We have a winner...

Thanks for all the comments on the birthday post. There were some hilarious birthday cake stories! The lucky winner of the AWW Children's Birthday Cake Book is....

Anna! from Impeccable Taste

If you send us an email: lovelyweedays (at) gmail (dot) com and let us know your address we'll get it in the post ASAP!

Happy birthday to us!

It's two years since our first post! And to mark the occasion we have a little something for you... a copy of The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book.

Weeks before our birthdays we'd start choosing a cake from the book for mum to spend hours making the night before our birthday. Flicking through this copy there are so many familiar cakes but the highlight for me is the train from the cover which Mum made at least twice, even going so far as to make the candy popcorn herself on one of those occasions.


There were only two cakes we were steered away from: the "Candy Castle" probably because of the vast quantities of sugary egg white icing it involved and the "Swimming Pool" possibly because of the practicalities of slicing and serving a cake filled with jelly.


This is the "vintage edition" of the book - printed this year but almost unchanged from the original we grew up with in the 1980s. Four cakes have been swapped for more politically correct masterpieces but the font, layout and copious use of "butter cake mix" remain.


If you'd like to win this copy of the book just leave us a comment telling us about the best birthday cake you've ever had - from the AWW book or not, it doesn't matter.

Brown food, a call for recipes... and a giveaway

Brown food (excluding anything chocolate) rarely looks appealing when I take its photo. When I say "brown food" I mean things like bran muffins and loaves: everyday, easy to throw together, baking that's lovely with a cup of tea but doesn't make you go "wow! I really want to make that". In a word...uninspiring!

This "no-chop date and orange loaf" is one of those recipes - simple, quick to make with ingredients you already have and tastes better than it looks! The recipe is from "Now You're Cooking" a sweet little cookbook put together by the Destitute Children's Home Pokhara Charitable Trust as a fundraiser for a children's home in Nepal. The Trust is run by a dedicated bunch of Wellingtonians and funds raised from the sale of this cookbook have gone towards really practical things to make life easier in the home - like a microwave - as well as the day-to-day running of the home and education for the children living there.

The first cookbook, released two Christmases ago, was so successful the Trust is putting together another one in time for Christmas 2011. So here's your opportunity to be come a published food writer and contribute to a great little book! The Trust is looking for recipes (especially desserts) to compile into a second cookbook - recipes of the tried-and-true variety - things you love to make and eat yourself. Send your favourites to Linda: dchpokhara@gmail.com

I bought several copies of the first book for Christmas gifts - at a very reasonable $10 they were the perfect little gift - and have ended up with an extra copy so it's up for grabs! Leave a comment about your favourite "brown food" (stuff that doesn't look pretty but tastes delicious!) and I'll make the draw in a week's time. Anyone is welcome to leave a comment & contribute a recipe for the next book but the giveaway is only open to NZ residents.

This loaf contains a modest 50g of butter - good news in these times of high dairy prices - and also helpfully suggests you can swap the butter for four level tablespoons of oil. The recipe says the addition of an orange lifts this loaf a cut above a plain date loaf, I didn't have an orange so made it without and it was still delicious.

No-chop date & orange loaf (contributed by Virginia)

225g pitted dates

Juice of an orange, made up to half a cup with water

50g butter (or 4 TBSP oil)

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup milk (or soy milk)

1/2 cup raw sugar (or could use white)

1 beaten egg

1 cup plain flour

1 cup wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup broken walnuts

Turn the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Put the whole dates, rind and 1/2 cup of liquid into a pot. Bring to boil and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the butter until melted and leave to cool a bit.

Mix the baking soda into the milk. Beat the egg and sugar together in a large bowl. Add both the milk/baking soda to the egg/sugar mix and stir in the dates. Sift in the dry ingredients (throw in the wholemeal bits left in the sieve from the wholemeal flour. Stir gently to just mix.

Pour into a lined loaf tine and bake for one hour. Test by poking in a skewer: if it comes out clean the loaf is cooked.

The recipe suggests serving plain when fresh and buttered as it get a bit older. This is good advice but I couldn't resist a little butter on a slice when it was still warm from the oven.

Thursday baking...and the winner is

Jessica! Congratulations. Please email us at the address below so we can arrange delivery of your new book & you can start baking.


We were astonished by the number and quality of responses from those of you eager to join the LWD baking family. And we're keen to take advantage of your enthusiasm!

We are always thrilled to have special guest posts. So, we've made a list of all the recipes we are yet to bake from ATONZB. If something takes your fancy and you'd like to post it for Thursday baking, then please send us an email at lovelyweedays@gmail.com. We'll provide you with the recipe, which you can then bake, photograph, write up and email to us to be published one Thursday. Here's the list of treats still to be baked - we look forward to hearing from you!

All-in-one Pavlova
Almond, Cherry & Cranberry Cookies
Almond Sponge with Citrus Yoghurt Cream and Summer Berries
Baked French Chocolate Tart
Caramel Meringue Slice
Caramel Pecan Slice
Carob Espresso Brownie Slice
Carrot Cake
Cheese Muffins with Melted Brie
Chocolate & Hazelnut Biscotti
Chocolate Custard and Fruit Pastries
Chocolate Date Crumble Slice
Chocolate Raspberry & Coconut Slice
Coconut Meringue Cake
Courgette Slice
Courgette Walnut Loaf
Cranberry & White Chocolate Shortcake
Dark Ale Fruit Cake
Date & Orange Muffins
Delicious Family Favourite Banana Cake
Dream Kisses
Eccles Cakes
Fay's Mumbles
Fig & Aniseed Plaited Scone Loaf
Forgotten Cookies
Fresh Peach Cake
Fresh Plum Cake with Spicy Plum Sauce
Fruity ANZAC Biscuits
Ginger Shortbread
Greek Yoghurt & Honey Cake
Hazelnut Meringue Cake with Grapes
Jewel Nut Cake
Jilly's Chocolate Cake
Lemon Cream Cheese Cake
Lemon, Lime & Almond Cakes
Lemon, Lime & Poppyseed Syrup Cake
Lemon Yoghurt Cake with Orange Blossom
Lolly-Scramble Cupcakes
Louise Cake
Macaroon Dessert Cake
Madeira Cake
Madeleines
Manuka Honey Ginger Snaps
Margaret Price's Ginger Gems
Melting Moments
19th Century American Spiced Apple Cake
No-Bake Ginger & Coconut Chocolate Slice
Oat & Barley Scones
Olive Oil Cake
Orange & Hazelnut Cakes
Orange Blossom Water Madeleines
Orange Muesli Slice
Orange Sponge Cake
Panforte
Pineapple Cake
Plum and Cardamom Shortcake
Rhubarb Cake
Rhubarb Friands
Rich Christmas Cake
Rose Petal Shortbread
Scones
Spiced Date Cake
Summer Berry Baked Cheesecake
Superb Chocolate Cake
Sweet Orange Angel Food Cake
Tamarillo Friands
Upside-down Blueberry Polenta Sponge
Vanna's Chocolate Cake
Viennese Pineapple Cake
Walnut & Orange Passover Cake
Walnut, Prune & Apricot Slice
Wee Choc Almond Cupcakes
Weekend Cake

thursday baking - want to help?

We are now a quarter of the way through our challenge to bake our way through A Treasury of NZ Baking...and are looking for a new recruit to join us! If you are keen to take part - baking one Treasury recipe a month to feature on Lovely Wee Days - please leave us a comment under this post. We have a brand new copy of the Treasury sitting here to send to the winner, who will be announced next Thursday.

and the winner is...

Stephanie!

If you could send us an email with your address details we will pop your 'gingerbread friends' teatowel in the post.

Thanks everyone for sharing the lovely baking memories!

gingerbread men...and a wee giveaway

Wallace Cotton, purveyor of beautiful linen have just released the 2010 'Ruby's tea towel'. Ruby is a 13 year old cancer survivor who has designed a teatowel for the last three years to raise money for Starship Children's Hospital. The tea towels are a bargain $10 each, and all profits ($6) go to Starship. I bought one to frame and hang in Daisy's room, alongside 'Ruby's cupcakes', the 2009 edition.

I have an extra 'Gingerbread friends' teatowel, so if you fancy it just leave a comment on this post telling us what your favourite baked treat was as a child. We will draw a winner next Friday, and send it out to you.

Daisy and I made a batch of Ruby's gingerbread men the other day. Little fingers were very keen to help, and the wee man was very nearly popped into her mouth...no doubt he would have tasted rather more exciting than her rice cakes!