Banana cake

I've posted this recipe before but today added walnuts on top. Its a no fail recipe and very moist. It's a lovely day and the sun is shining through the kitchen window. Getting odd jobs done around the house and banana cake is perfect for that afternoon tea break.

Our trip to Bangkok

We spent 8 days in Thailand so nice to do a girls trip with such a great bunch of ladies. We spent the first day at one of my favourite shopping malls then went to Siam Square and after that did a quick dash to the wedding dress shops to see if Tracy could find a dress, no luck. The weekend was saved for the markets where we spent all day shopping for vintage treasures. It poured down with rain and that was a good time to get beers, paella and have a break and people watch. On Monday we went out of the city on a private tour to Kanchanuburi, where we spent 2 days enjoying the sun and sites. Then back to the city where we did the last of our gift buying and had some great thai food at a local restaurant that we go to often. This trip we managed to find some great coffee shops, one in the photos below is located at the art gallery and has drip coffee, very nice indeed. 

Thailand essentials 

Abloom apartments

Melissa bought a cat bag 

Siam Square 

Vintage at the Weekend markets

Looking for braces for the boys to wear at Tracy wedding

Beers and paella while it rained

Shopping trolley gives you street cred

Drip Coffee in Bangkok 

Iced Coffee

Rim nam cafe 

waterfall 

Streets of Bangkok

Lovely Thai food

Raw Truffles

This recipe is so easy and very tasty. I always wondered what Cacao was and found it hard to find in regular supermarkets. A recent trip to Melbourne and a stroll down my Carlisle St (my old hood) I found a cute little organic store that stocked Cacao powder. Have a look around in google for more fabulous recipes and try this one of course. It was a hit with my friends and worst critic my sister :)


2 cups walnuts
2 cups dates
Orange juice
1/2 cup Cranberries
Cacao powder for dusting

In a food processor blend walnuts then dates, then put them in together with a bit of orange juice to help stick together. Transfer to a bowl, add cranberries. Roll into balls then dust with cacao powder.

Raw Brownies

1 cup walnuts
1 cup medjool dates
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup honey


Chop half walnut rough, set aside. In food processor blend up walnuts then dates. Add cocoa, shredded coconut and honey and mix together. Put baking paper in small square dish then press down mixture and put in fridge to set. Let set for 2 hours then serve.

Raw Pecan Tartlets

Recently I have been thinking more about RAW foods and how I can incorporate this into our daily diet. So far it hasn't been going too well in terms of dinners, lunches are easier a beautiful big salad topped with nuts is a favourite. I found this recipe online and it had 3 ingredients so how hard could it be? It was quite easy, recipe below. Enjoy

Walnut Tart Shell
1 3/4cup walnuts
3 dates
pinch of salt

Pecan Filling
1 1/2cup medjool dates, soaked for 30 minutes
1/2 cup pecans


In a food processor add the ingredients for the walnut shell, blend until broken down into small bits.
line cupcake tray with square bits of baking paper otherwise putting them straight into greased tin will make them hard to get out of pan.
Press walnut mixture into tray then freeze while making pecan filling.
To make filling put dates in food processor with a bit of water then blend till mushy. Spoon date mixture into walnut shell and then top with pecans and put fridge to set.

Rhubarb and Chocolate Tart

8 stalks rhubarb, sliced thick
1tbs brown sugar
1 tbs boiling water
150g butter
1/2cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/4cup hazelnut spread
1cup almond meal
2tbs plain flour
icing sugar to dust.


Preheat oven to 180c, roll out pastry dough over tart tin, bake with heat beads for 15mins, then without heat beads for ten.
Combine chopped rhubarb with brown sugar and water, set aside and stir couple of times.
In mixer beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after added.
Stir in the hazelnut spread, then stir in the almond meal and flour until well combined.
Drain rhubarb mixture then scatter half over pastry. Top with chocolate mixture spread with spatula then arrange left over rhubarb over top.
Bake for approx 30 minutes or until set.
Serve warm or room temperature with cream, ice cream or a sprinkle of icing sugar.
Enjoy.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

I love that Beetroots are in season now and I love to research what to make with them, that is were I stumbled across the idea to put beets in a cake. Beetroot and chocolate together is such a unusual flavour but somehow it works. Some baking to lift my mood was very much on the cards today as I remember with a heavy heart that our little girl Lillian who would have been 5 months today.


85g Dark Chocolate- melted
3 medium eggs
300g Brown Sugar
240g Butter
300g Beetroot
1 tbs vanilla essence
30g Cocoa Powder
200g Almond Meal or plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Oven at 180c Grease cake tin.
Cook Beetroot in boiling water for about 40 minutes, drain and rinse with cool water, when cool to touch rub off skin. mash or put in blender. set aside.
In a large bowl whisk eggs, butter and sugar together, slowly add beetroot and melted chocolate, vanilla into egg mixture.
Sift Cocoa and add almond meal, baking powder and salt into beetroot mixture, fold in but don't over mix batter.
Spoon mixture into greased cake tin and bake for 50 minutes may need longer depending on your oven.  Check by putting a fork in cake if it comes out clean its ready. Wait till cooled to put icing on cake.
Enjoy.