AWAAM's Godless Christmas: a How To

The Christmas Tree Cluster

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We decorated my parents’ house and their Christmas tree yesterday. And it was while I was twining tinsel around every object in the house that I realised something: I really like Christmas. Not just the tinsel, but everything else. The lights and the shopping and the wrapping of presents. The food, the family, the fights. The deep breath before the start of a new year.

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For an atheist, it was a small revelation. Ever since I was a child, and I lost my belief in Santa and God in rapid succession, I’ve always enjoyed the time off, the presents and the togetherness, but never the trappings. I’ve merely tolerated the festive season. This year, however, something changed.

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I’ve decided that Christmas – or the summer solstice, or the winter solstice, or what have you – is, as the religious believe, a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and be thankful. To enjoy tradition and ritual, and to honour something larger than ourselves. So this year, I’m celebrating something pretty special: the birth of the universe.

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And I’m doing it the traditional AWAAM way: with food and music.

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Stars are already a symbol of Christmas - why not co-opt them in the same way that Christianity did from the pagans? It was, after all, in the furnace of the earliest, dying stars that the heavy elements of the universe were forged, from which all life eventuated. We are all star stuff. Celebrate that by busting out these delicious looking Star Cookies, found at the ever wonderful Souvlaki for the Soul.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wonderful and hilarious ode to a godless universe. This gorgeous cake is a recreation of one of my favourite scenes from the series. Nothing says ‘let’s celebrate our brief existence’ like a whale and a bowl of petunias, recently come into being and plummeting towards the earth. You can find detailed instructions on Geek Mom.

My recommended listening this Christmas is something a bit different. Gather your family, find yourself a radio, and tune into a dead station. Listen to the static. Most of it is caused by random electromagnetic interference, but about 1 or 2 percent of it is 13 billion year old radiation left over from the Big Bang, expressed in microwaves that can be picked up by your radio. What you are hearing is the birth of our universe.

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And if you’re still in any doubt that the universe and our place in it is worth honouring, watch this extraordinary video.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Sometimes Food - Flourless Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Meringue

One of my favourite lady friends just celebrated her 23rd birthday, and to ring in the beginning of her 24th year I baked her this delightfully girly cake. This recipe is perhaps a little complicated, and unless you have biceps like Agatha Trunchbull you will definitely need an electric beater, but it tastes divine and preparing it makes for an enjoyable afternoon of very busy baking! Don your favourite frilly apron (I rather like this one) and get cooking, your favourite lady friend will thank you!

My super cute new electric beater, you will need one of these!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Meringue & Raspberries

What you will need:

• 2/3 cup softened unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 eggs, separated
• 350g good quality bitter dark chocolate (I used the 60% cocoa variety)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

For the meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped (see here for how to prepare them)
• 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
• Fresh raspberries and thickened cream to serve

What you will need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C and line the bottom of a 20cm spring form cake tin with baking paper. Grease the sides of the cake tin and set aside.

2. Cream brown sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until the mixture is pale and creamy. In a separate bowl melt the dark chocolate, I always melt chocolate using this method.

3. Using an electric mixer, add egg yolks to the butter / sugar mixture one at a time and beat gently until all ingredients are combined. Add melted chocolate and vanilla essence and beat well. Your batter should be like a thick chocolate mousse in texture.

4. This is where things get a little bit tricky. In yet another bowl, beat six egg whites until they begin to stiffen and form soft peaks. Make sure your bowl and beaters are clean and dry before commencing this step, any unwanted moisture will spoil your eggs! Stir about a third of the egg whites through the cake batter - you can stir this first third through the mixture quite vigorously - then carefully fold through the remaining egg whites. Be sure to fold the whites thorough gently, otherwise your cake mixture will separate and become slippery and sloppy rather than creamy. I would suggest using a spatula at this step, and try to fold the cake batter over itself rather than stirring it in a circular motion, folding is preferable to stirring as it retains the air in the eggs.

5. Pour the mixture into your greased cake tin and bake for approximately half an hour. Meanwhile, prepare your meringue. (More egg whites!) Beat four egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until eggs begin to stiffen and form peaks, then carefully add the white sugar a little bit at a time, continue to beat until the mixture stiffens up. Your meringue mixture is ready when you can turn your mixing bowl upside down without the whites falling out. Once the whites are at this point, fold through chopped hazelnuts and chocolate. As above, I would suggest using a spatula, and fold the mixture as little as possible.

6. After about half an hour in the oven your cake should be firming up nicely, a little bit of a jiggle is ok, but make sure your cake has begun to cook through before beginning this next step. Remove your cake from the oven and spread the meringue mixture over the top of the cake. I spread my meringue mixture with a spatula and then used a fork to create some cute little swirly peaks. Return the cake to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the meringue has hardened and is browning slightly.

7. Remove your cake from the oven and stand aside for at least half an hour before removing from the tin. Don't be alarmed if your meringue has puffed up - my cake looked like it was wearing a meringue chef's hat when it first came out of the oven - but never fear! After thirty minutes cooling your meringue should have fallen a bit. Run a knife around the edge of the cake tin to loosen the cake before turning it out. Allow the cake to cool before serving.

I served my cake with blobs of thickened cream and fresh raspberries. You can top your cake with whatever you like, but I would recommend something tart to cut through the richness of the chocolate and the sugary meringue. I must also point out that this cake is incredibly unhealthy! It is high in sugar, high in fat, and presumalby bad for one's cholesterol. In the words of the immortal Cookie Monster, this cake is a sometimes food. Still, doesn't it look lovely?

PS. Happy Birthday Sarah! I'm glad you liked your cake, now take Cookie Monster's advice and eat some healthy greens...

Get Out Your Measuring Cups (Almond & Apple Crumble Cake)

Well folks, this is my unprecedented second blog post of the week... I can scarcely believe it! But believe I must, and all things considered it's really no surprise that I've posted twice this week. It's cold outside, the weather is unruly, the wind messes up my hair, and staying inside baking is vastly more enjoyable than braving the elements to take in some fresh evening air. So, second post of the week! It's a cracker, it really is.

Almond and Apple Crumble Cake

Brought to you via my grandmother, who kindly shares her cooking secrets, if I remember my pleases and thankyous.

What You Will Need:

• 250g sugar
• 180g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 apples, peeled, halved and thinly sliced. I used a granny smith and two pink ladies (Oooh-er!)

For the crumble:

• 60g butter
• 100g sugar
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons of flour (approx)

What you will need to do:

1. Using an electric beater, beat cream until stiff. Add eggs one at a time, stir in essence, baking powder, sifted flour and sugar. Your batter should be quite thick, but smooth and glossy.

2. Pour cake batter into a greased 20cm spring form cake tin. Arrange sliced apples over the top of the cake in layers. (Three apples covers the top of the cake completely, and then some.)

3. Bake cake at 180 degrees celsius for approximately 45 minutes. My oven is very old and not particularly hot, so my cake took almost an hour. I'd suggest checking your cake at 40 minutes, if it's not cooked through, continue to bake until the batter is no longer wobbly. Keep your oven at a moderate temperature setting to avoid burning your cake at the bottom.

4. While the cake is cooking, blend all topping ingredients over a low heat. Add enough flour that the mixture absorbs all the melting butter and begins to crumble - three tablespoons is just a guide.

5. Once your cake is no longer wobbly in the centre (at the 45 minute mark or thereabouts) tip the crumble mixture over the cake and bake until browned. Serve warm with cream, or cool - depending on your inclination. Served warm the cake falls apart in a most appealing, steaming, apple-scented fashion.

So there you have it. Don't get used to my twice-weekly blogging enthusiasm. I have a sneaking suspicion that I baked tonight to fill the gaping hole that Masterchef has left in my evenings... hopefully I'll stop feeling separation anxiety soon and my normal lazy weeknights will return. I enjoyed the musical stylings of Mr Andrew Bird whilst baking this cake. I strongly suggest you check out his takeaway show over at the amazing La Blogotheque - possibly my all time favourite website. Check out these Takeaway Shows if your evenings are feeling a little empty now that Poh and Justine and Julie (and Gary, and George, and Matt) have left your weeknights. They're just great.

The Best Birthday Cake

About two weeks ago my little brother celebrated his first birthday, and as such I had the pleasure of heading home to Canberra to attend his very first birthday party.  The party was held on a lovely Saturday afternoon, there were balloons, presents, lollies for all, and glasses of champagne on offer for the older guests too. The younger attendees enjoyed a few giddy hours playing in the backyard with a bubble machine, while the grown ups enjoyed a very civilised afternoon tea and a relaxing drink in the sun. Birthday Boy had a fantastic day (despite being completely unaware that all of the excitement was in his honour) and I spent the day in awe of my talented little brother's new and exciting abilities. He stands up all on his own now, babbles away in a most conversational manner, and to my sheer amazement offers to share his food! Bless his little heart.

The event was a great success, in part due to my Stepmum's seemingly innate skill for entertaining, and in part due to the inaugural First Birthday Cake, prepared by my Dad. Dad is a fantastic cook, and his roast dinners, freshly caught fish, pastas and delicious deserts have fostered my love of food for as long as I can remember. Birthday Boy's cake was up to his usual standard (and absolutely huge - the photos don't do it justice!) and I'm going to share the recipe with you here. It is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe that I *think* can be found in his first book, The Naked Chef. I haven't been able to find it online so I reproduce it for you here:

What you will need:

• 200g caster sugar
• 200g butter
• 200g flour
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

For the filling:

• 200ml whipped cream
  
• Fruit jam or fresh berries if desired

What you will need to do:

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, flour, baking powder and cocoa and beat with an electric mixer until the batter is smooth. Finally, stir through the slivered almonds.

2. Divide the mixture evenly across two 20cm spring form cake tins and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

3. Remove the cakes from oven, allow to cool completely before removing them from cake tins. Cover one cake with whipped cream and any jam or fruits that you would like to include, then carefully place the second cake on top of the first. Refrigerate the lot for at least half an hour before icing.

Apparently the original Jamie recipe calls for a runny chocolate drizzle icing. Given that many of the attendees at this particular party were under the age of three and likely to make a mess, Dad opted for a creamy dark chocolate icing that didn't so much drizzle as meld to the cake like delicious chocolate cement. I could wax lyrical about how marvellous the cake tasted, but I think the demolition-style 'after' shot speaks for itself...

Children's birthday parties always stir in me a strange sense of melancholy. A nostalgia for barely remembered parties of the past perhaps, or maybe I'm just so hopelessly emotional that any sort of happy family moment makes me feel a little weepy. Which leads me to my musical segue for this post. Listen to these girls, they are sisters - sixteen and eighteen years old - and they are divine. Melancholy, naive, and with adorable Jens Lekman-esque accents that seem somehow at odds with their startlingly strong voices. This is the second post in a row where I've featured them -I'm ever so slightly besotted, and I think everyone should rush out and buy their new EP: Drunken Trees. First Aid Kit have stolen my heart.

First Aid Kit - In Our Own Pretty Way

First Aid Kit on Last.fm

Oranges & Lemons

It seems that winter has arrived early this year. So early, and with such unforgiving speed, that at our house we simply weren't prepared for the onset of the cold. My house is a darling little terrace, built in 1888. It's quaint, it's charming, I'm in love with the plaster fixtures and high ceilings, but the fireplaces are strictly decorative, and the place is about as well insulated as a particularly flimsy shoebox. I've been looking for every excuse to have our oven pumping these last few weeks, and these cakes are two great reasons to turn the gas on. Two delicious, citrusy offerings that put me in mind of the sunny autumn days we're apparently not going to see this year. Put on your warmest woollen socks, and enjoy these cakes with a piping hot cup of tea.

Lemon Syrup Cake

This recipe comes to me courtesy of The Boy and his Mum. It was originally written down by The Boy's Great Great Grandmother, making him the fifth generation of his family to have prepared and enjoyed it. It is seriously delicious, and if you have a Boy around the house who is as big an eater as mine is, I'd suggest making double quantities.

What you will need:

• 125g butter
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons of lemon zest

For the syrup:

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup caster sugar

What you will need to do:

1. Heat your oven to 180 degrees, grease a loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture appears light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beat the mixture well after each addition.

3. Sift the flours and salt and add in a little at a time. For each addition of flour mix in a little of the milk too.

4. Once all the flours and milk are mixed through, add lemon rind to what is now your cake batter and give the lot one last stir.

5. Pour the batter into your greased loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes

Adding the syrup:

1. While the cake is cooking, combine 1/3 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of caster sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

2. When cake is cooked and still hot from the oven, pour over the lemon mixture and leave to stand until the cake has absorbed it all. Mmm, delicious.

Flourless Orange Cake

This recipe is quite time consuming, but entirely worthwhile. In my opinion Oranges + Cake = Best Thing Ever, and this cake in particular is really orangey. It's dense and moist without being too sweet. Everything a good cake should be. Adapted from the Claudia Roden Middle Eastern Cookbook.

What you will need:

• 2 large oranges
• 6 eggs
• 250 grams almond meal
• 250 grams of caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

What you will need to do:

1. Place oranges in a pot and cover with water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for two hours.

2. Remove oranges from water, chop into chunks and remove any pips. Using a food processor, blend the orange chunks until smooth. Then set aside to cool completely.

3. Preheat your oven to 190 degrees, and grease a 24cm spring form cake tin.

4. Beat the eggs together and add to the orange mixture, blend until combined.

5. Add in almond meal, sugar and baking powder and stir until all ingredients are wet. Pour the mixture into cake tin and bake for one hour.

Serve this cake with just a little bit of cream poured over the top. It is delicious warm as well as cold, in this cooler weather I warm mine in the microwave a little before digging in.

These two cakes are delicious, they make for perfect afternoon tea. Fresh and fruity, and a great way to enliven the kitchen when you're cooped up inside, hiding away from the dismal winter weather. The second cake in particular does take quite a while to prepare, but the boiling oranges filled my kitchen with a lovely sweet smell, and while my cake baked I listened to these sweet young things, their Fleet Foxes cover warms my heart. Play it on repeat for a little while, they're magic.

Australian Summer - Raspberry & Peach Upside Down Cake

Hello dear readers!

Welcome to my first post as authoress of our new-born blog. If you have found your way to our little corner of the internet, then welcome. I hope you enjoy what we have to offer.

As I am sure you have noticed, summer has well and truly descended upon those of us residing below the equator. Until this week, Melbourne had sparingly kept her temperatures below the 30 degree mark, but the mercury is rising now, and for me this rise in temperature outside usually coincides with a rise in the amount of time I spend inside, sitting in front of a fan with a cold glass of water in one hand and a good book in the other.

Recently however, some friends and I spent a sunny Monday afternoon in the foothills of the Dandenong's going berry picking. Now not much can tempt me away from my glorious air conditioning in the throes of an unforgiving summer, but there is one thing I'd just about walk across hot coals for, and that is fresh picked raspberries, so five of us hopped on a train and headed out to lovely Kallista (nestled between townships such as Sassafrass, Tecoma, and Ferntree Gully) where we enjoyed scenery such as this:

Ate berries as fresh as this:

And paid a meagre sum of just $10 to be able to leave the orchard with a kilo of berries each, not to mention another odd kilo in each of our stomachs (and all over our faces, as my sister pointed out when we went to have our harvest weighed...) Anyway, as of this evening a hefty portion of the raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries that I picked with my own two hands remain in my freezer, which is why my first ever posted recipe is a lovely berry upside down cake. I know it's hot, but turn your oven on for this one, it's worth it.

What you will need:

120 grams of raspberries (plus any other berry varieties you enjoy)

Two large peaches, sliced

Two tablespoons of butter or margarine

Two tablespoons of honey

125 grams butter

1 cup caster sugar

Vanilla essence

2 free range eggs

1 ¼ cups self raising flour

½ cup almond meal

1 cup milk

What you will need to do:

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line the bottom of a 20cm spring form cake tin with baking paper, grease up the sides with a little extra butter.

Microwave tablespoons of butter and honey until they are melted and bubbling a little, then pour the mixture into cake tin and spread across the baking paper.

Arrange fruit on top of the honey mix. No need to be neat about it, although if your berries are particularly juicy I'd recommend draining them of a bit of their liquid, or else your cake tin might leak berry juice, and you'll have to scrape the resulting burnt on jam stuff off the base of your oven. (I've done this, it's not fun.)

Next, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla essence in a bowl. If you are partial to lemon then substitute the vanilla essence for the rind of a small lemon. Either option is delicious.

Beat in the eggs, then add all remaining ingredients and beat until batter is smooth. Don't worry if your cake mix seems thick, it's meant to be.

Pour batter into cake tin, then bang cake tin gently to make sure the batter seeps between the fruit, holding everything together nicely.

Cook for 40 minutes to an hour. I always rely on the good ol' 'cake is done when knife inserted into the centre comes out clean' chestnut, as oven temperatures vary.

Now the final step in the process can be a little problematic if you are impatient like myself. Make sure you leave your cake to cool properly before trying to turn it out, or else half your fruit might slide off, ruining the nice upside-down effect (the cake will still taste delicious though, I promise.)

Remove the spring form sides to the cake tin, place an upside down plate on top of the cake, and carefully turn the whole lot upside down (or right way up, depending on how you look at it) then remove the base of your tin and peel off the baking paper carefully. Voila!

Cake is best enjoyed with a little of this on the side:

Listen to: Australia (The Shins, Wincing The Night Away)