Quick Mix Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing

Quick Mix Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing

185g butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk

Fudge Icing

60g dark cooking chocolate
15g butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp milk

Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl.
Beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes or until the mixture becomes lighter in colour and smoother in texture.
Bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven, in a well greased 16cm x 26cm tin.
When cold, top with fudge icing.

Melt chocolate and butter over hot water, stir in sifted icing sugar and enough milk to give a thick, spreading consistency.

Greek Walnut Cake

3/4 cup caster sugar
3 tbsp strongly flavoured honey - like manuka
juice of 1 orange
1 cup water
3 tbsp brandy
125g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground cloves
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts
1 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to 180c
Grease and line a 22cm cake tin
To make a syrup: - put the caster sugar, honey, orange juice and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 5 minutes, then allow to cool completely.
Stir in the brandy and set aside.

Beat the butter, brown sugar, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until thick, pale and creamy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding 1 tbsp of flour after each egg.
Stir in the remaining flour, chopped walnuts and baking powder.
Pour into the tin
Bake about 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Remove cake from tin and place on a serving plate to cool a little.
Pierce the cake with a skewer to allow the syrup to soak in.
Pour the syrup over the cake and baste the cake with syrup until it has all soaked in.
Allow to cool completely, then serve in wedges with Greek yoghurt

Apricot Yoghurt Slice

Apricot Yoghurt Slice

1/4 cup toasted coconut
125g sweet biscuits - crumbed
60g butter

125g dried apricots
1/2 cup boiling water
2 x 200g cartons plain yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
2 eggs

Combine toasted coconut, biscuit crumbs and butter and mix well.
Press into a lined 18cm x 28cm pan and refrigerate.

Cover apricots with boiling water and stand 30 minutes.
Whizz apricots and their liquid with yoghurt, honey and eggs until smooth.
Spread the yoghurt mixture over the base and bake in a moderate oven 30 - 35 minutes, or until set.
Cool then refrigerate several hours before serving.
Sprinkle the top with a little extra toasted coconut.
Sweet, tart.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

6 egg
250g caster sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract
50ml extra virgin olive oil
200g finely chopped hazelnuts
150g chopped dark chocolate
175g flour
whipped cream, for serving

Pre-heat the oven to 175c
Grease and line a 24cm diameter cake tin
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until pale, thick and creamy
Stir in the olive oil, then stir in the hazelnuts, chocolate and flour
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely.
Serve in wedges with whipped cream
Pour into the tin and bake 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean

Fruit Roly Poly

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
125g butter
about 1/2 cup milk

Sift flour and salt. Rub in butter and mix to a medium/dry dough with milk.
Knead on a floured board.
Roll out and cover with drained fruit.
Roll up as for swiss-roll and cut into pieces.
Arrange in a greased oven-proof dish.

Fillings
Dried mixed fruit, fruit mince, crushed pineapple, apricots, spiced apples - or a mixture of all.

Sauces
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fruit syrup
50g butter

or (and this is the nicest)
1 scant cup sugar
1 cup water
50g butter
2 tbsp lemon juice

Make sauce by heating all ingredients together until boiling.
Pour over the rolls, being careful not to have the sauce more than 3/4'' from the top of the dish as it may boil over.
Bake at decreasing heat 30-40 minutes in a hot oven

Delicious Date Scones

Cut up 11/2 cups of dates and soak overnight in 1/2 cup fruit juice to cover.
Pre-heat oven to 200c
Sift
 4 cups self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

Melt
 50g butter
Add
 1 cup milk
3/4 cup water

Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and mix with a knife until blended.
Add date mixture and stir in gently
Turn onto a floured board.
Roll out lightly
Cut into about 16 (4x4) squares
Brush with milk
Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned
You can sprinkle with raw sugar before baking

Banana Walnut Cake

2 bananas - roughly chopped
1 cup walnut pieces - chopped
1 cup sultanas or cranberries
1 cup sugar
Mix all in a large bowl

In another bowl:
Beat 1 egg and gradually pour in 100g melted butter.
Mix into the banana mixture

Sift in:
1 cup self-raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
Stir lightly - this is a still mixture

Turn into a well greased 20 - 25cm cake tin
Bake 45 - 50 minutes at 180c
Cool in the tin
Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Can also be used as a dessert - served with whipped cream

Instead of bananas you can use feijoas - 2 cups of fruit (approx 5 feijoas) - peeled and chopped. It is important to measure them correctly.

Lemon Curd Cake

4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups plain flour - sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
4 tbsp butter - softened
2 tsp finely chopped lemon zest
6 large egg whites
icing sugar to dust

Whisk together egg yolks, eggs and 1/2 cup sugar.
Stir in 1/2 cup of lemon juice
Cook the mixture over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes - or until thick.
Strain, place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and chill until cold.
Mix the cold lemon curd, butter, lemon zest and 3 tbsp lemon juice until well combined.
Stir in the sifted dry ingredients.
Beat the egg whites until frothy and gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Beat until soft peaks form.
Fold the meringue into the cake batter.
Put the mixture into a buttered and lined 23cm spring-form pan and bake at 180c for 50-55 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then invert onto a rack to cool completely
Dust the cake with icing sugar to serve.
The cake can be made a day in advance. Store, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature

Coconut Orange Cake

1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup milk
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp grated orange rind
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup milk extra

Combine coconut and milk in a bowl, stand 1 hour
Cream butter, sugar and orange rind until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Stir in sifted flour, coconut mixture and milk alternately. (The mixture will appear curdled at this stage)
Bake in a well-greased tin, 50-60 minutes in a moderate oven.
Ice as desired.

Zucchini Fritters

From 'Meals Without Meat' by Alison and Simon Holst

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
2 eggs
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups shredded zucchini - unpeeled
1/4 cup grated parmesan
about 1/2 cup self-raising flour

Mix everything together
Cook in hot oil

Sticky Date Pudding

People go quiet when they try this pudding - it's that good. A friend asked for the recipe, which I gave her and she phoned to ask why I had left the amount of chocolate out of the recipe.... there is no chocolate in it, but it tastes as if there ought to be. This is so easy to make ahead - I usually pour the sauce carefully over the pudding ahead of time and then re-heat the whole thing as we're eating the main course. Serve it with a blob of softly whipped cream oozing over the top. This is one of the puddings I miss the most.

STICKY DATE PUDDING


Pre-heat the oven to 190c
Line a tin with baking paper.

185g stoned dates
250ml water - cook gently together until they reach a jam-like consistency (add a little more water if you need to)
Beat in the remaining ingredients and mix well:
60g butter - chopped
2 eggs
185g sugar
185g self-raising flour
1/4 tsp vanilla

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake on the centre shelf for about 25 minutes or until cooked.
You can serve the following sauce separately.

Sauce
150g brown sugar
150ml cream
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Put all the ingredients into a pan and boil for 5 minutes.

Best Ever Cheese Scones

BEST EVER CHEESE SCONES

2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
30g softened butter
3 1/2 cups vintage cheddar - grated
220ml milk
1/4 tsp paprika

Pre-heat the oven to 210c
Sift flour and salt. Rub in butter, then stir in 2 1/2 cups cheese.
Using a knife, cut in the milk.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and break off large lumps with a floured knife.
Transfer lumps to a lined baking tray.
Mix the rest of the cheese with the paprika and sprinkle over the scones.
Bake about 10 minutes until puffed and golden.
Serve hottish with lots of butter.

Lemon Cake

LEMON CAKE

4 eggs
340g caster sugar
zest of 2 lemons
Whisk together till creamy, and then add
180g plain flour
100g almond meal
1/2 tbsp baking powder
160ml cream
Whisk until smooth, and then add
100g melted butter - cooled
juice of 2 lemons
Whisk again
Bake 160c - 180c until done

Icing
150g icing sugar
100g butter at room temperature
Beat together, the add
zest and juice of 1 lemon
100g cream cheese at room temperature
Beat until smooth.
Ice cake when it is cool,then dust thickly with icing sugar.

This cakes keep well and is light and delicious. You can you orange juice and zest, or lime juice and zest instead of the lemon.

Mum's Banana Cake

Mum taught me a neat trick with this cake. It is actually something I think would work really well when baking with the alternate flours you have to use when you have to avoid gluten.... because almost everything I have tasted that has been made with these flours tastes awful. Dry, crumbly - ick. I think this trick might go some way to solving that problem.

MUM'S BANANA CAKE

125g butter
175g sugar
cream these together till light and fluffy
Add
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas - mashed
Sift, then add
175g plain flour (now here's the trick! measure the flour then take away 1 tablespoon of it and in its place add 1 tablespoon of dessicated coconut)
1 tsp baking powder
50g cornflour
Now add
2 tbsp boiling milk, mixed with
1 level tsp baking soda

Bake 180c

The coconut makes the cake lighter and more moist.
This is another recipe that everyone asks for.

Yoshihiro Shimada San

We used to host International students who would come here to study English and stay with us while they did it. These people are among the bravest people on Earth. They go far from anything that is familiar to them - the customs, the weather, the language and the food. How they don't go mad is beyond mousey me. Most of the people who stayed here were just folks - some folks you like - some - not so much. Some you love. Yoshihiro Shimada San is one of those. He cooked this for us. I wish he would come back, so I could cook for him again. I know some Japanese recipes now Yoshi - please come.

YOSHI'S OKONOMIYAKI

2 cups of plain white flour
1 1/2 cups dashi stock
1 egg
1 potato - peeled and grated
grated cheese
Mix flour, stock and egg to a paste. Stir in potato and cheese.
Add your choice of any number of the following:
beef, pork, bacon or chicken - minced or sliced thinly
seafood - minced or sliced thinly
finely shredded cabbage
chopped onions
a little ginger and/or garlic
sliced mushrooms
canned sweet corn kernels

Cook in an oiled frypan. Yoshi explained this as a kind of Japanese Pizza. (this was back in the day when there were no Japanese restaurants in town and we had never eaten Japanese food - hard to imagine!)
Cook it slow because you want the inside to not be raw floury when you eat it, turn it to cook the other side.
I used to make this into small pikelet things - much easier to flip!
Serve topped with the brown sauce and Japanese mayonnaise that you can get at the supermarket

Aila's Shortcake

Aila Alice Beetham Kennedy was my mother-in-law. She was a determined, selfish, bloody minded, stroppy  old bag. She was also a fantastic story teller - though the stories were not the sort you could tell the vicar - and not because Aila would've already done that. She was funny, generous and often very kind. She described herself as a good plain cook when actually she made the best roast dinners I have ever tasted, and this fantastic shortcake. I miss her still.

AILA'S SHORTCAKE
125g butter
125g sugar
1 egg
225g plain flour
1tsp baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Beat (slowly - you don't want to be covered in the stuff) in the flour and baking powder.
Press half the mixture into a tin lined with baking paper.
Spread with jam, apple, rhubarb, peaches - whatever.
Press the other half of the mixture out onto another sheet of baking paper, invert over the pie filling and peel off the paper.
Sprinkle the top with sugar
Bake for about 1/2 and hour until golden.

This shortcake is tender and the dough very forgiving. If you tear it, just bung it on anyway - it somehow sqwuoodges itself around in the oven and comes out perfect. Everybody will demand the recipe.