Heart-shaped butter cake for Mothers Day

Show Mum your cooking skills by making this yummy butter cake especially for her.

Preparation Time

20 minutes

Cooking Time

25 minutes

Ingredients (serves 1)

• Melted butter, to grease
• 60g butter, at room temperature
• 140g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
• 125ml (1/2 cup) milk
• 150g (1 cup) icing sugar mixture
• 25g butter, extra, at room temperature
• 1 tbs hot water
• 2 drops pink food colouring
• Sugar flowers, to decorate
• Queen Writing Fudge White Chocolate, to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a heart-shaped 17cm (base measurement across the widest part), 4-cup capacity cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base with non-stick baking paper.
2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.
3. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and add the milk. Use a large metal spoon to fold until well combined.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes to cool before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add the butter and water, and stir until well combined and smooth. Add the food colouring and stir until well combined. Spoon the icing onto the centre of cake and spread to the edge, allowing a little to run over the side. Arrange the flowers on top of the cake. Use the writing fudge to write “Mum” in the centre. Set aside until the icing is set.

Source

Good Taste – May 2008, Page 67

Recipe by Tracy Rutherford

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5 Tips For a Great Mother’s Day

Sending roses to your mom on Mother’s Day offers psychological benefits for both you and her: a sense of well-being, increased creativity, and a connection to nature

Read more: “5 Tips For a Great Mother’s Day: The Benefits of Lowering Your Expectations and Smelling the Roses”

Sending flowers to your mom on Mother’s Day is one of the most popular ways to say “I love you.” Flowers on Mother’s Day can boost her emotional and mental health. A great Mother’s Day is almost guaranteed if you send flowers to her work, volunteer job, or other public place – your mom will love the attention!

The Psychological Benefits of Flowers

Research shows that flowers offer a sense of well-being, increased creativity, and a connection to nature. Flowers can immediately increase your mom’s level of happiness and life satisfaction. Maybe this is why the term “flower power” is popular…it’s a cliché because there’s truth behind it. Sending flowers is an obvious tip for a great Mother’s Day.

Why Most Moms Love Flowers

Roses (and all flowers) offer the combination of beautiful scents, bright colors, and pleasing shapes. Flowers lift moods and spirits; they show your mom that you’re thinking of her. According to an article called Flower Therapy Induces Happiness and Positive Feelings on the Softpedia site, flower therapy elevates emotional states from negative to positive. The psychological benefits of flowers surpass mere beauty.

Emotional health can be rejuvenated through the heady aromas and gorgeous views that flowers offer. Roses in particular “enhance the energy in our body and make us more active by stimulating adrenal glands.” (By the way, arguing with your spouse decreases the activity of the adrenal glands and makes you more prone to illness – especially if you’re a woman.)

Read more: “5 Tips For a Great Mother’s Day: The Benefits of Lowering Your Expectations and Smelling the Roses” -

5 Tips for a Great Mother’s Day

1. As a mom, lower your expectations. According to Psychology Today, moms often have high expectations for Mother’s Day. If you’re a mom and you tend to expect a lot from your children, consider lowering your expectations so you can have a great Mother’s Day. Your kids love you, but they may not be able to show it the way you’d like.
2. Talk about your mom’s expectations. If you know your mom has high expectations, you could attempt to live up to them. Better yet, talk about your mother’s expecations if you can. Determining what she expects from you this Mother’s Day – or any day – could open the door to a whole new relationship.
3. Really think about sending flowers. Not every woman is into flowers: moms could be allergic, tired of receiving a bouquet every year, or simply ready for something more exciting and thoughtful. Flowers may not be the best tip for a great Mother’s Day, depending on your mom.
4. Put yourself in your mom’s shoes. Perhaps you’d prefer a dozen roses and a box of chocolates for Mother’s Day; maybe all she wants is an afternoon shopping with you or even just a cup of coffee. Meet your mom where she’s at: give her what she wants, if you can. She’ll be happy, and you’ll feel good that you made your mom feel good.
5. Accept the day. Whether you’re a mom or a child, accepting whatever Mother’s Day brings is the best tip for a great Mother’s Day. Maybe your kids will make you burnt, soggy French toast in bed and leave the kitchen in a huge mess; maybe they’ll go off with their father all day, leaving you alone to read, snooze, and rejuvenate. Either way, enjoy the fact that you’re alive, your kids are nearby, and they’re showing love the best way they know how.

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Get Smart with Fruits and Veggies!

Learn cost saving ideas for incorporating more fruits and veggies into your life with 5 tip sheets developed by the CDC.

Do any of the following apply to you:

• Always on the go?
• Taking care of kids and your family’s health?
• Trying to learn more about adding fruits and veggies to your regular schedule?
• Interested in making and eating healthier meals without breaking the bank?

Well, look no further! CDC has developed 6 tip sheets that include information about how to add fruits and veggies as you shop, when you’re on the go, when you prepare (or buy) your children’s lunches and family dinners, and when you entertain. Best of all, these tip sheets are created with cost saving ideas in mind!

For tips on adding fruits and vegetables, see:

• In Your Family Dinner ( 2 pages, 519KB)
• As You Shop ( 2 pages, 480KB)
  • also available as a text-only document ( 2 pages, 187KB)

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Colourful camera

SMOOTH like a pebble, but sophisticated, this compact camera has a lot to offer. The third model in Fujifilm’s glamorous Z Series range is a 10-megapixel shooter that comes with a 3x optical zoom, face detection and picture stabilisation technology, as well as a new Scene Recognition Auto mode that chooses the best of six scene settings to suit your photo, including Portrait, Landscape, Night and Macro. The camera, which comes in metallic shades of pink, purple, black, white and orange, also features a Dual Blog Mode for posting photos on the web, self-timer modes for couple and group photos, and a 2.7in LCD screen.

Colourful camera, $299
Fujifilm: 1800 226 355, www.fujifilm.com.au

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