Ginger Walnut Fudge with Coffee Icing

With temperatures hovering in the 30s in Christchurch last week, the last thing anyone has really wanted to do is turn the oven on. We've all been baking outside the house, let alone in it. So with this in mind, I turned to the cute little book I picked up at a Vintage Market a few weeks ago, for some unbaked inspiration.

I'm not sure when it was published as it doesn't have a date, but it is full of loads of old fashioned fudgy recipes to try out. Here is a modified take on their Ginger Square. I've converted the weights to metric for you. 















Ginger Walnut Fudge with Coffee Icing

115g butter
half a cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons condensed milk
250g crushed wine biscuits
half a cup crystallized ginger
1 cup walnut pieces
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Melt the butter, brown sugar and condensed milk together. 

Crush the biscuits in the food processor. Once finely crumbed, add the ginger and walnuts and pulse until they are broken up but not crushed. 

Pour the crumb mixture into the melted butter mix and fold together. 

Press into a lined slice tin and refrigerate until hardened. 













Coffee Icing

3 tablespoons condensed milk
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 shot of espresso coffee
about 2 cups of icing sugar

Blend the condensed milk and butter together. Stir in the hot espresso, followed by the icing sugar. Blend to a smooth paste and spread onto the chilled fudge slice. 


Cut up into small squares once the icing is set. Store in an airtight container. 

Happy baking!

Oat, Nut and Seed Chocolate Chip Biscuit Recipe

Our little blossom used to be such an adventurous eater. Now, as an over opinionated nearly-7 year old, she has all sorts of ideas about what she likes and what she doesn't. Every weekend I ask the family what biscuit or slice they might like for lunch boxes for the coming week, and ever weekend she says 'Chocolate chip biscuits'. Boredom and wanting to improve the overall nutritional value has led me on an adventure of reinvention of this humble biscuit. This week's incarnation is a nut and seed version that's dairy and egg free. If you are looking for a biscuit more like your Granny might make this is not the one, and you might like to try the more traditional version. 

Oat, Nut and Seed Chocolate Chip Biscuits

125g coconut oil
200g honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
half a cup walnuts 
half a cup sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180 deg. C. Bake setting. 

Place the coconut oil and honey into a small saucepan and melt together. Don't overheat; it it only just needs to melt. Set aside to cool. 

In a food processor, blend the oats until they form a fine meal. 

Add the walnuts and sunflower seeds and briefly process again until they are chopped, but still retail some chunks. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl, and add the coconut and wholemeal flours, and the cinnamon. 

Dissolve the soda in the warm water and stir it into the cooled honey and coconut oil. 
Add the liquid ingredients into the oat and flour mixture and stir to combine. 

Lastly stir in the chocolate chips. It is essential that the oil and honey are cool, or else they will start to cook the flours and melt the chocolate chips once they are added. 

Using a soup spoon, take teaspoon lots and place them on a lined baking tray. 

Flatter the biscuits a little, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 

These biscuits keep well and are a perfect brain food snack for school and work. 


Happy baking!

A new twist on an old favourite - Wholemeal and Chia Chocolate Chip Biscuits

In an effort to make more of the everyday things I bake more nutritious I've been substituting in wholemeal ingredients along with added nuts and seeds where I can. Wholemeal flour adds a new dimension to baked goods with its nutty flavour and added bite. One of my other favourite additions is chia seeds. Chia is versatile, tasty and easily added to so many recipes for an instant protein, texture and flavour boost. Here's my new take on the Chocolate Chip Biscuit. The children will hardly even notice they are healthier. This recipe makes a good double tray of biscuits, so there will be plenty to share around. 

Wholemeal and Chia Chocolate Chip Biscuits

200g butter
150g brown sugar
300g wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
3 tablespoons chis seeds

Preheat the oven to 175deg. C and line a large baking tray.

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. 











Add the wholemeal flour, baking powder, chocolate chips and chia seeds and stir to combine. 










The mixture will appear crumbly, but should hold together when pressed. 

Press and roll tablespoon lots into balls and arrange on the lined tray. 

Flatten each ball, then bake for 10 to 12 minutes. 









Allow to cool on the tray as the biscuits will be very soft straight from the oven. 

Delicious Chocolate Sponge with fresh fruit and cream

Back in my teens I used to make this sponge all the time. With the hens on the farm there was always plenty of eggs to be used. That was nearly 30 years ago now, but the recipe is still as good as ever. I'm really not sure where the recipe came from originally; probably one of the 1070's farming womens' publications. It's easy to make and always goes down well with a crowd. Use whatever summer fruit is available to make this delicious cake for dessert or afternoon tea.



My family still farm the same land, and thanks to my mother's care and attention there is always plenty of eggs in the hen house. Looking after the chickens is one of our Little Blossom's favourite farm chores. 






Chocolate Sponge with fresh fruit and cream

6 eggs - separated
300g caster sugar
200g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons butter
4 heaped teaspoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons warm water

For the filling:
2 cups cream
4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence 
2 cups fresh raspberries - if fresh is unavailable, jam will do the trick. 
an extra 2 to 3 cups fresh seasonal fruit

Preheat the oven to 180deg. C. Line a 18 x 25cm or similar sized baking tin with baking paper. 

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add approximately half the sugar, a tablespoon at a time and beat until the mixture holds firm peaks. 

In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until they are pale and doubled in volume. 

Don't add the sugar to the yolks until you are ready to beat them or lumps of yolk will form around the sugar. 

Place the water, cocoa and butter into a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Allow to cool. 

Fold the yolk mixture into the beaten egg whites. Now fold the cooled cocoa mixture into the eggs. Double sift the flour and baking powder and gently fold it into the egg mixture.









Pour the sponge mixture into the prepared baking tin. 












Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the sponge is well risen and bounces back when pressed. 

Allow the sponge to cool in the tin, then turn it out and remove the baking paper. Using a large serrated knife cut the sponge length-ways into two pieces. 







Beat the cream and icing sugar to soft peaks. Add the vanilla essence. 

Mash the first measure of raspberries and spread them on the bottom layer of sponge. 

Cover with cream and sprinkle with whole raspberries. 

Place the top layer of sponge on top and cover with the remaining cream. Arrange the extra fruit on top and serve!  

Nothing says pudding like Pavlova

Christmas has come and gone, and we've been enjoying some lovely time with family. From the better-late-than-never file, here's our Christmas pavlova. I've been working on tweaking the cooking times and temperatures to get a more consistent bake. Pavs can be notoriously tricky to get right, so if yours isn't as pretty as you'd like, rest assured it's nothing that a good slathering of whipped cream and some fruit wont cover. 

Summer Pavlova

6 egg whites
1.5 cups caster sugar
1.5 tablespoons maize cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1.5 cups cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
an assortment of seasonal fruit for decoration


Preheat the oven to 125deg. C and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

In a scrupulously clean beater bowl, beat the egg whites using a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. 








    
In a bowl, combine the caster sugar and cornflour. 











Add the sugar mix to the whites 3 tablespoons at a time, beating well in between each addition. The mixture will turn silky and shiny as the sugar is added. It should be very thick and stand up in peaks when the beater whisk is raised. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add the vinegar and vanilla and beat until it is incorporated. 





Using a large spatula, spoon the pavlova mixture onto the lined baking sheet. 

Form it into a nice high round disk shape. 









Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 125deg. C., then turn the oven down to 100deg. and bake a further 1 hour. 











After the hour is up, turn the oven off and leave the pavlova in there to cool. 
Once it's totally cold transfer it to a serving plate. If you don't think it will come off the paper in one piece, leave it on and trim the paper neatly around the edges. 







Whip the cream until thick, then fold in the second measure of icing sugar and vanilla. Spread it on the pavlova and add as much fruit as you would like. 

Here's our Christmas dessert spread: Pavlova, Pineapple Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Tiramisu and Sherry Log. 
Have a lovely holiday season with your family and friends xx

Christmas Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Meringue Toffee Frosting Recipe

These cupcakes are a great little treat. They keep well in the fridge and make excellent thank you gifts at this time of year. Our little miss took some to her swimming teachers, some to riding school on the last day, and some to Santa at Ballantynes. The toffee frosting is a lovely light alternative to buttercream. We added strawberries and blueberries to give them a nice cheerful Christmas theme. The cupcakes can easily be made gluten free by using Bakels gluten free flour instead of wheaten flour. 

Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Meringue Toffee Frosting. 

1/2 cup vegetable oil
250ml cream
50ml espresso
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 and 3/4 cups flour


Preheat the oven to 160 deg. C. Put out 35 small, free-standing cupcake cases onto a baking tray.

Sift the flour and cocoa together and set aside. 
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, cream, espresso, boiling water, vanilla essence, lightly beaten eggs, brown sugar, salt, and lastly the baking soda. 



Add the flour to the liquid and gradually whisk the mixture to combine it. 

Place the mixture into a jug to make it easier to pour into the cupcake cases.








The cupcakes rise quite a lot, so only half fill each case with mixture.  











Bake for 25 minutes until well risen. The tops should bounce back when pressed. Allow to cool completely before decorating with the toffee frosting.  

Meringue Toffee Frosting

175g granulated sugar

1 tablepoon liquid glucose

40ml water

3 egg whites. 

Separate the eggs. Reserve the egg yolks for another recipe. Beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Not so much as the whites start to look dry, just stiff enough to stand up when the beater head is raised out of the mixture. 

Put the sugar, glucose and water into a small pot over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and boil until the toffee reaches 145deg. C on the sweet thermometer or until it's a light brown colour. 

With the beater running, dribble the toffee into the beaten egg whites a little at a time. The egg whites will start to look glossy, then turn a nice thick toffee colour. Be very careful with the hot toffee! 

Working quickly before the frosting sets, use a piping bag and star nozzle to pipe rosettes onto each cupcake. If you don't have a bag and nozzle, just use a knife to spread a generous amount onto each one. 

Top each cupcake with a quarter of strawberry and a couple of blueberries. Any summer fruit will do. 

Store the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. 

I got a super cute and practical cupcake holder box from a $2 store in the mall - definitely worth getting for easy transportation.  

Happy baking everyone, and a very merry holiday season to you all xxx 

Summer Fruit and Mascarpone Tart

The sweet taste of the first of the summer soft fruits is one of my highlights of the culinary year. We are feeling quite chuffed to say that most of the fruit for this dessert came from the corner of our garden. This fruit tart is great for a dinner party, as it looks really spectacular, but is easy to make in advance and easy to assemble. I used my usual sweet pastry recipe. This recipe can be just as easily made into smaller individual tarts if required. 

Summer Fruit and Mascarpone Tart
serves six generous portions, or eight smaller


For the tart case:

I used this recipe for short sweet pastry from a previous post. Only half the recipe quantity is required. The reminder can be frozen for use later. 

Preheat the oven to 185deg. C. 

After chilling the pastry, roll it between a sheet of baking paper and a sheet of plastic food wrap. Lift the paper and leave the pastry stuck to the plastic wrap. Now use the plastic wrap to guide the pastry into a long, loose bottomed tart tin. Once in the tin, peel the plastic away and trim the pastry from the edges using a knife. Mend any holes using the off cuts. 

Crumple the previously used sheet of baking paper, then ease it into the tin and over the pastry. Crumpling it first makes the paper easier to handle.  
Now fill the paper lined pastry with either baking rice or beans. 









Bake for 20 minutes then take from the oven and remove the paper and rice. Return to the oven and bake a further 10 minutes until the pastry is very crisp and quite brown. The pastry will have shrunk from the sides of the tin. 














Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the sides of the tin. Leave the base of the tin attached to the tart as this will help to support it. Allow to cool completely before adding the filling. 









For the Filling: 
400g mascarpone 
3 to 4 tablespoons icing sugar
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup cream
a selection of seasonal fruit, about 3 cups - I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and red and black currents. 

Beat the mascarpone, sugar, lemon zest and juice together until smooth and soft, then set aside. Beat the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the mascarpone into the beaten cream a third at a time. Taste for sweetness, and fold in a little more icing sugar if you require it. 

Store the filling in the fridge until it is required. 





Half an hour before the guests arrive, fill the tart case with the filling. I like to pile it up so it looks nice and generous. You want the case to stay nice and crisp, fill it too soon and it will become soft. 

Any extra filling can be eaten later with whatever left over fruit is available, or use the extra pastry to make a few small tarts to fill. 



Now arrange the seasonal fruit. Hull the strawberries and slice them in half if they are large. Add the raspberries, blueberries, and red and black currents. Don't worry about being exact - it's supposed to look casual. For the Provencal touch, leave the currents on their stalks.

Now use a sieve to dust the whole lot with a generous layer of icing sugar. 

If you don't have a long enough serving dish, just spread out a clean, crisp, cloth serviette and present it straight onto the table. 

You wont need to worry about any leftovers with this tart. 

Happy festive baking xx