The mouth watering brownies with perfect crackly flaky crust, all of this with Cocoa and Oil.. No Butter, No Chocolate.
Everyone absolutely LOVED it and it was super easy to make! Add a scoop of ice cream and it's the perfect dessert for parties too!
Ingredients
1/2 cup of oil
1 cup sugar (minced)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp coffee powder (dissolve in 1 tsp water)
1/2 cup all purpose flour (Maida)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
Handful of chocolate chips (optional)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 175° C.
2. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
3. Whisk the oil and sugar together for 1 minute till sugar starts to dissolve.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and beat till it's pale in color (light yellow color)
5. Add the flour, cocoa, coffee and salt. If you're adding chocolate chips then add them in this step.
6. Gently, very gently fold in the dry ingredients. Do not beat it with any mixer!
7. Transfer into pan, sprinkle some choc chips on top and let it bake in the oven for 20-25 mins.
8. Let it cool in the pan,then cut and serve!
9. Beat your eggs properly so that you can have a nice crackly crust.
10. Please do not use any mixer or whisk after adding the dry ingredients,this will add in air and make it cakey instead of fudgy.
11. Don't skip the coffee, it adds intensity to the chocolatey flavor.
12. Don't over bake, when you will leave it in the hot pan for cooling it will still continue to cook.
Nothing says ‘celebration’ like rainbow sprinkles! These simple sugar cookies are a fun addition to any party spread and are especially likely to be a hit with the kids.
The recipe is quick. The cookies only take about 10 minutes in the oven. They will look undercooked and very soft. That’s ok – they will continue to bake as you let them cool on the cookie sheet.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter, softened ¼ cup (2oz/60g)
Caster sugar ½ cup
Egg 1, at room temperature
Plain flour ¾ cup
Baking powder ½ tsp
Baking soda ½ tsp
Rainbow sprinkles ¼ cup
Method
1. Add the butter, sugar and vanilla to a large mixing bowl, and beat on ‘high’ with an electric beater for about one minute.
2. Add the egg and beat until well mixed. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir with a metal or wooden spoon.
3. Add the sprinkles and stir to combine. Take heaped teaspoons of the cookie dough and roll into balls. Place the cookie dough balls (you should have about 20) in a plate or tray, and refrigerate for two to three hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the cookies for nine to 10 minutes.
5. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for five to 10 minutes. Then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
The cookie dough can be made up to two to three days in advance. Store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. The more time it has to chill, the better.
Makes approximately 20 cookies.
Ingredients
250g butter, room temp
500g sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
375g flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
350g milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave to bring to room temp
Yellow, green, red, orange, , blue and purple GEL food coloring. Liquid will not be vibrant enough!
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
2. Oil and line how ever many 9” cake pans you have
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg whites
5. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the milk and flour mixture in two parts.
6. Divide the batter amongst 6 bowls, and then whisk a fair amount of the appropriate food color into each bowl. Keep in mind that the color of the unbaked batter will be the color of the baked batter.
7. Pour into the pans and bake for 15 minutes each.
8. When you remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cooling rack, in the pan, for ten minutes. Then flip, cover, and stash them in the fridge to cool quickly.
Ingredients
Toasts
1 loaf unsliced white bread
1/3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp orange zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Method
1. Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch thick, generous slices; a 9-inch loaf should yield 6 slices.
2. Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, liqueur, and vanilla extract,
3. Whisk vanilla extract with one tablespoon of custard, then whisk in another and a third tablespoon, then pour the vanilla bean-custard mixture back into the main batter.
4. This avoids having vanilla clumps that don’t disperse in your batter.
5. Preheat oven to 325.
6. Arrange bread slices on the smallest rimmed tray that will fit them in one layer (encourages maximum absorption) pour custard over slices.
7. Allow them to absorb the custard for 30 minutes, turning the slices over at one point to ensure they’re soaking it up evenly.
[Do ahead: You can also soak them overnight in the fridge. No need to flip them if so.]
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer custard-soaked slices to prepared sheet, arranging them with a smidge of space between each to avoid making one French mega-toast. 9. Flipping them halfway through if you wish, bake French toast slices for 30 to 35 minutes, until a slim knife inserted into the center of a slice and twisted ever-so-slightly does not release any wet custard. Keep warm until ready to serve.
10. To caramelize the tops: Either leave toasts on their baking sheet, or transfer to a serving platter.
11. Have ready a small offset spatula and a potholder or trivet to rest your caramel pot on.
Melt remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a small, heavy, completely dry saucepan over moderate heat, stirring with a small spoon or fork until fully melted and the color of honey.
12. Move it over to the potholder or trivet you’d set up and working quickly, spoon one generous tablespoon caramel over your first slice of toast, spread it thinly and evenly with your offset spatula and repeat with the remaining toasts.
13. Because your caramel will continue to deepen slightly in color as you work, it’s best to work quickly but carefully. Let no fingers or forearms be harmed in the melted sugar’s path and should a single drop land on the counter or on your towel or on the rim of the plate, do not swipe it. Just leave it until it cools.
[Hot water will melt all hardened caramel and make your clean up job easy. Simply soak your pot/spoon/spatula and all will melt off.]
14. Serve with fresh berries and if you’re feeling extra fancy, loosely whipped cream. We don’t find that it needs any maple syrup.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
To fill and crumb coat:
9 egg whites
350g sugar
500g of butter, room temp
2 tsp lemon extract
To frost:
5 egg whites
200g sugar
250g butter, room temp
1 tsp lemon extract
Method
1. Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Test by rubbing some between your fingers. If it's completely smooth, it's done.
2. Pour into another bowl and whip on high speed until room temp.
3. Add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next. After all the butter has been added, turn the mixer back to high speed and whip until it has come together, about five minutes. Add the extract, beat briefly and then use.
4. If the buttercream seems soupy after all of the butter is added and does not come together after whipping, refrigerate for 5 to 7 minutes and continue whipping until it becomes fluffy and workable.
Assembly
5. Stack the layers in your preferred order and fill and frost as you would any other cake.
6. Once frosted, the cake can be left on the counter without any problems, but feel free to refrigerate it.
7. Just be sure that the cake is at room temperature when serving or the frosting will be hard, not
Ingredients
200g flour
4 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla essence
1 cup castor sugar
2 tsp baking powder
225g butter
Method
1. Cream butter and sugar with a cake beater.
2. Sift flour and baking powder, adding 1 tbsp. of the dry mixture and 1 egg into sugar/butter and beating it using cake mixer until all four eggs and vanilla essence are added.
3. Add remaining dry mixture and mix with spatula.
4. Divide batter into two 8-inch cake pans and bake in a pre-heated oven (350 degrees F. or 180 degrees C.) for 20 to 22 minutes.
5. Cool completely on wire rack and ice.
Icing
1. In a pan, melt 150g butter and ¾ cup white granulated sugar. Set aside to cool.
2. Add 3 beaten eggs to butter and sugar and cook on lowest heat until sugar dissolves and icing has thickened. Set aside to cool.
3. Once cool, add 1tbsp. coffee (dissolved in 1tbsp, water) to icing.
4. After setting the icing in the fridge for 20 minutes. ice one cake, then top with the second cake and ice it on top and all around. Set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Your cake is ready for devouring and sharing!
Ingredients
for the cupcakes
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup boiling water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Line 2 muffins pans with cupcake papers and set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add in eggs, milk, oil and extracts. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour in boiling water and whisk to combine. Batter will be thin.
5. Fill each cupcake paper 2/3 of the way full with batter and bake for 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
for the frosting:
Ingredients
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs of sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter, room temperature
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp peppermint extract
green food coloring, as desired
Method
6. Whisk together egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
7. Set bowl over a small pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves. You know it’s ready with the you cannot feel the sugar when you rub a small amount of mixture between your fingers.
8. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.
9. The bowl should be cool to the touch before you move on.
10. Switch over to the paddle attachment and set the mixer to medium speed.
11. Add the butter 2 Tbs at a time, letting it incorporate before adding another piece. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the frosting comes together.
12. This will take a while, so don’t worry if it looks soupy or curdled at any point.
13. Place half of the butter cream into a small bowl and whisk in vanilla extract.
14. Set aside. Using the remaining half of frosting in the stand mixer bowl, mix in peppermint extract and green food coloring.
15. Alternately, you can mix 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of peppermint into each bowl if you want the peppermint flavor to be consistent through both colors.
16. Sprinkle cupcakes with chopped Andes or other chocolate mint candies.
makes 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
for crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
12 tbls of unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes
for filling
3/4 cup halved then sliced strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbls all purpose flour
1 tbls meyer lemon zest
2/3 cup strained meyer lemon juice
powdered sugar for dusting
Method
1. Line a lagre pan with enough parchment paper to go about 1″ up on all sides.
2. In the work bowl of a food processor, add the flour, rolled oats, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla seeds.
3. Pulse a few times to combine, then add the butter and pulse until the dough looks like pea sized gravel (about ten, one second bursts).
4. Sprinkle the dough evenly over the parchment lined sheet and use your fingers to press the dough into a uniform sheet of dough that goes about 1/2″ up all the sides.
5. Put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 1/4 cup of sugar and toss to coat. This will release excess moisture and sweeten the strawberries.
7. To prepare the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour and lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.
8. Remove the crust from the freezer and put in oven and bake for around 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and fragrant. When the crust is done, take it out of the oven, then immediately scatter the strawberries around the crust, pour any accumulated juices into the lemon mixture and whisk to combine.
9. Pour the lemon mixture over the strawberries.
10. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, then put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the center of the lemon bars doesn’t jiggle anymore.
11. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Slice, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.
makes about 12 lemon bars
These dense cookies are somewhat a cross between shortbread and naan khatai, with a wonderful sesame flavour and are not too sweet on their own so the date filling complements them perfectly.
Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup tahini
1 cup plain flour
¼ cup caster sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 tbls sesame seeds (optional)
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup water
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180F (350C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, tahini, and sugar, and beat well until well combined.
3. Add the flour and mix with a spatual or large metal spoon.
4. As the dough starts to clump, add the milk, a tablespoon at a time, and keep mixing until you have a stiff dough.
5. Take 1 tablespoon portions of the dough, shape into round balls and roll in the sesame seeds, if you’re using them.
6. Place each cookie dough ball on a greased baking tray, place your thumb on it and press down gently to create a hollow centre. (The dough may crack around the edges; that’s fine.)
7. If you do not want to use the date filling, flatten the cookie dough balls with the back of a fork and bake as instructed.
8. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned.
9. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Meanwhile, to make the date filling: Add the dates and water to a small saucepan and cook on medium-low heat.
11. Mash the dates with a fork while they cook and keep stirring the mixture so that it doesn't burn. When most of the water has evaporated and you have a jam-like consistency, remove the mixture from the stove and allow to cool.
12. When the cookies and date filling have cooled, fill the hollow centres of each cookies with the date filling.
13. Decorate with nuts or more sesame seeds to serve.
Ingredients
1 microwave safe coffee mug
4 tbls gluten-free flour mix
4 tbls coconut palm sugar
1 large egg
2 tbls cocoa powder
3 tbls vanilla almond milk
3 tbls coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add-ins: pinch ground coffee, dark chocolate chips, coconut flakes
Method
1. Grease a coffee mug with oil or cooking spray.
2. Place all ingredients in mug and mix with fork to combine ingredients, but don’t over-mix. 3. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The cake might look like it is overflowing from mug, but it will settle. Cooking time depends on microwave strength, but the standard is 1 minute and 30 seconds; with 3 minutes being on the higher end.
4. Final product should be moist.
Note: If using a homemade flour blend, make sure the blend contains baking powder and salt.
Yield: 1-2 servings
Time: Less than 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray.
3. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
4. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.
5. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue.
6. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).
7. Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly.
8. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.
9. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.
Yield: Makes about 18
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – a healthy meal first thing in the morning gives you enough energy to get through to lunch time and leads to healthier choices during the rest of your day.
Eggs are a staple breakfast food for a reason – they're light, easy to cook and packed with protein.
Ingredients
9 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
a pinch of oregano
1 cup shredded cheese (parmesan/cheddar)
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 large tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 cup peas
1/3 cup chopped bell peppers
1 cup chopped spinach
2 green peppers
Method
1. Chopped all vegetables (except the peas). Preferably, chop them into small pieces to avoid chunks.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/360°F
3. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan generously with non-stick cooking spray or oil. Egg muffins stick easily, so it is important to grease the pan very well. An easy way to avoid the hassle is to use paper muffin liners.
4. Mix all the vegetables in a bowl. Toss them together well. Set aside while you prepare the eggs.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg well with a whisk. Add salt, pepper, red pepper and oregano. Adjust according to your taste.
6. Divide the vegetable mixture evenly between the each cavity of the pan- each cavity should get about 2-3 loosely piled tablespoons and should be filled to about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
7. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the 12 cavities- each cavity should get about 2-3 tablespoons and will be about 3/4 full after being topped off with the eggs.
8. Top each egg cup with a generous helping of cheese, dividing the cheese equally between each cavity.
9. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or unless they are set, cooked through and lightly golden on top. The egg cups will rise as they cook, but will settle once they've been cooled. Check if they are cooked by inserting a toothpick into the cup – if the toothpick comes out clean, your egg cups are ready!
10. Place the egg cups under a fan to cool for about ten minutes before removing. You will need to use a knife or fork to gently ease the cups from each cavity.
Baked egg cups are a good way to add vegetables (and nutrition) to your eggs. Easy to make, this nutritious, low-cal breakfast can be prepared in advance, which makes them perfect for busy mornings.
You can grab some on your way out the door in the morning, pack them in lunch boxes for your little ones and even snack on them if you find yourself wanting to munch on something in the middle of the day! You can serve these immediately while warm, or keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, where they'll be good for about a week (although you may have gone through them long before then)!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – a healthy meal first thing in the morning gives you enough energy to get through to lunch time and leads to healthier choices during the rest of your day.
These muffins are perfect if you're craving something sweet early in the morning! This recipe uses honey and banana as natural sweeteners and cuts down on the calories by avoiding sugar all together!
Ingredients
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup packed, mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon (plus more for sprinkling on top)
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats (plus more for sprinkling on top)
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F/170°C
2. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan generously with non-stick cooking spray or oil or line with paper muffin liners.
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and honey and beat together with a whisk.
4. Add the eggs and beat well.
5. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon. Continue to whisk until the mixture is light fluffy.
6. Add the flour and oats and mix well with a large spatula, just until combined. If the mixture begins to clump, use the whisk to beat lightly. Add the flour gradually and fold it in with the spatula in order to make a smooth mixture and mix the oats in similarly.
7. Divide the batter evenly between each cavity of the muffin pan, till they are about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of oats and a pinch of cinnamon (or sugar).
8. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. The batter will rise as it cooks.
Once the muffins are ready, place them under a fan to cool and remove about 10-15 minutes and place on a tray or plate until they have cooled.
If kept in a refrigerated in an air-tight container, these muffins will stay good for about a week. Grab them as a snack to satisfy your sweet-tooth or eat them for breakfast to ensure that your day starts on a happy note!
Preparation and cooking requires effort, but it is well worth it because not only do you have a quick breakfast to grab the next day, they are also delicious. If you have kids that are fussy about breakfast, muffins are perfect because they're usually the little ones' favourite!
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
1. Mix the flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a bowl.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Beat the egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture. Add the flour mixture in small amount to the butter mixture, beating each addition until blended.
4. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
5. Preheat an oven to 175 degrees C. Grease baking sheets.
6. Roll the dough out on a floured work surface with a rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutters.
7. Arrange the cut cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 drop green food coloring, or as needed
1 drop red food coloring, or as needed
Method
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Resift again into another bowl.
2. Beat the butter with the brown and white sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
3. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until evenly blended. Gather the dough into a ball, and divide into two equal parts. Place one half in a second bowl.
4. Add red food coloring to the dough in one bowl, and green food coloring to the dough in the other bowl. Use a fork or wooden spoon to blend the food coloring into the dough until evenly blended. Add additional drops of food coloring to make the desired shade.
5. Roll out the red dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness. Roll out the green dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thickness, and place on top of the red dough.
6. Beginning on one edge, roll the doughs to make a log so the two colors spiral inside each other. Wrap the log in waxed paper, then in a cotton towel, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
8. Unwrap the dough log, and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Slice the log into rounds 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, and place on prepared baking sheets.
9. Bake in preheated oven until set, 5 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent edges from browning. Remove from oven, and cool on racks.
Additional Tip: To make the pinwheel cookies in a vanilla and chocolate combination, divide the dough into two parts. Melt 2 (1ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate in a pan over low heat. Cool slightly, and mix the chocolate into one half of the dough until well blended. Roll out the doughs as in Step 3 to make a log with the plain and chocolate doughs. Follow Steps 4, 5 and 6 to complete the cookies.
Ingredients
¾ cup Pomegranate arils
2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
4 whole eggs, room temperature
1 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 lemon, zested and juice strained
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1–2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown (or raw) sugar
Method
1. Preheat oven to 160 °C.
2. Butter and flour the bottom and inside of the cake pan.
3. Sift together flour and baking powder. Whip the eggs at high speed until about tripled in volume.
4. Add the granulated sugar and continue to whip on high speed. Whip the eggs and sugar until they are pale and stiff — generally about three to five minutes.
5. Incorporate the lemon zest, salt and strained lemon juice. Incorporate the melted butter, while slowly mixing.
6. Add one cup of the flour; mix until incorporated. On medium speed, add ½ cup of olive oil.
7. Add the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated; scrape if necessary.
8. Whilst mixing, add the last of the olive oil in a steady stream; scrape the bowl.
9. Mix again on high speed for about 30 seconds to ensure a thorough and even mixture.
10. In a separate bowl, add ¾ cup of arils and one teaspoon of flour to lightly coat them. Gently fold the coated arils into the prepared cake batter.
11. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan. Generously sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the cake and place the cake into the oven.
12. After about 15 minutes, rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for another 20–25 minutes.
13. The cake should be golden brown on top and the center should spring back when pressed lightly.
14. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan. Add ¼ cup arils as garnish and a drizzle of fine olive oil.
Ingredients
200g Chilled unsalted butter
250g Plain flour
125ml Sour Cream
Method
1. Mix butter and flour in a food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs.
2. Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball
3. Using your hands, shape pastry in a rectangle. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
4. Roll out the sour cream pastry to 3mm thick.
5. Grease a flan tin (23cm x 2.5cm) and line with the pastry, cut off the excess pastry around the edge but allow the pastry to come above the fin tin by 5mm, this is due to the pastry shrinking during blind baking. Place in the fridge for 15 mins to chill.
6. Remove from the fridge and place in the oven for 5 minutes.
7. Decrease oven temperature to 220°C and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden and cooked through.
8. For an even colouring of the lid, turn the pie half way through cooking, if necessary.
Ingredients
450g mini-marshmallows
2 lb powdered sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp corn syrup (optional)
1 tsp lemon extract (optional)
Method
1. Melt marshmallows
2. Empty your bag of marshmallows into a large, microwave-safe bowl, and add water. Microwave until the marshmallows are puffed up and soft looking (about 2 minutes in my microwave).
3. Grease a wooden spoon
4. Add your corn syrup and lemon extract and stir them.
5. The corn syrup seems to help with flexibility of the fondant after it reaches room temperature, and the extract is for added flavor and to help cut the sweetness.
6. The mixture should be kind of soupy as you stir it, and most of the marshmallows should be dissolved.
7. If you want to color this entire batch, you can add color now, rather than trying to knead it in later.
8. Adding powdered sugar Gradually, begin to stir in the powdered sugar.
9. Continue stirring and adding powdered sugar until you have used about 2/3 of the bag. Stop when it becomes difficult to continue to stir with the spoon.
10.Turn out onto greased surface and knead, KEEPING IN MIND THAT IT IS HOT, begin CAREFULLY kneading with your hands, and gradually add in the rest of your bag of powdered sugar. You may not need to use the entire bag! You'll want to stop kneading when the fondant stops absorbing the powdered sugar, and it actually feels like warm fondant (this is where previous experience with fondant comes in handy). You may want to keep your shortening nearby so you can grease your hands as necessary.
* A special note about stand mixers: I know that some people use their stand mixer and hook attachment to mix their MMF. Some people are successful and have never had a problem, but I have read TOO MANY STORIES of people burning out their mixer's motor this way! It's not worth the risk, folks! Your stand mixer wasn't made for this!
11. When you've reached this point, it's time to grease the outside so that it won't dry out, and then put it in a gallon-sized ziploc bag to rest. It should rest for several hours, preferably overnight. Right now it is too warm and soft to use.
12. When you are ready to use your MMF, grease your work surface with shortening and a paper towel. Be sure to cover every spot, there is nothing worse than having your fondant stick to the mat! The two most important things to have on hand when working with marshmallow fondant are shortening and a microwave. Marshmallow fondant does not loosen up with kneading, like traditional fondant.
This is fondant straight from the bag. If it is too hard to roll out, put it in the microwave in 5-second increments until it is kneadable. It's important to not "melt" your MMF! You just want to soften it enough so that you can knead it and roll it out! A liberal coating of shortening on your hands will assist with the kneading process.
13. Roll out as you would for any other kind of fondant, and cover cake as usual.
Yield: 3 lbs fondant
This simple buttercream icing recipe to decorate your cakes. You can add a little food colouring for a splash of colour.
Ingredients
140g butter, softened
280g icing sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
few drops food colouring
Method
1. Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
2. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Beat in the milk, if necessary, to loosen the mixture.
3. Stir in the food colouring until well combined.
Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp almond extract
assorted food coloring
Method
1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth.
2. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
3. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity.
4. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.
