Homemade biscuits

I've got a stamp!

Recipe from: 

http://www.cakesandcatwalks.com/2014/09/recipe-super-chocolatey-ganache.html?spref=pi

                                          Fresh out of the oven...

Ganache filled - waiting to be eaten...

Fab with a coffee!

Cupcake Mania

        Red Velvet Cupcakes 

        http://javacupcake.com/2010/10/red-velvet-cupcakes/

    Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes 

     http://www.thesugarcoatedlife.com/2013/07/28/jelly-doughnut-muffins/

Chocolate and nut donuts

These were such fun and so easy to make.

The recipe comes from... http://bakerbynature.com/double-chocolate-cake-donuts/

Just finely chopped nuts to spice up the decoration a bit.

Mmmmmmm!

In the mood for muffins!

Mixed Berry and White Chocolate Muffins

Some frozen berries that needed using up and some white chocolate from our last trip home.  Good old google for the ingredients and these showed up... http://food.ninemsn.com.au/recipes/ichocolate/8336702/mixed-berry-and-white-chocolate-muffins

1. 

Great combo taste of sweet and sour... delish!

Sprinkles!

One of the kids helped me with my baking today...

Mini chocolate cupcakes

• Ingredients
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup boiling water

       Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180.
2. Place cupcake liners ion a tray.
3. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk together well.
4. In a separate bowl combine milk, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla; mix well. 
5. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix together until well combined. 
6. Carefully add boiling water to the cake batter, mixing well for about 30 seconds. 
7. Evenly distribute cake batter into the prepared molds; each cupcake liner should be about 3/4 full.
8. Place pan in the oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
10. Ice with chocolate frosting, then decorate.

Adapted from bakerbynature.com recipe

Then the fun really started...

Belgium Slice

Fortunately, Solomon Islanders as well as our expat friends like eating sweet things! 

So I get to obsessively bake but don't have to try and eat it all!

Recipe:

Ingredients

120g butter

½ c white sugar

½ c brown sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 egg

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

about ½ c raspberry jam

Method

· Cream butter and sugar, then add golden syrup then egg

· Mix in dry ingredients

· Roll out half of the mixture to cover the base of a 18 x 23cm slice tin

· Spread with raspberry jam and then cover with the other half of the 

  mixture rolled to fit (this patches really well)

· Bake at 180c for 20 minutes

Once cold ice with plain white or pink icing (I used about 2 c icing sugar, 1 tsp butter and enough milk to make a smooth icing, then I added a couple of drops of red food colouring). Sprinkle with raspberry jelly crystals.

Getting back into baking...

My new acquisition!

So that means donuts...

That was fun!

This was more of a cakey style recipe. Next time I'll try a yeast one.  The recipe comes from here:

http://ahappyfooddance.com/baked-cinnamon-sugar-donuts

Yummy sweet things to make with local products...

COCONUT cupcakes



BANANA Chocolate Chip Muffins

RECIPE

80g butter
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tblspn golden syrup
1 egg
2 cups white flour
2 tsp a baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
150 ml warm milk
2 bananas mashed
1/2 cup chocolate chips

METHOD
Cream butter, sugar and golden syrup together until pale. Add egg and mix well.
Add sifted flour and baking powder. Add baking soda to the warmed milk and
 then add the milk to the mixture. Mix well. Lastly add bananas and chocolate
chips. Divide evenly into muffin tins and bake at 170 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
(Very moist and delicious.)



LIME meringue tarts

(Let me know if you want any of the other recipes...)

Chocolate friands for afternoon tea!

One of our friends bought us back a friand tin from Aus, so that, plus scoring some imported
frozen raspberries, made for a decadent afternoon tea...

(Look what's underneath!)

Recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Friands

Makes 6

100g butter
1/2 cup white chocolate buttons
3/4 cups ground almonds
3/4 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
2 tbsp. cocoa
6 egg whites
6 raspberries

Preheat oven to 150 C fan bake. Melt butter and chocolate together over a low heat. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the egg whites and mix until smooth with an electric beater on low speed.  Stir in melted chocolate mixture until combined.  Fill greased friend moulds or a muffin pan and top each one with a raspberry.  Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.  Cool before removing from moulds.

Passionfruit melting moments

Yum, these are the passionfruits that grow here...

So that called for a touch of home and something to go with coffee...

PASSIONFRUIT MELTING MOMENTS

150g self-raising flour

100g cornflour

50g custard powder

250g butter, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp icing sugar, sifted

1/2 passionfruit, pulped

For the icing

60g butter, at room temperature

200g icing sugar

1/2 passionfruit, pulped

Preheat oven to 160c. Sift flour and cornflour.

Cream butter, vanilla, and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add passionfruit pulp.

Add flours and mix thoroughly.

Pipe small swirls onto an oven tray.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

To make icing, cream butter, icing sugar, and passionfruit until light and fluffy.

Spread a small amount on to the flat side of one biscuit.

Then top with another and press down gently with a twist to spread the icing.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake!

I was looking on the internet for a "portable dessert" to take to some friends.  The name and the picture made me choose these!  They totally lived up to the name and looked pretty impressive too...

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES RECIPE

For the Ganache Filling:
 56 grams bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

For the Cupcakes:
 85 grams bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ cup hot coffee
¾ cup flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:
1 1/3 cup icing sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Make the Ganache Filling: Place the chopped chocolate, heavy cream and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave on high power until the mixture is warm to the touch, 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth, then refrigerate until just barely chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.

2. Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard-size muffin pan with liners. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the mixture and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

4. Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin pan cups. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon of ganache filling on top of each cupcake. Bake until the cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

6. Make the Frosting:
Soften the butter then gradually beat in the icing sugar and cocoa with the milk. Add vanilla, then beat until light and fluffy.

(I've adapted this from the recipe at Browneyedbaker's website)

The exciting part is when you cut into it the ganache has formed a gooey centre.  A chocolate lovers dream!

Mini Greek Lemon Syrup Cakes

One of our favourite New Zealand cookbook writers is Annabel Langbein.
This is her recipe for a Greek Lemon Syrup Cake halved and put into 4 dariole moulds...
(Don't need to cook these as long as the cake.)

Fresh out of the oven.

Greek Lemon Syrup Cake Recipe

To cook: 40-45 minutes

Finely grated rind of 3 lemons

1 tsp cardamom seeds, lightly crushed

1 1/4 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 cup fine semolina

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

Juice of 1 lemon

Recipe for lemon sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 180 C

Beat rinds, cardamom, sugar and yokes until thick and pale.

Add semolina, flour, baking powder and juice. Stir to combine.

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into cake.

Pour into a greased 22-25cm tin. Bake 40-45 mins

until a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.

Turn out cake and while hot, brush with lemon syrup,

using all of it. Arrange slices of lemon from syrup

evenly over top of cake.

Serve with whipped cream. Keep in the fridge.

Lemon Syrup

Boil 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1 1/4 cups water in a pot for 4

minutes. Add 1 very thinly sliced lemon, pips removed,

And 1/4 cup lemon juice. Boil 5 mins. Remove from

heat. Syrup will keep 10 days in the fridge.

Ready to be devoured!