Kamut Flour Cheese & Chive Scones (wheat free)

Happy Melbourne Cup Day everyone!
Melbourne has a public holiday every year for the Melbourne Cup horse race which is held at Flemington race course.  I attended the Caulfield races a few years ago and relished the opportunity to wear a lovely dress and have some bubbles by the racing track.  This year we decided to spend the day at home and relax, which gave me the inclination to make these Kamut Flour Cheese & Chive scones.


A fitting breakfast for Melbourne Cup

Honey Cake (wheat free)

I found myself at a loss this weekend with a completely free day on Saturday, my patisserie course was cancelled for the day...what to do....well I decided to pamper myself and have a facial and then bake some wheat free honey cake. 



This recipe is also dairy free but requires lots of vegetable oil instead of butter.  Honey cake originates from Israel and is traditionally served on the Sabbath and at festivals, especially at the beginning of the new year when it is served in the hope of make the year ahead even sweeter.

LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD NOMINATION FOR SWEETGUM BAKERY

Today I am very flattered and delighted to have been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award by Prince Productions from her Around the World in Eighty Bakes blog! Blogging has only become a very recent hobby of mine and I love the fact that I can write about baking so much and share and read lots of recipes and ideas with other bloggers.  I am always thrilled when I get comments on my blog, so I was very surprised when I opened a comment from one of my favourite bloggers to reveal that they nominated me for an award! Thank you so much to Prince Productions who nominated me for the award!  The Around the World in Eighty Bakes blog is such a brilliant idea and I love reading all of Lauren's different recipes and being able to see how each attempt turns out!

Dough delightful!

Look at the goodies I brought home on Saturday from college….brioche….hot cross buns….Challah bread and wait for it…..cinnamon sugar dusted doughnuts!
 

A baked goods bounty

Citrus scented brownies (wheat free)

We had guests staying this weekend, so I thought to myself, what more of a reason do I need to make a batch of brownies? I deviated from my usual brownie recipe and tried a version of the Jaime Oliver recipe from his 30 Minute Meals cookbook.  David bought me the cookbook for christmas last year and I have worked my way through many of the savory dishes but this is my first attempt at anything sweet from the book.




A delicious bite sized piece of brownie

An irish shindig with a few cupcakes for good measure

David and I arrived home from Sydney yesterday afternoon after a delightfully warm and indulgent trip.  The reality of work is with me in my lacklustre office on this chilly Monday morning hurry up summertime but my memories of the glorious engagement party we attended on Saturday are getting me through the day. 

We flew to Sydney on Thursday and grabbed a quick bite in Chinatown before heading over to several spots around Sydney to catch up with family.  David and I headed to Manly on the ferry on Friday; it was a perfectly lazy day which started off at the Guylian Belgian Chocolate café right beside the Sydney Opera House.  Check out my JUG of praline hot chocolate.  My first experience of praline hot chocolate certainly hit the mark. Ten out of ten Guylian – I’ll be back for more.

The JUG of Praline Hot Chocolate

Crusty Bread Rolls

Bread. How amazing is bread? A simple combination of flour, water, yeast and salt and voila…you have a loaf in your hands.  At the patisserie course on Saturday my hands got stuck into making these….



Leave the bread to rise



Freshly baked bread