There is always a certain amount of trepidation when I make pavlova. And I reckon that the back-up plan of "smashed pav" (and let's face it, smashed pav / eton's mess / whatever you want to call it... they're really good at reinvention on Masterchef) was probably only invented because of the high degree of failure's with this airy cake!

I was feeling ambitious. I haven't actually made Pavlova since Christmas. I made it twice for Christmas. The first time, I wanted it to look like a wreath but it collapsed so we had to cut it into pieces with berry coulis and fresh fruit on the side. The second time, it was beautiful but probably too wide and not high enough.

But for some reason, I thought I'd manage making a 4 layer pavlova with whipped cream and tons of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries in between plus a very thin layer of tangy lemon curd in between to balance out the flavours. Kind of hard when you can't pile on too much weight to the shells. Pavlovas are made to order and I am reluctant to sell these as they are so delicate and pretty much need to be eaten straight away for it to still be crispy on the outside and marshmallow-y on the inside. Not to mention that the delivery part would just take years off my life...

But tonight I made a SMASHING cake!! Looked awesome (very hard to cut though!) and it's my Aunty Sandy's favourite! YAY! Very special birthday for her today... *shhh you never ask a woman what her age is beyond 30!*

Ended up with two marshmallow-y layers and two crispy layers and loads and loads of fruit. Yummo. So proud of myself here ;)

Meringue... frosting / pavlova / discs / buttercream is always delicious (soft and sweet like marshmallow) but it is also very fragile and sometimes even temperamental. So I always try and ensure that these cakes are made as close as possible to serving time. Sometimes, that means waking up at 5 a.m. to make the meringue and toast it for the cake.

This is a two-tone cheesecake... Lemon and White Chocolate and completely smothered in Italian Meringue. I love burning things so had tons of fun doing this. (Yep, need to bring out that Bomb Alaska recipe again and invite some friends over and do it all over again...!)

These cakes are best eaten on the day if not immediately. I guess you could put it in the fridge for up to 48 hours but I just think that there is nothing like fresh meringue. You will notice that there is probably a slightly different texture and taste to homemade meringue compared to the commercial cakes you see in shops and cafes. This is most probably because there aren't any artificial additives to the meringue to help hold it up including but not limited to cornflour, gelatin, bone powder (yes, true, I googled this!), starch, etc. None of which sound too appetizing hmm? Meringue, when you think about it, is egg white and sugar and lots and lots of air. So it makes sense that meringue will shrink and deflate over time, hence why it should always be eaten fresh!

Recently had this discussion (it's come up many times for myself) at work. Macarons or macaroons? These French beauties are macarons. Those Australian blobs of coconut cookies are macaroons. The only thing they have in common is the egg whites! 

I came up with the idea to make Irish Cream (aka, Bailey's) ganache. I wanted to actually use white chocolate to do it with but all the posts I've read online and research pointed to dark chocolate. So I started with that. I think I was a little heavy-handed with the liquor. It was quite... fragrant. But it was really nice. Will definitely use and add to my flavour list!

Egg yolks are a forgotten ingredient in making macarons. And this time, I decided to make some lemon curd to use up some of the yolks. We have some beautiful lemons in the garden so it was perfect. And even better by putting them in our macarons. Tangy and sweet. Now to think about what to do with the rest of it! Delicious on scones, I know!

Also made our "signature" Salted Caramel Macarons. 

A tip though... Macarons are temperamental morsels. Always measure your ingredients with a scale. Whip up your egg whites slowly and don't forget to add the sugar into the whites as they foam up or else you will ruin your batch! Was too busy talking today and completely forgot about adding sugar into the egg whites until I had already made my macronage. It was a bit late by then. Total sacrilege! Ended up with these crater looking almond cookies. But hey, they taste good with coffee. ;)

I always end up with pink macarons! And yellow for Lemon Curd :) 

Packaged and ready to be gifted to lucky recipients. 

A very dear friend of mine from Melbourne was visiting Sydney this weekend as it was his godsister's 30th Birthday. Got to catch up a little this afternoon with some authentic Viet food which was awesome too :)

There's something about turning 30... a special milestone in one's life and he actually had the wicked thought of making her a clown cake instead. She is petrified by clowns and thought it would be funny. Maybe... but perhaps for a 16th or 21st! Lucky we went for the sweet and elegant!

General rule of thumb that is mostly fact: the smaller the treat, the more it costs. Time is money.

Macarons are a french dessert. Commonly mispronounced as macaroons which are in face a coconut meringue biscuit.

And there's the French macronage and the Italian macronage. I've tried both. And hands down, the French method wins. Every time. Less failures. Better shells. The Italians just can't do it like the French. Zumbo or no Zumbo. Actually, have been told mine are better! ;)

Then there are Cake Pops. Looks easy. Look pretty. Smaller sized so works for those who don't want so much. But you got to roll them into balls, chill them and then dip them and dry them before they are decorated. Relatively easy but add cake pops to your party and set aside at least another 2-3 hours!

Lately, it has been baking on the weeknights and free on the weekends. Don't get me wrong, that is absolutely fantastic as it gives us back our weekends! Hooray.

Was asked by my colleague this week to help her with a close friend's Kitchen Tea Cake (it was going to be a surprise). A whole lot of research and lots of discussion later, we decided that for the size of the cake, a tea cup and some little pretty things on the side would be best.

So a tea cup and saucer were forged / created / crafted on Monday and left for 24 hours to dry before painting. Antique and classic gold traditional look.

This was followed by a 4-layer White Chocolate Mud Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream. Finished this off on Wednesday evening with Red, Pink and White pleats, little daisies, butterflies and sticking a name to the cake.

I can't help but think of the motifs behind it all... the pleats symbolise tablecloths, flowers and butterflies are pretty and spring items and a tea cup to symbolise a Kitchen Tea??

Was quite funny weather this afternoon and poor Miss Colleague was afraid of damaging the cake on her trek home. Would rather get wet herself! But the clouds cleared up and the rain and wind held back enough for it to be safety transported to its destination. Must have been the rainbow I saw this afternoon from the office's window.

Time and time again, we come back to the cake that 'made' us. Or at least, propelled us on this journey of cakes, bakes and sweet treats. It was almost 8 years ago that we started making cakes. Still so much to learn.

Recently, I visited a little hole in the wall cafe, Room 10 in Potts Point. For a change, we ordered an affogato. And for some reason, it reminded me of this. Perhaps it was the conscious choice to substitute Marsala for Kahlua. Two shots.

It gave the cake a very rich aroma. And more intense coffee flavours. Yum.

It has been a surprisingly busy baking week.

And so stoked with how this test cake (that was gifted to Miss Madison for her birthday) went. 

Smooth fondant. 

Nice edges. 

Tall cake. 

Ruffle flower.

And the inside is Red Velvet & White Chocolate Mud Cake with Raspberry Buttercream.

Vanilla on the bottom and Red Velvet on the top and encased in White Chocolate Buttercream. Delish.

So my colleague at work today said that if you bake a  Red Velvet Cake for a guy, then he is "yours". Hmm... how to interpret that?

Made a ton of white chocolate sour cream ganache and had this mixed in with buttercream and whip-pity whip and like magic, it turns into this soft and fluffy and spreadable yummy concoction!

Always get a little anxious building cakes! And always never forget to use dowels. 

Close up of the natives and baby breaths... part of the wedding theme and farm wedding down in Berry, South Sydney. 

And the finished product. Simplistic. If I were to do more, I'd have another 1 or 2 boronia bunches and a few more baby breaths to make it "pop" (like how they say it on Cake Boss) a little more.