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joy!
Dad is finally home from a long hospital stint having conquered another of life's "little setbacks". No stranger to ill health, he leads by example in the quietest of ways.
Back in Sydney and into the third trimester - eeek - feeling time fly and my centre of gravity shift. Still disorganised...yet to fork out the cash for a new car seat, or collect the beautiful Miyo hammock my generous friend is lending us. Dan is continually awesome and says he can't wait to hold our second baby soon. And here sits Lily - joy personified as she slides down a hill and beams at the sky.
Gluten-free lemon cake
Last week I showed you Molly's birthday cake which was a coloured lemon cake shaped into a house. I made four of the cakes, colouring each one differently to make the house. I kept the bits of cake I trimmed off and made cake pops with them (coming later this week!)
As promised here is the recipe:
Gluten free lemon flavoured cake (makes one square cake)
Ingredients
3 large eggs (200g eggs)
200g gluten-free self raising flour
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp lemon flavouring
Food colouring
What you will need
Square cake tin
Non-stick baking paper
Cooling rack
Cooking instructions
- Heat oven to 190C (fan 170C) or gas mark 5.
- Butter square tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
- In a food mixer, beat all of the ingredients, except the food colouring, until you have a smooth soft batter.
- Gradually add food colouring and whisk until you get the desired colour (please note that colour intensifies with cooking).
- Pour batter into cake tin and smooth the surface using a spatula.
- Bake in oven for about 25-30 mins until top is golden and cake springs back when gently pressed.
- Turn cake out onto cooling rack and leave to completely cool.
Butter cream frosting (500g)
Ingredients
- 100g butter, softened
- 80g sifted icing sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
Cooking instructions
- Whisk butter and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.
- Gradually whisk in icing sugar.
Assembling the cake
What you will need
1 pink coloured 7in square lemon cake
1 red coloured 7in square lemon cake
1 green coloured 7in square lemon cake
1 turquoise coloured 7in square lemon cake
500g butter cream frosting
Apricot jam
2 packets of Pink Panther gluten free vanilla wafers
Roll on icing (fondant icing)
Pale blue M&M's
Fondant leaves and flowers
- Place one cake on a cutting board and trim off top of cake using a cake wire cutter.
- Turn upside down and trim off bottom of cake so that you remove any browned off parts.
- Repeat with other three cakes.
- Spread a thin layer of butter cream on top of red cake and place pink cake on top.
- Spread a thin layer of butter cream on top of pink cake and place blue cake on top.
- Spread a thin layer of butter cream on top of blue cake and place green cake on top.
- Using a bread knife, trim off sides of cake so all browned off cake is removed.
- Carefully cut green cake layer at a 45 degree angle so you have a triangle of green cake from either side. Turn the triangles of green cake upside down and place on top of cake so you have the roof.
- Using a spatula cover cake in a thin layer of apricot jam.
- Knead roll-on icing into a ball.
- Dust icing sugar onto a hard clean surface and roll out two thirds of the roll-on icing to 3mm thick.
- Lift up icing using rolling pin.
- Placing centre of icing at tip of roof, smooth icing down roof and sides of house. Trim off any excess icing at bottom and from the front.
- Repeat steps 11 and 12 with half the remainder of roll on icing and place on front of house. Smooth down and remove any excess icing from all sides.
- Repeat step 14 for back of house.
- Lightly push brick mat into icing to get brick effect.
- Push pink decorative balls into joins of icing down sides of house.
- Cut wafers in half and separate.
- Spread apricot jam on the under side of wafer and stick to iced roof. Repeat until roof is covered. Use wafers for door and windows.
- Pipe buttercream along top of roof and push M&M's into icing.
- Secure leaves and flowers to house with small dollop of buttercream icing.
Enjoy!
Have a sweet day!
Defining 'real'
My post yesterday had an amazingly positive reaction from everyone... but oddly enough reading back over what I said has left me feeling a bit hollow. I think there is more to this.
Because what does 'letting it all hang out' even mean exactly?
A blog I newly discovered yesterday was kind enough to tag me in her post. In it she questioned the normality of people like Rachel Zoe and her newly minted baby Skyler (seemingly brought to the world sponsored by Gucci, Louis Vuitton et al). Or whether Jennifer Hawkins was 'keeping it real' as the Marie Claire cover girl left untouched to show body flaws and body acceptance. Another blogger I love wondered why SJP had staged a photo shoot to imply that she was a 'hands on' mum. And many who commented on my post yesterday defined 'real' as being brave enough to reveal a messy house or even a messy soul. To put it all out there into the blogisphere and wait to see what comes back.
But what is real?
Rachel Zoe and SJP's reality is certainly different to mine. But are they any less real because they have loads of cash and live in a world of designer clothes and accessories? Just because they have a nanny, are they really 'pretending to be real' when they talk about being a mother?
I'm sure Jennifer Hawkins flaws are very real to her. Was she any less brave to do what she did because we think her face and body are flawless? Surely you're allowed to be beautiful and real at the same time.
As much as I know that they are not 'reality', would I really want to look at 'Home Reals' instead of 'Home Beautifuls'? Just look at the pictures I choose for my blog!
In reality, are the 'over-styled' blogs and lives that I enjoy banging on about so much any less real to the people who created them?
I guess I don't know their reality. They don't reveal it. But maybe that's the point.
Some bloggers are amazingly candid and their lives are open for all. I admire that, but I don't think that's necessarily the only way to 'keep it real' on the blogs. When I get stuck into a great blog, all I really ask is for honesty, self-expression and ownership. I just want that blogger to be proud to be themselves.
For me, my blog is as real as me (I've written about this before). I don't share anything on here that I wouldn't share in person. I like my world to look good and smell good and I guess my blog looks good and smells good too. I'm an honest writer, I write exactly how I talk (minus the swearing!). Sometimes I write things that I choose not to share but it's no more or less than I share in any other aspect of my life.
My house is not particularly messy. My life is not particularly messy. If 'messy' is what's real, then I don't really have a lot to say. Unlike more personal 'day in the life' sort of blogs, I don't really write about my everyday life, so you don't really know what my 'every day' is like. But I'm authentic, I'm me, I don't hold me back one little bit.
I don't cover up the cracks.
I don't 'theme' my life.
I don't pretend to be something I'm not.
I don't shy away from the hard bits.*
I don't back up the truck.
I think you can always tell when a blogger isn't being true to themselves but I guess what I'm trying to say is that it takes all kinds of people to make a world and it takes all those kinds of to make a blogging world too.
If you live a little bit in your dreams, then of course you're dreamy in blogland and I'm delighted to dream alongside you.
If you 'blog light' and share only what you want to, then I'm just honoured that you shared at all.
And if you 'blog heavy' and reveal more of yourself on your blog than anywhere else, I guess part of me is wondering why, but the bigger part is very, very glad.
So, if it's okay by you, I'll repeat what I said yesterday, but with a very important qualifier.
So, keep letting it all hang out there, bloggers of the world. I embrace you and the wind you threw your caution to.... Because the very act of blogging is brave. No matter how you choose to express yourself. No matter how deep you choose to go.
Blogging is brave. But living is even braver. Why should blogging be 'more real' than life?
What does 'real' mean to you?
* Most of the time.
[Image found here]
last weekend
we headed up a mountain to enjoy a change of scenery. celebrated a special birthday & enjoyed time as a family. the trees & crisp mountain air was a welcome change. blue skies reminded me that spring & sunshine should be with us soon. my favorite season.
I Heart Faces: Eyes!
My nephew wanted his picture taken as I was preparing for a photo shoot because he had a cool cowboy vest on. We ended up with tons of silly pictures. I have always thought he has beautiful eyes and eye lashes!
Giveaway Winner Announced!
By pick of Random.org the winner of the $30 shop credit to Katie Lloyd Photography: Mommy Makes is......
comment #2 of 90...
Tara at Tugboat's photography journal!
Tara said...
I am a follower through GFC
Congrats Tara! Katie will contact you shortly.
Thanks to everyone for entering!
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