For reasons yet to be fully understood I recently bought a huge packet of pretzels at the supermarket. I’m not a fan of pretzels at all so just chalk this purchase up to momentary madness. I don’t even think they were on sale. Every time I open the pantry they wink at me, taunt me, as if to say – now what? Continue reading
It was my BFF’s birthday recently and a celebratory picnic was in order. Families and kids were rounded up, cheese was purchased, Pimms organised, rugs placed in cars. And a cake was baked. Continue reading
Sometimes you want to bake something technical, intricate and delicate. Other times you want something you can throw together with pantry staples in mere moments. Or your sugar craving needs to be address – stat. Or a child comes home with an until-this-moment forgotten about request for something sweet as a friend is coming over for a play. This is the recipe for you.
This easy to bake Nutella coconut bars / slice/ squares recipe is so delicious – the crunch of the base contrasts so well with the lush chocolate filling. Make these and try and stop at just one piece!
GATHER:
125 grams butter, at room temperature, diced
100 grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon best vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
½ cup Nutella
topping:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups desiccated coconut
1/3 cup caster sugar
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Grease and line a rectangular slice pan, allowing a 3cm overhang of paper.
In bowl of electric mixer beat sugar, butter and vanilla until pale, then using a spoon stir in flour.
Scrape into pan, distributing evenly, and cook for 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside until completely cool.
Meanwhile, mix all the topping ingredients together in a small bowl.
Spread Nutella over cold base, sprinkle over topping – ensure it is even.
Return to oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Leave in pan until cold, then cut into squares to serve.
Many moons ago, in another life, I used to eat a chocolate chip muffin every day for breakfast. I commuted from one side of Sydney to the other and at the train station at my destination there was a muffin shop. I would alight, grab a behmouth of a choc chip muffin that probably had 10 gazillion calories and eat it on the walk to work.
It wasn’t until I started baking that I realised muffins weren’t supposed to be the size of a toddler’s head. Also, muffins are about a healthy a breakfast as birthday cake. Continue reading
So I am sure you have seen the pictures of cronuts/doughnuts/shakes studded with Froot Loops all over social media. I have, and was amazed at the things you can do with a packet of breakfast cereal! Continue reading
This is a what I like to think of as a nana cake. I say this without malice, as I am a nana before my time. To wit: I love shopping baskets on wheels, cardigans, baking, and nana naps (not all at the same time). Continue reading
I am the whitest girl you will ever meet but I feel that the addition of the brackets to this blog post sound like something Snoop Dog would rap. Or not – see previous comments RE white girl.
The reason I added these key words is when I’m on a mission to find a new baking recipe I am often hobbled by the little words that are usually hidden two-thirds of the way through the recipe ‘allow dough to chill in fridge for 2 hours.’ Ain’t no-one got time for that when school pick-up is looming. Continue reading
I know, I know – pink isn’t a food. It is a way of life, especially if you’re in the under 8 set, like my second-born. She is a poster girl for everything pink and girly and frilly. Even when she is climbing trees or running around at soccer training she is usually in clashing shades of shocking and pastel pink.
I have no idea why, I have never been a fan of gender-cliched dressing and my first born has a dislike of pink bordering on the obsessive.
My go to colour is red and I have always sought out clothes in colours other than pink for my gals but it just goes to show that pink is boss.
So to these doughnuts… I tweaked a recipe I found at Mary Quite Contrary Bakes – see the original here: http://www.maryquitecontrarybakes.com/2011/05/strawberry-glazed-doughnuts.html . I used a mini pan so this recipe made heaps!
Baked doughnuts are fun to make but you will need a doughnut baking pan and a Ziploc bag to make them.
GATHER:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp melted butter
3 tablespoons strawberry jam
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
smidge pink food colouring – optional
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180 C and thoroughly spray a mini doughnut pan with non-stick baking spray.
In a large metal bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon until combined.
Make a well in the centre, add in milk, egg, butter, syrup and jam (and food colouring if using) and quickly stir until just combined.
Get a large plastic cup or jug and open a Ziploc bag, then push the open bag into the cup and fold the top of the bag over the rim of the glass. Pour the batter into the bag, then use a pair of scissors to cut the corner off the bag.
Pipe into the donut pan until two-thirds full then bake for around 7-9 minutes – they don’t take long.
Remove from oven, flip onto cooling rack, then repeat with remaining batter – make sure you spray pan each time with baking spray.
glaze:
Sift 1 cup sifted icing sugar into a bowl then mix with milk until it is a thick pouring consistency – drizzle over cold doughnuts then sprinkle over 100s and 1000s.
I am going through a spicy and sweet stage. I always thought of spicy as something to have at dinner – laksa, anyone? – but as my love of baking increases, so does my curiosity with combining different tastes.
My light bulb moment with this spicy Mexican chocolate tart came one night when I was looking in the pantry for a nightcap of spiced rum and a nibble of chocolate.
I saw a bottle of my favourite tequila sitting alongside some dark chocolate and cinnamon and lo and behold – a glamorous dessert was born. The flavours of Mexico – spice from the cinnamon, heat from the chilli, tequila – shine through.
It goes without saying that this is an adults-only dessert – even if your young ‘un has a taste for chilli the fact that the tequila isn’t cooked off means it isn’t suitable.
This recipe is made of up several different steps, all of which can be done a day before you want to serve the tart. All the steps are simple and fuss-free, yet the finished product looks (and tastes) luscious.
If you do nothing else I would recommend making the candied red chilli the night before. This gives the sugar syrup and chilli a decent getting-to-know-you time, resulting in a better, less harsh flavour.
Ensure you deseed the chilli to remove most of the heat, and use big chillis, not the teeny heat-packing birds eye variety.
I used the excess sugar syrup left-over from making the candied red chilli to dress a chocolate cake – I will share that recipe soon.
This tart can serve 8 generously, or 12 if you cut into smaller squares.
GATHER:
Dough:
115 grams butter, melted
¼ cup caster sugar
1 ¼ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Tequila chocolate ganache:
125 grams best quality dark chocolate, chopped roughly
½ cup pouring (single) cream
1- 2 tablespoons tequila – the amount required will depend on the quality of your liquor.
Candied red chilli:
1 large red chilli, deseeded and cut into fine strips. You will only use about 1/3 of the chilli
150 mL water
150 grams caster sugar
LET’S GET TO IT:
Candied red chilli:
Make a sugar syrup by combing the water and sugar in a small pan over a low heat. Stir frequently until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 20 minutes (stirring and scrapping the bottom) until syrup is thick and reduced.
Remove from heat then add sliced red chilli to pan. When pan and syrup are cool cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight.
Dough:
In a large bowl stir together all the crust ingredients with a spoon until a soft dough forms – this should take about one minute.
Spray a 35cm x 4cm rectangular tart pan with removable base with non-stick cooking spray and press the dough all over the base and up the sides of the pan. Using the bottom of a glass helps with this.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Remove plastic wrap from tart and use a fork to prick the pastry base all over.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Ganache:
In a small saucepan place the chocolate with the cream and stir over a low heat until melted, thick and glossy – keep a close eye on it as you don’t want it to burn or boil. Allow to stand 15 minutes, then stir in the tequila, tasting as you go.
Stir to combine.
To assemble:
Remove chilli from syrup (you don’t need the syrup) and place chilli on sheet of baking paper.
When pastry base has cooled to room temperature pour in the ganache (give it a quick stir first) then decorate the top with the candied chilli.
Slice in thin wedges to serve.
Our friends Brett and Sarah recently had a baby and I was busting to meet her. My immune system, however, had other ideas and decided to deal me a large helping of Evil Flu. Continue reading
the hungry mum 