Cooking with Sophie Rose

Welcome to the very first post for “Cooking with Sophie Rose”.

 

I’m a Mum of two beautiful daughters, Sophie Rose who is 3 years old and my new bubba Chloe Violet, who is only 9 weeks!

Since becoming a Mum I found that I haven’t had as much time to do my own art work as I would like. I started baking cakes with my 3 year old to keep her occupied as she is such a whirl wind of energy and found that she completely loved it!

It’s also a great creative outlet for myself! Sophie loves everything from cracking the eggs and measuring the ingredients to choosing the colours and decorations. We both have so much fun in the kitchen baking our fabulous creations.

I am so excited about this new adventure and I look forward to sharing our special journey with you all. We will also share our recipes and hope to inspire you in the kitchen too!

Cooking with Sophie Rose for Easter

Over Easter we decided to make some delicious themed short bread bickies to give as Easter gifts to all our friends! We love getting festive and celebrating special occasions.

We had such fun rolling the dough, choosing the shapes and making all the colourful decorations to go on the top of them. What a wonderful way to spend a gorgeous afternoon!

 

We also got a bit crafty and made these fun Easter bunny cards to go with our shortbread bickies! Soph loves craft almost a much as cooking and she keeps me on my toes trying to come up with all sorts of new ideas and fun activities for her to do! Our friends and family loved receiving these homemade cards and treats and we had so much fun creating them!

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Cooking Festive Christmas Cookies with Sophie Rose!

Its been a little while since we’ve able to post any recipes… what with life, no time and various illnesses going on in our household lately! Luckily we’re all better and Soph and I have made it back into the kitchen! We’ve had so much fun getting festive as we gear up for Christmas, we’ve been cooking up a storm with these scrumptious cinnamon cookies!  We’ve been taking them to Christmas parties and giving them to teachers, neighbours and friends as Christmas pressies! They make a fabulous last minute Christmas gift, they are fun and easy to make, as well as being totally delicious! You can make them in any shape and colour so have fun decorating and choosing your colour schemes! Here is our fabulous recipe…

Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites
• 225g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
•  1 tsp cinnemon
• 250g almond meal

Method:

1. Whisk egg whites until stiff. Add icing sugar & lemon juice, continue whisking for 5mins until thick and glossy. Take out 2 tablespoons of mixture, cover & set aside for later.
2. Gently fold in almond meal & cinnamon. Cover & refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. The mixture will resemble a thick paste.
3. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
4. Dust a work surface with icing sugar and work the refrigerated paste into a dough with a little icing sugar and roll to 5mm thick.
5. Cut out shapes and place onto lined & greased baking trays, then brush the meringue mix over each cookie, mixing with a little milk if too thick. You can colour the meringue mix first if you wish to- I separate it into different bowls depending on how many colours I want to use!
6. Decorate then bake for approx 10 mins, leave to cool for 10 mins before transferring from baking trays.
7. Enjoy, have fun and MerryChristmas!

Cooking choc chip and coconut cookies with Sophie Rose!

Last week Soph’s buddy Jack was back having a play date at our house, so we decided to whip up something delicious for afternoon tea! We ransacked the cupboards and decided we had everything we needed to make our scrumptious choc chip and coconut cookies! They are super easy to make and we usually have all the ingredients, so its a great recipe when you need to do a spot of unplanned baking!

Soph and Jack had an absolute ball mixing and measuring all the ingredients and making the little balls of cookie dough to place on the tray, they might have even eaten a few before they went into the oven, ha ha! After they cooled down we also packaged up some for Jack to take home for his family and some for Soph’s Daddy to take to work! Soph and Jack demolished quite a few for afternoon tea as well!

If you would like to make some of these yummy cookies, here is our recipe below. Easy and delicious, we hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups dark choc chips
• 2 cups shredded coconut

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190* C.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar & white sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in the eggs then stir in the vanilla.
3. Combine flour, bicarb soda & salt then stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto baking trays.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow biscuits to cool on baking tray. Enjoy, yum!

 

 

 

Cooking a Yummy Oat Slice with Sophie Rose

 

We are all going to a BBQ at our neighbours place for dinner tonight so Soph and I decided to make our yummy oat slice to take with us. We whipped it up this morning before kindy as we’re all up so early in our household these days! We decided to give baby Chloe a little cooking lesson too! It’s super easy to make, delicious and we usually have all the ingredients in the cupboard. Also everyone always loves it! Its great for picnics too and also good to have on hand when someone drops in for a cuppa! Here’s the recipe if you’d like to give it a try.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup desicated coconut
• 125g butter
• 1/4 cup golden syrup
• 1/4 tsp bicarb soda
• 200g choc chips

Method

1. Combine flour, oats, sugar and coconut
2.  Combine the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan and melt, stir in the bicarb soda then add to flour mixture
3. Stir in the choc chips
4. Press into a greased and lined baking tin (28cm x 18cm)
5. Bake for 25mins till golden brown
6. When cool cut into slices and enjoy!

 

Cooking a Fun Frozen Cake with Sophie Rose

This weekend we went to a really fun barbecue with friends, so of course Soph and I offered to make dessert! There were lots and lots of kids so we decided to use our fabulous Frozen chocolate castle which Soph got for Easter… its been waiting in the cupboard for a special occasion! We had so much fun in the kitchen mixing up our blue cakes and creating a fabulous cake tower, Soph’s favorite colour is blue and she’s still obsessed with Frozen so she was in heaven! Everyone loved our creation, it was a huge hit with all the kids and adults alike!

Of course this cake can be made in any colour and with any decoration on the top. If you would like to make our fabulous layer cake, here is our recipe;

For the cake you will need to cream 250g butter with 2 cups of sugar & a tsp of vanilla, add 4 eggs then add 4 cups of self raising flour alternately with 1 & a half cups milk.

Separate batter into 3 bowls, colour & bake in 3 cake tins for 30-40mins in moderate oven.

For the icing cream 250g butter with 3 cups icing mixture, 1 tsp vanilla & 2 tbs milk till white then add colouring. Enjoy!

Cooking a Delicious Orange and Almond Cake with Sophie Rose

 

Today we made this delicious orange and almond cake for our friends birthday celebration! It’s gluten free and so yummy, perfect for morning or afternoon tea. Soph had fun measuring the ingredients and mixing everything together, she’s becoming an expert at cracking the eggs and didn’t even get any shell in the mixture this time!

This cake is incredibly light and fluffy and has so much flavour. It’s really delicious as it is but sometimes we also add a cream cheese icing if we feel like being extra decadent! Here is our yummy recipe;

Ingredients

• 3 oranges
• 6 eggs
• 100g almond meal
•  tsp baking powder
• 1 cup castor sugar

Method

1. Wash & pierce oranges then cook in microwave for 10mins, discard juice
2. When cool peel two oranges, leave skin on 1 orange
3. Puree to a pulp in food processor or blender
4. Beat eggs & sugar
5. Add almond meal & baking powder, then pulp
6. Pour into greased & lined 23cm tin & bake for 1hour & 10mins at 160 C degrees

 

Cooking a Strawberry Swirl Cake with Sophie Rose

We are back sharing recipes again after a bit of a break staying with family in the Southern Highlands. While we were away we celebrated Sophie’s Grandpa’s birthday and Soph made a yummy strawberry swirl cake with her Uncle Tee Tee to celebrate!

This yummy cake was a big hit with everyone, its so fun & festive as well as delicious! Soph chose strawberry flavour and pink coloured cake with blue icing, however you can really use any colour scheme and flavour you like. Soph had a ball as always making this cake and loved choosing the colour schemes & helping to decorate… she always loves adding the fairy sprinkles at the end! It’s a really quick & easy cake to make too, perfect for any celebration! Here is our recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup sugar
• 125g butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon strawberry essence (or any flavour of your choice)
• Decorations and food colours of your choice!

Method:

1. Cream sugar, butter and strawberry essence until smooth
2. Add eggs 
3. Add flour & milk alternatively
4. Divide mixture in half & place in separate bowls then add a few drops of your choice of food colouring to one of the bowls
5. Alternate spoonfuls of each mixture  into the middle of the cake tin- first the plain one, then the coloured on on top till all the mixture is gone
6. Bake in mod oven (approx 170* C) for approx 40mins 
7. Allow to cool before decorating

 

Decorating the cake

Soph and her Grandpa

Cooking Meringues with Sophie Rose

 

Soph and I love to make fun and colourful meringues! They are really festive and super easy to make. They look awesome as cake decorations or just on a plate all together. These colourful meringues are awesome for parties as they are so decorative and you can create them to fit in with any theme. Great for gluten free friends too. Make them any size or colour combo you feel like, here is our recipe…

 

Ingredients

•  4 egg whites
• 240g castor sugar
• food dye and decorations as needed (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 120*C and line flat baking trays with baking paper
2. Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form
3. Gradually add sugar
4. Put table spoons onto the baking trays or use piping bag to create shapes- if you want to add colours carefully insert a few drops into the sides of piping bag
5. You can also sprinke hundreds & thousands, edible glitter or any other decorations onto the meringues before placing them in the oven
6. Bake for  hour
7. Turn off oven and leave to cool with door open

Decorative high tea plate

Cup cake toppers

 

Our traditional style meringues are just as yummy too. We always make these for Sophie’s Nanna and her great Uncle Richard as they have a lot of allergies and can’t eat a lot of treats. These meringues are perfect as the only ingredients are egg whites and sugar.

Traditional meringues

Cooking a Yummy Quiche with Sophie Rose

This week we went with our gorgeous friend Helen to the Avalon community garden. Sophie had the best time helping Helen with some weeding and raking! It was amazing seeing all the different types of herbs, vegies, fruit and flowers growing. There are even chooks roaming around as well as a worm farm and a big compost. We picked yummy cherry tomatoes and green beans as well as a huge bunch of warrigal greens. We decided to make a yummy quiche with all our delicious greens.

Warrigal greens are an Australian native. They are just like spinach and are a popular bush tucker food. Eaten by Aborigines, apparently they were one of the first native Australian vegetables to become popular with European settlers. Captain Cook encouraged his men to eat them, as they were a great way to fight scurvy. The plant was even taken back to England by the botanist Joseph Banks and grown in Kew Gardens. They are very high in antioxidants and also very east to grow!

We had such a fabulous time in the garden, Soph had an absolute ball and can’t wait to go again! Hopefully next time there might even be some eggs for us to collect as well!

To make our delicious quiche you will need to blind bake 1 sheet of short crust pastry in a pie dish. Then stir fry some leek or onion with a couple of cloves of garlic, then add the warrigal greens (or silver beet or English spinach) till wilted. We added mushrooms and bacon to ours as well- you could add whatever you have in the fridge though!

When the pastry is ready place all ingredients in the dish on top of the pastry. We also put some chopped feta in but its not essential! You could  put some olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts or pesto in too for a bit of extra flavour.

In a separate bowl beat 5 eggs with 1 cup of milk or cream and add salt and pepper. Then pour egg mixture on top of ingredients in the pie dish. We arranged some sliced tomato on top, then sprinkled it with some parmesan cheese (cheddar cheese would work just as well).

Then bake in the oven for approx 30mins at 160* C

*We ran out of shortcrust pastry and used puff pastry which was just as delicious! Also sometimes I don’t use pastry at all and we make a crustless quiche, which is also really yummy and gluten free.

Cooking Chocolate Brownie Cup Cakes with Sophie Rose

 

This week we had Sophie’s buddy Jack over for play and we decided to make our delicious chocolate brownie cup cakes! Soph and Jack had a ball making these together, it was such a great activity to keep them occupied, interested and having fun! Then we had a tea party in the teepee afterwards to enjoy them!

This recipe can be made as one big scrumptious brownie cake or as individual cup cakes. We sprinkled these ones with hundreds and thousands, but sometimes we ice and decorate them which looks really pretty, or other times we just dust them with icing sugar when they have cooled down. All options are delicious and look beautiful! Here is our recipe, hope you have as much fun making them as we do!

Ingredients

• 200g dark chocolate
• 125g butter
• 200g brown sugar
• 2 eggs, 1 yolk (beaten)
• 85g plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Melt chocolate and butter together
2. Mix in sugar
3. Add eggs
4. Stir in flour
5. Bake for 20 mins at 150* C (40 mins if larger cake)

Iced and decorated version

 

 

Cooking a Scrumptious Almond and Coconut Cake with Sophie Rose

Today is our friend Mary’s birthday so this morning Soph & I made this delicious cake for her. We visited her at work for an impromptu party, which was super fun! This cake is great to make as is really easy and so delicious and moist. It’s the perfect cake for morning or afternoon tea. It’s flourless as well for any friends that are gluten intolerant. What a fun morning we had with the gorgeous flower girls! Soph cooked up a storm for our special friend Mary and we’d love to share the recipe with you! 

Ingredients 

• 1 & a half cups almond meal
• 3/4 cup desiccated coconut 
• 1 & 1/4 cups castor sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 200g butter
• 2 tbs flaked almonds for the top

Method

1. Mix almond meal, coconut & sugar together in a bowl
2. In separate bowl whisk eggs, add vanilla & melted butter then add to dry ingredients 
3. Pour in greased & lined springform tin (dust inside tin with coconut)
4. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top
5. Bake mod oven 40mins (approx 170* C)