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		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com</link>
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		<item>
		<title>A cosy jam day</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2013/04/16/a-cosy-jam-day/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2013/04/16/a-cosy-jam-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:12:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cosy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[no pectin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[no sterilising jam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ripe strawberries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[southern chile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strawberry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strawberry jam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thegoldenbaker.com/?p=213</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It is getting colder and darker in Santiago and I am loving it! It gives me a great excuse to stay in watching movies and cooking. Never mind that yesterday&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=213&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div id="attachment_232" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2013/04/16/a-cosy-jam-day/chile-sur-march-2013-734/" rel="attachment wp-att-232"><img class="size-large wp-image-232" alt="The cosy fjords of Southern Chile" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/chile-sur-march-2013-734.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" width="500" height="333" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The cosy fjords of Southern Chile</p></div>
<p>It is getting colder and darker in Santiago and I am loving it! It gives me a great excuse to stay in watching movies and cooking. Never mind that yesterday it was 28 degrees and sunny, it still seemed like a cosy indoor day to me.</p>
<p>On Saturday we ventured into the city to visit the giant central food market, La Vega. It&#8217;s crazy that I hadn&#8217;t been before, but I had been scared off by so many words of warning about getting robbed there, which also means I don&#8217;t have any photos. And I have a secret love of taking photos of well stacked vegetables. We bought some strawberries but soon discovered they weren&#8217;t going to last long. At $2 a kilo I decided it was worth the risk to try my hand at some jam.</p>
<p>Much like with La Vega, I had been scared off jam by at thought of all that glass sterilising. I spent way too much time with mould at university to want to be responsible for keeping nasties away from sugar. But as I discovered, jam is easy to make, and when you have a hungry boyfriend in the house then your jam doesn&#8217;t need to last longer than a week.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2013/04/16/a-cosy-jam-day/april-2013-018/" rel="attachment wp-att-257"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-257" alt="jam" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/april-2013-018.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" width="200" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Strawberry Jam</strong></p>
<p><em>450 grams ripe strawberries</em></p>
<p><em>2 cups of sugar</em></p>
<p><em>a scant 1/4 cup of lemon juice</em></p>
<p>Hull and chop up the strawberries. Mash them in batches, you should have 2 cups.</p>
<p>In a big heavy pot, mix together the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar.</p>
<p>Heat over a low temperature, stirring every now and then until the sugar has dissolved.</p>
<p>Turn up the heat, stir often until the jam is really boiling and it is almost too hot to hold your hand over. The jam from the bottom was getting rather sticky and thick, but the top was still liquidy (you can tell I don&#8217;t have a cooking thermometer!), this stage only took about 15 minutes for me.</p>
<p>Take the jam off the heat and leave cool a little. Don&#8217;t try to eat any until it has cooled!</p>
<p>Store it in jars in the fridge and eat within a week or so if you don&#8217;t want to sterilse your glassware!</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2013/04/16/a-cosy-jam-day/april-2013-003/" rel="attachment wp-att-258"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-258" alt="mashing" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/april-2013-003.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/213/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/213/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=213&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">thegoldenbaker</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/chile-sur-march-2013-734.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">The cosy fjords of Southern Chile</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/april-2013-018.jpg?w=200" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">jam</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/april-2013-003.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">mashing</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>South American Food and Adventures</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:02:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apple crumble]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[argentina]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brown sugar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buenos aires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chile]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thegoldenbaker.com/?p=188</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hi, After three months of crazy adventures in Chile I thought it was time for an update. Once I recovered the major setback that Chile doesn&#8217;t have brown sugar (since tracked down by a lovely Chileana) I&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=188&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi,</p>
<p>After three months of crazy adventures in Chile I thought it was time for an update. Once I recovered the major setback that Chile doesn&#8217;t have brown sugar (since tracked down by a lovely Chileana) I got stuck into some baking. A simple lemon syrup cake has been the most popular with friends here so far, I&#8217;ll post the recipe next time. But for now here are a few of my favourite photos from Chile and abroad so far.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1038/" rel="attachment wp-att-189"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-189" alt="apple star" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1038.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1083/" rel="attachment wp-att-191"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-191" alt="a boy eager for crumble" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1083.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" height="500" width="333" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1117/" rel="attachment wp-att-193"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-193" alt="Supercool Bellavista" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1117.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" height="500" width="333" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/argentina-058/" rel="attachment wp-att-195"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-195" alt="Ricoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-058.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" height="500" width="333" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1199/" rel="attachment wp-att-194"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-194" alt="Andrew's flower shot" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1199.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1110/" rel="attachment wp-att-192"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-192" alt="beautiful sculpture in santiago's Bella Artes" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1110.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" height="500" width="333" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/argentina-109/" rel="attachment wp-att-197"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-197" alt="the worlds coolest bookshop" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-109.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" height="500" width="333" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/argentina-084/" rel="attachment wp-att-196"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-196" alt="Tango" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-084.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/argentina-133/" rel="attachment wp-att-198"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-198" alt="La Boca " src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-133.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/argentina-175/" rel="attachment wp-att-199"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-199" alt="Argentina's favourite first lady, Evita" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-175.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/argentina-226/" rel="attachment wp-att-200"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-200" alt="Wine time in mendoza" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-226.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/argentina-286/" rel="attachment wp-att-201"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-201" alt="Butter and suguar, the way good things begin" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-286.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/img_0877/" rel="attachment wp-att-203"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-203" alt="Colombia" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/img_0877.jpg?w=375&#038;h=500" height="500" width="375" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/img_0816/" rel="attachment wp-att-202"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-202" alt="Buenos Aires Breakfast" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/img_0816.jpg?w=500&#038;h=375" height="375" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/img_0904/" rel="attachment wp-att-204"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-204" alt="A cathedral in Bogota" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/img_0904.jpg?w=375&#038;h=500" height="500" width="375" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/santiago-2-002/" rel="attachment wp-att-205"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-205" alt="Amazing cheap fresh fruit!" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-2-002.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/santiago-2-007/" rel="attachment wp-att-206"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-206" alt="blueberry banana bread" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-2-007.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" height="500" width="333" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/santiago-2-011/" rel="attachment wp-att-207"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-207" alt="The highly coveted brown sugar" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-2-011.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" height="500" width="333" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/12/04/south-american-food-and-adventures/santiago-pt-1-056/" rel="attachment wp-att-208"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-208" alt="Our view" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-pt-1-056.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" height="333" width="500" /></a></p>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/188/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/188/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=188&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/667cfa4870b496e7ae8abf768ca48529?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">thegoldenbaker</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1038.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">apple star</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1083.jpg?w=333" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">a boy eager for crumble</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1117.jpg?w=333" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Supercool Bellavista</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-058.jpg?w=333" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Ricoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1199.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Andrew&#039;s flower shot</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/all-camera-dec-11-oct-12-1110.jpg?w=333" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">beautiful sculpture in santiago&#039;s Bella Artes</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-109.jpg?w=333" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">the worlds coolest bookshop</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-084.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tango</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-133.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">La Boca </media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-175.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Argentina&#039;s favourite first lady, Evita</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-226.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Wine time in mendoza</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/argentina-286.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Butter and suguar, the way good things begin</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/img_0877.jpg?w=375" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Colombia</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/img_0816.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Buenos Aires Breakfast</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/img_0904.jpg?w=375" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">A cathedral in Bogota</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-2-002.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Amazing cheap fresh fruit!</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-2-007.jpg?w=333" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">blueberry banana bread</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-2-011.jpg?w=333" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">The highly coveted brown sugar</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/santiago-pt-1-056.jpg?w=500" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Our view</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Chocolate Red Velvet Marble Cake and Half the Sky</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/05/06/chocolate-red-velvet-marble-cake-and-half-the-sky/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/05/06/chocolate-red-velvet-marble-cake-and-half-the-sky/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 May 2012 08:54:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special Occasion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birthday Cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buttermilk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CARE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dinner party]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Half the Sky]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Layer Cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marble]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maternal Mortality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red Velvet]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[There are two reasons why I bake, I have a massive sweet tooth, and I like to make people happy. I like to make cookies for my flatmates, brownies for&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=174&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/05/06/chocolate-red-velvet-marble-cake-and-half-the-sky/sydney-2012-041/" rel="attachment wp-att-176"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-176" title="Choc Red Velvet" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/sydney-2012-041.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>There are two reasons why I bake, I have a massive sweet tooth, and I like to make people happy.</p>
<p>I like to make cookies for my flatmates, brownies for my boyfriend, cakes for my family, slices for my colleagues. On ANZAC day I had a great time making a big, brightly coloured, chocolatey cake and got to see everyone enjoy it at a dinner that night. That’s why I bake.</p>
<p>But I can’t bake for those that could most do with come happiness (and some calories) in the world. I have just read an amazing book called <em>Half the Sky</em> by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wundunn, it reminded me of the terrible suffering that so many women around the world go through. I am so lucky that I can feel safe walking through the city on my own, that I was able to go to school, that I am empowered to not accept violence or belittlement from those around me and that I will one day be able to have children with little risk of serious injury or death. This last part struck me the most, even though it was a lot less confronting than some of the other issues described in the book. I hate the idea that pregnancy and childbirth, something that most women go through in their lives, can be so dangerous. Every day 1000 women die due to pregnancy or childbirth, 99% of them in the developing world. This issue doesn’t seem to get a lot of notice, but there are some organisations doing great things, such as the <a title="The White Ribbon Alliance" href="http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/" target="_blank">White Ribbon Alliance</a>, <a title="Averting Maternal Death and Disability" href="http://www.amddprogram.org/d/" target="_blank">AMDD</a> and <a title="Women's Dignity" href="http://www.womensdignity.org/index.php" target="_blank">Women’s Dignity</a>. <a title="CARE" href="http://www.care.org.au/Page.aspx?pid=194" target="_blank">CARE</a> seems to be a great organisation that focuses on Women’s rights. One of the best things we can do to help the situation is to learn more and tell others, when mothers are valued they will be looked after.</p>
<p>On a rather separate note, maybe you want to bake this cake. I’m sure a mother you know might like a slice next weekend. My Anzac day version ended up as an impromptu birthday cake for my lovely aunt.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/05/06/chocolate-red-velvet-marble-cake-and-half-the-sky/sydney-2012-034/" rel="attachment wp-att-177"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-177" title="Birthday Cake" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/sydney-2012-034.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" alt="" width="333" height="500" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Red Velvet marble Cake with Buttercream Icing</strong></p>
<p>From the new <a title="Best baking blog ever, now in book form" href="http://joythebaker.com/cookbook/" target="_blank"><em>Joy the Baker</em></a> Cookbook</p>
<p>This cake is two batters, swirled together for a marble effect, baked in two pans and then stacked with chocolate buttercream icing, to incredible effect.</p>
<p><strong>For the chocolate cake:</strong></p>
<p>1 cup flour</p>
<p>¾ teaspoon baking soda</p>
<p>¼ teaspoon salt</p>
<p>½ cup coffee (as you would drink it)</p>
<p>1/3 cup +1 tablespoon cocoa powder</p>
<p>½ cup (about 120g) butter at room temperature</p>
<p>½ cup +2 tablespoons packed brown sugar</p>
<p>1/3 cup caster sugar</p>
<p>2 large eggs</p>
<p>¼ cup buttermilk</p>
<p>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</p>
<p><strong>For the red velvet cake:</strong></p>
<p>1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour</p>
<p>¾ teaspoon baking soda</p>
<p>½ teaspoon salt</p>
<p>3 tablespoons cocoa powder</p>
<p>2 tablespoons red food colouring</p>
<p>¼ cup (around 60g) butter at room temperature</p>
<p>¾ cup granulated sugar</p>
<p>1 large egg</p>
<p>½ teaspoon vanilla extract</p>
<p>½ cup buttermilk</p>
<p>1 ½ teaspoons while vinegar</p>
<p><strong>For the buttercream frosting:</strong></p>
<p>¾ cup (175g) butter at room temperature</p>
<p>½ cup cocoa powder</p>
<p>½ teaspoon salt</p>
<p>2 ½ cups icing sugar</p>
<p>2 tablespoons milk</p>
<p>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</p>
<p>½ cup cream</p>
<p>1/3 cup ovaltine powder</p>
<p>Make sure you have two racks in the oven, one in the centre and one in the upper third.</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 180ᵒ C.</p>
<p>Grease and flour two 9 inch (22cm) round cake pans.</p>
<p><strong>Chocolate Cake:</strong></p>
<p>Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.</p>
<p>In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and the coffee.</p>
<p>Using a stand or hand mixer (much easier with a stand one) beat together butter, brown and caster sugars, until fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating the mixture for about a minute in between each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add the coffee mixture and the vanilla and beat for another minute until thoroughly combined.</p>
<p>With the mixture on low add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk. Stop the mixer before they are totally combined, finish off with a spatula. Set aside.</p>
<p><strong>Red Velvet Cake:</strong></p>
<p>Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.</p>
<p>In a small bowl, mix together cocoa and red food colouring.</p>
<p>Using a stand or hand mixer beat together butter and caster sugars, until fluffy (3-5 minutes).</p>
<p>Add the egg and beat for another minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.</p>
<p>Add the cocoa mixture and the vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined.</p>
<p>With the mixture on low add half the dry ingredients and half the buttermilk. When almost fully combined, add the rest of the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Stop the mixer before they are totally combined. Add the vinegar and finish off with a spatula.</p>
<p>Add half of the red velvet mixture to each cake pan. Top with half of the chocolate mixture into each pan. Use a butter knife to slightly mix the two batters together.</p>
<p>Bake the cakes for 15 minutes then switch the positions of the cake.</p>
<p>Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.</p>
<p>Remove from the oven and cool for ten minutes, then remove from the pans and cool on wire racks until cold.</p>
<p><strong>Buttercream Icing:</strong></p>
<p>Using a stand or handheld electric mixer, cream butter, cocoa and salt for about 3 minutes.</p>
<p>Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the icing sugar.</p>
<p>Turn the mixer on to low, add the milk and vanilla, as the sugar incorporates start to increase the speed of the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, beat till smooth.</p>
<p>Mix together cream and ovaltine.</p>
<p>Turn the mixer to medium, pour the cream in in a slow and steady stream until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.</p>
<p>Add more icing sugar if necessary.</p>
<p>Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes to make it easier to spread.</p>
<p>When the cakes are cooled, spread the flattest cake with icing, top with the second cake and cover the whole thing in frosting.</p>
<p>Keep the iced cake in the fridge and it will last for a few days.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/05/06/chocolate-red-velvet-marble-cake-and-half-the-sky/sydney-2012-026/" rel="attachment wp-att-178"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-178" title="Batter Bonanza" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/sydney-2012-026.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
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		<title>Raspberry and Orange Ciambella</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/04/15/rasberry-and-orange-ciambella/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/04/15/rasberry-and-orange-ciambella/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:25:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frozen raspberries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ground almonds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[orange zest]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The last few months have swept by, including a golden Melbourne January that I won’t be forgetting. Now I am here in Sydney with a whole new little life, but&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=151&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/04/15/raspberry-and-orange-ciambella-cake/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-359/" rel="attachment wp-att-140"><img title="ciambella" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-359.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>The last few months have swept by, including a golden Melbourne January that I won’t be forgetting. Now I am here in Sydney with a whole new little life, but it won’t be for too long and then I will be on the move again, for a much bigger adventure this time. So much change leads me to put my blinkers on a little and snuggle down into my little routines, especially in Melbourne, which I was so sad to leave behind. Sydney is such a different city, and feels much less like home, but the beauty of that harbour stops me every time and I feel lucky to be here. Baking a cake is a perfect way to settle or snuggle in.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/04/15/raspberry-and-orange-ciambella-cake/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-320-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-146"><img title="Melbourne" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-3201.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>This Ciambella cake is very easy, but the yoghurt and olive oil keep it moist and a little dense, cutting into it when it is still warm releases a wonderful orange fragrance. The two times I have made it I just added in whatever extras I had on hand. The raspberries and orange zest recommended below were perfect, however my second attempt with grated apple and raspberry took longer to cook and came out a little to brown and dry on the outside. I’m not sure if it was the additions or my oven, or just murphy’s law since I was making to take to a “meet the parents” dinner, but just to be sure I have kept the ingredient list as stated in the recipe. Perhaps experiment with it when you don’t need to impress anyone! The photos I have included were of the orange and raspberry version, baked in my lovely Melbourne kitchen. Seeing them takes me right back, I hope I will be back baking in Melbourne one day not too far off.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/04/15/raspberry-and-orange-ciambella-cake/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-339/" rel="attachment wp-att-147"><img title="orange zest and ciambella coming together" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-339.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Ciambella Cake</strong></p>
<p>Adapted from <em>Rachel Eats</em></p>
<ul>
<li>125g pot of whole-milk plain yoghurt</li>
<li>2 (yoghurt) pots of plain flour</li>
<li>1  (yoghurt) pot ground almonds</li>
<li>1 very generous  (yoghurt) pot brown sugar</li>
<li>3/4  (yoghurt) pot extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of baking powder</li>
<li>3 medium eggs</li>
<li>2/3 cup frozen raspberries and zest of one orange. (Alternative extras:75g coarsely chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips/zest of a whole unwaxed lemon or orange plus 50ml juice/ a mashed banana/a grated apple, handful of sultanas and grating of nutmeg/ 50g coarsely chopped hazelnuts and 50g chopped chocolate.)</li>
</ul>
<p>Set the oven to 180°C and grease a ring or bunt tin</p>
<p>Tip the yogurt into a large bowl.</p>
<p>Using the yogurt pot as a scoop, add 2 pots of flour, 1 pot of ground almonds, 1 pot of brown sugar and 3/4 pot of olive oil and the baking powder to the bowl and stir.</p>
<p>Break three eggs into the bowl and stir the ingredients very energetically until you have a smooth batter.</p>
<p>Add the additions and stir again.</p>
<p>Pour the batter into the ring tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.</p>
<p>Let the cake cool for 20 minutes or so before turning out onto a cake rack.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/04/15/raspberry-and-orange-ciambella-cake/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-346/" rel="attachment wp-att-148"><img title="eggs" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-346.jpg?w=333&#038;h=500" alt="" width="333" height="500" /></a></p>
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		<title>Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/01/24/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2012/01/24/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:39:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biscuits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate chips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[peanut butter]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[This week it is a year since I moved to Australia. I love it here, I love that a sunny 30 degree day is normal, I love living in a&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=122&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-439/" rel="attachment wp-att-123"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-123" title="messy baking habits" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-439.jpg?w=500&#038;h=333" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>This week it is a year since I moved to Australia. I love it here, I love that a sunny 30 degree day is normal, I love living in a big city. Most of the Australians I have met have been wonderful people, and only some of them have made jokes about my kiwi accent.</p>
<p>Next month I’m moving cities, but I am glad I get to have another year here in Australia. Sydney reminds me of my grandmother and that I am actually a quarter Aussie underneath my New Zealand twang. Last Australia day I had just arrived, and didn’t really feel part of the laid back barbeque atmosphere. This year it is time to celebrate being a little bit Aussie, and I think a good way to do that would be with some Australian cookies. Beyond Anzac biscuits and attempting to homemake Tim Tams, I am not sure where to start. Any ideas?</p>
<p>The cookies I have to offer today are conversely Very American. Not quite as American as the similar version that included bacon, but still, there is a lot of everything bad for you in these puppies, and boy can you taste it.</p>
<p>They have a distinctive peanut flavour, but are sweet enough to balance the salt. Chewy in the middle with crunchy edges, they don’t look like much, sometimes I think that’s better though, unassuming awesomeness.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-124" title="peanut butter" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-450.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-456/" rel="attachment wp-att-126"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-126" title="peanutty dough" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-456.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-454/" rel="attachment wp-att-125"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-125" title="bringing it all together" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-454.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-462/" rel="attachment wp-att-127"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-127" title="unexpected awesomness" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-462.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Salted Peanut Butter Cookies</strong><br />
From Orangette, originally adapted from Autumn Martin</p>
<p>2 cups plus 1 tsp flour<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt<br />
275 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
1 ¼ cup, packed brown sugar<br />
¾ cup caster sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
400 grams peanut butter (I used crunchy)<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
170 grams chopped milk chocolate (I usually use dark, but milk is great here)</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 180°C, and line several baking sheets with baking paper.</p>
<p>In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk well.</p>
<p>With an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (You can do this by hand, if you so wish).</p>
<p> Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed to blend.</p>
<p>Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.</p>
<p>Add the chocolate, and beat briefly on low speed, just until evenly incorporated.</p>
<p>Scoop dessert spoonful’s of the batter onto the baking sheets, taking care to leave plenty of space between cookies ( only 6 or 7 to a tray, they spread)</p>
<p>Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and pale golden around the edges, but their tops have no colour. (The cookies will not look fully baked, but they are nice and chewy this way)</p>
<p>Transfer the pan to a rack, and cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan if you are patient enough, I kept reusing the pans so transferred them to a rack after about 5 mins. They will firm up as they cool.</p>
<p>Repeat with remaining dough.</p>
<p><em>Note</em>: Apparently the dough freezes well, scoop out the dough and freeze on a tray and then cook for an extra 5 mins from frozen. <em>Warning:</em> I suspect these would make irresistible frozen cookie dough snacks, which is why I have avoided freezing any.</p>
<p>Makes about 20 large cookies</p>
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			<media:title type="html">bringing it all together</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/photography-class-day-2-and-melbourne-summer-462.jpg?w=300" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">unexpected awesomness</media:title>
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		<title>Red Wine Chocolate Cake</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/11/26/red-wine-chocolate-cake/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/11/26/red-wine-chocolate-cake/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Nov 2011 00:58:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dinner party]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[So it has been ages since I posted last, life has been busy! My trip to New York was amazing, just thinking about it makes me want to be back&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=101&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/new-york-0251.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-102 aligncenter" title="View from the Brooklyn Bridge" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/new-york-0251.jpg?w=430&#038;h=279" alt="" width="430" height="279" /></a></p>
<p>So it has been ages since I posted last, life has been busy! My trip to New York was amazing, just thinking about it makes me want to be back there. I loved the raw, living feeling of the place, it was as poor and run down and grey as any other city I have been to. But yet everyone was fighting to be there to get a bit of the city’s sparkle for themselves.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/new-york-4031.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-103" title="New York Sparkle" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/new-york-4031.jpg?w=430&#038;h=286" alt="" width="430" height="286" /></a>I loved the bit of Williamsburg where we stayed, with the noisy crowds of guys who would hang out outside the dry cleaners across the road and the regal Jewish women in their hats who lived next door. I loved the food and the art and the beautiful buildings and parks, but most of all I loved the people. The unabashed enthusiasm I saw in people was so refreshing, they wanted to know about you, and wanted you to succeed, just as they wanted to tell the world about what made them and their city awesome. New Yorkers are so confident and honest; I hope I brought a little of that back with me.</p>
<div id="attachment_104" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 278px"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/img_0444.jpg"><img class="wp-image-104 " title="Subway mosaic" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/img_0444.jpg?w=268&#038;h=308" alt="" width="268" height="308" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">one of the many beautiful little artworks in the subway system, each station had a different theme</p></div>
<p>I got back from New York and was still living at a New York pace, which meant lots of time for baking in amongst everything else.</p>
<p>On a perfect spring evening a couple of weeks after I got home I made this delicious Red Wine Chocolate Cake. While it was in the oven I sat out in our little courtyard and ate a picnic dinner.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/melbourne-0331.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-107" title="Melbourne 033" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/melbourne-0331.jpg?w=424&#038;h=257" alt="" width="424" height="257" /></a></p>
<p>Dessert with a little mascarpone and a glass of the red wine to match and it was pretty much a perfect evening. I think it helped to remind me that the slower Melbourne pace wasn’t too bad, at least for now.</p>
<p>This cake is from my favourite New York food blogger, SmittenKitchen, and funnily enough she wrote about it while I was there in her city. It’s a grown up chocolate cake, you can taste the wine, but its subtle enough that it could just be a special spice instead. I decided that the double dairy topping was a bit elaborate since I am not meant to have dairy at all, so I just used mascarpone, but you can add half a cup of whipped cream to make the topping a lot lighter.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/melbourne-013.jpg"><img class="wp-image-108 aligncenter" title="Melbourne 013" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/melbourne-013.jpg?w=403&#038;h=230" alt="" width="403" height="230" /></a><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-109" title="Melbourne 037" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/melbourne-037.jpg?w=405&#038;h=258" alt="" width="405" height="258" /></p>
<p><strong>Red Wine Chocolate Cake</strong></p>
<p>Very slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen</p>
<p>Cake<br />
85 grams butter, at room temperature<br />
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup caster sugar<br />
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature<br />
3/4 cup red wine<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup good cocoa powder<br />
1/8 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon table salt<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon</p>
<p>Topping<br />
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese<br />
1 tablespoon caster sugar<br />
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 160°C.</p>
<p>Spray the interior of a 9-inch round cake pan with a nonstick spray</p>
<p>In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes</p>
<p>Add the egg and yolk and beat well, then the red wine and vanilla. The batter will look a little odd and winey at this point but that is fine.</p>
<p> Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together, right over your wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined with the electric beater, then fold the rest together with a rubber spatula.</p>
<p>Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.</p>
<p>Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then flip out of pan and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. This cake keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge.</p>
<p>Topping: Whip mascarpone, sugar and vanilla together. Dollop generously on each slice of cake. It can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">View from the Brooklyn Bridge</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">New York Sparkle</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/img_0444.jpg?w=225" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Subway mosaic</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">Melbourne 033</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">Melbourne 013</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">Melbourne 037</media:title>
		</media:content>
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		<title>Chocolate Tart</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/09/04/chocolate-tart/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/09/04/chocolate-tart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Sep 2011 06:05:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tarts and Pies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dinner party]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marscapone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/?p=69</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So I am sitting in my chaotic room, the place is covered in clothes and powercables and books, I even had that terrifying moment just before where I couldn’t find&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=69&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0098.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-70" title="Tart" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0098.jpg?w=614&#038;h=409" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a></p>
<p>So I am sitting in my chaotic room, the place is covered in clothes and powercables and books, I even had that terrifying moment just before where I couldn’t find my passport for a second and freaked out. This is all because I am off to New York in five days! I am giddily excited about this, I will do my best to tone this back to “a little wide-eyed” before I get there so as not to ruin my street cred.</p>
<p>I have been baking a bit – but not sharing here! Lets fix that shall we.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0088.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-73 aligncenter" title="DSC_0088" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0088.jpg?w=398&#038;h=221" alt="" width="398" height="221" /></a>Here is an amazing chocolate tart, from one of my favourite food blogs, Rachel Eats. This tart is my friend, I’ve used it to appear as a domestic goddess at dinner parties and to charm my new flatmates. Lemon tarts on the other hand, while delicious, tend to fall off the bench and onto the floor, we no longer talk.</p>
<p>The crust on this tart is pretty easy, I’m still getting by without a rolling pin, and I still manage to make the pastry turn out ok. I also like that it doesn’t require pie weights, I am not Martha Stuart enough to own those yet. What this tart does need it a proper tart pan, don’t even try to make this in a cake tin – I am telling you – it doesn’t work.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0083.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-72 aligncenter" title="pie crust" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0083.jpg?w=403&#038;h=252" alt="" width="403" height="252" /></a></p>
<p>The filling is a dream, it starts out as a warm chocolate goop, and comes out of the oven as velvety fudgy goodness, rich as anything. I think my oven might have been a bit warm this time around, the tart doesn’t have its beautiful smooth top, but tasted just as good nonetheless.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0096.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-75" title="chocolate goop" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0096.jpg?w=395&#038;h=278" alt="" width="395" height="278" /></a></p>
<p>This is a classy tart, if such a thing is possible. I think it needs to be eaten with a glass of red wine by candlelight if at all possible. But that hasn’t stopped me having a piece sitting in the kitchen on the phone to my mum yet.</p>
<p><strong>Chocolate tart</strong></p>
<p>From Rachel Eats, which was in turn adapted from Simon Hopkinson’s recipes for Chocolate tart and <em>petit pot au chocolat in</em> ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roast-Chicken-Stories-Paperback-Cookery/dp/009187100X" target="_blank">Roast chicken and other stories</a><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roast-Chicken-Stories-Paperback-Cookery/dp/009187100X" target="_blank">‘</a></strong></p>
<p>Makes 12 modest slices</p>
<p>For the pastry</p>
<ul>
<li>130g butter (at room temperature)</li>
<li>65g icing sugar</li>
<li>1 medium-sized egg</li>
<li>225g plain flour</li>
</ul>
<p>For the filling</p>
<ul>
<li>250g heavy cream</li>
<li>2 tbsp whole milk</li>
<li>200g dark, high quality, cocoa butter rich bitter chocolate. chopped.</li>
<li>40g caster sugar</li>
<li>1 medium-sized egg</li>
</ul>
<p>To make the pastry; put the butter, icing sugar and egg in a bowl (or food processor) and work together quickly. Blend in the flour and work together into a homogenous paste. Wrap the dough in cling film or a tea towel and chill for at least an hour.</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 180°C</p>
<p>Roll out the pastry on a well floured board as thinly as you can and then carefully lift and tuck it into an 8″ tart tin (ideally with a loose base), the pastry will be delicate, don’t panic if you need to press and patch it a bit. Bake the tart case <em>blind</em> for about 20 minutes, until it is cooked through and a pale golden biscuit colour.</p>
<p>To make the filling;  In a small pan, warm the cream and the milk gently over a gentle flame and then add the chopped chocolate and sugar and stir until the chocolate has melted and the sugar dissolved and you have a dark thick, silky mixture.</p>
<p>Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool a little before adding and carefully incorporating the beaten egg. Pour the mixture into the tart case.</p>
<p>Carefully slide the filled tart back into the oven for 15 minutes or until the tart has set but still had slight wobble in the center.</p>
<p>Allow the tart to sit for a couple of hours before serving.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0099.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-76" title="last baking in my old kitchen" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/dsc_0099.jpg?w=284&#038;h=346" alt="" width="284" height="346" /></a></p>
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			<media:title type="html">Tart</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">DSC_0088</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">pie crust</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">chocolate goop</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">last baking in my old kitchen</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>Afghans and a visit from home</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/07/31/afghans-and-a-visit-from-home/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/07/31/afghans-and-a-visit-from-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:50:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biscuits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Easy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walnuts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thegoldenbaker.wordpress.com/?p=60</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So my lovely mum went home today after a few days visiting me here in Melbourne. Highlights were the Vienna exhibit and champagne and chocolates in a 5 star hotel,&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=60&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/vienna/exhibition"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61" title="Vienna Exhibition" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/vienna.jpg?w=590" alt=""   /></a></p>
<p>So my lovely mum went home today after a few days visiting me here in Melbourne. Highlights were the Vienna exhibit and champagne and chocolates in a 5 star hotel, and spending lots of time with her of course.</p>
<p>We had the most amazing meal at Hellenic Republic, which left us both happily clutching our stomachs because we were so full. Mum even tried Lord of the Fries fries, an institution in my opinion, though I keep well away from any of the vegan “meat”. The fries clearly weren’t what mum is used to as I had one accidentally thrown at me in the end! One of several insane and funny moments during her stay.</p>
<p> So this afternoon when she was on her way home it was time for some cheer-me-up baking. My friend and Sez and I made a kiwi classic, afghans. These biscuits are simple and can be made from ingredients you might have in the house (always a bonus) but are also wonderfully crisp and chocolatey with tasty indulgent icing. Also the lack of baking powder or eggs makes this a perfect cookie batter to eat uncooked. What? You have to check that it is going to taste good…<img class="size-medium wp-image-62 aligncenter" title="The Lovely Sez" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/img_0319.jpg?w=225&#038;h=300" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></p>
<p>I am planning to take those cookies that survived to make it into the oven into work tomorrow to fundraise a little for the East African famine relief fund with the Red Cross, maybe you feel like <a title="Red Cross Australia East Africa Famine Appeal" href="http://www.redcross.org.au/AfricaAppeal.htm" target="_blank">donating too?</a></p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/img_0327.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-63" title="With Coconut Topping" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/img_0327.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p><strong><em>Afghans</em></strong></p>
<p>From The Edmonds Cookbook</p>
<p>Makes 15-30 depending on how giant you like them</p>
<p><strong>Biscuits</strong></p>
<p>200g butter, at room temperature<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
1 1/4 cups Edmonds, standard plain flour<br />
1/4 cup cocoa<br />
2 cups cornflakes</p>
<p><strong>Chocolate Icing</strong></p>
<p>1 cup Icing sugar</p>
<p>2 tablespoons Cocoa</p>
<p>Small knob of butter</p>
<p>Hot water<br />
Walnuts, optional</p>
<p>Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Sift flour and cocoa<br />
Stir into creamed mixture. Fold in cornflakes<br />
Spoon mounds of mixture onto a greased oven tray, flatten with your fingers<br />
Bake at 180C for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm</p>
<p>To make the icing, sift icing sugar and cocoa together, add butter and then a little hot water at a time until the mixture is the desired consistency<br />
When cold ice with chocolate icing and decorate with a walnut piece if you like.</p>
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		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">Vienna Exhibition</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">The Lovely Sez</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">With Coconut Topping</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>Late Night Shortbread</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/06/16/late-night-shortbread/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/06/16/late-night-shortbread/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:58:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biscuits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[butter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Easy]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[When I have the sudden need to do some baking at 9pm on a Thursday night, there is one book I turn to. The Edmonds Cookbook is a New Zealand&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=52&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_53" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_0145.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-53" title="Shortbread 1" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_0145.jpg?w=225&#038;h=300" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A rolling pin for my birthday?</p></div>
<p>When I have the sudden need to do some baking at 9pm on a Thursday night, there is one book I turn to. The Edmonds Cookbook is a New Zealand institution, I still have my Junior Edmonds Cookbook that I started to learn to bake from. It also has the added bonus of having heaps of really simple recipes which I can make on a whim without going shopping.</p>
<p>This is how I came to be making shortbread last week, and it certainly did the trick. I have made shortbread a few times before, and it has always come out as a sort of pathetic sugar biscuit, but no more, these biscuits are buttery goodness.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_0284.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-54" title="IMG_0284" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_0284.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p>It’s a dough made of butter, sugar, cornflour and regular flour, which requires a bit of work to come together from crumbs. At this point I realised that I don’t own a rolling pin (I cannot call myself a baker I know!) which presented another challenge – but nothing a wine bottle cannot fix.</p>
<p>The recipe makes heaps of dough, you can freeze half wrapped up in gladwrap if you do not have a crowd on standby to gobble them down. With a ball of this in the freezer I will not have an excuse to give someone store bought shortbread passed off as homemade anymore !</p>
<p> <a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_0286.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-56" title="Shortbread 2" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_0286.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Shortbread</strong></p>
<p>From The<strong> </strong><em>Edmonds Cookery Book – 100 year edition</em></p>
<p><em>Makes 30-35 biscuits</em></p>
<p>250g butter (softened)</p>
<p>1 cup icing sugar</p>
<p>1 cup cornflour</p>
<p>2 cups white flour</p>
<p>Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy</p>
<p>Sift cornflour and flour together, mix into creamed butter and sugar</p>
<p>Knead dough on a floured surface (I did this a handful at a time)</p>
<p>Roll out dough to 0.5cm thickness on a lightly floured surface</p>
<p>Cut into pieces with a knife or a cookie cutter</p>
<p>Prick with a fork</p>
<p>Bake at 150 degrees C for 25-30 minutes, or until pale gold in colour</p>
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		<title>Carrot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting</title>
		<link>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/05/29/carrot-cupcakes-with-mascarpone-frosting/</link>
		<comments>http://thegoldenbaker.com/2011/05/29/carrot-cupcakes-with-mascarpone-frosting/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 May 2011 01:23:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>thegoldenbaker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cupcakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carrot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cinnamon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marscapone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nutmeg]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Carrot cake is an odd thing, if it wasn’t a common type of cake I would screw up my face at the thought, much like I do when zucchini brownies&#8230;<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thegoldenbaker.com&#038;blog=22904222&#038;post=43&#038;subd=thegoldenbaker&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0227.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-45" title="carrot cupcakes" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0227.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p>Carrot cake is an odd thing, if it wasn’t a common type of cake I would screw up my face at the thought, much like I do when zucchini brownies are mentioned. Pumpkin based sweet foods are an odd American tradition too  &#8211; one I have been meaning to try out. But today was carrot cake day– and these little cakes are tasty.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0192.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-46" title="carrot cupcakes pre frosting" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0192.jpg?w=300&#038;h=300" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>The icing seems to be the most important part – ill admit to stealing some from the bowl, it is just that good. I don’t remember ever buying so many different types of dairy before (maybe to go with the apple crumble at a family dinner!) and piling all that cream into the bowl did feel rather indulgent. I think this feeling is best overcome by making these for an event where they can be shared around. Sadly this goes against the demands of my flatmate Frank that “these are not leaving the house”. These cupcakes would be fantastic for a birthday, I can just imagine a candle sticking out of that frosting.</p>
<p>There was rather a lot of frosting left over – each cupcake got a fair bit less than the recipe suggested as 2-3 tablespoons on each seemed a little excessive to me. So you could reduce the frosting quantities (2/3<sup>rd</sup> would be enough) or save the leftovers for another cake the following day as I did.</p>
<p>Thank you very much to the lovely Juliet for giving me the beautiful cupcake cases – they made me realise how long I have been cupcake-less when I saw them yesterday!</p>
<p><a href="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0196.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-47" title="yum" src="http://thegoldenbaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0196.jpg?w=300&#038;h=300" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Carrot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting</strong></p>
<p><strong>Adapted slightly from <em>The Wednesday Chef</em></strong><br />
<em>Makes 15 cupcakes</em></p>
<p><strong>Cupcakes</strong><br />
1 pound carrots (about 5), peeled<br />
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg<br />
1/2  teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 cup Demerara or brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup sunflower oil<br />
1/2 cup sour cream<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 large egg yolk</p>
<p><strong>Frosting</strong></p>
<p>1 cup mascarpone<br />
1 cup thickened cream<br />
1/2 cup sour cream<br />
2 tablespoons caster sugar<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon</p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line muffin tins with paper cases – enough for 15 cupcakes</p>
<p>Grate the carrots using a food processor fitted with the shredding blade, or the medium holes of a box grater. You will need a total of 2 1/2 cups.</p>
<p>In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda.</p>
<p>In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, sour cream, and vanilla. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Using a spatula, fold the carrots into the batter.</p>
<p>Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them about three-quarters full.</p>
<p>Bake, rotating the tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely on a wire rack.</p>
<p>To make the frosting, combine the mascarpone, cream, sour cream, sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon zest and beat on medium speed with an electric whisk or mixer until the mixture becomes thick, about 5 minutes. (The frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day. Let it come to room temperature and whisk together if necessary before using.)</p>
<p> Using a metal spatula or a butter knife, spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the frosting over the top of each cupcake.</p>
<p>The cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.</p>
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