Artichoke muffins for the zoo

It is a long weekend here so we decided to go to the zoo today. I thought it would be nice to take along some savoury muffins to avoid the inevitable disappointment at the vegetarian food, the queues and the prices. I bought the ingredients yesterday and found a recipe to fit them last night and made them this morning just before we left. They were so warm when we packed our bag that I wrapped them in a teatowel so they didn't sweat.

The muffins were inspired by Sweet Artichoke's blog event Healing Foods: Artichokes (coordinated by Siri). She mentioned that even though she was artichoke by name, she had not cooked much with artichokes on her blog. Which made me curious. When I checked my blog, it seemed I haven't cooked much with artichokes either. The event seemed like a good chance to make amends. And I wanted to make muffins. Sweet Artichoke makes such gorgeous savoury cupcakes that I am sure she will appreciate these.

I appreciate buying the ingredients from a local deli where a nice man told me that the artichokes in brine were softer than the ones they were selling in an olive oil marinade. I wanted them to melt into the muffin. And they did. The muffins are also packed with sun-dried tomato, parmesan cheeese, parsley and facon.

I was rushing so much to get us organised to go out that by the time the muffins came out of the oven, I remembered I hadn't had breakfast. A muffin did me very nicely, thank you! Once I thought we were all packed, E pointed out that I had a huge hole at the back of my skirt. I got out a needle and thread, put on my new reading glasses and sewed up the skirt. Then Sylvia and I went ahead for the train and E missed it so he had to get the next one and meet us at the zoo.

We had a lovely time at the zoo. I love the giraffes and seals, which I have shared with you before. It was so hot that seeing the graceful seals gliding through the water made me yearn to be in there with them. E loved the otters who were amazingly playful today. It was almost as if they were performing for us. I think Sylvia might have loved the orangutans most because it was the animal that was hardest to part her from. One big old orangutan sat right in front of her and then took his blanket and went to lie down in the corner.

We walked the Trail of the Elephants. This is a relatively new "experience". I took a photo of the above old cage to compare the old zoo with the new. This is a cage from the 1890s when there was no shame in curiosity. People caged and watched the animals, with (apparently) not much thought for what sort of life they lived.

Today the zoo experience is different. We are made to forget that the animals are held in captivity. In fact it almost feels as though the zoo visitors are the ones in cages looking out at the animals in their lush surroundings.

What I find interesting about the Trail of the Elephants is that it is so much more than animals. Signs and jungle architecture recreate the milieu of the Asian elephant and make us feel like a tourist in their world. According to the zoo website, the trail "incorporates a human element for the first time". Indeed, it did give some inkling of what it might be like to share a habitat with these animals.

There are currently two baby elephants in the zoo. For some this might bring to mind the Baby Elephant Walk. For me, it brings to mind the great poster that parents of childhood friends had up in their house: Getting anything done around here is like elephants mating: it is done at a high level with a lot of fuss and takes a long time to get any results. Well, they were very cute.

The muffins were an excellent snack to have on hand. We stopped and got a seat in the shade. Sylvia seemed to like them but had to be reminded to eat them because there was so much to watch. We also had fruit balls and grapes. E refused to buy any food because he was horrified at the entrance price ($24). I succumbed to the heat and bought an icy pole as we left to catch our train. We got home just in time to bring the washing in as it started to rain. Not a bad effort!

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: MLLA Soba salad and orange tempeh
This time three years ago: MM Vegetable nut crumble

Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomato and Cheese Muffins
adapted from Baking Obsession
makes 12 regular muffins

• 1 cup plain wholemeal flour
• 1/2 cup plain white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (I think I will use less next time)
• 1/2 tsp freshly coarsely ground black pepper (I couldn't find my pepper and used a dash of chilli powder)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fried facon (optional)

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 artichoke hearts (about 1/2 cup) diced (mine were canned in brine)
  
• ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil
  
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Line 12 hole muffin pan with muffin papers.

In a largish bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in parmesan and facon. Place milk, oil and eggs in a small bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. Stir in artichokes, sundried tomatoes and parsley. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin papers. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out cleanly. Serve warm or cool.

On the Stereo:
Twighlight Rituals: TAC

How purple was my green smoothie!

I was at the Vic Market yesterday and raspberries were ridiculously cheap - 2 punnets for $5. I bought a couple of punnets, albeit with some wariness. I have bought cheap berries a few times, popped them in the fridge and found them unusable within a day or two. These ones went straight in the freezer and were bound for a smoothie. I've been making smoothies lately and am posting this one as an example of the sort of combinations I've been enjoying.

I had never heard of a green smoothie before I started blogging. I am still not quite sure what it is. I think a handful of green leafy vegetables makes it green. If this is the case then mine was a green smoothie. I added a handful of baby spinach as well as some LSA (ground linseed, sesame and almond) for a nutritional boost. I always thought the green colour of spinach was quite strong but in this case the raspberry red dominated.

I think Sylvia was pleased because she kept asking if I was making a "purple foovie". She seems to think purple is the only colour smoothies I drink. Apparently dolly likes smoothies so I give a little to Sylvia to share but she wont have any. She also has taken to asking for yoghurt and not eating it.

The smoothie was a lovely deep purple colour and slightly tart. I had added some malt syrup but it is not very sweet and I wondered if a little more was needed. There was only a few dribbles of milk in the fridge or it would not have been quite so thick.

I thought I would share a little extra green to this post. Sylvia has a little bite on her foot so we have been using some of our aloe vera plant on the swelling. One of E's friends gave it to him ages ago and we haven't taken much notice of it but it works a treat on Sylvia's foot.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Awards, happiness, quicklinks and a conference
This time three years ago: Pomegranates - the cruelest fruit?

Raspberry Smoothie with Muscles
serve 1-2

1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk, depending on how thick you like it
125g punnet of raspberries, frozen
1 banana, chopped
1-2 handfuls of baby spinach
1-2 dessertspoons of plain yoghurt
1 tbsp malt syrup, or more sweetener
1-3 tsp of LSA

Blend all ingredients - I put mine in a tall plastic jug and use a hand held blender. Enjoy.

On the Stereo:
The Best of: Leonard Cohen

Sydney Road Street Festival 2011

Last weekend E and Sylvia and I went to the Sydney Road Street Party. It was busy, noisy and colourful. We could not be quite as unhurried as on our last visit to the street party in 2008. There was just time to walk down the street and then catch the train home in time for Sylvia's afternoon nap.

First stop was to buy some corn on the cob. I felt slightly cheated that ours was not on the stick when I saw others that were. However then I saw that ours cost $1 and the ones on the stick cost $3.50. That is an expensive stick. It is a snack that I love for being far healthier than all the other carb-heavy food. Later we got some pastries to snack on before hopping on the train. I was going to photograph them but we ran into a friend.

We spent a bit of time on the kiddie stalls. Sylvia stopped to do some see-sawing and drawing at TreeTops. We saw wigs, ukeleles, and lots of books. Best of all was the stall selling all the windmills and wands. Sylvia chose a sparkly green butterfly wand. It was a bit harder than I expected when waved in my direction but she enjoyed twirling it about. She also loved walking along the tram tracks.

E loved the books and the music shops. I enjoyed the quirky. This knitted teapot gave me a smile. I liked the irony of Joy Division t-shirts for kids (E was horrified) and Where the Wild Things Are t-shirts for adults. I loved the waste paper bins made out of recycled materials. If only some of the music wasn't so loud.

Most amazing of all I had a Girl Guide Biscuit. We used to sell boxes of these when I was a Girl Guide and made grubs and hedgehog with them. I haven't seen them for years and years. The Girl Guides stall was giving them out for free. They were just like the ones I used to have except that these have a layer of chocolate on the bottom. Street parties are full of the unexpected.

Sydney Road Street Party 2011
Part of the Brunswick Music Festival
Sunday 6 March 2011
Brunswick, Melbourne

CC Dried fruit and coconut balls

Some days it seems that Dolly eats far better than Sylvia. Dolly is often "hungy" and seems to like more foods than Sylvia. This morning I despaired of getting her to eat much breakfast. I took a bag of grapes for her to eat once we were in the car. Sylvia was more interested in the naked vine which she told me looked like a little bracelet or even like a dinosaur. At least I could give her one of the dried fruit and coconut balls that we made yesterday.

The balls are actually called Dried Fruit and Coconut Candies but I find the word "candy" is just not mine. Too American. Too sweet! So I say balls! I found the recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking while idly browsing. It seemed perfect for this fortnight's Cookbook Challenge. The theme is Outdoors. Picnic anyone?

Unfortunately the weather has scuppered my attempts at a picnic. But like in one of my favourite childhood books, The (Berenstein) Bear's Picnic, home is sometimes the best place for a picnic. However, if the weather was kind, one of my favourite foods to take along to an outdoor gathering is a sweet ball rolled in coconut. Usually involving chocolate. But not always.

These ones just had dried fruit, nuts and coconut. Simple. Just as well. I can't do complicated right now. Even so I had to unpack the food processor to make these. Half the kitchen is in boxes while some benches are remade and moved. I had planned to wait over the few days the work would take. Then a delay set in. I decided I couldn't wait. I was snacking on shop-bought muesli bars. I knew I could make better.

An under-equipped kitchen with not much bench space was no barrier to my need for home made sweet treats. I had contemplated making these while Sylvia was sleeping. She had other ideas. It is a mystery why a toddler who has been up a lot of the previous night will not have a nap. Less of a mystery is the child's delight in helping out. She loves cooking. Who wouldn't?

I had so little room on the bench I first thought we could assemble the balls on the couch amid jigsaws and cookbooks. That idea didn't last long. Far too messy. Then I tried the highchair. Sylvia was determined to help me roll the balls in coconut but it was too far for her to reach up. Finally we got a little coffee table. Oh what a mess! But she had a lovely time. Sylvia even loves to help sweep up afterwards - a useful skill when you spill so much - though I am not sure Zinc would agree when chased with the broom.

These balls make delicious seem virtuous. Soft and sweet in the way of dried fruit with just a little texture from the coconut and nuts. They reminded me of similar balls I used to love at my university food co-op and have since encountered at health food shops. They are as hippy-dippy as Jesus-sandals and granola. The sort of treats that you wont feel guilty eating for breakfast. They are not E's cuppa tea but let's just say that Sylvia and I had to exercise self-control when faced with the mixture.

To see what other outdoors food has been made on the Cookbook Challenge go to the community page.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Bread and Roses for International Women’s Day
This time two years ago: Broccoli Burgers are Winners
This time three years ago: Berry good oaty pancakes

Dried fruit and coconut balls
From The Joy of Vegan Baking
makes about 40 balls

1 cup dried apricots
1 cup dried dates*
1 cup sultanas or raisins*
1 cup walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
2-3 tbsp fruit juice
1 cup dessicated coconut, for rolling

Place apricots, dates, sultanas (or raisins) and walnuts in food processor and pulverise until gritty. Add shredded coconut and blend further. Add 2 tbsp of juice and the mixture should come together into a ball. Add an extra tablespoon of juice if needed to bring the mixture together.

Tip the dessicated coconut into a shallow bowl. Pinch small amounts to roll into walnut sized balls. Roll each ball in the coconut so they are evenly coated. Enjoy!

Update March 2012 - am still making these regularly - last week made these with prunes instead of dates and cranberries instead of sultanas or raisins.  Loved it, though I think it was slightly less sweet and less squidgy without the dates.

On the stereo:
Livin' fear of James Last: Nurse with Wound

MLLA Renovation pancakes

I had thought that I had baked my last dinner with our trusty old oven. Half our kitchen benches were taken out on Saturday with a promise of returning to fit a new oven and new benches yesterday. But we are still waiting. Dinner doesn't wait. Nor do pancakes. Today is Shrove Tuesday. Despite half our kitchen being packed in boxes, I wanted to make pancakes for dinner.

The kitchen table is in the loungeroom with glass doors and a rangehood on it. I am without my favourite knives but I did find my favourite chopping board and frypan from the boxes in the rest of the house. I even had to go and search for an oven mitt when the oven timer rang. I've been avoiding buying too much food while space is even more limited than usual.

Above is a selection of vegetables gleaned from the kitchen. At the forefront is a squash that my neighbour gave me. Her mother gave it to her but we weren't sure what it was so it might not have suited their diet. I was told it was like zucchini so decided it would lighten the filling somewhat.

After I took this photo my camera batteries gave out and I couldn't find any more because they were packed away (I prefer a battery charger but the last couple of chargers have died). Fortunately E was able to pick up some for me on the way home.

Sylvia was quite interested in the pancakes but didn't fancy actually tasting the baked version. She ate about half one with her chickpeas and vegies and then had one with a smidge of honey for dessert. I must try these again for her. I loved the ritual of my mum making pancakes when I was a child.

As for E and me, we loved the pancakes stuffed with potatoes and lentils. They were very tasty and satisfying, even without a side salad or vegies. I felt like it was a great way to use up some food that had been lingering. Though even while we enjoyed dinner, we couldn't escape the temporary nature of the house. Sylvia, who had eaten earlier, found a plate stand, tried to sit on it and fell off. Dinner had to be set aside for a cuggle.

Once things are complete, I will write a bit more about the changes in the kitchen. I hope it will be soon.

Meanwhile I am sending these pancakes to My Legume Love Affair (#33), founded by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook and hosted by Dee and K of Ammalu's Kitchen this month.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Panzanella and return to work
This time two years ago: WTSIM… Pineapple and Banana Chutney
This time three years ago: Nutroast in the time of vagueness

Pancakes filled with potato and lentils
Inspired by Sarah Brown's Vegetarian Cookery
serves about 4

Pancakes:
Adapted from Sarah Brown
(makes about 7-8)

• 1 egg
• 300ml milk
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup wholemeal flour

Stuffing:

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1-3 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 strips facon (or use extra smoked paprika, salt and garlic)
• 1 funny looking medium squash or a zucchini, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 tin of brown lentils, rinsed and drained (or a cup of cooked lentils)
• 1 tsp seeded mustard
• dash of salt, smoked paprika, chilli powder and cumin, or to taste

Topping:

• A few dessertspoons of vegan queso sauce or any tomato sauce
• grated mozzarella cheese

Cook potatoes and sweet potato in salt water until soft. Drain and set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, make pancakes. Lightly whisk the egg, milk and oil with a fork. Add wholemeal flour and whisk well until smooth (or use a blender).

Heat a non-stick frypan over medium head and lightly oil the frypan either with a little oil and some kitchen towel to wipe it over the frypan or using oil spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of mixture, or a little more, into the frypan and swirl around a little to cover as much of pan as possible. Fry the pancakes for a couple of minutes until the mixture is cooked through and is a light golden brown when flipped. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on the other side until lightly browned. (NB these are thin pancakes and don't bubble up when ready to flip unlike the thicker ones I ate throughout my childhood.) Keep pancakes in a stack on a plate until you are ready to assemble with stuffing.

To make the stuffing, fry the facon for about 5 minutes in a teaspoon of oil until starting to brown. (I used the same frypan I used for pancakes.) Add onion and fry until it is browned - I gave it a while until little flecks of char were appearing. Add squash or zucchini and cook until it softens. Stir in lentils and spices. Add potatoes and sweet potatoes and stir well, squashing a bit with the back of the spoon.

Grease and line a baking dish. Preheat oven til 220 C. On a flat surface, place a pancake and put 2-3 generous dessertspoons of filling along the middle. Roll up and place on baking tray. Spoon queso sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes until cheese is golden brown.

Update: if like me you only fill half the pancakes, the rest of the filling is delicious mixed with some brown rice.

On the stereo:
The Greatest Hit: Teardrop Explodes

A Neb at Nut Roast II - Announcement

Calling all nut roast aficionados! Seeking nut roast novices! Back in 2008 I held a blog event called a Neb at Nut Roast to share my enthusiasm for nut roasts. A recent spate of nut roast love has encouraged me to hold the event again. It seems there are folk out there who are willing to join with me in adoration of the mighty nut roast. Or at least willing to make one! The event will close on 5 May 2011.

I wrote up a long post describing, praising, listing nut roasts when I held the event in 2008. The rules will also be the same. For information about nut roasts and the rules, read the 2008 Neb at Nut Roast invitation. You can also find more information on Wikipedia.

In the 2008 invitation I listed nut roasts on my blog and elsewhere. Since then I have continued to update that post with nut roasts that I have tried. I thought for this post it would be good to share with you some of the nut roasts around the blogosphere since my event:

• Cheese Cashew and Nut Roast with Sherry Sauce - Feast with Bron
• Demuth's Christmas Roast - Smarter Fitter
• Egg-free Nut Roast - Food in the Main
• Mexican Lentil Nut Roast - Vegan about Town
• Mushroom Tofu Nut Roast - Allotment to Kitchen
• Nut Roast Cupcakes (no recipe but great inspiration for presentation) - Veggie Wedgie
• Pumpkin and Leek Nut Roast - The Kitchen Playground
• Spicy Lentil Quinoa Nut Roast - Lisa's Kitchen
• Thanksgiving Meatless Loaf - Fat Free Vegan
• Walnut and Cashew Nutloaf - The Kitchn

These give you an idea of the infinite varieties of nut roasts. I'm always excited to discover new nut roast recipes and new ways to serve it.

I invite you to cook and nut roast and send it to me. Feel free to try one of the recipes from above, from my 2008 Neb at Nut Roast invitation list or from the 2008 Neb at Nut Roast round up. British vegetarian cookbook writers (such as Rose Eliot) and historic cookbooks are also good sources of nut roast recipes. Or create your own and use the Vegan Lunchbox's Magical Loaf Studio if you need some help. You could even recreate your favourite nut burger recipe as a nut roast.

Finally, I know that nut roasts are most often associated with Christmas - in fact my blog stats go up with all the nut roast searching in the festive season. However I must protest that nut roasts can fill the place of roast meat or meat loaf, which in my childhood were regular meals. But if you want a special occasion, then you could use nut roasts to celebrate St Patrick's Day, Easter, May Day or any birthdays and other anniversaries.

So get your thinking caps on and make a nut roast. Post it, use the event badge at the top of this post if you wish, and send it to me (gggiraffe07 AT yahoo DOT com DOT au) by 5 May 2011. I will post a round up soon after so we can all share the nut roast love.

Update: read the 2011 Neb at Nut Roast round up

Dinosaur farm, white mudcake and teddy racers

Sylvia's birthday cake on her recent birthday was a simple affair because I wanted to keep the more complicated cake for when there were more people to share it. We invited friends and their kids to celebrate in a nearby park last weekend. I swithered and dithered over lots of birthday cake designs - lego, dollies, cats etc. In the end I had to be realistic about how much time I had to decorate the cake and settled for a classic farmyard cake from the Australian Women's Weekly (AWW).

I had an easier time of deciding on the type of cake to bake. I had chosen a white chocolate mud cake. It was a simple recipe to bake the night before. (Thanks to Chele for inspiration.) I did wonder if anyone has ever seen white mud! I also made hummus, vegan queso dip, and grubs on the previous day. All I had to do on the morning of the party was decorate the cake, chop vegies and fruit, open some packets of rice crackers and made tiny teddies in racing cars.

I woke on the day of the party and the rain of the previous evening was still with us. There were a few emails and phone calls checking where we were meeting. I decorated the cake and hoped for the rain to clear. Fortunately this cake is easy and could be done while Sylvia ate breakfast with E. I finished the cake, chopped the vegies and was packing the food in hope.

By then the rain was even heavier and it was too wet for the park. It was time to put Plan B into action and hold the party at home. No problem. Just a matter of tidying up and throwing all our clutter on our bed in 30 minutes and shutting the door. Gulp!

It was probably just as well we were at home because by the time people began to arrive I was still slowly making the Teddy Racers. I found the idea over at Dunn to Perfection. It seemed simple. Just squash some Arnotts Tiny Teddies into mini Milky Ways. Chop a Lifesaver in half and push in to make a steering wheel. Use a bit of icing to glue on Smarties for wheels and mini M&Ms for headlights.

It took a lot longer than I had expected. They are not a "recipe" to make while hosting a party. Or maybe not a "recipe" to attempt while watching a small child. Not even something that a 2 year old can help with. Too many temptations. At one stage I had to prise a Lifesaver out of Sylvia's mouth, because she had bitten into it in the packet and it was still in the wrapper.

Sylvia was fascinated by them. "Baw baw!" (That is how she says brm brmmm.) When her older cousins arrived they loved helping and I was asked quite a few times when we could eat them. My mum wanted to know if they could be made with tim tams. They disappeared as soon as I said go. Definitely a highlight!

The cake was also a hit with the kids. I have made it before with farm animals as you can see here. Sylvia had chosen the packet of dinosaurs down the street (before lying on the ground and kicking her heels in the supermarket and then throwing dolly out of her stroller on the way home). I put it on a little coffee table so the kids could crowd around it to sing Happy Birthday. Some little fingers managed to push some of the fence over while waiting to sing but I am sure they were just in league with the dinosaur freedom fighters. Sylvia didn't want to blow out the candles so Cooper willingly helped out.

The actual white chocolate mud cake was a good dense cake that would be easy to carve up for novelty cakes and it was great for cutting into thin slices. It was buttery and sweet so E loved it. My niece Ella, who loves most of my cakes, was a little disappointed with it. I think she expected dark chocolate. Despite Ella's reservations, there wasn't much cake left by the time everyone left.

Sylvia had a lovely time. She was quite happy to run about with the kids and even gave her dolly to her little cousin, Baby A, to cuddle. Our friends were very generous with presents - cooking stuff, a cash register, clothes, books, jigsaws, toys. She has had lots of fun with them.

Above is a special present that she received from my mum and dad. When Sylvia was born she slept in the white cane cot that was made for my mum when she was a baby. This little dolls cot was made at the same time. Many little girls in my family have played with it before Sylvia. Including me. Apparently I put it too close to the fire and burnt the side. My mum repaired it then, just as she has recently given it a fresh coat of paint. Sylvia loves it. Dolly goes in and out often. Sylvia also likes to climb in (despite my remonstrations) but hasn't worked out how to get out.

The dragon at the top of the page was also a present. She calls him a dinosaur. I read her a book this week and she thought the elephants were dinosaurs. I was surprised as one of her favourite songs is Heidi Ho ("the great big elephant is so slow"). She can even sing this song. But I guess she has dinosaurs on the brain. No wonder she chose to have a dinosaur farm birthday cake.

For more about Sylvia's birthday you can read about her birthday pizza, banana berry birthday cake and lunch at Teatime & Tales.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Sylvia's green pram cake
This time two years ago: Hummingbird Cake
This time three years ago: Cookies with an Autumn Glow

White Chocolate Mud Cake
adapted from AWW via Cook Almost Anything

250g butter, diced
180g white chocolate, broken into chunks
1 cup caster sugar
180ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups plain flour*
1/2 cup self-raising flour*
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Chocolate icing
adapted from AWW Cakes and Slices cookbook

60g dark chocolate
90g butter
1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
2 dessertspoons cream

How to decorate farmyard birthday cake:
adapted from AWW Children's Birthday Cake Book

2 packets of chocolate finger biscuits (or use kitkat fingers)
1 cup coconut
few drops green food colouring
plastic farm animals or zoo animals or dinosaurs

To make cake: Grease and line a 22cm round cake tin (mine is a spring form tin). Preheat oven to 170 C/340 F.

Melt butter, white chocolate, sugar, milk and vanilla essence in a large heatproof bowl in the microwave (or a large saucepan on the stovetop over low heat) until mixture is smooth. Cool about 15 minutes. Stir in flours and then eggs until you have a smooth but quite runny batter.

Pour batter into prepared cake tin and bake for about 1 hour 40 minutes until cooked through. A skewer came out cleanly when inserted into the cake when I took it out. If the cake is browning too much before it is cooked, place some foil over it. Cool cake in the tin.

To make icing: I melted butter and chocolate, then added icing sugar and a few spoonfuls of hot water but it was so stiff that I added a little cream and then it seemed a bit runny but actually was just a lovely soft icing. In future I might melt butter, chocolate and cream together and then add icing sugar and no water.

To assemble: Turn cake out of the tin and place on a serving plate. Pour the icing over the top of the cake and use a butter knife to push it over the sides and smooth it around the sides of the cake. (As an aside, I find it odd the the AWW recipe calls for green icing because I think chocolate is more realistic to represent the dirt under the coconut grass.)

Place the chocolate sticks around the edge of the cake to resemble a log fence. The should be upright next to each other, with the smooth side facing inwards. If your farm or zoo set has a gate you can pile a few sticks horizontally with the gate on top but there was not gate for these dinosaurs.

Mix the coconut and green food colouring until the coconut is a nice green (I use my fingers to mix). Sprinkle coconut over the top. Arrange plastic animals (and a tree) in the green coconut grass paddock. It is good to keep a little coconut aside and if you need to change the placement of the animals you can sprinkle more coconut where the animal's hooves made imprints.

*Update: October 2013: I made a gluten free version of this cake for my dad's birthday party.  I doubled the cake and instead of using wheat flour I used 2 cups millet flour, 2/3 cup besan (chickpea flour), 2/3 cup arrowroot (tapioca flour), 2/3 cup potato starch (or cornflour), plus 2 tsp baking powder.  (Halve this if you want a gluten free cake the size in the above recipe.)  I used a roasting tin for the bigger cake and only baked it 1 hour and it wasn't cooked in the middle.  I also had it crack when turning out of the tin when warm - no wonder the recipe says to cool in the tin!

On the Stereo:
Love Songs (free CD from Mail on Sunday): Elvis Presley