Year: 2015

Anzac Day Pumpkin Pie

Today marks the day where we commemorate the soldiers who lost their lives during the war. Traditionally, cookies made up of desiccated coconuts and rolled oats were baked for the soldiers because of its high nutritional value and long shelf life. I decided to add a twist to this wonderful recipe and make a butter-free version of it. Plus, pumpkin was on sale at Coles this week so why not make a pumpkin pie with an Anzac cookie base for this day of remembrance! Ingredients for the pastry  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Preparation time: 10 min Baking time: 15min or when the crust turns brown 80g plain flour 70g wholemeal flour 60g desiccated coconut 90g rolled oats 80g brown sugar 2 table spoon honey 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda 125ml grapeseed oil Ingredients for the filling Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. After the pie has been baked for 10min, reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees Preparation time: 10min Baking time: 35-40 min 750g pumpkin (skinless and seedless), boiled or steamed. You can …

Chocolate banana cake

To be honest, bananas are my least favourite fruits. I even get upset when my fruit platter is served with bananas because it makes the rest of the fruits smell and taste like bananas. But when bananas are used in cakes, I absolutely love them! It’s one of those strange things where people don’t eat cheese but yet they eat pizza or that they don’t take chilli but they eat curries. I’m definitely one of those contradicting people. Today I’ve decided to make a chocolate banana cake. I decided to make a healthier option by using grape seed oil instead of butter. You can use olive oil as well if you prefer. To add an “umph” factor to the cake, I’ve made a chocolate ganache because one can never have too much chocolate! Nutrition per slice (8 servings) Ingredients 100g plain self raising flour 100g wholemeal self raising flour 80g caster sugar 2 ripe bananas 40g cocoa powder 100ml buttermilk 100ml grapeseed oil 50g walnuts 50g dark chocolate chips 2 eggs For the ganache 100g …

Pitted dates carrot cake

This is my first time making a cake for my friend’s birthday and I’ve decided to combine two of her favourite cakes into one. It took me slightly over an hour preparing the ingredients for the cake and my hands were sore from grating all that carrots. But the birthday girl loved the cake and everyone had a great time and that’s all that matters! Ingredients for the cake Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Preparation time: 1 hour Baking time: 30min or when the cake turns brown and the skewer comes out clean 200g self-raising plain flour 200g self-raising wholemeal flour 200g unsalted butter 160g brown sugar 4 eggs 2 tsp bicarbonate soda 2 tsp cinnamon powder 1 tsp nutmeg 180ml buttermilk 250g pitted dates 175ml hot water 300g grated carrots zest 1 orange 100g walnuts Ingredients for the frosting 300g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia light cream cheese) 70g icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence Nutrition per slice (one cake serves 12) Click on the images below for the baking instructions

Cinnamon cookies

I first made these cookies over Easter and drizzled white chocolate over it to make it look like hot cross cookies. These are my favourite cookies to bake because it is easy and absolutely delicious. I love how cinnamon, white chocolate and cranberries taste together. It’s like the perfect marriage of ingredients. Plus these cookies are crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. You can never stop at just one piece of cookie! Cinnamon cookies Preparation time: 10min Baking time: 15-20min or when the cookies turn brown Nutrition per cookie *One batch makes about 40 cookies Ingredients 120g butter (room temperature) 100g plain flour 100g wholemeal plain flour 80g brown sugar 80g white chocolate (cut into chips) 20g white chocolate (optional – for the drizzling) 40g dried cranberries (I used Ocean Spray reduced sugar cranberries) 1 egg 1 tsp cinnamon powder 0.5 tsp bi-carbonate soda 0.25 tsp salt Directions Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (convectional oven) Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy Add the egg in and continue to …