Stunning things happen when Nordic influence meets Japan in Sydney’s newest cafe in Darlinghurst. More words (not mine) on Broadsheet!
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Tags: cafe, coffee, darlinghurst, edition coffee roasters
I can’t tell you why I feel it all around whenever I hear the word affogato. The mere thought of that holy combination of life giving caffeine and a dairy-based dessert gets me weak at the knees and foggy in the head. Perhaps it’s old memories of my dad pressing ice cream into latte glasses with the gaze and conviction of a man on a mission, or maybe it was that time in Italy in 2008 when I asked a friend to order me an affogato, and once I returned from a neighbouring ATM I caught her pronouncing “aff-row-JAHHHH-teee” with such gusto only to have everybody within earshot laughing so loud she refused to speak to me for a while. I’m sorry. But I still say “aff-row-JAHHHH-teee” sometimes.
Or, maybe it’s because I know how to do fake ice cream on cakes well.
Whatever the case, it was a pleasure and a privilege to bake a big cake for The Makers Society Great Bake Swap at The Hop and Grain last weekend. Assembly instructions are below in terrible animated glory, but as for the “recipe”: I used Tartine’s devil food cake recipe to bake two cakes sliced in half; the icing is Linda Lomelino’s chocolate fudge frosting with the addition of some dissolved instant coffee (replace some of the milk and add to taste) and the drippy chocolate is nothing but ganache (dark chocolate and cream) with a couple of tablespoons of glucose / corn syrup. For the fake ice cream, throw some buttercream in a bowl, freeze it, scoop out some rounds with an ice cream scoop then re-freeze them for easy stacking. I was lazy and used compound chocolate for garnishing, except the Sydney sun was merciless that day and annihilated my rustic spokes. I forgot to take some photos at home before the event (unless instagram counts) so thank you ladies for being so patient with me as I spent too long trying to take a decent photo and thank you for sharing my aff-row-jahhh-teee cake.
Tags: cake, chocolate, coffee, makers society, the great bake swap, the hop and grain
An inherently bad thing about the posting of #clientwork on this #sydneyfoodblog is that I have no means to ride in on my humble-high-horse spraying snarky and/or self-loathing anecdotes, lest I seem unprofessional. “This minestrone soup was inspired by a voyage of self discovery”, or, “be sure to add a pinch of cinnamon to this ice cream recipe; a little hint of spice alludes to all of my sadness, oh my.”
Instead, all I can offer is my repetitive notion of progress, and all that. A few months ago I was asked to take some photos for The Rocks as part of their new branding surrounding Aroma Festival (a celebration of everything coffee and chocolate) and a few other events. A select few ended up on a billboard and flying on flags across Sydney’s CBD, an obnoxious yet temporary reminder that hard work always, always pays off. Looks like all of those coffee pour photos were good for something. Living the IRL life is the IRL dream.
Anyway, started form the bloggosphere now we here. Art direction by Ed Hall at Interbrand – I’m very grateful to be part of this amazing project.
Tags: aroma festival, baroque, chocolate, coffee, fine food store, paramount coffee project, the rocks
Single Origin Roasters: where coffee rules and so does their salmon dish, the beards are abundant and the service isn’t just friendly, it’s a straight up party. Photo bombers run rampant (it’s a good thing). And now they’re open on Saturdays!
Tags: coffee, single origin roasters, surry hills
Steven is a beautiful friend of mine I miss every day. His presence in my world is testament that life can work in mysterious ways. Should he still be with us today would be his 30th Birthday – and what a day! There’s such beautiful sunshine here in Sydney inviting us into Spring.
We met a show five years ago and continued seeing shows together like the sweet indie kids we were at the time. Coincidentally we ended up working only doors away from each other so every second-or-so afternoon we would meet in a downstairs cafe, order two coffees and discuss the day’s events. To this day a cappuccino will always remind me of dear Captain Steve who is my inspiration to this lovely recipe – replicating this warming friendship via a warming beverage with warming cake . This will serve 12 lucky caffeine fiends.
Cappuccino Cupcakes for Steven
(an original recipe)
150 g butter (room temperature)
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
2 shots (60 ml) espresso
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs dutch-process cocoa
Espresso Syrup
3 shots (90 ml) espresso
1/4 cup sugar
Vanilla Buttercream
100 g butter (room temperature)
2 cups icing sugar mixture
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs milk
extra cocoa, for dusting
wafers, chocolate-covered coffee beans for decoration
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12-cupcake pan with cupcake liners of your choosing.
2. In a bowl, beat butter for a few minutes until it begins to pale. Add sugar and eggs, one at a time. Beat until fluffy.
3. Add flour, espresso, milk, vanilla and cocoa and beat until combined and light.
4. Divide mixture between your cupcake liners – they should be around 3/4 full. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are springy to touch.
5. While the cupcakes are baking in a small saucepan combine your espresso and sugar. Allow to boil and leave on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes without stirring until the mixture thickens to a syrup. Be wary of leaving it too long or it will become toffee.
6. As soon as your cupcakes are removed from the oven lightly prick them a few times with a fork and spoon your espresso syrups over the tops. This will take a few scoops as you must allow the syrup to slowly seep into the cake before the next. Allow to cool.
7. To prepare the vanilla buttercream beat the butter and icing sugar until just beginning to combine. Add the vanilla and slowly add milk until you reach the desired texture.
8. To assemble: prepare a piping bag and carefully ice your cupcakes. There’s no need to apply too much as the cupcakes are already quite sweet; we want to create a nice base to replicate the froth of a cappuccino. Lightly dust with additional cocoa and adorn with wafers or any other relevant candies of your choosing.
Life is precious and I’m so sorry I couldn’t make these for him sooner. Happy Birthday, my wonderful friend! We miss you.