Both of my boys have strong attachments to a certain toy or blanket.
Its the kind of attachment that causes you to check its location every
time you leave the house to prevent a potential nuclear meltdown if
it's ever more than 3 feet away.
2 yo S has a
blankie. A dirty, stinky Winnie the Pooh blankie that I have to sneak
from him when he's sleeping just to make it hygienic. Once I washed it
during the day and he stood underneath the washing line sucking his
thumb and holding onto the blankie until it was dry. It was really cute,
but also a little bit disturbing.
4 yo H also had
a blankie, but it was lost on a Costco pilgrimage. To this day we can't
go into a Costco (regardless of whether it was the one where he was lost
or not) without tears. Now he takes a crocheted Monkey I made for him
to bed. The monkey has recently been christened with a new
name... "Jeffanese"; An awkward mix of Jeff and Japanese. There has been no
reason given why the monkey, formally known as Monkey, has a new name,
or why it's a bit odd. The joys of having a child with a vivid
imagination in the surprises you hear about every day. I have an inkling
his (invisible) friend Ridgey Didge may have had something to do with
it!
Both Blankie and Jeffanese are both extremely
well travelled (stamps on both their passports), loved within inches of
their lives and mummy sanity savers in times of child meltdown.
...
Some things are so iconic that they stand the test of political correctness and time.
To
many a Golden Gaytime may seem like an offensive name for a disco, but
in fact it's a much loved Aussie Ice cream. It is a vanilla ice-cream,
covered in caramel, dipped in chocolate then smothered in crumbs. A
classic Aussie summer beach treat.
My training
buddy requested a healthy Golden Gaytime Cake for her birthday, and as I
love a challenge (both physically and baking!) I got cooking.
This
cake actually contains no new elements; all the components I have used
many times before and each are very simple to make. The magic happens
when you put them all together. The soft cake with the delicious caramel
cream is a perfect match for the chocolate and crunchy biscuit
exterior. An Aussie Classic Cake!
GOLDEN GAYTIME CAKEMake each component separately (they can each be made 1-2 days ahead) and construct the day of serving.Serves 16VANILLA CAKEINGREDIENTS6 Eggs, separated1/2 cup Maple Syrup1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract1/2 cup Milk (of choice)3/4 cup Coconut Flour3 teaspoons Baking PowderINSTRUCTIONSPreheat oven to 175C/350FPlace the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl and whisk on medium/high until soft peaks form.Slowly add the maple syrup; 1 spoonful at a time.Mixture will triple in size and form peaks.Add the vanilla extract and whisk on medium/high until combined.Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, whilst still whisking. Add the next yolk only once the previous one has been combined.Add the milk whilst still whisking.In a separate bowl, sift the coconut flour and baking powder together.Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk on low until combined (you may need to scrape down the edges to ensure the coconut flour is fully combined).Turn the whisk to medium/high again and whisk for 30-60 seconds to make a fluffy mixture.Pour into a greased and lined 20cm/8 inch cake tin.Bake for 33-35 min, or until skewer comes out clean.Allow the cake to cool before removing from the tin.Cut the cake into 2 layers.CARAMEL CREAMINGREDIENTS1 can of Coconut Cream, 440ml (organic or preservative less/free), opened and placed in the fridge overnight6-8 Tablespoons Caramel (see recipe below)INSTRUCTIONSPlace the cream in the mixing bowl of a kitchen stand with a whisk attachment and whisk until thick.Add the caramel 1 tablespoon at a time and check for required taste.Whip until thickened and place in fridge until set.CARAMEL SAUCEINGREDIENTS1 can Coconut Cream1/2 Cup Maple Syrupdash of salt2 teaspoons Vanilla ExtractINSTRUCTIONSPlace the coconut cream, maple syrup and salt in a saucepan over medium/high heat.Bring mixture to boil, then reduce to medium heat.Allow the mixture to bubble until quite thick and dark golden in colour. Stir regularly to prevent burning.This will take 15-25 minutes (this will depend on the quality of your coconut cream)Add vanilla and continue to cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes.The caramel will be dark golden in color and delicious.When cooler, place into a container and keep in fridge. The caramel will thicken as it refrigerates.CHOCOLATE FROSTINGINGREDIENTS1 large ripe Avocado (or 2 small ones)1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract1/4 cup Cocoa, unsweetened1/4 Maple Syrup1-2 tablespoons Whipped coconut cream (or normal coconut cream)INSTRUCTIONSRemove the pip from the Avocado and spoon the pulp into a blender.Add the vanilla, cocoa and maple syrup and blend until thoroughly mixed.Stop and scrape down sides regularly to ensure that the avocado is broken up and blended in.Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. (this step can be done in the blender)Add the whipped coconut cream and whisk until fluffy (2-3 minutes).Store in fridge until ready to use.BUTTERNUT SNAP BISCUITSOnly a half serve of the Biscuits are required; so make a whole recipe and use only half or use half an egg and make a 1/2 recipe.INGREDIENTS2 tablespoons Coconut Oil1/2 cup Maple Syrup1 Egg1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract2 tablespoons Golden SyrupPinch of Salt1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar1 teaspoon Bicarb Soda1 1/2 cups Almond Meal1 cup desiccated, unsweetened Coconut3 tablespoons Arrowroot (tapioca) Flour1 tablespoon Milk (Coconut, almond etc)INSTRUCTIONSCombine all the wet ingredients (except the milk) in a blender and mix until combined.Add the dry ingredients and blend until combined.Add the milk and pulse in.Place mixture in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 175C/350F.Place heaped tablespoons of the mixture on the lined tray, at least 3cm (just over 1 inch) apart (this allows for spreading).Gently press with a fork to flatten slightly and create round shapes.Place tray in fridge for 15 minutes.Bake in oven for 16-18 minutes. The biscuits will be slightly brown on top.Cool on tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.Biscuits will firm up a they cool.Once cooled, place half the biscuits (or all if a 1/2 recipe was made) into a zip lock bag and crush into small pieces.CONSTRUCTIONPlace 1 layer of cake on a serving tray and spread with the Caramel Chipped Cream.Place the 2nd layer of the cake on top and freeze for 30 minutes.Freezing prevents the cream and frosting from mixing.Remove from the freezer and cover with the chocolate frosting.Sprinkle and spread the biscuit crumbs all over the cake.The cake needs to be refrigerated between servings.
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