Category: Baking recipes

Five-Spice Raspberry & Banana Cake with Coconut Lemon Icing (Paleo, Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free)

It’s ironic that the same time in my life I decided to go cold turkey on sugar was exactly the time I started to get really good at baking. Back in 2006, just after I found out about my various food allergies, I set about the task of learning how to bake gluten-free. As a result I spent many hours transforming conventional wheaten baked goods into their gluten-free incarnations. However I only started to really get the hang of individual properties of the myriad of gluten-free flours much later on…

I Can’t Believe There’s No Butter Dark Chocolate Brownies (Gluten-Free)

Recipe, photography & styling by Tanya Zouev I really love chocolate, really really love it. In fact I don’t know of anybody who doesn’t like chocolate, it’s just one of those foods that seems to have universal appeal. It is no wonder then that “theobroma cacao” translated as “food of the gods”, was highly prized for … Continue reading I Can’t Believe There’s No Butter Dark Chocolate Brownies (Gluten-Free)

Eton Mess with Mulberries Steeped In Gin

Recipe, photography & styling by Tanya Zouev. Growing in the neighbour’s yard is an enormous mulberry bush, part of which hangs over our back fence. It spans several meters across and at least three meters high, and right now as I write this post the branches are laden with fruit. The birds are having daily … Continue reading Eton Mess with Mulberries Steeped In Gin

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut Butter & Sea Salt (Gluten-Free)

Recipe, photography and styling by Tanya Zouev. Every now and then I get an overwhelming urge to cook something from my personal list of illicit foods, the things reserved for “now and then”. Food that I rarely eat but enjoy when I do. The plain and simple reason for this is that if I allowed myself … Continue reading Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peanut Butter & Sea Salt (Gluten-Free)

The Sultan’s Pavlova (The Ottomans Come Down Under)

Recipe, photography and styling by Tanya Zouev. Many random thoughts go through my head throughout the course of a normal day, particularly when I’m in a cooking-induced semi-meditative state. I think a lot about the “what if’s” in life, such as, what if the Ottomans had somehow deviated nearly 13,000km from their homeland and Australia had … Continue reading The Sultan’s Pavlova (The Ottomans Come Down Under)

Incredibly Moreish Cheesy Pastry Straws (Gluten-Free)

Recipe by Julia Zouev. Photography and styling by Tanya Zouev. When it comes to food, my ex-husband (yes, unfortunately I have one of those tucked away) used to call my mother Julia the Human Photocopier. We would take her out to to a café or restaurant, she would sample something new, then come home and … Continue reading Incredibly Moreish Cheesy Pastry Straws (Gluten-Free)

Spiced Orange, Almond & Coconut Cake with a Sticky Jaggery Syrup (Gluten-Free)

Recipe, photography and styling by Tanya Zouev. Cake: “a sweet, baked, breadlike food, made with or without shortening, usually containing flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, eggs, and liquid flavouring.” Cakes are synonymous with weddings, anniversaries and other major life milestone celebrations, and a birthday just isn’t complete without a birthday cake. (Just try throwing a birthday … Continue reading Spiced Orange, Almond & Coconut Cake with a Sticky Jaggery Syrup (Gluten-Free)

I Discover Kookery and a Quick & Tricky Thermomix Buttercream Icing

Recipe, photography and styling by Tanya Zouev. kitchenalia : “miscellaneous kitchen utensils, pieces of cooking equipment, and other items typically found in kitchens”. Those who know me well know that I am somewhat nuts about kitchenalia and use any excuse to go off rummaging in op-shops in search of it. I have a peculiar penchant … Continue reading I Discover Kookery and a Quick & Tricky Thermomix Buttercream Icing

ANZAC Biscuits (Gluten-Free). Lest We Forget on Anzac Day.

Recipe, photography & styling by Tanya Zouev. I sometimes wonder why it is we go through life taking so much for granted, too busy to stop and question why things are the way they are, whether they be circumstances, events or what we eat. For example, I often think about food and associated traditions, such as … Continue reading ANZAC Biscuits (Gluten-Free). Lest We Forget on Anzac Day.

The Muddiest Chocolate And Vodka Mud Cake (Gluten-Free)

Adapted from an original recipe from Marie Claire cookbook Taste 101. Recipe adapting, styling and photography by Tanya Zouev. Easter is a time most of us in the Western world have come to associate with chocolate. I’m all for chocolate at any time of the year, and not necessarily in the shape of an egg. For … Continue reading The Muddiest Chocolate And Vodka Mud Cake (Gluten-Free)