Fluffy Coconut Cupcakes.

Oh so pretty and very yummy too. Ingredients......

125gs Butter (softened)
1 cup Castor Sugar.
3 Eggs.
1 teaspoon Coconut Extract.
11/2 cups Plain Flour.
1 teaspoon Baking Powder.
3/4 cup Milk.
1/2 cup Coconut Flakes.

Method.......

Makes 12 muffin size or 24 cupcake size.
Preheat oven to 180c. Prepare cupcake tray with cases.
Beat butter with electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add sugar 1/3 at a time, mixing well each time. Add eggs one at a time as well, mixing well between additions. Now add the Coconut extract.
Sift the flour and baking powder and add half to butter mixture with the milk, mix until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Stir in the coconut flakes. Place mixture in to the prepared cases and bake in the oven for 15 minutes for cupcakes and 20-25 for muffins.
Allow to cool while you make the icing.

Icing.......
1 jar of FLUFF (see picture below)
120gs softened Butter.
200gs Icing Sugar.
Beat with your electric mixer and make the butter really soft and creamy, add the jar of FLUFF, a little of the food colouring of your choice, mix, and then start adding the icing sugar until you have the right texture for YOU.
Spread or pipe on to the cupcakes and decorate to suit you. I used more coconut flakes and assorted other things too.

FLUFF, had never heard of it, until someone on one of the forums I belong to, mentioned it. Then I had to get some, made in the U.S.A. Here is a link that you might like to take a look at.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/FluffernutterSandwich.htm
I do hope you can get some, which ever country you live in. It is a MUST.

Rich Fruit Cake.

It was hubby's birthday recently (his 66th) and he's my little devil, hence the devil's horn's on the cake. His other love apart from food is whisky, so not wanting to use a really good one for this cake, I choose BLACK DOUGLAS, THE BLACK, RESERVE 12 year old whisky. Although very nice in itself, he tells me.
Can't bare the smell of it, so this really was a labour of love. The recipe was given to me by Brenda from http://teandwheatenbread.blogspot.com/ and I made a few changes to it as there was a couple of fruits we didn't like. As long as you have the right measures in the end, you can do the same. The original recipe uses brandy or rum, as you see, I used WHISKY.
Ingredients....
3 cups Sultanas.
1 1/2 cups Raisins (chopped)
1/2 cup Currants.
1/2 cup Pitted Prunes (chopped)
2/3 cup Glace Cherries (halved)
3 tablespoons good dark Marmalade.
1 cup WHISKY. (and more for later)
250g Butter.
1 Orange (zest only)
1 Lemon (zest only)
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar.
4 Eggs.
2 cups Plain Flour.
2 tsp. Mixed Spice.
Method....
Line a deep 23cm round or deep 19cm square cake tin with 2 layers of baking paper. Bring paper 5cm above edge of pan.
Combine fruit, marmalade and whisky in a large bowl, mix well with a wooden spoon and leave to stand over night.
Beat butter and zests in a small bowl with electric mixer, add sugar, beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating only until combined between additions.
Stir creamed mix in to the fruit mix. Mix in sifted dry ingredients until all combined
Spread the cake mix in to the prepared tin.
Bake in a slow oven 125c for 3 and 1/2 hours.
HINT..... I wrapped the outside of my tin in double foil to protect it from burning.
When the cake is cooked, turn off the oven, pierce the cake with a skewer in several places, pour more WHISKY over the cake and top with Golden Castor Sugar. Place back in to the oven and leave over night again. This gives it a lovely crunchy crust. See below for the cut cake.

ENJOY!

Biscotti

As some of you might know, I am a big fan of James Martin. Here is another one of his recipes from DESSERTS (a fabulous collection of recipes from SWEET BABY JAMES)
I did change a few things, as I was out of hazelnuts, almonds and dried strawberries. Used green cherries and the nuts were replaced with pistachios.

Ingredients....
250 g Plain Flour
250 g caster sugar
3 medium Free Range Eggs lightly beaten
50 g dried sweetened strawberries chopped
100 g dried Apricots chopped
50 g medjool dates stones removed, chopped
75 g Pistachios shells removed
50 g whole blanched Almonds
50 g Hazelnuts shells removed
1 Lemon zest only

Method....

For the biscotti, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add half the beaten eggs and mix well, then add half of what's left and mix again. Add the last quarter a little at a time until the dough takes shape but isn't too wet (you may not need to use all of the eggs). Add the fruit, nuts and
lemon zest and mix well.
Divide the dough into six pieces. With wet hands, roll each piece into a sausage shape about 5cm/2in wide and place well apart on the baking sheet. Lightly flatten the 'sausages' and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and harden for ten minutes.
With a serrated knife, cut the 'sausages' on an angle into 0.5cm/¼in slices and lay these on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake for eight minutes, then turn the slices over and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, or until they are a pale golden colour. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks. When completely cold, the biscotti can be stored in airtight jars for a week or more.
I didn't make the Limoncello, although I certainly have enough lemons at the moment to do so. Shop bought for me, and then dunked the biscotti in to the Limoncello. DELISH.

Thinking about our MOTHERS

Chocolate dipped Cherry Cake. (Picture courtesy of Google and BBC Good Food)

Mothers day here in Australia, was the 10th of May. I received some lovely Lillies from second son and first son gave me a portable drive for backing up my pooter pictures and documents. Wonderful gifts. Thank you boys. Inside one of the cards was a cutting from a newspaper which is so lovely and thought provoking, I would like to share it with you. So here goes....

And when it comes to the way we think about our mothers, the stages of life can generally be summarised as follows:

• 4 Years of age: "My mummy can do anything."
• 8 Years of age: "My mum knows everything. She's better than your mum."
• 12 Years of age: "My mum knows a fair bit but she doesn't know everything."
• 14 Years of age: "Mum thinks she knows everything but she knows nothing."
• 16 Years of age: "Mum's such a dag. She's got no idea about anything."
• 18 Years of age: "Mum's so far out of date and out of touch, She's got a lot to learn."
• 25 Years of age: "Mum's got a few good ideas, she seems to have picked up a few over the years."
• 35 Years of age: "Before we decide, let's get Mum's opinion."
• 45 Years of age: "Wonder what Mum would have thought about it."
• 65 Years of age: "Wish I could talk it over with Mum."

I remember each one of these "ages" except for the last two. Thankfully at almost 60 Years of age My Mum is still here with us and I speak to her everyday, usually for advice. TO ALL THE MUMS OUT THERE, THANK YOU.

Madeleines (3 sorts)

I have been wanting to make these for such a long time, and finally last week I managed to buy the proper baking tray. Then it was a hunt through Google to find that perfect recipe, and I found it finally on http://www.taste.com.au Thank you Dixie Elliott.

Ingredients...

3 Eggs
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1 Lemon, rind only, finely grated
1 large Lime, rind only, finely grated
3/4 cup plain Flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
60g unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
Icing Sugar, to dust

Method...

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12-hole Madeleine baking pan. Place eggs, sugar, lemon rind and lime rind into bowl. Using an electric hand beater, beat mixture until thick, pale and doubled in volume. Gently fold in flour, baking powder and butter using a metal spoon.

Place tablespoons of mixture into prepared Madeleine moulds. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden and cakes spring back when pressed in the centre. Cool slightly before removing from moulds. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar. This is for the Citrus Madeleines.

For the chocolate Madeleines, I left out the lemon and lime rind. I replaced 1 tablespoon of flour with Cocoa powder and added some grated cooking chocolate. Then when cooled I dipped the Madeleines in melted chocolate.

And for the Cinnamon Madeleines, again I left out the citrus and added 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon and when cooled I dusted with Cinnamon sugar.

Chocolate Madeleines dipped in
Chocolate.













Cinnamon Madeleines.













Citrus Madeleines.

Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

This recipe was found in a lift out magazine called Sunday Life, dated May 2004. The cake is based on a prize winning recipe from Peter Bennett, a regular entrant in the cooking section of the Royal Melbourne Show.

Dead Easy Chocolate Cake.
Ingredients:
200g S.R. Flour.
25g Cocoa Powder.
250g Dark Brown Sugar.
125g Butter (at room temperature)
2 Eggs.
2 tsp Vanilla Essence.
160ml Water.
200g fresh or thawed Raspberries.

Chocolate Glaze:
80ml Pouring Cream.
150g good quality Dark Chocolate. (chopped in to small pieces)

Method:
Preheat oven to 170c. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.
Place all ingredients (except the raspberries) in a large mixing bowl and mix for 2-4 minutes until all combines , light and fluffy.
Fold in most of the raspberries (keep back some for decoration if you like). Pour the cake mix in to the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Stand cake for 5 minutes in tin to cool a little, then turn out on to a rack to cool more.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze.
Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate that is in a heat proof bowl. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth.
Pour over the now cooled cake and decorate with the spare raspberries. Allow the glaze to set a little before cutting. Enjoy, we did.

Broccoli and cream cheese soup.

BROCCOLI CREAM CHEESE SOUP - Taken from Delia`s Smiths Christmas, and adapted.

225g head Broccoli
1 medium Onion, chopped.
2 whites of Leek, chopped.
40g Butter.
570ml veg Stock.
150g low fat cream Cheese.
2 tablespoons Oatmeal.
570ml Milk.

Trim broccoli into tiny florets of approx 5mm (keep aside) and chop stalky parts quite small.
In large pan, melt butter, add leeks, onion and broccoli stalks, stir well and cover to sweat for 10 minutes.
Stir in oatmeal, add milk, a little at time, stirring well after each addition. Then add stock and seasoning if required, whisk well and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn of heat and cool a little. Pour into food processor and add cheese and blend. Steam florets and add to soup.

The changes I made are... Had no Oatmeal so added 2 tablespoons of Cornflour to the milk, which thickened it in the same way.
Also doubled everything, and I am so glad I did. This is truly ORGASMIC. Hubby and I ate the lot between us with a fresh buttered roll, mind you, we had no room for anything else. Ha ha.

Clean house

I am having BIG problems with my hard drive and a new one is being fitted next week. So.... No posts for a while, I am sorry. But do keep reading my posts and hopefully I will be back very soon. In to the kitchen I go for a lot of baking and I shall have a clean house and all the gardening will be up to date too.
That will be a first for some while. Te He.

May Birthdays

Happy birthday to Pink Bytes. It has been 1 year already, since the girls of Violet's Pantry persuaded me to start a blog. Being a two finger, search and peck typer, each post I do takes me ages, but I am getting quicker. Just wish those keys on the keyboard would stay in the same place. Ha Ha.

A special THANK YOU should go to a few Food Porn sites I am a member of. TasteSpotting, FoodGawker, RecipeMuncher, Food Photography and Serious Eats. All these sites and a few more can be found in my side bar. And also a BIG Thank you must go to Ron of The Merlin Menu for showing me the light, pun intended ha ha. See post on Light box.

And a special THANK YOU goes to YOU, my visitors, my supporters, my followers. I love reading the comments you leave.

20th of May is my Dad's Birthday. A special Dad indeed, a chosen Dad in fact.(Too long a story to go into here, but glad he came in to our lives) A truly lovely man who is there for you any time with loving advice and support. HAPPY BIRTHDAY M.

And I have left the best to last. My dear cyber friend B. has her birthday on the 28th of May. She has given me encouragement and support over a few years now, she writes the blog TEA and Wheaten Bread (also in my side bar) Please go and visit her, for some delish recipes for scones, breads and cakes. Thank you B. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

The first 3 pictures were obtained from Google images (Thank you)

Chocolate Cola Cake

I am totally in love with James Martin, a yorkshire lad who knows his way around a kitchen, and the way to my heart with a wonderful selection of cakes and desserts. This cake is from his book called DESSERTS
I did change the icing a little though, used softened butter only and added the icing sugar cocoa and cola, then mixed until smooth. The sugar flowers on top of my cake are from my 50th birthday cake and were not made by me.

Ingredients:
oil, for greasing
250g self-raising Flour
generous pinch of Bicarbonate of soda.
3 heaped tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder.
300g golden Caster Sugar
2 Eggs, (beaten)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
250g Butter.
175ml Cola
250ml Milk.

For the frosting:
200g Icing Sugar.
100g Butter.
2 tbsp Cola.
2 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder.


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease a 24cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl. Mix in the bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and sugar.
3. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Put the butter in a saucepan and melt over gentle heat.
5. Add the cola to the butter and stir to mix, making sure mixture does not boil. Stir in the milk and remove from the heat.
6. Quickly whisk the cola mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix gently but thoroughly.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Put the butter in a saucepan and melt over gentle heat. Stir in the cola and cocoa powder. Bring the mixture to the boil, then pour it over the icing sugar. Beat until smooth.
10. With the cake still in the tin, pour the frosting over it and leave in the tin until completely cool.
Hope you enjoy this cake as much as I did, have eaten 2 pieces now in an hour. YUM YUM

Yummy, Gooey, Fudgey Slice.

This is so easy, and can be made up, chilled and sliced in well under an hour. Very sweet, and fudgey, and very moreish.

The recipe..
8 oz of Butter.
8 oz of Sugar. (I used half brown and half white)
8 oz of Digestive Biscuits (crushed)
1 tin Condensed Milk (395 gms)
8 oz melted Milk Chocolate (I had more 'cos wanted a thick layer on top)

How to make..
Line a Swiss roll tin with foil and crush the biscuits, set a side.
Melt the butter, milk and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and continue boiling for 3 - 5 minutes. Add in the crushed biscuits and stir. Melt the chocolate over simmering water in another saucepan. Pour the milk/biscuit mixture in to the prepared tin and level out with a spatula. Then pour the melted chocolate over the mix in tin and again, level out. Decorate with sprinkles or coarsely grated chocolate. Chill in the fridge. When chilled, remove from pan and slice to your desired size. Stores well in the fridge for a few days in a covered container. I bet you don't just make this the once.
Next time I shall try different biscuits, like ginger snaps maybe, and change the chocolate from milk to dark.

Award time (Premios Dardo)

After a little blog research I have managed to find that Premios Dardo translates from Spanish to mean Dart Award in English and that it can really mean one of two things when given to a blogger.
1..This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.
2..The Premios Dardo is designed to recognize unique voices and visions on the Web as well as to promote fraternization amongst bloggers of all sorts. (Copied directly from George of
http://culinarytravelsofakitchengoddess.wordpress.com/)
GEORGE, thank you so much for this award, very happy to receive this and pass it on, as the rules state, to five other bloggers.
So they can partake in the excitement that I have, as soon as possible and in no particular order, they are...
Kerry of....http://kerry-meandmythree.blogspot.com/
Rose of....http://bakingcakesgalore.blogspot.com/
Sarah of....http://thehankeringpalate.wordpress.com/
Granny of....http://teandwheatenbread.blogspot.com/
Ron of....http://themerlinmenu.blogspot.com/
Again, THANK YOU GEORGE and the chosen five, please come and get your award.