Katy Perry Eat Your Heart Out

Cherries are coming into season now. The heady floral scent of ripe organic cherries entices me to take a handful home. I always equate cherries with summer. As a child, I would sit at the kitchen table in checkered shorts and singlet, watching my mother prepare dinner for us in the sweltering heat. All the while, deliciously cold black cherries would be disappearing between my lips with nothing but the pits and stems as proof.

To assist with the birthday celebrations of My Diverse Kitchen I've made cherry cakes, an adaptation of fairy cakes from 'Kylie Kwong Recipes & Stories'. I substituted part of the butter content for cream cheese, added a touch of rose water to enhance the perfume and lowered the cooking temperature for some super simple, super scumptious party food!

Cherry Cheese Cupcakes

400 g small black cherries
150 g unsalted butter, soft
110 g cream cheese, soft
190 g castor sugar
2 eggs
340 g self-raising flour
250 g milk
5 g vanilla extract
1 g rose water

Pit cherries, leaving about 25 intact.
Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until pale.
Add eggs one at a time then alternate adding remaining dry and wet ingredients.
Spoon a tsp of batter into the bottom of 25 cupcake patties.
Place 3 pitted cherries on top, 3/4 Tbsp of batter then a whole cherry in the centre of each.
Bake at 180ºC for 17 minutes.

KitchenAids Coffee Event

It's hard working 6 day weeks. I trudge home every night utterly exhausted and I wake up some mornings having to peel my eyelids apart. I seem to find myself a little short on time these days, however as one would be able to deduce from the title above - the KitchenAid has finally arrived! Pearl metallic it is! I couldn't bear to see the beautiful new machine sitting so lonesome, so untouched. What better way to mark the arrival of my new baby than by celebrating the completely electromechanical efficiency of whisk and beater with Monthly Mingle #26! It's very simple I admit, but this single mother doesn't have much leisure time to work with.

Sponge Roll

3 eggs
60 g castor sugar
3 g vanilla extract
50 g flour

Cream eggs and sugar until pale and doubled in volume (approx 4 mins).
Mix through vanilla and flour.
Spread onto a baking tray lined with non-stick paper about 5mm thick.
Bake at 220ºC for 5 mins or until cooked through.
Cool on tray.

Buttercream

3 egg yolks
25 g milk
100 g castor sugar
40 g dark chocolate
4 g instant coffee
10 g butterscotch schnapps
300 g unsalted butter, soft

Whisk eggs, milk, sugar, chocolate and coffee in a bowl over a baine marie until completely melted and emulsified.
Transfer to mixer and beat for 6 minutes or until cool.
Add butterscotch and butter and beat until aerated.

Turn sponge upside down and spread on a thin layer of coffee buttercream.
Roll up and refrigerate until set before slicing.