Early morning rise

This morning I woke up at 4.30am when my son called out from his room. I was daft and checked the time before I went in, which meant as soon as I got back to bed, I knew it was almost time to get up and my head didn't let me go back to sleep. I started thinking about all the meetings I have on today, then about some of the projects I have at work, then about what we're doing for Mother's Day, then I checked Facebook and Instagram (surprisingly not many updates from last night). Then I started asking myself if I should just get up and if I did get up, what I could do... This all feels less crazy when I'm lying there in these moments than it does writing it out now. Anyway, I remembered a recipe I found the other week for a sticky bun. It takes about 20 minutes prep time, an hour to rise and then about 30 minutes to bake. I didn't have the time last week, however being awake so early this morning and knowing I'm leaving for work a bit later today, I thought "why not get up now and make that bun!". So, I did. And here it is in it's gooey, warm, goodness! YUM. Hope your breakfast was as delicious ;-).

Doh... no syrup

Today is Anzac Day. Traditionally on Anzac Day, one makes Anzac Cookies - golden, chewy, delicious biscuits made mainly of oats, butter and golden syrup. I am not making Anzac Cookies today though, as yesterday in the supermarket the golden syrup was completely sold out. Not to be derogatory, but it reminds me of when I was growing up and having to go to church every Sunday morning. It would be easy to get a park and easy to find a seat - not many people went. However, come a Christian holiday and you'd have to cram yourself into the church and either squeeze between people for a seat or stand at the back. I actually fainted on two occasions when young, as the air-flow was bad, it was hot (Queensland and our church was old and without air-conditioning) and their were too many people. So, to link that story back to my original... NO GOLDEN SYRUP! All the one-day-a-year cookie bakers were prepared and bought the store out before I got there. I know I could have gone to another shop in search of syrup, but to be honest, I couldn't be bothered. So instead I'm attempting some "real" doughnuts. By referring to them as "real", I mean I am using yeast and frying them, yum yum.

Happy RSPCA cupcake day

Today is RSPCA Cupcake Day. I never had a dog growing up, and even now I don't have any pets (a toddler is enough work), but I was still excited about baking today. Yes, it's raising money for a charity, so yay to yes, but I'm more excited about being able to show off my cupcakes to the team at work and seeing what everyone else has made. 

I saw a post on raspberri cupcakes blog a while ago and really wanted to give it a go. I thought a work bake-off was the perfect occasion! I was a little concerned though that one batch of cupcakes wouldn't be enough, so I got up at 5am this morning and made a batch of double chocolate cupcakes with a sour cream ganach. The smell of chocolate that early in the morning was a bit overwhelming, also proabably aided in the tantrum my toddler through as I tried to get us out of the door in time. Oh well, it was all worth it as we rasied over $250. Happy cupcake day everyone!

Something golden to brighten up a rainy day off

The last two weeks in Brisbane have been amazing. The weather has been perfect - sun shining bright and clouds no where to be seen. The temperature's been a bit on the cold side (for Brisbane), but the warm sun during the day has made being outside bliss. With the weather so lovely, I decided it was a great time to finally take some days off and relax. I really should have taken time off last week, as this week has been overcast and wet! I need to make the best out of the situation, so I invited my friend over for a play date with her two gorgeous girls. And when I invite guests over, I bake. With the weather not clearing, I thought something sweet and warming would hit the spot. I found the below recipe and knew I had to try it. The buns were delicious fresh from the oven and not too sweet (will use more golden syrup next time). Definitely worth a try next time you have friends over!

Something for the kids that Mummy will love

It's no secret I like to bake. It relaxes me, it gives me an avenue to show off, it confirms I am actually good at something. So, when I'm invited to someone's house, I generally like to bring something homemade. Whenever my friend Dani invites my son and I over for a play date, she specifically tells me not to bake - so of course, I always bake.

Luckily, whenever I bake for Dani, I don't feel like I need to bring something overly healthy, like oat bars or date slice. Not saying she injects her kids full of sugar or doesn't feed them properly, just that she's a pretty cool and level headed Mum.

I had some passionfruit in the fruit bowl so wanted to base my treats on that. I did a quick search of my "go to" recipe site and found these Vanilla Custard and Passionfruit Scrolls. I love custard and remember whenever we use to visit people as kids, my parents would buy a bun - my favourite was always the custard bun. So, these scrolls are an homage to my parent's "drop in" days as well as a delicious treat for kids and mummies!