Banana Cake

Ingredients:
250g butter
250g sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 large mashed bananas

Creamy Banana Frosting:
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 large banana, mashed
3 tablespoons scalded cream (about)

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree and grease the side and base of a 22cm diameter square cake pan. Line base of the pan with non-stick baking paper..

Cream butter & sugar until light and creamy.

Add eggs(one at a time) and beat until well combined.

Next stir in milk, mashed bananas & vanilla essence. Followed by the sifted flour & baking powder.

Mix well then pour into the baking tin or paper loaf tray and bake for 40-45 mins or until or until a skewer or knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Leave cake to cool on a wire rack.

To make frosting - Combine solid vegetable shortening, butter, salt and grated
lemon rind, and blend.

Add 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar gradually, creaming well. Add mashed banana and blend.

Add remaining confectioners' sugar, alternately with cream,beating until smooth and creamy and stiff enough to spread.

Spread cooled cake with frosting and sprinkle chopped nuts on top. Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tropical Rice Dessert

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3 cups cooked rice
4 bananas, sliced
4 passionfruits, pulps
1 punnet strawberries, halved
10 marshmallows, white, sliced in half
1 1/2 cups whipped cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

In a microwave heat sugar and water on high for 3-4 minutes, in a 4 litre casserole dish.

Remove from microwave. Stir in cooked rice and allow to cool.

Fold in fruit and marshmallows.

Return bowl to microwave and cook on high for 7-9 minutes.

Remove from microwave and let it cool. Fold in whipped cream and vanilla.(Leaving a little cream for topping dessert)

Pour into individual tall glasses and decorate with whipped cream and passionfruit pulp. Slice the bottom of a strawberry 1/2 way and slide onto rim of glass. Serve.

Devil’s Food Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream

Makes 24

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Chocolate Buttercream
enough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes

1 stick butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.

Mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.

Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.

Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers. A 2″ ice cream scoop works great for this.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the chocolate buttercream -
Beat butter on high for about 30 seconds until soft.

Add cocoa and 1 cup of sugar and beat until incorporated

Add half of the milk and the remainder of sugar and beat until incorporated.

Continue to add milk until you get to the consistency you want.

Assemble
There are many ways to go here, in this case, I simply piped the frosting onto the cupcakes with a large star tip.

Recipe adapted from cupcakeblog

Caramel Apples

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
1 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 apples (place them in the refrigerator the night before so they will be well chilled – it will help the caramel harden quickly so it will stick better)
chopped nuts (any of your choice)
200g cooking chocolate chocolate
6 wooden ice cream sticks

Wash the apples thoroughly. Put the sticks in each apple.

Make the caramel - Use a pan much larger than you would think, the caramel bubbles up so use a big pan. Add the cream to the pan and over medium heat bring almost to a boil.

Add the honey and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the temperature reaches 255-260 (if you plan on using them as candies I would go to 260-265 so they will be a little firmer).

Fill the sink with ice water and as soon as it reaches the proper temperature, immediately put the pan in the cold water being sure not to get any water in the pan.

Stir the caramel for a minute or two until it thickens but not so long that it is firm (if you try an apple and the caramel drips off, let it cool a little longer).

Take the pan out of the water and dip the apples, placing them on buttered wax paper. Allow to cool.

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave until the chocolate has fully melted, stirring occassionaly.

Once the caramel has hardened enough to lift them off the paper, dip into melted chocolate to coat. Gently drip off any excess chocolate. continue to dip chocolate coated apple into the chopped nuts,coconut, chocolate chips, etc. pressing them gently into the caramel. Repeat with the remainder of the apples.

If you prefer you can dip them in the add-ons immediately, but they look better if you let them firm up a little first, then you can press them in so it sticks better.

Recipe adapted from simplycooking101

Orange Ice Cream

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated
3-4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups whipped cream sweetened with a little powdered sugar
juice of 2 oranges
grated zest of one orange
1 cup milk
1 -2 oranges cut into small pieces

Beat the yolks with the sugar until it's yellow and fluffy, then beat in the fruit juice.

Bring the milk to a boil with the orange zest, let it cool, and add it to the yolks, passing it through a strainer.

Heat the mixture over a double boiler, stirring it gently with a spoon, until it thickens, then let it cool- Do not let it boil, or it will curdle.

When the milk mixture has cooled mix into the whipped cream. Stir in the chopped orange pieces.

Beat egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold into whipped cream and milk.

Pour into an ice cream maker, chill/churn for about 30 minutes. Alternatively place into freezer until firm and ready to serve.

Scoop ice cream into dishes and serve with freshly sliced oranges.

Apfel (Apple) Streusel

Ingredients:
Ready made pastry for a single-crust pie
500g sweet apples
3-4 tablespoons apple juice
1 lemon (grated zest)
250g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
A pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
125g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
2-3 tablespoons milk

Topping:
50g plain flour
25g butter, chilled
25g demerara sugar
1 tablespoon chopped roasted almonds
2 teaspoons lemon zest
A dash of cinnamon

Toss the apples in the juice and lemon zest. Leave to absorb for about half an hour.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla unitl creamy. Mix the eggs one at time.

Fold in the sifted flour and then the milk. Then stir in the apples.

To make the topping - Rub the chilled butter into the flour, almonds, cinnamon and lemon zest. It should resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Grease a 20cm (8-inch) deep round cake tin (ideally loose-bottomed) and line with baking paper. Line pan with ready made pastry crust. Heat the oven to 170°C (gas mark 320°F).

Spoon the cake mix into the tin, level off the top. Sprinkle the topping over the cake. Bake for approximately1 hour or until golden.

Leave it in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm.