Jimbo cake

The luscious concoction you see above is a banana chocolate chip buttercake with vanilla bean peanut butter cream cheese icing. Ahem. You can see why I've shortened the name to the "Jimbo"!

Here's the story: A little while ago, I offered to bake a cake for my friend Jimbo's birthday. I thought a banana cake might be nice (I always have a surplus of overripe bananas in my freezer), and a quick Google search of revealed that the brilliant Nat Paull from my favourite cafe Beatrix had shared her recipe for The Elvis Cupcake on Broadsheet. Hooray! Nat's Elvis cupcake is a super-moist banana buttercake, topped with peanut butter cream cheese icing and crunchy bacon praline. Amazing. I've had it before, and it is insanely good! (PS The Elvis isn't available every day - follow Beatrix's Facebook page to see what cakes and ciabattas they have on offer each day.)

So, I used Nat's excellent recipe, making it a layer cake cake instead of cupcakes, adding choc chips, skipping the bacon praline (delicious, but I was lazy and I wanted to make sure veggoes got a look in!), and adding fresh banana between the layers. I loved the results so very much that this slightly simplified version - The Jimbo - is now one of my favourite cakes to bake.

Mmm.. you can tell how moist the cake will be, with all the ripe bananas and full-fat sour cream in the batter.

Bananas, sour cream and eggs

I found mini choc chips at the supermarket, which are totally adorable, but normal-sized choc chips will (obviously) do the trick.

Choc chips

Baked

The icing is, perhaps, my favourite part of this cake. How could you go wrong with cream cheese, icing sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla? I've only ever used plain old Kraft peanut butter when making this, which gives it that appealing salty-sweet taste and reminds me of my childhood. (And my adulthood, hehe). I suppose you could try a natural peanut butter from the health food store if you really wanted, but why would you?

Peanut butter cream cheese vanilla bean frosting

If you have any icing leftover (and I wouldn't bet on it), it is totally fabulous spread on toast. (Or eaten with a spoon).

Baked!

Fresh banana filling

And here's the completed cake! (I got the idea for the border of choc chips from my friend Sofia, a fabulous baker who owns and runs Frost and Flourish, a cake business in Kuala Lumpur).

Jimbo cake!

I had been hoping to save a slice or two for my parents, but there was no chance. My coworkers practically inhaled the cake!

Another time, I made The Jimbo in mini-cupcake form for another friend's birthday party. Too cute! (And this time, I managed to save a few for my parents).

Jimbo cupcakes

Jimbo cupcakes

Jimbo cupcakes, caramel slice

I actually did quite a bit of baking for this party (three cakes and two slices), and a Brazilian chef friend of the birthday girl made a fab range of Brazilian savoury treats. I'm planning to blog the party soon! But for now, please enjoy this photo of a mini Jimbo cupcake.

Jimbo cupcake

The Jimbo Cake

Adapted (only slightly) from Nat Paull's outstanding "The Elvis Cupcake" on Broadsheet

Ingredients

For the cake

225 grams overripe bananas

135 grams sour cream

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

190 grams raw sugar

110 grams vegetable oil

225 grams plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

1 cup mini milk chocolate chips, plus extra for decoration

1 large ripe banana (that's what she said)

For the icing

110 grams unsalted butter, softened

390 grams cream cheese, softened

110 grams icing sugar mixture

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The scraped seeds of one vanilla bean

150 grams peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

Method

Preheat the oven to 155C. 

Mix the 225 grams overripe bananas, sour cream and eggs in a food processor until smooth. Tip the mixture into a mixing bowl. 

Add the vanilla, sugar and oil and whisk to combine. 

Sift over the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Whisk gently until smooth. 

Fold in the mini milk chocolate chips.

Line a 20 cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. 

Allow to cool for ten minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, place all the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat gently for 5 - 10 minutes, or until light, airy and creamy.

Slice the cooled cake in half with a serrated knife, and place one half onto a serving plate. Spoon a third of the icing mixture onto the bottom half, and spread with a palette knife. 

Peel the large ripe banana and chop into thickish slices, and then into little cubes. Sprinkle the banana squares over the cake and press down into the icing. 

Place the second cake half on top. Spread the remaining icing over the cake, as neatly as you can manage.

Decorate with extra mini choc chips.

Makes one two-layered 20-centimetre cake, serves 8-12

Option: Jimbo Cupcakes

To make cupcakes, distribute the cake mixture into a mini-muffin tin lined with paper cases. Bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool completely on a rack, then pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a star-tipped piping bag.

Makes approximately 48 mini cupcakes.

Breakfast at Big Blue Backyard

The cabins were built by Paul, using an eclectic mix of reclaimed materials.

Beach Hideaway

Beach Hideaway

Shower

Double vanity

I loved that the "beach" theme even extended to the choice of DVDs available. (P.S. The Life Aquatic and Whale Rider are two of my favourite films ever!)

DVDs

Outdoor shower

Outdoor Bath

Port Phillip Estate

House-baked bread with smoked salt, olive oil, butter and salt

We were given a very impressive amuse bouche with caramelised leek, brioche crumbs, olive oil and more of that smoked salt. I believe there was goats cheese too and perhaps an olive oil foam? This was a few months ago and my memory of the details is fading, but what I clearly remember is how delicious it was!

Amuse Bouche

As my entrée, I chose a seafood dish: poached marron with clams, cucumber salad, whitebait, caviar and more. This was absolutely gorgeous - the marron and clams were was cooked perfectly, and the intensely flavoured sauce (rather like a concentrated shellfish bisque) complemented the seafood without overpowering their delicate flavours.

Marron with clams, cucumber salad, caviar

Sandra was equally impressed with her entrée: a roast beetroot, chèvre and walnut salad. That is quite a classic combination, but the way they did it here was stunning - different varieties of beet (pink, red and gold), candied walnuts and a vinaigrette of honey and lemon thyme. Beautiful.

Salad of beets, local chèvre, candied walnuts, honey, lemon thyme vinaigrette

The mains were also delicious, but perhaps not quite as well balanced as the entrées. Take, for example, my main - lamb served with two zucchinis, a roast vegetable terrine, goats cheese, pureed potatoes, a large mound of samphire and a rich jus. Each individual element was very good, and I love a generous portion, but felt that the overall dish was a bit heavy and that there was too much on the plate.

Lamb, zucchini flowers, roast vegetable terrine, samphire, goat's cheese and pureed potatoes

Sandra's Aylesbury duck breast (which she requested to be cooked well done, by the way) was similar to the lamb dish - great flavours and textures, but just a bit too much on the plate.

Aylesbury duck breast, pommes galette, garden peas, mushrooms, jus

Of course, the heaviness of the mains wasn't helped by the fact that we also indulged and ordered some gratinated potatoes on the side! Oh well, we were on holiday! These were messy but delicious.

Gratin Potatoes

The service was efficient and friendly, and the prices were quite reasonable - $68 per person for two courses. ($85 for three courses!) As you can imagine, we were too full for dessert, but I would love to come back and try them. There's a cellar door too, but this is only open during the day, so we didn't get a chance to try the wines. Just another excuse to make a return trip!

Howdy everybody! A couple of days late, but here's my Unblogged Files for February! (Is it just me that gets caught out by the short month?)

Even though we had Reunion Dinner with the extended family at the end of January, my parents cooked an awesome Chinese New Year dinner the week after, with all my Nyonya favourites! Kiam chye th'hng (salted vegetable and duck soup), loh bak (deep fried pork wrapped in bean curd), and chicken curry. Yum!

Chinese New Year dinner

Sandra and I spent the Most Fabulous Weekend in the Gold Coast, staying at Palazzo Versace. Such luxury! Blogpost to come.

Palazzo Versace

As usual, I'd like to share some of the weeknight meals we've been cooking. (This month it was mainly me doing the cooking!)

Top left: Cajun chicken; quinoa, broccolini; spinach avocado and pepita salad Top right: Egg-fried quinoa with broccolini Bottom left: Bacon and garlic spaghetti Bottom right: Lamb and cannelini bean stew with pistachio and currant-studded couscous

Top left: Lean pork meatballs; zucchini salad; roast eggplant, zucchini and olive salad; avocado Top right: Fan-wu cai eggplant; soy eggs; Taiwanese meat sauce Bottom left: Buckwheat corn fritters; rocket and pine nut salad; guacamole; bacon Bottom right: Pea Risotto

One night, my parents and I went to Shira Nui (247 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley VIC 3150) for dinner one night. Amazing sushi. Amazing!

Sushi sashimi platter

One day for lunch, I tried a new Korean restaurant: Anju (18 Little LaTrobe Street, Melbourne Vic 3000), on the suggestion of my friend Duncan. I totally loved the dish I ordered - fried chicken wings on black rice with roast corn, cucumber kim chi and soy eggs. Delicious!

Korean rice, roast corn, cucumber kim chi, soy eggs and fried chicken wings

Anju Ramyun

Let's have a look at some of the different breakfasts I've made. First up, the blueberry breakfast bars from Whole-Grain Mornings. I loved the combo of rolled oats, rye flakes, wholemeal flour, almonds and sesame seeds in the dough. Gorgeous!

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

Some other breakfasts! I've totally been loving Megan Gordon's "Very Best Oatmeal", and have been eating versions of that most mornings - so nourishing.

Top row: Chobani yogurt with PB2, cocoa nibs & coconut sugar; The Very Best Oatmeal with currants Middle row: Triple-coconut quinoa porridge; goats cheese omelette with bacon and habanero hot sauce Bottom row: Sliced avo on a vita weet; The Very Best Oatmeal with blueberries and butter

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Hwaro Korean BBQ (562 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000) to celebrate the lovely Daisy and the awesome Adrian's birthdays. So much meat! I also loved their seafood pancake.

Hwaro Korean BBQ

Speaking of birthdays, Wince very kindly had us over for an amazing birthday dinner. He said it was just going to be "something simple", but it turned out to be Devil's curry, soft shell crab, crispy roast pork (omg!), slow roasted lamb brisket, triple-egg spinach and chawan mushi. WOW! Thank-you so much Wince for an amazing dinner and a super-fun evening!

Wince's birthday dinner

And plans for March... just the usual. Plus a little trip to Malaysia! Hooray!

Beef and bean pot pie

I've had this recipe up my sleeve for a little while, waiting until it was cold enough to blog a hearty beef pie recipe. It's not quite the depths of winter yet (hardly!), but there does seem to be a chill in the air, and in my opinion, it's never really too hot for pie. So here we go!

I whipped up these beef and bean pot pies during last year's Lobster Party, not wanting our seafood-avoider Sandra to miss out on a tasty dinner. I didn't put much planning into them, and just made a simple beef stew with chuck steak, tinned tomatoes and cannellini beans and a little Worcestershire sauce, and topped the mixture with super buttery Carême puff pastry. However, the results were so good that I just had to share the recipe with you. (And any excuse to show off the individual enamel pie dishes!)

Stew

Pastry top

Glazed and ready for baking

PIE

Beef and Bean Pot Pie with cabbage and cucumber dill salad

Buttery flaky goodness

Mmm... look at all that rich sauce, with the buttery flaky pastry. Pies truly are the best. Enjoy!

Beef and Bean Pot Pie
An original recipe by Sarah Cooks

Ingredients
350 grams chuck steak, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped into small dice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 x 400 gram tin chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon beef stock powder
1 x 400 gram tin cannellini beans
1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Method
Dust the pieces of beef in flour and set aside.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium-high heat until softened.
Add the flour-dusted pieces of beef and cook until browned all over. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tinned tomatoes. Half fill the empty tomato tin with water, swirl to get every last bit of tomato and pour the tomatoey water into the saucepan. Stir in the stock powder.
Bring to the boil, clamp on the lid. Turn the heat down to very low and simmer for 1.5 hours or until the beef is tender. (Alternatively cook in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes).
If the mixture is very liquid, allow it to boil strongly for a few minutes until it thickens. (If necessary, you can also whisk a tablespoon of flour into cold water, then add this mixture to the pot and boil for a few minutes).
Take off the heat and stir in the cannellini beans.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Spoon the beef mixture into four small pie dishes (mine were 10 cm wide, but use whatever size pans you have that fit). Brush the rims of the tins with a little beaten egg. Cut the puff pastry into pieces just a little larger than the tins. Place the pastry pieces on top of the tins, pressing down gently to seal. Use a fork to make decorative marks around the rim. If desired, use any offcuts to decorate the tops. Brush with beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden, and the filling is piping hot.
Makes 4