Yum Yum Yum

My husband is not a huge sweets fan and despite the offer of any cake he can dream up for his birthday,  he is often not super enthused about creating a masterpiece. This year he asked if I could do a simple dessert that I used to make all the time but haven't made for a couple of years - chocolate pavlova. This is the simplest recipe - I found it on a website somewhere and it is one of those awesome finds. The Choc pav with fresh berries on top achieves a beautiful balance of flavours and is always a big hit! This time was no exception.............

And here's the recipe, so you can enjoy the awesomeness at home!

Berry Choc Nests

Ingredients (Serves 6)

3 eggwhites, at room temperature

1 cup caster sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

50g dark chocolate - grated

250g punnet strawberries, hulled, quartered

150g punnet blueberries

1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra

1 cup thickened cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grated dark chocolate, extra, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 130c. Line a baking tray with baking paper and draw a 12cm circle on the baking paper with a pencil. 

Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until meringue is thick and glossy. Sift cocoa powder over meringue. Add grated chocolate. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in until combined.

Using circle as a guide, spoon meringue onto baking tray. Make a small indentation in the centre of the meringue. Bake on lowest shelf in oven for 1 hour. Turn oven off. Leave meringue to cool in oven with door ajar for 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place berries into a bowl. Sprinkle with extra sugar. Stir to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes. beat cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Place meringue onto serving plate and top with cream and berries. Sprinkle with extra chocolate and serve.

Enjoy!!!

Red & White Part 2

The second red and white cupcake tower I made was for a friend I work with. The topper was chosen by the groom who had waited many years for my friend to agree to marriage :).

The cupcakes were topped with individual red roses and chocolate sea shells (yum!) to tie in with the beach theme of the wedding. There were nearly 200 cupcakes in the tower (all carried up a very steep flight of stairs to the reception venue), the seven tiers cut a striking outline when guests first entered the reception room.

I think the colour combinations and decorations go together beautifully. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome for my first 'big' order.

On this day.....

He pulled me along the pier, pausing every so often as if considering a position and deciding against it. It was cold, winter was just beginning to properly set in and the wind off the water cut through the jacket I was wearing. I asked, with slight annoyance in my voice, why we couldn't just go straight to the restaurant. The warm restaurant, out of the cold, but he insisted we take a walk along the pier first. Finally we sat on a bench overlooking the water, he took my hand and bent down on one knee in front of me. Opening a tiny box to reveal a stunning ring, he asked me to marry him.

On this day, three years ago, my husband asked me to marry him. On this day two years ago, we got married. I insisted on making our wedding cake and I'm not sorry I did. I wish I had aimed for something simpler, but I know, given the same situation a hundred times over, I would still try for something complex and intricate, the cake to end all cakes...... because I only intend to get married once. One day, I will make the cake I planned to make for our wedding, the one I envisioned for months before. But this is the cake I did make to celebrate our marriage and in the end, that alone makes it perfect.