Amazingly Easy Chocolate Cake

This is a dark moist and delicious chocolate cake and its so easy to make. Its perfect for any occasion and can be adapted to your taste by adding orange zest or any other flavourings that your heart desires.
Try it!

Chocolate Cake with ganache icing

Ingredients:

• 250g dark chocolate roughly chopped
• 250g butter
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 4 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup Castor sugar
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1/2 cup ground almonds/hazelnuts

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Centigrade.
2. Grease a 20cm spring form cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
3. Melt the chocolate, butter and coffee powder in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of hot water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Allow to cool (the butter, chocolate and coffee can be melted in the microwave for 1-2mins, stir until smooth) 
4. With an electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar for 4-5 minutes, or until pale and fluffy.
5. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. 
6. Gently fold in the flour and the ground almonds.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out. 
9. Allow to cool completely on a wire wrack before icing and decorating.
10. I iced my cake with chocolate ganache. With 250g of dark chocolate melted and 100ml of cream. poured over the cake and left to drip over the sides. Then I grated 45g of white chocolate onto the top. Use whatever icing you prefer or you can simply dust with icing sugar.

Delicious Lemon Polenta Cake!

It was my dads birthday on Sunday and he loves eating anything with a lemon flavour, so after making lemon tart after lemon tart over the past few years I wanted to try something different and this months "Taste" Magazine was just the inspiration I needed. I love the Woolworths taste magazine its always full of ideas and new recipes for me to try. I love the "month of meals" recipe special section and the new "Taste Guide to Really Good Cooking" where they incorporate the discount for Woolworths cardholders and make recipes for affordable cooking. This cake had an amazing texture and lemon infused taste. Try it!

Lemon Polenta Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 100g fine Polenta
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g shredded coconut
• 1-teaspoon baking powder
• 2 lemons juiced and zested
• 250g butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 eggs

Lemon glaze:

• 200g icing sugar
• ½ lemon juiced

Ingredients

 Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Combine the Polenta, almonds, coconut and baking powder with the lemon zest.
3. Cream the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs 1 at a time and beat in between.
5. Fold in the lemon juice and the dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Spoon into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool then pour over the glaze.
7. To make the glaze, place the icing sugar in a bowl together with the lemon juice and beat into a smooth paste.

Enjoy

Recipe Source: Woolworths Taste Magazine

Tantelizing Lemon Curd Recipe...at your disposal!

Today I came home and just saw lemons galore in my kitchen, so I thought for a while about what I could make with them...perhaps a tart? or maybe a lemon cake? But then it clicked: Quick, simple and delicious Lemon curd! It came out beautifully tart, smooth and sweet all at the same time, and got my mom reminiscing about her youth. Eat it as an accompaniment to scones for a tea time treat or wedge macaroons together using it as the "glue" or just eat it with a spoon! It is also a great "thank you" gift for a host. Give it a try! You'll love it!

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

• 140ml lemon juice
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 100g butter
• 250g caster sugar

Ingredients

Method:

1. Wash the lemons, grate the rinds, squeeze and strain the juice.
2. Cook the juice, rind, sugar and butter slowly in a double boiler/in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.
3. Strain in the lightly beaten eggs. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until just beginnng to thicken. DO NOT BOIL!
4. Remove from the heat and pour at once into warmed pots/steralised jars. Cover and store.

Amazing!

 

Recipe Source: Silwood Kitchen Recipe Service

Crisp, melt in your mouth, chocolate biscuits

These chocolate biscuits are wonderful! They melt in your mouth and have a deep, rich, chocolatey taste. They are exceptionally quick to make and have minimal ingredients which is perfect for when you are having another one of those chocolate craving days.

Try them out and see what you think:

Crisp Chocolate Biscuits

Ingredients: (makes +/- 20 biscuits)

• 125g butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 125g self raising flour
• 25g cocoa

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade
2. Grease a baking sheet well or put a silicone mat onto a baking sheet (a"silpat" works well)
3. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
4. Sift in the flour and cocoa and mix well.
5. Form the misxture into small balls.
6. Place onto a greased baking sheet and flattern with a damp fork.
7. Bake for 10 - 15minutes
8. When they come out the oven they may still feel soft and uncooked to the touch, but don't let that concern you. Once they are cooled they will be hard and crisp.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Rusks, Rusks, Rusks!

Today's recipe is: Buttermilk rusks! These rusks are like biting into a little, crunchy heaven! They are absolutely divine! They have a wonderful flavour and they are the perfect accompaniment to your cup of tea! I got this recipe when I was at Silwood, so you are sure to enjoy them (as any recipe from Silwood is sure to tickle your tastebuds) Try them, you will not be disappointed!

Buttermilk Rusks:

Ingredients: ( I halved this recipe and it made +/- 30 medium sized rusks)

• 10 Cups Self Raising Flour
• 5ml salt
• 500g Butter
• 3 extra large eggs, beaten
• 2 x 500ml cartons of buttermilk
• 500ml sugar

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade.
2. Grease 4 loaf tins or a large roasting pan.
3. Sift together flour and salt
4. Rub in the butter and add the sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk and the beaten eggs.
5. Mix to form a thick scone- like textured dough.
6. Spread into the prepared roasting pan or loaf tins.
7. Bake until risen and golden brown. (+/- 1 hour)
8. Turn out of the pan and allow to cool before cutting into desired rusk shapes.
9. Dry the rusks out in a cooled oven/ in a fan oven at 80 degrees centigrade for four hours or overnight. Until wonderfully crisp.
10. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

After 1st Baking



Dried and ready to eat!



Delicious and ready to share with friends.



Dunk into your tea, and enjoy!

Recipe Source: Silwood School of Cookery

Quick and easy, good, old fashioned Milk Tart recipe.

Just felt like making a Milk tart today, and all the ingredients were ready at hand, so I whipped one up. It came out beautifully and because I had baked the puff pastry before the filling went in, it was crisp and delicious. I didn't put any almond essence in the filling, which I slightly regret, as I normally do it and it adds some depth to the flavours of the filling, so I'm going to add it to the ingredients list I give to you, try it out and let me know how yours turned out.

Here is the recipe

Milk Tart:

Ingredients:

• 1 roll of ready made puff pastry
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 2ml almond essence

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. Grease a medium - large pie dish
3. Roll out pastry and line the pie dish with it. Poke holes with a fork into the pastry. Bake blind for 15 minutes, then remove blind baking beans and paper and bake for a further 15 minutes.
4. Place milk, almond essence and cinnamon into a pot and scald.
5. Combine the flour, cornflour, sugar and salt.
6. Add the scalded milk gradually to the flour mixture, mixing after each addition to make sure no lumps form.
7. Cook slowly, whisking constantly until thick and well cooked.
8. Remove from the heat.
9. Add butter.
10. Cool slightly.
11. Stir in the well beaten eggs.
12. Pour mixture into the ready baked puff pastry shell.
13. Bake for 20 - 25minutes
14. Cool slightly.
15. Sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture over the baked filling.
16. Serve hot or cold.

Try it!

What to do with your lemons...here's an idea!

Lemon meringue pie is one of my favourite tea time treats, I thoroughly enjoy it when the middle has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, as too sweet can be a bit off putting. I made a lemon meringue for the teachers at the school I'm interning at and they really enjoyed it... so I will share it with you too.

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Meringue pie

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of marie biscuits/coconut biscuits, crushed
• 30ml butter, melted
• 5ml/ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tin condensed milk
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• 3 eggs, separated
• 30ml sugar

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. In a food processor or by hand, crush the biscuits, then add the melted butter and cinnamon and press into a pie dish.
3. Bake for 10 -15 minutes until golden
4. In a bowl mix together the condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks. 
5. Once well combined and thick, pour into the prepared crust.
6. Bake for another 15- 20 minutes until the middle has set slightly and is clean to the touch.
7. In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peak, add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is smooth, glossy and can form stiff peaks.
8. Pour  egg white mixture onto the prepared pie and cover the entire surface, forming peaks as you go around.
9. Bake until meringue topping is golden and delicious!

Ready to cut! :)

Today's Chocolate craving fix

I have been craving chocolate the whole day, and not too long ago, I was craving these cupcakes but for the life of me could not find where I had put the recipe, but finally found it a few days ago. I got the recipe from my chef when I was at Silwood and they are absolutely divine, dead easy to make and a real treat! you have to try them!

Here is the recipe

Tracy's Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients: Makes 12 medium-large cupcakes

• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl
3. In a jug mix together all the wet ingredients
4. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients
5. Pour the mixture into your prepared paper casings in a muffin pan until they are each 2/3rds full. 
6. Bake for 20 minutes.

After baking, before icing



Iced and ready to eat!





Amazing!



Chocolate coffee icing:

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 300g icing sugar
• 1/2 cup strong coffee with milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa

Icing ingredients

Method:

1. Cream the butter with an electric hand beater
2. Slowly add the icing sugar until it has all been used and absorbed by the butter
3. Add the cocoa and keep beating
4. Add as much coffee as needed to make the icing smooth, creamy and spreadable

Enjoy! :)

Cupcake recipe source: Tracy, Silwood

Apple Crumble for a tea-time treat

It was soo freezing cold in Cape Town today that after lunch I felt like something sweet and warm to eat in front of the roaring fire, so’ the first thing that popped into my mind was a delicious warm apple crumble! Id never made one before so I though it was the prefect thing to try out since I love making new things. This recipe is dead easy and super quick. I recommend it to any apple crumble lover. 

Warm Apple Crumble

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup jungle oats
• 250g butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tins of sliced pie apples (with 5 tsps sugar, cinnamon and cloves)

 

Ingredients!!!

 Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Cream the butter and sugar  then add the jungle oats and flour and mix.
3. Divide the mixture and press into the bottom of a pie dish.
4. Pour in the apples (with the sugar, cinnamon and cloves)
5. Then grate the remaining dough over the pie to for the crumble crust.
6. Bake in the oven for about +/-35mins

Serve with fresh custard, cream or ice cream which ever you prefer!!!

I was too impatient and took my crumble out of the oven too soon so it was a bit moist but apart from that it was utterly delish, the taste spoke for itself! Give it a try for yourself

warm, crunchy and delish

Healthy every day treat!

I have such a sweet tooth and enjoy to treat myself to something sweet everyday but being health conscious I cannot just eat anything I please but when I found this recipe for banana bread I fell in love, its sweet but not too sweet, moist and absolutely delicious! It will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth and is an ideal everyday treat.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 mashed banana's
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120ml) low fat yoghurt
• 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 200g pecan nuts
• Icing sugar for dusting

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking powder and yoghurt.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.
5. Then combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture then add the flour mixture. Stir just until all the ingredients are moistened.
6. Pour into the prepared pan (a loaf tin is best suited) and smooth the top.
7. Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes.
8. When the loaf has cooled, dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy with a cup of tea

Enjoy...

Mouth watering mini chocolate eclairs filled with Creme Patisserie

Yesterday Sarah and I catered for a 21st Birthday party. One of the things that we had to make were  70 chocolate eclairs filled with creme patisserie, otherwise known as Pastry cream. They were absalutely divine and were a hit at the party.

Here's the recipe for you to try! Let us know how they came out :)

Mini Chocolate Eclairs filled with Creme Patisserie:

Ingredients: (Makes +/- 60 mini eclairs)

Eclairs:

• 125g Butter
• 250ml water
• 125g/ 1 cup Plain flour (sifted)
• 4 eggs (lightly beaten)

Filling:

• 1 litre milk
• 8 tablespoons caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 8 tablespoons cornflour
• 10 tablespoons caster sugar
• 50g butter
• 1tsp vanilla powder/extract.

Topping:

• 30ml Cream
• 150g dark chocolate

Eclairs Ingredients

Creme Patisserie Ingredients

Method:

Eclairs:

1. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees centigrade
2. Grease 2 baking trays.
3. Combine the butter and water in a saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until the butter melts.
4. Increase the heat. bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
5. Add the flour to the saucepan all at once and quickly beat into the water mixture with a wooden spoon.
6. Continue beating until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
7. Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly.
8. Beat the mixture with an electric beater to remove any excess heat.
9. Add the eggs (1 by 1) and beat thoroughly after each addition.
10. After all the eggs have been added the mixture should be glossy and thick.
11. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1.5cm nozzle.
12. Sprinkle the baking trays lightly with water.
13. Pipe the size of eclairs you want onto your tray, leaving room for expansion.
14. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
15. Reduce the heat to 180 degrees centigrade.
16. Bake for a further 15minutes until golden and firm
17. cool on a wire rack.

Filling: Creme Patisserie:

1. In a saucepan stir together the milk and 8 tablespoons of sugar and the vanilla.
2. Bring to the boil over a medium heat.
3. In a medium bowl beat together the eggs and egg yolks.
4. Add the cornflour and sugar to the egg mixture and continue to beat until smooth.
5. When the milk comes to the boil, drizzle it into the egg mixture very gradually and continue to beat so as to not cook the eggs.
6. Return the mixture to the saucepan.
7. Slowly bring to the boil.
8. Stir the mixture continuously so that the eggs dont curdle at the bottom.
9. Once the mixture has thickened and come to the boil, remove from the heat.
10. Stir in the butter, mixing until well combined.
11. Pour into a heat proof container and place a piece of cling film directly onto the surface of the creme patisserie and refridgerate until needed.

Topping: Chocolate ganache:

1. Melt together the chocolate and the cream in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE MIXTURE SIEZE by allowing the mixture to overheat!
2. Mix together to get a thick, smooth, chocolate sauce consistency.
3. If the mixture separates and becomes grainy it has siezed.

Creating the final product:

1. Make a hole in the eclairs. ( I normally make mine underneath the eclair.)
2. Pipe the creme patisserie into the hole in the eclairs 
3. Dip the top of the eclair into the chocolate ganache... and VOILA!

Creme Patisserie



Mini Chocolate Eclairs!

Recipes adapted from: Sweet and Savoury bites - Jane Price
                                     Pastry Cream - Christini Beanie

Rich, sweet and delectable Millionaire Shortbread

Today I had to provide sweet treats for +/- 20 people so I decided to make "cara's magic brownies," Millionaire shortbread and a lemon meringue pie (watch this space for that recipe). Millionaire shortbread is a hit in my household, for those of you who aren't so sure of what it actually is, it is a shortbread based, caramel and dark chocolate slice. It is absalutely divine and once you have 1 you simply cannot stop eating them until you feel physically ill!

Here is the recipe:

Millionaire Shortbread

Ingredients: (Makes +/- 25 pieces)

Base:

• 60g butter
• 30g caster sugar
• 90g sifted self raising flour

Filling: (I sometimes double my filling to increase the amount of caramel)

• 60g butter
• 60g caster sugar
• 30ml/g golden syrup
• 1 can (397g) condensed milk

Topping:

• 100g Dark chocolate

Ingredients

Method:

Base:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. Cream butter with caster sugar
3. Add sifted self raising flour and mix well.
4. Press into a greased 20cm x 20cm baking pan.
5. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

Filling:

1. Place butter, caster sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk in a saucepan.
2. Heat until dissolved on a low heat.
3. Then boil for 5 - 10minutes, stirring continuously (don't stress if you start seeing brown bits floating in your mixture, it happens when it begins to caramelize)
4. Once a caramel colour, turn heat off.
5. Pour over the cooked base, spread evenly.
6. Allow to cool.

Topping:

1. Melt chocolate in a bowl in the microwave or over hot water.
2. Pour over the caramel and shake pan from side to side to get the chocolate smooth, even and the caramel covered from corner to corner.
3. Mark into portions before the chocolate sets firm.

Delicious delights!

Delish Chocolate Brownies

Today was a "chocolate brownie day." They are super quick to make, so moist and decadently chocolatey! I absolutely love this recipe, it's 1 that my sister brought home from her home economics class when she was still at school and ever since then it is the "go to" brownie recipe in our household.

Here is the recipe for everyone:

Cara's Magical Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 2 cups (500ml) caster sugar
• 1/2 cup (125ml) cocoa
• 3 large eggs
• 1.5 cups (375ml) flour
• 2tsp (10ml) vanilla essence
• 2 cups (500ml) nuts (optional) (I never put them in mine)

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees centigrade
2. Melt butter, add sugar and mix well.
3. Add eggs one by one.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients (sieve flour and cocoa)
5. Mix well
6. Pour into a greased oven pan (20cm x 20cm)
7. Bake for +/- 30mins
8. Cut when cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Decadent, moist and delicious brownies

Iced Vanilla Cookies

These biscuits are quite impressive little works of "art", the biscuit itself is sweet, chewy and delicious and the icing just adds that extra flare that appeals to the eye. I have to admit that icing these biscuits can become quite time consuming as it isa process, but if you are just doing a simple design such as coloured or white heart shaped biscuits or square biscuits then I would go for it, especially to impress your guests.

So, if you have some time on your hands as well as a steady hand then give these biscuits a bash!
Here's the recipe:

Vanilla Sugar Cookies (makes +/- 25 medium sized cookies)

Ingredients:

• 200g soft butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 400g plain flour + more for dusting
• 3ml vanilla powder/ seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until just becoming creamy in texture. DON'T overwork.
3. Beat in the egg until well combined.
4. Add the flour and mix on a low speed until a dough forms.
5. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it briefly
6. roll out to an even thickness.
7. Use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes and place on a baking tray (use a pallette knife to lift them) 
8. Bake for 6-10mins until golden brown
9. Cool on a cooling rack



Before baking



After Baking

Royal Icing:

Ingredients:

• Whites of 2 medium eggs
• 500g icing sugar
• squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

1. Lightly beat your egg whites
2. Place the sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer
3. add 3/4 of the lightly beaten egg whites and the lemon juice, start mixing on a low speed.
4. Once well combined, check the consistency. If the icing looks dry and crumbly on the sides add more egg white until the icing looks smooth but not wet.
5. Keep mixing on a low speed until it has reached soft peak consistency.
6. Put the icing in a small piping bag with a small round holed nozzle.
7. Pipe border lines on your biscuit.
8. Once you have piped all your border lines, add a little water to your icing to make it into a runny consistency.
9. Flood the inside of your borders and allow the icing to dry before decorating further.
10. Some edible glitter would make these delights look marvelous!

Voilla!