Spongedrop Cakery - opening soon!

This week instead of sharing a recipe I’m sharing some exciting news. For the past twelve months (that's no exaggeration!) I’ve been working on opening a shop - somewhere that I can share with you my passion for baking, beautiful things and great coffee. I can now say that after all these months, years even, of planning and preparation it is finally happening!

In a few weeks time (Weds 3rd Dec) I’ll be opening the doors to Spongedrop Cakery. Located at 10 Salisbury Avenue, Mount Maunganui, in the site of the old Information Centre on the edge of Coronation Park, we’ll be offering cake, cupcakes, french macarons, coffee and tea amongst other delicious items that are currently in development.

Being located on the edge of a park we’ve opened up one side to let in the sunlight and the pretty tree-studded view, creating a space that I’m picking is going to be a great spot for mid-morning coffee and cake. Or you can pop in and pick up a box of cupcakes to takeaway and share with friends. There will be parking available out back and Coronation Park provides a huge play area for kids so I’m hoping everyone will be able to find something they love about it.

There is still so much to do between now and opening (can you see the fear on Rick's face?) and I know that even when the doors are open we will be a ‘work in progress’ but I’d love for you to come along for the ride! I’ve never undertaken anything like this before so it has been and will continue to be a huge learning curve for me, thankfully I’ve got amazing people alongside me.

This has been a dream since I first started this blog nearly five years ago. I feel absolutely privileged and humbled that somehow this opportunity has come my way. It has been a journey alright, with highs and lows, but I know that once I open my doors and get to greet all of my wonderful supporters it will be a dream come true! We can't wait. x

Rick's 'there is so much to do' face.

Flavours Column: Spooky Gingerdead Men

In the spirit of Halloween I decided to get a little spooky recently and whip up some Gingerdead Men. Actually they are more of a Gingerdead Family, cat included. Which, given that just days after I made these cookies we lost a beloved cat member of the family, sits a little uncomfortably now. I wish it wasn't the case but alas, we can't turn back time. R.I.P. Milly-Moo. I hope your mischevious, stubborn, seriously cute and chunky cat spirit comes to visit us this Halloween. We'd offer you Whiska's Temptations as treats. And you would probably play a trick on us. Just like old times. 

Avoid the tricks on All Hallow's Eve and offer costumed kids these creepy cookies instead. They are so much more impressive than store-bought candy! 

Gingerdead Men 
Published in the Bay of Plenty Times, Weds 23rd Oct 2013

Halloween is on the horizon so this week I’m sharing a fun recipe for ‘Gingerdead’ Men. I picked up the Gingerdead Man cookie cutter when I was overseas but you can find a great selection of Halloween themed cutters at most kitchen stores. Bats, cats, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, your Halloween cookie dreams are covered! 

These cookies make perfect treats for the spooky little trick-or-treaters that come knocking on October 31st. I wish we embraced Halloween more in New Zealand. There’s no harm in acknowledging the ‘dark side’ a little and it encourages kids to use their imaginations. My nephew and niece in America have their costumes ready, as does my brother’s dog Tuesday who will be making her Halloween debut as Wonder Woman (or maybe Wonder Dog).

There are tonnes of ideas for Halloween treats online – Pinterest alone is enough to keep any creative Halloween crafter or baker happy. Be inspired, get spooky and have some fun. 

Ingredients
125g butter 
125g brown sugar 
75g white sugar 
½ cup golden syrup 
425g flour 
2 teaspoons ginger 
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon 
1 teaspoon allspice 
40ml milk 
1 teaspoon baking soda 

Melt butter, sugars and golden syrup in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and keep boiling for a few minutes, stirring as it bubbles away. Sift flour and spices together into a bowl. Pour the melted butter mix over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Mix milk and baking soda together and stir into the dough. The dough will be warm so rest it, covered with cling-wrap, for 10mins in the fridge. Heat the oven to 170°C. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Cut out shapes and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and decorate with royal icing.

Weekly Tip: Roll dough between two sheets of baking paper. This creates a non-stick surface making it both easier and less messy. After cutting your shapes peel away excess dough from around your cookies and bake on the paper as is.

It's time for Jam

Photo: Greta Kenyon Photography

Rhubarb jam. It's also time to tell you about another Kinfolk event which I was very honoured to be co-hosting alongside On My Hand.

The theme for the event was 'Preserving the Season'. This was my first time as a host and for some reason I decided it would be a super great idea to teach everyone how to make jam. Given that I haven't made much jam in my life (because I thought it was hard - it's not; because I thought it was time-consuming - not so much; because I thought it was messy - it is) I don't really know why my mind was saying 'heck yeah, jam!' Especially when the venue for our workshop had no kitchen. No stove top. No sink. No plumbing (when you turned the bathroom tap on water came out of a hole in the kitchen wall. Just straight from a little hole onto the floor). But regardless of these details it was still a beautiful venue.

In a nutshell, I stood in front of 20 guests and showed them how to make jam. I also showed them how to melt holes into a trestle table using cast iron camp burners. Whoops. Someone asked 'why is my pot on a lean?'...turns out those burners aren't designed for making jam on plastic tables. I taught people more than just how to make jam that day. 

Minor incidences aside, I hope everyone enjoyed the event - based on all the wonderful feedback I am pretty confident that they did. The location styling by Shaye from On My Hand was outstanding as usual, the food (also by Shaye - multi-talented lady that she is) was also beautiful and all our guests made for fantastic company! Thank you to Greta Kenyon for ensuring these fun moments are always captured in a positive light (all photos shown are Greta's) and to our sponsors: Hello Paper, Maisy & Grace, George and Mount Wholefoods. Now, let's make some jam.

Photo: Greta Kenyon Photography

Rhubarb & Vanilla Jam 

800g rhubarb stalks, cut into chunks

650g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod, split

35g Jam Setting Mix (or pectin)

zest & juice of one orange

40ml water

juice of half a small lemon

Place all the ingredients, aside from the lemon juice, in a large saucepan and stir to combine. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice and increase the heat. Boil for 10 minutes, skimming off any of the ‘scum’ that comes to the surface (this is nothing bad, it just doesn’t look pretty in your finished jam).

To test if the jam is ready spoon a teaspoonful onto a small, cold plate. If after a minute or two you can push the jam and it holds its shape it’s ready, if not keep boiling and testing every few minutes.

When the jam is ready pour into hot sterilised jars and seal. To sterilise jars and lids wash and place in the oven for 10mins at 100ºC. Store jam in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Opened jam should be stored in the fridge.

Grateful for good friends. Kinfolk Workshop

Good friends have given me some great opportunities in life and created many great moments. This was one to add to that list. On Sunday 26th May, the first New Zealand Kinfolk workshop was held at Willowdene Boutique Bed and Breakfast, hosted by On My Hand and Greta Kenyon Photography.

Kinfolk is a quarterly magazine and online community, born in Portland Oregon, that delivers entertainment ideas for simple ways to spend time together. Described as "a resource of enticing and meaningful activities" it's a collaboration of personal ideas that are focussed on creating a balanced, intentional lifestyle. It's about living simply and enriching life with an awareness of our environment and surrounds. Things that are often taken for granted!

Every month 'Kinfolk Community Gatherings' are held around the world by hosts selected for their shared ethos. Whether it be gardening, cooking, beekeeping or butchering, Kinfolk workshops are a way to get back to the basics, engage in a new skill and gain a refreshed perspective and appreciation of our little piece of the world.


The 'Freshen Up' workshop, held by Greta and Shaye, was a guide to creating homemade, chemical-free cleaning products out of everyday pantry items and a few little easy-to-source extras. Attended by a group of very enthusiastic women we spent the afternoon learning how to make beautiful, natural hand soaps and room mists. Shaye demonstrated her passion for making use of nature's own resources as she brewed soap nuts over the stove and blended essential oils while Greta captured the beauty of the event as seen in these photos.

My little input to the day was to ensure the girls were well fed. Alongside a selection from Informal Organic Tea (thanks Tim!) guests were treated to delicate rosewater sponge cakes, lavender biscuits and beetroot, goats cheese and walnut tarts.

Walking away with newfound knowledge and skills, new friends and not to mention our own bespoke bottles of hand soap and room mist, gifts from ecostore and the Waiheke Soap Company, I know we all left as very happy, enriched girls!

If you're interested in attending a Kinfolk workshop please keep an eye on the pages of Shaye and Greta as there are already upcoming events in the pipeline.

Greta, Shaye and Emily from Wild & Grace have all documented their own experience of the day on their sites if you'd like to read more. Links are here, here and here.

Thanks Shaye & Greta for asking me to be a part of this event. Your support and friendship since starting my business has been incredible. x