Baking: Vanilla/ Date or Lemon Scones

I love scones!

Sometimes all the extras with scones are a bit too much. I often use the maple syrup recipe but subsitiute the maple syrup with sugar and add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste and a teaspoon if vanilla essence. These are fab with cream and raspberry jam!

Or I remove the maple syrup and replace with honey and add the rind of a lemon to make a plain scone a little magic.

Date scones are scones are made the same way replacing maple syrup with sugar and addding a handfull of chopped dates soaked in the milk which the scone recipe uses. Remember to warm it to achieve nice softened dates and allow to cool before adding to scone mix.

Below are some cinnamon, macadamia and raspberry scones!

Baking: Nanny's Chocolate Cake

Nanny's Chocolate Cake

This is a fabulously easy recipe!

Ingredients:
115g Butter
1 Teascup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Dessertspoons Cocoa
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
2 Eggs
1 Teacup and 1 Tablespoon Flour
Pinch Salt
1/2 Cup Boiling Water

1. Preheat oven to 160C

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add each egg one at a time, beating after each addition.

4. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined.

5. Add water and beat well, before turning out into a greased cake pan.

6. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until when a skewer is put in, it comes out clean.

Dessert: Tiramisu

Tiramisu

To be honest I don't believe Tiramisu is one of those desserts which needs to be made with carefully measured out ingredients. Its more of a add, test taste then add some more type of recipe. Mine loosely revolves around the measurements found below, however sometimes depending on the occasion is is more boozy than others.


As Carter pointed out that this after indulging in this weekends creation, perhaps driving after may not be a good idea.

Ingredients
4 Large Eggs
Approx 1 Cup Caster Sugar
2 Packets/ Pottles 200/250g Mascapone
1/4 Cup Cream2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence
2 Packets Dried Sponge Fingers
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
1/4 Cup Strong Coffee
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 Cup Brandy
1 60g Bar Dark Chocolate
2 Tablespoons Dutched Cocoa1. Separate eggs, putting the egg whites into a medium sized glass/metal bowl and the egg yolks in a large glass/metal bowl.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy.

3. Add cream and masapone and beat until combined.

4. Clean beater thoroughly, then beat egg whites until stiff.

5. Fold in vanilla and then the egg white into cream mixture.

6. Combine, brandy and coffee in another bowl.

7. Lightly dip sponge fingers into the coffee mixture and use them to line the bottom of a large rectangular dish. Use approximately half (I use just under as the width of the top of my container is slightly larger than the bottom).

8. Chop up half the chocolate and sprinkle it over the fingers.

9. Layer half the cream mixture on top of the sponge and spread out evenly.

10. Dip the rest of the sponge fingers and place orderly on top of the cream mixture.

11. Cover the sponge fingers with the remaining cream mixture and spread out evenly.

12. Dust using a sieve with cocoa powder and grate the rest of the chocolate over.

Dessert: Rosewater Vanilla Baked Peaches

Rosewater Vanilla Baked Peaches

This is a quick easy dessert which uses ingredients which are just in the pantry! I make it when I don't have flakey pastry in the fridge to make a Peach Tarte Tartin.

Ingredients
1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Teaspoons Rosewater
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence
4 Peaches, Stone removed and cut in half

1. Combine all ingredients but the peaches in an ovenproof saucepan and bring to the boil.

2. Place peaches face down in the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Spoon syrup over and place in oven to bake for 15 minutes

4. Remove from oven and flip peaches over in pan.

5. Serve with ice-cream and fresh/frozzen raspberries.

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Macarons

Macarons

Before Christmas I had a little bit of a macaroon bake-a-thon. I then placed the unfilled shells in airtight containers in which they kept perfectly until Christmas (shells last unfilled for over a month - once filled they only last up to a week).

I personally prefer the Lavender, Rosewater, Orange Blossom and Vanilla over the Chocolate and Raspberry.

My biggest problem when I first made these was that my mixture was to light and airly! I didn't combine my mixture enough, therefore I recommend that when you combine the icing sugar and almonds your combine it thoroughly! Don't be afraid it it loses alot of volume.

Lavender
2 Teaspoons Dried Culinary Lavender
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
2 Teaspoon Blue Food Colouring
1 Teaspoon Red Food Colouring

Rosewater
2 Teaspoons Rosewater
2 Teaspoons Red Food Colouring

Orange Blossom
2 Teaspoons Orange Blossom
2 Teaspoons Yellow Food Colouring
1/2 Teaspoon Red Food Colouring

Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
1 Teaspoon Yellow Food Colouring

Chocolate
2 Teaspoons Dutched Cocoa

Raspberry
1 Teaspoon Raspberry Essence
2 Teaspoons Red Food Colouring

Basic Recipe (Summarised From Dish)
Ingredients:
100g Egg Whites
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
140g Almond Meal
220g Icing Sugar

85g Butter, Softened 
175g Icing Sugar


1. Preheat oven to 150C.

2. Beat, using an electric mixer, egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

3. Add food colouring, caster sugar and flavouring and beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Sift almond meal and icing sugar into egg white mixture and fold in until well combined.

5. Spoon into piping bag and pipe small rounds about 3cm apart on to a lined baking tray.

6. Drop trays onto a hard surface about five times (this gets rid of any excess bubbles in the mixture and also creates nice round and flat macaroons).

7. Leave for 45 - 50 minutes until a good skin has formed on top of the macaroons, then bake for 12 minutes.

8. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.


Icing

Beat butter and icing sugar together with second measure of flavouring and colouring.


To assemble I just you a knife and spread dollop a little icing in the centre of a macaroon half, then place the other half on top and gently smush it down. This insures it forms a nice little circle of icing in the middle.