Its that time of year again, every year an old lady [even older than me], rings up and when she says “Hello Di" I think, she wants to sell her house and move to a retirement home, but no, it’s “could you man a stall or bake for "Daffodil Day"?. I’m a sucker for donations for "Daffodil Day" because mum died of cancer at 42, a kind usually easily cured today.
So I spent most of Thursday baking, which turned out to be a lot of fun as it was cold and miserable most of the day. Ginger Crunch, Peppermint Crunch, Yo Yos, and from Lovely Wee Days Peanut Butter Sea Salt Biscuits, the latter are totally addictable. And then Smitten Kitchens Chocolate Caramel Cheese-Cake to take out on Friday night.
The only other excitement here this week has been a large Hooker sea-lion deciding to take a walk up the main road for about 500metres, stopping traffic and gathering a crowd of admirers. The was a collective sigh of relief when he finally decided to head back to the river. He emerged soon after on the sand bank across from our house and lay basking happily for the rest of the day.
GINGER CRUNCH base from the Edmonds Cook Book and topping from “the Mercy Hospital Bake Off” recipe book.
125gm butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 ½ c plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift the flour, baking powder and ginger, add to mixture. Turn out and finish by kneading.
Press into greased 20x30cm tin.
Bake 190c for 20 to 25mins, or until light golden brown.
When cold cover with ginger icing.
Ginger Icing
100gm butter
6 tbsp golden syrup
2 &1/4c icing sugar
3 tsp ground ginger
Melt butter sugar and golden syrup together in microwave, beat in icing sugar and ginger.
Spread over slice.
PEPPERMINT CRUNCH use the ginger crunch base above and Topping from Best Recipes
Topping
2 c icing sugar
100gm soft butter
2 tablespoons cream
3teaspoons peppermint essence and food coloring if you like, I use a couple of drops of blue and that just gives a tiny greenish look.
Put in fridge until set for a couple of hours.
Chocolate icing – you can use melted chocolate, but it’s so wicked already, I use the recipe off the chocolate icing sugar packet. Spread on with a flat knife dipped in hot water. Put back in fridge for couple of hours until set and you can then cut up, the trimmings are yummy and of course are all yours.
YO YOS from Bestrecipes
I think this is a nicer recipe than the one I used in the last blog, they are just a bit lighter.
185gm butter
1/3c icing sugar
Few drops of vanilla essence
1&1/2c plain flour
1/3c custard powder
Cream butter and icing sugar
Add vanilla
Sift in flour and custard powder and mix.
Roll into balls place on greased oven trays and flatten with a fork dipped in flour.
Bake 180c for 15 to 20 mins.
When cold sandwich together with lemon butter filling. They are very soft so handle gently.
50g butter softened
1/2c icing sugar
2 tsps custard powder
Mix together with the juice of half a lemon
PEANUT BUTTER SEA SALT BISCUITS from Lovely Wee Days
180g butter
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
110g peanut butter
2 c flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c salted peanuts chopped
sea salt to sprinkle - I used chunky salt.
Cream the butter and sugars in the food processor. Add the vanilla and egg and combine well, then the peanut butter. Pulse in the dry ingredients only enough to combine. Mix in the chopped peanuts by hand. Roll dough into a log, wrap and chill for a couple of hours until it can be easily sliced. Slice, put on greased trays, not to close, sprinkle with sea salt to taste [not too much] and bake at 150c for approx 20 to 25 minutes.
I dare you to have one and resist another, they are irresistible.
My friend picked up the box of baking on Friday morning and reported that it was gone in minutes.
On Friday night I went to our annual work " duck dinner", where all the hunters amongst us bring along their favorite duck dish to share. I was asked to bring a dessert and I wanted to take a chocolate cheese cake so I trolled through many sites until I came across Smitten Kitchens Chocolate caramel cheese cake, it is without a doubt the best cheese cake I have ever tasted.
I had trouble with the caramel and hope it goes better next time, it seemed to take ages to melt into the cream after I added it. but the result is well worth it.
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CHEESE-CAKE
Crumb crust I used the one I always use.
1 packet of digestive biscuits pulsed until crumbs [ not to fine], add 1 tbsp cocoa, then 50gms of melted butter, and pulse few times until mixed, press into bottom of 24cm spring-form pan and put in fridge until needed.
Filling
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
230gm packet of Cadburys dark chocolate chips or fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 (225gm) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 180°c.
Cook the sugar in a dry heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden.
Now stop stirring and cook caramel by swirling pan, until deep golden.
Remove from heat and carefully add heavy cream (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. [this took me ages and I threw the last lump of caramel away]
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth.
Stir in sour cream.
Beat cream cheese in blender until fluffy, then beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
Pour filling into crust and place in roasting dish half fill of boiling water, this will stop the top cracking and fill your house with steam.
Bake in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.
Remove from water and run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen, then cool completely in springform pan on a rack. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.) Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove pan and transfer cake to a plate.This wasn't easy, I put a plate on top of the pan and flipped it over, removed the base, placed serving plate on top, tightened the pan again, flipped again,and removed pan, Phew!
I had some left over lemon icing from the Yo Yos so I piped that around for decoration.
It will keep chilled for up to a week.
Serve at room temperature
I got about 20 slices out of it and served it with whipped cream, but would be nice with plain yoghurt. Everybody loved it and it is so rich you only need a tiny slice each so good for large gatherings.
One of the trawler-men gave Pootle these for our dinner tonight, English sole our favorite fish.
So I spent most of Thursday baking, which turned out to be a lot of fun as it was cold and miserable most of the day. Ginger Crunch, Peppermint Crunch, Yo Yos, and from Lovely Wee Days Peanut Butter Sea Salt Biscuits, the latter are totally addictable. And then Smitten Kitchens Chocolate Caramel Cheese-Cake to take out on Friday night.
The only other excitement here this week has been a large Hooker sea-lion deciding to take a walk up the main road for about 500metres, stopping traffic and gathering a crowd of admirers. The was a collective sigh of relief when he finally decided to head back to the river. He emerged soon after on the sand bank across from our house and lay basking happily for the rest of the day.
125gm butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 ½ c plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Sift the flour, baking powder and ginger, add to mixture. Turn out and finish by kneading.
Press into greased 20x30cm tin.
Bake 190c for 20 to 25mins, or until light golden brown.
When cold cover with ginger icing.
Ginger Icing
100gm butter
6 tbsp golden syrup
2 &1/4c icing sugar
3 tsp ground ginger
Melt butter sugar and golden syrup together in microwave, beat in icing sugar and ginger.
Spread over slice.
PEPPERMINT CRUNCH use the ginger crunch base above and Topping from Best Recipes
Topping
2 c icing sugar
100gm soft butter
2 tablespoons cream
3teaspoons peppermint essence and food coloring if you like, I use a couple of drops of blue and that just gives a tiny greenish look.
Put in fridge until set for a couple of hours.
Chocolate icing – you can use melted chocolate, but it’s so wicked already, I use the recipe off the chocolate icing sugar packet. Spread on with a flat knife dipped in hot water. Put back in fridge for couple of hours until set and you can then cut up, the trimmings are yummy and of course are all yours.
YO YOS from Bestrecipes
I think this is a nicer recipe than the one I used in the last blog, they are just a bit lighter.
185gm butter
1/3c icing sugar
Few drops of vanilla essence
1&1/2c plain flour
1/3c custard powder
Cream butter and icing sugar
Add vanilla
Sift in flour and custard powder and mix.
Roll into balls place on greased oven trays and flatten with a fork dipped in flour.
Bake 180c for 15 to 20 mins.
When cold sandwich together with lemon butter filling. They are very soft so handle gently.
50g butter softened
1/2c icing sugar
2 tsps custard powder
Mix together with the juice of half a lemon
PEANUT BUTTER SEA SALT BISCUITS from Lovely Wee Days
180g butter
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
110g peanut butter
2 c flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c salted peanuts chopped
sea salt to sprinkle - I used chunky salt.
Cream the butter and sugars in the food processor. Add the vanilla and egg and combine well, then the peanut butter. Pulse in the dry ingredients only enough to combine. Mix in the chopped peanuts by hand. Roll dough into a log, wrap and chill for a couple of hours until it can be easily sliced. Slice, put on greased trays, not to close, sprinkle with sea salt to taste [not too much] and bake at 150c for approx 20 to 25 minutes.
I dare you to have one and resist another, they are irresistible.
My friend picked up the box of baking on Friday morning and reported that it was gone in minutes.
On Friday night I went to our annual work " duck dinner", where all the hunters amongst us bring along their favorite duck dish to share. I was asked to bring a dessert and I wanted to take a chocolate cheese cake so I trolled through many sites until I came across Smitten Kitchens Chocolate caramel cheese cake, it is without a doubt the best cheese cake I have ever tasted.
I had trouble with the caramel and hope it goes better next time, it seemed to take ages to melt into the cream after I added it. but the result is well worth it.
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CHEESE-CAKE
Crumb crust I used the one I always use.
1 packet of digestive biscuits pulsed until crumbs [ not to fine], add 1 tbsp cocoa, then 50gms of melted butter, and pulse few times until mixed, press into bottom of 24cm spring-form pan and put in fridge until needed.
Filling
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
230gm packet of Cadburys dark chocolate chips or fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 (225gm) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 180°c.
Cook the sugar in a dry heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden.
Now stop stirring and cook caramel by swirling pan, until deep golden.
Remove from heat and carefully add heavy cream (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. [this took me ages and I threw the last lump of caramel away]
Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth.
Stir in sour cream.
Beat cream cheese in blender until fluffy, then beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
Pour filling into crust and place in roasting dish half fill of boiling water, this will stop the top cracking and fill your house with steam.
Bake in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.
Remove from water and run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen, then cool completely in springform pan on a rack. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.) Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove pan and transfer cake to a plate.This wasn't easy, I put a plate on top of the pan and flipped it over, removed the base, placed serving plate on top, tightened the pan again, flipped again,and removed pan, Phew!
I had some left over lemon icing from the Yo Yos so I piped that around for decoration.
It will keep chilled for up to a week.
Serve at room temperature
I got about 20 slices out of it and served it with whipped cream, but would be nice with plain yoghurt. Everybody loved it and it is so rich you only need a tiny slice each so good for large gatherings.
One of the trawler-men gave Pootle these for our dinner tonight, English sole our favorite fish.
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