Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe makes about 20 cupcakes or you can make a cake in an 8 inch square tin, in which case the baking time increases to 35 minutes.

Ingredients:
1¼ cups plain flour
⅓ cup cocoa
1½ tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup plus 1 tbsp caster sugar
½ cup unsalted butter (or margarine), softened
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white vinegar

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Line muffin tins with paper cupcake cases. You need about 20. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into a bowl. In a second mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together, then whisk in the egg, milk and vanilla, but not the vinegar. Still stirring with the whisk, mix in the flour mixture, a few spoonfuls at a time, until smooth. Then stir in the vinegar. Place spoonfuls of the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them about ⅔rds full. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Butter Cream Icing:

Mix together 4 oz (115g) softened butter, 2 tbsp milk, 2 cups sifted icing sugar and 1 tablespoon sifted cocoa. Add more sugar if it is too sloppy, or more milk if too stiff. Pipe onto the tops of the cooled cakes.

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Shortbread Christmas Cookies

I make these every Christmas using Xmas stars etc. The recipe is from Delia Smith's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course page 505. I usually double the recipe which then makes about 30 biscuits. It's a good cutting out recipe to use with children.

Ingredients:

4 oz (110g) butter or margarine at room temperature
2 oz (50g) caster sugar
6 oz (175g) plain flour, sifted
extra caster sugar for rolling out and dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 150C (130C fan-forced) and grease a baking sheet.

Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the flour and mix to form a dough, finishing by using your hands. Roll out on a board or work surface dusted with caster sugar, using extra sugar on the rolling pin and dusting the dough to help stop it from sticking. Lightly roll the dough to a thickness of about 3mm and use cutters to cut out biscuits. Use a spatula to lift the pieces onto the tray leaving space for spreading. Then bake in the oven for 30minutes. (Check after 20mins and swap trays around depending on your oven). Cool the biscuits on a wire rack, dust with caster sugar and store in an air-tight container.

Here's a link to a Donna Hay alternative recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good.
donna-hays-shortbread-cookies 

David's Chocolate Shortbread

My son David tweaked the recipe as follows:

110g butter
75g caster sugar
35g cocoa
125g plain flour

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Traditional Scottish Shortbread

Ingredients:

6 oz butter
3 oz caster sugar
6 oz plain flour
3oz cornflour (or semolina)

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar together and then work the sifted flour and cornflour into it. Shape the dough into an 8 inch round either on a greased baking tray or in a pie dish. Prick with a fork and then bake at 170C for 35-40 minutes. Cut into slices when it comes out of  the oven and then leave to cool. This works well with wholemeal flour. Using semolina gives it more crunch.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

A very quick and simple recipe.

Ingredients:

1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup peanut butter
½ cup raw sugar


Method:

Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Mix all 3 ingredients together in a large bowl. Place tablespoons of mixture onto 2 lined baking trays and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned at edges.

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Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

I keep searching for this recipe, so am adding it to my blog for safe keeping. It is based on a recipe from a Weight Watchers magazine, and makes a great side with an Indian curry.

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground chilli

lemon or lime wedges to serve

Method:

Heat oven to 180C.  Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the cauliflower. Allow to blanch for 1 minute and then drain into a colander. Leave to dry off for a few minutes, then place all ingredients apart from lemon or lime into a large bowl and stir to coat the cauliflower. Spread on an oven tray lined with baking paper and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the pieces of cauliflower and roast for a further 15-20 minutes. Squeeze lime over the cauliflower to serve.

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Chocolate Pastry

Today I'm making some chocolate pastry for some tarts to use up some of the failed fudge from last weekend as tart filling.

Here's a recipe I found for Chocolate pastry:

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/chocolate-shortcrust-pastry

My version:-

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons icing sugar
200g plain flour
pinch of salt
150g unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water

Method:

Put first five ingredients into a large bowl with the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using fingertips until forms fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg yolk and a little water to form dough. Wrap the dough in some cling wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before rolling out and using.

See my Shortcrust pastry jam tarts recipe for baking information or refer to link above for more tips.

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Chocolate Fudge

Today I made fudge for the first time ever. Having searched for a recipe, I decided to try one of the many microwave recipes first, but the resultant fudge didn't set very well and I've wrapped it up in the fridge to use for a tart filling, for which I think it would be perfect. Next I tried an "Old fashioned" recipe, boiling sugar and milk on the stove with some glucose syrup and a pinch of salt. This was fine but my recipe didn't explain that you shouldn't stir it when you take it off the heat and add the butter. This meant that my fudge is very grainy and probably won't set properly either, although the taste is still good. My subsequent research means that next time I have a better chance of success.

Here are 2 helpful links:

Secrets to making chocolate fudge

creamy chocolate fudge recipe


OLD FASHIONED FUDGE

(adapted from The Australian Weekly Original Cookbook 1970 P. 240)

 N.B. Be sure to use a large saucepan as there is danger of the fudge boiling over.

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons glucose syrup
½ cup cocoa
1 cup milk
45g butter
1 tsp vanilla


Method:

Put first five ingredients into a large saucepan and heat gently stirring for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar. Then attach a sugar thermometer to the pan, being careful not to let it touch the bottom. Turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a rapid boil, increasing the temperature to 112C. As soon as it reaches this temperature, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, but do not stir. Put the pan on a cooling rack and leave undisturbed for 1-1½ hours to cool to 44C. Now add the vanilla and using electric beaters, beat until smooth and creamy and lighter in colour. Then pour into an 8 inch square pan lined with buttered greaseproof paper. Cut into squares when cold.

CREAMY CHOCOLATE FUDGE 

(Based on recipe in link above - converted into Australian terms)

Ingredients:

3¾ cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons glucose syrup
125g dark chocolate
1½ cups thickened cream
3 tablespoons cold butter

Method:

Use a large 4 litre saucepan for this recipe to ensure safety. Make as described in the above recipe, boiling until the temperature reaches 115C.

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Rebecca's Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rebecca's feel good recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups plain flour
½ cup cocoa
1 tsp bicarb of soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips


Method:

Preheat the oven 160C (fan forced) and grease and line 4 baking trays.
Beat together the softened butter, sugars and vanilla, then beat in the egg. Fold in the sifted flour, cocoa and soda. Lastly stir in the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the mix onto the trays leaving space for spreading. Then bake for 9-10 minutes.

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