Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Warning! These are super rich and delicious and are even more scrummy with lashing of cream.

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
2/3 cup of sugar
1 egg, separated plus additional egg white
2 tbspns milk
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 cup of plain flour
1/3 cup of cocoa
1/4 tspn of salt
140g pecans, chopped finely
14 soft caramel lollies (I used Werthers Originals but something softer would be better)
3 tbspns of heavy cream

Beat butter and suger until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolk, milk and vanilla and mix well.  Reduce speed to low and add in sifted flour and cocoa and then add in salt.  Mix until just combined then wrap dough into plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.  Whisk egg whites in bowl until frothy and place chopped nuts into a separate bowl.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls, dip into egg whites and then roll in pecans.  Place balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.  Using a 1/2 teaspon make indentations in the centre of each ball.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

Microwave caramels and cream in a bowl, stirring occassionally until smooth, for about 2-3 minutes (depending on lollies used and microwave).  Gently re-press existing indentations into cookies then fill each with the caramel and cream mixture.  You need to work quickly as the caramel mixture sets fast.  Leave to cool completely on a wire rack, that is if you can resist them that long.

Upside Down Banana Cake

Ingredients:

50g  butter, melted

1/3 cup of soft brown sugar
3 ripe bananas cut lengthways
125g butter, softened
1 1/4 cups of soft brown sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups of self raising flour
1 tspn of baking powder
2 large ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.

Pour the melted butter over the base of the tin and then sprinkle the 1/3 of a cup of sugar.  Arrange the stripes of banana over the brown sugar with good side down.  I cut mine in about 5mm thickness but you can cut into halves if you want a thicker layer of banana.

Beat the butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and then add the mashed bananas and fold all together.  Carefully spread the mixture into the tin.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Turn out onot a wire rack to cool.

This is a super delicious take if you have bananas spare and are sick of a plain old banana cake.  Really easy to do and looks super impressive too!  The butter and brown sugar turn into an almost caramel like coating...so good!

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
125g butter (room temperature)
2 cups of caster sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of self raising flour
3/4 cup of cocoa
3/4 cup of milk
3/4 cup of water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Butter a large round cake tin and then line with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each until smooth.  Sift flour and cocoa into a separate bowl then add half to the butter mixture along with the milk, beat on a slow speed until just combined.  Add remaining flour mixture and water, beat again until combined then increase speed and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Take cake out of tin and cool on a wire rack.

Icing Ingredients:
50g butter (room temperature)
2 cups of icing sugar
1/4 cup of cocoa
1/4 cup of milk

I just pop all the ingredients into a bowl and beat with electric mixer until thick and creamy.  Spread over cold cake.

This cake is so great as it stays moist for ages if kept in an air-tight container.

Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients:
2 bananas
220g crushed tinned pineapple (drained)
1 1/4 cups of caster sugar
1 2/3 cups of self raising flour
2 tspns of mixed spice
2/3 cup of oil (I use sunflower)
3 tbspns of pineapple juice
2 eggs

Preheat the over to 180 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch round cake tin and line with baking paper.  Pop the banana, pineapple and caster sugar into a bowl.  Add in sifted flour and mixed spice and stir until combined.
Whisk the oil, pineapple juice and eggs and then pour into the banana mixture. Stir until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.  Bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Leave in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Icing Ingredients:
60g softened butter
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups of icing sugar
2-3 tspns of lemon juice

Beat the butter and cream cheese using a mixer until smooth.  Slowly add in the icing sugar and lemon juice and beat until thick and creamy.  Spread over the cake once it has completely cooled.

I like to enjoy a slice (or two) with a cup of tea ... delish!

Lollycake Slice

Ingredients
100g butter, melted
250g (1 packet) malt biscuits, crushed
200g (1/2 tin) sweetened condensed milk
190g (1 packet) eskimos, roughly chopped
coconut

Combine crushed malt biscuits with butter, condensed milk and eskimos.  Shaped in a log and roll into coconut.  Refrigerate until firm and then slice...ready for eating, yummy!

Rainbow Cake

This is MY take on the stunning rainbow cake.  I found the recipe on the Martha Stewart website but the cake was actually created by Whisk Kid.  The Marth Stewart recipe can be found here and she also has a video of them making it on the page if you want to watch it before you begin. I have made a few changes but nothing major.
There are a HEAP of ingredients, so this isn't a cheap cake to make, and certainly not a cake to eat if you are watching your weight.  In saying all that, when I cut into the cake I was so delighted and the kids 'oooohhhed'  and 'aaaahhhedd' which made the hours of preparation worth it!

Cake Ingredients
3 cups of standard flour
4 tspns of baking powder
1/2 tspn of salt
225 grams of butter at room temperature
2 1/3 cups of sugar
5 large egg whites at room temperature
2 tspns of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of milk at room temperature
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple GEL food colouring

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and brush an 8 inch round cake pan with butter.  Line the bottom with baking paper and then brush again with butter.  I used an 8 inch pan instead of the original recipe which uses a 9 inch pan as I wanted the sponge layers to be thicker, so up to you which size you want to use.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.  In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar then slowly add egg whites until well combined.  Add vanilla and mix again until it is well combined.  Add a 1/3 of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture and beat slowly, add 1/3 of the milk and beat again, do this until all the flour and milk has been added.  Mix until well combined.
Divide batter evenly into six bowls and add enough of each food colouring colour to each bowl, then whisk.  The colour of the mixture will be the colour of the baked cake so add enough colouring to get the desired look you want.  It is SO important to use gel colouring otherwise the colours won't be vibrant enough.  I purchased my gel colouring from Millys.  Transfer each colour to a cake pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes (I cooked mine for 10 minutes but it will depend on your oven).  You can test by inserting a fork or tester into the middle, it is cooked if it comes out clean...no gooey mixture on it.  Make sure to spread mixture out evenly before cooking.
Remove cakes from oven and transfer onto a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes then turn over and let it completely cool.  Use a serrated knife to trim tops if you need to make them level.  I didn't need to do this with mine.
Starting with purple, lay the cake on baking paper, spread about 1 cup of buttercream filling over the entire layer, keeping it level, repeat process with blue, green, yellow and orange.  I even put a thin layer on top of the red cake as I had enough mixture and then I went around the sides and filled in any gaps and leaving a thin layer over the entire cake, all nice and smooth.
Lastly add the frosting layer over the top and sides.  I then used a hot dry knife (I dipped the knife in a bowl of boiling water then dryed) and slowly smoothed out the frosting.  Refridgerate until set.

I kept mine in the fridge until a few hours before the party.  I decorated with M&M's in the shape of a number 2 as this was for my little man's birthday.


Filling Ingredients
9 large egg whites
1 3/4 cups of sugar
450 grams of butter cut into small pieces at room temperature
2 tspns of vanilla extract

Cook egg whites and sugar in a small pot over a medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.  Test by rubbing some in between your fingers, if the mixture is smooth (no sugar grain) then it is ready.  Transfer to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on high for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has soft peaks like a pavolva mix.  Turn down the mixer to medium and add the butter one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition.  This takes time but don't rush it as you will have lumps of butter through the mixture at the end.
Remove whisk attachment and switch to paddle, increase speed to high and beat until the buttercream comes together (about 5 minutes) then add vanilla.

Frosting Ingredients
5 large egg whites
1 cup of sugar
225 grams of butter cut into small pieces at room temperature
1 tspn of vanilla extract


Cook egg whites and sugar in a small pot over a medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.  Test by rubbing some in between your fingers, if the mixture is smooth (no sugar grain) then it is ready.  Transfer to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on high for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has soft peaks like a pavolva mix.  Turn down the mixer to medium and add the butter one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition.  This takes time but don't rush it as you will have lumps of butter through the mixture at the end. 

This isn't necessarily a hard recipe, more time consuming but so worth it! Good luck and if you make it, post up a photo on my facebook page www.facebook.com/beckylipp - yay!

Easy Pavlova

This recipe was given to me by my lovely neighbour Angela, and it is a hit, as the name suggests, because it is so easy.  Instead of the usual fruit on top, my son Billy decided that we need to sprinkle over 100's & 1000's...hence the photo...usually it would have strawberries or kiwifruit but I let him decide.

Ingredients
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 tspn white vinegar
1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn cornflour

Place ALL ingredients in a bowl and beat for 15 minutes....DONE!  Well ... place mixture on a sheet of baking paper in a round shape and bake at 175 degrees for 10 minutes and then turn down to 125 degrees and bake for 1 hour...then DONE!

You can add more eggwhites to the mixture for a bigger pavlova but you will need to bake for longer.

Add whipped cream and top with fruit, grated chocolate, 100's & 1000's....whatever you like really.