Classic sponge sandwich - with cream and fresh plums

You know how sometimes you get given a present that you really wanted.. it's the best feeling, and it shows that the person who gave it to you really knows you. My beautiful friend Naomi and her family gave me a cook book for my birthday called 'Ladies, a plate'. I saw this book when i was on honeymoon on Waiheke Island and have desperately wanted it ever since. While we were staying with Naomi's family at their farm a couple of weeks ago i used it for the first time and made a plum and cream filled sponge cake. We picked the plums from the tree outside the house, i love using ingredients from home.

Here's the recipe:

FOR THE CAKE

3 large eggs

6 oz caster sugar

4 oz flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp butter

4 tbsp boiling water

FOR THE FILLING

1 cup cream

2-3 tbsp jam (we didn't have any, i used plums instead, but you could use both)

getting ready:

preheat oven to 190C. Grease two 20cm round sandwich tins and line bases with circles of baking paper. Bring eggs to room temperature. Sift together flour and baking powder.

mixing and baking:

1. Beat the eggs and caster sugar fro 10 mins with an electric beater. They should be very fluffy and pale yellow and the mixture should fall in ribbons from the beaters and remain on the surface for a few seconds before sinking.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder again onto the top of the egg mixture and fold carefully through, using a large shallow metal spoon. Cut through with the edge of the spoon, gently lifting the mixture and turning the bowl as you go.

3. Lastly add the butter, melted in the boiling water, and fold through gently and thoroughly.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake the sponges for about 20 minutes. It's better not to try and rotate the tins as they might sink.

5. Remove from the oven and after a few minutes, turn the cakes onto a cooling rack.

FINISHING

Put one sponge upside down on a pretty plate, spread it with your best jam and then a generous layer of whipped cream, sweetened or not as you wish*. Put the other sponge on top, right side up, and sift over a little icing sugar. (You could sift the icing sugar through a stencil or paper doily if you like that idea.)

*I put the plums on here, you could use berries too.

Gingerbread men and ladies

I made these for Christmas and they were so much fun to decorate. Me and Georgie did all kinds of great outfits for these little guys, we almost felt mean eating them afterwards...

Here is the recipe i got from taste.com

Preparation Time

15 minutes

Cooking Time

10 minutes

Makes

20

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• 125g butter, at room temperature
• 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
• 1 egg, separated
• 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 1 tbs ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Plain flour, to dust
• 150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
• 8-10 drops red liquid food colouring
• 8-10 drops green liquid food colouring ( I just did mostly white icing, so left out the food colouring)
• Smarties, to decorate

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.

2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

3. Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Divide icing among 3 bowls. Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined. Add green colouring to remaining bowl and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

4. Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.

5. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.

6. Place prepared icings in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate. Finish with Smarties.

Sydney

On Tuesday i got back from such a lovely week away in Australia with my Dad! We got to see more family over there and i got to do some fun shopping and lots of eating out! I love holidays, and it made home even better when i arrived back. I have such a new appreciation for my wonderful husband and life here! Here are some pictures from my trip.

Let's go somewhere beautiful

We've had some big changes happening lately, our family here in Wanaka are leaving in a month to go an a huge travel adventure... Brandon and i are trying our best to be so happy for them and not think about how sad it is that they're not going to be around anymore! If i was to be selfish i would like them to stay and live here with us for ever...

So Taryn, Dan, and baby Oscar, we've been thinking... maybe we can come and have Christmas with you in Cape Town, we would love that. In fact i think our whole family should meet in Cape Town this summer, that would make our hearts so happy X

ps here are some pictures from my first time in South Africa last year... i miss you Cape Town.

Sometimes when it's cold i dream of going somewhere like this...

I would like to be here please...

Although it has not been as sunny as we expected we have still tried to spend as much time at the beach as we can out here on the barrier, Brandon even got up especially early this morning to go surfing (which means he is keen... we've been sleeping in every day til nearly 10am). Here are a couple of pictures of when the sun came out ever so briefly... we also got to look after Wilson, our friends' black lab, it's so much more fun going to the beach with a dog who wants to play (and dig holes everywhere)!

Great Barrier Heaven

On Saturday we are off to my home, Great Barrier Island for two whole weeks of island bliss! I'm so excited to go and see my family and get to go to the beach, i know it's winter but .... we miss the beach sooo much down here, lakes are just not the same. I love it on the barrier just watching how the waves crash and i love the sound. From our house we can hear the ocean, i think that's the best sound to fall asleep to (rain on the corrugated iron roof might be the next best thing). We're gonna rug up and read books by the open fire, go out in some storms all dressed up in our warmest jackets, eat chocolate and drink tea with Dad! I can hardly wait!
oh and i'm going to take my camera on some island adventures... i'll post some of the best X (I also have to confess that this photo was taken at the height of summer, although... it is still just as beautiful)

Good things

I have been meaning to update for ages but it's been a busy little while for our family (me and Brandon). May seems to be a new season for us. We just moved into our first house, Brandon surprised me with a new camera, and we went on an adventure up to the top of the South Island to pick up our new car... our first car! and then we drove it all the way back home to Wanaka, stopping off to see some of our favourite people on the way. We had a great time and it's amazing how exciting cities can be when you live in a TINY town. Here's a few pics from our trip...