Cappuccino Cake

This is a perfect afternoon tea cake. The kids didn't like this one (more for the adults! Yay!) as they weren't keen on the coffee flavour. It goes really well with a nice cup of coffee for that double caffeine hit!.

I also made this one with a bit of a kick in the icing.

Ingredients:

225g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cocoa powder

225g softened butter

225g caster sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 tblspns strong coffee (I used 3 tablespoons of instant coffee dissolved in hot water and cooled)

Whiskey Buttercream icing

50g butter

2 cups icing sugar

2 tablespoons whiskey (optional)

dash of milk

Grease square tin (20x20cm) and heat oven to 180deg C.

Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa together in a mixing bowl. Add the butter, sugar, eggs and coffee and beat really well until fluffy and smooth. Spoon into prepared tin.

Bake for 30-40 mins or until cooked through (check with a skewer). Cool and ice.

Prepare icing by mixing butter and whiskey and icing sugar and beat until a good spreading consistency. If its too stiff then add some milk slowly until its how you want it.

Dust with cocoa powder.

13 Years

Just a few favourite pics from what is still the best day ever. 13 years today.

I know, these are photos of my photos. I don't have digital versions. It was 1999.

And I couldn't be bothered scanning them all in.

You can see the dust marks even.

I look at these and sigh at how little my waist was. How toned my legs were. Oh and okay, my boobs were perfect. Untouched by breastfeeding and breast cancer. How time changes things.

Wouldn't change anything. (except the cancer part).

Owen hasn't changed a bit. Apart from a lot more grey hairs. And a better haircut. Like I said it was 1999. And he went to his mothers hairdresser.

So a romantic home cooked meal is on the cards and hopefully sleeping children so we can at least have a normal conversation not interrupted by fighting or overstimulated children. There's a lot of screaming in this house lately.

Better get out of my pajamas and get on with the best lamb rack meal I've ever made. Wish me luck.

Autumn Light

The light these last few evening has been beautiful. Perfect for photos. Since Owen's bought himself some new fishing rods we've been heading down to the bottom of the garden to fish off the old log that has probably been there for many years. Its a perfect spot to hang with a few beers in the late afternoon sun.

 

We didn't catch anything this time. Except some lovely warm sun and good vibes. But the fish didn't like us. Probably because Johnny and Katie were splashing around in the water and having far too good a time. I think they scared the fish off.

This is what we caught Easter Sunday morning...a lovely kawhai.

Oh life isn't so bad out of Auckland hey?