I can’t believe we’re already at the end of another year. I know I must sound like a broken record going on about how time flies, but 2011 went by especially fast! In many ways it was a challenging year, but I learned so much and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2012 will bring. I thought I would put together a little roundup of my favourite recipes of the year. It was nice taking a trip down memory lane, even though most of these posts feel like yesterday! If you’ve tried out any of these recipes throughout the year let me know!

My favourite cake of the entire year had to be the Vanilla Malt Sprinkle Bark Cake that I made for Steph’s birthday. It was rather difficult to keep this one a surprise when we brainstorm baking ideas on a daily basis, but it was worth it her reaction was absolutely priceless. Not only was this cake a lot of fun, but it was also totally delicious!

These Popcorn and Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches certainly kicked the year off on a sweet note! You just can’t go wrong combining popcorn with caramel, chocolate and ice cream. I’m looking forward to making them again soon.

2011 was the year I embraced doughnut making and tried to do some interesting things with it. For my blog’s 4th birthday I made Chai Doughnut Holes that had spice-infused milk in the doughnuts themselves and also the glaze. This was one of the most popular posts of the year!

I don’t feature a lot of savoury recipes but these Beef Ribs with Pomegranate BBQ Sauce was one of my favourites this year. Adding pomegranate molasses to the sauce gave it a sweetness and smokiness that was perfect with the tender beef ribs. Since then I’ve also experimented with a peach BBQ sauce that would also be insanely delicious with ribs!

I hit my 300th post in September and decided to celebrate by making Popcorn Doughnuts. I’m pretty proud of these little babies, they’re totally over the top, but still one of my favourite doughnut recipes to date! Imagine how perfect they would be for a circus themed kid’s birthday party!!

2011 was definitely a year of experimenting with booze in cooking, both savoury and sweet. This Chocolate and Muscat Pudding has to be the ultimate in winter comfort food. I made this as a dessert for a dinner party and it went down a treat with everyone!

My Toffee Apple Trifle was a dessert I was particularly proud of, which I served at a Christmas in July lunch with some of my best friends. There were layers of apple cider jelly, brown sugar sponge cake, salted caramel stewed apples and vanilla bean custard that worked so well together and made up a really great dessert.

Steph and I worked together on a birthday cake for our friend Karen, combining some of the things she loves the most in this Chocolate PX Brownie Cake. Which was then followed by an amazing lunch at one of my favourite Sydney restaurants, Universal in Darlinghurst. Post on that still to come!

And on the restaurant front, my favourite dining experiences go far and wide across Australia this year! From Greenhouse and Kitsch Bar in Perth to Ut Si Café in Tasmania, and Ms G’s, Becasse and El Capo in Sydney to name a few, 2012 has been a great year! (I also loved Gingerboy in Melbourne but argh it’s still in the backlog!)

Thank you to every single one of my readers for visiting me this year. I hope to see you back for more crazy cakes and interesting desserts in the new year! Spicyicecream will turn 5, can you believe it! (I can’t!)

Wishing you all the best for an amazing 2012! xox