Date and Ginger Meringue Slice

One of the appealing things about a meringue, apart from how it miraculously transforms from an unremarkable, gooey liquid into a fluffy, glossy cloud of loveliness, is the fact that you could - just about - throw anything into it and produce a delicious cake. This one has ground almonds and dates in it, crystallized ginger, orange peel, macadamia and walnuts. Perfect for a Passover dessert really, since it's void of any flour and raising agents. It's aromatic and its sweet, sticky fruitiness will guarantee its swift disappearance.

• egg whites, 4
• sugar, 1 cup
• orange zest, 1 tsp (or lemon zest)
  
• ground almonds, 3 tbsp
• dates, 1/2 cup, chopped
  
• coconut shavings, 3 tbsp (optional)
• crystallized ginger, 2/3 cup
• orange peel, 1/4 cup
• macadamia and walnuts, to total 1 cup

1. Whisk the egg whites till they're fluffy and almost stiff
2. Add the zest, then sugar, a few tablespoons at a time and continue whisking
3. Using a spatula, fold in all the rest of the ingredients
4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 30-35 mins
5. Remove, cool, slice and be transported to heaven!

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Birthday Cupcakes II - Frosting and Gallery

My son insisted that I present a choice of frosting for his classmates - apparently the vanilla lovers among his friends don't care for chocolate and vice versa. Sigh. Fast forward several hours and this is the result. Good job his mummy loves baking!

Vanilla icing:

• butter, 1 stick, room temperature
• icing sugar, 3-4 cups
• whipping cream, 1/4 cup
• vanilla, 1 tsp
• salt, pinch

Chocolate icing:

• butter, 1 stick, room temperature
• dark chocolate, 6 oz
• whipping cream, a few tablespoons
• vanilla, 1 1/2 tsp
• icing sugar, 3 cups

1. Cream all the ingredients together
2. Frost as desired

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Birthday Cupcakes - Slideshow

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Birthday Cupcakes - Butterscotch Vanilla

Hooray, another birthday comes around and with it, the opportunity to play with food! This recipe, which yields about 40 butterscotch-vanilla flavoured beauties, will particularly be enjoyed by those who like digging into their cupcakes before they're baked - what a pretty caramel colour the batter is too :)

Pour les petites gateaux:

• plain flour, 4 cups
• white sugar, 2 cups
• brown sugar, 3/4 cup
• butter, 2 3/4 sticks, softened
• eggs, 5
• milk, 1 1/3 cup
• vanilla, 2 tsp
• baking powder, 1 tsp
• baking soda, 1 tsp
• salt, 1 tsp

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, 180C
2. Cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, process further
4. In another bowl, sieve together all dry ingredients
5. Add dry ingredients and milk, in small portions, to creamed sugar/butter
6. Use an ice cream scoop to pour batter into paper cupcake liners in baking pan
7. Ensure the cupcake liners are no more than 3/4s full
8. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, till the centre feels firm and looks golden brown
9. Cool and frost as desired
   

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Shortbread

Reminiscing about Vi, my lovely Scottish neighbour in Toronto, and our shared passion for shortbread, I had to bake some immediately (of course). This is a proper Scottish shortbread recipe. No shortcuts, no compromises on taste, and with the requisite amount of full-fat, cow-derived butter.

• butter, 2 sticks, softened (best quality)
  
• plain flour, 2 cups (best quality)
  
• cornflour, 1 cup
• sugar, superfine, 1/2 cup
  
• salt, 1/2 tsp

1. Cream the butter in a food processor
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients
3. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and process till it comes together
4. Remove the dough from the processsor, shape into rounds and refrigerate 15 mins
5. Then, roll out the dough, cut into whatever shape you like, leaving the shortbread at a thickness of about 1 cm
6. Use a fork to prick the shortbread, allowing it to rise evenly
7. Bake in a preheated 420F (200C) oven for about 15 mins, watching so they don't brown
8. Allow to cool and store in a biscuit tin
9. Don't eat all at once ;)
   

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