Cocoa Sour Cream Cake | Matilda

The cook disappeared. Almost at once she was back again staggering under the weight of an enormous round chocolate cake on a china platter. The cake was fully eighteen inches in diameter and it was covered with dark-brown chocolate icing.
Matilda
Roald Dahl

I think for any young girl that was a big reader, there is no character more-so than Matilda that was easy to identify with. I would re-read Matilda over and over - along with adoring the movie version (which was honestly so perfect). A few years back even, I had the chance to go see the stage production of Matilda also, which was slightly disappointing - you don't think you'll see yourself cheering for the sort of awful parents quite so much.

This cake isn't quite the monstrosity that Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to eat within the story - I do not own cake tins of that size, and my salary won't quite support the cost of making a cake that big - but three layers of chocolate cake with the tang of sour cream to bring it all together, is a good enough representation for me. Also - just cover it all with chocolate flakes if you're really craving that insane chocolate hit.

Note: I used Tofutti sour cream for this! Worked super well.

Cocoa Sour Cream Cake
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup sour cream *see note
2 1/3 cups plain flour
2 cups golden caster sugar
180 ml non-dairy milk (it’s fine to substitute dairy milk if needed)
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp oil
2/3 cup good quality cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bi-carb soda
400g butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
Frosting
100g vegetable shortening, softened
90g dark chocolate
90g butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1tsp vanilla
4 cups icing sugar
Dark chocolate flakes for decoration, optional

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 180C and prepare three 8” round cake pans by greasing and line with baking paper.

2. Combine the milk and apple cider vinegar together to form buttermilk and leave to the side until curdled.

3. Add in the oil and vanilla to the buttermilk mix and leave to the side.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer (can be done by hand, just a bit harder), combine all the dry ingredients and the butter, mixing until it is crumbly and resembles damp sand.

5. Gradually add in the milk mixture and combine thoroughly.

6. Pour the cake mix evenly into the three prepared pans and bake for 25- 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7. Leave cakes in the pans to cool for about five minutes before removing them from the pans and leaving them on a cake rack to cool completely. They will need to be completely cooled before you can frost them.

Frosting

1. Heat a saucepan of water until boiling; place a metal or glass bowl on top with the chocolate in it until melted and smooth.

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the shortening and butter and mix until light and fluffy.

3. Add in the sour cream and vanilla and melted chocolate and combine.

4. Add in the icing sugar one cup at a time, mixing until the chocolate butter cream is smooth and creamy.

5. Sandwich the layers of cake together with the frosting and then cover the outside as best you can. I tend to use a flat spatula and pop the cake plate on top of an empty bowl so it’s easier to turn and get a good covering.

6. Enjoy large slices with a scoop of ice-cream or Bruce style – eat the entire thing in one go with your hands.

Plum Cake | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted jumper from Mrs Weasley, and a large plum cake.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K Rowling

Harry Potter will always be a classic - along with Enid Blyton it was one of those stories that made me somewhat wish I had gone to boarding school as a child (though honestly, looking back it would have had to be a boarding school in the UK with a clear focus on magical studies). The characters in the books are constantly receiving parcels and surprises from those at home and it all seemed like such a thrill. Mrs Weasley’s presents always seemed the best as well - a hand knitted jumper? Yes please. Homemade cakes and fudge and all the warmth that could possibly be given.

The days are beginning to become a little warmer in Melbourne as the winter comes to an end, and it was in anticipation of an upcoming warm weekend that I, rather determinedly, stated I would be making a plum cake to eat in the park. What I did not factor in was an event at work that Friday night that resulted in finding myself at a nearby bar ordering an array of gin martinis late into the night. Nevertheless I persisted, I came home and somehow, in a rather tipsy state, made a plum cake that Friday night.

It was a crumbly, buttery, delicious mess of a cake. And we inhaled it the next day, wrapped up (who was I kidding - it’s still winter, it’s freezing) in jackets, perched in a nearby garden, tearing off chunks of the cake with our hands because neither of us thought that forks or spoons could possibly come in handy.

Plum Cake
Ingredients
5-6 plums, cut in half with the stone removed
130g butter
150ml milk
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
150g plain flour
100g almond meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare a 9” cake tin by greasing the sides and placing a circle of baking paper at the bottom.

2. Mix together the milk and the apple cider vinegar and leave top it for a few minutes until it begins to curdle.

3. Using either a mixer or by hand, cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and well mixed.

4. In a seperate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients and combine.

5. Add the milk and apple cider vinegar mix to the cream butter and sugar and combine briefly.

6. Slowly add the wet mix to the dry, mixing until well combined.

7. Pour the mix into your prepared cake tin and press the plus halves down on top into the batter. I like using quite a few plums in mine - so it’s really up to preference.

8. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!

Mulled Wine | Brambly Hedge

Mr Apple and Dusty Dogwood headed the procession, lanterns held high.
‘Roast the chestnuts, heat the wine,
‘Pass the cups along the line,
‘Gather round, the log burns bright,
‘It’s warm as toast inside tonight,’
‘Sang the mice as the log came into view.’
The Secret Staircase (Brambly Hedge)
Jill Barklem

My childhood was spent mainly in middle of the bush in country Victoria. The house I grew up in was surrounded by towering gum trees, with paths throughout them clotted with ferns, wattle trees and numerous rabbit, potoroo and bush mice holes that were waiting to trip someone up.

A childhood pastime was to construct tiny houses outside, beneath the overhanging moss on a garden path or within the hollow of a tree that I’d stumbled over. I still enjoy seeing such houses tucked away throughout Melbourne, where I now live. Neighbours whose children have created little faerie or gnome doors built into the sides of trees or bottle tops hanging from branches (so faeries can swing on them - as a young girl solemnly told me when she saw me admiring them).

Brambly Hedge was a children’s book that let my childhood imagine run wild with theories of how all the animals I saw were living when I wasn’t looking. And how apparently they were all incredible cooks. Rose jam? Oat cakes with rowanberry jam? Syllabub and three tiered wedding cakes? Yes please.

I was gifted a copy of The Complete Brambly Hedge for Christmas this year and with my recent page flick through it - my eyes landed very solidly on song above. More specifically - heat the wine. It’s winter in Melbourne, and it seems to just be rapidly getting colder with icy and biting mornings and nights abound. One speciality that Melbourne seems to do particularly well is mulled wine. Every bar appears cosy and inviting with the scent of cinnamon, oranges and various spices drifting out of the doorway. Promising warmth, comfort and a drink that, honestly, feels like a hug.

On the days when my wallet is low and it’s far too hard to put clothes on that aren’t pyjamas I’ve taken to perfecting my own mulled wine recipe. A lot of the stuff in it is quite interchangeable and it’s super fun to play around with the recipe and get a flavour that you really enjoy.

*Note: A fruity wine is best - but honestly, anything is going to taste pretty great when you cook ti with fruit and spices for ages. 

Mulled Wine
Serves approx. 12 cups
Ingredients
2 x bottle of red wine *see note
2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks
10 star anise
2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1 apple, chopped into largish chunks
1 orange
1/2 cup brandy *optional

1. Using a sharp knife, very carefully cut away the zest of the orange until you have around 4-5 strips. The remainder of the orange can be sliced up thinly to be used in the wine later.

2. Place all the spices, the strips of orange zest and the apple juice into a large saucepan and heat on medium until lightly simmering.

3. Add in the chunks of apple, orange slices and both bottles of wine.

4. Leave it to remain on a medium heat - you don’t want it to burn. When the wine begins to simmer and the scent of the spices being to drift from the saucepan you’ll know its ready.

5. If you decide to pop some brandy in - do it around this point, and leave it to heat in the wine for another few minutes.

6. You can either strain all the wine into a new saucepan if you’re planning to have it all at once - or simply strain it off glass by glass (it doesn’t do it any harm with the spices remaining in it). Enjoy hot!

Strawberry and Peanut Butter Ice-Cream | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry, Ron and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold, silver and bronze jangling cheerfully in Harry's pocket was clamouring to be spent, so he bought three large strawberry and peanut-butter ice-creams which they slurped happily as they wandered up the alley, examining the fascinating shop windows.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K Rowling

It was only a matter of time before I started on the absolute smorgasbord of food throughout the Harry Potter series. I’m sure that many other children, like myself, dreamed of getting to visit Florean Fortescue’s ice-cream parlour when first exploring the world of Harry Potter within the books. Everything within the pages always (and still does) seemed so magical - even the ice creams.

Even growing up in a coastal town of Australia, where ice-cream is practically mandatory in the summer months, I had never come across this particular flavour before. It seems so bizarre that, of course, it would only be available in a magical world. Looking at it more rationally now - peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches were very much a staple growing up, I just didn’t really seem to put the two together.

This recipe ended up being both delightfully fruity and refreshing (little benefit of having coconut milk instead of dairy) with hidden pockets of peanut butter throughout. It may be the beginning of winter in Melbourne, but it’s never going to be too cold for ice-cream.

*Note: I used coconut milk for this recipe, however you can sub with dairy cream/milk if you want

Strawberry and Peanut Butter Ice-cream
Makes approx. 550g
Ingredients
2 x 400ml can coconut milk (full fat) *see note
350g frozen or fresh strawberries
5 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
Big pinch salt

1. Place the container of the ice-cream maker into the freezer to pre-chill.

2. Put all ingredients into a saucepan, excluding the peanut butter, and heat gradually until it is simmering.

3. Stir thoroughly to ensure all sugar and cornstarch is dissolved and mixed in.

4. Remove from the heat and, using a fork or masher, squish all the strawberries roughly in the saucepan. It’s fine if there are chunks remaining - it’s more delicious in the ice-cream anyway.

5. Pour into the container of the pre-chilled ice-cream maker and follow the directions according to your particular machine.

6. Once it’s nice and thick (mine took around 30 minutes), remove from machine and begin transferring to a sealable container. While you’re doing this, you want to spread spoonfuls of the peanut butter throughout the ice-cream, ensuring an even distribution.

7. Freeze for around one hour before serving.

Chocolate Frogs

'What are these?' Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. 'They're not really frogs, are they?' He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.
'No,' said Ron, 'But see what the card is, I'm missing Agrippa.
'What?'
’Oh, of course you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect - Famous Witches and Wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy.'
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
J.K Rowling

So, it's about that time of the year that I reread all the Harry Potter books. now I've started this little project as well, I'm paying a lot more attention to the absolutely delicious foods that appear within its pages. There's probably going to be a bit of an abundance of the foods that appear within the series pages appearing soon.

It's been a rushed few months, with the summer being sweltering hot every move seems slightly exhausting - not to mention working in both a busy bakery and an overheating restaurant. I'm in my last week of hospitality work currently before I switch to a corporate setting - something that I've never done before in my life. It's going to be an interesting change and I feel that my need to explore creativity through this blog will increase at a hurried pace.

*Note: you will need chocolate frog moulds for this recipe

Chocolate Frogs
Makes approximately 9 frogs
Ingredients
200g + 350g good quality dark chocolate, if not using chips make sure it's chopped roughly
1/2 cup cream (I used coconut but any will work)
1 tbsp butter

1. Heat the 1/2 cup of cream on the stove until it's lightly bubbling and very hot. Remove from the heat and add in the 200g dark chocolate.

2. Mix quickly as to melt the chocolate while the coconut milk is still hot. Once he chocolate has melted in with cream add in the tbsp of butter. Mix together until melted into the chocolate mix. Place in fridge for 2-3 hours or until solidified into a fudge-y ganache.

3. While the ganache is setting is a great time to start the coating of the frogs. Heat a pot of water on the stove until boiling and place a metal or glass bowl on top, ensuring that the water doesn't touch the bowl.

4. Place about 2/3rd of the 350g of chocolate into the bowl and make sure to continually stir it with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stop the chocolate from burning.

5. In order to temper the chocolate and get a lovely shiny coat to it it's best to make sure the chocolate doesn't heat over 48C - if you don't have cooking thermometer the best way to tell the chocolate is ready is by the shininess it will appear to have as melting.

6. Remove from the heat once the temperature is reached and add in the remaining third of dark chocolate quickly, stirring to melt it from the heat of the already melted chocolate.

7. Drip the melted chocolate into your frog chocolate moulds, making sure to evenly coat the sides so there are no weak parts. It can be a little tricky to do this part without making the top super thick in chocolate - just do your best. There will be melted chocolate left over - keep this to the side in the bowl to remelt on the pot of boiling water for when you need to close over the frogs.

8. Leave to harden - about 2-3 hours. You can speed this along by placing it in the fridge but the chocolate will look better if left to harden not refrigerated.

9. When both the moulds and ganache filling are ready, press small spoonfuls of the ganache into the chocolate coating of the frogs, pressing down to fill up the crevices.

10. Now is when you want to remelt that leftover chocolate, once ready drip it over the top of the filled chocolate moulds, sealing the ganache inside. Leave to harden for at least 4 hours.

11. After about 4 hours have passed you can attempt to get the frogs out of the moulds - they should come out very easily, if not, they're not properly set - leave them for another hour or so.

Butter Poached Radishes | The Tale of Peter Rabbit

First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes; and then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter

I can’t seem to stop falling down this nostalgia rabbit hole. Every single Beatrix Potter tale I read is bringing back a fresh wave of memories from my childhood days. So much that I’ve booked in to get a little tattoo done of Benjamin Bunny himself, my favourite character from any of the woodland animal tales.

I’m quite nicely situated in Melbourne, in a beautiful suburb within walking distance to the city. It has the fortune of hosting a local farmer’s market every Sunday that is worth a stroll through even if you don’t really need anything. I always find myself picking up the oddest vegetables and having to experiment with them later on. Which has resulted in realising that spaghetti squash is so delicious and I’m so bitter that barely anywhere in Melbourne seems to ever have it in stock.

Last Sunday I picked up some heirloom tomatoes, a rainbow mixture of zucchinis and some crisp radishes. Instantly my mind went back to The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and Peter’s foray of thievery through Mr. McGregor’s garden. I’ve already made some blackberry and apple muffins inspired by the children’s story - but the radishes drew out a more savoury option.

These butter poached radishes are a perfect accompaniment to a meal, as a side or even just a snack. They are so delicious with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Butter Poached Radishes
Serves 5 as a side dish
Ingredients
10 - 12 radishes, with the stems and greens cut off
1 cup melted butter
1 - 2 cups water
Sea salt
Black pepper

1. Arrange the radishes into a thick bottomed pan and pour in the melted butter and enough of the water so that the radishes are just covered.

2. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Bring the pan to a boil and then reduce to a low heat to continue simmering. Have a little taste of the poaching liquid at this time and add in more salt or pepper if necessary.

4. Allow to simmer for approximately 10 - 15 minutes or until radishes are soft and losing their bright red colour (though, mine did not really for some reason). During this time remember to turn the radishes in the pan so all sides poach evenly.

5. Serve the radishes with a little of the poaching liquid and a sprinkle of salt. Best served straight away!