Category: How to tutorials

How to make a prosciutto and brie sarmie

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A while back while I watching Lorraine Pascale’s cooking show, she mentioned that she loved toasted prosciutto and brie sarmies.

It looked so inviting and tempting and juicy, that I knew when morning came, I had to pop down to the store and buy me some brie and prosciutto.

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This sandwich is really easy to make and  the saltiness of the bacon with the brie is such a lovely combination.

To assemble this sandwich, butter to slices of bread and lay them butter side facing up.

On one slice, layer your bacon and then place the slices brie onto of the bacon.

Place the other slice of bread buttered side facing down on top of the brie.

Lightly butter both the top and bottom slices of the sandwich.

Place in a hot pan and toast both sides of the sandwich till nice and golden brown on a medium heat.

How to make an Easter cake

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There was no set recipe on how to make this cake.  I just woke up Easter Sunday and let my imagination run wild and then end product was amazing.

To make this cake you will need the following:

  • 2 x round 20cm chocolate cakes.image
  • home made chocolate butter cream icing.
  • marshmellow eggs.
  • speckled eggs.image
  • chocolate vermicelli

Assemble this cake as follows:

  • Spread a little icing on your plate and place the first layer of your cake down.
  • Generously spread some chocolate over the top of the layer.image
  • Smash some speckled eggs and sprinkle over the icing.image
  • Ice the second layer and place it icing side down ontop of your crushed speckled eggs.
  • Ice the top of the entire cake and all around the cake with as much or as little icing as your like.
  • spread icing behind each marshmellow egg and place it around the side of the cake.
  • sprinkle chocolate vermicelli around the top edge of the top layer of the cake, all the way around.
  • Crush some more speckled eggs and sprinkle over the top.
  • If you have left over  marshmellow eggs, cut them up and also sprinkle them over the top.
  • Take some whole speckled eggs and place them randomly ontop of the vermicelli and around the cake.
  • Pop into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes before serving.image

How to make the perfect toasted chicken, mayo and cheese sandwiches

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From the time I could remember I have loved chicken and mayo sandwiches… my mum and gran used to make the best… the toast used to be nice and crispy and brown enough.

Me on the other hand I either make the toast to pale or I burn it pitch black I think it is an art to get it just brown enough.

To make these sarmies you will need the following:

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  • Shredded chicken fillet that has been cooked or left over chicken pieces that you have broken in to pieces works even better.
  • Tomatoes, cubed.
  • Onions, sliced or cubed.
  • Cucumber, cubed.
  • salt and pepper to taste.
  • Mayonaisse.
  • slices of Mozzarella cheese.
  • Dijon original mustard.
  • Slices of buttered bread.

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Method:

  • In a bowl, add the chicken, the salt and pepper and mix well.
  • Add the cubed tomatoes, cucumber and mix.
  • Add the mayonaisse and mix well so that everything is coated.
  • Lay down 1 slice of the butter bread.
  • Spread a dollop of mustard over the bread.
  • Add the chicken filling and spread it nice and evenly.
  • Place the mozzarella cheese slices over the filling.
  • Add the onion rings on the top.
  • Finally take another butter slice of bread and place it buttered side down onto the filling mixture.
  • Butter both outside side slices of the bread and fry on a medium heat in a pan till nice and brown.
  • Cut into triangles and enjoy.

How to make a heart cake

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I have always wanted to make a heart shaped cake, but I was under the impression that I needed a heart shaped cake pan.

But then I came across a video that showed me how to make a heart cake with a square cake and a round cake and just like that presto we have a heart shaped cake.

You will need the following:

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  • 1 x square cake.
  • 1 x round cake.
  • Red icing.

To assemble this cake:

  • Cut the circle cake in half and place on the sides of the square cake.cutcake3
  • Ice between the square and circle cake to keep the cake together.
  • Ice the entire cake with a crumb coat.
  • Pop into the fridge for 10 minutes.imageimage
  • Remove from the fridge and put icing in a pipping bag and ice to your hearts content.

How to make a Kiwi tortoises

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Kiwi tortoise

1 kiwi makes 2 tortoises.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kiwki, cleaned, cut in half and the round tops cut off so that the tops are flat.
  • 3 x white grapes.
  • Black edible ink pen

Method:

  • Arrange the cut kiwi on the plate.
  • Take 1 grape and cut it in half length wise, this is used for the head.
  • Take the other 2 grapes and cut them in half length wise and then in half so that 1 grape can give you 4 small pieces which we will use for the legs.
  • Arrange the grapes on the side for the legs and the big half at the top for the head.
  • Take your black edible pen and draw eyes for your tortoise.

Eggless chocolate cupcakes nests

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With Easter being around the corner, I thought I should be Bunny suit out and make some Bunny food.

For this recipe I used my basic chocolate cake recipe, but instead of making a cup I transferred them into cupcake holder and turned them into cupcakes.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 x cup cake flour.
  • 1 x tsp baking powder.
  • ½ x tsp bicarbonate of soda.
  • 6 x tbsp. cocoa powder.
  • ¾ x cup castor sugar.
  • ½ x cup cooking oil.
  • ¼ x cup hot coffee ( 1 x tsp coffee in ¼ x cup boiling water).
  • ¼ x cup milk.
  • ¼ x cup plain yoghurt.
  • 1 x tsp vanilla essence.
  • Ferrero roche balls
  • Speckled eggs.
  • Chocolate vermicelli

Chocolate icing:

  • 100g x room temperature margarine.
  • 1/3 x cup cocoa powder.
  • 100g x icing sugar.
  • 1 x tsp vanilla essence.
  • 3 x tsp hot water.
  • Whisk everything together till it is well mixed and there are no lumps left in the icing.

Method:

  • In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and castor sugar.
  • Make a well and the wet ingredients one by one.
  • Mix well, till everything is combined.
  • Pour 1 x tsp of batter into your paper cups and then place a Ferrero ball into the cup.
  • Fill the cup ¾ of the way.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean.
  • Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool.
  • Once cool, pipe the icing around the edge of the cupcake so that there is a gap in the middle.
  • Add your speckled eggs in the center and sprinkle with chocolate vermicelli.

How to make apple teeth

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These are so fun to make and such a great activity to do with children.

I saw this on someone’s Facebook wall and it had my name written all over it.

I sent this through to our local newspaper who even published it. That was AMAZING. I made every family member by a copy of the paper that day. Sales were most likely a record that day 🙂

First step newspaper, second step book and third step HOLLYWOOD 🙂 🙂

 

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You will need the following:

  • 1 x red apple.
  • 1 x packet mini marshmallows
  • 1 x jar of peanut butter.

How to assemble:

  • Wash and pat dry the apple.
  • Cut the in half lengthwise.
  • Then cut each half in half again lengthwise.
  • Remove the core and any seeds that you might come across
  • Take two slices of apple for every set of teeth you want to make.
  • On the first slice smear some peanut butter on one side of the slice only.
  • Place the slice on a plate with the peanut butter side facing up.
  • Arrange the mini marshmallows along the edge of the apple slice.
  • Take the other slice of the apple and smear peanut butter on side only.
  • Place the slice peanut butter side down ontop of the marshmallows.
  • Just like that you have a pair of false teeth

How to make a cupcake bouquet

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This project was by far the easiest thing I have made using cupcakes.

Yes I know it looks daunting and scary and you think you have to be this super baker with amazing decorating skills but you don’t

The only thing I found a little difficult was the last layer of cupcakes. I was scared the icing would drop off the cupcakes.

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You will need the follow:

  • a flower pot.
  • 3 dozen mini cupcakes.
  • Butter cream icing dyed to the colour you would like.
  • Big silver balls.
  • Mini bees for decorative purposes.
  • toothpicks.
  • a medium sized Styrofoam ball.
  • green mesh paper.

Method:

  • Securely place your styrofoam ball into your flower pot.
  • Using toothpicks, stick half into the ball and then place your cupcake on the part that is sticking out.
  • Do this all the way around the ball until there are no cupcakes or big spaces left on the ball.

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  • Place your icing into a piping bag with a 3 star nozzle attached.
  • Pip each cupcake working from the top down.
  • Place a silver ball in the center of each flower that you have piped
  • Now in the gaps between the cupcakes, take your green mesh paper and cut it into squares and fold it in the center of each square and tuck it gently in the gaps that are visible.image
  •  Take your bees and place them at random on your flower.
  • Pop it into the fridge to set for 30 minutes and then tuck into the cupcakes before the bees do .

How to make a death by chocolate bar cake

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Who doesn’t love chocolate cake and what a better combination than to have a chocolate cake that is covered in chocolate icing, filled with bits of chocolate, covered in chocolate ganache and if that isn’t enough chocolate the cake is topped with slabs of your favourite chocolate and chocolate popping candy is drizzled over the top.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 x layers of chocolate cake.
  • 1 x cup whipping cream.
  • 2 x 80g slabs of Plain cadbury chocolate.
  • A variety of different bars of chocolate – I used 11 but you can use as many as you like.
  • Whispers and some popping candy sprinkles.
  • Toothpicks.
  • Gold dust for sprinkling.

Method:

  • Spread some chocolate icing on your plate that you will be using.
  • Place the first layer ontop of the icing and press down gently to keep the cake in place.img_3268
  • Ontop of the first layer spread a generous layer of chocolate icing. img_3270
  • Take one of your bars of chocolate and roughly chop it up. I used a 5star chocolate and chopped it up. Place the chopped up chocolate ontop of the icing layer.img_3269
  • Ice the top of your 2nd layer and place it icing side down onto of your chopped up chocolate layer.img_3271
  • The cake should be 2 layers high. Take the rest of your icing and generously ice around the cake.
  • Pop it into the fridge to set for 20 minutes.
  • In the mean time melt your 2x 80g plain chocolate slabs in a bowl either in the microwave on over a pot of boiling water.
  • Once the chocolate has melted pour in a little cream at a time to get the consistency you would like. For a runnier ganache add more milk for a thicker ganache add a little milk. I used roughly half a cup of milk.
  • Now comes the fun part.
  • Take the cake out the fridge and place on the table.
  • Remove your bars of chocolate from their packaging.
  • Cut the bottom parts of the chocolate off and stick a toothpick into the bottom. Half the tooth must be in the chocolate and the other half must be sticking out.
  • Spread your ganache over your cake and allow some to drip over the sides.
  • Place the sticking out ends on the tooth picks into the cake this helps and prevents the chocolate bars from creating holes in the cake.
  • Stick some whispers ontop the dripping ganache on the side of the cake and around the top of the cake as well.
  • Sprinkle the popping candy sprinkles over the cake.img_3273
  • Dust some gold dust over the top.
  • Pop into the fridge for another 20 minutes to allow the ganache to set.