CHOCOLATE MOUSSE LOAF CAKE

Kind of moist, kind of mousey, a little bit cakey.... low in sugar... what more could you ask for in a cake?

Rooibos Cappuccino

I like coffee - like I REALLY like coffee... ALOT!
BUT.... sometimes drinking to much coffee isn't a great idea for me. Especially at night time when I want to be peaceful, chill out and sleep.

BETTY BAKE FOR SA BLOG AWARDS

I will not beg, I will not plead - I will only ask once and that will be that! :)
If you like this blog and think it is cool enough to get an award please click on this link/badge below

<a href='http://website.sablogawards.com/2013/vote/voteforme/310,28' title='SA Blog Awards Badge'><img src='http://website.sablogawards.com/2013/files/images/saba2013votebadge.gif' alt='SA Blog Awards Badge' width='150px' height='150px' /></a>

please respond to the email they send you for your vote to be valid!


thanks so much :) 
hugs

LOOT.CO.ZA 10th Birthday Bake Off

Recently my little one and I were invited to bake off against other bloggers and their kids at the SA Chefs Academy in celebration of Loot.co.za 's  10th Birthday.


We all baked the same recipe which was a chocolate cake. We then iced it with a chocolate ganache. And there after decorated it with any or all of the sprinkles that were on offer

STRAWBERRY FROZEN YOGHURT

How bright and luscious are these strawberries?


I like my frozen yoghurt to taste more like the flavour its supposed to be and less like yoghurt.
So my fruit to yoghurt ratio is around 2 parts fruit to 1 part yoghurt.

Whisky Launch - The Private Barrel Co.

Last month I had the privilege of attending a rather scrumptious lunch at the Cape Grace which was paired with whiskey... yes you heard me, not wine but beautiful and golden, amber whiskies.

Thanks to Checkers who are importing some beautiful whiskies and branding them under Private Barrel Co. Each bottle is brought to SA in limited numbered batches.

QUEEN OF RANDOM

Talking to yourself in your head is a creative process... Or maybe I just tell myself this to not feel like Im crazy!

Personally I like to chat and write nonsense, the problem with writting nonsense is that not everyone

chocolate...

 Hi

The lack of posts = crazy silly madness... You know the kind were you husband is on leave, you have a house to paint and fix, the kid has school project, outings, orals and activities, the emails keep piling in and the cleaning never ends, and you want to fit in a week away somewhere.... well that has been the last +/- a month.

I am just trying to get my digital,online legs back / the pile of emails sorted / photos edited etc...

So please bear with me

I feel so bad for not popping in sooner. BUT brownie points to me for:

• Being able to update the Betty Bake facebook every now and then. 

• Do the occasional pin on Pinterest because who doesn't like a pretty party? or a chic looking home? or creating a cute craft?
• Tweet some crazy food stuff or random thought
• Of course if there was a pretty coffee to photograph or thing I thought was nice- I instagramed it

During this crazy time Ive also learnt to say No sometimes and not feel guilty! - well kind of ;) I work through it and in the end all is good.

What have you been up to?

Hope you are amazingly well :)


 
ps while we were away I did manage to bake the chocolate loaf cake in the pic... hope to share it with you soon 

PINA COLADA POPSICLES

The delicious combination of pineapple and coconut reminds me of summer. Add banana to the mix and you have the most delicious smoothies ever!!! Add rum and you have adult drinks - kind of like a pina colada. 

I dipped them in chocolate for added summer fun. And who doesn't like chocolate?

Green Juice

This is a basic green juice recipe that we use in our house almost daily.

15 On Orange

Recently I (and a partner) had the opportunity to eat and stay at the 15 On Orange Hotel in Cape Town.

The Stay and feel of the Hotel
15 on Orange has a mix of modern and chic opulence. Think Giant bath tubs and luxurious carpets and bedding.

The lounge area of our room/suite.

The hotel really has a well finished feel. There is beautiful marble everywhere and chandeliers and vast ceilings. I love chandeliers and could have put one in my hand bag ;) although I don't think my car was even big enough to fit one of these as they where huge! - and so pretty.

WIN R1000 Checkers Voucher

Would you like to win R1000 voucher to shop at Checkers for wine, cheese or anything you like? I can see a giant basket of lindt!!! Or maybe it will just help out with the grocery shopping?


WIN:
1 x R1000 Gift voucher to use at Checkers in South Africa

ALMOND MILK

 

This recipe is so ridiculously simple that I can't believe I haven't made almond milk before!
It would be delicious to make into any flavoured milk...
And even though its not dairy it has a lovely texture and tastes really amazing.
I was even able to make frothed milk with it to create a flat white coffee! Which is great news if you need to be dairyfree. This means you can have a decent cup of coffee with frothy milk !!!  How cool!
Well at least I thought so.

....

So over the past few months I have been blessed to attend a variety of events. A few stood out that I thought I would share with you.

Betty Bake in Good Housekeeping August

click on image to enlarge

Yay Im in a small little spot (on the right hand bottom corner) of this months August 2013, Good Housekeeping Magazine South Africa. yay!

Hope you are having a fabulous day

REVIEW: Lampedusa Pie by Andrea Burgener

WIN a copy of LAMPEDUSA PIE by Andrea Burgener with www.bettybake.co.za and Pan Macmillan

ABOUT THE BOOK:

COCONUT RICE PUDDING

My husband being British loves rice pudding. I never new what is was before my life with him.
So one night when I was making a new oriental dish and decided to try make some coconut rice to go with it which we ate and placed the remains in the fridge. To my discovery it was even more yummy  the following day. I then thought the heated coconut rice would make a lovely

MUSHROOM SOUP

 

In the cold weather a bowl of hot soup can be so comforting. This mushroom soup has been such a huge hit in our house and is lovingly asked for on cold weather days. It is often accompanied with thinly sliced, crispy Rye toast smeared with Avocado and season with salt. The avo on the toast

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER PIZZA BASE

So I first read about this pizza a base when a fellow tweeter (thanks Tami)  sent me a link to the recipe knowing my family eats gluten-free. Once reading the recipe I thought how weird but could potentially be yummy and then filed it at the back of my mind for another time.
Then one evening I had a cauliflower in the fridge that needed to be used and I thought why not try

PEP TALK TO A BLOGGER: Digital vs Real World

Sometimes I just sit down and write - for myself. Then I realised I might not be alone.  

DIGITAL VS REAL WORLD


We live in a digital world... The picture above I made with my phone. Yip, now a days you can take a photo, edit it and write on it with a few different apps and then share it on the internet - no computers involved!

Pink and Chocolate cake

I thought I would share some photos of the birthday cake I baked for my kids 9th birthday in February. I used the all to popular Sweet Potato Chocolate cake recipe (gluten-free) and iced it with a

VEGETARIAN CURRY (BUTTERNUT AND BEAN)

Im not sure if this is technically a curry as I just added things as I went along and Im not sure on what exactly constitutes a dish being called a curry. But this dish is both flavour filled and burny = so we called it a curry in our household.

Pep talk to a blogger - The comment phenonmenon

 
As much as I enjoy Food blogging which entails:

1) Making food
2) photography it

Chefs Table at The Protea Hotel President Bantry Bay

What a view of the sunset in Bantry Bay, Cape Town, SA.

Recently I had the opportunity of being invited (plus a partner) to dine at the chefs table of The Protea Hotel President in Bantry Bay, Cape Town.

PEP TALK to a Blogger

I made this from one of my instagram pics - don't ever forget it ;)

 
Sometimes I just sit down and write - for myself. Then I realised I must not be alone.

Pep Talk to a Blogger:

1) Your blog does not define you - outside of cyberspace and the internet world you are still a million

Taste of Cape Town

On Thursday evening I was able to visit The Taste of Cape Town.
It was the third year I've been and every year its a little different.
I managed to sample some of the yummy food on offer and wander around with my partner, we saw  cool demos, tasted things to drink and wandered around the stalls where there was plenty to buy. Here are a few of the photos I took. As usual I took way to many and found it hard to pick which ones to show you! hope you enjoy :)

  

Bombay Sapphire Gin had a pretty blue stall with people buying cocktails from them. I didn't taste any of them but they sure looked pretty.

Hungry for Change Documentary

Eating healthy is always a touchy subject to talk about. If you've ever been out with some friends and chatted about weight and diets - there is bound to be many points of views! Some will be very strong in their opinion about what is THE right way!
Usually it goes something like this: Some will say Paleo, others will debate Atkins while someone else will say vegetarian (eg Forks over Knives etc) while someone will be like --I don't care, I exercise.

I have been swaying one way and then another, trying different ways of eating BUT feeling like NOT just one program suited me!!!

Was I crazy or did my body type not suit what everyone was saying?

Then I felt to just follow my body and eat well e.g. fresh veg and fruit, meat ocassionally, everything made from scratch and drink plenty of water (I've always stayed clear of additives like MSG, Aspartame etc...)--- It was going well, I lost weight (yay me)
Then I watched the documentary Hungry for Change. It was wow! It was exactly how I had been feeling.
If you are feeling confused about who to follow or what to eat or who is right about it ALL!!! Which is so mind boggling its insane... Watch it!

It will make you realise that you can be sane and healthy and not a calorie crazy nut! 
Enjoy it - It is freedom to the mind and body.

I am adding more juicing to my diet - It feels amazing!








NOTE:

When I watched the Documentary Hungry for Change - it was part of a 6 day free screening that anyone could watch online but now I see you can only watch the first 20 minutes... Do it even the 20 minutes has some great stuff in there that may make you think differently! 

I have nothing to do with Hungry for Change - I just loved it and thought you might too :) 

HAPPY EASTER

Here's to wishing you a Happy Easter. May you spend it with the people you love and be blessed in all the right ways, especially in love and kindness. 

Life is busy and we all need time to relax, reflect and recharge.
Wishing for you (where ever you are in the world) a beautiful long weekend.
May it be Great!

Much love from me


A quick reflection of my happy thoughts right now: 

- There is bound to be chocolate in the weekend ahead
- Listening to music while cooking is a must ;)
- I think I may try my hand at some gluten-free hot cross buns (hopefully they work out)
- With the rainy weather ahead its a great excuse to watch a movie and eat some comfort food
- Seeing family is always nice (I'll be sure to tease my brothers)
- Making treats and little surprises can be a great way to spark some creativity and have some fun while unwinding

Have a great weekend - oh wait did I say that already? ;)

hugs

STARLINGS CAFE

The quest for great coffee takes me to various restaurants and coffee shops around Cape Town....
Here is one of the places I have been too:  

 

I needed to head to Claremont to drop the husband off to collect his car from being serviced and convinced him that a coffee from Starlings just down the road was a brilliant idea! .... he agreed. 

We have visited Starlings Cafe a few times and have never been disappointed. The test of a great

VEGETABLE CAKES / PATTIES

We all like to eat healthier. I know I feel much better when consuming more vegetables and less junk. These are a vegetarian's dream with great flavour and so easy to make.  

This recipe is more of a guideline and something I make often for my family.
These vegetable cakes/patties pair well with salad and go great with some fried egg and avo on top.
They make great lunch box snacks if you have any left over.
Would go great at a party - make tiny ones and top with cream cheese.
Substitute out any vegetables you like or have on hand.

Coffee in Kalk Bay

Fishing boat in Balk Bay Harbour

The tiny fishing village of Kalk Bay in Cape Town is a great destination to browse antique shops and drink coffee. There are so many coffee places one would be excused of thinking that the town was made up of coffee roasters and baristas.
Deciding which one to visit can be quite a decision... some have views while others have such

WIN a yummy Food Hamper

The V & A Waterfront in Cape Town has opened their very own food market with individually owned stall holders so you can shop for a variety of yummy homemade and fresh foods.
Its the kind of market everyone can find something to eat or drink - its very tempting to try lots of delicious goodies! so beware (don't say I didn't warn you)


WIN a very cool and yummy food hamper from V and A Market on the Wharf

TOASTED QUINOA AND CARROT SALAD

Im told you pronounce this word Quinoa like this:  Keenwa - Interesting hey?
I don't know why but now I go around correcting others= kinda annoying right? Im trying to stop...

WIN THE ABUNDANCE COOKBOOK

WIN a copy of ABUNDANCE by Marlene Van Der Westhuizen with www.bettybake.co.za and Pan Macmillan

CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

Anyone who knows me or even follows me on facebook or twitter will know that I love 2 things: Coffee and Chocolate!!


So a few weeks ago I received this very cool parcel in the post... I mean who doesn't like receiving parcels (mail is so cool) and when my parcel happened to be a box filled with chocolate I just knew my year was off to a GREAT start!!!

2013

Happy 2013
If I reflect on the crazy year we've had - I can safely say that the end of the world still hasn't happened and it seems like we all have to go back to work or school soon! - whether we like it or not! 

But with all the new year brings I hope to find some time to smell the flowers and enjoy the little things:
Like a fresh cup of brewed coffee each morning, sitting in a ray of sunshine and flicking through a