How To: Mango Cake with Caramel Latte Frosting

Happy Easter Nibblers!

       I have an excess of mangoes at home at the moment. I knew I wanted to make a mango cake but, could not decide on which type of sponge or frosting. I was in a tickle for days. But then, I was out looking at the easter eggs range and those Caramello eggs just caught my eyes. So I decided to put the two together and make a cake out of it. I loved how moist this cake was and the sweetness that the mango brought to the cake. Add the caramel latte frosting and it is a match made in heaven.

How To: Mango Cake with Caramel Latte Frosting
What you'll need:
Makes 3 layer 20cm cake
The Cake:
- 2 medium mango
- 200g unsalted butter softened
- 200g sugar
- 310g self raising flour
- 250mL of milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 eggs 
Caramel Latte Frosting
- 300g softened butter
- 5 tsp. instant coffee mixed with 1Tbs. warm water
- 100g icing sugar (sifted)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 3 drops of green food colouring
- Caramello eggs to decorate
Caramel Sauce
- 50g of sugar
- 40g unsalted butter 
- 1/4 cup thickened cream

How To:
For Caramel Component

Mango slices

Tin lined with mango

1. Heat sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly
2. Mix until the sugar melts into a brown- amber liquid and then immediately add butter then stir
3. Stir until butter is completely melted (Takes 2-4 minutes)
4. Pour thickened cream into the caramel, stirring continuously
5. Leave to boil for a minute
6. Remove from heat and sieve the caramel through a sift to ensure a smooth consistency
7. Set aside until needed

For Cake Component
1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celcius / 320 degrees Farenheit
2. Peel mango and slice into 0.5cm slices, should get about 10 slices each mango
3. Grease three 20cm circular cake tins and line two cake tins with mango slices, making sure theres no spaces then set aside
4. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
5. Add egg in one at a time
6. Combine vanilla extract 
7. Add flour and milk alternatively until well combined
8. Divide cake batter into the three greased cake tins

Baked Mango Sponges

9. Pop into the oven and bake for 25- 30 minutes until cooked then leave to cool
Caramel Latte Frosting
1. Beat butter until yellow butter turns to a pale, white colour (Takes approx. 10 minutes)
2. Add vanilla extract and milk and beat until well combined
3. Add icing sugar and coffee mixture and 5 Tbs. of the caramel sauce and mix for at least 5 minutes until well combined
When all components are ready, it's assemble time!
1. Place one mango sponge on a cake board
2. Add about 1/2 cup of the caramel latte frosting on top the the mango layer and spread an even layer on top of the mango
3. Add the other mango sponge directly on top of the first layer and add same amount of frosting to second layer
4. Add last sponge on top 
5. Using  a large round tip and piping bag, pipe along each layer to fill the gaps and make the edges of the cake more uniform
6. Add green food colouring to remaining frosting and using a large closed star tip, pipe around the top layer of the cake to act as the grass
7. Decorate with Caramello eggs and serve!

Cake layers

         I hope you're all having a lovely Easter break with family and friends. Be sure to leave me a comment if you do give this one a go!

Nibble Away,
   
                  Jo

How To: Easter Eggs with Chocolate Fruit Filling

Hi Nibblers!

        Easter is just around the corner and easter eggs are flocking supermarket shelves like there's no tomorrow. That chocolate rush paired with the whiff of freshly baked hot cross buns is what gets me going through those stressful grocery trips. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it.
        In light of rediscovering my love for grocery shopping, I decided to combine my love for chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. This recipe entails an egg with chocolate fruit filling inside. Perfect Easter hand-made gift and one to share with your loved ones.

How To: Easter Eggs with Chocolate Fruit Filling

What you'll need:
Makes approx. 4 medium sized eggs or 20 small eggs
- 50g room temperature butter
- 2 eggs
- 250mL of milk
- 180g of self-raising flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 100g sugar
- 50g cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla essence
- 400g of dark chocolate (melted)
- 1 Tbs. apricot jam
- 1 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruits finely chopped
- Plastic egg moulds (I bought mine at the Arts & Craft shop)

How To:

Medium Egg moulds 

Chocolate fruit filling
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Grease cake tin (I used a 20cm circular tin)
3. Beat melted butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Add eggs to mixture and beat until well combined
5. Slowly add milk, vanilla, baking powder, cocoa powder and flour to mixture and beat until well combined
6. Pop into the oven for 35-45 minutes until cooked (use the skewer trick)
7. Set aside and leave to cool until needed
8. Roughly crumb cooled cake into a bowl
9. Add chopped fruits and apricot jam to crumbed cake and mix until cake sticks together like a dough then set aside until assembling time
For egg shell

Chopped fruit for filling

1. Melt chocolate until smooth and runny (either a double boiler or microwave, whichever you prefer)
2. Using a pastry brush or clean brush, brush a layer of melted chocolate into egg moulds
3. Place in freezer for five minutes until set
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until egg shells have 4 layers of chocolate then leave in freezer until needed (make sure to keep the leftover chocolate so you can seal your egg halves together)
Assembling Eggs
1. Un-mould eggs from mould on some greaseproof paper as to minimise damage of the shells (Be patient, the eggs will come out as they begin to come to room temperature)
2. Scoop in a Tbs. for small egg shells or approx. 5 Tbs for medium sized eggs or until filled
3. Using the leftover melted chocolate brush along the egg shell halves
4. Combine two halves together to make one full egg
5. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes to set and then consume!
       Note: If you do have any melted chocolate or filling leftover, just combine the two and firmly pack in any tin and you'll have a decadent chocolate fruit slice to enjoy

         You're all probably overwhelmed by this stage but trust me, this recipe is super easy. It may be a a tad tedious but, all your effort will be worth it. It's a lovely surprise inside and filling!
         I hope you enjoyed this recipe and give it a try. Be sure to leave a comment below if you do!

Nibble Away,
              Jo

How To: Chippy Sandwich

Hey Nibblers!

       Not long to go until Valentine's Day. This tutorial is based on one of my all time favourite things. My parents rarely allowed potato chips in the house so whenever we did have them in the house, I made it my mission to butter some bread and pop a bunch of potato chips in. The crunch of the chips against the smooth butter was enough to make any day an awesome one.
       Now that I'm in my 20s, I think the 'Chippy Sandwich' needs an upgrade. This sandwich is simple and so versatile. Change the chip flavour or filling to your special one's favourite and voila! you have got this person hooked.

How To: Chippy Sandwich
Yields one awesome sandwich

What you'll need:
- 2 slices of bread
- Strip of bacon (Cut into 4 sections to match the length of the sandwich slice)
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbs. of butter
- 1 small bag of BBQ chips (I used Samson's crinkle cut) - 'BBQ' sauce
- 1 small bag of Doritos (I used Nacho Cheese) - 'cheese' layer

How To:
1. Fry bacon bits in a fry pan for about 5 minutes each side on a low to medium heat to ensure perfect crisp bacon then set aside on a paper towel for the oil to soak
2. Fry egg in the same pan until cooked then set aside
3. Toast bread
4. Butter each slice of toasted bread
5. Place bacon on top of one slice
6. Add 'cheese' layer by stacking on the Doritos
7. Add fried egg to the stack
8. Whack on the 'BBQ' sauce layer
9. Close the sandwich
10. Consume!

         Hope you are all having a lovely week and that this tutorial brings all the boys/ ladies to the yard. It would definitely bring me to some yards. If you do give this a go make sure to tag me in your instagram post, I would love to see them. OR better yet, leave a comment in the section below.

Nibble Away,

            Jo

How To: Apple and Bacon Cookies

Hi Nibblers!

    Valentine's day is just around the corner! Whether you're spending it with friends, family or a very special someone this is a super easy recipe to woo apple and bacon lovers. These cookies are gooey in the centre, sweet and sour from the apple bits and a touch of salt from the bacon. To be honest, I found the taste to be unusual but after a couple of bites, the hints of all the flavour really came together for me. Now, I can't stop thinking about them. Dad and Richard on the other hand, aren't quite convinced. Both love the hard textured cookies which means I may just have to keep making them to win them over. If you're already won over, let's get into the recipe shall we?

How To: Apple and Bacon Cookies

What you'll need: Makes approx. 24 medium sized cookies

Diced Apples!

- 200g of unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 300g or 2 cups plain flour (sifted)
- 180g or 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- 300g of diced apples (Peeled and cored then dice. I used 2 large Royal Gala apples but you can use your favourite)
- 250g diced bacon
- 1 tbs. milk
- 1 egg

Bacon bits, mmmm

How To:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius / 350 degrees Farenheit
2. Fry diced bacon on a low to medium heat to crisp up bacon pieces. This will take up to 6 minutes. (Remember to stir bacon in frypan to ensure even colouring. Frying in batches may also help as well.) Set aside on a lined paper towel plate to soak excess oil.
3. Beat butter and sugar in large mixing bowl until well combined
4. Add vanilla essence and egg to butter/sugar mixture and mix well
5. Add 1/4 of sifted flour to bowl and mix until incorporated
6. Repeat step 5 until all flour has been added
7. Beat milk into mixture
8. Using a spatula/ wooden spoon add diced apples and bacon bits into dough and mix until well combined
9. Roll a heaped tablespoon of dough into a ball/disc then place on a lined baking tray about 5cm apart to avoid overlapping.

Ready to bake!

10. Bake for approx. 12-15 minutes then leave to cool for 20 minutes before consuming (Check cookie bases at 12 minutes. If they're slightly golden brown around edges and base, they're ready)

       

        Hope you love this recipe and let me know if you've melted any hearts with this. Be sure to leave a comment below if you do! Just remember, don't go bacon anyone's heart this Valentine's Day. ;)

Nibble Away,
            Jo

How To: Vanilla Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Frosting (Catcakes 2.0)

Hi Nibblers!

       Last year, I made my first ever Catcakes for my bestie Tree. This year, I decided to take it up a notch and make a 3D version of a cat. There was a lot of sweat involved and thanks to Sydney's humid weather, it almost sabotaged the whole cupcake mission! Thankfully, I had Kevin who offered to be my baker in crime for the day. I'm really happy with how the Catcakes turned out this year and received good feedback in terms of taste as well. I used my Banh Bong Lan recipe for the base and flavoured my standard buttercream with a mocha flavouring. If you want to just learn how I make my vanilla sponge / bang bong lan, click on the link or keep reading on to see how I decorated the Catcakes.

How To: Vanilla Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Frosting (Catcakes 2.0)

What you will need: Banh Bong Lan
- 6 eggs (separated into whites and egg yolks bowls)
- 180g self raising flour (or plain - just add a pinch of salt) - sifted
- 140g of sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla essence
- 90mL of milk
- 90mL of vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Mocha Buttercream Frosting
- 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 Tbs. of milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- 110g icing sugar (sifted)
- 5 tsp. of instant coffee (mixed with 2 tsp. of warm water)
- 1/3 cup approx. 90g of melted chocolate (I prefer a dark chocolate (70%) as I don't like frosting to be too sweet)
Cat props
- 1/3 cup or approx. 90g of melted chocolate (I used 70% dark chocolate)
- 6 pink mini M&Ms cut into halves (Cat's nose - you may need a few extras incase they get lost, in your belly)
- 24 brown mini M&Ms (Cat's eyes)

How To: Banh Bong Lan
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Line cupcake tin with patty pans
3. Beat egg whites on high using an electric mixer for 30 seconds before adding sugar into the bowl
4. Continue to beat until egg whites for about 7 mins or until the egg peaks are glossy and are able to hold their shape then put aside
5. Add vanilla, cream of tartar, oil and milk to egg yolk bowl and beat on high for about 5 mins until mixture turns from the deep orange to a light yellow/beige colour
6. Add 3/4 of flour into egg yolk mixture and beat until well combined
7. Transfer egg yolk mixture into large mixing bowl 
8. Add a large spoonful of egg whites into egg yolk mixture then fold until well combined
9. Add remaining 1/4 of flour evenly into mixing bowl and fold until you can no longer see flour trails
10. Repeat step 8 until all egg whites have been well combined
         Note: It is a long process but the end results are worth it. Be sure to fold gently to minimise the loss of air from the mixture
                  The end mixture should be the texture between a sweetened yoghurt (such as Ski)  and greek yogurt. The super runny bits, may indicate oil has not yet been combined well so keep gently folding.
11. Scoop mixture in a measuring jug to make it easier to pop into muffin tins
12. Pour mixture half-way up the patty pans
13. Pop into pre-heated oven for 16 minutes - 20 minutes or until skewer comes out clean  
14. Leave to cool before decorating
Cat Props:

Pink noses and cat eyes ready to go!

1. Melt 90g of chocolate under a double boiler or in a microwave (whichever you prefer) until silky and smooth
2. Pop melted chocolate into a piping bag (careful it's hot!) then pipe on a tray lined with baking paper at least 24 filled triangles with 2cm side then pop into the fridge to set
3. Pipe chocolate lines on a separate baking paper lined tray to act as whiskers then pop into the fridge to set
Mocha Buttercream Frosting:
1. Melt 90g of chocolate under a double boiler or in a microwave (whichever you prefer) until silky and smooth then set aside

      

Our lines were a bit thin and hard to handle so make them thicker!

2. Beat softened butter on high for 5-7 minutes until the yellow butter turns to a creamy - off white colour
3. Add and mix milk and vanilla essence until well combined
4. Add sifted icing sugar and beat for 5 minutes until well incorporated, remembering to scrape the sides
5. Add melted chocolate and coffee mixture into the buttercream and mix well
      Note: - If you find your mixture too runny, add 2x Tbs. icing sugar until you have the perfect
                   consistency
                - If you find it too stiff, add a Tbs. of milk until you have the perfect consistency
                - Perfect - pipeable consistency is when it'll only slide of your spatula if you force it back                     into the bowl with one swift hand movement

Assemble time!
1. Using any closed star tip, pipe rough 0.5cm peaks around the whole cupcake then build upwards in layers until it comes to a point like a mountain
2. Working quickly, pop the chocolate triangles onto the top left and right side corners of the frosting mountain 
3. Pop brown M&Ms about 1cm underneath the ears to resemble eyes
4. Add pink M&Ms 1cm underneath and in the middle of the two eyes
5. Cut chocolate lines into rough 1.5cm lines then add 2 strands (each side) next to the nose to act as whiskers!
        Note: Chocolate whiskers and chocolate ears were hard to handle as it was so hot, it melted in our hands. So take the decorating process slowly, pop the props into the fridge if you need to or even the cupcakes! The taste was not affected at all.

          I hope you love this recipe. If you do try it for yourself, make sure to leave a comment below or tag me on twitter (nibblejo_x) or instagram (nibblejo_x). Unfortunately, I'm still not a cat lover but, I had so much fun making these. Tree is still trying to convert me to the cat world with little progress. Maybe next year, Tree? Hope you all are having a lovely week!

Left over chocolate creations

Three cutie cats

 Nibble Away,

              Jo

It's a New Year. Welcome to 2015!

Hi Nibblers,

        It's a new year! Welcome to 2015. I hope this year brings you happiness, good fortune and awesome food.
        Before I delve into my plans and aspirations for this new year, I wanted to quickly reflect on 2014. To be honest, it wasn't my most favourite year. I felt quite lost at times and found it difficult to balance university, work, social and Nibble Nation. It was hard to have all these new recipe ideas in my head but unable to actually experiment and write them out. But negatives aside, I am glad that I was able to complete my #365daysofdinner challenge and carry out my #CountdownToChristmas series. I loved being able to recreate dishes I enjoy. I felt as if every time a new recipe went live, you were able to experience a piece of who I am. Taking a more personal perspective and sharing food experiences with you. I also turned 22 and finished my Nursing degree which means I'm out in the real world this year,

I turned 22 at the end of 2014. Here's a pic of amazing people that I was able to share that with.

Picture of my 'Gelato Messina's 'Dr Evil's Magic Mushroom' cake from my friends Tree & Adrian. Thank you!

        My hopes for 2015 for Nibble Nation, is to continue putting out more recipes that represent me. I want to also continue with restaurants whether local or internationally whenever I can. I know I may not be as concise and technical in my food descriptions but hey, I'm no Gordon Ramsay. I'm just giving you my first impressions of places I go to and hope that we can share our food thoughts together.
        Lastly, I want to thank you to those that do follow me and try out any of my recipes. I'm glad I plucked up the courage to put myself out there on the internet because it feels great having a project that you can say is yours. Better yet, I can't believe that Nibble Nation is almost two years old. I feel I've grown a lot in these two years in both style of writing as well as improving my food photography skills. So, thank you and may 2015 bring in some more awesome food to fill our bellies.

Nibble Away,

         Jo

How To: Strawberries and Cream Crepes

Merry Christmas Nibblers!

         Christmas is here and to celebrate, I wanted to share my 'Strawberries and Cream Crepes.' These are so easy to make and will please any crowd. If you're busy you can just make all the components in advanced, pop it all in the fridge a day ahead and assemble them the day of your occasion. Perfect for this festive season!

How To: Strawberry and Cream Crepes

What you'll need:
Makes 6-7 Crepes/Pancakes (23cm in diameter)
- 50g plain flour
- 2 Tbs. of caster sugar
- 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 drop of pink food colouring 
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
- 1/2 cup of milk (125ml)
The Filling:
- 1 punnet of Strawberries sliced into approx. 5mm wide slices(250g)
- 150g thickened cream (heavy cream)
- 1 Tbs. caster sugar
- 1tsp. vanilla essence

How To: 
Crepe batter Preparation:
1. Beat eggs, sugar, food dye, oil, vanilla essence and milk until well combined
2. Add flour and stir until incorporated
3. Sieve the crepe/pancake batter through a sift into a new bowl to rid of the lumps
4. Cover the batter mixture and leave at room temperature for 30-60 minutes
The Filling: Attend to filling component now while waiting
5. Fill a large bowl with water and ice to make an ice bath (To ensure the cream doesn't split)
6. Pop a small mixing bowl into the ice bath and add cream, sugar and vanilla then whisk until hard (about 5 minutes) then set in fridge until needed
Crepes/Pancake component
8. Lightly spray frypan (If it's a non-stick fry pan, you won't need to oil it)
9. Heat frypan on low heat
10. Using  a small ladle or 1/4 cup, mix the crepe batter and then add into the middle of the fry pan
11. Swirl the batter around the pan to the edges
12. Cover the frypan and leave for approx. 1.5 - 2 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges
13. Slide the crepe/ pancake onto a plate and repeat until the batter is finished
14. Cover the crepes/ pancake with some cling film and leave in the fridge to cool for approx. 30 minutes
15. Construct pancake - a dollop of cream in the middle of the crepe, 3-4 strawberry slices on top and then fold in the sides and fold.

          I hope you're all having a lovely Christmas! I'm so happy with the recipes I've been able to put out during this festive period despite being so busy with work. May you all have an amazing day and enjoy with your friends and family. Hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Much love,
       Merry Christmas!

                      Jo