This is one of those throw-together-in-a-flash desserts you need during a Sydney summer. It is hot, people have dropped round for a drink that turned into dinner that turned into dessert and now you need something sweet. Continue reading
Tag Archives: baking
Simple chocolate cornflake biscuits / cookies (Afghan biscuits)
2 Jan
Baking and reading are two of my favourite hobbies so you can imagine how happy I am when perusing the cookbook section of my local library. I love meandering through, taking my time to flick through the baking books to find the right ones to borrow. Continue reading
Donna Hay easy shortbread
24 Dec
I can’t believe I haven’t blogged this recipe yet! I have made this shortbread for every Christmas for years and years and have always had perfect results. Continue reading
Easy Rudolph mini chocolate cupcakes
22 Dec
Everyone loves a cute cupcake and Christmas is the best time to get all ‘squee’ with your baking.
I have been baking for friends, family and neighbours as long as I can remember and these mini Rudolph mini cupcakes are always a hit.
This year Misses 8 and 10 took over baking and decorating duties for the neighbours as I attended to last minute Christmas duties. They were gratefully received by everyone, and after delivering them the gals came home clutching a giant box of chocolates
And aren’t the tins adorable? My friend from work, Stephen, frequents op shops and always stocks up tins for me. I use them to package up baked goods.
These cakes best made on the day of serving, or you can bake then freeze the uniced cakes. Bring to room temperature before decorating.
GATHER:
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup marsala
125g melted, cooled butter
2 heaped tablespoons sifted cocoa
2 eggs
red M&Ms
choc bits
coloured M&Ms or choc drops for eyes
pretzels, broken in half, for antlers
LET’S DO IT:
Line 2 mini muffin tins with mini muffin wrappers, pre-heat oven to 175C.
Add all ingredients into bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and beat for three minutes.
Spoon into wrappers, bake for 15-ish minutes/until a skewer instead comes out clean.
Place on wire rack. When totally cool ice with ganache {RECIPE BELOW}.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
In a small saucepan over low heat melt 125g dark chocolate [broken into chunks] with 1/2 cup cream. Stir until melted, thick and glossy. Allow to stand 15 minutes until thick. Use knife to spread over cakes. Decorate the cupcakes to resemble reindeers.
Christmas eggnog cookies
20 Dec
This was the first Christmas I have ever tried eggnog and let me state for the record – I am in love!
In Sydney Christmas is a hot’n’humid affair, with temperatures usually in the mid 30C so our drink of choice on the big day is beer or champagne. I don’t know anyone who has tried eggnog – many people I mention it to haven’t even heard of it.
But big supermarkets start stocking it in December and this year curiousity got the better of me. I bought it, tried it, loved it. I created eggnog cupcakes, which you can see here https://thehungrymum.com/2015/12/07/one-bowl-eggnog-cupcakes-for-christmas/
I wanted to play around a bit more so I found this recipe for eggnog cookies at http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/11/melt-mouth-eggnog-cookies/
I tweaked it somewhat, including reducing the sugar by half. And replacing the rum extract with real rum. And doubling the amount of cinnamon 🙂
I also didn’t bother making the butter topping, as lovely as it looked, cause it was just too hot to spend another minute in the kitchen.
These eggnog cookies were packaged up in pretty tins and given to neighbours for Christmas.
GATHER:
2 1/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
1/4 cup caster sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 teaspoons dark rum
1/2 cup eggnog
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180 C degrees.
In a large bowl use a fork to whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon – set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and both sugars until pale and creamy.
Beat in egg yolks one at a time, then stir in vanilla, rum and eggnog.
Turn to low speed and add flour mix, one tablespoon at a time, until just combined. Roll dough balls the size of a ping pong ball and place on tray, then gently flatten paper lined baking sheets. Allow space for them to spread.
Bake for 13 – 15 minutes.
When cold sprinkle with icing sugar.
One bowl eggnog cupcakes for Christmas
7 Dec
Can you believe I only tried eggnog this week? As it is high summer in Australia at Christmas we are likely to quaff chilled champagne than a warm custard-like drink, but I have to say I quite liked it. Continue reading
Christmas Madeleines – an easy chocolate peppermint recipe
30 Nov
In Australia it is unbelievably hot in the lead-up to Christmas but we still borrow traditions from the Northern hemisphere in terms of food we serve. Even people who love baking need a break from standing in front of a hot oven. A quick Christmas recipe is a great Christmas recipe, which is why these Christmas Madeleines are perfect. Continue reading
Chocolate mud cake from scratch recipe
27 Nov
My firstborn just turned ten! Farewell Miss 9, hello Miss 10! My lovely gal requested a chocolate mud cake for her birthday and her wish was my command.
This was the first time I had made a dark chocolate mud cake from scratch and I was thrilled with the result. It was rich without being cloying, dense without being heavy and perfectly moist. Continue reading
Easy chocolate peppermint cake recipe
18 Nov
This is the story of a cake that almost wasn’t eaten. I made this simple chocolate peppermint cake from scratch to take to my friends at the newspaper where I work as a journalist. Then, the next morning, the usual pandemonium to get out the front door ensued and cake got left behind. Poor cake. Continue reading
Boozy chocolate bundt cake with dulce de leche from scratch
15 Nov
I kept seeing recipes for cakes/cookies/brownies with dulce de leche, a thick caramel sauce that tastes like heaven. Often these recipes would suggest buying the dulce de leche at a deli. Problem was, when I did eventually track down the dulce de leche it was super expensive. Quite honestly, the price was unjustifiable. So I did some research and blamo – I found you could make dulce de leche easily from scratch at home.
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