Thursday, May 27, 2010

Delicious Apple Cinnamon Cake

 

Ingredients

Serves 10.

 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt (I use a 1/2t)
  • 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 2cm pieces (3 cups)
  • 1 cup chopped assorted nuts, if you’ve got any lying around in your pantry
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Caramel Sauce
  • Nonstick cooking spray with flour

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.
  2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, bicarb soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs; mix on high speed until pale yellow.
  4. With mixer on medium speed, gradually shake in dry ingredients until just incorporated. Don’t overmix or your cake will be a bit on the tough side!
  5. Add apples and, if desired, nuts, to batter; mix to combine. Add vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven, and cool slightly on a wire rack.
  8. Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack, and serve drizzled with caramel sauce

 

 

Caramel Sauce

 

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, stir until combined. Do not bring to the boil!

  • 1 cup light-brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Delicious Blueberry Bundt Cake

 

 

If you’re serious about delicious American-style cooking, then a Bundt pan is a must-have in your kitchen!

For best results, coat the inside of the Bundt pan with cooking spray just before filling it. Otherwise, all the spray will pool down in the base and your cake will stick to the sides. How do I know this? :->

Ingredients

Serves 12.

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon for blueberries and zest
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use less)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • Nonstick cooking spray, for pan
  • Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 C. In a bowl, whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with baking powder and salt; set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of sour cream.
  3. In a bowl, toss blueberries and zest with remaining teaspoon flour; gently fold into batter. Coat a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray. Spread batter in prepared pan.
  4. Bake cake until a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Invert onto a rack; cool completely, top side up. Dust with icing sugar before serving (if you want to be a bit fancy schmantzy!)

 

Friday, May 14, 2010

Mum’s Brownies

My Mum has been making this recipe for the last 30 something years. She thinks it came from Auntie Donna Baliles (one of the missionaries Mum and Dad worked with in Malawi, Africa).

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon golden syrup (be very generous!)

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

*I usually make double this recipe so half can be placed in your freezer for later on (if it makes it in there!).

Sift all the dry ingredients into the bowl of your electric mixer

Then add all the wet ingredients, turn onto low speed and mix until combined.

Spray and line a lamington tin (if making double) or smaller rectangular tin (if making single quantity). Pour mixture into tin.

Bake at 180 C for 20-25 minutes (if making single quantity) or 30-35 minutes (if making double).

Friday, May 07, 2010

Spinach Dip

 

Ingredients

1 cup Mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 packet frozen spinach (defrosted and drained)

1/3 cup parmesan/strongly flavoured cheese

¼ cup chopped walnuts

1/2 – 1 packet spring vegetable soup

¼ tsp salt

1 clove garlic (I put 2 because I love it)

Blend everything in a food processor or a good blender. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables. Yummo!

*My husband has an intense dislike of parmesan after a bad childhood experience, so we don’t use parmesan in our household!