Recipes - Mango and Lime Syrup Cakes

This recipe as been stolen straight from taste.com.au.  I first made these about 18 months ago and was so happy with the result I made them three times in one week!  Since then, I have made different variations: blueberry with lemon syrup, raspberry with orange syrup, strawberry with lime syrup.  Other fruits that can be used include peach, nectrine, apricot, plum, pear, pineapple and orange, to name a few.  Even after all of my experimenting, mango is still my favourite.

Ingredients - makes 6

2 large mango, sliced thinly

135g unsalted butter, softened

245g caster sugar

3 eggs

90g plain flour

3 tbs desiccated coconut

1 lime, rind and juice

3 tbs coconut milk

1/2 cup water

double cream, to serve

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 190°C.  Grease a 6 hole Texas muffin tray.

Step 2 - Lay mango slices over the base of each hole. Set aside.

Step 3 - Cream butter and 180g sugar until pale, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Fold flour into mixture then stir in coconut and lime rind.  Add coconut milk and stir until combined.  Spoon mixture over mango and bake for 25 minutes.

Step 4 - Combine lime juice, sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to high and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Step 5 - Drizzle syrup over cakes while they're in the pan and leave for 10 minutes.  Turn out onto a wire rack over a tray, to catch the syrup.  Serve warm with double cream.

Recipes - Cookie Cups

What do you get if you turn a muffin tray upside down?  A cookie cup tray!  I saw this on some random internet site somewhere and thought it was pure genius.  After keeping it in mind for several months I thought it was finally time to get a basic cookie recipe and give them a go.  Such a cool idea, super versatile and great to get kids involved in the making of them and of course, they'll want to eat them afterwards!  

Ingredients

185g butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups plain flour

extra flour

Step 1 - In a large bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until pale.  Add egg and beat until incorporated.  Sift flour over the mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Step 2 - Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a soft dough in the bowl and transfer to a lightly floured surface.  Flour your hands and knead dough for a few minutes until flour in incorporated, adding a little more as you go if need be.  Roll into a sausage shape, wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 180.  Turn two 12 hole muffin trays upside down and grease every second mound. Cover in foil, wrapping tightly around each mound.

Step 4 - Remove dough from fridge and unwrap.  Cut in half, wrap one portion and return to fridge.  Cut remaining portion into 12 rounds. Place each round between two sheets of baking paper and using a rolling pin to roll out into a circle, approx 3mm thick and 70mm in diameter.  Place dough over a greased mound and repeat.  Bake for 12 minutes, swapping trays halfway through.  

Step 5 - Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transfering cookie cups to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat step 4 with remaining dough.

Step 6 - Serve warm or cold, filled with ice cream, custard, jam and cream or anything your heart desires.   

Variations:

For chocolate cookies add 2 tbs cocoa powder with the flour. 

For confetti cookies add 1/4 cup of 100's and 1000's with the flour.

For coconut cookie add 1/4 cup desiccated coconut with the flour.

Recipes - Brownies

Have I mentioned that taste.com.au is an awesome website?  I found this brownie recipe there and it is tops. Super quick to throw together and simple, so it's a great recipe to do with kids. I changed it a bit but it worked perfectly so I'll let you know how I do it and you have the link to the original recipe.  There is only one flaw, it's so chewy and chocolatey and rich and delicious that you can't stop at one!!


Ingredients
200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
150g unsalted butter, cubed
160g brown sugar
1/2 tbs vanilla extract
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
85g plain flour
50g walnuts, roughly chopped
25g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
20g white choc chips
icing sugar and cocoa to dust

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160°C.  Grease and line a slice tin with baking paper.
Step 2 - Place butter and chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute on medium-high heat.  Remove and stir with a balloon whisk.  If not completely melted, return to microwave for 20 seconds.
Step 3 - Add sugar and vanilla and whisk until incorporated.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating will with the whisk after each addition then finally add the yolk and flour and stir well.  Lastly, fold through the nuts and white chocolate.
Step 4 - Pour mixture into prepared pan and place in the oven.  Cook for 45 minutes, then remove from oven and leave at room temperature to cool.  Brownies may appear to be runny or soft in the middle when removed from the oven but will set as they cool.  
Step 5 - Once cooled, turn onto a wire rack and gently peel off baking paper.  Slice into pieces and dust with a mixture of icing sugar and cocoa to serve.

Recipes - Pineapple, Coconut and Lime Cookies

I had an idea for summer in a cookie. The idea is good, the flavour combination is great, but it's not quite what I had in mind.   This is the recipe I used on my first attempt.  The cookie itself is soft and chewy, but a little stodgy in the middle, kind like a subway cookie.  They are yummy but I want to improve them.  Stay tuned for attempt two, coming soon.

Ingredients

125g butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 cup pineapple, chopped

1 lime, zested

1 cup desiccated coconut, toasted

3 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 tbs baking powder

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 190°C.  Line a flat tray with baking paper.

Step 2 - Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until pale then add sugar  bit by bit until incorporated.  Add egg and beat until combined.

Step 3 - Add vanilla, pineapple and coconut to bowl and mix well then fold through sifted flour and baking powder.  

Step 4 - Drop heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto prepared tray leaving ample room for spreading. Bake for 18 minutes then cool on tray.  Repeat with remaining mixture.

Recipes - Fruit Mince Pinwheels

Pinwheels have turned into my quick to whip up, throw anything in, entertaining solution.  So when I was left with a abundance of fruit mine, I decided to chuck on a few batches of fruit mince pinwheels to see if it would work.  And yes, yes it does.

Ingredients

3/4 cup fruit mince

3 tbs jam (I used raspberry, but use whatever you like or have)

3 sheets frozen puff pastry
icing sugar, to dust

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 230°C.  Line a large, shallow baking tray with baking paper

Step 2- Set puff pastry on a flat surface to thaw.  Pastry should thaw to the point that it is malleable but not much further as the pastry is difficult to work with as it begins to warm.

Step 3 - Remembering to remove plastic backing from pastry, spread 1 tbs jam evenly over each pastry sheet, leaving a 1cm border at top.  Distribute fruit mince over jam.

Step 4 - Roll each pastry sheet into a firm sausage shape and cut about 10 rounds from each sheet.  

Step 5 - Place each round, cut side down, on baking tray leaving some space between each and bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden.
Step 6 - Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Notes:

Pinwheels can be made to the end of step 5 and frozen for up to one month.  Continue from step 6 when needed, without thawing rolls.

Recipes - Basic Cupcake and Buttercream Icing

Who doesn't LOVE cupcakes!  The perfect, pretty, light, fluffy, sweet little treat that is so delicious and super versatile.  Cupcakes are so in right now and this is a great base recipe for a vanilla cupcake and butter cream icing that can be coloured, flavoured and decorated to match your mood, your event or your creativity.  Being Christmas, I have decided to use some green and red sanding sugar, some edible glitter and some little green and red Christmas trees.  These decorations (and many, many, many more) are available from cake decorating retailers. 

Ingredients

200g butter, softened and cubed

1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups SR flour

1/2 cup milk

Buttercream Icing

250g butter, softened and cubed

3 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup milk

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180°C.  Line 3 x 24 hole mini cupcake tray or 3 x 12 hole regular cupcake tray with patty pans.

Step 2 - Cream butter and sugar then add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Step 3 - Fold through half the flour, then half the milk.  Fold through the remaining flour then the remaining milk.

Step 4 - As this mixture rises very well, 1/2 fill patty pans.  Bake for 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes or 15-17 minutes for regular cupcakes.  

Step 5 - Remove from oven and stand for two minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Step 6 - To make buttercream, beat butter until pale then  beat in half the icing sugar.  When incorperated, beat in 1tbs milk, then remaining icing sugar, then remaining milk.

Step 7 - Pipe or spread icing over cooled cupcakes and decorate as desired.

Note:

This recipe makes about 72 mini cupcakes or about 36 regular sized cupcakes.

Recipes - Fruit Mince Tarts

Fruit Mince Tarts scream Christmas though not many people I know actually like them.  The secret is to use your own fruit mince and make them super small.  If you do go to all the trouble to make them (and it is a somewhat time consuming process) I hope you really enjoy them.

Ingredients - makes about 32

1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry

2 cups fruit mince

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200.  Grease a 24 hole mini-muffin pan and a 12 hole mini-muffin pan.
Step 2 - Roll out pastry to about 3mm thick.  Using a 6-7cm round cookie cutter, cut out 32 circles.  Using a 5cm star cut out 32 stars.  If possible, cut out more of each.  
Step 3 - Gently push rounds into holes and bake for 10-12 minutes, until pastry just turns golden. Remove from oven and spoon 1 tsp of fruit mince into each pastry case.  Top with a star and return to oven for a further 10-12 minutes.  Stars may be a little soft when removed from the oven, but they will harden while cooling.
Step 4 - To serve, dust with icing sugar and edible glitter if desired.

Recipes - Steamed Christmas Puddings

My friend Alex makes the best Steamed Christmas Puddings and over the last two years has taught me the art.  I spent a good 3-4 weeks convincing him to let me post this recipe and luckily for you he let me!  This stuff is deadly in the best way possible! 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain flour

200g softened butter, cubed

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup golden syrup

3 eggs

3 cups breadcrumbs (fresh not packaged)

3 1/2 cups fruit mince
2 tsp all spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Step 1 - In a large bowl cream butter and sugar.  Add golden syrup and beat well then add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Step 2 - Add fruit mince, bread crumbs and spiced and stir until combined.  Add flour and fold into the mixture.
Step 3 - Prep pudding basin and cook as per instructions (step 5). 

Top 5 - Fruit Mince Recipes

I'm going to be honest, I did not like fruit mince, or anything fruit mince related, until one year ago.  Last year, my best friend offered me the opportunity to make fruit mince and steamed Christmas puddings with him, something he has perfected over the past eight years or so.  I am now in love with fruit mince and its many uses!!  Here are my top 5 fruit mince recipes.

• Steamed Christmas Puddings
• Fruit Mince Tarts
• Mum's Mini Boiled Fruit Cakes
• Fruit Mince Pinwheels
• Custard and Fruit Mince Muffins

Recipes - Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee, which literally means 'burnt cream' in French, is a classic dessert that is coming back into fashion.  Traditionally, it is a vanilla flavoured set custard with a thin layer of hard toffee on top but can also be flavoured with chocolate, coffee, liqueur, lemon or orange.  I have not had many creme brulees in my time, so it was never something I really wanted to make.  But, when a friend posted on my facebook page asking me to make it, a lot of other people jumped on board the idea so I thought I would give it a crack.  For my first attempt I have held tradition and made a vanilla custard, however, I am very keen to try a coffee creme brulee in the future!

Ingredients

600mL thickened cream

6 egg yolks

1/3 cup + 2 tbs caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 150°C.  Place a folded tea towel in the bottom of a baking dish and evenly space 6 x 3/4 cup capacity ramekins on top. Put a kettle full of water on to boil.

Step 2 - Place cream and vanilla in a small-medium saucepan and heat over low for 5-8 minutes or until cream just starts to simmer.  Do not boil.

Step 3 - In a large bowl, whisk yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until combined.  Pour cream into mixture in a slow and steady stream, whisking constantly.  Carefully skim any frothy bubbles from the top of the mixture and discard.  

Step 4 - Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug then evenly distribute between ramekins.  Pour boiling water into dish until it has risen to 1/2 way up the ramekins.  Carefully place tray in oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until custard has just set.

Step 5 - Remove ramekins from tray and set aside for 30 mins to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Step 6 - Turn grill onto high heat.  Sprinkle the 2 tbs sugar over custards, about 1 teaspoon on each.  Place under grill for 2-3 minutes, until sugar has melted, turned golden and is bubbling slightly.  Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature, then return to fridge for half an hour to harden toffee and reset custard. 

Recipe - Berry Sauce

This is my go to dessert when I am time poor, money poor, energy poor or initiative poor.  It is simple, foolproof and surprisingly impressive!  For a quick dessert I serve this warm over ice cream and any leftovers are served with cakes, muffins or as a garnish for another dessert.  I hope you have as much success with this as I have.

Ingredients

500g frozen berries

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

vanilla ice cream, to serve

Step 1 - Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.  

Step 2 - Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and slowly simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reached the desired consistency. This usually takes about half an hour.  
Step 3 - Serve warm over vanilla ice cream.

Recipes - Vanilla Cream Tart w Candied Blood Orange

This recipe stemmed from me buying blood oranges then trying to decide what to do with them.  Blood oranges lend themselves to well to both sweet and savoury dishes, so really, the options were endless!  I had a lightbulb moment of brilliance and decided to do a simple, sophisticated dessert - Vanilla Cream Tart w Candied Blood Oranges.  

I had some tartlette cases in my pantry that needed to be used.  While I recommend making your own pastry (as much as it is not one of my favourite things to do) these premade cases are good when you have a lot on or need to whip something up quickly.

Ingredients

2 blood oranges, sliced thinly

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

3 cups water

200g mascarpone

100g cream cheese

50g double cream

1/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

12 tartlette cases

Step 1 - Place sugar and water in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over a medium-high heat.  Stir until sugar dissolves, then carefully lower orange slices into the liquid.  Simmer rapidly for 20 minutes, turning oranges once. 

Step 2 - Reduce heat to low and slowly simmer for another 20-30 minutes, until oranges are transparent and syrup has reduced.  Remove oranges from syrup and place on a tray lined with baking paper.  Allow to cool.  Reserve syrup.

Step 3 - While oranges are cooking, place mascarpone, cream cheese, double cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste into a bowl and mix until combined.  Spoon vanilla cream into tart cases and refrigerate until required.

Step 4 - When oranges are cool enough to handle, drizzle tarts with orange syrup and place a slice of orange on each. 

Recipes - Fruit Mince

I have never been a fan of fruit mince until last year when my friend invited me to make fruit mince with him.  He has been making steamed Christmas puddings for over eight years and over this time has developed the most delicious recipe for the fruit mince.  There was so much that not only did we make heaps of steamed puddings, of varying sizes, we also made fruit mince pies, fruit mince pinwheels, fruit mince tarts, fruit mince and custard muffins and a whole bunch of other delicious fruit mince desserts.  So, without further ado, here is the best recipe for fruit mince you will ever find ever! 

NOTE: This fruit mince needs to be started 4 weeks in advance!   There is room to alter the ingredients to suit your tastes.  If you don't like dried apricot, leave it out and add more of something else, like craisins or dried apples.  This is very much one of those old fashioned 'throw in what you have in the pantry' kind of recipe.

Ingredients

1kg sultanas

1kg raisins
300g currants

500g dried apricots

500g dried apple

500g prunes

500g dates

300g craisins
250g dried figs
100g dried blueberries (optional)

200g walnuts 
200g pecans

100g crushed peanuts

100g slivered almonds

2 x carrots, grated

2 x apples, grated
1 orange, zested

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup brandy

1/3 cup orange marmalade

1/3 cup jam

                                                                              1 cup dark brown sugar

Step 1 - Throw sultanas, raisins, craisins, currants, blueberries, slivered almonds, crushed peanuts, grated carrots, grated apple and orange zest in a large container.
Step 2 - Chop dried apricots, dried apple, prunes, dried figs, dates, walnuts and pecans, so they are all a similar size to the fruit already in the container.  Add to container and mix together until well combined.
Step 3 - Place orange juice, brandy, marmalade, jam and brown sugar in a microwave proof bowl.  Microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring well every minute.
Step 4 - Pour mixture over fruit in the container and stir until well combined.  Pop lid on container and place in fridge.  
Step 5 - Turn container once a day for 4 weeks.  


Use fruit mince to make steamed puddings, fruit mince tarts and other Christmas goodies.