caprese tart

so, i'm going to cut right to the chase here - it's the season of indulgence, the time of year when rich and fancy foods take the cake... oooh cake... *starts daydreaming about cake* sorry, i got carried away. what i'm trying to say is that xmas is usually when we allow ourselves to indulge on foods that we wouldn't normally eat - all without guilt of course. now being someone who loves to cook and entertain, i love to spoil my friends and family with delicious and decadent foods - but just sometimes you want to have lunch or a bbq and not end up nursing a foodbaby. now don't get me wrong, i love indulging at xmas time, but sometimes you just want something light - i mean, it is summer after all. 

this tart is the perfect mix of deliciously indulgent and light and summery. it's literally the easiest thing to make ever - and it's also the yummiest tart you ever will eat!* 

* this may be a completely biased opinion

the recipe

(recipe makes one tart)

caprese tart

preheat the oven to 180oC / 160oC fan-forced. grease the tart tin with non-stick cooking spray. line the tart tin with pastry (you may need more than 1 sheet based on the shape and size of your tart tin), and trim away the excess. cover the pastry lined tart tin with baking paper and fill with rice, beans or pastry weights. blind bake the tart shell for 15minutes or until golden brown.

to a large bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped mozzarella, chopped basil and minced garlic – using a spoon or spatula mix together ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. season with salt and pepper to taste.

once the tart shell is cool, fill with the cream cheese mix and spread out evenly. top the tart with cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and mini bocconcini; alternating their placement to create a pattern. chill in the fridge for an hour or until firm to the touch - enjoy.

please note that this tart is seriously addictive, so don’t be afraid to have a second slice. it should also be noted that this tart is best served with friends

i'd love to see your creations, if you make this delicious caprese tart share it with me by using  the hashtag #mrtimothyjames on social media.

what's one food you're addicted to? do you think a foodbaby is a christmas essential? tell me all of the things in the comments below!

love and indulgence timothy xx

sugar cookies - xmas edition

so we all know sugar cookies are delicious, and maybe we even have the bodies to prove it - so given that xmas time is a free pass to eat whatever you want time to indulge, why not bake up a batch of happiness. i truly believe that sugar cookies are one of life's simple pleasures, they aren't anything fancy, and they don't pretend to be either - they're honest... as in honestly delicious.

sugar cookies are super fun to decorate and they look super impressive as a gift too - this is the perfect time for the kids to earn their keep have fun on their school holidays ;) but seriously kids love decorating cookies, just be aware that a few will go missing, oh and they kids will probably sneak a couple too haha!

the recipe

makes roughly two trays of cookies (varies based on cookie size)

cookies

in the bowl of an electric mixer, with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until pale and fluffy. add in the icing sugar and mix on a medium speed until combined, turn the mixer down to low and add the egg beating until combined. then beat in the extracts. with the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour gradually until the mixture forms a dough. add the salt and continue to mix on low until the dough forms a ball. divide the dough into 2 equal portions and wrap each in cling wrap, refrigerate for 1 hour. roll out the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until it reaches a thickness of ½cm or the desired thickness. place the sheet of dough onto a baking tray and refrigerate for a further 30minutes. once chilled, remove the top sheet of baking paper and use it to line the baking tray, cut out the desired shapes from the sheet of dough and place them onto the baking paper lined tray. chill the cookies (tray and all) in the freezer for 15minutes. at this stage preheat the oven to 160oC / 140oC fan-forced. once the cookie cut-outs are semi-frozen, place the baking tray (straight from the freezer) directly into the oven and bake until lightly golden brown around the edges. (baking time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookies, time will vary anywhere from 10-35minutes) 

decoration

on a clean bench top or kitchen surface, sprinkle some cornflour to stop the fondant from sticking. knead the fondant for a minute or so to ensure it will roll out smooth. once kneaded, shape the fondant into a disc, sprinkle with some more cornflour and roll out the fondant to be half the thickness of the cookie or less. cut out the same shapes from the fondant sheet as with the cookies. using a clean dry paintbrush, remove any excess cornflour off the fondant cut-out and use a little water on the backside to adhere it to the cookie. using another clean dry paintbrush, brush on the powdered food colouring to achieve the desired look.

remember less really is more when it comes to decoration - enjoy.

grab the printable recipe for all the inside tips and tricks on how to make these sugar cookies like a pro!

mrtimothyjames loves these copper cookie cutters from peter's of kensington - shop the trees here & the stars here.

i'd love to see your creations, if you make these delicious sugar cookies share them with me by using  the hashtag #mrtimothyjames on social media.

on a scale of meh - super keen, how excited are you for christmas? do you wear a couple sugar cookies on your body now too, or am i alone? tell me all of the things in the comments below!

happy baking love timothy xx

chai latte cupcakes

*stands up*

hi my name is timothy james and i have an obsession with chai lattes.

*chai lovers anonymous group*

hi timothy james

*with a shaky voice*

so i'm not really an addict, i don't really need to be here, i'm not like you guys, my obsession isn't really that bad, i can stop whenever i want hand shakes and eye twitches ...

but seriously all jokes aside, chai lattes are the business!

so usually i take my chai latte made on almond milk with a hint of vanilla, because i'm a little bit up myself but mostly i just love the taste - and as a self confessed cupcake-aholic i firmly believe that everything is better in cupcake form. so i give to you the taste of angels dancing on your tongue my chai latte cupcakes - moist and dense chai mudcake with deliciously creamy buttercream.

the recipe

makes 12 cupcakes

cupcakes

preheat the oven to 160oC / 140oC fan-forced. in a microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter, chocolate, sugar, milk and vanilla, in 30 second intervals stirring between each burst until smooth. cool for 15 minutes. once cooled, add in the egg and whisk to combine. in a separate mixing bowl, combine the two flours and the Arkadia Vanilla Chai Instant Tea. add the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in thirds, incorporating slowly and gently, you want to do this by hand as you don’t want to incorporate any air into the mixture. once the mixture is prepared, divide it amongst 12 cupcake cups or liners filling each one two-thirds full. fill a large baking dish with hot water and place it on the top shelf in the oven, place the cupcakes on the shelf underneath the baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes. cool completely before frosting. (this mudcake mixture needs to bake long and slow to ensure that the cupcakes turn out moist and dense. the water bath above the cupcakes will create steam in the oven which will make the cupcakes bake evenly and help them stay moist.) 

frosting

in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and cream in 30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly between each burst to make a ganache. set in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes, or until thick and creamy. whip the butter for 5 minutes or until pale in colour. slowly incorporate the icing sugar until you have a thick buttercream. add the cinnamon and the cooled ganache and whip until soft and smooth. use an icecream scoop to divide the buttercream onto the cupcakes and spread with a palate knife or the back of a butter knife until smooth. sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and enjoy.

mrtimothyjames loves Arkadia Vanilla Chai Instant Tea for these cupcakes.

i'd love to see your creations, if you make these delicious cupcakes share them with me by using  the hashtag #mrtimothyjames on social media.

are you obsessed with chai lattes too? is it too inappropriate to take these to my next chai lovers anonymous meeting? leave me a comment below!

love and cupcakes timothy xx