Sour Cherry Lamingtons

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It’s Australia Day today, and we are fortunate enough to have an abundance of cherries in stores, due to cherry season, and the Lunar New Year.

Chinese people value cherries, as their red colour symbolises prosperity and good fortune, and their round shape symbolises perfection and eternity.

Walking through Costco, I stumbled upon boxes and boxes of the fruit, and decided to buy some. Inspiration struck, and I decided to make Lamingtons with a twist, to celebrate Australia Day.

While I didn’t use any of the cherries in my recipe, they were the source of my inspiration. Instead, we shared them with the family, while reflecting on how fortunate we are to live in such an amazing country!

The recipe is, as follows:

Ingredients:

50g plain flour

50g self-raising flour

50g cornflour

4 large eggs

150g caster sugar

4 tsp sour Cherry essence

500g icing sugar

100ml water

Desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

2. Grease and line an 8 inch square pan.

3. Sift the flours three times until well aerated.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and caster sugar together until light, fluffy and triple in size.

5. While continuing to beat, add in the essence and combine.

6. Next add in the flour mixture and fold through with a metal spoon, ensuring that the air in the mixture doesn’t deflate.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray, and bake until cooked through.

9. Line a cooling rack with a sheet of baking paper, and turn the cake out into it, to allow it to cool.

10. Start making the icing, by sifting the icing sugar and mixing the water and essence into it. If the mixture is too runny, add extra sifted icing sugar. The mixture should be thin enough to coat the sides of the cake, but not make the cake soggy.

11. Cut the cake into small squares. I measured 3cm cubes, and ended up with 49 Lamingtons.

12. Once cut, coat each cube of cake with the icing mixture, and then roll them in the coconut.

13. Serve the Lamingtons once they have dried slightly, or, store them in an airtight container.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and that you have a go at making these Lamingtons for your loved ones! If you would like to collaborate with me, or, if you would like to make any suggestions or even provide some feedback, please feel free to contact me.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @nazzybaker and like and share this post with your friends.

Until next time…. happy baking!

xxx Nazzy Baker xxx

Nazzy Baker’s Blueberry Macaron Recipe

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When Costco has a sale on baking goods, you can be sure to find me there… just buying random ingredients to use in my baking experiments. I happened to find a huge bag of almond meal two weeks ago, and without a second thought it was in my trolley.

Once unpacked the bag of almond meal stared at me for days on end, every time I opened the pantry. I just didn’t know what I was going to make with it.

That was until last weekend, when I suddenly thought of Macarons. I had not made these delicious cookies for months, and wasn’t sure I would get the recipe right after so long…

As it turns out though, the recipe worked a treat, and these Macarons were an absolute hit!

Have a go at making your own Macarons! You can change the colours and flavours as preferred. And remember, if at first you don’t succeed, just try it again! Practice makes perfect!

Blueberry Macarons Recipe:

Macaron Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of icing sugar sifted

1 cup almond meal sifted

3/4 cups caster sugar

1 tsp salt

3 large egg whites at room temperature

Pinch of cream of tartar

1/2 tsp blueberry flavouring oil

Gel food colouring (navy, super black and violet)

Buttercream Filling Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups sifted icing sugar

1/2 tsp blueberry essence oil

Gel food colouring (violet)

Method:

1. Sift the almond meal and icing sugar together into a bowl. Add the salt.

2. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy, and then gradually add in the caster sugar and whip until you see stiff peaks. (You should be able to hold the bowl over your head upside down without the mixture falling out).

3. Fold the almond meal and icing sugar mixture into the meringue mixture until combined.

4. Add a few drops of colour and the blueberry flavouring to your macaron mixture and gently fold through. Be careful not to over mix.

5. Pipe the mixture into rounds on a baking sheet, and allow them to rest for approximately 20 to 30 mins or until the top of the cookies are dried out.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees, for approximately 15 – 20 mins, rotating the tray halfway through. The cookies are done when they easily peel off the baking sheet.

7. To make the buttercream, while the butter until light and creamy, and then add the icing sugar. Beat the ingredients together, until combined. Add the colour, and flavouring.

8. Once cooled, pipe the buttercream onto one half of the cookie, and using another half, sandwich the two together.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and that you have a go at making these Macarons for your loved ones! If you would like to collaborate with me, or, if you would like to make any suggestions or even provide some feedback, please feel free to contact me.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @nazzybaker and like and share this post with your friends.

Until next time…. happy baking!

xxx Nazzy Baker xxx

Chinese Almond Cookies

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I admire so many things about the Asian cultures, people and their food. I especially love that I get to share in a bit of the culture by living in multicultural Western Sydney. The hustle and bustle of the marketplace, people calling out for you to try their fresh produce, families enjoying freshly made meals, teaching their children about their roots, just fills me with joy!

I wanted to try making something traditional to celebrate Chinese New Year 2019. If you frequent Asian grocery stores like I do, there’s a good chance that you will have seen these cookies before. Some of you may have even had these as treats growing up. The soft, crumbly, almond flavoured delicacies are truly amazing, especially paired with a cup of tea! The great thing about them is, you can have them any time of the year…

Give them a go, with my version of the traditional recipe, below.

Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Meal

2 cups Plain flour

1 cup cubed Butter

1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

Method:

1) Cream together the butter and sugar.

2) Add in the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and almond extract and combine to form a dough.

3) Chill the dough in the fridge for an hour at least.

4) Roll the dough into balls, place them on a greased and lined baking tray, and flatten them slightly with your palm.

5) Give each cookie a slight egg wash, and place one piece of sliced almond in the centre of each.

6) Bake the cookies in a pre- heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown.

** the cookies will be soft, but will harden slightly as they cool. Don’t be impatient, leave them on the tray to cool completely before packaging the cookies.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and that you have a go at making these cookies for your loved ones! If you would like to collaborate with me, or, if you would like to make any suggestions or even provide some feedback, please feel free to contact me.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @nazzybaker and like and share this post with your friends.

Until next time…. happy baking!

xxx Nazzy Baker xxx

Nazzy’s Vanilla Cake Recipe

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Happy New Year everyone!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, and I apologise for my lack of content. While I have not taken a break from baking and sharing on Instagram and Facebook, I did need a bit of a break from blogging. After a lot of reflection, I am back, and I hope to make nazzybaker.com bigger and better this year.

With so much to look forward to, I thought I would share my first bake of 2019 with you all.

This cake was made for my dad, who is a massive fan of a cuppa tea and a slice of plain vanilla cake in the afternoon after work. On my recent trip to Queensland, Dad asked if I would bake a plain cake for for him.

I found a few recipe ideas, rummaging through a few ancient cook books. With so many great recipes, I took notes on ingredients I liked. How often do you see a recipe that calls for butter and oil?? I added that to my list of things to try, and at the end of this exercise, let’s just say that I was on a mission in mums kitchen, to make the best tasting cake ever.

This is the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

370g Plain Flour

370g Caster Sugar

4 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

230g Butter softened

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

295 ml Whole Milk

90 ml Vegetable Oil

3 Large Eggs

Method:

1) Cream the butter and caster sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

2) Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

3) Add the whisked wet ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar slowly while mixing on medium speed until combined. Note: adding the wet ingredients too quickly may result in curdling.

4) Sift the dry ingredients into the mixture, and continue to mix until a batter forms and all the ingredients are well mixed. Try not to over mix your cake batter.

5) Pour the batter into a cake pan and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius, till cooked and golden brown. The low temperature of the oven will allow the cake to cook slower, and rise more evenly.

*** Nazzy Baker’s top tip:

Lining the outside of your cake pan with damp paper towels and clean damp tea towels, and then baking your cake, will result in a more even and moist cake due to the slowed cooking process and the steam generated from the damp towels.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and that you have a go at making this cake for your loved ones! If you would like to collaborate with me, or, if you would like to make any suggestions or even provide some feedback, please feel free to contact me.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @nazzybaker and like and share this post with your friends.

Until next time…. happy baking!

xxx Nazzy Baker xxx

Nazzy Baker’s blood orange and turmeric cake

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Tumeric powder (Haldi), is a spice that has been a staple in many Indian homes for hundreds of years. While I can’t speak for all, I know that my family definitely takes its health benefits for granted. We’re more concerned about the colour and flavour it brings to our curries. Had I known that turmeric lattes would be a ‘thing’ when I was in primary school, maybe I wouldn’t have tried so hard to hide my curried potato sandwiches from my friends. Yes, carb on carb… absolutely heavenly!

The idea of adding turmeric to a cake or dessert toyed with my mind for days. I wondered how much I could add to a recipe to bring out the colour, but not to overpower the cake. I wasn’t sure which form of turmeric to use, powdered or fresh? A colleague of mine told me of a delicious Lebanese turmeric cake her mum often makes. Seeing someone talk so fondly about their mums cooking sparks all sorts of emotions in me. I only hope that one day, my girls will speak of the food I prepare for them the same way. Upon hearing of her mums delicacy, I decided I would take the risk and experiment with the versatile spice.

I was visiting my mother in law one afternoon, and as I do every time I go over, I raided her pantry and fruit bowl. She is one woman that has a knack for picking up the most unique ingredients and just giving them a try. Shopping in her pantry is bliss for an experimental baker like myself. I happened to find a tray of fresh turmeric, and some ripe blood oranges in her fruit bowl. Not sure how the flavour combination would go, I decided to take a gamble, and boy am I happy that I did!

My house smelt wonderfully citrusy as the cake was baking, and the cake…. well lets just say, that it was most certainly a winner! Try making it yourself, and let me know how you go! Here’s how I did it:

Nazzy Bakers blood orange and turmeric bundt cake:

Ingredients: (you can half the recipe for a smaller cake tin)

2 cups softened butter (not margarine)

3 cups caster sugar

8 eggs lightly beaten

2 cups plain flour

2 cups self raising flour

Juice of 1 blood orange

1 blood orange cut into small pieces

2 blood oranges cut into thin slices

1 tsp of grated fresh tumeric

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup blood orange juice

Method:

  1. Warm the milk, and add the grated turmeric to it. Let it soak.
  2. Line the greased baking tin with thinly sliced oranges.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale.
  4. Add the eggs in slowly, mixing between additions.
  5. Add the blood orange juice and mix well until combined.
  6. Fold the sifted flours through the wet ingredients until combined.
  7. Next, add in the turmeric infused milk, and the grated turmeric pieces and mix them in to the batter.
  8. Pour the batter over the lined baking tin, scattering the orange pieces through the mixture haphazardly.
  9. Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius, until the cake is browned and cooked through.
  10. Make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar and the orange juice.
  11. Once the cake is cooled, drizzle over the glaze, and serve with a cup of tea.

A massive shout out to the man behind the lens, for his time and patience! You’re the best ❤️

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and that you have a go at making this cake for your loved ones! If you would like to collaborate with me, or, if you would like me to test other flavour combinations, feel free to contact me. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @nazzybaker and like and share this post with your friends.

Until next time…. happy baking!

xxx Nazzy Baker xxx

Salted Caramel Choc Chip Cookies

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If you are looking for a quick and easy recipe for cookies, to satisfy your 3:30itis cravings, you’ve got to try Lulu’s and Lailai’s Salted Caramel Choc Chip Cookie recipe.

Ingredients:

125g softened butter

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of soft brown sugar

1 beaten egg

1 tsp salted caramel essence

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup of self raising flour

200g chocolate chips

Method:

1) Cream the sugars and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer.

2) Add in the beaten egg, salted caramel essence and salt and beat till combined.

3) Add in the flour and mix till incorporated into the creamed mixture.

4) Using a wooden spoon, mix in the chocolate chips.

5) Roll a teaspoon full of mixture between your palms into a ball and place on a greased and lined baking sheet.

6) Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown.

7) Serve warm or cold with a glass of milk or with tea or coffee.

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Date and Sour Cherry bread, topped with crushed honey almonds

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The cravings for raisin toast on the Easter long weekend were real. With all the major shops closed, I decided to make my own fruit bread for breakfast with ingredients I had in my pantry. Who would have thought that sour cherries and dates would be a match made in heaven? Certainly not I! That is, until now… Try making this loaf yourself, and tell me what you think!

Nazzy Bakers Date and Sour Cherry Bread with crushed honey almonds:

Ingredients:

600g strong bread flour

350ml Luke warm water

2 tsp instant yeast

1 cup chopped dried sour cherries

1 cup chopped dried dates

Egg wash

Method:

1) Add flour to a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle over the yeast, and mix till the yeast is incorporated into the flour.

2) Add the water, and mix to form a dough.

3) To the dough, add the dried fruit and knead to combine.

4) Allow the dough to prove in a warm place, covered in cling film (plastic wrap).

5) When doubled in size (after an hour or so), knead the dough again and shape the dough as desired.

6) Allow the dough to prove again.

7) Brush the top of the loaf with egg wash, and then sprinkle over some honey almonds (optional).

8) Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown.

9) Serve warm or cold, with butter.

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers White Chocolate Mango and Coconut Mud Cake

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A few weeks ago, I was asked to create a show stopper cake for an event I was to attend.  I needed a cake recipe that would give me a WOW factor result. Of all my experimental cake flavors, one of the most loved has got to be my mango drizzle cupcakes. Coming close in second place is my white chocolate mud cake. I decided to combine these flavors, and add a bit of coconut, and came up with the following recipe.

I cannot begin to tell you how delicious this cake tasted. Its just something you will have to try making and tasting yourself 🙂

Nazzy Bakers White Chocolate, Mango and Coconut Mud Cake:

Ingredients:

Cake:

300g White Chocolate buttons

200g salted butter

1 cup of milk

¾ cup caster sugar

2 large eggs lightly beaten

2/3 cup self-raising flour

1 cup plain flour

½ cup of desiccated coconut / 1tsp coconut essence

Filling:

1 kg Frozen Mango cubes

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

Ganache:

675g white chocolate buttons

225g cream

 

Method:

  • Ganache: Heat the cream in the microwave for 1 minute, add the chocolate buttons and heat in short bursts until the chocolate and cream are well combined. Leave the ganache to cool.
  • Filling: Add Mango, sugar and water to a saucepan, and cook until the water evaporates. Blitz the mango mixture to a smooth thick mixture.
  • Cake: Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Grease and line cake pan with cake release spray and baking paper. Place chocolate, butter, milk and sugar into a saucepan and stir on low heat continuously until well combined and smooth. Allow the mixture to cool. When cooled, add the coconut essence and eggs and stir until combined.  Sift the flours into a large bowl, and then add the chocolate mixture in, one cup at a time, mixing well between additions. Once all the ingredients are combined and mixed well, pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until cooked.  Allow the cake to cool.
  • Assembly: Slice the cake in half, and pipe a border around the edge of the cake with ganache. Fill the center with the mango filling. Stack the next layer of cake on top. Cover the sides and top of the cake with a layer of ganache, and smooth it with a palette knife if you wish to cover the cake with fondant.

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers honey and cinnamon almond Baklava

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A long title for this version of a sweet that is believed to have originated in the Ottoman Empire.

A walk through Paddy’s markets in Sydney, saw me purchasing a variety of dried fruit, nuts and an array of trinkets that I thought would be a good idea at the time, until I came home and had nowhere to store them. The fruits and nuts on the other hand, well they have certainly come in handy in my experimental baking sessions. The nuts I chose for this recipe, were honey and cinnamon coated almonds.

I was also lucky enough to get my hands on some freshly farmed honey from my Mother in law (with her permission). These two beautiful fresh ingredients screamed Baklava to me, and I would suggest that the reason why would be that Ramadan is coming up in the next few months. I know tonnes of people that would enjoy a piece of Baklava and a cup of tea after a long day of fasting, and for my friends that don’t fast, well, you could enjoy them anytime you like.

So, without further ado, herewith my recipe:

Nazzy Bakers Honey and Cinnamon Almond Baklava:

Ingredients:

375g Fillo Pastry

500g crushed honey and cinnamon coated almonds

2 tblsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup of honey

3/4 cups water

2 tblsp Cinnamon powder

1 cup of softened butter

Method:

1) Prepare the syrup by boiling together the honey, sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon powder for approximately 8 minutes. Allow the syrup to cool off the heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2) Grease and line a loaf tin, and layer the Fillo pastry, one sheet at a time into the tin, brushing each sheet well with butter before adding the next sheet. Once you have layered 8-10 sheets of pastry, add your crushed almonds, and continue to layer 5 sheets of pastry (brushing each sheet with butter before adding the next). Add another layer of the nuts, and continue to layer another 5 sheets of pastry, again brushing each sheet with butter. Repeat this process until your nuts are finished, but remember to leave about 10 sheets of pastry to brush with butter and create the flaky top layer of the Baklava.

* Fillo pastry dries out quickly. To prevent this, cover the pastry when not in use with a damp tea towel.

3) Brush the top layer with butter, and sprinkle over some cinnamon sugar. Cut the Baklava diamond shapes at this stage (before baking)

4) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until the pastry is golden brown and cooked.

5) Remove the tin from the oven and pour over the cooled syrup straight away so that the Baklava remains crisp and not soggy. (You May hear a slight sizzle – don’t be alarmed)

* I got a bit worried at this point, as the syrup was taking a while to penetrate the layers. This is normal!

6) Allow yourself to walk away, and let the magic happen for approximately 3 to 6 hours (depending on your level of patience). My breaking point was 3 hours the bare minimum!

7) Break apart the diamond shapes and plate up your gorgeous Baklava. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week! *You probably won’t need to*

Here it is:

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nian Gao – Chinese New Year Cake

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Nian Gao is a Mandarin word that means higher year. It is a name given to a Chinese sweet made from glutinous rice flour.

While Nian Gao can be eaten all year round, it is most popular at Chinese New Year celebrations.

As part of my exploration into multicultural desserts, this year I decided to try making Nian Gao. I’ve never attempted making an Asian inspired dessert before, and to be honest the procrasti-baking was real! It took a while, but I braved up, and tried my luck…

The recipe I used was adapted from one I found at the following link, with a few twists of my own.

https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/baked-chinese-new-year-cake-28077

Nazzy Bakers Chinese New Year Cake : Nian Gao

Ingredients:

500g glutinous rice flour

4 large eggs beaten

1tsp coconut essence

2 1/2 cups caster sugar

3 cups milk

3 tblsp melted butter

1/2 cup toasted desiccated coconut

Method:

1) Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2) Whisk together all the wet ingredients.

3) Then add the sugar and glutinous rice flour and whisk again well.

4) Pour the mixture into a greased and lined baking dish.

5) Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes, then sprinkle the toasted coconut on top, and bake again till cooked and browned on the top and sides.

6) Once cooked, allow the Nian Gao to cool, and then cut into squares and serve.

** I had some dried rose buds, which I crushed and sprinkled over for some colour

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Tropical Australia Day Lamingtons

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Hello everyone, and Happy new year!

I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday period. For those of you that may not have, I hope that the rest of 2018 will be kinder and bring you much joy and happiness.

To start of my blogs for the year, i bring you my version of the delicious lamington in time for Australia Day celebrations coming up in 2 weeks or so.

Baked in Sunny Queensland in my mothers kitchen, its not hard to see where the inspiration came from for this tropical recipe 🙂

Queensland screams Mangos and coconuts to me, especially around December in scorching temperatures! With these gorgeous fruits in abundance, i decided to make “Mango Lamingtons”.

Here’s how i made them:

Recipe:

Mango Sauce: 

1kg frozen mango cubes + 1/2 cup sugar (cook until sugar dissolves and the mixture is thick – then blitz and cool)

Sponge Cake sheet:

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

2 tblsp mango sauce or 1 tsp mango flavouring

1 cup of self raising flour

  1. Beat eggs till light and frothy
  2. Add sugar a little at a time till absorbed
  3. Beat in the Mango flavour
  4. Sift in the flour, and fold into the mixture with a spoon till combined
  5. pour into a lined baking sheet pan
  6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until cooked

Icing:

3 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup warm milk

2tsp butter

  1. Combine all ingredients and mix till smooth.

Method:

I started with a simple vanilla sponge cake recipe, and replaced the vanilla extract with some homemade mango flavour. Once the cake was baked and cooled, i cut the sheet into cubes and then rolled the cake cubes into an icing mixture, and then into yellow and white desiccated coconut .

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers edible Christmas Tree challenge

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This cake idea came to me as I was preparing for a 12 hour road trip – impeccable timing as always! Procrasti-packing is what I like to call it 🙂

With little time, and the most basic of pantry baking staples, I set myself a challenge to bake this cake in as little time as possible, while ensuring that the house stayed clean and tidy. Wishful thinking right? 

Wrong! This cake took me 4.5 hours from start to finish and I had time to clean and tidy up between each stage! If you follow me on Instagram, my story showed the progress updates, and the Series of challenges I ran into along the way.

Here’s how I did it:

1) I started off with some caramel mud  cake batter (enough for four different sized tins – I used an 8″, 7″, 5″, and 2″).

* if you want a better shaped tree, use the following tins 8″,7″,6″,5″,4″,3″ and 2″.


2) While the cakes were in the oven baking, I worked some brown and black colouring into some fondant to make a marbled wooden floor cake board cover.

3) Once the cakes were cooked (45mins) I set them into a baking rack to cool

4) when cooled, I stacked the cakes and used a plastic dowel support to keep the cakes in shape and steady while I dirty iced the cakes with caramel flavoured buttercream 


5) After I dirty iced the cake, and chilled it in the fridge to firm up, I then coloured the caramel flavoured buttercream green using (forest green and mint green) and piped the icing onto the cake using a “grass tip” 

6) Once the cake was covered in green foliage, it was time for me to add some decorations and Christmas detail. For this, I used fondant, ribbon, edible glitter, and a star cupcake topper.


7) what’s a Christmas Tree without presents? – I literally scoured through a whole bag of happy meal toys from lulu and LaiLai’s room to find toys for the bottom of the tree.

I also found some foam cubes from a cake I had made earlier in the year and covered them with wrapping paper and ribbon.

I gave this cake to Lulu and LaiLai’s school for all the staff and students to share to celebrate the holiday season.

Best part of having an edible Christmas tree 🎄 is that there’s no worries about packing and storing it for next year 😜 

Here’s wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas! Stay safe and enjoy every minute ❤️


I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Dolphicorn Cookies

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What do you get, when you cross a dolphin 🐬 with a unicorn 🦄 ? A dolphicorn of course!

These cookies were inspired by my sister who is turning 30 this year. A lover of all things marine related, my sister has always had a fascination with dolphins. More recently however, she has been talking about unicorns and how she wanted a unicorn cake to celebrate her birthday. 

I decided to cross the already gorgeous dolphin, with the mystical unicorn in an edible form, and came up with these cuties 😍.

If you would like to make these, click the link below for the template and sugar cookie recipe!

1) Print and Laminate Nazzy Bakers Dolphicorn Cookie Template.

https://nazzybaker.com/dolphicorn-template/


2) Make the sugar cookie dough and allow it to rest.

3) Cut out the Template shapes, place onto the rested and rolled cookie dough, and cut out the dolphicorn shape.


4) Once cut, place the cookie shapes onto a lined baking tray, and bake till golden brown.



5) Once cooled, decorate your cookies with either fondant or royal icing.

I chose fondant decorations for these, and used a combination of teal, white and black fondant.



I used edible gold paint for the horns.

For the cheeks, I made a mix of bright pink petal dust and sheer sheen petal dust and added some lemon juice to get a “paint” consistency.

Voila!! Herewith the end result!! Now to post them to QLD without them breaking 😬 #challengeaccepted

“Happy Birthday to my favourite 30 yr old sister ❤️”  

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Diwali Diya Cake

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Exploring cultural celebrations through food is a big part of my journey as Nazzy Baker. I hope to inspire people of all backgrounds to preserve their cultures and significant celebrations in order to enrich future generations. 

This Diwali cake had me all kinds of excited! I set out with a plan to make a simple traditional terracotta coloured Diya, but once the creative juices started flowing I got a bit carried away with colour and design! I’m still stoked with the outcome ❤️

I did not save the step by step pictures, however a few of my Instagram followers were able to see the live updates in my story! *hint hint* follow me to see what I’ll be working on next 😜

Here are some pictures of the cake! A big shout out to my photographer and to my mother in law for lending me her sari’s for the photo shoot 💕



I hope you have enjoyed this post and that you are inspired to make your own special Diwali creation. Ifyou have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

A Nazzy Baker and Henna by Maziah Collaboration 

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Two Sundays ago, I was lucky enough to do a Henna cake Collaboration with Sydney Henna artist Maziah, (aka Henna by Maziah)!

Not only was she so lovely to work with, but her work is also so amazing!

In order to prepare for her amazing work, I covered two foam cakes with white fondant, and set them on a fondant covered cake board. I love the combination of electric orange and electric pink for Henna themed events, and was inspired by my sisters henna night from a few months ago.

When Maziah arrived, I whipped up a batch of royal icing (at piping consistency) and coloured the icing orange and pink.

She started piping soon after, and seemed so at ease with the piping bag and icing 💕 I can only imagine how different it would be to piping Henna designs with a henna cone… but she did not seem phased at all!

As she was piping, I added silver balls to add a bit of bling while the icing was still wet.

To keep myself busy, I also piped some royal icing flowers, to use around the cake as fillers.

Once her design was piped, and she left, it was time for me to add a bit of ribbon, and personality, and Voila!!! Our cake was done!

Herewith the photographs of this Collaboration, of which I hope there will be many more 💕

A big thank you to Maziah, and my in-house photographer for all your hard work!


I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy’s Date and Coconut Sugar Cookies

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With Eid coming up again soon, I was experimenting with ingredients over the weekend. With pantry staples, and a bag of pitted dates, I was able to come up with the following recipe. These cookies were so easy to make, and not too costly either 👏🏽

They could be packaged individually as a gift for your friends or family, or, you could make a quick batch to serve with tea or coffee. Give them a go 💕

Ingredients:

200g caster sugar

200g softened butter

1 beaten egg

1tsp coconut essence 

350g flour

50g desiccated coconut

1/2 a cup of pitted and chopped dates 
Method:

  • Cream the softened butter with the caster sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Add to the mixture 1 beaten egg and mix well.
  • Add a tsp of coconut essence 
  • Add in the sifted plain flour, desiccated coconut and chopped dates and mix to form a cookie dough.
  • Allow the dough to rest, and heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  • Once rested, roll out the dough and cut into required shapes.
  • Place the cut cookie dough onto lined baking sheets and then bake until golden brown.
  • Allow the cookies to cool, and then decorate and package as required.


I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Honey, Apple and Pomegranate Bundt Cake

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If you are looking for a twist  on the traditional honey cake recipe, you’ve got to try my variation with chopped apples and pomegranate! It gives off the most delicious aroma, and is one of the most scrumptious cakes I’ve ever baked!

Here’s my recipe:

Nazzy Bakers Honey, Apple and Pomegranate Cake

Ingredients

4 cups flour

1 tblsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp ground nutmeg

1 ½ cups caster sugar

½ cup brown sugar

3 beaten eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup honey

1 cup apple juice

½ cup pomegranate juice

1 cup roughly chopped apples

Method:

  • Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius
  • Sift together the flour baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg
  • Add the caster sugar and brown sugar to the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk
  • In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs, oil, honey, apple juice and pomegranate juice with a whisk.
  • Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed
  • Add the chopped apples to the mixture.
  • Pour the mix into a greased Bundt tin and bake the cake until cooked through.
  • Once cooked, cool the cake on a baking rack, and the decorate with icing sugar and pomegranate seeds.

Here are some pictures of the cake from a photo shoot by my talented other half ❤️



I hope you have enjoyed this post 🙂 If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Its A Girl – Puzzle Cookies

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Mr 2 has just become a big brother! To help him get involved in welcoming his little sister home, I decided that I would make him a gift of an edible puzzle, announcing the arrival of his sweet baby sister 💕

It turns out that Mr 2 currently likes the tv show “Hey Duggee”. I drew inspiration from the character sets and came up with the cookies you will see below!

Here’s #howididit:

1) I made a sugar cookie dough:

  • Cream 200g of softened butter with 200g of caster sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Add to the mixture 1 beaten egg and mix well.
  • Add a tsp of vanilla
  • Add in 400g of sifted plain flour, and mix to form a cookie dough.
  • Allow the dough to rest, and heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
  • Once rested, roll out the dough and cut into required shapes.
  • Place the cut cookie dough onto lined baking sheets and then bake until golden brown.
  • Allow the cookies to cool, and then package as required.

2) Once chilled, I rolled out the dough and placed the puzzle template onto the dough.

https://nazzybaker.com/puzzle-template/


3) I cut the dough to the size of the template.

4) Then I cut the individual puzzle pieces and labeled them.

5) Using each puzzle piece, I cut the dough to make the puzzle

6) Once cut, I placed the pieces onto a baking tray and baked them till golden brown.


7) I repeated steps 3,4 and 5 with fondant while the cookies were cooling.

8) Once cooled, I stuck the fondant pieces onto their matching cookie pieces using edible glue.

9) I then smoothed the fondant with a smoother and let it dry.


10) Once the fondant was dry, I painted the cookies with food colouring mixed with a couple of drops of lemon juice, and added some fondant decorations.

11) I added some sparkle in true Nazzy Baker fashion, and Voila!!! The puzzle was done!
I’m yet to see Mr 2’s reaction, by I have my fingers crossed that he likes his gift. 😬

You can make puzzle cookies for a variety of gifts… follow me to see what other uses I have for this cool puzzle template 💕


I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Easy Gulab Jamun Recipe!

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This is a recipe that I fall back on time and time again. It’s such an easy recipe, and they don’t take long to make at all.

Ingredients:

(Dough)
1 cup plain flour

1 cup self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tin condensed milk
Vegetable oil to deep fry

(Sugar Syrup)
2 cups sugar + 2 cups water boiled to form sugar syrup.

Method:
1) Sift the dry ingredients together (flours, baking powder and spices)
2) Pour in the tin of condensed milk and mix until the dry ingredients are combined. The mixture should be sticky, and it does get messy.
3) Once combined, roll bits of the dough into oblong finger like shapes, and leave to rest while the oil is heating.
4) Once the oil is hot, fry the dough fingers until they are cooked through and brown.
5) When fried, place the fingers into the warm sugar syrup and allow them to soak up the syrup.
6) Roll the Gulab Jamuns into desiccated coconut (optional)
7) Serve 😊

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy’s take on the Argentinian Alfajores 

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Friday nights at my place are usually spent watching the food network, Food Safari on sbs, The Living Room’s chef Miguel, and Better Homes and Gardens fast Ed. (It’s a battle of the channels, flicking to each show during ad breaks)

Last Friday night I was inspired by an Argentinian Chef who made the traditional caramel cookie called Alfajores.

Alfajores can be described as a crumbly shortbread cookie, sandwiched with a caramel filling also known as dulce de Leche.

On Saturday morning, I set out to shop for all the ingredients I needed to make the Alfajores. I was determined to nail this recipe so that I can make it again for Eid celebrations in 3 weeks time 🙂

I happened to do just that! They were a huge success, and were demolished in no time by family and friends – which is always a good sign.

Here’s how I made them:

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups flour

2 1/2 cups corn flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup butter

3/4 cups white sugar

3 egg yolks

1tsp vanilla essence

2 cups Dulce de Leche ( thick milk caramel)

Method:

1) Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

2) Add the vanilla essence and beat to combine

3) Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating them into the butter and sugar mixture until fully mixed in

4) Add the baking soda and baking powder and mix again

5) Add in the flour and corn flour, and gently fold through until the mixture forms a dough. This part can get messy, and it helps to use your hands to form the dough.

6) Once the dough is made, wrap it in cling wrap, and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

7) Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper, and then using a round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds.

8) Once cut, place the dough circles onto a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown.

9) Allow the cookie rounds to cool on a cooling rack

10) Sandwich the cookie rounds together by piping onto one round, the dulce de Leche, and then top with another cookie round.

11) Serve your Alfajores with a cup of tea or coffee 🙂

These are mine:


I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Apple Crumble

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With everyone fasting at my place today, I thought I’d make a nice classic dessert for the family for after dinner. Apple crumble is extremely popular in the Nazzy Baker household, so… that’s what I’ve made! 

Here’s my version of the “apple crumble”! And yes… it contains coconut 😝

Ingredients:

Apple Mixture:

4 green apples

2 tblsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tblsp water

Crumble:

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup butter cubed 

1/4 cup coconut

1tblsp cinnamon sugar (optional)

(You can add nuts and or oats as well if you like)

Method:

1) Peel and cube the apples and place in a saucepan 

2) Add the sugar, cinnamon and water 


3) Place on medium heat and allow the apples to cook and soften. They will release their own liquid and create a beautiful sauce.


4) When the apples are cooked, transfer them into a serving dish. 


5) Prepare the Crumble using the ‘rubbing in’ method. 

Add the cubed butter to the flour in a bowl. 


Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it is combined.

Add in the sugars and coconut and mix till combined.


6) Top the Apple mixture with the Crumble mixture, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown.


7) Serve hot, with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of custard! 


I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Lemon and Coconut Delight Cake

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I was approached a few weeks ago by a good friend, who asked me if i didn’t mind baking a cake for the Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea to raffle off for some much needed funds. As usual i was happy to oblige, and donated this beauty to the good cause.

“When life gives you lemons… bake my Lemon and Coconut Delight Cake!”

Here’s #howididit:

1) I started off by using a vanilla cake recipe, substituting vanilla essence for coconut and lemon essence. I used the equivalent of 1tsp each. To the mixture, I added 1/2 cup of shredded coconut.


2) Once the mixture was ready, I added the zest of one lemon and gently folded that through the mixture. I then baked the cake at 180 degrees Celsius until it was golden brown and cooked.

3) As the cake was cooling  I quickly made a lemon and sugar syrup to drizzle over the cake to give it a moist texture, and to enhance the lemon flavour. Once cooled, I drizzled it over the cake and let it soak through.

4) I prepared a cream cheese buttercream recipe with 1kg icing sugar, 125g butter, and 250g cream cheese and milk as needed to make the desired texture icing. Once prepared, I set aside a bowl with 3 tblsp of icing to colour with yellow food colouring.


5) I covered the cake with the icing and smoothed the sides the best I could, with a cake smoother. I then dabbed some yellow icing around the cake, and smoothed the cake with the smoother again to get the following look:


6) I then made a white chocolate ganache for the drip effect and applied that to the top and sides of the cake.

7) Then… For the decorations, I used toasted coconut, white chocolate shards (with coconut and lemon zest),  macarons and candied lemons.


Here is the finished cake:


I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Mothers Day Honey, Coconut and Macadamia Cookies

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums and mother figures out there. I hope you have all had a wonderful day, and that you were treated like the Queens that you all are!

Last weekend, I visited The Macadamia Castle which is located between Byron Bay and Ballina In Knockrow NSW. Our little family, drive between Brisbane and Sydney several times a year, and we have become quite fond of a few stops along the way. The Macadamia Castle being one of them.

This year I decided to incorporate our road trip stops into my baking blogs, as they have been a tremendous source of inspiration for both myself and my family.

With the Pacific Highway upgrades, people tend to miss out on some of the wonders little townships have to offer, and so I am hoping my new little project “On the road with Nazzy Baker”, will inspire you to stop by these places and discover what they have to offer.

I walked out of the Macadamia Castle last Friday with a big bag of goodies and a whole heap of “bakespiration”.


The first recipe I thought I would try is a recipe for my mothers day Honey, Coconut Macadamia cookies. #hereshowididit

1) Cream 200g of softened butter with 200g of caster sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2) Add to the mixture 1 beaten egg and mix well.

3) Add a tsp of coconut essence and 1tblsp honey. (You can adjust these measurements to suit your taste)

4) Add in some chopped macadamias. I added some chopped coconut and honey flavoured macadamias, however you can use plain unsalted nuts too.

5) Add in 400g of sifted plain flour, and mix to form a cookie dough.

6) Allow the dough to rest, and heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

7) Once rested, roll out the dough and cut into required shapes. I chose hearts to show my love on Mother’s Day.

8) Place the cut cookie dough onto lined baking sheets and then bake until golden brown.

9) Allow the cookies to cool, and then package as required.

Here’s a picture of my gift :

I hope you have enjoyed this post:)

For behind the scenes baking stories, follow me on Instagram and Facebook ✌🏽

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
If you do happen to try this recipe, please share your thoughts with me 😊

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers – “Patches” a gift for my niece!

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So as not to waste a four day weekend, I decided to teach Lulu and LaiLai how to bake my favourite chocolate cake recipe. It was my nieces birthday a few weeks ago, and I hadn’t seen her to wish her happy birthday in person. Lulu, LaiLai and I decided that we would make an edible gift for Miss Mischa out of the chocolate cake!

I got to drawing a design for a teddy bear cake. I’ve always loved the “Me to You” Tatty Teddies, and especially one I had when I was a child, called Patches.

I thought that this bear would be a perfect edible gift for A little girl. Perhaps a little too perfect, as LaiLai decided that she wanted him for herself when I had finished decorating him!! That’s where bribery has its perks! 😂 I told her of my next baking project, and she was more than happy to let Patches go. 👏🏽 1 point to me!! 

Here’s #howididit:

1) I started out with the chocolate cakes that Lulu and LaiLai had baked. I will share their recipe and video in my next post.

*the cake shapes we used for the bear were: 

– 6 inch round chocolate cake

– 3 rounded cupcakes ( 2 for the feet and 1 for the nose) – this is where we improvised! I used a basketball cupcake pan to make these shapes.

– trimming from the cake mixed with icing and shaped into the bears arms. (Made in the same way as cake pops)

*tip : before dirty icing my cakes, I always drizzle sugar syrup over them to help the cake retain moisture.

2) Once shaped, dirty ice the cakes as per the pictures below:

BODY:

HEAD:

3) I then Secured the bears head to its body with a thick drinking straw. ( these can be found at your local discount variety store)

4) I  Secured the other body parts to the bear with icing and straws – another improvisation. ( the body parts will only stick if you use ganache. I used butter cream for this cake, and therefore needed to Secure the feet and nose with another straw)

5) I iced the whole body with grey buttercream, and then rolled out some grey and black fondant to make the eyes, ears, nose and the all important patches!

6) Using a Wilton piping tip (number 233 to be exact) I piped the bears fur 😍

7) Now it wouldn’t be a Nazzy Baker cake, without some bling! I had find a place to add some sparkle to Patches… and then… 💡I had an idea! I would make a balloon and bow tie out of fondant and add gold leaf to the cake! 

8) with the left over blue fondant I made a button nose to finish him off 💕

This bear is a little out of shape. I did not carve his neck enough, and I did not give his arms and legs the structure that they needed. Having said that, this cake was done in 3 hours with my two helpers. It wasn’t planned, and we had to improvise ALOT! What I’m trying to get at, is that you don’t always need fancy tools and ingredients to make a meaningful or pretty cake for a special someone… you just need the will power, a little imagination, and a recipe to follow! A lot of love for the special someone might help too 💕

On that note, keep following my blog posts as I will be posting the chocolate cake recipe shortly, as well as a video on how Lulu and LaiLai baked this cake ❤️

I leave you now with: Mischa’s Patches!!! 

I hope you have enjoyed this post:)

For behind the scenes baking stories, follow me on Instagram and Facebook ✌🏽

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
If you do happen to try this recipe, please share your thoughts with me 😊

Happy Baking!!!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Happy 1st Birthday Nazzy Baker – a little story about me 

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It’s no secret, I’ve always been fascinated by food. No matter what I do in life, I always end up right where I belong… my kitchen 😊 My love for cooking and baking is what makes me, ME!

Last year (2016) I had an idea… I decided to combine all the skills I had acquired over my years to create a blog to share my ideas and my work. I wanted to focus mainly on helping kids enjoy being in the kitchen. 

In February 2016, I lay in bed with pencils, crayons and eraser and got to work on a logo. I remembered my dad and mum doing this for their business once, and I loved how personal their logo became to them. I wanted the same for nazzybaker. 

Don’t laugh at my drawing skills, but this is what I came up with:


Without the know how, I took to the internet for help on how to turn this into a logo. That’s where I found Amrit Tigga of @artbyamrit. Amrit captured my idea with the perfect illustration for my blogs.

On the 21st March 2016, I created my very own WordPress blog. In the year that I have been baking and blogging as nazzybaker, I have managed to reach so many people all over the world. What I love most about my experience, is that I get to touch people from all walks of life with my baking.

A few weeks ago, I turned down an opportunity of a lifetime… to audition for the great Australian bake off. It was the hardest decision I think I’ve made in a long while, however, it just wasn’t the right time! Watch this space though! I know that there will be other opportunities that I will be able to pursue in future ❤

To everyone that has supported me along this journey, words cannot express my gratitude. To those who hear about my baking, day in and day out (all my work mates and my family) … I love you all so very much. Without your continued support, I would not be where I am today! ❤

I leave you now with a few pictures of my achievements over the year. I know that they may seem like a drop in the ocean to many Bakers and bloggers out there… but to me… this is everything. I am still continually learning the tricks of the trade, and ask that you continue to enjoy this journey with me!

I don’t know who my visitors are – but I appreciate your interest in me and my blog! 😘



Thank you ❤

Love: xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Biltong Cupcakes 

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My love for Biltong started many years ago, as a child growing up in Africa. When we first arrived in Australia, there weren’t many places close by that sold Biltong. In the last few years, South African shops are popping up all over the country, and especially in Brisbane, making it easier to get my hands on this delicious snack.

I’d like to make mention that Protea Foods make the best Biltong I’ve tasted in a long time! So if you would like to try it for yourself, head over to their website and order some: http://www.proteafoods.com/

Today I decided to Combine my love for baking and Biltong to create something truly spectacular! There are two ways to combine the two, ive selected the method below. Please look out for the other method at the end of this blog.

Here’s #howididit

1) I made a quick and easy vanilla cupcake recipe.


2) I chopped up one stick of Biltong into the tiniest of pieces, as shown below:


3) I then combined 3/4 of the Biltong and the cupcake batter.



4) Once combined, I spooned the mixture into black medium sized cup cases, and baked the cupcakes till golden brown at 180 degrees celcius.


5) I quickly whipped up a white Chocolate ganche and using a piping bag, piped the ganache onto the cooled cupcakes.

6) I then sprinkled the remainder of the chopped Biltong over the top, and in true Nazzy Baker style, dusted bronze luster dust and gold  glitter over the top!

The second method, of combining the biltong flavor into the cupcake, is to soak the biltong into hot milk, to infuse the flavour. Once infused, use the milk as per the recipe instructions. This method eliminates the chewy texture of the tiny pieces of biltong in the cupcake.

I hope you have enjoyed this post:)
For behind the scenes baking stories, follow me on Instagram and Facebook ✌🏽
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

If you do happen to try this recipe, please share your thoughts with me 😊
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers 1hr edible gift idea:

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To those of you that follow me on Instagram, you would know that these cookies had a “parenting moment” attached to them. The caption on my Insta story being – “wait till you hear the story behind these cookies” 😂 Well, here it is:

Last week Sunday, I braided miss L’s hair to make it easier for her to manage at her schools swimming carnival. I thought that I had done an amazing job, and felt pretty great about it till I received a message from her teacher on Monday afternoon saying that little miss had managed to get a comb stuck in her hair. 

Why? Why would she have needed to comb her hair? I would have done that? How bad is it really? I’m sure I can fix this! These were just some of the thoughts that went through my mind on the 45 minute bus ride home. ( yes I am a bit of a panic button)!

I get to my stop, and spot my husband waiting patiently for me to check the damage. I ran to the car only to find madam fast asleep with a big blue comb twisted beyond reason into the front of her curly thick hair. I tried in a panic to undo it, quickly coming to the realisation that there was no way in heck that this was going to come out without scissors. I cut the comb off, and much to my relief, she only lost about an inch off the bottom of her already layered fringe. 

This could have been so much worse though. Her teacher had spent a phenomenal amount of time after the swimming carnival to try to remove the comb, and untangled it the best she could.

I can only imagine how frustrating this must have been for her, especially after a day at the carnival and managing so many kids. In her message, the teacher apologised that she couldn’t get the comb out as if she was to blame. My heart instantly felt gratitude towards her and every other teacher out there that work tirelessly, going above and beyond for our kids ❤️

I decided that I would send something special in to school the next day to show my appreciation! Miss L got onto making a “Thank You” card for her teacher, while I got onto making these cookies. 

1 hour from start to finish, #hereshowididit:

1) I started out by making a shortbread cookie dough


2) I rolled the dough and cut out some heart shapes


3) I baked my cookies at 180 degrees Celsius until they were slightly brown and cooked


4) Once cooked, I allowed the cookies to cool, and started rolling out some marbled fondant that I had made and stored a few days prior. 

(Marbling technique used in previous blog post: https://nazzybaker.com/2016/09/29/nazzy-bakers-navy-and-ivory-marbled-cookies/)

5) Once rolled, I used the same cutter to cut heart shapes out of the fondant.


6) Once cut, I brushed each fondant heart with sugar glue and stuck each heart to a cookie.


7) I decided to add a personalised message using my cookie lettering embosser. To add a bit of bling in the usual Nazzy Baker way, I added a touch of gold leaf to each cookie 😍


8) I packaged the cookies into self adhesive cellophane bags, and then into a pretty gift box.


9) Voila! An edible gift made in an hour! 


I hope you have enjoyed this post:)

For behind the scenes baking stories, follow me on Instagram and Facebook ✌🏽

Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!

xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Raspberry, Lime and Coconut Delight Cake

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Yes it’s true. I’m officially obsessed with coconut! I literally sprinkle it into 90% of my recipes. This cake is no exception.
Here’s #howididit:

1) Start by making the Raspberry flavouring. I usually make this in bulk and freeze it for other recipes.

  • Place a 1kg bag of frozen raspberries into a saucepan with 1 cup sugar and 3tblsp water.
  • Simmer on low till the sugar is dissolved.
  • Let the mixture boil till the water evaporates and the raspberries start to break apart and make a thick sauce.
  • Using a handheld blitzer, blitz the mixture to the consistency that you prefer. I like my fruit sauces a bit chunky for texture. Here’s a picture of the one I used in this recipe:

2) Using a grater, zest 2 limes.

3) Prepare a classic vanilla cake recipe, replacing the vanilla essence with an equal quantity of coconut essence. (You can also use a coconut cake mix)

4) Add 1tblsp of the lime zest and 3tblsp of the Raspberry flavouring to the mixture, and gently fold through. Be careful not to overmix, otherwise the colour of the raspberries will bleed through the mixture. It won’t change the taste, however you will not get the beautiful marbled effect.

5) Bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius until cooked through.

6) Prepare a cream cheese frosting while the cake is cooling. I made a quick icing with 200g cream cheese and 500g sifted pure icing sugar.

7) cut the cake in half as in the picture below, and spread some of the raspberry sauce on each surface. Once soaked into the cake, spread some of the cream cheese frosting onto the bottom half. Then sprinkle a bit of lime zest and coconut over the cream cheese layer and sandwich the two halves together.

8) Frost the sides and the top of the cake with the rest of the cream cheese frosting and then decorate as you wish.

I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx

Nazzy Bakers Lime Infused White Chocolate and Raspberry Love Bites

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Looking for a quick, easy and affordable way to spoil your loved one this Valentine’s Day? In this blog post I will show you how I made the cutest edible truffles, bound to excite your partners taste buds! The combination of sweet, fruity and citrus flavour is one of a kind 🙂 

Here’s #howididit

1) Start by lightly greasing an ice cube tray or chocolate mould similar to the one below.


2) Melt some white chocolate buttons in the microwave in short 10 second bursts stirring each time.


3) Add into the chocolate, a tsp of lime zest.

4) Fill the mould partially, with the white chocolate and lime zest mixture.


5) Add to each cavity, a plump raspberry as in the picture below (upside down).


6) Top each cavity with the rest of the melted chocolate mixture.


7) At this point tap the mould/ice cube tray on the counter gently to remove any air bubbles and to even out the mixture.

8) Set in the fridge for a few hours.

9) Once set, unmould the chocolate truffles, and decorate as you wish. I have just used gold lustre dust on mine 🙂

10) Then box them, ready to surprise your loved one ❤

(Make sure you save one for yourself 😝)



I hope you have enjoyed this post:) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Facebook messenger, or by email : nazzybaker@gmail.com
Don’t forget to like and share this idea with anyone that you think would enjoy it!
xx NaZzYbAkEr xx