Peach and Pistachio Cake

peach-and-pistachio-cake-one-perfect-mess-easy-recipe-baking-upside-down-yotam-ottolenghi-gluten-free-stone-fruits-syrup-icing-3

‘Peach and pistachio; genius.’ I sat shaking my head, half in awe and admiration, half in disbelief that I didn’t come up with the idea myself. Over a lunch of falafel and bean salad and hommus and chocolate cake, I sat brainstoming baking ideas with a clever friend when she dropped this bombshell of a flavour combination. This particular marriage of fruit and nuts is something special; the sweet, ripe flesh of the peach is perfectly partnered by the distinctively charming flavour of pistachios, and the vibrant orange and green is so darn alluring and exotic. Served warm, this delightfully soft cake quite literally falls apart as undertones of almond, walnut and lemon zest blossom with each mouthful, all swathed in a delicate drizzle of lemon icing. Yes.

Continue reading

Crunchy Peanut Butter Brownies

crunchy-peanut-butter-brownies-one-perfect-mess-recipe-easy-baking-dark-chocolate-soft-moist-rich-fudge-fudge-7

I never get tired of trialling new ways to jazz up the faithful brownie, and this devilish little recipe is no exception. Using my favourite soft and fudgey brownie recipe, I’ve swirled slatherings of salty and crunchy peanut butter through the batter; the result is a bloody irresistible black and gold masterpiece.

Continue reading

Carrot and Coconut Cake

Carrot and Coconut Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting recipe One Perfect Mess blog easy simple baking layer celebration gluten free dairy free wheat free healthy fresh flowers naked cake 6

I have no idea where the past two months have gone. I am always vaguely aware that the older we get, the smaller a proportion of our life a month becomes. When we were five years old, a year felt infinite. But now, I’ve already made plans that lie six months ahead, and that time seems hardly a blip in the scheme of things. The years have become busy and blurred, and I often seem to find myself looking forward to a point several days or weeks or even months ahead. I’m trying vigilantly to stop this pattern, because it becomes too easy to wish life away trying to attain the next goal, experience the next milestone and arrive at the start of the next adventure. Life is now, and now is fantastic.

Continue reading

Brown Sugar Meringue Torte with Almonds, Dates, Figs and Honey Cream

Brown Sugar Meringue Torte with Almonds, Dates, Figs and Honey Cream One Perfect Mess recipe gluten free easy baking pavlova no bake autumn fall almond fig date 2

Layers of crisp brown sugar and almond meringue nestle between clouds of whipped honey cream, fresh dates and soft dried figs, as warm honey cascades down the sides of this beastly yet elegant mountain of texture, colour and soulful flavour. And it’s easy. I’m all for easy recipes lately. Life is flying by way too fast, but I’m still determined to bake wherever I can. So that means I’m turning to recipes that can be planned ahead, prepared in sections and offer a low flop-risk. So voila!

Continue reading

Brown Sugar Meringues with Roasted Rhubarb, Honey Mascarpone Cream and Pistachios

Brown Sugar Meringues with Orange Roasted Rhubarb, Pistachios and Honey Mascarpone Whipped Cream One Perfect Mess easy dessert recipe baking autumn fall meringue pistachio nuts 3

Spoiler alert: this here is a little cheat’s dessert. Prep is done in under an hour, no fancy qualifications required, looks pretty as a peach, and is so much fun to just absolutely demolish. Also it tastes pretty darn good. The slight tartness of the roasted rhubarb is offset by the honey mascarpone cream. Then there’s the slightly salty pistachios that flirt with the vibrant syrup drizzling down the sides. And did I mention that the crisp brown sugar meringue cradling the whole thing has a slightly caramelised flavour, and is so devilishly light and delicious?  Who’s complaining?

Continue reading

Brown Rice Rainbow Salad with Grilled Salmon

Marinated Grilled Salmon and Brown Rice Rainbow Salad easy savoury recipe One Perfect Mess Thai Asian healthy lunch dinner cashew capsicum soy sauce sweet chilli 7

Another swanky savoury recipe for your Sunday! I’m enjoying sharing these with you occasionally, because I do have some nifty dinner dishes stashed up my sleeve thanks to my foodie family. This is another one of Ma’s recipes, and always holds a special place on the table at family lunches, BBQs and picnics. I packed up a big container of this Brown Rice Rainbow Salad, topped with grilled salmon, and shared it with two of my most excellent friends as we lay sprawled out on a picnic blanket in a forrest garden a few weeks ago.

Continue reading

Fig, Honey and Roasted Almond Semifreddo

Fig, Honey and Roasted Almond Semifreddo Ice Cream easy recipe One Perfect Mess summer baking fig jam no churn no machine 3

Here’s another decadent I-scream-you-scream-we all scream for ice-cream recipe! More of the good stuff that I can’t and won’t ever get enough of. Just like my Strawberry and White Chocolate Semifreddo, this Fig, Honey and Roasted Almond Semifreddo doesn’t require a fancy machine or any advanced technical kitchen skills. All you need is a sunny day, 45 minutes, and a love of the glorious goodness that is ice cream.

Continue reading

Roasted Vegetable Burgers

Roasted Vegetable Burgers One Perfect Mess easy recipe yummy vegetarian gluten free roast veggie patties sandwich bun healthy lunch dinner freezable 6

This epically ultimate legend of recipe has been an absolute family favourite for years. The original version was lovingly written out by my Ma, but I’ve played around with it a bit over the years to come up these hearty, colourful, filling, delicious and very healthy Roasted Vegetable Burgers.

Continue reading

Mango, Passionfruit and Coconut Vegan Cheesecake

Mango, Passionfruit and Coconut Vegan Cheesecake One Perfect Mess vegan easy recipe baking healthy no refined  sugar free cashews cashew nuts dairy free lactose free gluten free wheat free frozen cheese cake 4

Welcome to my 50th post! I could almost write a blog entirely dedicated to sharing cheesecake recipes with a world of hungry, curious lovers of crunchy bases, smooth and creamy fillings, and pretty toppings… And I believe the world would become a slightly better place for it. But for now, let us see what magic this new recipe can weave in your life! I present to you something a little out of the usual for a One Perfect Mess dessert, and I urge you to not reflexly screw up your nose and file this post as reeking with words like ‘wellness’ and ‘clean eating’ and all those enticing but slightly cringe-worthy faddish phrases that are thrown in your face every time you guzzle a big fat chocolate bar. Because there is nothing wrong with that chocolate bar. But believe me, there is everything right with this cheesecake. Also I sort of lied, because there’s actually no cheese in this cheesecake. Ok I know you’re probably thinking this looks bad, but just keep reading. It gets better. I promise.

Continue reading

Roasted Beetroot and Garlic Hummus with Rosemary Seed Crackers

Roasted Beetroot and Garlic Hummus Hommus with Rosemary Salt Chia Seed Grain Crackers One Perfect Mess recipe healthy easy gluten free vegan vegetarian dip biscuits chickpeas tahini pinenuts Christmas 14

Here goes nothing; I present to you the first ever savoury One Perfect Mess recipe! I love to cook just as much as I love to bake (gasp), and after briefly surveying those loyal friends who read this little blog, I have decided to brave the unknown and see if you have any interest in something a little different! I am an absolute hummus fiend; spread on toast with eggs, dolloped on salads, smeared on a burger, dipped into by carrot sticks… It’s so easy to make and such a substantial but humble little dish.

Continue reading