We’re 2 weeks old now & what a joyous beginning! Thanks to all you lovely people who have visited, shopped and emailed kind words. It feels good to be back again!
So I’ve been thinking about stripes lately. The navy-white & red-white classic combos have been so popular I need to order more fabric. But before I do, can I ask you this…
What is your favourite striped combo (can be an old Genki stripe or something else)? Do you like them wide, skinny or somewhere in between? I’d love it if you would email in photos of you in your best stripes & why you love them. Or you can send in pics of your favourite striped tee wearing icons from the past. We could make a scrapbook dedicated to stripes!
Aside from new stripes, here are some other styles that are coming soon: Annie pant, Jodie shorts (see photo above) and the I love… prints on boat neck tees. Email me if you want to pre-order.
Take care,
C x
CARROT CAKE
I woke up today with a craving for The Rose Bakery’s Carrot cake. So, I baked it & now it’s your recipe of the week. This is without a doubt the best carrot cake ever! If you let the icing really whip & get soft & creamy it’s even better.
Ingredients:
4 eggs, 225g caster sugar (1 cup), 300ml sunflower oil, 9 medium carrots finely grated, 300g (2 cups)plain flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 rounded tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarb of soda, ½ tsp salt, 150g (1 & ½ cups) finely chopped walnuts.
For the icing:
125g unsalted butter softened, 250g cream cheese, ½ tsp natural vanilla extract, 50-75g icing sugar (depending on how sweet you like it).
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C
2. Butter a 23cm cake tin & line with parchment paper
3. Beat the eggs & caster sugar till light & fluffy
4. Pour in oil & beat for few more minutes
5. Fold in carrots, then flour with cinnamon, baking powder, bicarb of soda & salt.
6. Fold in walnuts
7. Pour into prepared tin & bake for 45mins or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven & cool cake in the tin before turning out
ICING:
1. Beat the butter with cream cheese until mixture is smooth & light
2. Add vanilla & icing sugar
3. When cake is cold ice the top-it can be as smooth or rough as you like
My plan was to start with the Ottolenghi toffee brownies, but my daughter Nancy told me it has to be her favourite “Spotty Cake”. It’s from the Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook but easy to miss as it’s a variation on the Sour cream butter cake with pears and raspberries. I reckon it’s even better! This is the perfect light and moist teacake.
SPOTTY CAKE
Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter, 355g caster sugar (I use 200g & it tastes fine), 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped, 4 eggs, 200g sour cream, 300g self raising flour sifted, 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, finely grated zest of 2 lemons.
Method:
1.Preheat oven to 200 deg C (I only do 180 deg C).
2. Grease a 28cm round cake tin& line the base with baking paper.
3. Put the butter (make sure it’s nice & soft), sugar & vanilla seeds in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on low speed until pale & creamy.
4. Add eggs in one at a time making sure they are completely incorporated before adding more.
5. Add the sour cream in 2 batches, then add the flour in 2 batches until well combined.
6. Add the poppy seeds & lemon zest & mix through (don’t over mix).
7. Bake for approx 50mins or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
8. Remove from the oven & allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
This cake keeps really well in an airtight container for up to 5 days (longer than the pear & raspberry cake).
Just a note on the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook…it’s a must have for anyone who enjoys baking & wants to take their skills to the next level. There’s a great range of recipes & the instructions for even the trickiest of techniques are clear & easy to follow.
Enjoy,
c x
Hello!! Posted on 1st September 2010
Hello friends of Genki!
This project has been cooking in the oven for a long time but finally our new website is here for you to enjoy.
This is only the beginning…a limited range of “I love tees”, the classic stripeys, beloved Suzette denim skirt & a few old timers. More styles are in the pipeline with details coming in the next news edition.
The Japanese stuff is fresh from my fabulous trip in July & looks sparkly & delectable here on my studio shelves. Here’s a peek!
Pre-loved goodies was a recent inspiration. I have so many things that I don’t need but still love & hope will bring joy to someone else. Also, I adore venturing out & fossicking so now I have a good excuse! The concept of inanimate objects taking on a lifelike quality & carrying their experiences on from one home to another really appeals to me. Best of all we’re not throwing great stuff out! The wastage from fast fashion breaks my heart & I hope that more people go back to valuing great quality that lasts a lifetime.
Which brings me back to Genki, we are still making everything here in Melbourne, using great fabric & keeping up that fabulous quality we are so proud of. Making locally means that we can be spontaneous & can produce very limited runs. If you do have a special request, remember, all we need is 10 committed customers & we can do it. Voila!
I really miss the shop, those great chats we used to have & feeling a close connection with customers. My dream is to continue that here-and I welcome your words of advice, feedback & please feel free to share stories or ask us anything in the “dear genki” section Get in touch.
Speaking of which, thanks to everyone who answered our Questionnaire, helping us decide what to make first & how to build the new site (the winner of the $20 voucher will be emailed direct).
C x
PS. Starting next news post I’ll be including a “Recipe of the Week” with a wicked desert first up!
