one cake to rule them all

( of course if I had baked it in a ring tin then the title would have read " one ring cake etc". Which would have been a better play on words, if I thought of the title yesterday before I baked the cake and decided to write a post about it...)

Anyway- I have been baking this cake, from the Family Circle Kids' Cookbook for years. Like waay before I needed to bake allergy friendly egg free dairy free cakes. 

I have a couple of good gluten free cake recipes, but they have eggs in them. So I wondered if I could use gluten free flour in the recipe and pretty much cover all bases.

The result - yes! Chocolatey fudgy yum! Mixed in 5 minutes, baked in 35. Chocolate fudge cake for the win!

Saturday sewing challenge...

Involves the kitchen scales, a funnel, and some bargain sand filled weights from kmart. 

Plus a couple of op shop toys.

Half an hour of mucking about and I have 4 weighted lap toys to use at work!

stocking up

NSM foods in Victoria st Brunswick has to be the best smelling store around! You can smell the aromatic spices before you even step in the door. This is the best place to stock up on herbs, nuts and dried fruit (I love the semi dried cranberries!). A quick detour around the corner to The Royal Nut Company for a bag of Dutch Cocoa ( much darker and richer flavour) and my baking supplies are sorted!

Hmm - except I forgot to get pine nuts so might just have to go back again...

backyard bounty

plus

Equals

I haven't made lemon butter for years, but it is so easy and so delicious! Might have to get the breadmaker going to have some home made bread to go with the lemon butter!

vintage op shop treasure

Did you know that the Don Bosco op shop on Sydney Rd Brunswick  ( near Albert st, next to Volaris music) has a room of furniture out the back? ( I say room, but it really a verandah and car port!)

Here are some vintage beauties I spotted there yesterday- 1940's kitchen cabinet, vintage baby bed, crystal cabinet, and the most amazing leadlight windows!

spring colour

My in-laws have an amazing garden- flowers, fruit trees and a very productive veggie garden! When we visited on the weekend I just had to take a few photos ( and I didn't even get to the front flower garden!). 

anyone need some knitting inspiration ?

So many lovely books at Glenroy Salvos yesterday afternoon!