Malteser Cupcakes

Someone once said that the cupcake is merely a vehicle for frosting.  That is certainly the case for these Malteser Cupcakes.  This malt frosting is out of this world.  I ate it by the spoonful.  It tastes exactly like the inside of a Malteser (or 'Whoppers' in the US) so if you are a fan of those little chocolate covered malt balls you have to try these Malteser Cupcakes!

Zebra Cheesecake for Baking for Hospice

For the June round of Baking for Hospice, our theme was Mothers.  My mum's favourite dessert of all time is cheesecake.  I remember we used to go to Robert Harris cafe for lunch in the school holidays when mum and dad had their travel agency in town and every day mum would pick a piece of cheesecake to go with her sandwich and cup of tea.  So, in my B4H baking tribute to my mum, I made Zebra Cheesecake.

Yum Cha at Pearl Garden, New Market, Auckland.

It was a good friend's birthday a couple of weeks ago and she didn't want to make a fuss about it, so stayed pretty low key around the time of her bday.  So low key in fact, the day came and went without us getting together to celebrate.  Well, we weren't having any of that!  So A and I locked her in for a belated bday lunch at Pearl Garden in New Market.

Ginger kisses: a mystery solved

I absolutely LOVE ginger kisses and went through a stage of buying them all the time from the supermarket.  They are a baked treat that are a favourite in New Zealand and Australia and are basically two ginger 'cookies' (although the texture is more like cake) with vanilla buttercream in between.  Kinda like a ginger version of the whoopie pie. 

Banoffee cupcakes with dulce de leche & cream cheese frosting

These cupcakes were one of my first ever cupcake creations. 

I had my first slice of Banoffee pie (or Banoffi pie) years ago at the Herne Bay RSA and I tell you, it was a revelation.  Caramel, bananas, cream and cookie crust are a dream combination.  So when I first started making cupcakes a couple of years ago, I went about trying to recreate this classic dessert as a cupcake.

Review: Jafa, Grey Lynn, Auckland.

The NZ Herald gave Jafa a rave review recently, so when the girls decided to have brunch on the Saturday of the Queen's Birthday weekend, we picked Jafa for a girly catch up.

Penne with chorizo and coriander pesto

C has fond memories of growing up in Oratia, West Auckland which is about a half an hour drive from the CBD.  The area is what you'd call semi-rural, semi ruggard and  C's family home overlooked a native bush covered valley in the Waitakere Ranges.  A world away from the urban jungle I grew up in, in Hong Kong!

One childhood memory C particularly likes recalling, was how one year C's mum planted a massive bush of coriander.  When the bush was about to go to seed, C's mum made a humongous jar of coriander pesto which sat in the fridge for about 2 seconds before C and his two older brothers demolished the lot.

World peace cookies and thank you's

Touted as cookies that are so good a daily dose could bring about world peace and happiness, these Dorie Greenspan cookie are chocolately, moreish and a perfect thank you gift.

Snack attack: jalapeno and cheddar mousetraps

Who can resist a grilled cheese sandwich?  Not many, if any.  Spice them up with some pickled jalapenos and you've got yourself a hell of an afternoon snack.  Super easy, super fast and oh so satisfying.