Raw Vanilla Cheesecake

I came across the company The Stable Co on Instagram and loved the idea of trying out some of their unbaked desserts. Cheesecake is a family favourite and I thought I would try out the raw version.

I loved that everything was pre measured and ready to go. The box contains all the ingredients for the cheesecake base. You also receive the filling mix you just have to add your own coconut oil (1/2 cup) lemon juice (2 lemons) and sweetener of your choice. (I went with honey) You can also add your own fruit to the mix if you like so I threw in a few blueberries.

After soaking the dates, I added them to the cheesecake base mix and whizzed it all up in my Vitamix. I then pressed the base into a lined cake tin and popped it into the freezer to chill.

While the base was chilling I made up the cheesecake filling (again mixing it in the Vitamix) poured it over the cheesecake base and put the cake back into the freezer for 3 hours. It was so simple.

Everyone loved it and the cake disappeared very quickly! I will definitely be trying it again and experimenting with different flavours for the filling. I've also got a box of Raw Caramel Slice that I'm dying to make up next.

Here are a few of Stable & Co's delicious creations - 

Triple Layer Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

Raw Caramel Slice

Bliss Balls

Have you made any raw desserts? Which one is your favourite?

How to decorate Easter Sugar Cookies.

Last week I went to a Cookie Decorating workshop at Little Lane Workshops run by Karen of Sweet n Pretty. She does amazing cakes and cookies so I was interested to learn if she had any tips on how to decorate cookies and work with royal icing as I had never tried it before.

Plus I had just bought a whole load of cookie cutters for 20c each so I thought I had better learn how I could use them!

Karen had baked the cookies for us in various Easter shapes and taught us how to mix the icing, the different consistency needed and some tricks to ensure a smooth icing and how to use a piping bag.

She made it look easy and it was great to see someone do it in front of you first and then have a chance to have a go yourself.

Here are a few photos of the night -

While our cookies were drying it was lovely to wander through the workshop space as it also doubles as a store with various clothes, homewares and furniture to browse. Champagne was on offer and it was great to chat to the other ladies doing the workshop.

Once our cookies were ready to go we boxed them up and headed home. I was so happy with how mine turned out! The royal icing really hides shaky hands and wonky lines, I definitely need to practice making my decorating a bit smoother ;) Although the boys were very impressed when I showed them what I had made.

Karen gave us this vanilla sugar cookie recipe to use at home.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2 large eggs

100 grams white sugar

100 grams icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

200 greams butter softened in microwave until almost melted

600 grams plain flour

pinch of salt

How to make

Preheat oven to 170 degrees

In an electric mixer beat the eggs, white sugar and icing sugar until light and fluffy. This takes approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Sift the flour add half of it to the egg and sugar mixture and blend until it looks thick and pasty. Add the softened butter and mix thoroughly.

Add the remaining flour - you may need to mix by hand to help form the dough. Refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out and cutting the cookies.

Roll out the dough to 5mm thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut our shapes and transfer to a tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden - the cookies should be firm to touch. Cool on a wire rack before decorating.

*Note - make sure the dough is evenly rolled out and uniform before cutting the cookies. If there are any bumps in the cookie dough they will show through the icing.

Royal Icing

Ingredients

1 egg white

320g pure icing sugar sifted

Gel colours (optional)

Piping bag with number 2 tip nozzle

Karen has some more classes coming up at Little Lane Workshops including this cool succulent cupcake one!

Have you worked with royal icing before? Any tips on how to steady a shaky hand? ;)

Recipe for Pimms, White Wine Sangria and Rocky Road Cheesecake

After my last post I had a few enquiries on the recipe for the cocktails and the Rocky Road Cheesecake. I thought I would share them here.

Recipe for White Wine Sangria.

We originally had this drink for the first time at Manly Wine and they were lovely enough to give us the recipe. It is now a fixture at most of our gatherings. It's so light and refreshing to drink.

Place 1 lemon cut into wedges, a handful of fresh mint leaves, 5 lychees (tinned is fine) 60ml Martini Bianco, 30ml Cointreau and 250ml Chardonnay into a jug. Stir vigorously. Top with ice and lemonade. 

We serve Sangria differently depending on the occasion.

If it is just a couple of friends over we will make up a jug and scoop out the lychees, lemon and mint into each glass as we pour it.

If we have a bigger crowd we will pop the drink into our larger mason jars.

This one from Kmart is our current favourite. (I sprayed the stand white)

To make up the quantities for the 3 litre jar add

180ml Cinzano Bianco

90ml Cointreau (or Triple Sec)

60mls of the lychee syrup from the can

750ml Chardonnay

Topped with lemonade (approx 2 litres)

Add 4 lemon wedges, 4 lychees, 10 torn mint leaves

We also keep little bowls of lemon, lychees and mint nearby so each person can add 1 of each to their glass before pouring in the Sangria. This frees you up as the host as people can help themselves to drinks while you get the food ready etc.

Recipe for Pimms

1 part Pimms

3 parts Schweppes Lemonade

Orange, strawberries, mint (cucumber is a traditional addition but I'm not a fan!)

If you don't like your drink too sweet. Add 1 part of Dry Ginger Ale and take away 1 part of lemonade. 

Same serving suggestions as above -

 If it is just a couple of friends over we will make up a jug and scoop out the mint, oranges and strawberries.

If we are serving from the big jars then little bowls of the fruit will be nearby.

Recipe for Rocky Road Cheesecake.

The first step is to make your Rocky Road. Everyone usually has their own favourite Rocky Road recipe so feel free to use your own if you like. Most recipes use nuts but I leave them out due to lots of people with nut allergies.

I use a Twix Rocky Road recipe. It adds a little extra texture.

Recipe for Twix Rocky Road

4 x 58g Twix chocolate bars chopped

1 cup of rice bubbles

150g marshmallows chopped

400g milk chocolate chopped

40g copha chopped

(1 cup of unsalted roasted peanuts if you like)

Line a rectangular baking tray with baking paper. Combine Twix bars, rice bubbles, marshmallows and peanuts in a bowl. Place chocolate and copha in a pan. Stir over a low heat until chocolate is melted. Cool slightly. Pour mixture over Twix mixture, mix well. Spoon onto prepared tray.  Refrigerate until set. Cut into small squares/pieces.

Recipe for Cheesecake

125g sweet chocolate biscuits

60g butter melted

625g cream cheese softened

395g can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

Preheat oven to moderately slow (160 - 140 (fan forced) degrees celsius)

Process the biscuits until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Transfer to a medium bowl, stir in butter. Press biscuit mixture over the base of a 23cm springform tin, refrigerate until firm.

Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth, then add the condensed milk and beat until combined. Beat in eggs one at a time, until just combined.

Place tin on an oven tray, pour the cheesecake mixture into tin. Press half of the Rocky Road into the surface. Bake in moderately slow oven about 1 1/4 hours or until set. Cool in oven with door ajar.

Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. 

Decorate with the remaining Rocky Road and dust with icing sugar if desired.

What do you think? Tempted to give them a go?

They might come in handy if you are entertaining this long weekend.

Saturday Baking - Nutella Pull-Apart Pastry

We made this Nutella Pull-Apart Pastry today for afternoon tea. It was cold, the boys wanted something warm and chocolatey so I looked in the pantry to see what I could find. 

I saw a jar of Nutella on the shelf and I remembered seeing this clip on how to make 

Nutella Braided Tear + Share Bread on You Tube

After watching it a couple of times I decided to take a short cut and use some ready made pastry I had in the freezer. I had a lot of "helpers" around and I wanted something fast and pretty simple.

Using the pastry was quick and easy but I will give Steve's way a try in the future as it really does look delicious. Here are a few pics of my baking below-

Do you have any delicious Nutella recipes up your sleeve?

I don't really think you can go wrong with it!

What I've been up to.

I'm creating this.....

So thanks to the terrible weather over the long weekend I finally got around to starting Jasper's new room.

He is moving into the room next to Finn and into a bigger bed. I finally got Simon to cut the bunks in half and I have moved in his clothes and attempted to edit some of his toys!

Also the ever growing book collection. Note to self stop buying books!Jasper's room is evolving into some kind of travel theme :) 

Still to come are more shelves, wall map and something for on top of his chest of drawers. Struggling for ideas there, any tips?

I'm trying to find the time to read these....

Water for Elephants is for me but our book for Book Club is How not to f*** them up by Oliver James.

 I'm finding it hard to settle with a book at the
 moment, I'm preferring to flick through magazines.

I'm enjoying.....

Simon's cooking. He loves the slow cooker so he is offering to do dinner more. Loving his lamb shanks

I want to try to make.....

gooey chocolate puddings and Jamie Olivers satay chicken and noodle dish.

I'm living in ......

scarves and boots. 

I can't get enough of .....

early bedtimes for myself (I'm talking 7.30-8.00pm - Jasper is at 7pm, Finn at 8pm), not sleeping but watching tv, online shopping and cruising the net :)

Snuggles with the boys.

Finn's happiness with his new blue Vans.

I'm laughing at.....

Jasper's new obsession with the Dsi (Finn's hand me down that he regifted to Jasper for a bday pressie). I love the look of concentration on his face as he plays Mario Bros!

I've developed......

a new coffee addiction. It's iced coffee, it's winter, it doesn't make sense but I can't get enough!

I'm mailing.....

2 birthday pressies off (late, ooops)plus a gift for my newest neice Emily. That brings my total of neices to 5 and 1 nephew. 

Not too bad in the space of 3 years!

I'm loving.....

Instagram lately on my iphone. It's a quick fix and not too many words! I'm on there under honey and fizz :) Let me know if you're on there too and I'll follow you.

Flannelette sheets - how good are they?

That our rabbit Fifi went missing for a night but found her way home safely :)

I'm looking forward to.....

My mum coming for a visit next week for 4 days

This rain stopping! I'm sooo behind on the washing it's scary :(

My books from Fishpond.com arriving next week (so they say). I might have went a little overboard! 

Thanks to Jane for the booko tip xx

Finn's Gala Football day on Friday, if it doesnt get washed out 

and called off.

How about you?
What have you been up to?
Simone xx

images via pinterest except my own pics :)

Now where is my apron?

I'm in the mood to do a little bit of cooking/baking at the moment and these recipes have caught my eye.

Loving the look of these Parmesan Knots via realmomkitchen.com

These muffin lasagnas from canyoustayfordinner.com

Perfect for the kids and the leftovers would be wonderful for the lunch box.

And something delicious like a Homemade "Snickers" Slice 

from mrsbettierocker.com

Yummo!

What are you making in your kitchen at the moment?

I'd love some new recipes to try :)

Have a gorgeous day

Simone xx

all images via pinterest