Happy Halloween

I'm back!!

I have been head down, bum up working very hard creating Halloween Magic.  Halloween is crazy at my place.  While its not very big in Australia in general, a little haven of Halloween insanity finds its way to my house every year.

It all started about 4 years ago when my sister who lives in Chicago sent a massive box of Halloween stuff to us for my Son when he was about 3 yrs old.  Wondering what on earth I was going to do with it, I decided to throw a party for his Kindergarten pals and hence a tradition was born.  Every year it has gotten bigger and better.  This was our fourth year.  We now include a haunted room complete with scenes on the walls, spooky masks, sound effects, fog machine etc.

No Halloween party would be complete without a gruesome cake.  I have included here for you both last year's and this year's creations.

Last year I created a copy of the Bleeding Eyeball cake which was in effect, two cakes.  Both plain butter cakes and covered in rolled fondant icing.  The fingers were modeled out of fondant also.  Ironically we never got to eat this cake actually on the day of the party.  We forgot to cut it in all the excitement.  My nephew however has his birthday on the 31st of October and last year it was his 18th - so I gave him the cake as a gift and he took it to school to share with his class.

This year I was looking for something that might take a little less time to create but would still make a big impact.  Thats where the hand out of the ground came from.  I found a great picture of a cake and copied it.  Using a basic Gluten Free Mud Cake recipe for the cake and modeling the fingers for the hand out of Marzipan as opposed to rolled fondant.  White fondant would have been too starkly white and the marzipan gave just the right kind of deathly pallor I was looking for.  The fingernails were also made from marzipan.  The dirt on both the cake and on the fingers and under nails is made from crushed Oreo Cookies which is just the perfect shade of dark dark brown and the consistency perfect.

The Chocolate mud cake was dusted with cocoa powder then the fingers were positioned.  I held them in place overnight with toothpicks and removed them just before the guests arrived to ensure nothing fell over.

I already have another very detailed creation underway for a friend and its going to be spectacular - I hope.  Its just two weeks away so stay tuned for the next cake creation and in the meantime I hope to get a new recipe up for you this week sometime.

L x

Evil Black & White Layered Brownies

OK I have a friend who taunts me.  Every day she sends me links to other baking blogs with the weirdest most wonderful creations.  So cruel, as I am slurping on my protein shake or eating huge plate of vegies and chicken during the week hanging out for Baking Friday.  I know I know - its Saturday.  Yes but I DID bake yesterday but I was so tired last night I didn't get these beauties written up or photographed - a few did get eaten tho!

These were my brainchild after reading several blogs this week kindly supplied by my lowcarb nemesis Hayley!  A combination of traditional chocoate brownie on bottom with white chocolate 'blondie' on the top with chocolate choc chip cookies -some Reeces PB Cups and raspberries all thrown in for good measure.  These are heavenly - probably toooooo heavenly hence I have called them Evil since they tend to call your name from the kitchen when you ignore them.

It is thundery and raining in SE Qld today with the odd flash of lighening thrown in for good measure so a perfect day to bake these beauties and sit in front of a DVD and devour them!!!  For me, treat day is done so Im back to the protein and veges sadly dreaming of Friday and what I'll bake for you next week.

These are beautiful warmed with a scoop of icecream on top my Husband tells me...  Super easy to make too and all Gluten Free!!!  Don't be put off by the large ingredient list, it really is a chuck everything in a bowl and go kinda thing and its very forgiving.

Ingredients
Choc Brownie for bottom layer
200g Chocolate Milk or Dark whichever is your preference
175g Unsalted Butter
300g Caster Sugar
130g Plain GF Flour
3 eggs


Add Ins
Whatever u fancy...
I used Chocolate Choc chip cookies and some Reeces PB Cups


Blondie - or White Choc Brownie Layer
150g White Chocolate
125g Unsalted Butter
150g Caster Sugar
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoons Vanilla extract
200g Plan GF Flour
Handful Frozen Raspberries (optional) or you could use nuts

1. Line a large sheet cake tin or small roasting dish with baking paper and spray liberally with oil or grease with butter.
2. Turn oven to 160C
3. Firstly make the Choc Brownie Layer.  In a large bowl break up the chocolate (dark or milk) and add the measured butter.  I melted in the microwave for 2 mins on 60% power checking that nothing burned.
4. Now mix in your sugar stirring briskly to cool down a little too before adding your eggs and mix until thick and smooth lastly add your flour and stir well until fully incorporated.  I like to throw in a little extra handful of choc chips at this point too.(naughty)
5. Spread the mix over the base of your tin.  It will be shallow but thats OK.  If you're struggling to spread it take a desert spoon dip it in hot water and it will spread nicely :-)
6. Now rinse your bowl and begin the white brownie.  Again break up your white choc and add your butter and micro it at 60% for 2 min - this will melt faster so keep an eye on it.
7. Remove and add sugar stirring well - add in the vanilla extract, eggs and stir until completely combined.
8. Now add your flour and mix thoroughly.  Lastly add your handful of frozen raspberries or nuts to the mix.
9. Before you pour this mix over the top of the brown layer, you have some wonderful "add-ins' to layer in there.
10. Add your fave biscuits or lollies here.  I used GF Choc chip cookies laid whole in a single layer with about 4 Reeces PB Cups dotted in for good measure.
11. Now spread the white 'blondie' mix over the top and pop it in the oven.
12. Bake for approx 35-40 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire rack.
13. Cut into generous squares and enjoy.

For a really decadent desert make a thick caramel sauce pour over the warmed brownie and add a scoop of good vanilla icecream - A W E S O M E.

Enjoy !

Lx