View fullsize < strawberry & basil cake > Remembering the cooler weather and the days of jasmine. My poor roses which were just about to bloom got positively scorched and then drowned. What with the weather and possums, sometimes I wonder why I bother trying to garden in Melbourne.
View fullsize Last days.
View fullsize White on white with slivers of pink. No one yet has been able to truly bottle the smell of fresh jasmine.
View fullsize < detail: orange polenta cake > I’m posting this as I stroll up and down the radial paths of Edinburgh Gardens. Walking beneath avenues of century-old elms that are sprouting their first green leaves of spring and thinking about the book I’m reading at the moment: Richard Powers’ ‘The Overstory.’ A beautifully rich novel about people and their relationship to trees: “You and the tree in your backyard come from a common ancestor. A billion and a half years ago, the two of you parted ways. But even now, after an immense journey in separate directions, that tree and you still share a quarter of your genes …”
View fullsize With the mild and windy weather the Spring blossom is disappearing. Make like a bee this Sunday and enjoy it while you can. Summer is nipping at our heals.
View fullsize < orange polenta cake > Made with beautiful Mildura oranges from The Orange Lady at Carlton Farmers Market who also gave me a bag of just picked, organic avocados because I’m a nursing mother. So kind. And never have I received a better present. Since giving birth I have been craving avocados ALL the time. Some days I’ll eat a whole one straight out of the skin with nothing but salt and pepper. Decorated with orange blossom from a wild tree that hangs down into the lane - it smells so strongly! I vary between thinking it is heavenly and feeling like it is giving me a headache!
View fullsize < detail: lemon cake with rose icing > One of the benefits of baby wearing and having a baby that prefers to sleep in a carrier during the day is I now have a thorough mental map of all the blooms in the neighbourhood and adjoining neighbourhoods. I spend hours each day roaming about. I’ve found two more wattle shrubs still in bloom in the past week! Cake pictures to follow in the next couple of days. I’ve also been making the most of my local library. I’m reading lots to little Paddy, he loves it, and my library also has a subscription to Cloud Library that gives access to free digital books to read on your phone (or listen to if you prefer). Seriously great for those on a maternity leave budget! And for allowing one to walk and read at the same time. Even for me there is a limit to how many podcasts I can listen to in a day! Yay for foraging finds and local libraries. (And ergonomic baby carriers!)
View fullsize This is the exact set up I need at home to photograph my cakes! I can never find the right light or backdrop in my home. Swipe to see my koala baby on his koala dad standing in for a cake with cute lil legs and toes. This wall-seat-ledge situation is at @billyvancreamy just down the road. They do seriously excellent ice cream (with really good vegan options) and best of all they serve it in a lovely ceramic bowl if you eat in - zero waste win!
View fullsize < lemon cake with rose icing > Decorated with the very last of the late flowering wattle. ~ a report from yesterday because I forgot to frame the pic... Mum Brain is real!
View fullsize Camellia.
View fullsize Patrick Dillon O'Halloran-Robb 24th June 2019 6.53pm 3.23kg Thank you everyone for your love and support, we are madly in love with the little chap and his resting grumpy face.
View fullsize Today’s the day and tonight’s the night. - THREE DAY CLAY - Three days of gorgeous ceramics for your Mum/Mums/Mum-Figures by 7 of Melbourne’s most talented ceramic artist people: @hellorarastudio @kibiceramics @madebybowie @tantrimustikaceramics @hannahsimpkin.art @asobimasu_clay @benna_co. - Opening night party tonight, 5-7pm. 408 Smith Street, Collingwood. Beers from @bodriggybrewingco and cake by yours truly. - 📷 @jessicagrilliphoto
View fullsize < chocolate and vanilla sugar cookies >
View fullsize Happy Easter!
View fullsize < coconut & dark chocolate mini Easter nest bundt > Isn’t it funny that Easter eggs are delivered by a bunny and left in a nest. Where did the bird go in that equation?!? Where does this bunny source all these eggs?! I have unanswered questions.
View fullsize < lemon drizzles > Testing some lemon cake recipes. Playing with texture and crumb. What’s your favourite: dense and tight crumb (ie pound cake)? Light and fluffy (ie sponge)? Big and moist (ie fudge or banana cake)?
View fullsize Last one from the side. Dark buttermilk chocolate cake layered with dulce de leche on the the bottom. Persian love cake layered with rose frosting and pistachio brittle on the top.
View fullsize Some warm and lush side cake details for Monday morning. I normally shy away from colour - my favourite colour is grey (no jokes) - so I was a little nervy putting these flowers together. I think these turned ok though? Rich reds and pinks with pops of yellow and orange for an early autumn wedding.
View fullsize For Erinn & John. Dark buttermilk chocolate cake layered with dulce de leche on the the bottom. Persian love cake layered with rose frosting and pistachio brittle on the top. Wishing these two beautiful people a life of love and happiness.
View fullsize Chrysanthemum bobble head. Pretty sure that is the scientific name.