Saturday, March 31, 2012

Delightful peaches and cream

One of my favourite cupcake shops in London is The Hummingbird Bakery. One of my BFFs, Ange, gave me the cookbook one Christmas while I was living over there. It wasn't until I got back to Melbourne where I have my own kitchen that I finally tested my baking skills. This sunny autumn day I decided to make Peaches and Cream cupcakes.

Recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. Photos by Stacey Hills

The end product is to die for. A rich creamy vanilla icing with a sprinkle of brown sugar, a light fluffy vanilla cake, and at the bottom, a little surprise flavour bomb of preserved peaches! Sensational. Now I am going to put it out there. This could actually in fact be the best cupcake I have ever eaten. I know this is a big call, but I am standing by my statement. Up until today, it was the Passionfruit ones from the David Jones food court. These mysterious treasures only ever seem to pop up every now and then. I love them because of the passionfruit curd centre. But these... well these peaches and cream delights, take cupcakes to a whole new level!

Photos by Stacey Hills


Monday, March 26, 2012

Wall gazing

One of my favourite Australian artists is the wallpaper designer, Florence Broadhurst. The eccentric red-head began her business in 1959 and produced the most beautiful hand printed designs. The geometric patterns were vibrant and inspired by nature. Signature Prints have reproduced her designs and applied them not only to wallpapers, but fabric and other textiles too, so that we can still appreciate her gorgeous designs today.

Photos from Signature Prints

My dream is to one day have a space (hopefully attached to my house) where all my treasures I have gathered over the years will live. I will run my design studio here and my clients will be able to check out my work while I serve them tea and pikelets with homemade jam and cream. Mmm mmmm. And a Florence Broadhurst design would be the perfect decor.

The Cranes | Egrets | Gardenia
Photos from Signature Prints


An embarrassing habit I have is that I often get caught daydreaming while everyone else is watching tv. Having a Broadhurst design would make gazing into space (aka staring at the wall) a whole lot more interesting.

Ikeda | Carnation | Japanese Flora
Photos from Signature Prints

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Cup of tea and the best book ever

Winter is defintely coming, here in Melbourne. So what better way to snuggle up in jammies with a brew and the best book ever. The Hungar Games. I just can't put them down. Looking forward to seeing the action on the big screen.