Monthly Archives: August 2013

RASPBERRY RICOTTA CHOCOLATE CAKE INDULGENCE

21 August 2013

Ah, chocolate… I’ve got a crush on you! Honestly, at a push I can live without most food groups but chocolate!? Now, that would be almost impossible for me. Having said that I don’t actually like desserts or cakes that are too sweet or sticky and this raspberry, ricotta and chocolate cake sounds like my perfect chocolate fix. [What do you mean chocolate isn’t a food group!?]

It’s from one of my favourite American food bloggers, the talented Kankana Saxena who experimented with a recipe by Liren of Kitchen Confidante and found that adding ricotta and raspberries to the mix just made her day! Make that days as it sounds like she had it for lunch and dinner. What an endorsement from a professional cook and food writer. She says about her own creation:

With a striking balance of sweetness from raspberries, richness from ricotta and bitterness from cocoa powder, this cake totally made my day. It was crumbly, soft, not overly sweet and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

If you’re like me and can’t get enough of Kankana’s creations follow her blog Playful Cooking and subscribe to her email updates. Her gorgeous photos are already on my Pinterest FOOD board and you can find more recipes by her in the Stylejuicer FOOD category: ricotta and sage bread and zesty fish curry with coconut milk.

RASPBERRY RICOTTA CHOCOLATE CAKE

TIMINGS:

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL: 60 minutes
SERVING SIZE: Makes a 6 inch round cake

INGREDIENTS:

225g (1-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
75g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder (Kankana uses dutch dark cocoa powder)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
175ml (3/4 cup) oil
225g (1 cup) sugar
2 eggs
55g (1/2 cup) ricotta cheese
60ml (1/4 cup) milk
150g (1 cup) fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt). In a separate bowl, whisk egg and sugar until they’re mixed together. Add oil, ricotta and milk and give another whisk. Empty the mixed dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl and whisk again. Finally, drop the fresh raspberries and using a spoon, mix it lightly.
Pour the cake batter in a six-inch round baking pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until it’s baked through. Check by inserting a knife or tooth pick right in the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

More information & photography | Playful Cooking

Food & Entertaining / 1 COMMENT /

CYCLEMON SAYS ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU RIDE’

20 August 2013

The super cool dudes behind this neat little website will hate me for saying it but ‘Cyclemon – you are what you ride’ really is a CUTE idea. There, I’ve said it and it didn’t hurt, did it!?

Thomas Pomarelle, a fourth-year student at the National School of Decorative Arts of Paris and his creative partner Romain Bourdieux, an interactive designer at OgivlyOne Paris, set up Cyclemon simply to pay tribute to all lovers of two wheels and to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Tour De France. The French pair have known each other since High school and are both incredibly talented designers, illustrators and web developers. They are of course cycling enthusiasts and Thomas tells me:

I’m a warrior in my hometown, because I’m using a VTT*. Romain was a hipster and a runner, now he’s a grandpa. Right now we use our bikes mostly to get around Paris, it’s so much better than the underground.

Cyclemon took off when they were featured on the French inspiration website Fubiz and since then has rocketed to internet and Pinterest fame. To top it all off they’ve received several CSS awards for their website. Much to Thomas’s and Romain’s delight as they didn’t have any particular expectations for their project. It shows that once again the simplest ideas are often the best. The current enthusiasm for cycling combined with their simple illustrative style and use of candy colours has struck a cord with the masses and for all those who can’t get enough Cyclemon is now selling prints of the different cycling types.

Talking about the future Thomas tells me that the pair are currently working on a new project though he won’t reveals more than that it’s nothing to do with Cyclemon, nor it’s graphic style. I have to say that I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with and have to make sure Stylejuicer beats Fubiz to the post next time.

In the meantime, check out Cyclemon and find out which type are you?

* VTT stands for Velo Tout-Terrain, the French term for mountain biking

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

More information | Cyclemon.com

Design & Illustration / LEAVE A COMMENT /

IT’S ALL WORKING OUT FOR SWEATY BETTY

19 August 2013

Ok, firstly let me get one thing straight: I only post about brands I genuinely like/love or that have a new and different angle to them. Stylejuicer can not be blackmailed or coerced into giving somebody a seal of approval, my arm is not made of rubber and it can’t be twisted. I value integrity and have a name to live up to! Ha! Glad I’ve got that off my chest.

So today I’d like to introduce you to UK active wear brand Sweaty Betty who revolutionised my workout routine and made me look forward to exercising. Yes, really! But why, you may wonder. Simply, because their sports apparel is comfortable, supportive in the right places, breathable and most of all it’s sexy and makes me look good(ish) even when I’ve got a beetroot face and sweaty hair sticking to my head.

Now I might be getting a bit nerdy here but Sweaty Betty’s fabrics really are outstanding with innovative knitting techniques creating seamless silhouettes that stretch with you and avoiding any uncomfortable rubbing or chafing. I even found out that some of their garments are made of bamboo. Yes, bamboo! Bit rough and stiff I naively thought. But apparently not so. It has a texture similar to cotton, is inherently natural and therefore sustainable, grown without pesticides and is biodegradable. It’s even anti-bacterial and hypo-allergenic. Wow! I’m having one of those tops in every colour please! Wether it’s jerseys, fleeces or merino wool their collection is versatile, light-weight and specifically designed for your particular sport from running to swimming, cycling, dancing and yoga to everyday workouts. But best of all you can just wear it out and look cool. A ‘casual active’ I’d like to call it.

Am I losing my American readers here? Wait, as I found out Sweaty Betty is currently bringing British style to the US. Recently they practiced yoga in the Hamptons and were sweating it out with non other than THE Tracy Anderson, personal trainer to starts like Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez.

Let’s hope they won’t turn into a global monster and start selling coffee but stick to what they know best: working out!

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

More information | Sweaty Betty
Photography | Philip North-Coombes

Fashion & Style / LEAVE A COMMENT /

POD – A BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN CAPE TOWN

15 August 2013

Camps Bay, Cape Town, is renowned for its white sandy beaches fringed by palm trees and has a trendy nightlife. All attributes that make my ears prick up.

When I saw (!) and read about the luxurious POD boutique hotel I fell in love and spent far too long drooling over the photos and dreaming of a romantic holiday with my Schatzi… *sigh* one day we’ll get there, baby.

In the meantime let me introduce this discreet and super stylish abode to you. Designed by Greg Wright Architects POD offers breathtaking views of the deep blue Atlantic ocean as well as the 12 Apostles Mountain Range and sits right across from the famous Camps Bay beach. I love the unique use of tactile materials like granite, slate, African timber and glass which create an elegant simplicity. Judging from the photos (sadly, I did not get a free invitation) the rooms and suites provide ultimate comfort and evoke a feeling of sanctuary and serene relaxation baked up by discreet and luxurious service.

As if you need more assurance of POD’s pedigree, Condé Nast Traveler says:

… it delivers design with a big D; but it’s terribly relaxed too, breezy even, which is probably why it appeals to an international, design-savvy crowd that likes to fly a little below the radar.

Well, I think that’s just me through and through… ok, at least my imaginary self.

For more dreamy travel photos check out my Pinterest ‘Travel’ board and fly away with me.

Enjoy and I hope you’re inspired!

More information & photography | POD, Camps Bay
Architects | Greg Wright Architects

Travel & Places / LEAVE A COMMENT /

CHARLEY HARPER – CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

14 August 2013

I was introduced to American artist and illustrator Charley Harper by a designer friend who gave us his lovely ABC and 123 books as a gift on the arrival of our first son. I was immediately taken by his style and declared that the books were far too advanced for our newborn and I’d keep them safe to give to him later. Well, I have to admit this was over 2 years ago now and he’s still not allowed to play with them. To my defence if the toddler plays with them the baby will want to chew on them and I cannot let that happen to these beautifully illustrated books that I’ve become so attached to.

Charley Harper died only six years ago at the ripe old age of 84 but you wouldn’t know that his illustrations are over 50 (probably 60) years old. To me they are fresh and innovative and reminiscent of Cubist paintings. Like the Minimalism and Cubist movement he distilled and simplified complex organisms and natural subjects and often arranged them in a complex fashion. He called his style ‘minimal realism’ and when asked to describe it, he responded:

When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe.

His simplified style combined with bold colour combinations make his illustrations ideal for children’s books and the featured titles are all best sellers. Another artist well ahead of his time who left a legacy that future generations of children will enjoy as much as adults.

Ok, maybe I will let the children play with them after all… only under my strict supervision though!