Ingredients
Sweet shortcrust Pastry
2 cups plain flour
3 tbs Castor sugar
150 g cold butter
2-3 tbs cold water
Pie filling
I cup of pureed cooked pumpkin*
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup cream
1 tps ground cinnamon
Whipped cream to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. To make the pastry combine in a food processor the flour, butter and sugar until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running add enough cold water to form a smooth dough. Process until just combined. Knead the dough lightly, cover with plastic and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Roll the pastry on a floured surface until about 3mm thick. Place in your greased tart pan. Line with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and place back in the oven for 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
To make the filling. Reduce your oven to 150 degrees C. Place the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, cream and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Pour into the tart shell and bake for 50 minutes or until the filling is set. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and serve with whipped cream.
*Chop, peel and steam 500g of pumpkin until cooked. Cool completely and puree in a food processor.
Recipe adapted from Donna Hay modern classic cookbook2
Indulgent Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
150g butter
2 eggs
250g dark chocolate
100g plain flour
200g peeled and finely grated beetroot
icing sugar for dusting
Method
1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C. 2. Place butter and chocolate into a small saucepan and melt on low heat until smooth. Leave to cool. 3. Place eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and fluffy, this should take around 3 minutes. 4. fold through the flour, beetroot and cooled chocolate. Spoon into pan and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the center of the cake is just set. Cool on wire rack and dust with icing sugar.
Coffee cake with caramel icing
Ingredients
150g Caster sugar
150g butter
3 eggs
150g self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbs hot water
1 tbs instant coffee
1 tbs butter
1/3 cup cream
2 tbs brown sugar
1/3 cup icing sugar
1. pre heat oven to 160 degrees C. 2. Beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. 3. Add eggs one at a time and combine well. 4. Sift flour and baking powder and add to mixture folding through. 5. Dissolve coffee and hot water and add to mixture, lightly folding through until coffee is combined. 6. Grease a round cake pan. Spoon mixture into pan and bake for 30 minuted or until cake bounces back when pressed in center. 7. Cool on a rack, in the meantime to make the icing take a small sauce pan and melt the butter, cream and sugar together. Once combined take off heat and add icing sugar. Allow both cake and icing to cool before icing the cake.
Best enjoyed with a coffee for afternoon tea
Recipe adapted from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8421/creamy-coffee-cake
Pistachio and Orange Blossom Macaroons
Ingredients
1/3 cup pistachio nuts
3 eggs whites
1/4 cup Castor sugar
green food colouring
1 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup pouring cream
150 g white chocolate
4 tps orange blossom water
Method
1. Line tray with baking paper and grease. 2. precess pistachio nuts until ground finely. 3. Beat eggs whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add caster sugar ad a few drops of green food colouring and beat until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in almond meal, icing sugar, 1/4 cup ground pistachio. 4. Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm plain tube. Pipe mixture 4cm round onto tray and leave stand for 30 minutes. 5. pre heat oven to 150 degrees C. Sprinkle macaroons with remaining ground pistachios and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Let macaroons cool on tray. 7. Bring cream to the boil in a small sauce pan, remove from heat, add the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add orange blossom water and cool in refrigerator until spreadable. 8. Sandwich macaroons with white chocolate filling.
Perfect for gifts...or to keep all for yourself
Recipe adapted from Macaroons and Biscuits by Women's Weekly.
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1/4cup butter
1 (.25) packet instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tps salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1tbs cinnamon
3 tbs cup butter cubed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 icing sugar
3 tbs water
Method
1. pre heat oven to 180 degree C. 2. Heat the milk, butter and sugar in a small saucepan until sugar and butter has dissolved. Turn off sauce pan and allow to cool. 3. When the sugar, butter and milk mixture reaches Luke warm temperature add the yest. 4. In a food processor combine flour and salt. Add the milk mixture and egg and allow to come together to form a dough. . Transfer to a bowl, cover in glad wrap and allow to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes. 5. Roll dough out into a square about 1 cm high. Sprinkle cubed butter, chopped pecans and brown sugar over the dough as seen in picture. 6. Roll the dough up and cut into 8 pieces. 7. Arrange rolls in a circle baking dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brow on top. 8. While rolls are baking make the icing by combining the icing sugar and water together. 9. Take rolls out of the oven, pour icing over the hot rolls and sprinkle with extra pecans and cinnamon on top.
Serve rolls warm ....for extra indulgence add cream..... or the American way with a glass of milk.
This recipe was adapted from the recipe found at www.squidoo.com/cinnamon-rolls-recipe
White Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. 2. Sift together flour and baking soda. 3. In a bowl combine the flour and sugar. 4. Slightly beat the eggs together and add to the flour mixture along with the milk. Combine together to form a slightly thick, smooth batter. 5. Add the cranberries and white chocolate and mix throughout. 6. Line a muffin tray with patty pans, the mixture should make around 8 muffins. 7. Divide mixture between the pans and place in the oven. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes or until golden on top.
I like to serve my muffins warm with cream or butter.
Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tps baking powder
1 tps salt
2 tbs cocoa
60ml red food colouring
120g unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tps vanilla essence
1 cup buttermilk
1 tps white vinegar
1 tps baking soda
Cream cheese frosting
450g cream cheese
120g butter
1 tps vanilla essence
2 cups icing sugar
Pinch of salt
1. preheat oven to 180 degrees C. 2. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. 3. In a small bowl mix the food colouring and cocoa powder until it forms a smooth, thin paste. 4. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 5. beat in eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and red cocoa paste and combine well. 6. Add one third of the flour mixture and half the buttermilk and mix well. 7. Beat in another third of the flour mixture and the rest of the buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour and combine well. 8. In a small bowl mix the vinegar and baking soda then add to the cake mixture. 9. Divide the batter between two 20cm round cake pans and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 10. Cool cake on wire rack, allow cakes to cool completely before before icing. 11. to making frosting combine cream cheese and butter and beat until well combined. 12. slowly add the vanilla, salt and icing sugar. once combined beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
This cake is a messy cake so make sure you wear an apron...... I added chopped pecans to the top of the cake to add texture and appearance....Enjoy
Recipe From: www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Red-Velvet-Cake-L7335.html
Melting Moments
Ingredients
250g butter
1tps Vanilla essence
80 g Icing sugar
225g plain flour
75g Cornflour
Butter Cream
90g butter
120g icing sugar
1 tps lemon rind
1 tps lemon juice
Direction
1. Pre heat oven to 260 degrees C. 2. Line trays with baking paper. 3. Mix with an electric mixer the butter icing sugar and vanilla essence until fluffy. 4. Stir in sifted flour in 2 batches, mixing well. 5. Roll a teaspoon of mixture with floured hands into small balls. 6. Flatten slightly with a fork. 7. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. 8. To make the butter cream beat all ingredients together until light and fluffy. 9. Sandwich biscuits together with butter cream.....Biscuits can be kept without butter cream in an airtight container for up to a week.... Butter cream biscuits will keep for a few days in the fridge.
Recipe from: Women's Weekly Macroons and Biscuits
Chocolate Eclairs
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
110g plain flour
60g butter
3 eggs
190ml water
Filling
1 tbs sugar
250ml cream
1 tps vanilla essence
Chocolate Icing
180g icing sugar
2 tsp cocoa
1 tbs water
Directions
1. Set oven to 220 degrees celcius. 2. Place water and butter in a saucepan, stir until butter is melted, and bring to the boil. 3. Remove from heat, Immediately add all flour at once. 4.Quickly stir with wooden spoon until mixture leaves the side of the bowl. 5. Allow to cool slightly, then add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. 6. Beat well until mixture is smooth and glossy. 7. Fill piping bag full of mixture. 8. Pipe 8cm lengths onto tray. 9. Bake at 220 Degrees C, Reducing to 180 Degrees after 15 minutes. 10. Cook until Eclairs are golden brown and no moisture beads are visible. 11. Whip cream, vanilla essence, and sugar together until stiff peaks form. 12. Using Piping bag fill pastry with cream. 13. In a bowl combine icing sugar and cocoa. 14. Add water until icing runs smoothly and slowly. 15. Spread Icing on top of each Eclair. ... Store in a refrigerated space. .... Enjoy!
*Recipie From : 'Cookery the Australian Way' 6th Ed. - Shirley Cameron & Suzanne Russell*
