When times gets tough, things change...

In the last week or more, we have had to make some major decisions in our family. One that is currently affecting me most is pulling my girls out of their currently Montessori school.

Anyone who knows me will know how passionate I am about Montessori education. To make this decision (due to mainly financial constraints and our possible relocation to WA) has been heart wrenching. We visited a few mainstream schools in the area and found that the local public school was a lot better than I had expected. Public schools aren't the way they used to be when I was younger. They have composite classes and along with a focus on academia, they also focus on other activities like chess, music, community gardens, etc. I was pleasantly surprised.

If you are wondering what exactly Montessori is, you can read about it here.

But why am I still feeling so hesitant?

Perhaps, I feel terrible for telling my teary almost-8 year old that she can't join the school band next year and would most likely need to connect with new people. And there's a part of me who is embarrassed that I'm finding it hard to pay the almost $30K school fees for both girls and then having to explain to other parents why I'm leaving. So trivial and juvenile, I know.

Plus when you have to let go of something you are so passionate about, it can be tough.

But this will be our new journey. And I'm hoping to make the most of it for the sake of my girls. We'll make sure that we have a ball!

Sexy Pistachio Cake with Sexier Rose Buttercream

Pistachios.

Don't you just love pistachios? It's a nut of sophistication. Mario thinks I'm a nut myself for holding it in high regard....what does he know eh?

I was given the honour to bake my gf's birthday wedding cake - long story, beautiful but long. She wanted a Pistachio Rose Cake so I was on the hunt to find the perfect pistachio cake, with REAL pistachios.

Three weeks of search and I stumbled upon Paige's blog.

Oh. My. God!

Rich, buttery and pistachio-ey. It's a cake for adults. Here's my adaptation of it.

Sexy Pistachio Cake with Sexier Rose Buttercream


The Sexy Cake:
180g unsalted butter

225g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla
85g almond meal

90g pistachio meal

4 eggs, at room temperature
80g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

MAKE 'EM:

1. Preheat oven @ 165°C.
   Grease and line a 9" x 2" round tin.
2. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. 
3. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer on high till light and fluffy.
4. Turn speed to low and add almond meal and pistachio meal. Increase speed to medium-high and cream till pale and fully - about 3 minutes.
5. Add eggs one at a time, creaming the mixture on high speed.
6. Gently fold in flour mixture till well combined.
7. Pour mixture into lined tin and bake for 35-40 minutes at 165°C till golden and cooked through.

The Sexy Rose Butter Cream:
300g caster sugar
5 large egg whites
455g unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp rose water or 1 tsp rose essence


MAKE 'EM:

1. Place egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water.
2. Whisk until sugar dissolves and temperature on thermometer is 70-75°C.
3. Remove from heat and whisk on high speed to cool mixture. *This step is very important as if the mixture is still warm, it will melt the butter.
4. Whisk egg whites till stiff peaks - about 6 minutes.
5. While mixer is on medium speed, add butter one cube at a time. Mixing well after each addition.
6. Pour in rose water or essence and mix well.

I topped my cake with Rose Pashmak and chopped pistachios.

Sexy adult's cake. Lovely.