Wednesday, October 18, 2006

101-Articulations; 101-Salivations

Buttermilk cake with Lemon Frosting

I just realised that the previous post is post #101! Now this is a milestone for any new blogger. Over a hundred things i've said about food (and animals), over a hundred things i've baked and over a hundred things i've eaten! Wow, the mere thought of the latter has just increased my waistline by a few inches. I'm so glad to say that although I've eaten my way through a massive number of cakes, cookies and pastries and laid waste to some of Sydney's best bakeries and market places, I am gratefully not the size of a house, I have no apparent need of starting a Weight Watchers program and I haven't had to change which notch I use on my belt. The mere fact that my jeans still fit perfectly are a testament to the adage that you can have your cake and eat it to. What better way to celebrate than with more cake!

And who said blogging wasn't good excercise? Carrying groceries, whisking egg whites by hand and kneading dough is all strenuous work and should really count towards your daily excercise regimen. Okay, so perhaps i'm just trying to find an excuse to pass off shopping everyday for daily excercise. But it's not an easy feat traipsing up and down busy market thoroughfares shoving and elbowing to get better photographic angles and dodging granny trolleys and the occasional over-excited dog just to get to a punnet of strawberries. Carrying those hoardes of groceries and produce from the markets is quite a workout, my biceps have never looked better. Overall, I would highly recomend food blogging as an effective means of excercise.

Not only is it great excercise but is also a formidable outlet for meaningless banter which most of my family and friends would otherwise not have a bar of. But most importantly I have been able to encounter some truly wonderful people. A sincere thank you to all of you who read the chatter on this blog and especially to all the Sydney bloggers that have made me feel welcome to the community. I experienced no cruel initiation, no harsh whackings with a wooden paddle while blind-folded, just a lot of virtual smiles, handshakes and good cheer. I've said it before and I'll say it again but I think food bloggers are some of the most amicable bunch of people.

Anyway, here are some pictures of food since this is a food blog after all. This is the cake I am celebrating with- Buttermilk Mini Cakes with Lemon Frosting. And despite all of my endorsing eating all the cake and pastries you want, I do really advocate healthy eating and a balanced diet. I really would be the size of a house, if I didn't employ some amount of wisdom in my eating habits. So kids, make sure you eat your vegetables; replace your chocolate cake with a much healthier slice of carrot cake. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Cake
adapted from
Bill's Food

Buttermilk cake with Lemon Frosting

125g (4½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
250g (1 cup) raw caster sugar
2 eggs
250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g (2 cups) plain all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
lemon frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare a rectangular or square tin with parchment paper.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a dry bowl.
In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Then beat in buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
Sift in the flour mixture in two batches, mixing after each addition.
Pour the batter into lined baking tins and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the time for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack.
When completely cool and rested, cut the cake into even squares.
Drizzle with Lemon Frosting and top with some sugar rocks.

Lemon Frosting

Buttermilk cake with Lemon Frosting

½ cup raw icing/confectioner’s sugar
2-4 tsp milk
1 tsp lemon juice
sugar rocks

Combine sugar, milk and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix until of a smooth drizzling consistency.
Drizzle evenly over mini cakes and top with sugar rocks and stars.

NOTE: All the sugars used are raw, which explains the brown colour of the cake and icing. You may substitute the raw sugar with conventional one.

27 comments:

Red Dirt Mummy said...

Congrats on your 101st blog entry. I have only recently discovered your blog and I really enjoy reading it.

Unknown said...

Mmmm...buttermilk cake. I've never had it but it sounds wonderful to me!

Anonymous said...

Looks and sounds amazing!! Question - where did you get those beautiful sugar rocks? I don't think I've ever seen sugar in that form before!

Anonymous said...

Happy 101'st post! How fun. I always enjoy reading your blog! This recipe sounds terrific, too. Thank you... I want to try this one!

Anonymous said...

Those are just beautiful! At first glance, before I read through to the end of the post, I assumed that was salt you had sprinkled on top. I've developed such a taste for salty chocolates that I think that would actually work, too!

Anh said...

Your cake looks lovely... So nice!

I am about to buy Bills Food. Are they good compared to his Sydney Food? I virtually love all the recipes I tried from Sydney Food!

:)

Raquel said...

¡Look grrrrrreat! My mouth´s watering ...

Bonnie said...

These are so cute AND elegant! Gorgeous!

ilingc said...

Congratulations Jen on reaching 101 posts :)

I applaud your dedication to this blog; to baking, cooking and eating everything that you've made and to your awesome metabolism!

Cheers!

Camille Clech said...

Ouh là là, cette recette-là, je l'adore vraiment !!! Et tes photos sont si belles que c'est presque creu de les regarder ;-) Thanks really

Anonymous said...

Very pretty, Jen. Congratulations on your 101st blog entry! Here's to many more beautiful posts!

wheresmymind said...

Food, animals and stuffed monkays! :D

Anonymous said...

Happy 101! May there be many more cakes in the horizon :9

Brilynn said...

Congrats! Those cakes look like an excellent way to celebrate! The sugar rocks are so pretty.

Orchidea said...

Oh my god!!! Those small cakes look just great!
Ciao.

Anonymous said...

Congrats...I am closing in on the big 100 myself and it is hard to believe.
Now if I could just get my site to be as lovely as yours.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on reaching 101! I love reading your blog and am looking forward to 100 more posts! The buttermilk cakes are adorable!

Edith said...

congratulation on your 101st blog entry. definitely a milestone.

Vintage Wine said...

Congratulations!
The world of blogging is an amazing place with lots and lots of wonderful people :-)
Thank you for all your lovely posts. Even though I haven`t always had time to comment on every one, I enjoy them very much!

Julia said...

congratulations!!!
this is indeed worth a celebration =)
hmmm...maybe I’ve got to change something as well (in stead of 10 cookies 3?) hihi - it would be very nice if I would fit as well in my pants after 101 posts...! =)
thank you for your great posts, beautiful photo's and delicious recipes...up to the 202! =)

Unknown said...

what fantastic cooking.

thankyou so much on your comment, I love to be able to share food with everyone.
I am originally from Australia, so I love Australian food.

These look fantasitc as does you entire site.

Anonymous said...

Yeah JenJen! To many more posts that make us salivate. And yes I agree with you, what work this is! I do not know about you, but the part I hate is actually to clean the mess in the kitchen!

Helene said...

I can't wait for your next 100. Congrats!
These morsels of cake look absolutely delicious, I would have more than 1 for sure....
"I run because I food blog" is my motto!

Anonymous said...

i'm sure you know by now that you should be owning your own bake shop by now, ei! and a cookbook at that!:)

Anonymous said...

congrats jen jen...lovely way to celebrate the milestone

Jen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jen said...

A sincere thanks to everyone who made a comment. I've been a little bit lax in replying to them all as i've been so busy, but no doubt I have read them and have been delighted by them all. Keep 'em coming!