Iced Ginger Ring.

Was in need of some comforting food and really taste as well this afternoon. So I made this and boy! did it hit the spot. Ginger is so good for the tummy and the digestive system. Now I should have used all golden syrup but I didn't have enough, so used some treacle, which gave it that lovely dark colour.

Prep time 20 minutes... Cooking time 35 minutes.

Ingredients..
340 g Self Raising Flour.
1 tablesp. Bicarb of Soda.
1 tablesp. Ground Ginger.
1 tablesp. Ground Cinnamon.
170 g Sugar (I used white)
170 g Butter.
110 g Golden Syrup.
110 g Treacle.
2 Eggs.
230 mls Milk.
120 g Glazed Ginger (chopped)

Method...
Melt butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan, stirring the whole time.
Set aside to cool.
When cooled, add the rest of the ingredients, leaving the chopped ginger to last.
Mix well. I used a wooden spoon.
Grease a ring tin (or loaf tin) and bake in the oven at 180c (less for fan-forced) for 35 minutes.
Allow to cool and ice with a runny icing.

I dare you to stop at one slice. Enjoy.

Margarita cupcakes with a Lime glaze.

Boozy cupcakes for adults, had fun making these.
Taken and adapted from an American lass called Gail Wagman.

You will need..
150gms S.R. Flour. (sifted)
125gms unsalted Butter (room temp)
150gms Sugar.
3 Eggs.
1 tablespoon finely grated Lime rind.
2 tablespoons Tequila.


Lime Glaze
2 tablespoons fresh Lime juice.
150gms Icing Sugar.
1 tablespoon Tequila.
Green food colouring.
Coarse Salt and Lime slices for decoration.


Method....
Preheat oven to 180c
Cream the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy.
Add eggs, 1 at a time and beating well each time.
Add the lime rind and Tequila.
Fold in the flour until it is all absorbed.
Fill the cupcake cases 1/2 full or a little over. (We need room to put the glaze on later)
Place the cupcake trays in the oven for 20-25 minutes, when touched they should spring back.
Allow to cool, while you make the glaze.


In a bowl, put the icing sugar, lime juice and Tequila and mix until totally smooth. Now add the green food colouring to the desired green and mix well.
Spoon over the cupcakes and smooth a little. This will level out itself in a few minutes.
Decorate with lime slices and a straw for fun. Sprinkle the coarse salt over the top, not too much now.
Makes between 15-18 cupcakes (depending on their size)

Cinnamon and Sultana Cakelets.

A delightful little cake to have with a cup of tea.

You will need..

1 cup of black tea (no sugar)

1 and 1/2 cups Sultanas.

2 Eggs.

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon.

1 and 1/2 cups S.R. Flour.

1/2 cup Milk.

125gms unsalted Butter (room temperature)

155gms Raw Caster Sugar (or normal caster sugar)

Cinnamon Sugar (to finish)

Method..

First up, make the black tea and put the sultanas and tea in a bowl to soak, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180c and place cases in little cake tray.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and creamy, add 1 egg at a time and mix. Now put in the milk.

Sift the flour and cinnamon together and fold in to the butter mix. Drain the tea from the sultanas and mix gently in to the batter.

Spoon in to the cases until 3/4 full. Place in the now hot oven for 20 minutes or until cake skewer comes out clean.

While still hot from the oven, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of each one and allow to cool.

Enjoy at any time of the day with a cup of tea.

Carrot Cake for 35 people

What a FAB and GROOVY 60th Birthday I had. It was themed The Sixties. Everyone came in sixties dress, we had sixties music and as close as possible sixties food. The cake was Carrot cake, first started in the sixties by the vegetarian hippies. (I didn't know that)
I did one large cake that would feed 35 people and 24 cupcakes.
This was the first time I have made such a large cake, and was really worried about the centre cooking and rising as it should, so used a new product to me called a cake core, made by Wilton, which you place in the middle of the tin with the cake batter in it and around it. Cooks very evenly and simple to use.

Find the cupcake recipe in my *labels*Ingredients...
2 2/3 cups S.R. Flour (sifted)
2 2/3 cups Plain Flour (sifted)
4 1/4 teasp Ground Cinnamon.
2 3/4 teasp Ground Ginger.
1 1/2 teasp Ground Nutmeg.
2 teasp Bicarbonate of Soda.
475 ml Rice Bran Oil.
2 1/2 cups Brown Sugar.
8 Eggs.
3/4 cup Golden Syrup or Honey.
1.1 kilos finely Grated Carrot.
2 cups Sultanas.
1 cup finely chopped Walnuts.


Preheat oven to 180c and grease and line a 30 cm/12 inch tin.
Sift together in a large bowl, the first 6 ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Make well in centre and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the oil, sugar, eggs, golden syrup.
Pour in to the flour bowl and stir in well.
Now fold in the rest of the ingredients and pour in to the prepared tin.
Place in centre of the oven and cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes. (Mine didn't take that long because I used the WILTON CAKE CORE) So keep checking yours every half an hour, we don't want it to burn now do we?
For the icing, I used Philli cream cheese, a little butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar.
This cake will store well in an air tight container for up to a week (I did this and iced it the day before required) or will freeze for up to 2 months.

The new year

A huge apology for not being around as much of late. So many things have kept me away from blogging. My old oven dying and having to learn the new one. The pressure cooker also died, but now have a you beaut electric one, which I am also learning about.

Christmas was at our house this year and I did the full formal Christmas dinner, made special by using Ron's fabulous Apricot glaze on the turkey. Thank you The Merlin's Menu blog.

Now it is full steam ahead, getting ready for my 60th birthday party, which is themed 60's. Did a test run on the marque yesterday, and it will fit where we want it to go. Guest invites have been sent, food organised, tablecloths, plates, cutlery all got. I will be making my own cake, but keeping the design and flavour secret.

Photo of Chocolate and blackberry Torte made yesterday. Chocolate mouse at the bottom, blackberry compote and mascapone in the middle and fresh cream and a crumbled Flake on the top.

Wishing you all a properous NEW YEAR.