Botanical Linens and Prints & Seasonal Baking Recipes

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Seasonal Baking Recipes

About Tilly

Welcome to Tilly’s Table — here you’ll find seasonal baking recipes, Australian-made table linens and prints, and other good things for your home and table.

Hello! I’m Tilly – a cook and photographer based in the Blue Mountains, Australia, with my husband and two small children. Here, in between chasing kids around, I photograph food and flowers and write seasonal baking recipes for my website and online store. My photographs are available as greeting cards, limited edition prints and luxurious table linens via my online store, and I share seasonal baking recipes and family stories via my monthly newsletter. So, please pull up a chair, let me make you a cup of tea (wouldn’t that be nice?) and have a look around…

Feeling Social

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 31},

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 31}, Rhubarb, Strawberry & Polenta Cake.

As I write this, I am sitting on our verandah in the last of the afternoon sun, thinking what a fine thing a Friday evening is - the promise of the weekend ahead and the last bits of a big week fading behind us.

It felt like a big week this one - back to school, back to doing more and being able to see more people. All good things, just a little overwhelming after all that quiet time. We needed more cake than usual. More tea and more hugs. All good things too.

This week’s cake is a sturdy, pudding-y number. Lots of fruit gives the cake a lovely squidge, and sunny yellow polenta gives it a pleasant chew. It’s lovely served warm with double cream. Or would work beautifully cold, cut into thick wodges for a picnic. x

Ingredients:
125g unsalted butter, softened
165g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Zest 1 lemon, finely grated
2 eggs
100g SR flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
75g polenta
125ml Greek-style yoghurt
2 tbsp milk
125g rhubarb, cut into 1cm slices
125g strawberries, hulled and quartered

55g caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (ff) and grease an 18cm deep round tin well with butter and line with baking paper.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and eggs, one at a time, beating well in between.

In a small mixing bowl, place flour, salt, baking powder, and polenta whisking to combine. Add half to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate. Add yoghurt, then remaining flour and milk and stir to a smooth batter.

Fold through fruit and spoon batter into prepared tin, smoothing top and tapping the tin on the bench a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 1-1hr 10mins, or until cooked through.

Leave cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes whilst you make the sugar glaze by combining extra 55g caster sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Turn cake out of the tin and turn right-side up again. Spoon glaze over hot cake and allow to cool slightly and glaze to set before slicing.

#cookeatshare #theplaincakeappreciationsociety #foodfluffer #lovelocalbluemountains #wherewomencook

Comfort eating our way through the first week back

Comfort eating our way through the first week back at school. Today feat. GG’s sponge.

(Eating one’s feelings is a tried and true coping strategy, yes?) x

#tillystable #cookeatshare #theplaincakeappreciationsociety #lifeandthyme #feedfeed #bakefeed #f52grams #foodfluffer #seasonalsimplicity #thatsdarling #graziher #slowandglow #countrystyleloves #myseasonaltable #momentsofmine @foodfluffer

Brownies, blossom and back to school. It felt ver

Brownies, blossom and back to school.

It felt very strange to be waving O off to school again this morning - all of us equally nervous, excited and unsure about the prospect of returning to some semblance of normalcy after such a long time in our own little bubble at home.

Thankfully, she had a brilliant day. Kip and I made brownies and ran around doing chores, and then we celebrated the end of the first day back at school with ice cream and chocolate.

The recipe for these sour cherry and shiraz brownies is up now on my website (link in bio) if you need a little chocolatey cheer too. Happy Monday. x

#tillystable #cookeatshare #lifeandthyme #feedfeed #bakefeed #f52grams #foodfluffer #seasonalsimplicity #thatsdarling #graziher #firstweeat #slowandglow #myseasonaltable #momentsofmine #teaandseasons

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 30},

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 30}, a Passionfruit Cake & playing favourites.

As a cake baker and recipe writer, I probably shouldn’t say this, but it’s Friday and I’m going to. I think this is my favourite cake - a comfortingly plain butter cake, slathered with passionfuit buttercream. It’s the cake I make first when I’ve been away from home, and the one I crave with a big cup of tea when my Mum is not around for a hug.

On that note, happy Friday folks! I do hope your weekend is filled with good things - sunshine and cake are top of my list. What about you? x

Ingredients:
185g unsalted butter, softened
185g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 eggs
225g SR flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of bicarb soda
185ml buttermilk

Icing:
125g unsalted butter, softened
240g icing sugar
1 1/2 tbsp passionfruit pulp

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (fan-forced) and grease and dust a loaf tin well with butter and flour.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well in between.

In a small mixing bowl, place flour, salt and bicarb, whisking to combine. Add half to the butter mixture, mixing to combine. Add buttermilk, then remaining flour and stir gently to a smooth batter.

Spoon into prepared tin, smoothing the top and tapping the tin on the bench a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until risen and cooked through.

Whilst cake is cooling, make buttercream by mixing butter and half the icing sugar until smooth. Add remaining icing sugar and passionfruit pulp and beat until light and fluffy.

Smooth onto cooled cake and top with some extra passionfruit pulp if you like. Serve in thick slices with a pot of tea or coffee.

#cookeatshare #theplaincakeappreciationsociety #lifeandthyme #feedfeed #bakefeed #f52grams #foodfluffer #firstweeat #myseasonaltable #momentsofmine #teaandseasons

A rainy, pottering day here in the mountains. Kip

A rainy, pottering day here in the mountains. Kip and O spent the morning making shelters out of umbrellas, I packed some orders and did some recipe testing (pumpkin cake, needs a few tweaks) and then we ventured out into the gloriously-sodden garden to pick some kale for our dinner (blue cheese, garlic and kale pizzas).

Now we’re tucked up in the telly room, sleeping tot on my lap, tea in hand, feeling full and rather content (but maybe not too full for another slice of that pumpkin cake…?).

(A quick note on tea towels also - I’m running low on several designs, so if there’s one you’ve got your eye on, don’t leave it too long. Some won’t be restocked again before Christmas.) x

#tillystable #cookeatshare #excessivelydivertedbyflowers #botanicaldaydreams #averyniceteatowel #verilymoment #seasonalsimplicity #thatsdarling #lovelocalbluemountains #graziher #slowandglow #countrystyleloves #myseasonaltable #momentsofmine

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 29},

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 29}, Lumberjack Cake.

I sometimes get too caught up in all the tiny details and decisions when writing recipes for cake. Could the crumb be a bit finer? Is the sweetness balanced? Is the cake moist enough. How well will it keep? I forget to look at the bigger picture and remember that, for the most part, people just want a reliable recipe that ends with a cake they want to eat. And if they want to eat it over and over again, then you’ve really hit the sweet spot.

This week’s cake is a comfortingly old-fashioned bake. A lumberjack cake filled with dates and apple and topped with crunchy caramelised coconut.

Ingredients:
160g dried dates, roughly chopped
185ml milk
2 eating apples, peeled and diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
125g unsalted butter, softened
220g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 eggs
225g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt

Topping:
60g unsalted butter
110g brown sugar
80ml milk
75g shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (ff) and grease and line a 22cm round springform tin.

Place dates, milk, apple and bicarb in a medium saucepan and heat to just below a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Cream butter, caster sugar and vanilla until very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well in between.

Place flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add half to the butter mixture, stirring gently. Add half the cooled apple and date mixture, stirring again. Add remaining flour, then remaining apple and date mixture. Stir to combine before pouring into prepared tin.

Bake for 45 minutes before removing from the oven and topping with coconut topping.

To make coconut topping, combine extra butter, brown sugar, milk and coconut in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Pour over hot cake and return cake to the oven for a further 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature. x

#cookeatshare #theplaincakeappreciationsociety #foodfluffer #bakefeed #foodstories

A very nice tea towel. Some tea towel favourites

A very nice tea towel.

Some tea towel favourites are back in stock! Limited numbers, as always - so if there’s something you have your eye on, don’t wait too long.

Tilly’s Table tea towels are a linen/cotton blend and feature my original photographs, printed and made with care in Australia. Shop link in bio. x

#tillystable #cookeatshare #averyniceteatowel #australianmade

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 28},

The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 28}, A very simple chocolate cake.

Every time Kip sees me getting out the kitchen scales, he will, without fail, stop what he’s doing, push his little stool up to the bench and say, ‘Can I help you make a cake?’. He knows it’s cake when the scales come out, and he’s always there, asking to pour in the ingredients and lick the spoon. I hope I will always remember these pockets of time with him. Small hands helping, little mouth inevitably covered in a thick layer of batter.

This week’s bake is a very simple chocolate cake. It’s a melt and mix number that delivers a nostalgically light, uncomplicated cake. Quite a lot of sour cream in the batter helps keep it lovely and soft, and topped with a simple chocolate icing and sprinkles - it’s pure childish delight.

Ingredients:
200g SR flour
65g Dutch cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
220g caster sugar
300ml sour cream
125ml milk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
125g unsalted butter, melted

Icing:
160g icing sugar
25g Dutch cocoa powder
20g unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp boiling water

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (fan-forced) and grease and line a 22cm round tin well with butter and baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, place flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and caster sugar, whisking to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla paste and melted butter together until smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix gently until smooth.

Spoon batter into prepared tin, smoothing the top and tapping the tin on the bench a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until risen and cooked through.

Allow to cool for 10 mins in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Whilst cake is cooling, place icing ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to a smooth paste. When cake is cool, spread with icing and top with sprinkles. x

#tillystable #cookeatshare #theplaincakeappreciationsociety #lifeandthyme #feedfeed #bakefeed #f52grams #foodfluffer #thatsdarling #firstweeat #slowandglow

Featured Products

Tea & blooms — Tea Towel

Rosy posy plums — Tea Towel

Egg shells — Tea Towel

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Seasonal Recipes

TillysTable_SugaredCitrusCake_2021-07-17_9015 — Sugared Citrus & Semolina Cake
A simple, sturdy drizzle-cake that can be made with whatever citrus you have on hand. I’ve made versions with lemon, lime and bergamot (after impulse buying a glorious box of bergamots online…) and all work beautifully.
10. September 2021/by Tilly Pamment

TillysTable_PistachioCake_Cover2 — Pistachio & Rose Cake
The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 22}, Pistachio and Rose Cake.
20. August 2021/by Tilly Pamment

TillysTable_burntbutter5 — Burnt-butter sheet cake with blackberry buttercream
The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society {edition 15}, Burnt-butter Sheet Cake with Blackberry Buttercream.
25. June 2021/by Tilly Pamment

TillysTable_brownies3 — Sour cherry & Shiraz brownies
Years ago, when I ran a cake stall at the Bondi Farmers' Market, double chocolate brownies were my best seller. I would make trays and trays of them on Friday night and inevitably wish I had made one more tray when they sold out early the next morning.
31. March 2021/by Tilly Pamment

TillysTable_doublechocloaf — Double chocolate loaf cake
Welcome to this week's meeting of 'The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society'. It seems only fitting that this week I give you a chocolate offering - the proximity to Easter and the weather positively demand it - and who am I to stand in the way of chocolate cake?
26. March 2021/by Tilly Pamment

TillysTable_HotCrossBuns — Apricot & sultana hot cross buns
It's a slippery-slope that first hot cross bun of the season. A steep descent towards carbohydrate-induced haze, but one I happily slide (earlier, and earlier) each year.
23. March 2021/by Tilly Pamment

TillysTable_browned_butter_cake — Browned-butter cake with cumquat glaze
Introducing 'The Plain-Cake Appreciation Society' - a club for connoisseurs of uncomplicated bakes, simple cakes the general appreciation of pausing daily for tea and cake. Sound good?
11. March 2021/by Tilly Pamment

Tilly’s Table Lime drizzle — Semolina & Lime Drizzle Cake
Our lime and lemon trees are laden with fruit at the moment. This is making me feel quite smug - as I can duck out to the courtyard and pluck a few juicy limes or lemons whenever the fancy strikes. O is making the most of it, managing to consume her own weight in fresh lemonade most days, and Kip is not adverse to eating them straight from the tree...
25. September 2020/by Tilly Pamment

TillysTable_madeleines3 — Mandarin & Earl Grey Madeleines
In an inverse relationship to their size, small cakes hold a big place in my heart. For me, there is just something immensely likeable about them. Maybe it has something to do with nostalgia and the fact that they so easily transport you back to childhood - when the ultimate treat was a cupcake with pink icing, or better yet, a butterfly cake - or maybe it is that being small in size you feel less guilty about eating them and can therefore eat them without constraint...
5. July 2020/by Tilly Pamment

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