Anzac Cake

1/2 cup Golden Syrup

125 grams Butter

2 cups Self Raising Flour

1/2 cup Castor Sugar

1/2 cup Coconut (shredded or desiccated your choice)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Milk

You could add whatever icing you like, but believe me, this icing is delicious when eaten with this cake!!!

Icing

60 grams Butter

1 teaspoon Honey

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups Icing Sugar

1 tablespoon Hot Water

Cake

Combine Butter and Golden Syrup in a saucepan, stir over heat until smooth.

Combine sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl.
 

Add syrup mixture and mix well.
 

Using an electric beater gradually beat in the combined eggs and milk.

Pour mixture into a prepared 20x30cm cake tin (I prefer to grease and line mine) and bake at 180 degrees celcius for approximately 30 minutes.

When done the cake will look a lovely golden colour.
 

Now this cake is perfectly yummy just like this, but for extra oomph add the icing. 

Icing

Combine the butter, honey and vanilla in a bowl.

Cream it together until the butter and honey are well mixed (the vanilla will still be visible).  Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar and hot water until smooth.  I do this by hand but you could use the electric mixer if you want to speed things up.

When smooth, ice the cake and then top off with a little shredded coconut.

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 pinch baking powder
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup golden sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup jam (I used raspberry, but choose your favourite)
2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F.
 

Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with a little vegetable oil.
 

Pop your baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl and put to one side.
 

Now, cream together your peanut butter, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add your egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add your flour mixture and continue to beat until fully combined. You should be left with a slightly crumbly, pastry like dough.  Pop half of this into a bowl & place it in the freezer.
 

Squidge the rest of it into the bottom of your pan.
 

Smear a layer of jam over the top.

Leave it for about 5 mins & remove your dough from the freezer.
 

Crumble it over your jam layer and press down gently to level.
 

Sprinkle your chopped peanuts over the top.
 

Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 mins, until the top starts to brown.

 

When it's ready, remove it from the oven & leave to cool on the side. 

Don't try and tip it out of the pan, it will not end well!
 

Go & distract yourself for a couple of hours.

When it's cold, use a sharp knife to split it into manageable peanutty portions.

Apple Cake

6 green apples
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar
250 gram butter

1 large egg

Custard powder
Cinnamon sugar

 

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease or line your tin with baking paper.
 

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth, then add egg and mix well.
 

Add sifted flour to creamed butter mix and combine.

Place 1/2 the batter in the greased tin, then sprinkle some custard powder over top.
 

Place your apples (sliced) over the custard powder.
 

Place the rest of the batter over top of the apple layer, and sprinkle the top with some cinnamon sugar.
 

Bake for 50 minutes at 160 C, or until golden brown.

Cereal Bars

3 cups of your favourite cereal

1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar

125g melted butter

3 tbs honey

1tbs golden syrup
choc chips (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 180C (170 fan forced), grease your slice pan. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
 

Melt butter, golden syrup and honey together and mix well, then add to dry ingredients.

Press mixture into pan, top with choc chips if you like and back for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Once cool, cut into your preferred size!

Lemon Meringue Pie

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19506/lemon+meringue+pie

• 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 2 tbs icing sugar mixture
• 125g butter, chilled, coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 tbs iced water

• Lemon filling

• 50g (1/3 cup) cornflour
• 125ml (1/2 cup) water
• 250ml (1 cup) fresh lemon juice
• 430g (2 cups) caster sugar
• 60g butter, coarsely chopped
• 4 eggs, separated (plus an extra egg white for the meringue)

NOTE: I substituted the butter for Nuttelex to make this pie dairy free!

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the water and use a round-bladed knife to stir until a dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Turn onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper and roll out to a 5mm-thick disc. Use the pastry to line a 23cm (base measurement) pie dish. Trim excess pastry. Cover the pastry with baking paper. 

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Fill the lined dish with pastry weights or rice. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and pastry weights or rice. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the lemon filling, combine the cornflour, water, lemon juice and half the sugar in a saucepan. Use a balloon whisk to stir over medium heat for 4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. 

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a further 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and egg yolks. Transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours or until cooled completely.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoonful at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Spread the filling over the base of the pastry case. Spoon over the meringue mixture and spread to the edge of the pastry. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks. Bake in oven for 5 minutes or until the meringue peaks are light golden. Set aside to cool completely. Serve.

Apple Pie

5oz Sugar

7oz Butter

9oz Flour

Apples (either fresh or canned)

Cinnamon Sugar

 

Mix the sugar, butter and flour with hands until it forms a dough.

 

Reserve some of the mixture for the top and press the rest of it into a square or round cake tin and up the sides (I normally line the bottom of the tin with baking paper).

 

Add apples, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and crumble over reserved mixture.

 

Bake in a moderate oven for about an hour.

 

Enjoy warm or cold with cream or ice cream… Yummo! :o)

Moist Muffins

Basic recipe - simply add extra ingredients of your choice

220g self-raising flour
1/4 -1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk or regular milk
1/2 - 3/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g added flavours e.g. frozen raspberries, dark/milk/white choc bits, grated apple, mashed banana

Preaheat oven 180.

Grease muffin tins or line with patty cases.

Mix all dry ingredients together and make a well.

Mix all wet ingredients together and pour into the well.

Add flavourings and mix until just combined.

Place in tin and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Lemonade Scones

5 cups self raising flour
1 can (375ml) cold lemonade
300ml thickened cream
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 225.

Sift flour into a large bowl.

Combine lemonade & cream in jug.

Add lemonade & cream mixture to the flour and mix gently with a knife until just combined (don't over mix!)

Place dough on a lightly floured bench and press to 2.5cm thickness.

Cut scones using shapes.

Place close together on tray and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Serve hot with jam and cream.

Cinnamon Scrolls

2 cups SR flour
Pinch salt
90g butter, chopped
2/3 cup milk
Filling:
60g butter, soft
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 210. Spray tray. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub butter into flour using fingertips. Make a well in the centre; add most of the milk. Mix with a knife, add more milk if necessary. Knead dough briefly and roll out 25 x 40 cm, 5mm thickness.

Filling:
Beat ingredients till light and fluffy.
Spread over dough, roll up and cut into 3cm pieces.

Cook for 12 minutes.

Chicken Soup

1 kg chicken pieces
3 packets chicken supreme soup mix
3 stalks celery
2 onions chopped
1 tbs garlic
1 tsp ginger
3 chicken cubes
Handful egg noodles

 

Boil chicken peices and onions in 10 litres water. 

Mix 3 packets chicken soup in 2 cups cold water. then add to chicken/water mix. 

Cut celery stalks in small pieces. Add celery and all other ingredients to chicken and onions. 

Season with salt and pepper.

Pea Soup

1 packet 375g green split peas
1 packet spring vegetable soup
2 cups diced celery
2 cups sliced leek
2 tbs parsley
6 beef cubes
1 smoked bacon hock
1 rookworst

 

 Soak peas overnight. 

Boil bacon hock in 5 litres water, add soaked peas and cook for 2 hours. 

Take bacon out and cut in small pieces. 

Add all other ingredients to pan and bring to boil, then let simmer for most of day, stirring frequently. 

Blend or process to smooth mixture (optional). 

Boil rookworst (separately) simmer for 10 minutes, cut in small pieces and add to soup.

Pumpkin Soup

750g pumpkin
150g butter
1 onion chopped
3 bacon rashes chopped
1 litre water
1 chicken Stock cube, crumbled
1/4 cup cream

 

Remove skin and seeds from pumpkin, cut in small peices.
 

Melt butter in large saucepan, add onion and bacon, stir constantly until soft. 

Add pumpkin to pan, then water and stock cube, bring to boil. 

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for approx 30 mins until pumpkin is tender. 

Remove pan from stove. Blend or process mixture until smooth. 

Return mixture to pan, stir in cream, and reheat without boiling.

Lebanese Shortbread Biscuits

250g butter

3/4 cup castor or icing sugar

1 cup self raising flour
1 1/4 cup plain flour 

Cream butter and sugar
 

Sift flours together
 

Gradually beat flours into butter/sugar mixture
 

Roll into small balls
 

Flatten on baking tray using a fork (dip fork into cup of hot water between biscuits to prevent dough from sticking)
 

Bake in 180 degree oven for 10-15 minutes
 

Cool on the tray

Honey Muesli Bars

1 cup toasted muesli
3 cups rice bubbles
½ cup coconut
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds

125 g butter
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons peanut butter
½ cup raw sugar  

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. 

Mix butter, honey, peanut butter and raw sugar in saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Mix into the dry ingredients. 

Press into tray and refrigerate.

Next week: Baking

I expected to receive quite a few more recipes last week.  So I thought this week I'll do a really broad topic rather than separating 'baking' into cakes, biscuits and slices...

I'll probably let this theme run for the next two weeks; so start sending in all of your favourite baking recipes! :)

Chicken in the Oven

In a bowl mix these ingredients (qty to your taste)

BBQ sauce
Tomato sauce
workshire sauce
soy sauce
mustard
onion flakes
chicken stock powder.
 

Pour over chicken pieces in baking dish. 
 

Cook in the oven approx 25-30 minutes.