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Vanilla cupcakes with raspberry icing
Last weekend I was invited to a beach BBQ and in light of being taught to never turn up empty handed, I decided to attempt baking cupcakes!I often make cakes and cookies but I rarely make cupcakes… For people that are the same as me, and in need of an easy recipe, I’ve decided to share this very simple one for vanilla cupcakes - along with the raspberry icing (definitely the best part!).
VANILLA CUPCAKES
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Chop butter into small chunks and mix into the dry ingredients by hand.
- Mix wet ingredients - eggs, milk and vanilla - in a separate bowl.
- Slowly combine the two with a cake mixer on medium, mix as little as you can.
- Divide batter evenly into greased muffin tins an for 18-20 minutes on 180 degrees celsius.
RASPBERRY ICING
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup of icing sugar
Method:
- In a microwave safe bowl, drizzle the lemon juice over the top of the berries and microwave on high for five minutes.
- Let the raspberry mixture cool / come to room temperature.
- Combine raspberries, butter, vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
- Slowly add icing sugar and mix.
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TEDxSydney goes viral
The Australian video capturing a group of children trying certain foods for their first time has grabbed the attention the world over.
Reaching over 1 million views since it screened at ideas festival TEDxSydney on May 4, ‘First Taste’ leaves an audience ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ at little kids as they taste food such as an anchovy, Vegemite, an olive and a gherkin for the first time. Their expressive faces go from disgust to astonishment to delight, all caught in slow motion. Filmed at 500 frames per second with approximately 20,000 watts of light, it magnifies every single moment.
TEDxSydney commissioned Saatchi & Heckler to create the Tasty Video Bit (TVB) for the event.
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Farm Life
I’ve often pictured myself living out in the country, I think I would love being on a farm. There’s something about the lifestyle, the fresh air, the peace & quiet that I could simply give way to.
Perhaps my love of the countryside stems from my roots, with my Dad having grown up on a farm, and the same for my boyfriend - who both have a very strong work ethic which I’m sure is a result of their days working in the yards - but there’s something about it that has always grabbed me.
But would it be too quiet..? Am I too much of a city gal?
A wee part of me does think that I would really miss my friends and family (and my social life) plus not to mention my busy job but maybe one day I’ll throw myself into it - but the more I grow up and love my career, the further this dream seems to be. It’s now been extended far in to my old age… When the [future] kids are all grown up and I’m covered in wrinkles.
Ooh and maybe I could reside on a farm that is near the water so you get the best of both worlds! And one that’s not too far away from the city! Haha… I guess only time will tell.
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TEDxSydney 2013
So I’m a little slow in getting this post up - but better late than never right?
I was lucky enough to venture to the Sydney Opera House on the 4th of May for the annual ideas festival TEDxSydney (only one of about 2200 people…). I was actually even lucky enough to go backstage, mingle with the speakers and performers and consume some of the delicious food - that’s because I was working. And it was a very busy working day indeed, but certainly a fun one!
Over the past few months I had the amazing opportunity of being part of TEDxSydney. I was liaising with the mind-blowing speakers, attending weekly WIPs with the core team and playing a role in the outstanding event. I won’t go in to too much detail here about my tasks (the best PR is invisible right :P) but trust me, it was fantastic and I got to work with some wonderful people.
TED started in the US and there are now thousands of TEDx events all around the world, with the ‘x’ standing for independent. The Sydney one is in the top five - as a flagship event celebrated by the TED headquarters.
The day is all about ‘ideas worth spreading’ with a range of talks on topics such as food security, being forever young, space junk, colour… the list goes on. In the interludes of the talks there are performances from very talented artists and towards the end of the day a few people are chosen from the audience to give their idea in 30seconds - certainly a challenge.
One of my favourite performances was Tom Thum (though I didn’t hear it from inside the Concert Hall, I caught most of it from backstage). Armed with a microphone he is an outstanding ‘beat boxer’ and can even make Michael Jackson tunes - very entertaining. His noises were incredible, he’s hilarious and very entertaining.
Tom Thum on stage / Photo courtesy of TEDxSydney by Fe Lumsdaine
Although it’s a while away, if you miss out on a ticket next year I definitely recommend volunteering on the day. We had some amazing helpers, you get to be a part of something inspiring and to experience the energy and atmosphere of something HUGE.
So bring on next year’s one!
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Lunching at Miss Chu
Ooh ‘Miss Chu‘ is definitely one of my favourite lunch spots in Sydney.
I prefer the ‘Tuckshop’ in Bondi (178 Campbell Parade), it’s laid-back and casual with friendly staff.
The juicy dumplings are to die for and the duck and banana rice paper rolls are so tasty! I also recommend asking for extra fish sauce to accommodate the vermicelli rice salads – it adds so much extra fresh flavour.
I hear they also do home delivery, which I’m yet to try!
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High Res
“Autumn” in Sydney at my new fav beach! #redleaf
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(via katyrawrr17)
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Innovation comes from people given the time for playingSir Tim Berners-Lee
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High Res
#flowerpower #diy ✌
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High Res
My kiwi feathers are frying! #madness
#NewFoundAppreciationForAirCon
and made the move from one city to a bigger one... Here's my journey
A blog about Lifestyle, Art & Culture and Food
- Laura Douglas
