23/02/2011 by D.

These little Australian cakes are extremely morish and a fun activity to do with small children.  It is also a great way of using up sponge pieces or cakes that haven’t risen well.  Otherwise you need to make a basic sponge first.

Sponge
8oz soft butter
8oz caster sugar
4 medium eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
8oz self raising flour
a little milk

Preheat the oven to 180c.  Grease and line a large square tin, or two 7in cake tins with baking paper. 

Cream together butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy.  Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, and give them a quick beating with a fork.

Slowly add a little of the beaten egg and a tsp flour.  Continue adding egg until it is all incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Gently fold in the flour with a large metal spoon, until the batter has a soft dropping consistency.  If too stiff add a bit of milk. Spread out the mixture into the tin/tins.

Bake for 20-25 mins until golden-brown and a skewer comes out clean.  Take the cake out of the tin and peel off the paper then leave to cool on wire rack.  When cool, cut cake into 1 inch cubes.

Icing
2 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups dessicated coconut

Mix icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until thick and smooth.

Roll cubes of cake in the chocolate icing then in the coconut and leave on wire rack to set.  NB If the icing cools enough to solidify after a bit, just put it back over the hot water to melt again.

These are very moreish… you have been warned!

Posted in Flour, Coconut, Icing sugar, Vanilla, Cake, Chocolate, Eggs, Butter, Milk, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

23/05/2010 by D.

These are completely addictive!

1 mug stoned dates, covered in boiling water
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cocoa
(tbsp whiskey or rum opt.)
2 mugs porridge oats
dessicated coconut or ground almonds to roll them in

Cover the dates in boiling water and leave to stand. Mix together the other ingredients in a bowl.  Blend the date mixture until smooth, then add to dry mix and stir well. 

The mix should be firm enough to handle, but still a bit sticky; if not add some more oats or some coconut, if too dry add a little water (or something stronger).   Shape into small balls and roll in a plate covered with coconut.  Store covered in fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.  This makes about 60.

Posted in Dates, Cocoa, Sweets, Coconut, Chocolate, Vegetarian, Butter, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

01/02/2010 by D.

This is a very easy cake I made recently for a child’s birthday party and am posting the recipe as several of you have requested it!  There are no organic veg in here though…

We made a tray of brownies and a tray of flapjack, let them cool, and cut them into small squares.  We then laid the squares out alternately in a snake shape on a low table, and decorated the snake with smarties and candles.

As soon as the last candle had been blown out… the hordes descended and within 20 minutes all that was left were a few crumbs.  Highly popular with parents and babies alike and not a smudge of icing in sight.

Brownies

200g butter
100g cocoa powder (the posher the better)
4 eggs
400g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
100g wholemeal SR flour
100g choc chips (or cranberries; raisins; dried apricots; dried cherries…)

Preheat oven to 180c.  Line a shallow baking tin with baking paper.

Melt the butter in a pan, then stir in cocoa powder well to remove any lumps.  Beat the eggs in a bowl, then beat in the sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Add cocoa/butter mixture and stir.

Slowly add flour and choc chips until all well combined.  Pour into tray and bake for 20-25mins.  The less time you bake them for, the softer and gooier they will be.  For making this cake, you may need a couple more minutes as they need to be firm enough for little hands to grab. 

NB For more depth of flavour I sometimes substitute 20g of the cocoa for green & blacks drinking chocolate.

Flapjacks

150g butter
150g muscovado sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
450g oats
75g mixed fruit (or raisins etc as above or just add more oats for plain)

Preheat oven to 160c.

Grease a shallow tin.  Melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the sugar, syrup, oats and fruit.

Press mixture into tin until flat using a spoon and bake for 30mins.  Leave to cool before cutting and removing.  Again the timing on this one depends on how crunchy/chewy you like your flapjacks to be.  I’ve given a slightly firmer timing to make them work for the cake.

Posted in Chocolate, Dried Apricot, Vanilla Extract, Cake, Party, Baking, Raisins, Flapjack, Eggs, Recipe, Butter, Oats, Brownie, Sugar, Organic Box | Print | No Comments »

22/10/2009 by D.

4 pears  (or as many as you can fit in the pan and want to eat)
100g sugar
1/2 lemon (juice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon or a cinnamon stick (or a vanilla pod for the classic version)
100ml single cream 
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
100g dark chocolate
vanilla ice cream

Heat enough water to cover the pears standing up and add the sugar and lemon juice and cinnamon.  Peel your pears, keeping them whole including the stalk and core.  Stand them up in the pan and bring the syrup to boil and simmer for around half an hour, depending on the size of your pears.  They are ready when the pears are tender.

Meanwhile, put the sauce ingredients in a pan (apart from the chocolate) and bring gently to the boil.  Turn off the heat and after a minute add the chocolate (broken into chunks).  Take your vanilla ice cream out of the freezer to soften slightly.  Stir the chocolate sauce well, making sure all the chocolate has melted.  You can add a little of the pear syrup to the sauce too, if you like.

When the pears are ready, drain them and serve immediately with the ice cream, and a jug of the hot chocolate sauce.  Bon Appetit.

Posted in Ice cream, Cream, Pudding, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Lemon, Toddler, Recipe, Pear, Organic Box | Print | No Comments »