Chocolate Fudge Cake:
100g Cocoa Powder
200g soft butter
325g muscavado sugar
275g self raising flour
½ tsp Baking powder
3 eggs, beaten
Fudge Icing
300g plain chocolate
225g icing sugar
200g soft butter
Grease and base line 3 8inch sandwich tins. Whisk the cocoa powder in a bowl with ½ pint of boiling water until smooth. Leave to cool.
Beat the sugar and the butter until creamy. Beat in the eggs until smooth, add the flour and baking powder, stir in the cocoa mixture, spoon equally into the prepared tins. Bake in a preheated oven at 180oC for about 20 minutes or until just firm to touch, cool on a wire rack.
For the icing melt the chocolate and allow to cool. Beat the icing sugar and butter until smooth. Add the chocolate and beat until smooth.
Use the icing to sandwich the cakes together. Pile the remainder on top and spread evenly over the top and sides.
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
o 225 g butter, softened
o 300 g white sugar
o 2 eggs
o 10 ml vanilla extract
o 250 g all-purpose flour
o 55 g cocoa powder
o 3 g baking soda
o 2 g salt
o 335 g semisweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Banana Bread
1 Cup mashed bananas,
1 Cup Sour cream,
¼ Cup Butter,
1 1/3 Cup Castor Sugar,
2 eggs,
1 teaspoon Vanilla,
2 Cups Plain Flour,
1 Tsp baking powder,
1 Tsp baking soda,
¼ tsp Salt,
Preheat oven to 170oC. Grease and flour a loaf tin.
Combine the banana and sour cream. Set aside. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and banana mixture.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, stir into the banana mixture.
Spread mix evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Magic Cookie Bars
INGREDIENTS
o 225 g melted butter
o 250 g Digestive Biscuit crumbs
o 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
o 250 g semisweet chocolate chips
o 135 g flaked coconut
o 150 g chopped nuts
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
2. Combine the crumbs and melted butter, mix well an press mixture into the bottom of one 9x12 inch pan. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the crust. Layer the chocolate chips, coconut and nuts on top. Press down gently into the "goo".
3. Bake at 175 degrees C for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cookies cool completely before cutting into 2x2 inch squares.
Marshmallow Popcorn Bars:
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
½ Cup Unpopped Popcorn
6 Tablespoons Butter
5 Cups Miniature Marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips
Grease a Baking tray and set aside.
Add the vegetable oil to a saucepan, and heat over a low heat. When the oil is hot, add the corn. Keeps the pan moving at all times. When the corn stops popping pour into a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over a low heat. Stir in the marshmallows and cook until melted. Stirring constantly. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture cool slightly before adding the chocolate chips.
Press the mixture into the oiled tray and allow to set. Cut into bars before serving.
Pumpkin Cake
50g Sultanas
100mls Grappa
Oil
600g Pumpkin (cubed)
150g Unsalted Butter
Pinch of Salt
150g Sugar
50g Chopped almonds
50g Candied Peel
Zest of 1 Lemon
80g Plain Flour
1 Heaped tsp Baking powder
2 Eggs (separated)
Put the Sultanas in the Grappa. Preheat the oven to 180. Grease and line a cake tin. Cook the butter, when soft mash with a fork, add the salt.
In a mixing bowl beat the pumpkin, sugar, almonds, candied peel, sultans with the grappa, and lemon zest.
Stir in the flour and baking powder into the pumpkin mix.
Beat the egg yolk until foamy and add to the mix. Whisk the egg whites and fold into the mixture.
Spoon into the cake tin and bake for one hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
Tea Brack
Ingredients
8 oz (225 g) raisins
8 oz (225 g) currants
8 oz (225 g) sultanas
4 oz (110g) whole candied peel, cut into ¼ inch (5 mm) pieces
8 oz (225 g) demerara sugar
10 fl oz (275 ml) Lapsang Souchong, Earl Grey or any other hot tea
4 oz (110 g) pecan nuts
1 large egg at room temperature, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
1 lb (450 g) self-raising flour
You will also need two 1 lb (450 g) loaf tins (6 x 3¾ x 2¾ inches; 15 x 19.5 x 7 cm), the bases lined with parchment paper.
Begin this the evening before by placing all the fruits, including the candied peel, in a bowl, then dissolve the sugar in the hot tea, pour this over the fruits, cover the bowl and leave it overnight so the fruits become plump and juicy.
The next day, pre-heat the oven to 170°C, then place the nuts on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven for 6-8 minutes (use a timer, as they burn easily). Then, when they're cool, roughly chop them.
Next, add the beaten egg mixture to the bowl containing the fruits. Then sift in the flour, add the toasted nuts and give everything a really good mixing
Divide the mixture between the prepared loaf tins and bake them in the centre of the oven for 1¼-1½ hours, until they feel springy in the centre. Then straight away, loosen them with a palette knife and turn them out on to a wire rack to cool.
Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies
225g Butter
275g Butter
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tbsp honey
190g Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
245g Rolled Oats
145g Raisins
Preheat oven to 175oC. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and honey. Sift in the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Gradually add the oats to the mixture.
Drop teaspoons of the dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cookies start to brown. Cool on a wire rack.