Latest news with #baking
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Helen Goh's recipe for oat shortcakes with honey-roasted apricots and almond cream
These buttery oat shortcakes are crisp on the outside, tender within and just rustic enough to feel inviting. Filled with honey-roasted apricots and a fragrant almond cream, they make a fabulous pudding; berries macerated with sugar and a splash of orange juice or Cointreau would also be delicious. Prep 15 minChill 30 min Cook 1 hr 10 min, plus cooling Makes 6 For the shortcakes100g rolled oats 225g plain flour, plus extra for stamping out the dough70g caster sugar 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp fine sea salt Finely grated zest of 1 orange (save the juice for the apricots)120g cold unsalted butter, cut into 3-4cm cubes120ml plain unsweetened kefir drink, plus extra for brushing1 tsp vanilla extract For the apricots500g ripe apricots, halved and pitted60ml orange juice 60ml water ¼ tsp ground cardamom seeds (from about 8 pods), optionalA pinch of salt 60g runny honey For the cream300ml double cram1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted, plus a little extra for dusting1 tsp vanilla extract¼ tsp almond extract Line a 20cm x 30cm baking tray with greaseproof paper. Pulse the oats in a food processor until finely ground but not powdery, then add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda/bicarb, salt and orange zest, and pulse a few times to combine and aerate. Add the butter, pulse until the mix looks crumbly, then tip it into a large bowl. Add the kefir and vanilla, stir with a fork until it just comes together in a shaggy dough, then out on to a lightly floured worktop and pat out into a roughly 2½cm-thick disc. Dip a 6-7cm biscuit cutter into flour, then stamp out as many rounds as possible. Arrange the shortcakes a few centimetres apart on the lined tray, then gather the offcuts, press together lightly, then pat out and cut out a few more rounds – you should end up with six altogether. Transfer to the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the apricots. Heat the oven to 215C (195C fan)/gas 6½ and take a baking dish large enough to accommodate the apricots in one layer and line it with baking paper. Arrange the fruit cut side up in the baking dish, then pour the orange juice and water over and around it. Sprinkle over the cardamom and salt, then drizzle with the honey. Bake for 20-25 minutes, basting and gently shaking the dish occasionally, until the apricots are tender, collapsed and slightly caramelised. Remove from the oven (leave the oven on) and leave to cool in the dish for a few minutes, then tip the apricots and their juices into a bowl. Turn down the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Remove the shortcakes from the fridge and brush the tops of the shortcakes with a little kefir, then bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on top and the sides feel firm when gently pressed. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the almond cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on medium-high until the cream thickens to soft waves. To serve, split the shortcakes in half and place the bases on a platter. Spoon over some of the roast apricots and their juices, top with cream, then place the remaining shortcake halves on top. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve.
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Success is baked for rising star apprentice jockey Jaylah Kennedy
Rising star Jaylah Kennedy is second in pursuit of the Melbourne apprentice jockey title but certainly atop the popularity stakes for sharing home-baked sweet treats on race day. A decadent batch of 'brookies', combined brownie and chocolate chip cookie slice, cut into jockey portion-sized squares, attracted rave reviews last Wednesday at Sandown. Kennedy is lucky to be genetically-blessed to indulge her passion for cooking and baking, an unlikely pastime for most jockeys given the importance of weight management. 'It's a little thing I enjoy doing on the side, when I'm not riding light,' Kennedy said. 'It's cold in winter, so nice to bring something in that can warm peoples' tummies. 'I love cooking, I love baking, I just bought a house and it's got a nice kitchen so I'm making use of it. 'I'm lucky I'm four foot nine … any taller and if I cooked and bake like I do, I probably wouldn't be a jockey.' Jockeys, trainers, race-day officials and stewards polished the brookies last Wednesday. 'I told the stewards they can't suspend me if they're going to eat my baking,' Kennedy laughed. 'I made them bite-sized jockey pieces so everyone could enjoy.' Kennedy has six rides at Flemington on Saturday, including the electric Bold Bastille in the last. 'She's naturally very speedy, I made my way to Werribee the other day to trial her, hoping to keep her race day first-up, and she did everything right,' Kennedy said. 'She pulled up like a horse ready to go to the races now … first up she could be maybe that little bit vulnerable late but … she'll be there to take a bit of running down.' Kennedy has ridden 20 city winners to date this season, one less than clubhouse leader Tom Prebble, a friend and fellow fourth-year apprentice. Prebble has the stronger hand on Saturday with six rides, including favourites Splash Back and Jimmy The Bear. 'I've been going to the races thinking anything can happen lately,' Kennedy said. 'An open book and try not to overthink this. Hopefully it's a good weekend. 'It comes down to the support you've got around you, I've been getting a lot of good opportunities with a lot of big stables … it's always good to be able to repay them. 'This is my first full season riding in town and I'm happy with how things are going, hopefully we can tick off the metro premiership, it's a really big goal of mine this season. 'It's pretty competitive between me and Tom Prebble, he's one of my best mates but at the same I'd be happy to be in first place and him second.' Apprentice jockeys rode five of the nine winners last Saturday at Sandown. â– â– â– â– â– Flemington victory next as Rose blooms A dream Flemington winner would cap a memorable week for apprentice jockey Rose Hammond. Hammond the past seven days has doubled her tally of city winners, now up to four, with success at Sandown Hillside last Saturday and Wednesday respectively. The Melbourne-based Echuca export has two rides at Headquarters on Saturday including the Matt Laurie -trained Yulong-owned filly Sun Setting, a $21 outsider in a competitive 1100m race. Sun Setting has won comfortably the past two starts at Moe and Mornington. 'I'm really excited for her,' Hammond said. 'A huge thank you to (Laurie), he's been a great supporter of mine and backs me. 'Hopefully I get the job done for him … in the Yulong colours, so really keen for that.' Hammond is determined to make up for lost time, as early injury setbacks hampered her progress and riding development. The 22-year-old suffered a broken leg in track work, before she even started her apprenticeship, and then missed time with a fractured collarbone and multiple concussions. 'I've always wanted to be a jockey so that determination is in me, I couldn't think of doing anything else, I love my job,' Hammond said. 'Hopefully the next two years (of apprenticeship) are smooth sailing, got the injuries out of the way. 'I know I've got a lot of improvement to come so hopefully I can keep working on my craft and get momentum.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
32-year-old social services worker hits about $30,000 annually on her bakery side hustle
Maikaila Grossett works full time as a project management director in the social services field and moonlights as a baker, but her side business is reaching a point where she needs to make a critical decision. Grossett, 32, is based in Ajax, Ont. She said she has enjoyed baking since she was in high school, turning to the oven to unload stress during exam season and taking boxes of sweet treats to parties, steadily building a reputation as the family baker. After attending a baby shower in October 2022 armed with a box of vanilla cupcakes, Grossett realized she had a real chance at turning her self-care hobby into a monetized business. 'It wasn't anything that grandiose in design, but the flavour was really good,' Grossett said. 'People were fighting over the leftover cupcakes … and were texting my god-sister,' asking where they could get more. She started her dessert business, Baking My Feels, through word of mouth and gradually expanded by growing her social media presence on Instagram. She makes custom confections, such as Oreo-flavoured cupcakes, spiced cinnamon buns and Sailor Moon fondant toppers. Her goal was to transition her side gig into her full-time job by October 2027, five years from when she first began monetizing her hobby, but she thinks she might be able to make the transition even earlier, by January 2026. Nicholas Hui, an advice-only financial planner at VAVE Financial Planning, based in Markham, Ont., said he has worked with several clients with side hustles, especially young professionals. While some take on a side hustle to boost their income and pay off debts, Hui said other people see their side hustle as a way of exploring something they genuinely enjoy and monetizing it. 'I also have clients that are doing the side hustle with the hopes of having it be their main hustle,' Hui said. 'They start off with planting the seed while they're still working, so that they have (income) to (rely on).' Hui recommends these clients build a 'runway fund' to plan for how long it will take to get their side hustle producing sustainable income. For example, if they think it will take them a year, they should have a year's worth of expenses saved to cover their costs in the interim. 'Once they reach that year, if their business hasn't reached the level that's paying for all their expenses, then they might have to pull the plug.' Hui has seen side hustle incomes range from $5,000 a year to as high as $50,000 a year. For most of the first two years, Grossett said her annual income from her dessert business was less than $30,000. She incorporated her business in September 2024 when she passed the $30,000 threshold, which is when small businesses must register and charge goods and services tax (GST) or harmonized sales tax (HST). Grossett currently spends between 32 to 50 hours a week and manages 20 to 50 orders a month for her baking business, but grapples with how to manage her time most effectively, considering she is a full-time worker and a mother of young children who participate in extracurricular activities. 'I've reached a point now where if I want to make my side hustle my full-time job, I have to commit full-time hours, because right now, it's getting my leftovers,' she said, noting she dedicates her down time in the evenings, weekends and even early mornings to her baking business. This is not enough to expand her customer base and the number of orders she can fulfill in a week, on top of other tasks such as filming content and marketing. Grossett saw her side hustle income double between the first and second year of starting the business and said it currently nets her about 50 to 60 per cent of what she earns from her social services job. This means her business has the potential to earn even more income if she were to focus on it full time, she said. 'What will make me feel comfortable is having at least two months' worth of my full-time salary set aside as a cushion,' she added. Chris Moscatello, the director of small business banking at Coast Capital, said it is important to do market research and have a good financial foundation before leaping into a full-time business. 'Once you're on your own in the business world, it's very cutthroat,' Moscatello said. 'You should have a solid business plan in place, you should have your small business team in place, which includes your banker, lawyer and financial planner.' There are challenges with putting yourself in the 'driver's seat,' Moscatello said. 'Often you start out as a one-man show, and you have to do everything,' he said. 'You have to wear all the different hats of a small business owner, from bringing in the business, to doing the paperwork and ensuring your bookkeeping is done.' Grossett said she has struggled to determine how best to price her work. She figured out the basis for how to price her desserts by measuring ingredients to the gram, to determine how much they cost to produce. After about a year and a half, she said she collected enough data to come up with averages and corresponding price ranges. Her cupcakes currently start at $40 a dozen but can go up to $70 a dozen if they take more time or include fondant toppers (which Grossett also makes herself). A standard-sized cake that serves about eight to 10 people starts at $100, since it takes her at least four hours to produce. After deducting the cost of her ingredients, Grossett said half of the remaining revenue from her business goes toward her salary, 30 per cent pays for overhead costs (such as website fees and subscriptions and cleaning supplies) and 20 per cent is allocated to business growth. But the trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump this year has created further complications, increasing the costs of Grossett's ingredients, which she usually buys from her local grocery store. While about 80 to 90 per cent of her ingredients are Canadian-sourced, she said she noticed on her grocery delivery app, PC Express (which is owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd.), that some items, such as her Madagascar vanilla, have been flagged as products impacted by tariffs. Ditch these 7 investing myths Torontonian wants to leave the Canadian cold behind Grossett said she needs to adjust the pricing of her own baked goods to accommodate her higher business costs. She would likely only earn between $15 to $17 an hour, the minimum wage, without increasing her prices, she said. 'I've done a lot of market research, and I'm actually still charging under-market for my industry,' Grossett said. 'I'm working on creating fair pricing for the current economic state that we're in, because I am under-charging, and that actually is a barrier to me making it full-time.' • Email: slouis@
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: Her Best Sellers Are Only Icing On the Cupcake
'They're both pleasant ways to escape and fun to share.' ABBY JIMENEZ, a best-selling author and bakery owner, on the commonality of two of her passions, romantic-comedies and cupcakes.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
I'm a professional baker — most of my favourite kitchen tools are on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2025
In my friend group, I'm definitely the personality hire, except when it comes to cooking advice. After a decade of working on food trucks and in bakeries (even opening my own in 2015), I've become the go-to person to ask, 'Why did my cookies go flat?' or 'What should I make for Easter dinner?' Cooking and baking professionally, combined with years of trial and error as a home cook, means I've tested (and tossed) a lot of kitchen equipment in my life. Over the years, I've formed very strong opinions about what to splurge on and what to skip altogether when it comes to outfitting your kitchen. I've cooked up a list of my favourite kitchen appliances, utensils, and accessories that have proven to be ride-or-die for the everyday home chef. My favourites range from investment pieces like a Staub Dutch Oven to a set of silicon baking mats that are under $20. And the best part? So many items are on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2025. I can't be the only little girl who dreamed of owning an entire line-up of Dutch ovens, all matching in the same bold colour. When it finally came time to invest in one of my own, the research was all pointing to one brand: Staub. I opted for their 5.5-qt Round Cocotte, realizing very quickly it's the only Dutch oven I will ever need to own. Made in France, these hefty pots are built to last, transferring seamlessly from stovetop cooking to oven braising. Trust me: It's more than worth the investment. This may be surprising, but this set of mini spatulas is my most-used item in my kitchen. I actually have two sets because they're just that good. These spatulas are perfect for everything from getting the last little morsels out of a jar of honey to cooking scrambled eggs. I find myself reaching for one multiple times a day. This set has the lowest cost per use of any tool in my entire kitchen. As a professional baker, an accurate food scale can be the difference between an airy loaf of sourdough and an inedible brick of flour. I recently switched to the Oxo Good Grips Food Scale, and it has upped my baking game tenfold. The unique feature of this scale is the pull-out display, making it easy to see no matter the size of the bowl you choose. This scale's utility goes way beyond a dynamite focaccia dough — perfectly portioning bulk groceries and divving up this week's prepped meals. Please accept this as my formal declaration of love for hand blenders. Do I have a traditional blender and also a food processor? Yes. Do I reach for either of those even half as much as I reach for my KitchenAid Hand Blender? Not even close. Soups, sauces, jams, compound butters — do I need to go on? I still have the exact KitchenAid Hand Blender I opened my bakery with ten years ago, and it hasn't skipped a beat. You often hear chefs say that the one tool you need in your kitchen is a high-quality knife—this fact became very clear when I finally bought one for myself. I've become a huge fan of the entire catalogue of Global Knives since purchasing my first one a few years ago, but even with a drawer full of knives I'm always reaching for the GS90 Santoku Knife. The super sharp fluted blade makes chopping vegetables less of a chore, and the lightweight handle fits perfectly in my small hands. There are dozens of digital thermometers on the market these days, ranging in price from $10 to more than $100. You may be shocked to find that the thermometer I've trusted for over five years is one of the most inexpensive on the market. I use the Thermo Digital Thermometer for everything from checking whether my roast chicken is cooked through to making sure boiled sugar is hot enough to turn into marshmallows. It's compact and easy to read, and I can't even remember the last time I needed to change the batteries—sometimes, simplicity is best when it comes to cooking. Getting to feed delicious things to the people I love is a big part of why I enjoy cooking. After years of entertaining, I recently found a new favourite hosting hack: Pacolit P's Warming Mat. The pressure of making sure everything on the Thanksgiving table is ready at the same time has finally been lifted. This mat has three temperature settings to keep the mashed potatoes from cooling while you're carving the turkey. I'm never hosting another dinner party without it. A bench scraper is a non-negotiable tool in any kitchen I cook in. I first learned how handy they can be working in professional bakeries, and it turns out they're just as useful in my home kitchen. Dividing pizza dough, scrapping flour off counters, and scooping up chopped onions — this may be the most versatile tool in my kitchen that's under $20! The Anaeat scraper has the added benefit of measuring guides, making it the perfect gift for amateur bakers. It doesn't take a professional baker to know that KitchenAid Stand Mixers don't always do the greatest job of incorporating everything in the bowl. I've owned five of their mixers, and the one thing that consistently improves every batter and dough is the Flex Edge Beater. The added silicone covering drastically reduces the number of times I find myself scraping down the bowl with a spatula, often allowing me to skip that frustrating step altogether. Whether in my home kitchen or a professional bakery, I always find that most of my waste is parchment paper. Silicone baking mats not only reduce my use of parchment paper, but they also save my pans from the wear and tear of stuck-on food. Pro tip: If you've ever pulled out your hair trying to master a French macaron, a silicone mat may be the missing piece.
