Lady in red

I recently created another engagement cake, this time for a friend of a friend.

Jess, the bride to be, came to me with the following design.

She was quite taken by the black stripes and the highly polished red roses and eager to utilise those as the starting point for the design of her cake. I put together a number of different sketches, but we eventually decided on a white two-teir cake, the bottom tier being double-barelled and adorned with black stripes and  the top tier accented by varnished red roses.

During our initial consultation we also discussed the flavour of the cake. Jess wanted a rich, moist chocolate mud-cake with a dark-chocolate centre, covered in chocolate ganache. She wasn't thrilled about the idea of having to serve the fondant covered slices of cake so we improvised and decided to create a display cake for her to cut in front of guests and a delicious chocolate slab cake for her to serve. It worked out perfectly as she got plenty of photos with her beautiful cake and the guests were all thrilled to have a delicious chocolate cake to devour at the end of the night.

So back to the cake. The cake was topped with 12 polished sugar roses that I made from scratch. When I set out to do this I never envisaged the ludicrous amount of moulding paste and time this would take. My favourite part was definitely varnishing the flower with the edible varnish. They came our perfectly!

Red sugar roses before varnishing

The hardest part about the stripes was lining them up on the cake so that they sat straight. Thank god for Mr K or else I think I may have ended up in the foetal position after about the second stripe!

Deciding on the colour of the ribbon was also difficult. We originally went with white but then decided that the use of black on the top tier would provide a better contrast against the white.

Testing the cake with white ribbon

Looking back now at the photos, I do wonder whether we should have stuck with the white.

Here is the final product. You'll have to excuse the TERRIBLE photo and lighting. But you get the idea!

Jess, the bride-to-be, looked sensational in red and I wish her and her fiance all the best as they enter the exciting (be-it crazy!) world of planning a wedding. Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your day.

Porteno (Sydney)

It's 5.45pm and I'm yelling at Mr K, "we've got to go, right now. We can't be late, we just can't!" He doesn't quite understand and looks back at me with that look....that look of desperation that says 'no-more, please, no more'. Poor Mr K has been dragged around Sydney the entire weekend as I try to make my way through the long list of hot Sydney restaurants to eat at. With a flutter of some eyelashes and promises of beer and pork, Mr K shuts off the tv and we leave our hotel room en route to dinner. 

We arrive out the front of Porteno at 6.03pm and again, I'm yelling at Mr K "hurrryyy upp.....there's a line...I told you there'd be a line....quicccck". 

That's right. It's pensioner hour and there's already a line of people waiting to get in. Mr K can see the tears forming. He's anxious, not quite sure what's worse, having to comfort me and the 'ugly tears' or having to eat any more food. 'Ugly tears' averted - we score two seats at a communal table.

We start with some small-plates. The pickled veal tongue is sensational and reminds me of a similar dish my grandfather would make on special occasions. 

The pan de casa with olive oil and the most gorgeous, light, pork pate that I could eat by the kilo! 


And the absoloute standout - bbq eggplant, pepper cauliflower with tahini and quail egg. This dish, despite being vegetarian, had both Mr K and I ooooh-ing and aaah-ing. The quail egg is cooked perfectly, the tahini adds a delightful tang and the smokiness of the bbq'd vegetables on the crisp tortilla are just....amazing. 

According to their website each morning two of each the suckling pigs and lambs are prepared in a cross, set to cook over burning embers of ironbark wood until 6pm when the doors open for dinner. 

The fire pit is truly an amazing sight to see and embarks a flavour in the meat that is completely indescribable. We decide on the 8-hour wood-fired pig and it is perfect - moist and juicy meat and a perfectly crispy crackling. The way pork should be.

We finish with burnt milk custard with orange jam (note - the best popcorn I've ever had!) and of course a glass of sherry for Mr K.

And so the night ends. Thankfully for Mr K, I had made my way through the list and his nightmare of having to eat at anymore food is over. For this trip anyway...

Congratulations Blaire & Dave

Anyone who follows me on twitter will know that I've been frantically baking for the last week. In fact, anyone who has so much as even looked at me recently knows that I've been frantically baking for the last week.

And no-one knows this as well as my beloved Mr K who's been holding down the forte during my, let's call it, 'absence'.

So here it is....in all it's glory.

55 glorious centimetres of layered mudcake, nestled under a tower of 60 chocolate profiteroles.

Special thanks goes out to my gorgeous girlfriend (and bride-to-be) Blaire who believed in my ability enough to ask me to create this masterpiece for her engagement. And of course, an equally special thanks to Mr K who, night after night, assured me that it would turn out picture-perfect.  Love you guys xx

'Nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should' - Julia Child

When I started this blog, almost 18 months ago, I wasn't really sure where it would go and what would come of it.  In fact, I didn't even know whether I'd make it past the first post.

It really is amazing how much things can change in 18 months. Mr K and I are now married, we live in a beautiful house in the ‘burbs with our beloved pooch Lilly (aka Lillo, Lil or ‘Lilly NO’) and I love food more than ever.

But it’s different now.

Back then it was more about the eating than it was about the cooking.

But these days, you almost have to drag me out of the kitchen kicking and screaming.

And baking. Who would have ever thought I would learn to enjoy baking?! Yes, there have been some baking disasters that we will not speak, but all in all, I love it (….as do Mr K’s work colleagues).

So, as far as blogging is concerned, it’s not over. I just prefer to spend more time wowing peoples’ tastebuds rather than their eyes. And let’s be honest, my photos were pretty horrendous anyway!

Oh, and nothing satisfies me more than when Mr K, arguably my biggest fan but harshest critic, exclaims with great passion and enthusiasm ‘OH MY GOD….no, seriously….OH MY GOD…this is the best thing ever’. I love it.

So here is what I’ve been cooking. If you’re after any recipes, drop me a line.

Baked passionfruit cheesecake

We all know that cheesecake is Mr K’s favourite, so this was a special request by him for a cup day barbeque we were attending. I have to say, it turned out exactly like I imagined. But it was quite a battle trying to convince people that it was actually homemade and not store bought!

Fruit custard tarts

These tarts were made especially for an afternoon tea that was held at Mr K’s work. It took a while to perfect the tart shells and ensure that they didn’t shrink – but I got there in the end. Next time though, I’ll have to take the time to glaze them. They look a bit…dull.

Chocolate caramel layer cake

I am absolutely in love with this cake. Four layers of moist mudcake – vanilla, caramel, chocolate-caramel and chocolate – sandwiched together with oozing caramel and covered in ganache.  I almost slept with it on my bedside table, that is how I deeply fell in love with this cake. 

Chocolate croquembouche

….this was epic. 

Slow cooked leg of lamb

I will have to go so far as saying, this is the BEST lamb I have ever eaten (….and I’m European, we eat a lot of lamb!). Honestly, I don’t even don’t how to describe it, it was that good. It was moist, completely fell off the bone and the garlic and rosemary just tasted sensational.

Chilli mussels served and crusty garlic bread

This is a real winter favourite for Mr K and I. We usually fight over who gets the last piece of garlic bread to dip into the broth. Can you guess who wins?

Hatch that dream

Sometimes life can feel a lot like ‘Groundhog Day'. The daily grind. The desperate mid-morning coffee. The monotonous small talk with colleagues. The same faces, voices. Day after day. After day.

And then something happens when you least expect it that jolts you back to life. It sparks a fire in your soul and you remember, even if for just one hour, the feeling of being alive. The excitement. The possibilities. The dream.

Hatch that dream. It was those three words that struck my soul like lightning and brought me back from the monotony. Those three words that made me sit up and listen. They are now etched into my mind and consume almost every breath I take.

Hatch that Dream is the slogan of Cupcake Central. The brainchild of ex-IT consultant (!!) turned cupcake baker/super businesswoman Sheryl Thai. Her story gives me goosebumps…her success instils me with confidence, hope and absolute sheer determination.

Everyone has a dream. For Sheryl it was cupcakes….for me it is artisan cheese and charcuterie.

So once again I am invigorated. Inspired. To make a move. Any move. Towards that dream.

Cheesecake like no other

Mr K loves cheesecake.  He really, really loves cheesecake. In fact, I've stopped asking Mr K for suggestions of desserts because cheesecake seems to be the only thing he comes up with. 


This was the last cheesecake I made...and I have to say...it was probably the BEST cheesecake I've had in a very, very long time (...and needless to say, we eat a lot of cheesecake!)

This 'classic vanilla cheesecake' features on the cover of the ABC cookbook 'Declicious. - More please'.  It's described as 'the ultimate cheesecake...super-rich' and I have to agree.  The fact that it's called a 'classic vanilla cheesecake' though is completely misleading - this is a cheesecake like you've never had before!


There's quite a number of steps and you're left with 8 egg whites (did I hear someone say pavalova?!) but it truly is worth the effort.

Classic vanilla cheesecake
300g shortbread biscuits  
1 tablespoon Dutch cocoa
70g unsalted butter, melted
750g cream cheese
150g thickened cream
1 vanilla bean, split, seed scraped (this is an absolute must - the vanilla bean is what makes this cheesecake!)
2 eggs, plus 8 egg yolks
240g caster sugar
600ml sour cram
Berries and chocolate sauce to serve


Preheat oven to 160 degrees
Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan with baking paper (I think my pan was slightly larger)
Place biscuits and cocoa in processor and process to fine crumbs, then add butter and pulse until just combined
Press biscuit mixtures into the base of the pan
Bake for 10 minutes
Allow to cool completely
Reduce oven to 110 degrees
Process cheese, cram, vanilla seeds, eggs, yolks and 200g sugar 
Pour cream mixture over biscuit base and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until just set
Meanwhile, place the sour cream and remaining 40g sugar in processor and process until completely smooth
Pour sour cream mixture over the cheesecake, then return to the oven for a further 15 minutes
Turn off heat and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door a slight ajar
Once cool, chill for 3 hours (I chilled overnight)
Slice cheesecake into even bar and serve with berries and chocolate sauce




(...keep an eye out next week for the recipe of Mr K's second favourite cheesecake...Nigella's infamous Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake)

Cumulus Inc. - Eating house and bar

So after a number of failed attempts to get a table at Cumulus Inc., Mr K and I finally scored a table for Saturday afternoon lunch. 

Well, actually, we got much better than a table – we got two seats at the bar looking directly into the kitchen.

The menu at Cumulus features so many of my favourites that it was really hard to decide on just a few dishes.

Mr K and I started with the kitchen charcute selection.  The selection featured wagyu bresaola, proscuitto, coppacolla, and pig’s head rillete with apple mustard and grilled bread. We also received a plate of hand cut Sicilian salami.

The pig’s head rillette combined with the apple mustard was truly sensational. The smoothness of the rillette combined with the sweet tang of the apple mustard created a flavour that I can only describe as tantilising.  This was without a doubt the highlight of the charcute selection.

We continued the pig journey by ordering the mustard crumbed pig’s tale, white cabbage, poached lemon and apple. 

Again there seemed to be a real symphony between the calm (fatty) flavours of the pork and the chaotic tang of the lemon and mustard. I loved everything about this dish other than the fact that there were only three serves on the plate, so Mr K and I had to negotiate for the last piece. I mean really, it just seems so unfair to have three single serves on the plate – who dines in threes? Two or four is fine…but surely three is just plain rude!

I believe it was somewhere during this rant that our last dish arrived - roast rabbit saddle, grilled leg, braised bean, leek and tarragon. 

I’ve expressed a real disappointment about the lack of rabbit on menus in Melbourne. If cooked correctly, it is undoubtedly one of my favourite types of meat. And this really stood out for me as an impressive dish. The braised beans added the perfect amount of creaminess against the rabbit, with the juices bringing the entire dish together. A real delight. And yes…again we had to negotiate over the last serve of saddle and leg!

To end the review here feels incomplete but it seems that I’m left with no other choice because, other than a side salad, this is all we ate for lunch. And I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t walk out of Cumulus with a real sense of regret and anxiety. There were so many dishes on the menu that I’d like to have tried but unfortunately that was just not possible when sharing the dishes between two (and in particular, for lunch). I’d love to come back to Cumulus but this time for dinner…but alas, I fear that with their no bookings policy* this is just too much effort!  

For the record though, if I did have my time again, I would order the soft shell mud crab as a starter (I have no idea why we didn’t order this in the first place…I must have been having an ‘off’ day because soft shell crab is one of my ultimate favourite dishes!) and the whole slow roast lamb shoulder to share. 

We didn’t actually see any lamb leave the kitchen. I suspect that this was due to the fact that many of the diners were in couples or small groups of four and like us didn’t want to limit themselves to the single dish. But, just the words slow roast lamb shoulder is enough to make me think that this is a dish worth trying.

So that’s where it at at Cumulus. I really hope to go back but after the many failed attempts, I just don’t know. See the problem with a place like Cumulus is that you just want to keep going back to try more and more of the menu. But if my loyalties cannot secure me a table then I just don’t know if I'm willing to risk the disappointment.

A big thank you goes out to Mr K's cousin Navinan who generously gifted us a voucher for Cumulus.  Thank you Navinan. 

** Bookings are accepted for group of 7 to 14 guests

Cumulus Inc.

45 Flinders Lane

Melbourne, 3000

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