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I don't tend to eat chocolate tarts, and in fact I didn't eat any of this tart, but I've had the recipe for ages and couldn't wait to make it.  I can honestly say it was a pure joy to make.

This is one of those tarts that gives you more bang for your buck.

A "wow" tart with very little effort on your part.

Basically, my kinda tart.

I'm now in the second week of my 8 Week Challenge, and look what I made.

Little Lime Puddings

Whoops..........

I'm not a baker. 

I've never claimed to be great at baking but I absolutely love it.  I love the whole process from beginning to end.  I love that measurements need to be exact.  I love creaming butter and sugar together and creating a light, fluffy batter.  And above all, I love the smell a cake makes when it's cooking in my oven.

So when a cake comes out looking exactly how it should, even better than I expected, and tastes just as good as it looks - well, I'm one very happy girl.  Very happy!

Sending apologies once again - getting to be a bit of habit isn't it?! 

I posted about a great cake I made back in January when I went on a "Plonkers Excursion" around various wineries down Mornington Peninsula way.  Such a brilliant day!

Anyway, the cake I made for our picnic lunch was a very special Rhubarb and Sour Cream Cake (recipe from Seasonal Kitchen by Marie Claire), and the perfect cake for a picnic.  Being quite a dense cake, it held up travelling in the back of a bus with a bunch of very happy and loud (alright, maybe a bit tipsy) people.

Autumn has well and truly hit my kitchen and last Saturday the aromas wafting through my home were the pure essence of Autumn.  Baking, cinnamon and apples = deliciousness!

With the long weekend ahead of me, I was in the mood to bake and God help anyone standing in my way!  I wanted to make some munchies to take with me down the coast when we headed to Flinders for the Piers & Pinot Festival, and I knew exactly what I wanted those munchies to be -

I love busy weekends catching up with family and friends, but I love, love, love weekends when I actually get time just to potter.

After working down at the Sydney Road Festival and then feeding my face at  Paella in the Park on Sunday, I was then able to come home and spend the afternoon in a state of bliss, pottering away in the kitchen.

For the picnic I was heading off to last Saturday night (see here), I had only an hour in which I needed to quickly organise some food, and with a fridge and pantry full, I couldn't bear the thought of picking up 'ready-made' food from the shops, albeit a much easier and quicker option. 

No, not me!  I'm a glutton for punishment, and with the minutes ticking by I managed to whip up (and work up a sweat at the same time) some rice paper rolls, a roasted cauliflower and chickpea cous cous salad and these little nectarine tarts....

The sun was shining through the bedroom window when I woke up and the birds were chirping - such a gorgeous Spring morning here in Melbourne.

Something about this type of weather makes me want to potter in the kitchen and bake.  Nothing too heavy, and my taste buds usually want something fruit based with a fresh zing. Not too much to ask for, especially once I've had my morning coffee.  My problem when I get into the baking mood is that like for most people I'm sure, I tend to want to eat lots of it.  In hindsight (and for the sake of my thighs), I really shouldn't make them but I just can't help myself.

So with some St Germain playing in the background and the doors and windows open, I set to making....

Let me tell you about one very special little cake!

It's moist, it's light, and it's oh so good........it's a Coconut and Mint Syrup Cake, of course!

Perfect for packaging up and taking along to a picnic, which is exactly what I did a few weekends ago when I headed down to the Yarra Valley with some friends.