Category: Afternoon Tea

Eclair Affair

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High tea. Something I love but I don’t do it too often. Nothing beats sitting around a table of delicious sweets and savouries, sipping on champagne or tea, chatting with a group of your closest girlfriends! I was lucky enough to be invited by Q Strategies to the Lobby Lounge at The Westin for their Eclair Affair with Daisy & Agnes!

Domaine Chandon

There are two options available for this delicious high tea. $49 per person is served with Vittoria coffee, hot chocolate or a selection of Jing Tea. $59 per person includes 1 glass of Domaine Chandon and also with coffee, tea or hot chocolate!

Jing tea

As I couldn’t have the champagne, I decided to order a fruit tea to accompany the 3 tiered spread we were having! I love the different selection of teas there are. There’s black, green, white and fruity! (:

Eclair Affair

And what’s special about this high tea you ask? It’s served with a range of both savoury and sweet eclairs and also some scones! Choux pastry is something I love, especially when it’s thin and buttery. I actually prefer the savoury eclairs more than the sweet ones!

Eclair Affair

The savoury eclairs include :

Mushroom pate with pickled shemiji

Hame, comte cheese, confit tomato and grainy Dijon aioli

Smoked duck, gorgonzola, pear, caramelised walnut and rocket

Prawn, avocado and sweet chilli jam

Goat cheese with pesto

My favourite was the prawn and avocado with the slight kick of the sweet chilli jam. A really good balance of sweet, salty and creamy! YUMMO!

Sweet eclairs

The sweet eclairs include :

Strawberry & Lime

Passionfruit and White Chocolate

Pistachio and Fig

Chocolate & Caramel

I was really excited when I heard about the pistachio and fig, but sadly the one I had wasn’t filled! But I did enjoy the chocolate and caramel one the most! hehe It’s one of my favourite combinations, so definitely can’t go wrong! hehe

Scones

Last but definitely not the least, scones! It wouldn’t be high tea without scones, in my opinion! There’s a serve of vanilla scones and fruit scones! I actually love vanilla scones more with a dollop of cream and jam! Till now, I’m not sure what the right way of having scones. Cream first or jam first? hehe I mix them around and is different every time I have it! hehe

Eclair Affair

So if you’re looking for something different from the usual high tea, so head to the Westin to give this a go! With really comfy sofa seats and a beautiful ambience, it’s definitely somewhere you can consider going with your girlfriends or loved ones! But be quick cause this is only till the 30th of June!

Eclairs are definitely the new cupcakes and macarons! So get in quick! hehe

Disclaimer : I was invited to the Eclair Affair by the Westin and Q Strategies. All thoughts and opinions are based on my experience at the time of the visit. Thank you so much for this wonderful experience and opportunity!

 

Vogue Australia High Tea

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The Spring races are here! And the best way of celebrating this designer fashionista event is to dine in style! hehe The Langham Hotel has collaborated with Vogue Australia to come up with this beautiful designer Vogue High Tea! To me, high tea is a time to get together with your girlfriends to have tea, coffee, champagne and a spread of savouries and sweets! Of course, not forgetting the girly gossipy session to go with! haha Due to all the different work commitments, it’s really hard to arrange a meal, let alone to have High Tea. Fortunately for me, I had a date with the Sweet Queen (Miss D) herself at the Aria Bar & Lounge, The Langham Hotel, for the Vogue High Tea! I was so excited as it’s been a long long time since I had High Tea. Such a treat!

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the warmest and friendliest staff, who brought us to our comfortable sofa seats and served us a flute of Domain Chandon NV Brut! I felt so classy and bubbly for the afternoon! Such a silly billy I am. But it doesn’t take much to make me happy, as you can tell. hehe

Paris tea

Of course, you can’t have a High Tea without having tea, can you? There was an extensive list of tea, but Miss D highly recommended the Paris tea. hehe It’s a blend of black teas with the hints of vanilla, fruit and lemony bergamot. We were told that this was a hot favourite with many customers!

Paris tea

I knew why after my first sip. It was nice and fruity, and and a very subtle taste of vanilla. Not overly tart or sharp. Perfect for the afternoon of treats! How pretty is the colour of the tea?

Hot chocolate

Daisy ordered a hot chocolate to start off, then an earl grey tea after! The hot chocolate was a tad bit too milky, and would be better if it was more chocolatey!

3 tiered displayed

Then the three tiered stand arrived. My eyes inevitably lit up and a wide grin on my face appeared! hehe How pretty is the stand?? I couldn’t wait to dig in!

sandwiches

We started from the bottom of savouries and worked our way to the top. There were 5 types of finger sandwiches : smoked salmon pin wheel, free range chicken, cucumber and cress, egg & mayonnaise, cream cheese & chive! My favourite was the smoked salmon and the chicken! Mmmm (: Thankfully I had a light lunch before, or else I wouldn’t have space for what’s to come! hehe

scones!

The second layer was my favourite of the layers! Freshly baked scones with clotted cream, butter and jam. The scones were absolutely divine! Crumbly outside and fluffy & moist on the inside! Just everything you would love in a scone. I think there is only one thing that goes perfectly well with scones and thats thick and luscious clotted cream! Ooh la la! At this point, there’s this phrase that just keeps ringing in my head “Once it’s on your lips, goes straight to your hips!” haha Well, who cares! It’s scones! Mmmm!

Scones

Now with scones, do you have the jam first or the cream first? To me, it has always been jam first then cream, but just for that day, I decided to try the other way around. To be perfectly honest, either way is still as delicious!!! haha But do you have a preference? hehe

Sweets

The top tier offers a range of beautiful sweets! Definitely was spoilt for choice and we didn’t know where to begin! We decided to start with the chocolate macarons, which were a tad bit too crispy for me. But the chocolate ganache was delish! Then we made our way through the Vogue strawberry eclair, lamington bonbons, lace cookies, very vanilla cupcakes and ended the afternoon with the salted caramel popcorn tarts that were YUMMILICIOUS!

top view of our sweets tier

I apologise for the yellow tinge of my photos! The yellow light was just right above the tier! hehe but this is a top view of our sweets spread. The lace cookie was so pretty! hehe

So dress up, and plan a day with your girlfriends! Head down to the Vogue high tea and enjoy a whole afternoon of indulgence and pampering in style! The high tea is held at the Aria Bar & Lounge in the Langham, from now till the 8th of November, from 10:30am to 4:30pm at $65 per head.

Book soon cause not long to go! (: We all deserve an afternoon like that for sure!

Disclaimer : I was invited by Daisy of Never Too Sweet and Langham to have the Vogue High Tea at the Aria Bar & Lounge, Langham. All thoughts and opinions are based on my experience at the time of the visit. Thanks so much for this opportunity and afternoon treat! 

For A Berry Pink Cause – Ski Yogurt & A Giveaway ! {Winner announced}

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Lemon & Berry yogurt mini loaf with cream cheese and yogurt icing

Paying it forward. I always feel that we should always count our blessings and do what we can for people around us. As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I was approached by Keep Left PR to be involved in it. Without any hesitation, I agreed!

Ski Yogurt turning pink

If you’ve walked the yoghurt aisle in the supermarkets, you’ve realised that Ski yoghurt has turned pink! In fact, they have pledged a three-year commitment to the McGrath Foundation and have promised a $350,000 donation to fund a McGrath Foundation Breast Care Nurse in the community. How amazing is that? I’m so honoured to be ask to be part of this Pink event!

lemon & berry mini loaves

Yoghurt has become part of my daily breakfast and morning tea routine, so I was really glad that I was asked to come up with a recipe that incorporates Ski yogurt!

So as I stood in front of the different flavours in the supermarket, my ideas were just popping up!

Close up

As I got a new mini loaf tin, I decided to make some yogurt mini loaves! Just too cute! But to give it a little bit of ZING, I added lemon zest to it! Mmmm.. berries and lemon do make a really good match! The best thing about incorporating yogurt in your cake is that it makes it really moist!

Lemon & berry yogurt mini loaf with a cream cheese yogurt icing

In all honesty, the icing didn’t quite turn out the texture I wanted. I wanted to be able to pipe rows. hehe I tested it out, but it went everywhere! haha So i decided to go with the flow (literally) and let it have some free form! It worked out well, don’t you think so? hehe The addition of the fresh raspberries just made everything pop, giving a subtle tinge of pink reflection on the icing. Without trying to over do the self-praise, I have to be honest and say that this was one of my best cakes I’ve made to date!

mini loaves - light reflection

So here’s the recipe and my humble contribution to the Breast Cancer Awareness Month! (: Hope you all enjoy!

Lemon & Berry Yogurt Mini Loaf with Cream Cheese Yogurt Icing (an original recipe of Food Made With Love)

Lemon & Berry Yogurt Loaf :

1 1/2 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

300g Ski Wild Strawberry yogurt

1/2 cup castor sugar (plus 1/4 cup for syrup)

3 large eggs

Lemon zest  of 2 lemons

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

10 mint/basil leaves, washed and pat dry

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. In a clean bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

yogurt, sugar and lemon zest

2) In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, 1/2 cup of sugar, lemon zest and vanilla bean paste. Mix till well combine then add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one is well incorporated before adding the next.

3) Add the dry ingredients slowly, 1/2 cup at a time, and make sure it is well combined. Be careful not to over mix.

4) Pour the olive oil into the mixture, and using a spatula, slowly fold it in until everything is combined. Add the frozen berries and fold them in. Don’t worry if they start to “bleed”, just gives the batter a nice swirl of pink/purple!

5) Coat the mini loaf tin with olive oil (I used the olive oil spray) and dust with plain flour. Carefully fill the tin 3/4 way up. Drop them a few times on the bench to even the top and place them in the oven. Bake them for 25 mins, turning them half way to that they are evenly coloured.

6) While the cakes are baking, pour the lemon juice and add the 1/4 cup sugar into a small saucepan. Add the basil/mint leaves into the pot and allow it to come to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 mins. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly.

Pouring the lemon mint/basil syrup on the cakes

MIni loaves cooling and soaking up the lemon syrup

7) Once the cakes are done, allow them to cool in the baking tin for 10 mins. Slowly and carefully pour the lemon syrup on the cakes and allow them to absorb completely. Let it cool in the tin completely before taking them out.

Cream Cheese and Yogurt Icing 

1 block of Philadelphia cream cheese, cold

2/3 cup Ski Wild Strawberry yogurt

1-1 1/2 cup pure icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Fresh raspberries, to garnish

Steps :

1) In a mixing bowl, whip up the cream cheese till smooth, then add the yogurt and mix till they come together. Don’t worry if it looks clumpy. Add the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and taste as you go (YUM!). Stop adding when you feel the sweetness is right! Add the lemon juice and mix until smooth.

2) Using a tablespoon, drop the icing in the middle of the loaf and allow it to flow down. You could use the back of your spoon to help shape it the way you like. Garnish the loaves with fresh raspberries. ENJOY!

Finished product

I had mine with a small glass of intense berry smoothie! hehe and I thought I would share with you my favourite smoothie recipe since it also uses yoghurt! (: So bear with me. The giveaway is up next!

Intense berry smoothie

Intense Berry Smoothie

150g Ski Wild Strawberry Yogurt

150g coconut water

100g frozen mixed berries

Step :

Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz it up! Easy peasy!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

And now for the part you all have been waiting for! So sorry for the super long post and thank you for being so patient! Keep Left PR has very kindly offered a giveaway! It’s a set of super pretty and cute pink silicone Scullery kitchen utensils worth $47.73! How can you resist?

giveaway

Giveaway

Yes! All 7 items! How awesome is that? I love the striking shade of pink! Ladies, start commenting. Men, start commenting too so you could win these for your loved ones! hehe

How do you get these you ask? Easy!

  • Leave a comment and share with me your favourite way of having yogurt, and what part of the day do you usually have it?
  • This giveaway is only open to Australian residents! (Sorry international readers!)
  • Please join me on my journey! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
  • You may re-enter daily! One entry a day! (Oh yeah!)
  • Winners will be announced on the 31st of October, Thursday at 8pm!
  • Winners will be picked via random.org and notified on this blog post and via email.

Disclaimer : This post is sponsored by Ski Yoghurt & Keep Left PR. I tasted the Ski’s D’lite Wild Strawberry yoghurt  with compliments of both sponsors, however, the review, opinions are honest and based on my personal taste and preference. The recipe is a Food Made With Love original.

Ski Pink

Remember to always bake and cook with love ! Till the next post, xx

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The winner is…..

TINA! Congrats dearie! (: I will be contacting shortly through email!

winner- random org

Winner

Hope you like your pink kitchen utensils!!! xx

Being Bold – A Recipe & Hudsons Giveaway ! {Winners Announced}

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Be Bold

Good afternoon my dear readers! Happy weekend! (: Hope it’s going well and you have lots of fun and yummy things planned ahead of you! Since it’s the start of Spring, I thought it would be a good time to make some new goals!

“Freedom lies in being bold” – Robert Frost

Being bold is about making each day count (be it today, weekly or even for the year), so why not step out of your comfort zone and express your boldness to the world right? hehe The first BOLD thing I’ve decided to do is trying my hardest to make a change in my life – Being healthier and fitter ! My goal couldn’t come in a better time, as Hudsons Coffee also decided to BE BOLD with their launch of a new Barista’s  Choice Blend – A rich and intense flavour with caramel undertones. YUM!

Hudsons Coffee Barista's Choice Blend

I was lucky to receive a a pre-ground take home bag of the new blend and I couldn’t wait to try it! Ever since my brunch at Three Bags Full, I have started a liking to french press coffee! This one wasn’t overly strong on the palette and not too sharp or acidic either! Smooth and a subtle taste of caramel, which the mr loved!

Barista's choice

While enjoying my glass of coffee, I had a eureka moment! I really wanted to use it to bake! One particular ingredient came to mind – Banana! So I decided to combine the banana cake with some espresso, and to add some texture to the cake by adding a pecan streusel on top! I have made lots of banana cakes in the past, but never one with a coffee kick! This is me BEING BOLD (number 2) cause I don’t usually bake coffee cakes! So was really excited about this.

Banana Espresso Pecan Streusel Cake

While making the streusel, I couldn’t stop sneaking teaspoons of it, cause it was so addictive! The combination of pecan and oats were just delish! hehe It could easily be turned into a mixture for granola too!

close up

Although I am trying to get healthier and fitter, I still deserve the occasional treats yes? hehe So I added some dark chocolate chips in the cake to make it more indulgent! Anyway, dark chocolate is suppose to be good for you. I’m pretty sure there’s some scientific findings to back me up on this. haha

Slice of banana espresso pecan streusel cake

This cake was moist, full of flavour, and I just love having the bursts of chocolate and the crunch of the streusel top! Definitely one cake I would bake over and over again! You don’t need a very big piece to enjoy it, as it is quite rich. A small piece with a cup of tea or coffee is perfect!

Banana Espresso Pecan Streusel Cake (A Food Made With Love Original Recipe)

For the streusel :

1/2 cup + 2 tbs plain flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

85g unsalted butter

3/4 pecans, roughly chopped

Steps :

1) Mix the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.

Adding the dry ingredients to make the streusel

2) Add the butter and rub with your finger tips intul the mixture holds together (my favourite thing to do actually, find it very therapeutic! haha).

3) Add the chopped pecans, mix and set aside in the fridge.

Pecan streusel topping

For the cake :

200g unsalted butter

170g castor sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

4 tbs milk

5-6 tbs espresso (I used the Barista’s Choice Blend from Hudsons Coffee)

2 cups + 3 tbs plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

1 tsp baking powder

3-4 bananas, mashed

3/4 – 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Prepare a 26cm by 26cm square tin by lining the bottom and greasing the sides. Set aside.

2) In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3) Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and the mashed bananas. Mix till it is evenly mixed.

4) Mix the espresso and milk in a measuring cup and add it alternately with the plain flour (dry-wet-dry-wet-dry sequence). Careful not to over mix.

5) Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and tap it a few times on the bench to make the top even. Sprinkle the streusel and bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden and the toothpick comes out clean. Cover the cake with foil after 30 mins if it browns too quickly.

Ready to go into the oven

6) All it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and remove it from the tin to rest it on the cooling rack.

all baked and cooled, ready to be sliced and enjoyed

Enjoy! (: It was my very first cake I was confident enough to bring to work and share with my colleagues, and they loved it! (: I brought it in during recess and it was gone by lunch! The feedback was that the cake was really moist and they really liked the surprise of the chocolate chips! Yippee!

So here comes the exciting bit! Tell me how you are going to BE BOLD and take that first step of making a positive change in your life! I’ve taken two, the first one will be on-going and the second one is completed, so I would love to hear your side of the story!

Hudsons Gift Package

Hudsons Coffee and Keep Left PR has been so generous to provide me with two packs of goodies to give away. Similar to what I received, each pack includes : 2 packets (50g each) of pre-ground Barista’s choice beans, 1 (12 oz) Hudsons Keep Cup and a  $10 voucher to enjoy a hot cuppa when you’re around a Hudsons store! So how do you win this awesome pack?

To enter this giveaway :

  • All you have to do is leave a comment letting me know : What kind of BOLD change(s) you want to make in your life. Remember it can be a daily, weekly or even a year long goal! Come on and let’s #BEBOLD together!
  • This giveaway is only open to Australian residents! (Sorry international readers!)
  • Follow me on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter, and let me know when you’ve done it!
  • Follow Hudsons Coffee on Facebook,  Instagram & Twitter as well!
  • Winners will be drawn on the 22nd of September 2013, Sunday at 8pm!
  • You may re-enter daily, one entry a day (Woohoo!)
  • Winners will be picked via random.org and notified on this blog post and via email.

Good luck and have a great weekend ahead! (:

Remember to always cook and bake with love!

Disclaimer : This post is sponsored by Hudsons Coffee & Keep Left PR. I tasted the Barista’s Blend coffee with compliments of both sponsors, however, the review, opinions are honest and based on my personal taste and preference. The recipe is a Food Made With Love original.

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And the winners are…..

Iron Chef Shellie & Bonnie-Kate !! Congratulations!!!! I will be contacting you through email soon! x

Winner number 21

winner number 21 - Comment

Winner number 18

Winner number 18 - Comment

Congrats again you two and hope you both enjoy your packages! Thank you everyone for your comments again and till the next post, x

Purple Carrot Cake & Sweet High Tea

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Purple carrot cake

Good Sunday afternoon dear readers! I hope you’ve had a great weekend so far! (: I’m about to head to the airport to embark on my adventure to Europe! But before I do, I wanted to share a Sweet High Tea organised by Miss D, at her place, a few weeks ago! We each had to bring a thing or two to share. Oh boy were there heaps of delicious yummies, bother sweet and savoury!

Here’s a quick glimpse of the spread we had!

Freshly baked scones and Momofuku's Bagel Bomb

First up : Daisy’s Country Women’s scones and Julie’s Momofuku Milk Bar bagel bombs! Before I go into details, how cute is the bag? It keeps the yummies warm too! So need to get one. hehe Anyway, back to the food! The scones were freshly baked and so so good with cream and homemade strawberry and fig jam! hehe Julie’s bagel bombs were TO DIE FOR. Omgness. Biting into the bagel bomb was just heavenly. It’s filled with cream cheese, bacon (YES BACON) and spring onion.

The inside of the bagel bomb

How good does that look? I wanted more! hehe

Smoked salmon sandwiches

Next up : Smoked salmon sandwiches with cream cheese and capers. These were made by Ling and the smoked salmon were so so good and fresh! She also made some caramel slice! A good match of savoury and sweet! hehe

caramel slice

Broccoli and cheese muffins

Last of the savoury : My broccoli and cheese muffins! I haven’t made this for ages and I’m so glad there was an occasion to make them! Mums who want their children to have veggies should make these! Cheesy goodness and you can barely taste the broccoli! hehe So glad the girls liked them too! hehe

Kuehs by Cltyw

Then came the sweets! hehe My eyes were fixated on these the moment it came through the door! Liz made my two favourite kuehs : kueh dadar and kueh sarlat! Kueh dadar is a thin pandan crepe that is filled with a mixture of gula meleka and coconut! If I haven’t already said this, I am OBSESSED with gula melaka! haha Love it more than normal sugar. hehe If I could flavour everything with it, I would! Kueh sarlat consists of two layers : the bottom is glutinous rice, and the top is a thick pandan custard! It was perfect! I wanted to steal the whole plate back! hehe

Peanut butter cupcakes

In true Sweet Queen fashion, Daisy made something sweet of course! hehe Peanut butter cupcakes with a surprise mini Reese’s peanut butter cup at the bottom! hehe Nothing could be better than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. It was delish! hehe

Guinness ginger bread

Michele came with two beautiful sweets : a guinness ginger bread that’s so so moist and soft! hehe The ginger taste was subtle and just went perfectly with a cuppa tea! hehe

Eton Mess Cake

She also made a pretty eton mess cake! hehe It’s topped with strawberries and merigue nests and of course, we had it with a dollop (or two) of double cream. Mmmmmm (: That’s the sound we were all making when we had it. haha

Purple carrot cake

Last but not least, it’s my humble purple carrot cake! hehe I love love love carrot cake but I probably haven’t made one in almost close to 5 years now. haha I have to say I’m really brave by baking cakes that I’ve not done in a while. I was soooo relieved when it was moist and crumbly. Instead of the usual orange carrots, I decided to give it a small twist by using purple carrots! hehe The colour turned out purplish blue! To top it, I decided to use the Hummingbird Bakery’s cream cheese icing. It’s one of the best ones I’ve had! Creamy and not too heavy. hehe I have to say I was really happy with it! 🙂

So I just want to share the recipe with you! Do give it a try if you love carrot cake like I do! (I know it seems I love everything, but I really do. haha)

Purple carrot cake

Purple Carrot Cake (adapted from The Cake Mistress)

2-3 large purple carrots, finely grated

I cup packed brown sugar

1 cup olive oil

3 large eggs

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, extra to garnish

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting (From the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

300g icing sugar

125g cream cheese

50g unsalted butter, soften

finely grated purple carrot

Steps : 

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

2) Beat brown sugar and olive oil until it gets to a thicker consistency. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined.

3) Add salt, bicarb soda, carrots, flour, walnuts, raisins and spices. Mix it on slow speed until everything is well combined.

all scooped and ready to go into the oven

4) Put batter into a well greased baking tray (I used a 12-square loaf tin) and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until its lightly golden and the toothpick comes out clean after inserting it into the middle.

All baked

5) For the frosting : Beat the icing sugar and butter in a mixing bowl until well combined. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium high, and beat until it’s light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Do not over beat as it will turn runny. Pipe onto the cakes (when they are cooled) and top with a small piece of walnut.

ENJOY! (:

Purple Carrot Cake

Hope you’ll give this a try and do let me know what you think when you do! hehe Have a good week ahead everyone! Just letting you know I will be away for the next 3 weeks as I will be in the UK! But I will come back with lots of good food and pictures to share, I promise! So till then, remember to always cook and bake with love! xx

Fig Maple & Thyme Scones

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Fig Maple & Thyme Scones

Figs. I just can’t get enough of them. Whether it’s the fresh or dried version, I love them all! I could have them everyday to be honest! Sometimes, I wish they weren’t seasonal. Thankfully, I’ve got two fig trees in my backyard that gives are beautiful juicy figs in Summer! Hooray! But since it’s Autumn now, I have to say, the dried figs are just as satisfying (:

Herb garden bed

I’ve always considered myself blessed. Even more so when I look at our bark yard, in particular our herb garden bed! The Mr has a green thumb! Wheeee! (: Everytime I look at how much it has grown and flourished, I will be filled with joy! hehe Basil, mint, coriander, rosemary and lemon thyme are some of the herbs we’ve grown. And since this recipe calls for some fresh thyme, I just went to the garden bed to pick some! Easy peasy! (:

fig, maple & thyme scones - before baking

Okie, back to the scones! (: My love for scones come from my mum, we would make scones whenever we have time on our hands and have it immediately for tea. Instant gratification! haha One of our favourite places to have scones is at Ms Marples Tea Room up at Mount Dandenong! Although some might say theirs is more like a dense cake, mum must have it every time she comes to Melbourne! hehe I was going through Tastespotting and chanced upon a recipe that instantly caught my attention. I made a variation of the recipe with the things I have in my pantry. These were SO GOOD. They were light and fluffy in the middle and just went so well with butter. I could have it for breakfast, tea and dessert! Definitely something I would make frequently now, plus it didn’t take much time at all!

scones with butter and homemade fig jam

I know there are many different ways to enjoy a scone, but my favourite way is with butter and jam. As I made fig jam a while back (recipe in the next post, so stay tuned cause it’s addictive!), I had my warm scone with some unsalted butter and homemade fig jam! YUMMO! As a dessert, I topped the scones with a quenel of macadamia ice cream and it was delicious too!

Scones- baked

Fig, Maple & Thyme Scones (adapted from Le Pirate Life)

3 cups self-raising flour, sifted

80g unsalted butter, cold & cubed

1 cup of milk (might need a couple of tsp if dough looks too dry)

2 heap tbs of pure maple syrup

250g dried figs, chopped into quarters

A handful of thyme (leaves removed from stalks, a few sprigs for garnishing)

Ingredients for the scones

Ingredients

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius and lined a baking tray with baking paper.

2) In a large bowl, place the self-raising flour and butter. Using your fingers, gently rub the butter into the flour till it resembles breadcrumbs. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the milk and maple syrup into the well. Gently mix the dough till it all comes together. Add more milk (a tsp at a time) if the dough feels and looks a bit too dry. The dough should feel soft and a little sticky.

Flour, butter, milk & maple syrup

3) Fold in the figs and thyme leaves into the dough. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface and knead it slightly, careful not to overwork the dough. Using a rolling pin (or just your palms), flatten it out till it is about 3 cm thick.

the dough

4) Using a scone cutter, cut out the scones and place them on the baking tray. Garnish the scones with more thyme leaves or sprigs of thyme if you’ve some.

All ready to be baked

5) Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes. You can either leave it to cool and store in a air-tight container, or enjoy it hot with some butter, cream and jam.

Scone with butter and homemade fig jam

ENJOY! (:

So dear readers, what is your favourite way of having your scones? Please share as I would love to hear from you! (: Have a great weekend and remember to always cook and bake with love! 

{SG} Tea, Coffee & Sweets

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The Coffee Daily

Having afternoon tea has become one of the traditions of my family. Around 3 in the afternoon, the tummy craves for a cuppa and something sweet, just to keep the day going! So even when I was back in Singapore, I went around searching for a good coffee and places that offered a little something to satisfy my sweet tooth! hehe

The Coffee Daily

Address : 75 Brighton Crescent, Serangoon Garden Estate

Tel: 62848894

One of the first places we went to was The Coffee Daily. It’s a quaint little cafe that offered coffee closest to the ones we could get back in Melbourne plus a little something from our childhood.

The Coffee Daily - Drinks and Gem Biscuits

My dearest brother brought us there and we each ordered a cuppa and it was accompanied by a piece of speculoos cookie and a small plate of gem biscuits! That was the first time I ever had speculoos and it was DELISH! I’m so gonna make some soon cause just writing about them is making me crave for some.

I’m not sure if you’ve had gem biscuits before, but these are my childhood favourite. I use to eat the icing part of it first and then have the biscuit bottom! Been a long time since I’ve had these, so I couldn’t be happier having them with my coffee! hehe

The Coffee Daily

So if you’re ever around the Serangoon Gardens area, do drop by and have a cuppa! Having these gems would most definitely bring you back to your childhood days! (: It sure did for me.

P.S. Cafe

P.S Cafe

Address : 28B Harding Road

Tel : 64793343

P.S. Cafe

P.S. Cafe on the other hand is a totally different cafe for your afternoon tea. Tim brought us to the one at Harding Road (Dempsey) and it’s a converted warehouse that just looks amazing! Surrounded by beautiful nature, it felt so relaxing just sitting (indoors and outdoors) and having a hot cuppa and one of their amazing desserts they have to offer!

Dessert Menu

Of course, I wanted to do Miss D proud and order everything that was on the board, but having only three of us and cause we had a super full yumcha lunch just before, our tummies only allowed us to order 2! (:

Banoffee Pie

When the banoffee pie arrived, my jaw dropped! hah I couldn’t believe how much cream was on it! A little too much, in my opinion. But the filling was great! A crumbly and delicious base, with caramel and fresh sliced bananas. Even without the cream, it would be delicious!

Carrot Cake

I also chose the carrot cake and so glad I did. It was moist and dense and had the right amount of cream cheese frosting to go with! I love a good carrot cake and this is definitely it!

Cappuccino

How beautiful is the flower on the cappuccino? Love it! (:

Assam tea

I ordered a cup of assam tea to go with the sweets. The flavour was bold but was still quite delicate and it paired well with the richness of the pie and cake. Made me feel less guilty after drinking it, though I know it’s just me trying to feel better after all those sinful cream and sugar. haha But I know that I would definitely wanna head back to have the other desserts and even give their food a try! (:

Tiong Bahru Bakery

Tiong Bahru Bakery

Address : 56 Eng Hoon Street, #01-70

Tel: 62203430

The next place is one that I have been anticipating to try for over half a year! I have been seeing everyone enjoying their flaky croissants and pastries on Instagram and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into some! As the trip back was considerably short, we had to squeeze as many places as we can in a day, so the trip to the bakery happened after a very full breakfast at Tiong Bahru Market! But by hook or by crook, I told the Mr that we had to try this place!

Pastries galore!

The choice wasn’t easy when I saw what was on display! I was SO tempted to just order one of each but decided to be good and try one of the them that instantly caught my eye.

kouign aman

This lovely pastry had layers of puff with butter and sugar in between each layer and every mouthful was just divine! I happily tore layer by layer and it starts with a crispy outer layer. As you peel your way through, it gets so soft and it just melts in your mouth. Heavenly! Absolutely amazing.

Coffee board

How cute is the drinks board? hehe I would want one just to put it in my kitchen! or near the coffee machine hehe Love it!

coffee and pastry

And as a digestive, the mr ordered his espresso (he is starting to love his shot of coffee now a days) and I had the cappuccino. Everything looked so pretty on the plate hehe (: Sadly, I didn’t get the time to head back and try the other yummies, but I will definitely be back at the end of the year to try more!

Arteastiq

Arteastiq

Address : Mandarin Gallery, 333 Orchard Road, #04-14/15 

Website : http://www.arteastiq.com

The last place I had a chance to have afternoon tea at during my trip back was Arteastiq! It’s located at Mandarin Gallery and I adore the concept they have! It’s a tea house next to the an art studio, where people could sign up for painting classes. It’s an open concept and you could see the beautiful art pieces that people are painting! Sometimes, I wish I was more artistic! haha Anwyays, back to what I had hehe I met Felicia for tea that afternoon and when I browsed the menu, I knew exactly what I was going to have.

Lychee ice tea

Sorry about the quality of the photo, the sun was shining too brightly on my drink! But I ordered the lychee ice tea, and if you don’t already know, I LOVE lychees! hehe Lychee anything to be more specific. This tea was so refreshing and it came with an almond biscotti and a peanut mochi. Mmmmm (:

Longan, red date and goji tea

Felicia ordered something a little different : a hot longan, red date and goji berry tea. It was delicious and even without adding the sugar, it had a subtle sweetness to it. Hers came with an almond biscotti and a sesame mochi. The seats were really comfy and it’s just a really nice place for girls, especially, to hang out with their friends and catch up (: That was exactly what we did! hehe

Thank you for being so patient as I share my coffee, tea and sweets experiences in Singapore. hehe I hope you enjoyed it and hopefully if you’re heading to Singapore anytime soon, you would be able to try some places out! Hope you all had a good weekend and are all recharged to tackle the new week ahead!

Till the next post, remember to always cook and bake with love! x

Banana-rama

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There is just something magical about banana bread. By now, you would know that I am obsessed with banana anything. So far, I’ve made them in a few forms – muffins & cakes. So now it’s time to add on to the list! Recently, Miss D posted her 100th post that had 2 banana bread recipes. I was lucky enough to taste test one of them and got hooked to it ever since!

So when I had time on a Saturday morning and some very ripe bananas lying around in the fruit basket, I decided to get my bum out of the sofa and get the baking going. I was so glad I did! The house was filled with the yummy smell of baked banana bread and it’s the best smell in the world! Can’t have enough of it!

Though I was having hayfever, it just felt good being able to be in the kitchen and think about nothing but bake! The kitchen is definitely my remedy. hehe The Mr absolutely loved it! Cause I gave 3/4 of the first one to the weightlifters, the mr only had a small piece to himself. He asked me to make another for him. So I made it twice over the weekend. It was really moist and fluffy. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea (: Will definitely perk me up in the afternoons!

Walnut, Chocolate and Maple Banana Bread (Adapted from Never Too Sweet For Me & Taste)

125g unsalted butter, room temperature

115g caster sugar

2 tbs maple syrup

2 eggs, room temperature

3 large bananas (about 1 cup), mashed

70g chopped walnuts

50g dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup plain flour

3/4 cup self-raising flour

1/2 tsp bi-carbonate of soda

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease the loaf pan well with butter.

2) In an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and maple syrup until light and fluffy. (Don’t rush this step to ensure a smooth batter)

3) Add eggs, one at a time until just combined. Then add the mashed bananas and slowly add the flours and bicarbonate of soda. Mix until just combined, be careful not to over mix it or it will not be fluffy.

4) Spoon mixture into the buttered loaf pan and smooth the top. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the toothpick comes out clean after being inserted. Allow it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out on a cooling rack.

Serve warm and enjoy with a hot cuppa and if you want to be more indulgent, drizzle it with more maple syrup and with a small piece of butter (:

PS : For step to step pictures, head over to Miss D’s post! Thanks dearie for sharing the recipe! 

Remember to always cook and bake with love!