Summer Brunch Menu

Summer brunch in the backyard with friends...it doesn't get much better than that.

This was an Aussie-themed spread, inspired by some beautiful tableware from www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au.

The gorgeous coloured serving plates and bowls are from the Ecology Beach range, made from bamboo fibre.  It's lightweight, has that unique "recycled" look and is simply stunning on the table!

On the Ecology Beach Charger Plate, I made a basic damper, served with breakfast bruschetta-inspired accompaniments: smoked salmon, diced tomato tossed with balsamic vinegar, and a freshly-made pesto.  These were served in the divine little Ecology Beach Snack Set.

Pesto
In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup cashews, 1 clove crushed garlic, 80g feta, 1 cup fresh herbs, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup oil.

I wanted something delicious, fresh, colourful and "brunchy" to serve in the Ecology Beach Salad Bowl.  The result was a hit - this gorgeous Brunch Salad.

Brunch Salad
Toss together 80g salad leaves, 4 rashers of cooked, chopped bacon, 1 cup mushrooms, sautéed with 1 clove crushed garlic, 10 baby bocconcini, 1/2 punnet halved cherry tomatoes, 4 boiled eggs, quartered and 1/2 sliced avocado.  Serve with home-made tomato relish.

I always get nervous when I'm entertaining outdoors and using my fancy glassware.  Especially when young children are around!  But neither do I like tacky, plastic, disposable glasses.  Enter: the Swish Plastic range.

This range gives you all of your favourite styles of glassware, in an unbreakable plastic - genius!  The quality is amazing, but you still get the look and feel of glass.

I wanted to get creative with my Swish glassware and had to think outside the box.

So here it is: 3 different glasses, used in 3 different ways.  They went down a treat!

First of all, Swish Plastic Martini Glasses filled with layers of Home-made Muesli, Yoghurt and Spiced Stone Fruit, topped with berries.  Divine!

Vanilla & Cinnamon Spiced Stone Fruit
Place 500g fresh, sliced stone fruit in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup water.  Stir gently, bringing to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Now, I've decided that chocolate is perfectly acceptable for brunch - it's never too early!

So, using the Swish Plastic Highball Tumblers, and continuing the Australian theme, I decided on Lamington Trifles.  These were probably the hit of the morning, and we so easy to make!

Lamington Trifles
16 small laming ton
200mL whipped cream
1 cup chocolate sauce (combine 1.5 cups icing sugar, 1 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup coconut cream and hot water to reach desired consistency)
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Break up the lamingtons and divide half of them between 4 glasses.  Drizzle with half of the chocolate sauce and dollop with half of the cream.  Repeat with remaining ingredients, then top with coconut.

And to finish up the brunch, we needed an actual beverage to serve in the glasses!

So I used the Swish Plastic Champagne Flutes (teamed perfectly with my Juice Jar!) to make a fresh and fruity drink.  It was a lovely mix of flavours and not too sweet to serve in the morning.

Raspberry and Lemon Refresher
Combine
1Litre raspberry iced tea
1.25L sparkling mineral water
3/4 cup lemon cordial
Juice of 2 oranges
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup chopped mint
crushed ice
1 sliced orange
1 sliced lemon
and serve!

So there you have it - a simple and delicious Summer Brunch, perfect for the Aussie back deck.  When are you hosting yours?!

*Thanks to www.swishplastic.com.au and www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au for the glasses & platters*

Caramel Banana Cake

This is no ordinary banana cake!  Give it an extra kick by adding white chocolate, brown sugar and golden syrup, and you have a delectably delicious dessert!

Ingredients
125g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g white chocolate, melted
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 over-ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups self-raising flour

Icing
125g butter
100g white chocolate, melted
2 cups icing sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius/160 fan-forced.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Gradually add white chocolate.  Add eggs, golden syrup and banana, continuing to beat until well combined.

Stir in the flour and mix well.

Pour into a lined 20-25cm round baking tin.

Bake for about 50 minutes, until golden brown on top and cooked through.

Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then remove and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the icing:  cream butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually add white chocolate, then the sifted icing sugar.

Cut cake in half horizontally and spread with icing.  Spread remaining icing on top, then dust with cocoa powder and serve.

White Chocolate & Gingerbread Cheesecake

I've been thinking about this recipe all of December and finally got a chance to make it - WOW!  I love love love it - the gingerbread base is to die for, the white chocolate is divine and the lime just gives it an extra little punch.  It's just so Christmas - you'll love it too!

Ingredients
250g gingerbread biscuits (can be bought or home-made) + 6-8 extra biscuits to decorate
100g melted butter
250g cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
180g white chocolate, melted
300g sour cream

zest & juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Crush biscuits in a food processor until ground finely.  Add melted butter and mix well.

Spread over the base of a lined 7 or 8-inch springform pan.  Press down firmly.

Using a food processor or electric mixer, beat cream cheese with caster sugar for about 30 seconds.

Add eggs, one at a time, then melted chocolate, sour cream, lime juice, zest & ginger.  Mix until smooth and well combined.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Allow to cool until warm, then refrigerate until cold and set.

Top with biscuits and serve.

Mini Steamed Christmas Puddings

Yes, it's October.  And I'm talking about Christmas.  But just bear with me for a bit!

Last December, I felt so busy with cooking and preparing for the festive season, that I vowed to be more organised this year - and here we are!  Christmas Puddings are perfect to prepare ahead, because they freeze well and the flavour gets even better with time.  I prepped these up this week, wrapped them in calico I picked up from Spotlight - and now I have 30+ puddings in my freezer ready for Christmas!  I feel so organised!

You can use any dried fruit you like to make up the quantity - tailor it to your taste.  This method gives you that steamed texture, but is so much easier than steaming in a saucepan in the calico.  So get organised - December is just around the corner!

Grab your dried fruit, eggs and oranges from Charlie's!

Ingredients (makes about 34 mini puddings)
1kg mixed dried fruit
250g dried cranberries
250g dried apricots, chopped
150mL brandy
juice and zest of 1 orange
250g butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons Parisian browning essence (optional)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
4 eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/160 fan-forced.

Combine dried fruit in a bowl and add brandy and the orange juice.  Cover and leave for 2 hours (or up to overnight if you have the time).

Place fruit in a large saucepan and add butter, sugar, orange zest, maple syrup, browning essence and water.

Heat at medium-high, stirring regularly, until butter has melted and sugar dissolved.  Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cool slightly.  Add dry ingredients then eggs and mix well to combine.

Grease 3 muffin pans with oil.  If they are not silicone, place a circle of baking paper in the bottom of each to prevent sticking.  Divide mixture between pans.  Place each pan in a roasting tray and fill to half-way up muffin pans with boiling water.  Cover pans with baking paper then alfoil, gathered tightly around edges.

Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until cooked through.  (I did 2 trays for 1 hour, then 1 tray for 45 minutes).

Cool to room temperature, then wrap in squares of calico and tie with ribbon.  Reheat in the microwave.

Orange Puddings

These delightful little puddings were made by my wonderful husband Dean.  He insisted on doing dinner last weekend and after delicious chicken satay burgers, he produced these from the kitchen.  They were delicious!  He found the recipe at www.taste.com.au and they were perfect served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I've copied the recipe exactly as it was but included Dean's changes down the bottom.  Pass on this recipe to your husband - he might just surprise you!

Ingredients
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 orange, rind finely grated
60g butter, melted, at room temperature
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 egg

Sauce
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

Method
Lightly grease an 8cm deep, 6-cup capacity, heatproof, microwave-safe dish.

Combine flour, sugar and orange rind in a bowl. Whisk together butter, juice and egg. Stir into flour mixture until well combined. Spoon into prepared dish. Smooth surface.

Make sauce: Place sugar and orange juice into a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl or jug. Cook on MEDIUM (50%) power for 3 minutes, stirring every minute, or until sugar dissolves. Cook on HIGH (100%) power for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce comes to the boil. Pour hot sauce over the back of a large metal spoon to evenly cover pudding.

Place pudding onto a microwave-safe rack or upturned dinner plate. Cook, uncovered, on MEDIUM (50%) power for 8 to 9 minutes or until a skewer inserted around edges comes out clean but centre is still a little sticky. Cover tightly with foil. Stand for 5 minutes or until centre is no longer sticky. Serve with ice-cream.

DEAN'S VARIATION:

He only made 1/2 quantity of the sauce.  He divided the mixture into a greased friand pan, to make individual puddings.  He baked it in the oven, rather than microwave - for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Cake Balls

I was going through my freezer the other day, when I came across a container full of leftover Fire Truck Birthday Cake  from my little man's birthday last month.  Leftover birthday cake is so delicious, but you can't really serve a deconstructed cake - and my tummy & thighs certainly don't need the extra calories!

So I came up with this - and it was soooo delicious!  Because of the red fire truck icing, the balls came out such a beautiful rich red colour - but you could always add some colour if you just have plain leftover cake.  You can also experiment with the flavour, or just leave it as it.

Ingredients
leftover cake, iced with buttercream
1 teaspoon strawberry essence (or any other flavour - or if your cake is flavoured, just leave it as is)
100g dark chocolate, melted
sprinkles, for decoration

Method
If frozen, defrost the cake.  Place chunks into a food processor or Thermomix and process until fine crumbs form.  Add essence.  Continue to process until mixture comes together in a big ball and is quite moist.

Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls.  Assess the texture and if necessary, place in freezer for about 30 minutes.

When mixture is firm, dip in melted chocolate, sprinkle with decorations and refrigerate until set.

Lime & Pistachio Cheesecake

This morning I took part in the Red Cross "Big Cake Bake".  Basically, it's an excuse to eat cake and support a great cause!  So, I got baking, had some friends around - and it was a big success.

This was the most popular cake of the day.  I'm a bit proud of it, because I made this one up all by myself and was so happy with the result!  I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as we all did today :-)

Ingredients
250g arrowroot biscuits
1/2 cup pistachios
150g butter, melted
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
300g sour cream
1 large lime, zested & juiced
4 drops green food colouring (optional)

Pistachio & Lime Brittle
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice 1 small or 1/2 large lime
1/4 cup pistachios, crushed

Method
Grease a 9 inch round springform tin.

Place pistachios in a food processor and crush until fine.  Add biscuits and process until it's a fine crumb.  Add butter and mix well.

Press mixture into the base and sides of tin.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and sugar in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and zest & juice until well combined.  Add the food colouring (if using) with the egg mixture and beat well.

Preheat oven to 140 degrees celsius, fan-forced.

When the base is firm, pour the mixture over.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.  The top will be firm but the cheesecake might have a bit of wobble - that's okay!

Leave in the oven to cool, or at room temperature.  Refrigerate for about 3 hours.

Meantime, make brittle:
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, salt and lime juice over high heat.   Don't stir until it starts to bubble around the edges.  Stir to make sure sugar has dissolved.  Reduce heat slightly and boil, without stirring, for about 10 minutes, until it browns and thickens slightly.

Remove from heat, stir in pistachios and pour onto a baking tray/tin lined with baking paper.  Leave to set.

Break into pieces.  Scatter brittle over the cheesecake just before serving.

German Apple Strudel

I'm part of a "Craft Club" that meets each month to learn a crafty new skill.  I've learnt the basics of so many new things, like crochet, embroidery, making bath salts, painting and lots more!  It was my turn to host on the weekend, so of course, we had a cooking session!  My friend was headed to a German-themed dinner party that night, so we decided to do some German-themed treats for her to take along.

Apple Strudel was a must and I found this recipe at a great website called Quick German Recipes.  It was easy and delicious and a big hit!  I'd definitely make this again!

Ingredients
1kg apples
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
grated rind of 1 lemon
375g packet filo pastry, thawed
1/2 cup extra unsalted butter, melted

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Slice the apples thinly and put into a bowl. Add breadcrumbs, 4 tbsp melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and grated lemon rind and stir together.

On a damp towel, lay two sheets of phyllo dough, and brush with melted butter. Place another 1 to 2 sheets on top and brush with butter. Continue until you have about 6 layers.

Put the apple mixture down the center of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border around the outside. Fold in the short sides and then roll up.

Put strudel on a baking tray (lined with baking paper) with the seam side down. Brush with remaining melted butter. Cut slashes across diagonally across top

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

Aprons & Recipes ready to go!

All of the lovely craft club ladies!

Apple & Custard Dessert Lasagne

After making a vegetable lasagne last week, my workmates started a discussion about what actually constitutes a lasagne - does it HAVE to contain meat?!  It was most likely an off-hand remark, but one of them set me a challenge to create a sweet, dessert lasagne.  Well, I love a challenge...and this is what I ended up with!  It's actually really delicious and turned out better than I expected!  I probably still prefer the traditional apple crumble & custard, but it's a pretty good alternative.

Ingredients (serves 8)
8 apples, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup seed mix (I used sunflower seeds and pepitas)
600mL custard (I made mine from custard powder, but you could buy a carton or make from scratch)
4 fresh lasagne sheets
50g butter, melted
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup coconut
extra dates, to sprinkle (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Grease a medium square baking dish.

Combine apples with cinnamon, vanilla and dates in a small saucepan with a splash of water.  Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 8 minutes, until soft.  Stir through the seed mix.

Make crumble by combining butter, oats, brown sugar, flour and coconut in a small bowl.

Take prepare dish and spread 1/2 of the apple mixture on the bottom.  Top with 2 lasagne sheets, trimming to fit.  Next, layer half of the custard.

Repeat with remaining fruit, then lasagne sheets, then custard.  Sprinkle crumble on top and extra dates.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown on top.

White Chocolate Mud Cake

My father-in-law turned 80 on the weekend and I was commissioned to do the cake.  He is a farmer, so it was a bit of a John Deere theme - which really suits any age or generation!  I went with a white chocolate mud cake, with the recipe from Exclusively Food - it was divine.  I love white chocolate, so this cake is right down my alley - it was moist and dense but not too heavy - and the flavour was perfect!

The recipe below gives you white chocolate ganache, but I just used buttercream for ease of colouring and decorating.  I used fondant to do the logo on top.  It was a hit and I would definitely make this cake again (it's definitely one just for a special occasion!)

After consuming this cake, please go straight to Charlie's and get some vegetables  to counteract all this butter, sugar & chocolate!

Ingredients
300g white chocolate (I used Cadbury Dream)
200g butter
250ml (1 cup) milk
165g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
100g (2/3 cup) self-raising flour
150g (1 cup) plain flour

Sour Cream and White Chocolate Ganache
200g white chocolate
88g sour cream

Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (145 degrees Celsius fan-forced).

Grease a 20cm square cake pan and line the base and sides of the pan with baking paper.

Place chocolate, butter, milk and sugar in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat when chocolate and butter have melted, and stir mixture until completely smooth. Allow mixture to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Add vanilla and eggs to chocolate mixture and stir until well combined.

Stir flours together in a large bowl. Add one cup of chocolate mixture to the flour and stir until a smooth paste forms.

Repeat with another cup of the chocolate mixture.

Add remaining chocolate mixture and stir until mixture is smooth. This gradual method of combining the wet and dry ingredients helps prevent lumps.

Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. When the cake is ready, a fine-bladed knife inserted into the centre of the cake should come out without any batter attached.

Loosely cover cake with greaseproof paper or a clean tea towel and allow it to cool to room temperature in pan.

The cooled cake can be iced with the white chocolate ganache immediately (see directions below), or stored and then iced on the day of serving.

Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. The cake is suitable to freeze iced or uniced.

Sour Cream and White Chocolate Ganache
Melt white chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently. When chocolate has completely melted, remove from heat and quickly stir in sour cream. Use immediately, or if your ganache is quite runny, set it aside at room temperature to thicken slightly before using.

Raw Chocolate Beetroot Cake

My sister Fiona has done a bit of experimenting with raw foods and made this delicious raw beetroot cake on a recent visit.  It was rich and sweet and amazing, and it's hard to believe it's raw!  This is not the exact recipe she used, but it is very similar - I got this one from Dawn's Raw Kitchen.  This is definitely worth a go for something different, delicious and healthy!

Base:
1 1/2 cups Cashew Nuts (unsoaked)
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1 1/2 cups pitted Medjool Dates
1/2 cup Cacao Powder

Place all base indredients in a food processor fitted with an S blade, process until coarsely ground, should be slightly sticky. Line the base of a 9inch drop bottom cake tin, press the ingredients in to form a flat. Set aside.

Cake Filling:
3 cups Almond Meal
1/2 cup Beetroot Juice, (from 2 Beets)
Pulp from juiced Beets (optional – give a slight earthy taste)
8 Pitted Medjool Dates
3 Tablespoons Cacao Powder
Pinch of Sea Salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with an S blade, process until smooth. Add to cake base and smooth out.

Fudge Topping:
1 cup Medjool Dates
6 Tablespoons Cacao Powder
4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil

Place all ingredients except coconut oil, in a food processor fitted with an S blade. Process until smooth and creamy, add coconut oil and mix at a low speed to combine. Spread onto cake filling and around sides.

Healthy Ice Creams

I love this healthy alternative to a tub of ice-cream and the kids do too!  I've been meaning to post it for ages and realised I better do it before winter hits!  It's the perfect way to use up fruit that might just be nearing its use-by date - or any fruit that you've popped in the freezer for the same reason.  You can scoop it straight into bowls or ice cream cones (as above), or into ice block moulds ready for later :-)

Experiment with a few fruit combinations - you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen fruit (approx) - I love using banana & mango

1/2 cup natural low-fat yoghurt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

honey (optional)

Method

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Pour into ice block moulds.  Freeze overnight.

Red Velvet Cake

My wonderful husband Dean is celebrating his birthday today - coinciding with Valentine's Day.  What better excuse to get the apron on and get baking!  We had a family celebration on the weekend, where I made him a novelty cake (I'll share that one soon!), but I wanted to make a special treat that he could take to work today.  I couldn't go past a gorgeous, rich, Red Velvet Cake.

I've previously made Red Velvet Cupcakes (recipe here), but looked around a bit to see if it was much different to making a full cake.  It's basically the same, but I did use a slightly different recipe, which I found at this gorgeous little blog here.

I actually make one whole cake (rather than splitting into two tins) and just cut it after it had been baked.  The cream cheese icing is a must - it is so creamy and delicious!  The template I used on top came from the latest Good Taste Magazine - I just sifted plain cocoa powder over the top.

This is an indulgence that's totally worth it!  Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 ½ cups sifted plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
30ml red food colouring (Queen’s Pillar Box Red is great!)
115g unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups caster sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease two 22cm cake tins with softened butter and line base and sides with baking paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps and set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.

Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

In a deep, small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda (it will bubble and fizz). Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir through quickly until combined.

Divide the batter equally between the two tins – I weighed the cake tins using my scales, to make sure the batter split was equal. Place tins in your preheated oven. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, rotating tins halfway through.

The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Unmould the cake, place it top side down on the wire rack, and allow to cool completely before icing.

To ice:  Layer the two halves of cake with some icing in between.  Spread remaining icing on top and decorate as desired.

Carrot & Apricot Cakes

My mum made these for a recent family dinner and they were so good I begged her for the recipe - which she'd gotten from the side of the Coles brand SR flour packet!  They are just delicious - check out the tips at the bottom for some other variations :-)

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour

2 cups grated carrot

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup flaked almonds (3/4 cup crushed or chopped, 1/4 cup whole for decoration, toasted)

1/2 cup dried apricot, chopped, plus 1/3 cup chopped for decoration

3 extra large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

3/4 cup oil (vegetable, sunflower or light olive)

Icing

250g lite cream cheese, softened

25g butter, softened

2/3 cup icing sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons orange juice

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius/160 degrees fan-forced.

Combine flour, carrot, sugar, almond and apricots.  In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.  Pour onto dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Spoon mixture into regular muffin pan, lined with paper cases.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and golden.  Remove and cool.

For icing: beat cream cheese and butter in a small bowl until smooth.  Beat in icing sugar and oragne juice.  Spread icing over muffins and top with extra toasted almonds and apricot.

Tip: you can substitute sultanas for the apricots, or cinnamon, mixed spice or finely grated orange rind for the vanilla.  Any nuts can be used in place of the almonds.

Caramel Mudcake

This is a deliciously indulgent cake - perfect as a dessert or rich alternative to a standard cake.  I love caramel, so I really enjoyed it - thanks to www.taste.com.au for the recipe.  This picture is actually used in a published ebook novel, called "8 Slices of Cake", co-authored by an old school friend - so there's your trivia for the day!  If you want to check it out, here's the link!

Ingredients
Melted butter, to grease
200g butter, cubed
200g white chocolate, chopped
200g (1 cup, firmly packed) dark brown sugar
180ml (3/4 cup) hot water
1 tbs golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs, at room temperature
150g (1 cup) plain flour
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour

Icing

125g butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/2 tablespoon golden syrup

Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter. Line base and side with non-stick baking paper.

Place butter, chocolate, sugar, water, golden syrup and vanilla essence in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat with a wooden spoon for 5 mins or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Set aside for 20 mins to cool.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift combined flours over chocolate mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Pour mixture into pan and bake in preheated oven for 50-60 mins or until a skewer comes out almost clean. Stand cake for 20 mins before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make icing: beat butter in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Add half the icing sugar and beat until well combined.  Add the golden syrup and beat.  Add remaining icing sugar and beat again.

Cut cake in half horizontally.  Spread middle with icing.  Top the the rest of the cake and ice on top.  Serve.

Little Mr having a turn at stirring...

...and not happy when it's big sister's turn!

Gingerbread Ice-cream Pudding

This recipe came out a challenge set by my workmates to use up the rest of the Gingerbread House that we devoured for our work Christmas Party.  It seemed like such a waste to throw out the crumbled remnants, so I decided to mix together an ice-cream pudding to serve on Christmas Eve.  The liqueur and chocolates had been given to me as gifts, so it was a great way to use up some things I had on hand!  This one is seriously indulgent and delicious - and I love it because it is super easy (no cooking involved, just mixing!) and you can make it in advance and not have to think about dessert again until you're about to serve.  Definitely a perfect Aussie Christmas dessert!

Ingredients
Leftover gingerbread, crumbled
2L hokey pokey ice-cream
16 ferrero rochers, crushed
1/3 cup caramel liqueur
white chocolate ice magic
cranberries and silver balls, to decorate

Method
Put ice-cream in a large bowl and leave out to soften.  Mix in gingerbread, chocolates and liqueur.

Place in a silicone mould (the Tupperware Kugelhopf is perfect!) or pudding basin lined with cling wrap.

Freeze for several hours.

Turn on to a plate, squeeze ice magic on top and sprinkle with cranberries and silver balls.

Key Lime Pie

I have a guest blogger joining me today - my sister, Angela - also known as Jimmy.  She's a great cook and is always up for trying new things - like this Key Lime Pie (or KLP as we affectionately call it!) - she whipped up for a family dinner.  It was scrumptious!  Anyway, here she is...

"A fresh, easy and super tasty dessert.  I first came across Key Lime Pie in season 3 of 'Dexter' - when Dexter visits an old family friend in hospital, and her final wish is for the perfect piece of Key Lime Pie - a very American dessert!

After some recipe searching on Taste.com.au I found this recipe. The few times I've baked it, it's been a big hit. A great summer dessert - perfect for when the lime tree is full!"

Ingredients (serves 6)
250g ‘Nice’ biscuits
100g butter, melted
4 eggs, lightly beaten
395g can condensed milk
2/3 cup (160ml) cream
Finely grated rind and juice of 4 limes

Method
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line base of a 20cm springform tin with baking paper.

Process biscuits until fine crumbs. Add butter, process until combined. Press mixture firmly into the base and 3cm up sides of tin. Refrigerate.

Whisk eggs, milk, cream, lime rind and juice until smooth. Pour into biscuit crust.

Place on tray and bake for 40-45 mins or until set. Cool. Serve with extra lime slices and whipped cream.

Gluten-Free Flourless Orange & Almond Cake

Many people lately seem to looking for gluten-free recipes. I came across this one in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine and decided to give it a go! It's also dairy-free (bonus!) I'd never tried an orange cake that used the whole orange before, so I found it an interesting process - but a fabulous result! As you can see, I made it as cupcakes and a loaf, and they baked for 30 and 45 minutes respectively.  Enjoy!  (Plus check out the Family Show Taste Test below - what did Liam & Robbie think?)

Ingredients
2 oranges, unpeeled
6 eggs
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
250g almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
Icing sugar, for dusting
Orange zest, to serve
Toasted flaked almonds, to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 22cm round cake tin.

Put oranges in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, ensuring oranges remain covered with water - weigh down with a heat-proof plate, if necessary. Transfer oranges to a plate and set aside to cool for 30 minutes or until they reach room temperature. Cut oranges into quarters and remove seeds. Put in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Put eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat, using the whisk attachment, for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy and foamy. Add caster sugar and whisk on high for 5 minutes or until thick and glossy.

Add orange purée, almond meal and baking powder, and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared tin.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Set cake aside in tin for 6 hours or overnight to cool completely.

Turn out cake onto a serving platter or cake stand. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with orange zest and almonds just before serving.

And find out Liam & Robbie's verdict:

Raspberry-Apple Crumb Tart

I borrowed out Martha Stewart's "Pies & Tarts" from the library - and oh my, it is an amazing book!  My mouth was watering just flicking through and it has some amazing-looking recipes.  I chose this one for a family lunch - it was easy and soooo delicious!  The original actually uses plums instead of apple, but I've put my adapted version here.  Try it, you won't be disappointed!  But what did Liam & Robbie think?  Check out the Family Show Taste Test below!

Ingredients
For the crust and topping
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup hazlenut or almond meal
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the filling
3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tin apple & raspberry pie filling
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten and 1 egg yolk
1/3 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Method
Make the crust:  preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan.  With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the hazlenut/almond meal, flour, sugars and cinnamon until just combined.  Add butter and mix on low speed just until combined, 2 to 3 minutes.  Press 3 cups of crumb mixture into bottom of pan and about 1.5 inches up sides to form crust.  Reserve remaining crumb mixture.  Bake crust until set, 18-20 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.

Make the filling: scatter chopped apples and pie filling onto cooled crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and sugar.  Whisk in egg, egg yolk, cream, milk and cinnamon.    Pour custard over fruit; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.  Bake tart until custard has set and is slightly golden, 45 to 50 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let tart cool at least 25 minutes before slicing.

How did Liam & Robbie rate it?  Here's the Family Show Taste Test...
 

Coffee Pecan Cake

I made this cake for my dad's birthday recently - it seemed like a very "dad" kind of cake!  He loved it - as did we all!  It's got a beautiful flavour at the nuts & toffee on top just give it an amazing crunch and sweetness.  Perfect served warm with a bit of cream on the side.

Ingredients

30g butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
200g walnuts, toasted
½ cup (125ml) milk
1 tablespoon dry instant coffee
185g butter, extra
1 1/3 cups (300g) caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
¾ cup (110g) plain flour

Toffee
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 teaspoons cream

Method
Preheat oven to moderately slow (160°C/140°C fan-forced). Thoroughly grease and lightly flour a 22cm baba cake pan; shake out excess flour.

Melt the butter in a small pan, add the brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts; stir well. Cool.

Combine milk and coffee in a small bowl, stir until dissolved.

Beat extra butter and caster sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating until just combined between additions. Fold in sifted flours, then milk mixture.

Spread 1/3 of the cake mixture in the base of the prepared pan, sprinkle with half the walnut mixture, top with remaining cake mixture. Bake in a moderately slow oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked when tested. Stand cake for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

For the toffee, combine sugar and water in a small pan. Stir over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, simmer, uncovered, until sugar browns slightly. Add cream and stir 1 minute or until thickened slightly.

Place cake on a wire rack over an oven tray. Drizzle some of the Toffee on top of cake, press on remaining walnut mixture; drizzle with remaining toffee.

Cake without toffee suitable to freeze. Toffee suitable to microwave.