Category Archives: Sweets

May21

Bill Granger’s Blueberry Tea Cake

Posted on May 21, 2012 by foodthatserves

We’ve had another birthday in our neck of the woods lately – that of a wonderful servant hearted sister in Christ – so I wanted to make her a birthday cake, and thought this one looked as if it would be something she’d like. I was really thrilled with the taste, the sheer size of it (makes enough to fill a 23 x 33cm baking tin) and the beautiful look of the finished product. I’m a bit of sucker for cream cheese icing and this recipe coped beautifully with my using the homebrand punnet of it for just $2. If you’re more pressed for time, or would like to further reduce the cost of this already affordable cake, Smiley Bill suggests an optional icing made simply from icing sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Total cost $8, serves 18.

210ml sour cream
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
180g butter, at room temperature
330g caster sugar
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1tsp vanilla extract
3 medium eggs
250g blueberries (frozen is fine)
375g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease a baking tin and line with baking paper
2. Mix the soured cream and bicarbonate of soda and leave to sit for 5 minutes
3. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and creamy. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat
4. One at a time, beat in the eggs, then mix in the soured cream mixture until evenly combined
4. Put the blueberries into another bowl and toss with a little of the flour. Sift the rest of the flour and baking powder over the cake mixture and fold in, until just combined. Gently fold through the blueberries
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepaed tin and bake for 45-50 mintues, until a skewer inserted into the entre comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly in the tine for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Icing

250g cream cheese
100g butter at room temp.
1tsp grated lemon zest
1tsp vanilla extract
250g icing sugar, sifted

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, lemon zest, and vanilla in a bowl until light and fluffy, then mix in the sugar until smooth. Top the cooled cake with the frosting.

May16

Easy Chocolate Fudge

Posted on May 16, 2012 by foodthatserves

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Ever since I’ve known Kylie Gellert, she’s been making this delicious and very easy fudge. I’ve enjoyed many of Kylie’s variations on many an occasion and I’m so thrilled she emailed this recipe for me to share with you. Recently I’ve discovered the delights of Aldi chocolate – especially White Crisp (white chocolate with hazelnuts and rice crisp throughout) so I had a go at making Kylie’s oh so easy fudge with these feature ingredients and it worked really well. All I did was add 60g roughly chopped hazelnuts and 3/4 cup rice bubbles. This recipe is a great one to make into little gifts for Christmas or for affordable birthday gifts for friends, although this fudge is just as good for Bible study suppers or church morning tea. Thanks for sharing, Kylie!

450g Dark or Milk Chocolate bits (easier) or block (cheaper) cooking chocolate
1 tin Condensed Milk

1. Put the chocolate into a glass bowl, and pour the condensed milk over the chocolate. Don’t stir.
2. Microwave on high for 2mins, and stir until smooth. If not able to be stirred to smooth, put back into the microwave for 1 min, stir (repeat if necessary).
3. Pour into a plastic wrap-lined loaf tin or container of similar size.
4. Set in the fridge for at least 20 min, preferably for 2+ hours.
5. Cut into squares approximately 1cm x 1cm (or whatever size you like).

Notes
• If wanting to use white chocolate instead of milk or dark, you will require 550g to make it set.
• Don’t use a wooden spoon to stir the chocolate as the moisture in the timber will upset the consistency. A metal spoon or silicon spatula will work best.

Variations
• Add sultanas and crushed nuts to dark or milk for fruit & nut fudge.
• Add coconut to dark or milk for golden rough fudge.
• Add raspberry essence (a little bit!) to white choc for raspberry & white choc fudge. (Hint: raspberry lollies really don’t work well to add in.)
• Add caramel essence to white choc for a yummy caramel fudge that isn’t too rich.
• Add crushed peppermint chocolate bar to dark choc for a refreshing choc mint fudge.
• Make a dark or milk base and let set before adding a white chocolate top for a top deck fudge (rather rich).

Also really good over ice-cream when it is still in a pouring consistency, but is incredibly rich. It kind of sets as it hits the ice cream.

Pricing
• Nestlé white chocolate buds $11.40/kg (Home brand works just as well if you can find it – I couldn’t on Woolies or Coles online, but have used it in the past)
• Home brand dark chocolate bits (easier) $6.70/kg
• Home brand dark chocolate block (cheaper) $6/kg – it does need to be broken into squares.
• Home brand condensed milk $2/tin

May13

White Chocolate Mudcake – any size you need!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by foodthatserves

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Originally given to me by my mother in law, I can’t tell you how much I love this handy recipe! The white chocolate mud cake that results is moist, not too rich and stores well for ages even if you don’t freeze it – though it does freeze very well. Here you’ll find the quantities for almost every kind of cake tin you might need to use, which is just terrific. Finally, the other great thing about this recipe is that it is just a melt and mix cake – no creaming butter and sugar. Even though white chocolate adds to the cost of the cake, the cost of this recipe is still quite reasonable, especially compared to store-bought cakes (and this one is much, much nicer). Today I’m using this versatile recipe for my daughter’s birthday cake – she’s turning 3 tomorrow!

	12 cmround	15 cmround	17 cm round 15 cm square 17 cm oblong	20 cm round	22 cm round 19 cm square	15 cm round 23 cm square	28 cm round 30 cm heart 28×34	30 cm round 28 cm square	30 cm square
Butter	85g	125g	165g	250g	335g	375g	500g	625g	750g
White Choc	45g	75g	100g	150g	200g	225g	300g	375g	450g
Caster Sugar	2/3 cup	1 cup	1 1/3 cups	2 cups	2 2/3 cups	3 cups	4 cups	5 cups	6 cups
Milk	1/3 cup	1/2 cup	1 cup	1 1/2 cups	2 cups	2 1/4 cups	3 cups	3 3/4 cups	4 1/2 cups
Plain Flour	1/2 cup	3/4 cup	1 cup	1 1/2 cups	2 cups	2 1/4 cups	3 cups	3 3/4 cups	4 1/2 cups
SR Flour	2 tbs	1/3 cup	1/3 cup	1/2 cup	2/3 cups	3/4 cups	1 cup	1 1/4 cups	1 1/2 cups
Vanilla	1/4 tsp	1/2 tsp	1/2 tsp	1 tsp	1 tsp	1 1/2 tsp	2 tsp	2 1/2 tsp	3 tsp
Eggs	1	1	1	2	3	3	4	5	6
Baking Time	1 hour	1 1/2 hours	1 3/4 hours	1 3/4 hours	2 hours	2 1/2 hours	3 hours	3 1/2 hours	4 hours

Preheat oven to 170 degrees (160 degrees fan forced)
Grease and line base and sides of cake tin with baking paper, bringing paper up 5cm above the side of the tin.
Combine chopped butter, chopped chocolate, sugar and milk in saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and sugar dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and cool for 15 mins.
Stir in sifted flours, vanilla and lightly beaten eggs. Pour mixture into prepared tin.
Bake for time given on chart. Cover cake with foil half-way through cooking time if over-browning.
Cake will develop a thick sugary crust during baking. Test with a skewer close to end of cooking time. Cool the cake in the tin.

White Chocolate Ganache Icing

1/2 cup cream
300g white chocolate

Bring cream to the boil in a small saucepan, pour cream over white chocolate in a small bowl, stirring until chocolate melts.
Cover, refrigerate, stirring occasionally about 30 mins or until mixture is spreadable.

May12

Nigella’s Chocolate Pavlova

Posted on May 12, 2012 by foodthatserves

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My friend Amy put me onto this recipe about 8 years ago and since then it’s become one of my favourite dessert options for catering. It literally only takes a couple of minutes measuring and mixing and then it’s into a low oven for an hour and a quarter – allowing me to get other things done. I generally make it in the morning and leave it to cool in the switched off oven for the rest of the day. From there it’s ridiculously easy to whip cream and top it with whatever you like. Nigella suggests fresh raspberries on top but I’ve often used frozen ones and actually we all like it best with bananas, strawberries and a handful of maltesers dumped on top. Also, when cooking other desserts that call for egg yolks only, I keep the whites and freeze them in zip lock bags. They thaw out beautifully and this often means I don’t have to use new eggs – another money saver. This low fuss dessert will set you back about $8 and serves 10.

6 egg whites
300g caster sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sieved
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped

300-500ml double cream
500g raspberries
2-3 tablespoons coarsely grated dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approximately 23cm in diameter, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150°C/gas mark 2 and cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it’s ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.3.
When you’re ready to serve, invert on to a big, flat-bottomed plate. Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over the raspberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls rather than rubble, as you don’t want the raspberries’ luscious colour and form to be obscured, and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall, as it will, on the plate’s rim.

May11

Anzac Slice

Posted on May 11, 2012 by foodthatserves

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I’ve recently decided that as much as I love baking biscuits, I just can’t pull them off without stress in my current stage of life. Steve loves Anzac biscuits, but the thought of rolling little balls, arranging them on trays and then rotating them around the oven is enough to stress me out before I start. This terrific recipe from my childhood solves the problem for less than $2. Makes 32 slices.

140 grams butter, melted
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl

3. Melt butter in a heatproof jug in the microwave, stir in golden syrup and milk.

4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the butter mixture. Mix well.

5. Press into a lined 16 x 26 cm slice tin and cook for 15 minutes until golden brown.

May10

Grandma Fragar’s Scones

Posted on May 10, 2012 by foodthatserves

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A few years ago my Mum gave me her mother’s scone recipe, and now it’s the only one I ever use. These scones are just so simple and easy to get right. There’s no rubbing butter and flour together and no surprising secret ingredient. The only thing I would say is your oven has to be nice and hot, so if yours tends to be on the cool side, maybe consider putting it up 5-10 degrees for this recipe. Scones are a wonderful option for large group catering because they make people feel special but aren’t too labour intensive. These ones won’t cost you more than a couple of dollars or much energy in the kitchen. This recipe makes 20.

4 cups self raising flour
2 dessertspoons icing sugar
pinch of salt
2 heaped dessertspoons butter
2 cups of milk

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees

2. Place flour, sifted icing sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

3. Melt butter in a heatproof jug in the microwave, top up the butter with milk to the 2 cups mark on the jug.

4. Make a well in the flour mixture, add the milk/butter mixture and gently combine using a butter knife. Combine using cutting actions through the middle and scraping the outside mixture to the centre. Don’t over mix, you want everything only just combined.

5. Tip the mixture onto a floured bench top and put more flour on the top of the mound of mixture. Pat the whole thing down until it’s about 4cm thick and evenly spread out.

6. Cut rounds using a floured scone cutter or an appropriate sized glass. Place each one on a biscuit tray lined with baking powder so that they are close together but not touching. Brush the top of each scone with a little milk.

7. Bake for around 10 mins until they’ve risen and are golden brown.

8. Serve with jam and cream.

May10

Nigella’s Chocolate Brownies

Posted on May 10, 2012 by foodthatserves

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This is the best recipe for Brownies I’ve ever found. Unlike so many brownie recipes, the whole thing cooks evenly with no drying out of the edges. It makes a whole large roasting dish worth of Brownie which makes 25 dessert sized pieces or 40+ slice sized serves. Originally from How to be a Domestic Goddess, I think this is one of Nigella’s best. Total cost is about $9, but it makes LOTS. To decrease the cost, I pretty much always leave out the walnuts.

375 g soft unsalted butter
375 g dark chocolate
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
500 g caster sugar
225 g plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
300 g chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line your approximately 33 x 23 x 5 1/2cm roasting dish with foil or baking paper.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large heavy based saucepan.
In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla.
Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt.
When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a bit before beating in the eggs and sugar mixture, and then the nuts and flour.
Beat to combine and then scrape out of the saucepan into the lined brownie pan.
Bake for about 25 minutes.
When its’s ready, the top should be dried to a paler brown speckle, but the middle still dark and dense and gooey.
Keep checking the brownies as they cook; remember that they will continue to cook as they cool.

May10

Quick Fruit Slice

Posted on May 10, 2012 by foodthatserves

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My precious friend Debra made this slice to help out with catering during the busy start to university year and it was an absolute hit. Steve was totally into it and so I asked her for the recipe. It’s so simple and fast to make. Makes 24 small slices and costs less than $2.50 to make. Thanks for sharing, Deb!

1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup mixed fruit
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
120g butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (170 degrees fan-forced)

2. Mix dry ingredients in medium sized mixing bowl, add butter and beaten egg. Mix well.

3. Press into 16 x 26cm slice tin. Bake for 20 mins or until light brown.

May9

Passionfruit Slice

Posted on May 9, 2012 by foodthatserves

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Every time I make this very easy slice, someone asks for the recipe. It’s great for morning or afternoon teas, but can also be served with a dollop of cream or ice-cream for dessert. I tend to keep a few small tins of passionfruit pulp in the pantry so that I can make this quickly and easily without a trip to the shops. I also use lemon squeeze from the fridge if I don’t have fresh lemons. All this means that it’s one of those recipes that I have everything I need to make it in the pantry already. Originally from Good Taste magazine. Serves 12. Costs less than $6 to make.

Melted butter, to grease
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
85g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
100g butter, melted
1 x 395g can sweetened condensed milk
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice
2 tbs passionfruit pulp

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 16 x 26cm (base measurement) slab pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and 2 long sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang.
Use a wooden spoon to combine the flour, coconut, sugar and butter in a large bowl. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Transfer to the prepared pan. Use a metal spoon to press firmly over the base. Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden. Set aside to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 150°C.Use a balloon whisk to whisk together the condensed milk, lemon juice and passionfruit pulp in a large bowl until smooth and well combined. Pour into the pan and spread evenly over the base. Bake in oven for 15 minutes until just firm to the touch. Set aside to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.