Way back in 2013, the hubby and I sat down and watched another episode of one of our favourite YouTube channels, Laura in the Kitchen. This particular episode was for a molten lava cake, but not chocolate in flavour as you might often see. Whilst the episode was still playing, the hubby searched the interweb to find the key ingredient, which isn’t readily available in Australia, to make the scrumptious looking Butterscotch Molten Lava Cakes.
Passionfruit Créme Brûlée
Passionfruit is yet another of my favourite flavours. I always loved drinking the Pasito soft drink growing up, and now the hubby makes a more adult drink by making passionfruit liqueur. If there is an option for something passionfruit, I will generally take it, including the fruit itself.
When we recently had friends over for dinner, I wanted to make something with passionfruit and given B said she liked créme brûlée it was decided I would make Passionfruit Créme Brûlée.
Chocolate Charlotte Russe – Daring Bakers Challenge
I was a little late this month checking out what the Daring Bakers Challenge was for June, but I am sure glad I checked as this little number turned out to be super delicious. Thankfully we were having visitors this weekend which meant I could make this dessert to share so the hubby and I wouldn’t have to eat it for the next week, not that either of us would have minded I suppose.
We were asked to create either a Charlotte Royale or a Charlotte Russe. A Charlotte Royale is made in a bowl lined with swiss roll cake slices (similar to the Southern Bombe) where the Charlotte Russe is assembled in a loose bottom pan lined with ladyfingers. I decided to go for the latter as when looking for inspiration I came across an all chocolate version which was just calling my name.
White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Rose Water Syrup
To mark the first year since I started my current job, I made white chocolate panna cotta with rose water syrup and took it in to share with my colleagues. Since then, I have been encouraged to make it again and so after another two and a bit years I finally did (no need to rush these things).
For a morning tea we were having to mark the upcoming wedding of one of the women in the office, a request was made for me to bring something sweet and after suggesting this dessert to the bride to be, I didn’t need to go through any of the other options I had in mind.
The timing also worked out well as the ingredient for the next Get Your Chef On hosted by White Lights on Wednesday and Four Marrs One Venus was announced and it was chocolate. It was all too perfect so I signed up to participate.
Pavlova
Pavlova can be a very temperamental dessert and with my past experience I was hesitant when Miss B asked me to make it on her visit, especially as I have my mother-in-law’s Pavlova to live up to. I have attempted the Pav a couple of times past, once in our last house where you could not see the temperature on the oven dial and had to rely on the dodgy oven thermometer (so I should have known then and there it wouldn’t work) as well as once in the new house. They both ended up being over cooked, the first one was inedible and the second was able to be saved so we had more of an Eton Mess for dessert that night.
After we got home from the Australia Day festivities, I set about making the mixture and crossed my fingers and toes that it would work out!
Strawberry Cloud Cake
While playing “flick the channels” with the TV remote one evening, which the hubby absolutely loves hates, I stumbled upon a New Zealand cooking show called The Free Range Cook with Annabel Langbein as the host. At that particular moment, she was making a Strawberry Cloud Cake which looked stunning and so simple. We waited for the cook book to come out before we made it, which we picked up on a trip to Melbourne and the weekend after we got home was the first of many times that this dessert has been made.
Southern Bombe
Another one of the cookbooks I purchased recently was SprinkleBakes by Heather Baird. I came across Heather’s blog when I was looking for red recipes to use up the extra food colouring purchased for My Best Friend’s Wedding Cake and I made the Red Spiral Biscuits, also featured in the book.
As I was flicking through the book when it arrived, one particular recipe stood out and I knew I had the perfect occasion to make it. The recipe was for a Southern Bombe and the occasion was yet another September birthday celebration for two of my beautiful friends.