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| Australian Sweet Tooth; What kind of sweets do you like? | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 7 2010, 09:07:57 AM (859 Views) | |
| phoenixgs | Sep 7 2010, 09:07:57 AM Post #1 |
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Anklebiter
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I have a question that has been on my mind of late. I was wondering what kind of sweets do Australians enjoy? I am a apprentice pastry chef and i love making cakes and other desserts here in the US, but im not sure that when i get to Australia that they will like the same things that we Americans like. So are the desserts similar to what we have in America, or a little different? Do you guys get birthday cakes for birthdays, or is it like birthday pies, scones, or something? lol These may seem like odd questions, but i don't want to get there and make someone a birthday cake and then have a few angry people staring at me because i didn't bring the birthday cookie to the party. Anything you can tell me would be of great help. ;-) Also i would love to experiment with some Aussie desserts before i get there, so if you have a dessert recipe please post it so i can try it out. Thanks ;-) |
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| shylady | Sep 7 2010, 09:13:44 AM Post #2 |
oldYank
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 oh boy, you've got a LOT of learning to do...  Wedding cakes are traditionally fruitcake (blech) though they now make them out of sponge, or anything, really, mine was Mississippi Mudcake. Pavlova... another tradition. Google it. Bars and pan-things are "slices." I think. Cookies are biscuits, though I see even Coles chocolate chip mix is called cookies, now. and on, and on... I'll find you an Aussie baking/recipe site. eta: Here's one: Best Recipes and another: Aussie cooking Good luck!  Lisa Edited by shylady, Sep 7 2010, 09:20:33 AM.
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"I could’ve turned a different corner, I could’ve gone another place... " ku,'09 | |
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| shylady | Sep 7 2010, 09:40:18 AM Post #3 |
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oldYank
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This one is pretty popular: Taste |
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"I could’ve turned a different corner, I could’ve gone another place... " ku,'09 | |
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| shylady | Sep 7 2010, 09:45:30 AM Post #4 |
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oldYank
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and oh yeah, Aussie measurements are different, 1 cup = 250ml, and 1T = 4tsp = 20ml. And flour etc is in gms. |
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"I could’ve turned a different corner, I could’ve gone another place... " ku,'09 | |
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| staylor8383 | Sep 7 2010, 09:48:03 AM Post #5 |
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True Blue Mate
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well i have a pretty easy going aussie family and they pretty much love anything i make...or maybe they are just really polite and don't want to hurt my feelings. lol!! i was just at a wedding on the weekend and they had a cupcake tower with a small cake on top. the cupcakes were chocolate with vanilla icing. for my kids birthday's i always make them birthday cakes. my sister in law usually gets her kids mud cakes for their birthday, but i think that is what the kids want. I honestly don't think you would offend anyone and in my experience people are usually curious to try american style food or anything that looks yummy! We live in Darwin though and people seem to be really laid back so maybe it's not the same down south. |
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| AmbroseChick | Sep 7 2010, 01:33:32 PM Post #6 |
True Blue Mate
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Australians have a huge sweet tooth however it is very different as the other people have pointed out. When I first went to a bakery in Australia - I had no idea what anything was - it was very different but I think if you are trained and have expertise then you should have no trouble adjusting. Pie crust is very different here and they tend to use a lot of puff pastry. And it seems to be a criteria that it has to be really messy and ooze all over your hands and down your shirt  I'm thinking back at the first time I ate a vanilla slice.I don't get the obsession with fruit cake, trifle, and what they call pudding but thats just me. None of of it looks overly hard to make. One thing that Australia does get ooooh so right - cream yum!Edited by AmbroseChick, Sep 7 2010, 01:34:47 PM.
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| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| sunshine | Sep 7 2010, 03:20:10 PM Post #7 |
True Blue Mate
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Yep, still get birthday cakes. Pavlova is a meringue cake often covered in fruit, it goes down well in summer evenings. Lamingtons are little square sponge cakes. Slices are like lemon bars, flat thick pastry on the bottom with a jelly/cream layer on top. I've seen a variety of flavors, but mostly vanilla and ginger. People definitely have a sweet tooth, but there's also a lot more savory pastries like meat pies and rolls and savory muffins/scones (often with cheese, spinach, bell pepper and maybe sausage). My boyfriend's mother will ramble on all day about how she can't believe pumpkin can ever be used in something sweet, not just savories. Please introduce Australians to this, I like pumpkin pie and I miss pumpkin lattes.
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| Steph | |
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| CynicalCountess | Sep 7 2010, 04:51:05 PM Post #8 |
True Blue Mate
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I don't like pumpkin pie, but oh how I miss pumpkin lattes. |
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| Bindie | Sep 7 2010, 07:26:29 PM Post #9 |
True Blue Mate
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Birthday cakes are still common. My sisters in law often make them from scratch for their kids. I think they best thing for you to do is just to google Australian sweets... you'll see heaps of stuff. My favourite is chocolate puddings. Chocolate pudding, in Australia, is a chocolate cake with a sort of a chocolate inside bit. I think they also call them self saucing puddings. Here's an example: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/1859/chocolate+pudding There is normal stuff here, too - cakes, biscuits (cookies), and bread. I think Australia has MUCH more sweets and cakes and the like to choose from than in the US. They also tend to eat things that Americans do not - dates, figs, etc. OMG ANOTHER favourite is sticky date pudding! I've made this recipie: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/7828/sticky+date+pudding and OMFG that SAUCE is something you can't keep your fingers out of. Australian sweets = YUM |
 The future is no place/to place your better days, DMB Canberra, ACT since 2004 | |
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| gpierce | Sep 7 2010, 09:22:11 PM Post #10 |
True Blue Mate
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You are joking right????? I'm not sure who created it, but the gods have surely elevated the person to the top who created Sticky Date Pudding. Surely! That stuff is pure joy on a plate. In the UK it's sticky toffee pudding. Equally heavenly;) Greg Edit: completely agree with Bindie. That stuff is better than, well, you know:) Edited by gpierce, Sep 7 2010, 09:23:24 PM.
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| AmbroseChick | Sep 7 2010, 11:21:10 PM Post #11 |
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True Blue Mate
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I don't like dates so there ya go... more for you... you can have my share in spades. |
| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| crapola | Sep 7 2010, 11:41:54 PM Post #12 |
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True Blue Mate
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i dont like fruit cake at all, and when i got married (the first time), we had a fruit cake as a traditional wedding cake, and a chocolate cake for me (and the other members of my family who also dont like fruit cake. a proper fruit cake, such as those made for weddings and christmas, take a lot of work. husband #1, who was a chef by trade, made and decorated the fruit cake, and it took him ages to get it the way he wanted it. |
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| phoenixgs | Sep 8 2010, 03:21:49 AM Post #13 |
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Anklebiter
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Wow. I think i am definitely going to have to a lot to learn. Fruit cakes here are something that used to be served during christmas...but they are almost a joke now, because they are so awful that i don't think many people eat them. So i am very surprised that they have them for wedding cakes. But as always i love a challenge, and i can see myself trying to make some sort of wonderful fruit cake thats somewhat traditional, but with a modern spin on it. I think one of my biggest challenges is going to be word association, biscuits = cookies, slices = bars...yeah im probably going to get a few looks. lol. Pumpkin is oh so good. and i have a recipe for a pumpkin ginger cheesecake that is heavenly! As far as the puddings, they look like they would be pretty easy to make and they sound like they are delicious. I do have a question about the pavlova, is the meringue cake very sweet? i just cant see eating a cake made out of meringue, cuse it has the tendency to be overly sweet. |
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| AmbroseChick | Sep 8 2010, 08:02:38 AM Post #14 |
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True Blue Mate
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The meringue is sweet but the cream on top isn't plus the tangy-ness of the fruit sort of tempers the sweetness of the meringue. There's also the frosting that goes on the fruit cakes here - not sure what it is but its very different as well. |
| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| kay | Sep 8 2010, 08:29:02 AM Post #15 |
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Anklebiter
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Hi ambrosechick, that frosting is called fondant and is used in speciality cakes for weddings and christmas cakes. You can buy it in the supermarkets as a block and then roll it out to the size you need. |
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| AmbroseChick | Sep 8 2010, 02:44:36 PM Post #16 |
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True Blue Mate
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Thanks Kay I knew someone here would know what its called! ~ Indy
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| Check it out! Facebook page: Americans Living in Queensland | |
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| boomerang | Sep 8 2010, 05:18:37 PM Post #17 |
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True Blue Mate
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I'm not a fan of fruit cake either. I don't mind xmas pud, but it has to be a small piece and absolutely covered with cream and custard....actually pro'lly better to throw away the pudding and just have the cream and custard! My wedding cake was all chocolate.....I hate those traditional cakes. |
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| shylady | Sep 8 2010, 05:40:41 PM Post #18 |
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oldYank
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oh, you know, we got a Christmas pudding in a hamper from Rhianna&Steve along with a bottled brandy cream sauce, now THAT was nice!  And that's why I had Mississippi Mudcake, my M-I-L-to-be was buying, and it was in the book @ the patisserie, so it was okay with her! |
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"I could’ve turned a different corner, I could’ve gone another place... " ku,'09 | |
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| Bindie | Sep 8 2010, 08:13:45 PM Post #19 |
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True Blue Mate
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I hated fruitcake in the US, but I actually don't mind it here. The kind I've had here is quite different and not as hard as the kind that was made fun of in the US. I never had dates before I moved here and omg I can't believe I missed out on them all my life. Fresh ones rock. /drool. Edited by Bindie, Sep 8 2010, 08:15:00 PM.
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The future is no place/to place your better days, DMB Canberra, ACT since 2004 | |
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| ~vjay~ | Sep 9 2010, 11:49:04 AM Post #20 |
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Anklebiter
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+1 for another Aussie who hates fruit cake. If I had a wedding cake (we didn't since we didn't have a proper invite all the guests wedding) I'd get a mud cake. Fruit cake = bleurgh. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it previously but the wedding cakes made of fruit are covered in almond flavoured icing aka Marzipan in some parts of the world. |
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