With Mother's Day just around the corner it's a time for making all things pretty and elegant. The first thing that comes to mind for this occasion is roses. The rose has been used as a symbol in most societies throughout human history. And it's little wonder. It's a beautiful, and varied, flower. Qualities that make them a lovely way to say thanks ( Read more... )

Last December, one of my favourite bands in the world treated us to the most amazing tour in the world. Calling it The Retrospective Tour, they played every single one of their 6 LP albums in full, one album per night, in every state. To make it easier for the die hard fans, they sold a limited ticket called The Big Red Ticket that granted access ( Read more... )

This final instalment of the 12 Days blog series is another creation I make most years. I usually make many different kinds of truffles for Christmas and put a few aside to dress up as mini puddings. This year I'm not making a truffle tree, so rather than grabbing a few choice spares, I chose a cake recipe especially for the occasion.


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The single most exciting part of Christmas for me is decorating the tree. Most of November consists of me waiting for any sign that's it's appropriate to bring the tree out. This year our neighbours put up their Christmas lights really early, and that was all I needed. I eagrly grabbed the tree and set about my favourite task ( Read more... )

During my thesis-induced baking hiatus, I did have a moment of weakness. I was missing baking a little too much, and so I returned to the kitchen to bake a quick treat. I told my desk buddies I'd bring in some cupcakes to help them through the last moments of Masters. Stress levels were so high in the office during those last few weeks that the ( Read more... )

Croquembouche is a word that conjures fear in the hearts of many. I've never understood why. Choux pastry is the easiest pastry to make, and toffee is not exactly the most challenging thing to make. Spun sugar can take some getting used to, but it's definitely achievable.

It seems to have stemmed from that MasterChef episode in Series 1 where ( Read more... )

I had a little extra time for baking last week, so I decided to hit up the next couple of items on my to-bake list. These three cupcakes are the next in the Majora's Mask set I'm doing.


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This Saturday is the big day!

Fans of the series will probably know already, but this Saturday The Hunger Games comes out in DVD. I am so excited. Beyond excited. Now we can all stop watching the crappy cinema cam version we've all been clinging to after emptying our pockets at the cinema. We can relive the experience without people walking past the ( Read more... )

There are some things you never get too old to enjoy. The Cookie Monster is definitely pretty high up on that list. Be it nostalgia or just a love for the kooky blue guy, everyone seems to love him.


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I mentioned when I posted the Majora's Mask Cake that I really wanted to do the entire set of masks from the game. Though these will be in cupcake form rather than whole cakes because whoa time and whoa wastage of cake.

I got some time last week to churn out a few of them, so here are the first three.


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