A Smurftastic birthday

This cake was made for a litle boy who turned one.

 

I was really proud of this cake. I worked on it right through the night as it was a last minute order and also I wanted to make sure that every detail was perfect. This cake was the last order before i left for kuwait.

This is the 'floor' detail. I managed to find some plastic smurfs and one of them resembled a farmer, so I thought it would be a smurftastic idea to create a little veggie patch. It worked well with the rest of the cake and the customer loved it.

Every detail here was made by hand and than handpainted as well (other than the smurfs). I loved how the stones that made the pathway and bordered the door added extra realness to the cake.

All in all I loved how this one turned out!

 

Till my next post

xoxo

Zaakiyyah

Mickey in his car

 

This cake was made for a two year old mickey mouse fanatic...

Im back....

Its been a while since my last post and iv missed updating since my move.
Im all settled now and hope to have alot more posts soon!

xoxo
Zaakiyyah

M&M Cookies makes for double delicious delights!

Everyone loves choc chip cookies, they bring  childhood memories along with each bite taken! I love trying out new recipes or different 'food' experiments but this one was done just for my son Yusuf and hes love for M&M's. I thought these were the perfect accompaniment for hes afternoon tea dunking - palyful yet delicious little indulgences...

With that said i hope you enjoy them as much as he did :)

m&m cookies:

Ingredients:

* 200g butter, softened

* 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

* 1/2 cup castor sugar

* 2 eggs

* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

* 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

* 180g chocolate m&ms

* 180g peanut m&ms

* a pinch of salt

Method:

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

 Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat until well incorporated.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.

Add the m&ms into the mixture and combine into the dough using a spatula.

Cover the bowl with cling wrap or foil and let it chill in the fridge for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and when ready remove the dough from the fridge and scoop out medium sized balls of dough.

Place balls well apart as they will spread when baking.

Press each ball down lightly with a fork and bake for about 15-17 minutes.

Let cool completely before eating.

*Notes

m&m's can be substituted for choc chips, smarties, oreos etc

Heavenly Chocolate Cheesecakes

Its that time of the year again when we have long sundrenched days, dreamy sunsets and quality get-togethers, we also long for our tastebuds to be serenaded with frequent appearances of what I call "luxurious indulgences" that really warm our souls leaving us feeling nostalgic.

With that said Ive decided to whip up the perfect cheesecake, something to enthuse and delight the senses, yet leaving you feeling light and airy.

I've certainly found my newest little slice of heaven on earth...lots of love...Zaakiyyah

HEAVENLY CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKES

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust:

16 oreo cookies - white centres removed and biscuits crushed to form fine crumbs

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For the filling:

1 cup cream cheese - softened

2/3 cup nutella spread

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup whipped whipping cream

METHOD:

In a medium bowl, stir together the oreo cookie crumbs and melted unsalted butter.

evenly divide the mixture between a 12 hole mini cheesecake pan.

Press down firmly and set in the freezer for approximately half an hour to 45 minutes.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the Nutella spread until smooth.

Add  the vanilla essence and mix further to combine.

Thereafter, fold the the whipped cream into the mixture until well blended and NO streaks remain.

Spoon mixture over the well chilled oreo bottoms and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

To serve, top with a generous amount of fresh cream, a sprinkling of chopped toasted hazelnuts and a drizzle of chocolate syrup!

*note, this recipe makes exactly 12 mini cheesecakes



HOMEMADE MADELEINES

These are miniscule shell-shaped french tea time cakes that have a special texture thats made from a genoise sponge. The shape comes from the shell-shaped mould in which the batter is cooked.

Whether they are left plain, dusted with icing sugar, or flavoured with coffee, chocolate or dried fruit these French sponge cakes have a subtle charm of their own!

I hope that you enjoy these as much as we have and its sure to add a whole lot of French delicacy to your tea table! so give these a try and enjoy! lots of love!



MADELEINES

MAKES: approx 36

PREPARATION TIME: 30minutes

COOKING TIME: 10 - 12 minutes for each batch

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 190 degrees celcius

INGREDIENTS;

for the basic madeleine mixture

125g unsalted butter

125g flour

1 level teaspoon cornflour (maziena)

4 eggs

125g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD:

Grease a madeleine pan with some butter and set aside.

Beat eggs, caster sugar,and vanilla extract in a bowl until thick and creamy (this may take a while)

Meanwhile, sift the flours twice, thereafter sift it again over the egg mixture; melt the butter and pour it down the side of the bowl then fold the ingredients together.

Drop rounded tablespoon fulls of mixture into the pan holes.

Bake the madeleines for about 10 minutes or until done.

Tap the hot pan gently to release madeleines then turn immediately onto baking paper covered wire racks to cool. serve dusted with extra icing sugar.

ENJOY!

Tow - Mater

Mater and friends

 Mater

Mater front view



Mater side view





Mater back view

Made this mater cake for a little CARS fan. Very excited about how this one turned out!