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Vanilla

Madagascan Vanilla

Single Origin Vanilla, why is it so special?

As one of the most exotic flavours in the world, the tale of vanilla is rich with history and tradition. Much like fine wine, vanilla beans vary in flavour and aroma according to their growing location, climate and how the pods are cured, making them a very special baking ingredient. To celebrate the launch of our Queen Finest Single Origin Vanilla Extracts from Madagascar and Vava’u Tonga, our Queen vanilla experts are sharing their tasting notes of vanilla beans from all over the world. We hope you enjoy learning more about the spice that we love so much.

Dessert

Microwave Mug Cakes we love

Warm, sweet, cakey and ready in 5 minutes, what’s not to love about microwave mug cakes? We’ve all been there. Those times when there is not a single piece of chocolate left in the house, no cookie crumbs in sight and not even a sad sticky lolly at the bottom of your handbag, and yet the sugar cravings are BAD! Well fret no more because we’ve fallen hard for mug cakes and have a collection for you to try when the pantry is almost bare! Simply spoon a little flour, a little egg, milk, vanilla, cocoa and your favourite ingredients (hello peanut butter) into a mug and microwave for 1 minute. Sugar dragon, tamed. Here are some of our favourite mug cake flavours from across the web. Click the image to be directed to the original recipe, enjoy!

Baby Shower

10 Baby Shower Cakes that are Totally Worth the Effort

Looking for inspiration? You’ve come to the right place! Whether it’s a much-anticipated ‘reveal’ cake or just something pretty to celebrate the impending arrival of a little one, no baby shower is complete without a cake to mark the occasion. Here are 10 ideas for baby shower cakes that are totally worth the effort. They’re modern, unique and there’s something for every skill level – from beginners to advanced! p.s. check out our updated version for even more ideas: Another 10 Baby Shower Cakes that are Totally Worth the Effort

Dinner

10 ways to enjoy vanilla in your savoury cooking

Recently New Zealand Chef, Lesley Christensen Yule worked with the Queen team to come up with a few savoury recipe ideas for using our Organic Vanilla Bean Paste. Next time you’re looking in the pantry for great new flavours to add to your dinner, keep these savoury vanilla ideas in mind:

Cake

Cakes we’re drooling over on Instagram

If you’ve been following Queen on Instagram lately, you will have noticed we can’t resist liking, commenting and sharing spectacular cakes from around the world. Here is a round up of our favourite cakes this month, simply click the image to visit the Instagram account it features on!

Cupcakes

New cupcake decorating ideas

Do your cupcakes need a makeover? There’s something about the cupcake that makes it so enduring. Is it the convenience, portion control, cake-to-icing ratio or the plethora of ways to decorate them that make them staple item for home bakers and professionals alike? Either way, we’re got a few new cupcake decorating ideas to freshen up your next batch, take a look and simply click the image to visit the website it features on!

Chocolate

Comfort Food Desserts

Cool nights and sweet delights A cool nip in the air means just one thing – the perfect excuse to indulge in steaming hot comfort food desserts laden with caramel, vanilla custard, stewed fruits and plenty of gooey chocolate. We’ve been busy in the Queen Kitchen creating wonderful new winter recipes for you, plus have a few of our favourites from our guest contributor Sarah from the Sugar Hit to share as well. Read on to start planning your next week of indulgent winter desserts!

Cakes

Our Top 5 Cake Decorating Trend Predictions for 2016

Always on trend-watch What makes decorating trends so fun to watch is how they evolve with time. Take the ombré cake of 2009 for example. What started out as a simple sponge with graduated layers of pink colour very quickly transformed into buttercream piping effects on the outside of the cake, then into fondant ruffles, then into blues, greens and purples, and finally rainbow ombré. Being immersed in baking and decorating day and night, the team here at Queen see the very best from decorators around the world and can spot a trend before it’s even a ‘thing’. Here are our predictions for the year ahead. Click the images to see the original recipe.