RECIPE for Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

We have developed a simple and sweet recipe for Shortcrust Pastry and we thought our gift to you this Christmas is the secret recipe!

Ingredients
1 egg/ 55g
100g castor sugar
200g butter
300g plain flour

Procedure

1. Cream butter and sugar lightly, add the egg then beat until well combined and creamy.
   
2. Add flour and combine until well mixed.
   
3. Then wrap in cling wrap and chill until firm, 24hours is always good.
   
4. Roll out pastry to 4mm thickness.
   
5. Cut the pastry with a cookie cutter to fit the size of your baking pan, pie tin or tartlet tin.
   If you are using the pastry for a large sweet pie, use a knife to cut the pastry to the correct size of your baking tin.
   
6. Bake in 180 degree oven until golden brown
   
7. Store in airtight container
   
8. If using this pastry for Fruit Mince Tarts then par bake bases first then fill with your favorite fruit mince. You can then decorate the top by cutting out stars with your pastry.
   Brushing tops of the pies/tarts with a egg wash, sprinkle with castor sugar & bake until golden brown.

*Please note the reciple may vary for different sized baking trays.

December is here so I suggest you start practising your Fruit Mince Tarts before Santa arrives.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Christmas Catalogue Out Now!

With Christmas just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the days dessert's and gifts!

Our Christmas catalogue is out now with a range of delicious treats to choose from such as, traditional furit cakes, puddings and tarts, christmas biscuits and cupcakes, chocolate rumballs, Nicholson's sauces and of course a gingerbread house!

Our pick for the perfect corporate gift would be the Christmas Biscuits!

To have a look through the catalogue go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashgrove-Australia/Cakes-by-JudyC/147378830152#/album.php?aid=341041&id=147378830152&ref=mf

Last orders close Thursday 17th December 2009!

Brisbane Twestival 2009

At this year's Twestival held at the on the 11th of September in Woolloongabba, we donated six dozen cupcakes with procedes going directly to the Inspire Foundation Charity.

Twestival is an international movement where people meet offline for one night, have fun and do some good for an important cause in the process.

To read more about our cupcakes at the Twestival click on the link:

http://brisbane.twestival.com/2009/09/10/did-someone-say-c-c-c-cupcakes/

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @judyccakes

Christmas Cake Decoration

I have the perfect class for those people at Christmas time, who get a little stumped when it comes to preparing a delicious and appetising dessert for the family.

This Christmas Cake decorating class is a hands on experience in the kitchen and I will teach you how to decorate and ice a fruit cake. The cake will be iced with Pettinice icing and you will be given the choice to either decorate your cake with the classic holly wreath, holly with candles or christmas stars, which will all be hand made during the class. Read more about this class.

WHAT - Christmas Cake decorating class

WHERE - Black Pearl Epicure

WHEN - 15 November 2009, 9.30am - 1.30pm

COST - $150

Making Sugar Roses, Leaves and Fillers

I have been around cakes my whole life and I have been making them for over 18 years! So I have set up some cake cooking and decorating classes so you can make beautiful looking cakes.

The first class will teach you how to make sugar roses, leaves and fillers giving you a hands on experience in the kitchen with me. You will be given a kit to work with and to take home so you can keep practising until you are satisfied. Read more on this class.

The second class is where you bring back your roses to be coloured, sprayed and arranged for placing on both mud and fruit cakes. Read more on this class.

WHAT - Class one

WHEN - 26th July 2009, 9.30am - 1.30pm

WHERE - Black Pearl Epicure

COST - $180

WHAT - Class two

WHEN - 9th August 2009, 9.30am - 1.30pm

WHERE - Black Pearl Epicure

COST - $105

Wedding Open Day, South Bank

The Wedding Open Day at South Bank will have a range of dedicated Wedding Event Specialist's, including ourselves, for brides-to-be! I will be at the expo from 12pm - 2pm with a range of wedding cake displays and samples!

What - Wedding Open Day
Where - Stone Restaurant at Mantra South Bank
When - Saturday 20th June, 10am - 2pm

To register your interest please call (07) 3305 2513 or email - southbankbris.func@mantra.com.au

It will be a great day, so come along. Canapes and sparkling refreshments will be provided!

Sicilian Apple Cakes

The cold breeze has started! The jumpers are finally coming out of the cupboards, along with the scarfs and beanie's and getting up of an early morning is torture... but not anymore!

Our Sicilian Apple Cakes (pictured) are now available hot out of the oven at 8.30am every Saturday morning this winter!

So stop by, I assure you it will be the best start to your weekend!

Our shop is located at shop 1/227 Waterworks Rd, Ashgrove, Brisbane

Or call us on (07)3366 9111

Different Icings used on Specialty Cakes

The cake is all about the icing!

The style of icing on this wedding cake (pictured) is called Pettinice, which is a smooth type of icing used on wedding cakes and other decorative cakes.

I was inspired to do this entry because so often people think their cakes are going to be iced in Marzipan.

However, Marzipan icing is not white and is not used as the final layer on wedding cakes. It is made from ground almond meal, egg yolk, pure icing sugar and vanilla.
Marzipan was traditionally used on English style cakes. Today it is used under the top layer of icing or as an added taste with fruit cakes.

During the last few years Marzipan has become unpopular due to cheaper versions of the icing being made.

Wedding cakes for today rarely follow the Marzipan trend, except on the odd request for fruit cakes.

Proposal Cake

This week we were part of something VERY special - a wedding proposal!
It is normal for us to deal with Brides for Wedding Cakes or Engagement Cakes - but not Grooms for 'Proposal Cakes'. Our lovely customer Matthew requested we make a cake so he could hide a ring inside it to propose to his sweetheart - Fiona.

This (pic) is what we came up with.

The lid came off like a normal box to reveal the ring inside. CONGRATULATIONS Matthew & Fiona! x

Happy 4th Birthday NOVA!

We delivered this fabulous cake today for all the lovely people in the Brisbane NOVA 106.9 studio. I am sure the early-rise breakfast crew wished they worked in the afternoon today. Here's to another sensational year on air at the top of the ratings NOVA!

Cup Cakes

The cake of the 21st century - CUP CAKES are ideal for every occasion.
These timeless little delights can be decorated in so many ways. We can specialise decorations for your cupcakes...just ask!

They come in 3 sizes Mini, Medium and Regular.

OUR FLAVOURS:
New York Vanilla
French chocolate

Cotton candy
Coconut
Choc Peppermint
Rocky Road

Wedding Themes

Recently we matched a brides theme of the invitation to her cake. We took the colour, look and feel of the invitation image and recreated a similar theme for the cake.

Cakes by JudyC BLOG LAUNCH

Finally our cake news blog has launched!
Lots of fabulous information will be coming your way... stay tuned.