Hump Day Deliciousness... And getting older!

Hey lovely people!

So it's Wednesday again, and the 2nd of April, can you believe it??? This has quite literally been the quickest start to the year ever! My mum always used to say to me that when I got older, the time would start to fly by quicker than I could imagine, and I always thought she was talking nonsense... but it really does feel that way. I'm 29 in June and 30 next year... I still feel 18!!!

Anyway, less of the nostalgia. Today's choice of recipes include some of Martha Stewart's greatest dessert creations... all in the honour of feeling young... and I'll perhaps throw in another little cocktail at the end, just to make the "getting older" part feel a bit better.

Martha Stewart's Coconut Balls

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup icing sugar & extra for dusting
2 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups dessicated coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Cream the butter with icing sugar until fluffy
3. Mix in flour & salt until combined
4. Stir in coconut
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls
6. Place balls 2 inches apart on tray
7. Bake until just starting to brown (15-20 mins)
8. Roll warm cookies onto icing sugar until coated
9. Leave to cool completely

Martha Stewart's Moist Devil's Food Cake

Ingredients
Cake

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup good quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Mrs. Milman's Chocolate Frosting

24 oz semi-sweet chocolate
4 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Directions

Cake - 1st process

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Butter 3x 8"x2" cake pans
Sift cocoa into a bowl, add boiling water and whisk
Leave until cool
Cream butter until fluffy
Beat in the vanilla
Drizzle in eggs a little at a time and beat between each additional egg
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
Whisk milk into the cocoa mixture
Alternatively add dry & wet ingredients (start & end with dry)
Divide batter evenly between the 3 cake pans

Mrs. Milman's Chocolate Frosting
Place chocolate & cream into a heavy pan
Cook over low heat stirring constantly until combined & thick
Remove pan from heat
Stir in the corn syrup
Transfer to a large metal bowl
Leave until cool enough to spread

Cake 2nd Process

Bake cakes until tester comes out clear (35-45 mins)
Transfer layers to cooling rack
Reserve the prettiest layer for the top
Place one cake layer on serving platter
Spread 1 1/2 cups of chocolate frosting on top of this layer
Add the 2nd cake layer
Spread another 1 1/2 cups of chocolate frosting on top of this layer
Top with the 3rd & final cake layer
Cover outside of the cake with the remaining chocolate frosting
Serve

Kinky Pink Cocktail

Ingredients

1/4 Raspberry vodka
1/3 Cranberry Juice
2 measurements of Peach Schnapps
Raspberry infused sugar to rim glass

Directions
Add cranberry juice & peach schnapps to cocktail shaker with ice
Shake vigorously and drain into sugar rimmed glass
Add vodka

ENJOY!!!

So there you go lovely people. Give those desserts a try and top them off with a few glasses of a Kinky Pink. Don't even think about the calories in these treats, as they are off the scale. They are intended to be enjoyed as a rare treat every now and again... so go on... treat yourself!

Take care lovelies. x

It's that time of the week again!

Hey lovely people!

I just loved this when I saw it... and on that note I'd like to say HAPPY HUMP DAY lovelies! Lol

With today being the half-way point of the week for most of us, it's only right that instead of posting another of my favourite recipes, I thought I would post a couple of my favourite COCKTAIL recipes instead. If, like me, you're having one of those weeks where nothing is going right and you're stressed to the hilt, then a little cocktail is a welcomed idea. 

Cranberry Ginger Fizz Cocktail

Ingredients

1 cup of fresh cranberries

1 lemon - cut into wedges

4 sprigs of mint

1/2 an orange - cut into wedges

1 cup ginger ale

1 1/2 cups of gin

3/4 cup of sparkling water

3/4 cup of sugar

Preparation

1. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; pour off all but one cup of syrup, reserving any extra for another use.
2. Heat the syrup to a boil and then reduce heat to a medium. Add the cranberries and simmer for 2-3 minutes until they just begin to burst. Remove from heat and let cool in syrup.
3. Place 2 tablespoons of drained cranberries and 6 tablespoons of cranberry syrup in a large pitcher; add the lemon and orange wedges.
4. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously mash the fruit.
5. Stir in gin and let steep for at least 5 minutes.
6. Strain into a medium pitcher.
7. Fill 4 glasses with crushed ice and 1/4 ginger ale.
8. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and then pour half of the cranberry mixture into the shaker and shake vigorously for 10 seconds, strain liquid into two glasses. Repeat.
9. Mound additional ice on top of each glass and garnish with 3 candied cranberries and a mint sprig.

Strawberry Vodka Lemon Sparklers

Ingredients

4oz strawberry infused vodka

4oz sugar syrup

4oz pink lemonade

4oz sparkling wine

Cubed ice

Fresh strawberries

Fresh mint

Preparation

1. Pour syrup and strawberry vodka into shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
2. Strain and pour into 2 cocktail glasses.
3. Add pink lemonade to the glasses 3/4 full.
4. Top off with sparkling wine.
5. Garnish with strawberries and mint.

Now repeat after me...

IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE!!!

So there you go lovely people, 2 fantastic cocktail recipes that once you've tasted, you will instantly fall in love with and I predict you will continue to make for years to come! 

If you would like to find more fantastic cocktail recipes like this then look no further than Pinterest! There are literally thousands upon thousands of fantastically delicious recipes there for you to try. 

Take care lovelies. x