Polka Dot Cake

We have had another Birthday in our household!

My youngest turned seven yesterday.

Gosh time goes by so quickly......

Thanks to Pinterest I found a polka dot cake

The original recipe is here

I didn't follow all the instructions ..... for many reasons

first one was because I was running out of time and had to use the ingredients in my cupboard - the other was the recipe was written for US baking not Australian....

I had no idea what pudding mix was??

or flour baking spray etc

I think a trip out to Costco before baking would have helped me!!

Anyway my first attempt went ok,

could have been better but Ms 7 was happy enough. 

The cake pop balls took four attempts, I was ready to give up. 

The batter had to be very thick and the pan needed to be sprayed and flour coated for the cakes to come out of the pan - I made the presumption that it was a non stick pan and I could get away with just using baking spray.... and it stuck like no tomorrow.

MUST USE BAKING SPRAY & FLOUR

so after my fourth attempt I had some colourful cake pop cake balls  

My second mistake was making butter cakes as the main cake, I thought I needed a moist dense cake - I was worried about the polka dots drying out.

It did work BUT as a double layered cake it was too much cake - a lighter fluffy cake would have been better.

I iced the cake with a simple butter cream icing - I used four times the quantity in the recipe to cover the whole cake and the middle.

To keep it simple I used chocolate freckles to decorate the outside.

Not the best picture in the world, this is from my Instagram feed - as you can see the polka dots worked.... but more Polka Dots would have been good. 

I thought I packed them in pretty tight in the cake tin, I had around 15 polka dots in each layer. I think I was being a little too careful and should have crammed in a few more. 

So Voila - Ms 7's birthday cake 

I'd love to know if you have any tips or tricks? 

Xx Siobhan 

Easter

Hi!

Today was the first time in weeks that I made a little project that I can share :)

Easter is nearly upon us and I hadn't done/ made anything Easter related - too busy working on huge quilts. 

So it was nice today to make a little placemat and have a finished product in a day!

I think its nice to have small achievable projects every now and then (in between the big ones)

Finished Size 13 X 14 inches

1- I used a Liberty Lifestyles print as my main background and cut 4 X 5inch Squares

I bought this Liberty print last week at Calico & Ivy Balmain - They are closing down early May 2013 and have lots of fabric reduced

2 - I then chose 5 coordinating fabrics 1.5 inch wide and joined them together - These are for the egg shape. 

2 - I then cut the pieced strips into 4 X 4 inch squares.

 3/4 - to create the egg shape I used the drunkards path method of curved piecing and made my own paper oval template.

5 - Square off your easter egg block

6 - I framed the block with 1.5 inch strip of purple and then a 2 inch strip of the Liberty print again

I used another liberty print for the binding 

2.5 inch strip selvedge to selvedge in length.

Which was a scrap in my scrap basket! Never throw out any Liberty Fabric! no matter how small!

Now I just have to make one for everyone in the family :-/

ohh and in other brief news

I have a quilt in the Easy Quilts Summer edition of Fons & Porter :)

and

 in my last post I forgot to add Australian stores that might have stock of Lotta Jansdotters "Bella" Fabric

Which is really bad of me :(

Australian stores need our business

If you have an Australian online store I don't mind sharing your links - It might take me awhile but I will eventually respond to you and post info!

I'm not one to advertise or do sponsored posts, usually because I'm not organised not because I have any issue with them.

All that "stuff" takes up time that I could be sewing! Although it could actually make me some $$, 

One day I'll be organised and have ads/ sponsors or something!

anyway Helen emailed me saying she had stock of Lotta Jansdotter fabrics

Finger Tip Fabrics - An online store based in Brisbane, Australia

Anyway Now I really am off!

kids, homework Dinner etc

Xx Siobhan 

Seasonal Cooking - Fig Tart

On arrival back home after nearly three weeks away on our Summer Holiday up North I set off to do some grocery shopping and came home with copious amounts of Fruit.

In summer the kids basically live in the pool and feast on Mangoes,Bananas,Watermelon & lots of stone fruits. 

To my surprise the fruit shop also had lots of locally grown boxes of Figs at a great price, I tend to think of Figs as an Autumn fruit... I looked it up and I was very surprised to see Figs had two seasons of produce a year. 

One in Autumn and one in late Summer.

You learn something new every day...

anyway

I love figs

Savoury or sweet and they always photograph beautifully!

We have been living off them (40 in the box)and the last of the figs started to ripen quickly.

Sydney has been a strange one in the last few days or so with its weather.

 Our second day home (Friday) saw the hottest recorded weather in Sydney's history!

The inside of our house was 40c at one stage.

Thankfully that evening a lovely cool southerly change came through.

which meant come saturday I could bake and use up the last of the ripening figs.

Fig Tart Recipe 

Set a fan forced oven at 170c

Short Crust pastry

I have used a very high quality store bought shortcrust pastry that I try to always have in my freezer. In this tart I used a combination of two flavours.

1 sheet of Dark Chocolate short crust pastry

1/2 a sheet of Vanilla bean sweet short crust pastry

prepare and cook the pastry shell to store bought (or your own recipe) instructions.

I used the dark chocolate short crust on the base and the vanilla short crust on the sides (refer to picture below)

Tart Filling

1 cup hazelnut meal

300g double thick cream

1/2 cup plain flour

6 table spoons brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla paste

3 teaspoons *fig Vino Cotto

mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl until it forms a paste. Spoon into the prepared tart shell and spread out evenly.

*instead of Vino Cotto you could use any liquids from water to a liquor such as Frangelico.

13 Figs

wash and cut the figs in half and place on top of tart filling, pushing down slightly.

Bake in a fan forced oven at 170c for 45 minutes or until the filling is set and browned (make sure to turn the tart for even browning). Take the tart out of the oven and let it cool before serving.

Serve with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream 

I unfortunately didn't get a chance to take a proper picture of the finished result as the tart was taken straight from the oven to a friends house :)

here is my average Instagram photo below.

Happy Baking 

Xx Siobhan

Holiday Blog - Playing Tourist in my own city - Sydney

We are currently on winter school holidays here in Sydney. The temperature is a lovely but chilly 16c.

Often between work - kids & school I don't get out and about in my own city & I forget that we have some great stuff to see. 

I have a long list of things I'd like to see over the next two weeks whilst the kids are on break. 

I've finished up most of my magazine work, leaving only paper work to do and treating these holidays as a staycation - Tourists in our own city.

Today I packed up the kids and headed over to Cockatoo island located in Sydney Harbour.

We met up with friends - five adults and twelve kids!

Everyone had a great day.

Cockatoo Island is part of the current Sydney Biennale. I've added a few pictures of some of the art installations.

If you have a chance to check it out I highly recommend it & you never know who you will bump into! I was surprised at how many people we saw including having a quick chat with Saffron Craig - Sydney is such a small town...

Not sure what day trip is next...... Any suggestions?

Xx Siobhan

Thinking back......

Memories are funny things

They pop up at the oddest time.

This little basinet was bought 11 years ago for my number 2 baby, Its been given back to us recently after doing the rounds of a number of friends & family with new Bubs. I like the idea that lots of new little lives have had a snooze in it. 

I'm preparing it for storage - That is unless any of my friends have news they would like to share!

It flashed me back to the time my little Bea (hence Bea Spoke Quilts in case any of you ever wondered) was born. 

When I was pregnant with Bea I use to go to my Nana & Grandpa's house every wednesday and bring lunch with me.

 My eldest was nearly two and we would have a lazy day playing, gardening, eating and I would sneak off to Nana's sewing room and make things for the baby that was coming.

I made a sweet little sheet set and matching quilt, embroidering it with the year and a little message of love. I didn't know if we where having a boy or girl so I went with red purple & green colours. I was very impressed with myself. 

  Bea was born a month early and for three weeks we where unsure what would happen - Thankfully she thrived and came home.

I wish I had more pictures of the quilt. It was pre digital and never occurred to me to take a picture. It was stolen from my pram one day at the shops I was so upset, it still upsets me that someone would steal a handmade quilt from a stroller. The only picture I have is this one with little Bea on it.I still have the sheet set, its packed away in storage.

The patchwork & quilting industry has changed in the last 10 years. 

The availability and types of fabric for one. The books & magazines, blogs bricks and mortar shops...... 

We have so many choices now when it comes to making and decorating.

When I'm teaching lots of people are decking out a room for their children.

I love being able to help students make quilts. The idea that they are creating things for family and friends and I have facilitated the process is a very nice feeling!

Equally nice is when I get emails from people who have created Quilts using my Patterns from Magazines. 

This one is From Jerry - her niece was moving to the big smoke in New York and Jerry has made a beautiful quilt for her out of my pattern in Modern Patchwork

I love the skyline fabric she has used.I hope your Niece loved it Jerry! and thanks for sharing it with me.

I'd love to know what your all making and who its for

Xx Siobhan 

Little miss 5 - Quilt update

Apologies for the rough photo's 

Its been a big week for our house.

this is the quilt that I was putting together back here. I framed the blocks again & then decided on white sashing. 

I'm still contemplating another boarder of the two Heather Ross fabrics - I'll see how I go.

What do you think? I hope she likes it

part of the reason for mayhem in our house this week was because it was ANZAC day on wednesday in Australia. 

Our family marks the day by taking the kids to the march in the city & then coming home and having a snack of ANZAC biscuits that I have baked. there are lots of recipes floating around, I used this one.

Just a little tip

If you want flat biscuits - bake at a high temperature for 10 minutes

If you want round biscuits that are soft on the inside - bake on a low temp for 15/20 minutes

Brown sugar will give you a darker biscuit

White sugar will give you a golden biscuit

I used dark brown sugar, which is why this batch are so dark

I baked these at 150c in a fan forced oven for 15 minutes

Back to my multiple tasks that need finishing!

Xx Siobhan

International news ;)

One of my latest exciting ventures!

One of my quilts is on the cover and a few more inside

go here to order your copy

Modern Patchwork

Xx Siobhan

lets finish this up shall we

This one somehow seemed to get folded and put away?!........

I started it November last year.... opps

Its the Starry Starry night quilt made out of flannel & hand quilted.

I'm determine to finish this week!

wish me luck

Xx Siobhan