she has put together some wonderful cake and cupcake creations that you can't help but admire. However, for me, it has been her cookies that have proved to be one of those rare, irresistable art treasures that fascinate you with their detail.

My brother and his family live in the UK which is such a long, long way from NZ so I don't get to spoil them with personalised cakes and goodies on their special days. As a way to do something very special for them, I approached Bex to create some custom cookies based on a Kiwiana (things special to us New Zealanders) theme.

What she has put together is nothing short of incredulous!!! I'm thrilled with the cookies. I know my brother, sister-in-law and my gorgeous wee nephews will be blown away with this gift. My brother’s a chef so he'll definitely appreciate the workmanship and technical skill involved in making these gems.

Although my brother is not one to openly express emotions I expect his eyes to moisten a little as he stares at these cookies thinking about family and New Zealand.

Every New Zealander living overseas feels very special and hugely homesick when someone sends them a piece of New Zealand in the form of Kiwiana.

Thank you Bex for this wonderful way to tell my brother and his family that we love and miss them.

You can see more of her work and place orders through her website. www.consumedbycake.co.uk

Brooke's Farm Cake

Tramping Hiking Cake

Happy 60th Birthday to Brian... owner of Bushline Lodge http://www.bushlinelodge.co.nz/

Kirstin's Birthday

Birthday Gift:

Boxed cupcakes
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Cupcake Card

All made with love by little old ME :O)

Coconut Ice

Nana's Gift Box

Barry's Western Cake

Natalya's Ballerina

Uncle Colin

Fleur

Sports Cupcakes

Georgia's 5th Birthday

My darling little niece Georgia turned 5 on the weekend. Georgia lives in Ballina NSW so I wasn't there to celebrate with her and make her cake :O(

Georgia's Mummy (my SIL) came and saw me when I was in Sydney last week. We made these little 'funky figures' on my Planet Cake course so this went home with my SIL with strict instructions on how to put the cake together. I think I made my poor SIL sick with nerves with all my 'do's and don'ts'... but I think she did a fabulous job... maybe we have another cake decorator in the family!?

Happy Birthday Georgia... with loads of love from Aunty Kathryn xxxxx

Emma's Birthday Cupcakes

Mini vanilla cupcakes with a standard size customised cupcake for the birthday girl.

VW Car Cake

Just got back from a week in Sydney. While there I attended the Novelty Masters Course at Planet Cake. Planet Cake car cakes are a minimum of $1,000au.... I now know why!!!!

It was so incredibly technical as this had to be to scale of the real thing. I learnt heaps... especially NEVER to take a car order LOL

Great bunch on the course too, look forward to staying in touch with them :O)

Chocolate mud cake, with chocolate ganache covered in fondant. All edible.