Homemade : Black Bottom Cupcakes

One thing you need to know about me and recipes is that there is one place I go to find a knockout: Smitten Kitchen.  Every recipe that I have tried from there is absolutely perfect.  Her instructions are clear, simple and ridiculously easy to follow with mouth-watering pictures to suit.  She has a large following, so each recipe is bombarded with comments from people who have tried the recipe and additional tips. It is simply perfect!

So, one day I was craving cheesecake. But I didn't really want to make a cheesecake. I wanted something a bit different. This is when SK answered my prayers by allowing me to find Black-Bottom Cupakes.  It's like a fudgey chocolate cupcake filled with a creamy cheesecake filling. It is delicious, especially after being chilled in a fridge (which I know is weird). One tip from me would be to place the cheesecake mixture into the fridge for a fair bit of time before using it; I think it helps the centre to hold and not spread all over the chocolatey goodness.

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Cafe : Brother Alec, Thornbury

This pleasant surprise of a cafe on High St is just that: a pleasant surprise.  When one thinks of 'hipster', one automatically thinks of 'Brunswick St' but maybe 'High St' is the new 'Brunswick St'.  The crowd that filled this little cafe for Saturday lunch were as 'hipster' as I've ever seen and it made me wonder why they had accumulated in Thornbury, a place not exactly known to be cool or alternative. After observing the interior of Brother Alec, I had to admit I was rather won over too.  It's sweet and simplistic design made it quintessentially hip and indie. Like many other trendy cafes, it had an old and somewhat mismatched feel to it. I loved it.

Oh wait, I haven't even gotten to the food yet! My sister and I shared two rolls. Both were just delicious! I can't recall the names exactly, but one was a breakfast roll and the other was vegetarian. The mayo and salsas used were super yummy. They were adorably served on wooden chopping boards.

I had heard great things about the coffee at Brother Alec.  Especially the soy coffee.  Incase you couldn't tell from the title of my blog, soy is how I like it.  I have to say it was extremely smooth coffee; no yucky after taste and the soy milk was not burnt (nothing I hate more than burnt soy!).  However, I think the soy may not have been heated enough. It was warm on the borderline of lukewarm, which probably isn't the best way to have one's coffee. Having said that, I enjoyed it anyway as I was craving coffee at the time.  My brother had their affogato and said it was sublime.

I would definitely recommend Brother Alec for a nice lunch, but get in early. It got so busy when we got there!  My brother also brought along his youngest in a pram, which probably made things harder for us.  Other patrons were constantly being asked to move tables to accomodate larger crowds coming in and out. The cafe really is tiny so the lack of space may annoy some, but the food is really quite delicious.

4/5.

Brother Alec
719 High St
Thornbury, VIC 3071
ph: 9416 9428

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