Wave goodbye … and Say hello!

It has been more than six months since I last updated this blog. So many things have happened since then. Marriage life has been sweet, although Mr B. and I are living in two different cities for a while.

I said goodbye to Melbourne and have started a new “crazy” life in Sydney. Gone are my peaceful university days. Now I face the burden of work and study. No complain now, but well, I do see that time has become more limited these days.

On the bright side, we have settled in a lovely apartment in Sydney. Our first home! The apartment is nearly ready and I will show you around when things are in order. But here is the very first photo – view from our balcony. (Can you spot the Opera House there? All I can see is my work building! :P)

And of course I have started cooking in my new kitchen. Not a lot of exciting stuff since sometimes I just do not bother cooking just for one. But well, the joy of cooking is always there. All I need to do is to find some time to cook (and hoping that there is still enough light to photograph my food!)

So here it is, the first thing I bake in my kitchen. Really simple small pound cakes, which are full of flavours and love. Apples are in season, and I got the really delicious un-waxed ones from the farmers’ market. I also used the maple syrup that a lovely friend from Canada sent over as housewarming gift (Thanks sister Feb!). Adding in some cinnamon, I could sense the fragrance of fall in my very own place.

These cakes are really lovely and a breeze to make. They have the texture of doughnuts so you can roll them in cinnamon sugar mixture. I like them warm with a bit of mascarpone cheese, a drizzle of maple syrup and light dust of cinnamon.

Apple and maple syrup pound cake

Recipe from Donna Hay magazine

Ingredients (for 12 generous small size cakes)

375g self-rising flour, sifted

1 tsp ground cinnamon

250g butter, melted

175g brown sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

4 eggs

6 red apples, peeled and grated

Mascarpone cheese and extra cinammon powder & maple syrup to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Place flour and cinammon in a bowl and mix to combine. Add butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg and apples - mix well to combine. Spoon to 12 well-greased tins (muffin pan works fine). Bake 20 mins or until cooked though.

Serve warm with cheese, mapple syrup and cinnamon powder.

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I am still adjusting to the whole blogging thing again after so long! I opened my google reader just now and there are more than 1000+ entries I have not read! I will be going around all my fav blogs to get inspired all over again :D.