We are trying hard to be healthy here in our house, but the occasional indulgence is still required. It's prudent in these times of self restraint to make something single-portion sized...and today required a bit of chocolate self-saucing pudding. This isn't the same as a proper baked pudding, but this takes 40 seconds to cook and not 40 minutes! Sometimes, near enough is good enough.
For those days when you need just a little something, this might just be the little something.
Ingredients:
The cake -
1 1/2 Tablespoons self raising flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
The topping -
1/2 Tablespoon cocoa
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoons hot water
Method:
Mix together the cake ingredients in a coffee mug - the flour, cocoa, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Make the mix is all well incorporated.
Sprinkle over the top the topping - cocoa and brown sugar. Carefully pour over the hot water. Do not mix.
Pop the mug into the microwave for about 40 seconds. The cake will still look moist, but it should be cooked. If not, heat another 5 - 10 seconds. You know your microwave best.
Drizzle over cream, serve with ice cream, or serve it as it was in our house with a nice glass of cold milk.
Enjoy!
Monday, September 1, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Birthday Cake: Super moist, foolproof and dark chocolate-y
Who doesn't love birthday cake? My daughter recently celebrated her 17th birthday and requested my homemade chocolate cake, with a dark chocolate frosting. I do this cake with a peanut butter frosting that is pretty special...but the birthday girl wanted an all-chocolate affair.
I tend to like my cakes done in a bundt ban...I just find they cook evenly and, if I'm honest, I just love they way a bundt cake looks. This cake can easily be done as a layer cake or even cupcakes...you'd just need to change the timings a bit.
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 170C/350F. My oven runs a bit hot and is fan forced, so I actually do mine at 160C...use your judgement.
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a good sized bowl. Use the very best cocoa powder you can for this cake, it will be the dominant flavour in the cake. My favourite is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, which is almost impossible to get in Australia. Failing having that, Callebaut Cocoa works beautifully.
Add to the dry mixture the two eggs, the buttermilk, the coffee, vegetable oil and vanilla. Again, the quality of the coffee will affect the flavour of the cake so go for something decent. This cake doesn't have a lot of hiding space, so I heartily encourage you to use nice ingredients.
Mix with a hand mixer for about two minutes. The mixture will be very runny, but this is I think why it is so moist once it is baked. Pour into a prepared non-stick pan. I just do a good spray of baking spray, but prepare the pan as you normally would to ensure a successful release.
Bake for 20 minutes, turn the cake 180 degrees, and then bake for another 20 minutes. If a skewer comes out clean, it is done. Sometimes it make take up to an extra five minutes.
Let the cake cook for about five minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.
The frosting I used was a super easy buttercream, but not overly sweet. It came together quickly, and was very tasty.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use the same one as in the cake)
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa, and set aside. Beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Add the sugar/cocoa mix to the whipped butter alternately with tablespoons of cream until all are incorporated. Add in the vanilla. If the frosting is too loose, add a bit more powdered sugar. Whip until it is smooth, and then frost the cake straight away. Delicious on the cake or out of the mixing bowl!
I tend to like my cakes done in a bundt ban...I just find they cook evenly and, if I'm honest, I just love they way a bundt cake looks. This cake can easily be done as a layer cake or even cupcakes...you'd just need to change the timings a bit.
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 170C/350F. My oven runs a bit hot and is fan forced, so I actually do mine at 160C...use your judgement.
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a good sized bowl. Use the very best cocoa powder you can for this cake, it will be the dominant flavour in the cake. My favourite is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, which is almost impossible to get in Australia. Failing having that, Callebaut Cocoa works beautifully.
Add to the dry mixture the two eggs, the buttermilk, the coffee, vegetable oil and vanilla. Again, the quality of the coffee will affect the flavour of the cake so go for something decent. This cake doesn't have a lot of hiding space, so I heartily encourage you to use nice ingredients.
Mix with a hand mixer for about two minutes. The mixture will be very runny, but this is I think why it is so moist once it is baked. Pour into a prepared non-stick pan. I just do a good spray of baking spray, but prepare the pan as you normally would to ensure a successful release.
Bake for 20 minutes, turn the cake 180 degrees, and then bake for another 20 minutes. If a skewer comes out clean, it is done. Sometimes it make take up to an extra five minutes.
Let the cake cook for about five minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.
The frosting I used was a super easy buttercream, but not overly sweet. It came together quickly, and was very tasty.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use the same one as in the cake)
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa, and set aside. Beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Add the sugar/cocoa mix to the whipped butter alternately with tablespoons of cream until all are incorporated. Add in the vanilla. If the frosting is too loose, add a bit more powdered sugar. Whip until it is smooth, and then frost the cake straight away. Delicious on the cake or out of the mixing bowl!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Anzac Biscuits
There aren't many recipes on my blog that
call for coconut, largely because I am not a fan. My husband on the other
hand, loves it. Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that
broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in
all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations as well as those who
contributed and suffered through the conflicts. The Anzac biscuit is notable in that it doesn’t
have eggs – two reasons for that as I understand it. One – the poultry farmers were all part of
the war effort in WW1 and there was a shortage of eggs. The other reason was to ensure the biscuits
wouldn’t spoil when shipped over to the front.
There are many variations on Anzac biscuits,
but this one is the perfect mix of crunchy and soft.
Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
125 grams (1/2 cup) butter
3 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Method
Preheat oven to 160C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Sift flour into a large bowl, and then add the oats, coconut, and brown sugar.
In a small pan, melt the butter and golden syrup together with 1 Tablespoon of water. Once the mix is all melted and combined, remove from the heat and stir through the baking soda. The mix will foam, so just keep stirring. Once all combined, pour the liquid mix into the flour and stir through well.
I use my little cookie scoop to measure out a small ball of cookie dough. Flatten out on the tray, and then bake for about 10 minutes. Cool on the tray for about five minutes, and then cool completely on a wire rack.
Ode of Remembrance
They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam
Lest we forget.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Passionfruit & White Chocolate Cookies
Passionfruits are beautifully in season at the moment…and really taste of Australian summer to me. We recently had a big gathering at our house for a BBQ and I wanted some summery cookies. Digging through my recipe collection, I found a nice white chocolate chip cookie recipe and decided to add some passionfruit. It worked a treat - people seemed to really enjoy these. I decided to add a nice passionfruit glaze to the top of them…and they looked beautiful.
Ingredients:
For the cookies -
125 grams unsalted butter softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Passionfruit pulp from 2 large or 3 small fruits
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornflour
100 grams white chocolate chips
For the glaze -
2/3 cup powdered sugar
Passionfruit pulp from 1 large fruit
Hot water (as needed only)
Method:
Oven should be preheated to 160C, and cookie trays should be lined with baking paper.
Mix (with an electric mixer) the butter and sugar until it is light and creamy. Stir through the passionfruit pulp, then add the sifted dry ingredients. Once mixed together, add the chocolate chips and mix well.
I use a cookie scooper to form my cookies, but you can roll small teaspoons full of dough and put on the prepared tray. The cookies don't spread much at all.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden, and then let them set on the tray for about five minutes to firm up. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool.
Sift the 2/3 cup of powdered sugar in a a small bowl. Stir in the passionfruit pulp and mix until smooth. A bit of hot water might be needed to pull it together - you want a fairly thick drizzle. Drizzle on top of each cookie and let set completely.
These make about 20 - 25 cookies, and they have a tendency to disappear immediately after being put out.
Ingredients:
For the cookies -
125 grams unsalted butter softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Passionfruit pulp from 2 large or 3 small fruits
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornflour
100 grams white chocolate chips
For the glaze -
2/3 cup powdered sugar
Passionfruit pulp from 1 large fruit
Hot water (as needed only)
Method:
Oven should be preheated to 160C, and cookie trays should be lined with baking paper.
Mix (with an electric mixer) the butter and sugar until it is light and creamy. Stir through the passionfruit pulp, then add the sifted dry ingredients. Once mixed together, add the chocolate chips and mix well.
I use a cookie scooper to form my cookies, but you can roll small teaspoons full of dough and put on the prepared tray. The cookies don't spread much at all.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden, and then let them set on the tray for about five minutes to firm up. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool.
Sift the 2/3 cup of powdered sugar in a a small bowl. Stir in the passionfruit pulp and mix until smooth. A bit of hot water might be needed to pull it together - you want a fairly thick drizzle. Drizzle on top of each cookie and let set completely.
These make about 20 - 25 cookies, and they have a tendency to disappear immediately after being put out.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Pork Belly Soft Tacos
I'm the worst food blogger when it comes to taking photos of what I cook and blog about. I'll confess, it's mostly because I try something new…have to taste it, end up finishing the dish in question, and then decide to blog about it. By the time the blogging decision is made, the food is long gone. You'll have to trust me…these pork belly soft tacos were amazing.
The inspiration for this dish came courtesy of one of my cousins, who posted about making homemade salsa and then shared her method. Well, I made the salsa on Saturday and it was one of the best salsas I have ever had. I'm one of those people who hates coriander/cilantro…so when making my own salsa I was able to leave it out. (For the record, the method is just roast a bunch of tomatoes, onions, peppers and then seed and peel and puree in the food processor….the simplicity belies the deliciousness.) What goes better with a beautiful homemade salsa than a nice soft taco?!
For the pork belly, take a 500 gram belly of pork and remove the skin keeping the fat layer intact. Rub the skin with salt and cook for about twenty minutes in a HOT oven….and then crunch up the crackling and put in reserve for a porky garnish on the tacos.
Once the crackling is out, turn the oven down to 200C. While the oven is cooling off a bit, prepare the pork belly.
I scored the fat layer, and put the pork belly fat side up on a rack in a roasting pan. For the seasoning mix I used:
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt!)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
cracked pepper to taste
Reserve about one teaspoon of this season mix to stir through some rice for the tacos.
Rub the seasoning mix all over the pork belly, and put in the oven uncovered for about 30 minutes until the pork is fairly golden all over. Pull the pork out of the oven and cover with foil, and return to the oven. The temperature should be lowered to about 160C….now is when the magic slow roasting begins. The pork belly should slow roast for about 1 1/2 hours, but keep an eye on it. If your piece is smaller or thinner…it might require less time.
Towards the end of the pork cooking time, prepare a small pan of rice (1/2 cup of long grain rice to 1 cup of water…cook for about 15 minutes). Once the rice has cooked, fluff it up a bit with a fork and then sprinkle the reserved one teaspoon of spices over the top and recover. Just before making up the tacos, stir the rice and the seasoning will mix through it. If you are so inclined, some coriander/cilantro would potentially be a nice addition to the rice. Not on my watch!
I served the tacos in nice soft flour tortillas…start with a small amount of rice, a bit of grated cheese, the pork belly, some salsa, some lettuce and tomato (chopped finely) and then finish off with a sprinkling of pork crackling.
These taste particularly nice on a warm summer's evening, with a cold beer while sitting in a hammock. Consider that a serving suggestion!
Enjoy!
The inspiration for this dish came courtesy of one of my cousins, who posted about making homemade salsa and then shared her method. Well, I made the salsa on Saturday and it was one of the best salsas I have ever had. I'm one of those people who hates coriander/cilantro…so when making my own salsa I was able to leave it out. (For the record, the method is just roast a bunch of tomatoes, onions, peppers and then seed and peel and puree in the food processor….the simplicity belies the deliciousness.) What goes better with a beautiful homemade salsa than a nice soft taco?!
For the pork belly, take a 500 gram belly of pork and remove the skin keeping the fat layer intact. Rub the skin with salt and cook for about twenty minutes in a HOT oven….and then crunch up the crackling and put in reserve for a porky garnish on the tacos.
Once the crackling is out, turn the oven down to 200C. While the oven is cooling off a bit, prepare the pork belly.
I scored the fat layer, and put the pork belly fat side up on a rack in a roasting pan. For the seasoning mix I used:
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt!)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
cracked pepper to taste
Reserve about one teaspoon of this season mix to stir through some rice for the tacos.
Rub the seasoning mix all over the pork belly, and put in the oven uncovered for about 30 minutes until the pork is fairly golden all over. Pull the pork out of the oven and cover with foil, and return to the oven. The temperature should be lowered to about 160C….now is when the magic slow roasting begins. The pork belly should slow roast for about 1 1/2 hours, but keep an eye on it. If your piece is smaller or thinner…it might require less time.
Towards the end of the pork cooking time, prepare a small pan of rice (1/2 cup of long grain rice to 1 cup of water…cook for about 15 minutes). Once the rice has cooked, fluff it up a bit with a fork and then sprinkle the reserved one teaspoon of spices over the top and recover. Just before making up the tacos, stir the rice and the seasoning will mix through it. If you are so inclined, some coriander/cilantro would potentially be a nice addition to the rice. Not on my watch!
I served the tacos in nice soft flour tortillas…start with a small amount of rice, a bit of grated cheese, the pork belly, some salsa, some lettuce and tomato (chopped finely) and then finish off with a sprinkling of pork crackling.
These taste particularly nice on a warm summer's evening, with a cold beer while sitting in a hammock. Consider that a serving suggestion!
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Easy Coffee Ice Cream
One of my favourite wedding presents was a beautiful refrigerative ice cream machine. That machine churned out many wonderful delights, but died a sad death in 2013. The silver lining I found in this was that it clearly meant that Anthony and I have been together for a long time! I haven't brought myself to buying a new ice cream machine, as I only really want one of the professional machines and we have had a lot going on this last year. I have tried some semi-freddos, but haven't loved the texture of them….I'm pretty picky and I was spoiled by my professional machine.
Until now.
I owe an enormous culinary debt to Nigella Lawson. She's clearly had a tough year, but my love for her still burns bright. I was flipping around the channels during the holidays… and saw Nigella making an ice cream. It looked beautiful, and I trusted her when she said the texture was amazing. So, last night I decided to give it a go and today we tried the fruits of my labour. It was AMAZING. I made a few modifications to Nigella's original recipe, so here is what I did.
Ingredients:
600 mls thickened cream
1 can (395 grams) sweetened condensed milk
4 Tablespoons instant espresso granules
4 Tablespoons Kahlua
Method:
In either a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) or with a hand mixer, whip the cream and condensed milk until well combined. Add the espresso granules and the Kahlua, and whip until soft peaks form. It took a bit more than five minutes of whipping for this to come together. All of the coffee granules should be dissolved.
The alcohol in the Kahlua is part of the magic that keeps this ice cream soft and creamy - it prevents the mix from freezing hard.
Scoop the mix into a 1 litre container, and pop in the freezer. It will take at least five or six hours to freeze. I can promise you, the texture of this ice cream is amazing and the flavour is divine. I served this with a bit of fudge sauce, which was a nice flavour match with the coffee. Eating it straight out of the box is completely acceptable too...
Enjoy!
Until now.
I owe an enormous culinary debt to Nigella Lawson. She's clearly had a tough year, but my love for her still burns bright. I was flipping around the channels during the holidays… and saw Nigella making an ice cream. It looked beautiful, and I trusted her when she said the texture was amazing. So, last night I decided to give it a go and today we tried the fruits of my labour. It was AMAZING. I made a few modifications to Nigella's original recipe, so here is what I did.
Ingredients:
600 mls thickened cream
1 can (395 grams) sweetened condensed milk
4 Tablespoons instant espresso granules
4 Tablespoons Kahlua
Method:
In either a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) or with a hand mixer, whip the cream and condensed milk until well combined. Add the espresso granules and the Kahlua, and whip until soft peaks form. It took a bit more than five minutes of whipping for this to come together. All of the coffee granules should be dissolved.
The alcohol in the Kahlua is part of the magic that keeps this ice cream soft and creamy - it prevents the mix from freezing hard.
Scoop the mix into a 1 litre container, and pop in the freezer. It will take at least five or six hours to freeze. I can promise you, the texture of this ice cream is amazing and the flavour is divine. I served this with a bit of fudge sauce, which was a nice flavour match with the coffee. Eating it straight out of the box is completely acceptable too...
Enjoy!
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