Sweet Fusion
The Louise Cake has been a kiwi household staple for many generations. And for me growing up, this was no different. Even to this day, this recipe holds many nostalgic memories. In fact, my grandmother used to enjoy making and baking the Louise Cake too, however she liked to make them in muffin tins so that everyone had a single serve. This would be great, as it often saved the debate over who got the larger slice amongst siblings and cousins.
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I bet you have two thoughts, yum I love cookie dough and what the heck is a tiffin! A tiffin is cake-like slice full of chocolate, crushed biscuits and other bits and bobs. I think of it as a cross between the lolly log and a rocky-road with the bonus that it too doesn’t need to be baked. If you’ve never tried one before, then you really need to.…
There has been a lot of talk recently about chocolate and beer making a surprisingly delicious team. I’ve seen this combo drawing in people for chocolate and beer pairing evenings, along with craft breweries releasing chocolate infused brews. So this got me thinking, let’s bake the two ingredients together and create something amazing. However I still felt it needed something else, so what goes with beer? Bacon!…
Let’s face it, some of the best things in life should all go together. The only thing is, can they go together with a little less guilt. The answer is yes.…
There is obviously some debate as to whether the Lamington originated in Australia or New Zealand, so let’s settle this right now. The story goes that the Lamington was created by complete accident after the cook of Lord Lamington dropped a piece of sponge cake into chocolate sauce back in the 1800’s. Was this in New Zealand you ask? The answer is no, this whoopsie was brought to life across the ditch in Australia. Case closed!
Let’s face it, you can’t beat a delicious Blondie, nor can anyone resist a helping of warm waffles with banana, drizzled with chocolate and maple syrup.…
Baker Gatherer has teamed up with yet another small business here in New Zealand, this time I’d like to introduce Bonnie Goods, an artisan bakery based in central Auckland. Bonnie Goods specialise in rolling, cutting and baking their unique oatcakes by hand. Now Scotland’s national cracker can be enjoyed here in New Zealand, available in four different varieties.…
It’s well known that kiwi’s love their lolly logs (or lolly cake). It was always a must when visiting a bakery, I know I could never get enough of them. So this recipe is a slight variation on the kiwi classic with a fusion of banoffee flavours to create a new taste sensations.
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A campfire isn’t complete without toasting marshmallows over an open fire or hot coals. The charred outside and hot gooey middle really do remind me of many childhood memories camping with family and friends. It wasn’t until I was a bit older (and with the american influences), were biscuits introduced to sandwich together these gooey marshmallows. Oh, and you’d quickly find that adding a cube of chocolate to this melting sandwich really took it to that next level too!
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Growing up I often remember my mum in the kitchen, baking lots of different slices and biscuits as weekend treats or for school lunches. I was always fond of her buttery shortbread biscuits and also her delicious marshmallow slice, which has been a recipe passed around our family for as long as I’ve known. So taking both my mum’s shortbread and marshmallow slice recipe, I thought I could fuse them together.
Her marshmallow slice recipe has been used by different family members over time, had various additions and gone by different names. So I felt it was time to make my mark and offer my own spin on this family favourite. I’ve speckled a morish shortbread base with sneaky chocolate chips and then topped this with a nostalgically soft homemade marshmallow. Now I can share a little taste of home with my own variation on my mum’s popular slice, and I call this one – Marshmallow Shortbread.
Flick oven on to 160°C bake and line a 22cm square tin with grease-proof paper.
Add butter, sugar and vanilla to a free-standing mixer and beat until well combined.
Remove bowl from mixer and sift in the flours and add the chocolate chips. Stir through until well combined and has started to form a crumbly dough.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of prepared tin using your fingers or the back of a spoon.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top has turned a nice golden colour. Allow to cool slightly then place in the fridge to cool completely before continuing.
When the shortbread has cooled you can start on the marshmallow. Pour boiling water into a large bowl and sprinkle gelatine over top, stirring to devolve.
Add sugar, raspberry essence and colouring to the bowl and beat with a hand-held beater on a high speed until thick and fluffy (Approximately 10 minutes).
Spoon directly on top of the cooled shortbread and smooth out with a knife or spatula.
Cut slice as desired once marshmallow has set. To speed up setting time, place in the fridge for a while.
Optional – If you’re like me you can melt some chocolate in a pot over boiling water and then drizzle over your slice before or after you cut it up. Gives a nice added touch!
Above is the first and only photo taken of this recipe when it was shared for the first time in September 2015 (the month the Baker Gatherer website was born). So I wanted to reshoot this recipe, giving it the appreciation it deserved. Not saying that the photo shot back in 2015 was bad, but I simply wanted to give a little more attention to a recipe that is such a staple. Happy baking!