Butterfly Cupcakes with @mejuri 🦋
#brandpartner Inspired by Mejuri’s Nectar Collection, highlighting beautiful fine jewelry, adorned with butterflies and bees,’ I’ve created Butterfly Cupcakes with jam and cream. 🧁 Recipe Ingredients ¾ cup caster sugar 60g unsalted butter (at room temperature) 2 large eggs (at room temperature) ½ cup milk of choice 1 ½ tsp coconut oil, melted 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup plain flour 1 ¼ tsp baking powder ⅛ tsp salt Toppings 1/2 cup whipping cream ½ cup strawberry jam Icing sugar for dusting Method Preheat oven 160°C fan and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk, coconut oil and vanilla; beat until combined and slightly aerated. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Distribute the batter between the 12 cupcake liners; bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until slightly golden and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before carefully cutting a dome out of each cup cake, then slicing the dome in half. Fill each cupcake hollow with a generous amount of jam and lightly whipped cream. Place the dome half into the jam and cream so they look like wings. Dust with icing sugar before enjoying. Makes 12
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Ingredients:
Olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 - 4 garlic cloves, crushed (optional) 1 cup quinoa 500ml good quality vegetable stock A bundle of asparagus, sliced into rounds ¼ cup cream (optional) 1 red chilli, finely sliced 1 lemon A generous handful fresh dill Blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped 4 fillets of white fish suitable for grilling. Method: In a medium-sized saucepan, add a generous glug of olive oil. Set heat to medium, and add the onion with a generous pinch of salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, string throughout, before adding the garlic (if using). Sauté once more until the onion is translucent Add the quinoa and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, before reducing the heat to low and covering with a lid; allow to cook for 15 mins. Once the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, take off the heat and add the asparagus. Cover; the residual heat will cook the asparagus. Once tender, drizzle in the cream (if using) and stir. Add additional salt, plus pepper if needed. Meanwhile, sear fish on a large hot frypan/ grill plate with a little olive oil. The fish will only need to cook 2 mins or so on each side. To assemble: Lay a bed of quinoa on a plate, followed by the fish. Garnish with lemon zest, dill, chilli, hazelnuts and another drizzle of olive oil. Serve with a wedge of lemon. Serves 4 Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, sliced into thin half moons 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp dried oregano 2 tsp dried thyme 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika 1 ½ tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried tarragon ½ tsp ground cardamom ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper 4 tbsp tomato paste ¼ cup cocoa powder 1x 400g canned cherry/ roma tomatoes 500ml stock of choice 2 tbsp maple syrup 2x 400 cans of beans of choice, drained and rinsed. 4 white photos, diced ½ cauliflower, chopped into florets A knob of butter Salt to taste To serve: Yoghurt Fresh coriander Wedges of lime A dusting of smoked paprika A crack of black pepper Method: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, before adding in the onion; season with salt. On low heat, allow the onions to cook until softened. Now stir in the garlic, herbs and spices; toast until fragrant (1 minute or so). Stir in the tomato paste & cocoa powder, followed by the beans, stock, maple syrup, potato, cauliflower; season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover; cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid, cook for another hour until thickened. Just before serving, stir in the knob of butter. Serve Choccy Chilli with rice, a dollop of yoghurt, a wedge of lime, coriander, a dusting of smoked paprika and a crack of pepper. My Chia Cookies are such a humble cookie, with no overpowering flavours and instead delicious morsels of buttery sweetness. They are perfect as is, or how I like to enjoy them with a little natural yoghurt to create a fulling breakfast or snack option. This recipe also calls for teff flour. Teff is traditionally grown in Africa and considered an ancient seed - it's gluten free. Despite being a wonderful grain-free alternative, teff is rich in B vitamins and a variety of minerals including calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, and zinc. Is also contains a considerable amount of protein too! For the recipe Instagram reel see here. Ingredients
2 cups almond meal ½ cup coconut sugar ½ cup flour (I used teff, but you can also use buckwheat or plain flour) ¼ cup chia seeds ¼ tsp fine salt 150g butter or coconut oil, melted 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract Method Pre-heat the oven to 180°c fan and line a tray with baking paper. Add the almond meal, coconut sugar, flour, chia seeds and salt in a large bowl - stir until combined. Pour in the melted butter or coconut oil, lightly beaten egg and vanilla - mix until a dough. Take a heaping tablespoon worth of the dough, roll, then slightly flatten into a cookie shape. Bake for 12mins, or until golden. Allow to cool slightly, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to three days. Makes 12 Cookies I was feeling a little left out after seeing the Northern Hemisphere sharing delicious pumpkin-infused creations all over my Instagram; it seemed to bombard my feed. Giving in to FOMO, I’m now in Boston enjoying a pumpkin spiced latte, followed by a trip to Wholefoods so I can pick up some squash. Once at the apartment, a slow roast of the squash needs to happen, and in no time I have my Pumpkin & Cardamon Soup. Just kidding, unfortunately! Thankfully we have plenty of pumpkins here in Australia and I can make this gorgeous soup. If you recreate this recipe, don't forget to snap a pic and share it with me on Instagram, I love seeing your recreations! Find the recipe video here.
Ingredients 1x 2kg butternut pumpkin 2 tbsp olive oil A knob of butter (vegan butter if you wish) 1 medium onion, diced 2 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed ½ tsp ground cardamom 250ml to 500ml vegetable stock Salt & pepper to taste Toppings Fresh dill, roughly chopped Pumpkin Seeds Olive Oil Method Preheat the oven to 180°c fan and line a large tray with baking paper. Take your pumpkin and carefully slice it in half lengthways using a knife. Scoop out the seeds, then place flat side down on the tray. Using a knife, prick the pumpkin a dozen or so times on each half. Bake the pumpkin for 1½ - 2 hours, or until soft to touch. While the pumpkin is baking, add the olive oil and knob of butter into a large pot; set heat to medium. Once at temperature, add the diced onions and season with salt; sauté, stirring throughout until translucent, about 5 minutes or so. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the garlic and sauté, before adding the ground cardamom to toast until fragrant. Once the pumpkin is cooked, allow the pumpkin to slightly cool before scooping out the flesh. Add the flesh into a blender along with the cardamom onions. Pour in the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper; blend until smooth. (You can also blend everything in the pot using a stick blender.) Once smooth, transfer to the large pot you used to fry the onions; gently heat the soup until hot. Serve the soup between bowls and garnish with fresh dill, pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of olive oil and another crack of black pepper. Allow any leftovers to cool completely, before pouring into airtight containers. The soup will last in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Serves 4 Everyone needs a selection of muffin recipes in their repertoire. Not just one, but many to cater one's cravings- chocolate, blueberry, lemon & poppy seed and banana, just to name a few. Below I have my Banana Bran Muffins; a simple recipe and a wonderful fulfilling snack. I've even found myself on numerous occasions enjoying a muffin with yoghurt and a piece of fresh fruit for breakfast. Yum! ~ This recipe was first created back in 2013! From the previous blog post it mentions something about me "standing in the pantry, in a cooking mood. Two things catching my eye; over ripe bananas and a box of bran cereal." I have absolutely no recollection of this, but I do remember that these muffins went down a treat during the 6 hour car ride up to Mildura, Australia. We were heading up from Ballarat to celebrate NYE by the Murray River with family. Looking back over the O.G recipe it was pretty good, but needed some tweaking. I decided to move away from the box of Kellogg's All-Bran Cereal and opt for something a little more natural and readily available, oat bran. Chia seeds as the 'egg' binder were also taken out, as the banana combined with the other ingredients works perfectly well. Also who wants chia seeds dotted throughout your muffins?! Enjoy! Love Alex, Ballerina Bites. Xx PS: Be sure to tag me @ballerina_bites on Instagram so I can see your wonderful recreations! Ingredients 2 large ripe bananas (mashed weight around 340g) 1 cup milk ½ cup coconut sugar ¼ cup smooth runny peanut butter or tahini ⅓ cup butter or coconut oil, melted 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup wheat bran 1 cup buckwheat flour 1 tbsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp bi-carb soda ¼ tsp salt Method
Preheat your oven to 180°c fan and line a muffin tray with 12 muffin liners. In a large bowl, mash the peeled bananas with a fork. Whisk in the other wet ingredients - milk, coconut sugar, peanut butter, butter or coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Once combined well, add the dry ingredients - buckwheat flour, wheat bran, ground cinnamon, baking powder, bi-carb soda & salt. Stir until no dry patches remain, before spooning the mixture between the muffin cases. Sprinkle each muffin with porridge oats, and an extra dusting of coconut sugar (optional). Bake for 25- 30 mins, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Yields 12 Muffins. Add-Ins Feel free to add chocolate chips or chopped nuts into the batter. I would suggest between ⅓ - ½ cup of additional add-ins. My Best One-Bowl Fudgy Brownies came on a whim after I needed some baking therapy. Not being in the mood for anything too extravagant, a one-bowl brownie recipe seemed perfect; hence this recipe came about. I’d love to see your recreations of this recipe too! Tag me @balleina_bites on Instagram. Find the recipe video here. Ingredients
½ cup butter or coconut oil 1 cup coconut sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 large eggs ½ cup white spelt / plain flour ¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder 1 tsp ground coffee ½ tsp fine sea salt ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp bi-carb soda 180g milk, dark, or white chocolate of choice, roughly chopped Method Preheat your oven to 180°c fan and line a 20cm square brownie tin with baking paper, or foil greased with butter. Add the butter into a large microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the butter is just melted - I do this in 30-second intervals to avoid the butter becoming too hot. Once the butter is melted, add the sugar, vanilla extract and eggs into the bowl. Using a hand-held whisk, whisk the mixture until combined. Add the flour, sea salt, baking powder, bi-carb soda and coffee, then gently fold using a spatula- fold until no dry patches remain. Lastly, fold in the roughly chopped chocolate, before baking in the oven for 15- 20mins. Your brownies are done, when the sides pull away from the tin and the centre is firm, but soft to touch - like set custard. Once baked, allow the brownies to cool completely in the fridge before slicing. The brownies are best eaten the day of bake and will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes 9 - 16 brownies. Every time I have a homemade cookie, I ask myself why I ever eat store-bought.
My Choc - Strawberry Sandwich Cookies are gorgeous cookies, made with minimal ingredients and a no-fuss method. When paired with a coffee, they are simply divine. Ingredients 1 cup spelt or plain flour ¾ cup almond meal ¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder ½ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt ½ cup maple syrup ¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted 1 tsp vanilla extract Strawberry Cream 15g freeze-dried strawberries ⅓ cup cashew butter 1 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp unsweetened yoghurt of choice Pinch of salt Method Preheat your oven to 180°c fan and line a tray with baking paper. Add the spelt flour, almond meal, cacao powder, baking powder and salt into a large bowl - stir using a whisk. Pour the maple syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract into the bowl too. Using a spatula, stir until no dry patches of flour remain. Allow the dough to chill in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden slightly, so the dough is easier for you to handle. Once chilled, wet your hands slightly with water to avoid the dough sticking to your hands. Spoon a heaping size tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball using your hands. Place onto your lined tray, making sure to keep space between each ball, as they will flatten slightly while baking. Bake for 10 - 12 mins, allowing them to cool for 5mins on the tray, before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the Strawberry Cream. Take your freeze-dried strawberries and add them into a plastic snap-lock bag. Using the base of a mug, gently crush the strawberries into a fine powder; don’t worry if a few larger pieces remain. Add your strawberry powder into a bowl, along with the remaining Strawberry Cream ingredients - stir until combined. Choose two similar-sized cookies and dollop one cookie with the strawberry cream, before sandwiching with the other half - repeat the process until all cookies are sandwiched. The cookies are best eaten on the day of bake. They will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (if they last that long!) Makes 8 cookies. I love being organised, hence why I adore a good meal-prep recipe. My Orange & Walnut Quinoa Salad is the perfect make-in-advance dish. The salad can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days, however, I suggest omitting the rocket until serving as this prevents the leaves from wilting. Why not try adding a protein also, like tofu, canned tuna or seared chicken to help boost your daily protein intake. See recipe video here. Ingredients
1 cup quinoa ½ cup raw walnuts 1 avocado, sliced into small chunks 1 navel orange, segmented, then sliced into smaller pieces ¼ - ⅓ cup dried mulberries or cranberries A large handful of fresh rocket Juice of ½ a lemon A generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil Salt & pepper to taste Method Add the quinoa into a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, before reducing the heat to a simmer - cover with a lid. Allow the quinoa to cook for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Once ready, strain through a fine sieve and rinse under cold water. Set aside to drain any excess liquid. To toast the walnuts, add them into a dry frypan and set heat to medium-high - tossing throughout. Toast until golden and fragrant - keep an eye on them, they tend to burn easily. Assemble the salad by adding the cold quinoa, along with the toasted walnuts, sliced avocado, oranges pieces, rocket and mulberries into a large salad bowl. Dress salad with lemon juice, a generous amount of olive oil, before seasoning with salt & pepper. Lastly, toss with salad tongs. Serves 2 - 4 Recipes with minimal ingredients are recipes I love to create, as it communicates that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated nor time-consuming. My Peanut Butter Cream with Berries combines just five ingredients- yoghurt, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and fresh berries. This recipe is ideal as a snack option, and when served in cocktail glasses, it’s a delightful, stress-free dessert. Recipe 1 cup natural full fat unsweetened yoghurt ⅓ cup smooth 100% peanut butter ¼ - ⅓ cup maple syrup ¼ tsp vanilla extract A punnet of fresh raspberries Method Whisk all ingredients in a bowl (except the raspberries), until combined and smooth. Serve in glasses/ jars of choice and top with fresh raspberries. Serves 4 |