I make it no secret that I am a singleton this year. Just like last year and the year before that. Honestly I have not missed the partner commitment because these three years I found a new love. A love for baking and cooking for my family, friends and myself.
Well I am telling all the single people to not waste your time going to speed dates, bar and sports grounds this year. This year I am spending the 14th cooking for the people I love the most. The people who have put up with my short ends, cried with me and used my living quarters as a storage unit. My friends who have grown to know my reputation and accept my “slowness” on popular culture; and accept that I would always start a conversation with ” Would you like to try my latest (cookie, cake, bread, pudding cup etc..)?”
The hardest relationship of all has to be accepting myself. I know most people have gone through the stages where they despise themselves. Looking in the mirror makes you want to barf and you grab the skin on your body, hoping that you will magically turn into the play doh where you can model yourself all over again. Late at night hitting your head on the open sea of text books, giving anything to have the words transfer into your Hippocampus.
I maintain the same philosophy for every post I place on here. I actually want to eat it. So if you track the post, there are phases of wanting pastry, bread, cake and desserts. I will never post anything just for shake of it looking good. Even some savoury meals are in there because I felt the need to share a recipe even a cooking novice can do.
If I wanted to do that I would post pastel layer cakes, cupcakes and macarons all the time but that is not me.
There are no red roses around here. I have no boxes of chocolates or giant novelty teddies at my doorstep. I can not stand red and pink colours in general, so this holiday is a colour eye sore. Rainbow colours are much more fun! Also it much more family and friends friendly if you get my drift.
After being more sociable on the food blog network, I discovered a whole host of blog I instantly feel in love with. Not only where they creation delicious recipes, with flawless images but they were one than one-dimensional bloggers. Introducing us into their lives, post recipes from fancy desserts to single person meals and having a personality that could bring a smile to anyones face.
Molly from mynameisyeh has to be of latest food blog crushes with her use of simple design, marzipan figures and the cutest smile on the internet. Her Mini trashed up vanilla cake were the inspiration for these too! However this post also is highlighting a few others.
Mandy (ladyandpups) direct and unapologetic style of food writing. That egg picture is haunting my food dreams.
Stephanie (iamfoodblog) ability to turn any food mini is like a super power.
Cynthia (Two Red Bowls) because she is the modern up town goddess of the kitchen welding a DRSL as her sceptre.
Thaila ( Butter and Brochie), a fellow Australian with baking skills I dream of having one day. Also here instagram account had me going crazy in a good way.
So these are my love letter mini loaf cakes. “XOXO” is the thing most of us put that on the end of any messages we write. A simple message dictating our hugs and kisses that we wish we could give them when we are away. I drew my inspiration this year from this universal message of love to create these sprinkle dotted whipping cream loaf cakes. This recipe is my “XOXO” mini whipping cream loaf cakes. They are dead easy and all you need a good recipe of butter cream and lots of rainbow candy for decorating.
‘If you have never tired folding in whipped cream into your cake batter; I seriously recommend it! Learning this trick from thekitchn, I was weary at the beginning but I had the chance to try white cake recently and I found it too tempting not to try. Well that and the cream had to be use up before the use by date…
The extra fat in the cream prevents the dryness, makes it tender and fluffy. However I left it in a bit too long. Oppies but it still tasted great.
These little candies I found in the supermarket which can all be purchase from major stores. Star burst lollies, sprinkles and candy covered candies can be found readily in Australia; so use your faves here. The candies are great fruit addition to the vanilla strength of the cake that comes from the clear vanilla extract. However the X and O are perfect for this theme. If I can get another packet soon I might try a game themed cake featuring these two characters 😉
Anyway here is my Hugs and kisses to all my followers, food bloggers I love, Family and friends. I hope you have a wonderful Saturday and I wish you all sweet day with the people you care about. Eat an extra slice for me. 🙂
“XOXO” mini whipping cream loaf cakes
Should make about 6-8 cakes depending on how much you fill them.
FOR CAKE
200g plain flour
30g corn flour
12g baking powder
5g salt
200g caster sugar
4 egg whites
1 whole egg
150ml cream, room temp
8ml clear vanilla flavour
135g , cold butter, cubed
extra 60ml cream, chilled
1/4 cup of sprinkles (optional)
FOR BUTTERCREAM
250g unsalted butter, soften
3-5g fine sea salt
5ml vanilla extract
450g icing sugar, shifted
20ml-30ml sour cream
FINISHES
Mini Candies, sprinkles, Candy coated chocolates
CAKE
Pre heat oven to 180C. Grease and line a mini loaf tin with baking paper. Set aside
Sieve flour, corn flour, salt and baking powder in to the stand mixer bowl or large bowl if using a hand mixer. Set aside. In a jug mix room temp 60ml cream, eggs, egg whites and clear vanilla. Set aside.
Whisk cold cream in a bowl to soft peaks. Set aside.
On a low-speed using the paddle attachment or non whisk beaters (hand mixers), begin to combine the butter and flour in the bowl. Add one piece of a butter at a time for hand mixers but stand mixer users can place all the butter in nat once. Do this to all butter is combined into flour.
Add the remaining milk. Mix for 30 seconds till combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture slowly while the beaters are running. When combined turn it on to high and mix for 4 minutes. It should turn white and fluffy.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and fold in the whipped cream slowly till just combined. Add sprinkles and fold if using. Pour into the mini lined loaf tin and flatten surface gently with a mini palette knife.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a stick of uncooked spaghetti comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove cakes to wire rack.
BUTTER CREAM
In a stand mixer place butter and sea salt. Whip with paddle mixer to light and fluffy, this helps it to dissolve. I normally do this for 7 minutes, scraping the bowl well.
Add vanilla and beat well. In small batches all the icing sugar and beat. Make sure it returns to the creamy, white texture before adding the next batch. Use the sour cream to thin out the mix if yours is too thick.
ASSEMBLY
Place butter cream in piping bag fitted with a large star. Pipe in any fashion to cool cakes. I used a variety, so go crazy!
Add the lollies in the X and O order, sprinkle or use candies chocolates.
Fridge for 30 mintues before serving.