Rich Vegan Fruit Loaf (dairy-free, egg-free)

There’s nothing quite like a thick slab of fruit loaf with a steaming mug of tea. Especially when you’re chained to your desk writing a thesis. I really adore this loaf because it is so moist, so filling and so downright rich you don’t even notice that it’s vegan.

I also love this loaf because it’s flexible. If you hadn’t noticed by now, my favourite recipes have a little wriggle room and can be readily adapted for what’s in the pantry. 

Oat Fruit & Nut Cookies

Hey folks!

Whenever I bake cookies I always seem to end up raving about how much I love baking cookies… and this post is no exception! These biscuits really are great, especially because they are soooooo flexible. You can add whatever you want, and you can make the dough in advance, and just bake ’em when you’re ready! When I made these, I prepared the dough on the weekend (which really doesn’t take very long) and kept it in the fridge so on a weeknight I could quickly whip up fresh cookies to take to work the next day. So easy!

Alison Holst’s Lemon Square

Keep Calm & Cake

——————-UPDATED, ORIGINAL POST BELOW——————-

Welcome!

I decided that since this was the most popular recipe on my blog, it was probably time it got updated with some slightly nicer photos! I’m really not that into food photography (who has time for that?! I want to taste my food, not look at it!). I know this post is only getting so many hits because I’m kind of piggy backing off Dame Alison Holst’s reputation, but I honestly mean this as a respectful tribute to her. So, thanks for stopping by my blog, I hope you find this recipe helpful. It really is delicious!

This slice consists of a shortbread base with a sticky lemon topping. Very tasty.

I wrote this post when I had found out that Dame Alison Holst, the great Kiwi cook, had dementia and was no longer cooking. I grew up learning to cook and bake from her recipe…

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Chocolate & Prune Cake

For most of my life, there has been one thing, and one thing only, that I associate with prunes. Can you guess what it is?! 😉

Fibre. Yep, prunes have always been strongly associated in my mind with the gut, and getting things moving. So when I noticed that two of my newest cookbooks contained recipes for Chocolate Prune Cakes, I was intrigued. Could I really eat prunes without it being for dietary reasons?

Mix & Match Ricotta Cake

I recently discovered a recipe that I loved so much, I made it twice within the space of three days! I found it in my newest cookbook, Honey & Co: The Baking Book. The moment I laid eyes on that glossy, glorious, fruit and nut-laden cake, I knew I had to give it a go. I’m not the hugest fan of heavily iced cakes, so cakes that are stunning without icing really appeal to me.

The book delightfully compares this recipe to a game of Chinese whispers, in that it changes with every person who it passes through.

In praise of the humble banana loaf

Until yesterday, I never quite realised just how important banana loaf was to me. You see, it has always been a part of my life, something familiar and comforting, but something to which I never really paid a lot of attention. You see, banana loaf isn’t really anything special, but it has always been there in the background of life.

Apricot and Fig Loaf

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the love for my last post! Such a nice welcome back to the blogging world after a few months off!

When I was in Melbourne, I had a delicious Fig and Apricot loaf for brunch one day. It was served with ricotta and honey and was just superb! I thought I’d try replicating it at home. I modified this recipe from Poires au Chocolat, and it turned out amazing! I didn’t have any pecans, so I used a mixture of almonds and walnuts. It’s fragrant, dense and filling. Perfect with a cup of tea!

Feijoa and Coconut Cake (gluten and dairy-free)

Well, we truly are in the throes of autumn. While it’s sad to farewell the sun, autumn yields some amazing fruit as a consolation. I am delighting in feijoas, persimmons and tamarillos. This truly is my absolute favourite thing about autumn – the daily gorge of seasonal fruit. Yum!

Hot Cross Buns

Easter is approaching! It is now acceptable to eat Hot Cross Buns and Easter Eggs! Yes!!!

I love Hot Cross buns – fruity and spicy, slathered with butter and served warm with a cup of tea, they make for a perfect Autumn snack. I am not much of a purist and also adore chocolate-flavoured Hot Cross Buns… perhaps I’ll try making some of them soon too.

Chocolate, Pear and Pecan Cupcakes

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the lapse in posting, we moved house and were without a functioning fridge or internet for about two weeks. We’re finally starting to settle down, but it has taken a toll on my baking!

This week I made cupcakes by adapting another recipe from Jordan Rondel’s The Caker. She’s going to be publishing a new book later this year, and I’m excited!