He got the Train Cake

As we get ready to head to Jersey again, I thought it would be fun to share a few photos from our last visit, celebrating my nephew Morgans' 3rd Birthday. 

If you aren't Australian then you may have absolutely no idea what this post is about, but I'm going to guess that every Aussie knows exactly what fabulous baking went down to make this title possible!!!

The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book has to be the most famous cookbook in the land! 

Published in 1980 it was THE go-to book for birthday parties. Flicking through the book I can tell you which of my friends had each and every one of the cakes in the book! My favourite ones for my parties were the teddy bear, the lady beetle and the bunny rabbit. 

Banana, Date & Cinnamon Muffins (GF)

Quite possibly the best gluten free banana muffins you're ever going to eat!

And perhaps some of the healthiest ones too!!

These gluten free banana, date and cinnamon muffins tick all the boxes...

  Delicious
  Gluten Free
  Simple to make
  Filled with real ingredients
  Low in sugar/salt/processed foods
  Kid friendly (and approved by Madeleine!!)

Carrot Cake Shots (Gluten Free)

There is something entirely charming about dessert in a shot glass isn't there.

I started doing it a few years ago, and can't seem to stop!

For Madeleine's Birthday Party a few weekends ago, there was a theme of Bunnies, and so I had lots of different "bunny-inspired" treats for the afternoon.

And well, what's more "bunny" than carrot cake?!

And what is the very best part of a carrot cake?

The cream cheese icing of course.

So, why not up the ratio of icing to cake with these adorable and delicious Carrot Cake Shots!

Bloggers Bake for Bumps

Anyone who knows even the slightest thing about me knows that I love to bake. 

And I LOVE babies. 

To combine these things, makes for a happy Meg.

When I was pregnant with Madeleine we rode the usual emotional roller-coaster rides at every doctors appointment.

I had a high risk pregnancy and have a whole swag of medical problems, which I was terrified I was going to pass on to my baby. 

ANZAC Biscuits with Caramel Ganache

Today is ANZAC Day. A day to commemorate the anniversary of the day our Australian & New Zealand troops landed in Gallipoli.

It is a solemn and significant day back home, and again, it makes me miss being home.

Coming from a military family, and ever since I can remember, I've always been at Dawn Services on ANZAC Day. 

And until I moved to the UK and had a baby, I never missed a service. 

Gluten Free Brown Sugar Cookies for every bunny

Wishing you such a wonderful Easter Sunday. 

The Easter Bunny has had a bit of a struggle finding us this year, so we are having a very low key Easter (but so far I've managed two serves of ice cream before 2pm, so don't feel too sorry for me!).

Maple Bacon Fudge

It's fudge time.

It's Easter time.

They go one go hand in hand!

Every year it has been our tradition at Easter time that Husband and I would bake fudge (to make me less mopey about being allergic to chocolate).

We really only ever make it just this one time of the year, so whenever I send him a photo of fudge on the stove, he knows Easter is near!

But I wanted to introduce you to something kind of amazing this year....

Weekender Biscuits (GF)

This is one of those recipes from The Australian Women's Weekly "Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits" cookbooks that I think every kid growing up in Australia would know, but the rest of the world raises an eyebrow to! There's a lot of things in that category I have discovered, but don't worry there's not a trace of vegemite to be found. If you'd rather, think of them as "Cornflake Cookies"

I think these are called Weekender Biscuits because they don't last more than the weekend. 

I haven't had these cookies in such a long time, but when I was in Jersey and bought an entire box of Gluten Free Cornflakes (to last just 5 days) I had plenty to spare and so I thought I may as well try and see how they go being gluten free. And well, they were delicious to be frank! 

Rolled in cornflakes (which can be GF) and filled with sultanas (to add some moisture) you would never know they aren't the real deal. We ate an entire batch when we were wandering around the Jersey Zoo, so I had to make another batch to photograph. Shame. 

All the kids gobbled them up too, and each batch lasted just the one day, so maybe they can be called the Saturdayer Biscuits in our house! 

I thought I'd share it with you this fine Friday morning in case you are looking for a new cookie to try this weekend, or want a nostalgic trip down memory lane! Either way, nom nom nom. 

So whatever you call them, however long they last, they are definitely worth making this weekend!

I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend! We are hoping to cheer Oxford on in the Boat Race (unless its raining, we are fair-weather supports) and are hoping to get to the V&A. What have you got on?

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Pink Glitter Pink Salted Caramel Macarons = Megarons

I am 50% woman and 50% magpie... I am attracted to anything sparkly!! And when sparkly things combine with edible things, magic happens!

Macarons. They are indulgent for anyone. And then for a foodie who cannot eat gluten, citrus, chocolate, matured cheeses, red wine, yoghurt... well yes, they are heaven. 

I hadn't made macarons in a while, but got the urge two weeks back, so did some reading to refresh my memory on how to make them. 

A few fun things that I have learned about macarons...

• I know I was initially muddled with the difference between a macaron and a macaroon, but they are actually totally different treats. The Macaron is the delicate and crisp cookie sandwich filled with flavoured ganache; whilst the Macaroon is the unkept coconut cookie that is chewy and often dipped in chocolate.

• Although the French take ownership for the macaron now, it actually is thought to have been developed by the Italians first. 

• Apparently old egg whites yield better macarons. Again, I am not patient enough, but if you plan in advance, separate your eggs two days before you want to make the macarons. And ensure they are at room temperature before you beat them. 

• The little crusty bit at the bottom of each cookie is called the feet, and there are techniques for parallel feet or feet that stick out a little. How funny.

• Maturation is the process of leaving macarons to settle for a few days. It is thought that three days after baking is the best time to eat a macaron because this helps dry out the macaron

I really like the Macaron Mafia for tips and drool over how perfect her photos are!!

I had forgotten all about the Laduree cookbook that I own, but not to worry, I found a great blog (who unfortunately hasn't posted since 2012), Not So Humble Pie, who seems to have almost dedicated her life to the art of macarons. Well, maybe not her entire life, but definitely all of her spare time!! 

I wanted to make the French style macaron, not the Italian style and so was happy to find a recipe that made sense to me! The Italian method involves boiling sugar and water to a very specific temperature, and as I don't own a sugar thermometer (and didn't have the patience to wait another weekend) I just went ahead with the classic French method. Apparently the Italian method is less risky than the French, so maybe I'll try that way next, but I really like the recipe I found and enjoyed that she had done the hard yards and technique testing for you, and created the most fool-proof method possible. I won't rehash the entire recipe, Not so Humble Pie explains everything in such great detail herself, so just click on through to be empowered! 

So I made my macarons plain almond, with some pink colouring, and before I left the shells to form prior to baking, I sprinkled a little glitter on them all! The filling was salted caramel filling. But not with just any salt, no of course not, I used Himalayan Pink Salt. Of course. 

Sure, they weren't as perfect as Laduree, and aren't as uniformly identical as other photos I've seen, but the taste was phenomenal, and texture just right. It definitely is an art form, making macarons, but the kind of art that makes me want to practice practice practice. 

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Gluten Free Pear & Almond Cake (my version of Valentines Day!)

Happy Valentines Day to everyone out there who celebrates it! With my Birthday in February and our anniversary in March, we have more than enough Lovin' happening at this time of the year so are happy to sit this day out and leave Feb 14th to you!! 

Even though I don't officially celebrate the Feast of Saint Valentine on this one particular day each year, doesn't mean I that I don't express my love for my loves in my way, with food (and I don't miss out on all things heart-shaped either (glittery gold heart elbow pads and heart plasters)). 

I have always expressed love through food. It is how I care, comfort, celebrate and love.

It is kind of like a book of Maddie's (Hug Time, I've mentioned it before), in which the little cat tries to go around the whole world hugging everyone, and finishes with this...

"The world is so big...And yet so small, It's time that we embrace it all. That's something that we all can do. Start with the one who's closest to you"

And so I bake. And cook. And embrace the one's who are closest to me, by cooking and baking with all of my heart.

I wanted to share this recipe today because it is how I am loving on you for reading meg-made, commenting, emailing and supporting me. I express my appreciation and love with food, so this particular Valentines Day I share with you a new favourite and delicious sweet treat!

I have started really experimenting with my Gluten Free cakes lately, mostly using almond meal/flour as the base flour. The tried and tested Orange & Almond was always a winner, so next I tried a Carrot & Almond cake, and that too was a winner. So when I found a recipe for a GF Pear & Almond cake I knew I had to give that a try too. And it too, did not disappoint. 

The first clear sign that I was onto something good was the titled of the blog where I found it, Momma's Gotta Bake! I love it! The number of times I've said this to my husband in the past two years when I've been stressed out of my whits and needed to relax, "can you watch Maddie for a bit honey, Mama's gotta bake!!". It was where I went to when I needed my happy, quiet and therapeutic space. 

This recipe is directly from Mamma's Gotta Bake  the only change I made was that I only made half the recipe (big mistake that turned out to be!!). 

Ingredients

4 pears, any kind, 3 for batter 1 for topping

1 3/4 cups sugar plus additional 3 teaspoons

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 1/4 cups ground almond meal

8 large eggs, room temp

1 teaspoon, plus additional 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon neutral tasting oil (like canola or grape seed)

1/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and place the rack in the center position. Spray a 10″ spring form pan with cooking spray. PAM original cooking spray is gluten free, however PAM Spray for Baking is not.  Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit on the bottom of the spring form pan.
2. For my cake, I used  Bartlett, Anjou and Bosc pears, but any firm ripe pear will work.  Peel and core the three pears and then roughly chop them. Place the chopped pears into a small saucepan and add the lemon juice and 3 teaspoons of sugar. Cook the pears over medium heat in the covered pan for 10 minutes. Let cool. When cooled, mash the pears with a fork into a coarse puree.
3. Place the almond meal and 1 3/4 cups sugar in the bowl of a large food processor, and give it 5-6 long pulses. (This makes a large quantity of batter, so you’ll need a large food processor, not the mini kind). Add the eggs one at a time, along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and the pear puree. Pulse until all ingredients are incorporated. Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor, you can use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour the batter into the spring form pan.
4. Next, peel and core the fourth pear and slice it into 1/4″ slices. In a medium skillet, heat the oil and the honey stirring until the mixture begins to bubble. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. Add the pear slices and toss gently to coat.
5. Sprinkle the almonds over the top of the cake, and add the pear slices in a pinwheel shape. Spoon the remaining sauce in the pan over the top of the cake. Bake for 55-65 minutes until the cake begins to brown and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. As my cake was starting to brown too much, I placed some foil over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking. Keep in mind that all ovens are different so the baking time is an estimate. 

(Here's my little foil creation that I put around and on top of my cake to continue cooking the middle, without overcooking the outsides....)

  6. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then you can remove the sides. 

PMI

Plus = No GF floury taste, moist yet light, love the honey'd pear on top!

Minus = Only that I made 1/2 batch

Interesting = It's like an apple tea cake, but with pear!!

I wish you a happy Valentines Day today and hope you are embracing the one who's closest to you!

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese is always such a winner! The carrot cake on it's own is great, but cover it in thick cream cheese icing and it is elevated to a whole new level of deliciousness! 

meg-made: Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting/Icing

I've always loved carrot cakes but it wasn't until this past weekend that I decided to try making a gluten free one, because I've always been a bit iffy on the GF flours. Until finding this recipe from Delicious Everyday that solved that problem but not using any! 

I've made my Orange & Almond cake so many times and love the consistency and flavour of this, and so when I found this carrot cake recipe, I thought it sounded similar, so I gave it a go. 

Ingredients

350g of carrots, peeled and tops removed (approx 5)

½ cup of pecans (I used walnuts)

5 large eggs

1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

250g (8.8 ounces) of ground almonds (almond meal)

220g (1/2 pound or 7.75 ounces) of brown sugar

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

¼ tsp of ground nutmeg

1 tsp of ground ginger

Cream Cheese Icing

250g (1/2 pound) of cream cheese, at room temperature

50g (1¾ ounces) of butter, at room temperature

100g (3.5 ounces) of icing sugar, sifted

zest and juice of half a lemon, or to taste

Instructions:

1. Grease two 20 cm (8-Inch) nonstick springform cake tins and preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F.

2. Grate the carrots and chop the nuts and set aside. I squeezed out a little of the water just to make sure my cake wasn't too wet. 

3. In a food processor, combine the almond meal, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apices and process to combine. 

4. Finally add the carrot and pecans and pulse to combine with the cake batter.

5. Divide the batter between the prepared springform pans and bake for 15 to 25 minutes. Mine took more like 35-40 minutes to cook, so be sure to test yours and if it still needs more, return it to the oven in 5 minute segments.

6. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the tin before removing.

To make the frosting combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and zest and beat for another 5 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Spread the frosting between the cake layers and over the top of the cooled cake.

PMI

Plus = Delicious, moist, no floury taste, cream cheese icing is divine!

Minus = A lot of sugar!

Interesting = It's not a light and fluffy cake, but more like a mud cake



Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!