Dutch apple cake

So what to do on a Sunday.  Charlie and I decided to bake a cake using the apples from our apple tree.  The birds have managed to eat most of them except those hanging closer to the ground.  That is because the cat likes to sleep near there, so the birds are probably scared of her.  I saw pretty parakeets playing - wings flapping and squawking and eating big fat apples last week. 

So the recipe is from Margaret Fulton's book and it was lovely with a nice cup of tea. 



Dutch apple cake

2 cups self-raising flour 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

125 grams butter

1/2 cup milk

2 medium granny smith apples

Topping

30 grams butter, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons sugar

Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.

Sift the flour, salt and sugar together, and rub the butter in with fingertips.  Make a well in the centre and add the milk in a steady stream, stirring with a fork and incorporating the flour.

Peel and core the apples and cut into thin wedge-shaped slices.  Arrange in a circular pattern to cover the top of the cake, pressing thin edges into the dough.  Brush with melted butter, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar, and bake in a moderate oven (180c) for 40 minutes.  This cake is best served warm, cut into wedges and buttered. 

Auntie Marie's Golden Syrup Dumplings

Auntie Marie and Owen September 2010

Auntie Marie is a beautiful, kind and loving person.  I love her dearly and I always call her an angel lady.

When we were children she would always make golden syrup dumplings for desert and the tradition has stuck.  Everytime I visit her  in the south-east at Mt Gambier she makes dumplings.

Auntie Marie and her family are awesome cooks.  She grew up on the family's dairy farm where there was always an abundance of cream and milk for beautifully made deserts and other foods.   Her mum Doreen Hayes used to make the best sponge cake, so imagine that with jam and cream.  Auntie Marie told me she hasn't ever mastered her mother's sponge recipe as it's always a flop and she doesn't know why.  So I said to her we will know her for dumplings instead.

Here is the recipe:

Instructions

Sauce

• Put in saucepan
• 1 tablespoon of golden syrup
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1 cup of sugar

Dumplings

• Mix 1 cup self raising flour and rub in 1 tablespoon of butter. 
• Stir in beaten eggs and a little milk. 
• Roll into about 8 balls. 
• Drop them into boiling water and put lid on top. 
• Cook for about 20 minutes. 

Patrick's chocolate cupcakes

5. Adding the white chocolate chips

Patrick and Kathryn are my cousins on my Dad's side.  She is the grand daughter of my great Auntie Ailsa and great Uncle Jo on the Saunders side.  Kathryn and I share many common interests such as exploring new opportunities and love for life, love for family especially our children and friends and have a genuine interest in family history.  Also, we share a common bond in our family ancestral ties and she is an awesome gal!  Kathryn's husband is Cameron and they recently returned from a working holiday in Dubai and are now living Sydney.  I'm hoping to visit them in Sydney sometime.

Patrick and Kathryn have been kind enough to share their chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate chips recipe and some awesome shots cooking these delectable cupcakes were provided too.  So thanks for sharing.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips
• 1 cup brown sugar packed down
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 3 oz (85 grams) butter melted
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions

1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk till combined. 
2. In a separate bowl combine milk, eggs, butter, vanilla and mix until blended.  Mix wet and dry ingredients together. 
3. Add chocolate chips, stir until blended.  Put in a moderate oven 180 degrees celsius until cooked (approx 10 to 15 minutes).

1. Patricks copy and the original

2. Mixing the dry ingredients

3. Mixing the wet ingredients

4. Stirring it all together

6. Ready to go into the oven

7. Fresh from the oven

Grandma Ruby's Cononut Biscuits

Ruby Mullen

This is the recipe from Ruby Mullen's family. 

Every day Gran made cakes and biscuits for afternoon tea and desert for tea.

Coconut biscuits were a favourite of everyones and a huge batch was always made to keep the buiscut barrel full.


Ingredients

1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of cononut
2 cups of flour

Instructions

Cream the butter and sugar and then add other ingredients gradually.

Place a small amount on a greased tray.  Press down with a fork.  Bake in a moderate overn till golden.

Coconut bread

After starting my diet today I thought it would be a great idea to cook a cake.


Coconut Bread

Ingredients (serves 6)

2 eggs 300ml milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon 220g (1 cup) caster sugar 150g shredded coconut 75g unsalted butter, melted

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 21 x 10cm loaf pan.

Lightly whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a separate, large bowl. Add sugar and coconut and stir until just combined. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the egg mixture until just combined.

Add melted butter and stir until mixture is just smooth (do not over-mix). Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes to cool, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve in thick slices.