Berry Cupcakes

Who doesn't like a cupcake? You could be a massive hard-ass grown bull of a man, and I'd bet you'd still like a cupcake.

Especially these ones.

The batter I found to be a bit plain, but a great base for flavour. The berries mixed in (I used frozen berries even though the recipe calls for fresh berries to be pushed into the top. Not spending $8 on a punnet of raspberries out here!) made the world of difference. As mine were frozen, I found I had to cook it for a little longer, but still got a great end result.

The best part about these cupcakes was the icing on the cake - or so to speak. Thick cream mixed with crushed berries (I used fresh blueberries) and meringue just worked so so well. The sweetness of the berry complimented by the smooth cream and the crunch of the meringue.

So perfect I gave some to our neighbor who'd told me our dogs had escaped earlier that day. After a mad rush around I found them safe, thankfully!

Mixed Berry Layered Pavlova

I'm part of a photography group for my town and the prompt last week was 'Chocolate' so I had to get two birds with one stone and make something from my Donna Hay book....then cover it with Chocolate.

Which is what I did.

No, there was originally no chocolate in this dish, but there were Raspberries and I couldn't buy fresh ones for less then $9 a punnet so I substituted the berries for chocolate. Good exchange, hey?

Also, I suck at making meringue. Of any kind. It never ever ever ever works for me. Like, ever. So I was already skeptical about making it, but wanted to give it a crack just the same. I figured that if it didn't work, like normal, I'd just crush up whatever did cook and make an Eton Mess out of it instead.

It was just egg whites and icing sugar - where I usually use caster sugar - so it mixed in really well. I used my mixmaster and just turned it on and walked away. I don't think I usually give eggwhites enough time to expand before I bake.

But by some divine intervention (must have been the full moon) my meringue worked!! I don't know how, I didn't do anything different from the other times I made them, but something clicked and they both worked so well, I had a very proud moment. :)

With the warmer weather, I took this to a BBQ for dessert and it was a hit. It was lovely and light and sat just right after a meal of sausages, chicken skewers and salad.

I may have ammended the original recipe a little, but it was so good just the same.