Author Archives: nenuphars

About nenuphars

i like comics, intellectual thought, politics and art

Vanilla buttercake with strawberry filling

Image

2

A month or so ago I bought in my first baking into work, a gluten free chocolate cake that was ravished by all.  It was a successful day in the world of baking pride and boast posts everywhere (i.e: my flat and my work pod and possibly twitter).  The success was enough to make me think I could expand, go BIGGER…. make something that doesn’t have chocolate inside.

And so here is Vanilla buttercake with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting

Vanilla Buttercake (reciped adapted from Forgiving Martha)
340 grams of  butter, room temperature
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk, room temperature ( I don’t think I did this so no idea what difference it makes)
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs

  1. Preheat oven to 180.  Generously butter and flour pans.  Tap pans to remove excess flour.
  2. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) together.  In a measuring cup, combine milk and vanilla.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, cream butter until fluffy.  Gradually add sugar.  Beat until smooth (3-4 minutes).
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition.
  5. Reduce speed to low and alternate adding flour and milk mixtures, ending with flour.  When there are only a few streaks of flour remaining in the batter, mix the rest by hand.
  6. Pour batter into the prepared pans.  Firmly tap the pans (on counter) to remove air bubbles.
  7. Bake until light golden brown (about 60 minutes.)  Cool in pan for half an hour, invert on rack to cool completely before frosting

Strawberry Filling (my own recipe)

  1. 250 grams of frozen strawberries or just about – I bought a 500gram bag and used approximately half
  2. 1/4 cup Water
  3. 6-8 spoons of sugar, I say spoons because I did a lot of taste tests and altered between tablespoons and teaspoons
  4. Few squirts of  lemon juice

Simmer strawberries, water and sugar for 5 – 10 minutes. Strain strawberries and place strawberry sauce aside.

Once you have your  two cakes and your strawberries – cut the top layer of one cake, then place strawberries on top and pour a quarter of the strawberry juice onto the strawberries.  Place second cake on top then frost with a simple cream cheese frosting.  I added a little bit of the strawberry juice to the cream cheese frosting which made it peach coloured but not really strawberry hinted. And oh garnish if that’s is even a term used in baking with coconut if you want. 

Voila!

Currently

Image

Reply

 Linked via sometimesweet
image credit

Obsessing over:  lost items, fictional characters and food. Anyone else in love with the entire West Wing? Marry me Sam Seaborn, Marry me Josh Lyman!
Working on: future posts, more specifically an interview, I’m hoping to have it finished by Easter Monday so watch this space and for those who follow me on twitter – I’ll be also be sharing that Vanilla Buttercake with the strawberry filing soon.
Anticipating: the next coming weeks – there are few changes happening at my work which means temporarily a much bigger workload. The colour of my tattoo will also be completed in the first week of May so excited.
Listening to: Mirel Wagner, Florence and the Machine, Yann Tiersen and whatever music plays at the gym. At my gym its mostly Rihanna, that girl from Waverley Place (yes I watch the Disney Channel), 90s pop,and 80 rock ballads. What is popular at your gym?
Eating:  Tomato and chickpea lamb with spinach and potatoes. So good.
Wishing:  I had a bit more money  but don’t we all?

What have you been up to recently? I’d love to know!

A Weekend in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Posted on by
Reply

Hi Everyone! My name is Erin from Constants Become Surreal.

Currently guest-posting for Rochelle today (or yesterday here Stateside) and I have to say I’m really excited. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what to post about and I figured why not Williamsburg, NY? With spring in the air here, I find myself outside wandering the streets of Brooklyn in search of nothing more than some aesthetics, a good cup of coffee, and apartment gazing. Here’s a snapshot of my weekend plans in Williamsburg, where I’ll be moving back to come June 1st!I’m confused as to whether this is a walrus or a pig. Either way, in Brooklyn and a lot of areas in NYC, the urban art is fascinating!Spring is in the air here in NYC and you can see by the way all these trees are blooming, even on an overcast day! I believe they’re dogwood, but they’re all over NYC dropping petals in the soft breeze and making everything so lovely again!
Flea markets abound in Brooklyn. This indoor one in Williamsburg held my interest because of the old attic feel to it with things piled high everywhere. Definitely makes that special find even more special! With everything so cheap, it’s hard to not get lost in here and consider coming out with armfuls of goodies!

The bar scene in Williamsburg is really the reason to come (and stay for a while). This bar is called Drink and they sell alcoholic punch by the bowl (and also by the glass if you’re not sharing with a large group). This Jamaican punch was just what we needed with a bit of rum, mint, and probably 10 million other things.

No weekend in New York is complete without brunch. So after a long night out, my friends and I ventured into Manhattan for brunch at an internationally renowned place called Freemans. It looks a little sketchy at the beginning, as it’s down a long dirty alley way. But that’s what really makes the experience worth it. I say internationally renowned because any Aussie or European you ask will mention Freemans as one of the brunch places they have to hit up while in the city.

That’s a wrap up for my weekend in Brooklyn. What did you get up to this weekend? Any rituals you follow or routines that are an absolute must? I now flea markets once it starts to warm up here a bit more will definitely be incorporated into my weekend plans!

I’m a big caffeine addict and I do coffee review posts about the coffee culture that dominates most of NYC. Stop by ConstantsBecomeSurreal sometime and enjoy the relaxing pictures of caffeine and the occasional wine post even. I probably drink more calories that I do eat them, but there are plenty of food posts on the blog too! Thanks so much to Rochelle for this opportunity to guest post! It’s been great and I would love to interact with you all!

Editors Note:  Erin and I have known each since for 6 or possibly nearly 7 years. I really can’t remember – whenever Myspace was still popular but kinda fading out and Facebook was starting. That period of time. We’ve gone through so much together that I’m proud to say she is one of my closest friends even though we have never actually physically met.  I guess we’re the cyber versions of the vintage letter writing pen pal.  If you’re like us and like coffee and food then check out her blog. If you live in New York or visiting sometime soon, GO CHECK IT OUT.  

Inviticus

Posted on by
1

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul

William Earnest Henley

Artist: Gustav Adolph Mossa (image source)

 

There lives my buffalo twin in our twin buffalo home

Image

Reply

When I was younger, my sister and I went through a stage where we would adopt (kidnapped) our near neighbours’  kittens and puppies and sneak them into our house at night. We would push our two beds together to make one big bed and create sleeping piles out of our clothes for any animal that didn’t like or want to sleep on the bed and then we would sleep, until we were woken by our parents telling us off and demanding that we take the animals back first thing in the morning. We did, only to repeat a few nights later.

Eventually we grew out of that phase but never did our love for pets especially dogs fade.   Now I am still likely to glee over kittens and puppies than babies, more likely to raise my hand to petsit than babysit. In fact, the last time I babysat Y2K was the topic on everyone’s lips and I think Dawson Creek was still playing.

Tonight I found a bookmark that I had completely forgotten about.  A photo series by Carli Davidson on pets with disabilities. Enjoy.  My favourite is the blind chinhuahua with his sight seeing pal the pug.