Bake test: Hummingbird Bakery Black Bottom Cupcakes, and a bit of breadbaking

From sweltering heat to wooly, rainy days. Perth's weather has changed in an instance. And I love it.

This grey weather is perfect for tea and movies and my favourite thing of all time - baking.

So while Hubby was enjoying the three Bs on a boat at a bucks party this Saturday I got my Betty homemaker on and baked up a storm. By the way - the three Bs are: Booze, Beef and Boobs. Apparently it's the secret to a great bucks day.

First up, I continued baking my way through the Hummingbird Bakery cook book and tried my hand at Black Bottom Cupcakes, or as I like to call them, Top Deck Cupcakes. Or even Double Cheesecake Cupcakes.

Why so many names? Well this cupcake by any name as a dense cake bottom, that is topped by a cheesecake, which you bake together. When cooled, you add a cream cheese, or cheesecake, icing.

See the layers on this thing!

I baked it for a picnic with my delightful uni girls. The sun cleared for long enough for us to relax at Kings Park and gossip away while the boys talked about whatever is they talk about. The reviews were rave, but the denseness of the cake did leave your mouth a little dry.

The skies cleared long enough for our little picnic, and for us to take our second ever family photo. Only took 10 months!

Bake to baking. I've been in love with Jamie Oliver long before he make planks and boards cool. One thing he always swore was easy to make was bread. He even use to demonstrate it with kids just to show how easy it is. 

Well Jamie, it's not. Every time I kneaded and played with the dough, it never went 'poof' and rose. It cooked doughy and disgusting. I used it as glue to hold my bathroom tiles together. I'm sure those tiles are still standing to this day.

That's why it was one of my 101 in 1001.

After cleaning out my pantry to make way for my new obsession, or addiction, Tupperware, I found some bread flour that was about to expire. The stars aligned, it was bread making day.

Not content with any old bad, I decided to make a pizza filled focaccia for Hubby to settle his hungover stomach the next day. Why. Why do I have to over reach?

Well I'm glad I did. It didn't quite 'poof', but it was good enough. Importantly it cooked perfectly, fluffy, crunchy and pizza-y at the same time.

Mixing and kneading and baking my way to Hubby's heart

And it was the perfect Sunday morning hangover cure. No Macca's run for me, leaving me time to do the other perfect thing on wooly mornings. Read in bed. With a baby climbing all over me. How's the serenity.