My best friend Courtney, passed on this recipe to me probably close to about 10 years ago! It’s been a favourite ever since, I cannot not make this cake when I have Rhubarb now! It is very moist and delicious and the sugar on top makes the best crunchy texture.

Today I thought I would try out my new muffin tins and with my freshly purchased Rhubarb, I thought why not try the Rhubarb Coffee Cake in muffin form. I am glad I did, they were perfect, the only thing I would do next time is use muffins liners as this muffin is quit moist, it was a little tricky to get them out of the tins.

So here the recipe that makes 12 Rhubarb muffins, or by all means make the cake. This original recipe comes from the Alice Bay cook book and I have replaced shortening with butter, I also used wholemeal flour today instead of the original white all purpose flour :)

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups wholemeal flour

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon bi-carb soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups finely chopped rhubarb

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Add egg, and beat until smooth. Add buttermilk, and beat until well mixed. Gradually add the flour, salt, and soda, then the vanilla. Fold in the Rhubarb.

Spoon batter into oiled muffin tin. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 25 minutes. (For cake 35 to 45 mins)

bon appétit x

A deeply flavoured homemade blueberry jam that puts shop-bought to shame. Just fruit, sugar, and lemon,

nothing else needed.

Blueberry Jam

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg blueberries (stalks and mushy ones removed)

• 800 g granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Wash blueberries and add to a large heavy-based pot with sugar and lemon juice.

2. Warm gently, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.

3. Mash lightly with a potato masher (leave some berries whole if you like texture).

4. Increase heat and bring to a rolling boil for about 15–20 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t catch.

5. To test, spoon a little onto a cold plate, chill for 1 minute, then push with your finger — if it wrinkles and gels, it’s ready. If not, boil a few minutes longer and test again.

6. Pour into a hot sterilised jar and seal immediately.

Store in a cool place once opened.

Lately, though, I’ve been posting more and more recipes on my Instagram feed, and I think the proof is in the pudding (no pun intended 😂). As I've shared more recipes and connected with people who value simple, nourishing food, I've started to see it differently, not as adding to the noise, but as creating a small space for something slower and more intentional.

So perhaps it’s time to stop overthinking and just start. So without further or do…

🍋 LEMON RICOTTA MINI CAKES 🍋

Moist, tender and lightly lemony with a beautiful ricotta crumb.

INGREDIENTS

• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1½ cups (300g) sugar
• 170g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1½ cups (340g) whole milk ricotta
• 1¾ cups (210g) plain flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease or line 10–12 mini cake moulds.

2. Rub lemon zest and sugar together until fragrant.

3. Beat butter and vanilla until pale and creamy.

4. Add eggs one at a time.

5. Mix in ricotta.

6. Fold in flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.

7. Add lemon juice and mix briefly.

8. Divide between moulds, filling each about ¾ full.

9. Bake 20–25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

10. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

11. Feel free to sprinkle with some icing sugar :)

Makes approximately 10–12 mini cakes.

Bon appétit!