Taking Bets with Boys

This is what award winning cheese cake looks like

Taking bets with boys - this is what I have learned:

1. If you threaten them with a challenge, even when they know they are going to lose, and they still always take the bet
2. When they realise that they are going to lose, they bail before it has to be proven to them in person
3. They will do almost anything for baked goods!

Last week I took two bets with a guy....after he lost the first bet (to do with beer and awards and boy stuff), he was silly enough to suggest that instead of him actually conceding defeat, we would instead have a bake off....little did he know that I was actually a chef! 

Suffice to say I won the bet by making the cheese cakes in the pic above....no surprises there seeing as though he bailed on baking anything and opted out of the bake off before it began!  What was my prize you ask....roast chicken dinner cooked for me in person by said guy....it was delicious....well worth the 45 minutes it took me to make the cheese cakes! 

Bets with boys....I will take one any day! :)

Mixed Berry Tarts

This year I spent Christmas in the Karkloof at my uncle and aunt's place in Mbona - a nature reserve just outside of Howick.  We got to some fishing, some walking, some watching movies with my twin cousins and a lot of eating and drinking....it was totally my kind of weekend away!  It is such a chilled setting - the buck and zebra come right up to the house - you can see from the pic above - beautiful.  

We had the most delicious Christmas lunch, and my contribution was the dessert (of course), and I made white chocolate custard tarts with a mixed berry topping...nice and lite after a big Christmas lunch!

(Just a side note to all you foodies - how awesome is summer - so many berried to choose from!)

Officially a real Chef

I'm sure you have noticed (over the last little while) that there have been a couple of non cupcakes things creeping into my blog.  For those of you who don't know, that is because I have (since July) been doing a Patisserie Chef's course - which ended last night when I did my final prac exam.  The pics below show what was on the menu...it consisted of the following (starting on the left):

Creme Caramel with Spun Sugar

Lemon Tart with Fresh Strawberries

Vanilla Panacotta with Chocolate Runouts, Berry Compote and Fresh Cream

Bread Rolls

It has been a long time since I had to do a prac exam for something, and let me tell you, 4 hours absolutely flies by!  I'm too stoked to be complete with the course and even more stoked that I passed!!!  If you want to check out more of the goodies that I baked during the course - you can click here.

I am now proudly going by the name Chef Niki...the name has quite a nice ring to it doesn't it! :)

I Heart Strawberry Tart

Slowly but surely my skills are spreading to areas outside of cupcakes...this is something that I am very excited about!  These strawberry tarts are the first ones that  I have made using my new  heart shaped tart tins...just love them!

Chocolate Tart Taste Test....dum dum dum

Being the token chef in the office has its advantages - this morning I arrived at work to find this awesome chocolate tart on my desk.  My friend Newton had baked it, and wanted an opinion...and who am I to stand in the way of a taste test for a chocolate tart!  

Newton -  myself and the girls flattened that tart in about five mins!  Absolutely love the orange chocolate flavour....two big thumbs up from all of us!  Now we want to know when we are getting the next one! :)