Chocolate, Coffee & Macadamia Ice Cream Cake {Weekend Cookbook}

As Christmas in Australia can be really hot, the traditional desserts often don’t suit our climate. Most of us turn to the good old Aussie Pav which is nice (and we almost always have one) but it gets a bit boring. 

Last Christmas I decided to mix things up a bit and make an Ice Cream Cake. It was a recipe that a girl I used to work with would make for us. Whenever there was a lunch or celebration we would look to Emma to make her famous ice cream cake. She put different things in to this recipe but it was similar. 

My favourite layer is the coffee layer (even though I don’t actually drink coffee very often).

If you are looking for Christmas Dessert Inspiration. I highly recommend this cake.

Chocolate, Coffee and Macadamia Ice Cream Cake

Our Christmas Desserts from 2011

2 litres of vanilla ice cream

1 litre of good quality chocolate ice cream

½ cup of macadamia nuts

½ cup of good quality white chocolate (buttons or broken up into small pieces)

¼ - ½  cup of made up coffee (instant/plunger/machine)

1. Line a spring form tin with baking paper (base and sides).

2. Divide vanilla ice cream into two portions. Return one to the freezer and allow the second portion to soften.

3. Once softened, mix through the nuts and the chocolate and spoon ice cream into prepared tin, cover and freeze for 2 hours.

4. Soften the remaining vanilla ice cream, then add the coffee (made up coffee not the granules or grounds). Mix through more coffee for a stronger coffee flavour (it is ok if you have to taste it lots of times to ensure the coffee flavour is just right...just make sure there is enough left for the cake). Spoon coffee layer over the nut and chocolate layer and freeze for 2 hours.

5. Soften the chocolate ice cream and spoon into the tin, cover and freeze.

6. Remove ice cream cake from the tin just before serving.

What are you cooking for dessert this Christmas?

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Christmas Gingerbread Men {Weekend Cookbook}

As a child, my favourite thing to bake was Gingerbread. I would bake it at every chance I had. My parents would always give me lots of praise for my baking skills. However it wasn’t until I was older that they told me they got tired of constantly eating Gingerbread biscuits. Well, Mum and Dad....the Gingerbread is back !

The kids and I had lots of fun making these. They loved cutting them out and decorating them, I loved the smell of gingerbread baking in the house and we all love eating them.

I actually made a double batch and froze the cookie dough so that I can easily bake more when I need them.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Christmas Gingerbread Men

125g of unsalted butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup golden syrup

2 ½ cups of plain flour

2 teaspoons of ground ginger

1 teaspoon of bicarb soda

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the butter and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the syrup, flour, ginger and bicarb soda. Beat until a smooth dough forms.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper (around 5mm thick) and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

When firm, using a small gingerbread man cutter, cut shapes from the dough and place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake for 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely on the trays.

What have you been cooking this week?

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Chocolate & Salted Caramel Whoopie Pies {Weekend Cookbook}

I came across this recipe in a newspaper lift out while I was on holidays in Victoria. I had never before attempted a Whoopie Pie and honestly until about a year ago I had never even heard of them. They are an American treat but we won't hold that against it (joke!).

Mine were a bit doughy as I added more flour than this recipe because it was hard to roll the balls. I think I would just do blobs next time. These also tasted great with ice cream instead of cream.

Whoopie Pies (makes 20 pies)

Chocolate Outer

1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Salted caramel (to serve)
Stir (teaspoon or more to taste, of salt flakes through a can of top and fill)

whipped cream  or ice cream (to serve)

1.Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 

2.In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cocoa and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, then add sugars and beat again until light and fluffy. Add egg, mix well and then add buttermilk, vanilla and flour mixture and beat to form a smooth dough.

3.Roll (or blob) 1 tsp balls of dough and place on a baking tray about 4cm apart, pressing down with two fingers to form slightly rounded mounds. 

4.Bake 10-12 minutes, until slightly firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack. When cool fill with salted caramel and whipped cream.






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Quick Mini Cheesecakes {Weekend Cookbook}

This is a recipe I stole from my hubby’s single man recipe book. He made it as an apricot cheesecake, but since I don’t like the gelatine layer I made it into a delicious plain cheesecake.

Apart from the setting time, it is a really quick cheesecake to make and since you don’t need to cook it there is almost no chance of it failing.

I often cook it as a whole cake but for this recipe I made little cheesecakes because we had them for a finger food party.

Quick  Mini Cheesecakes

(makes about 40  mini cheesecakes)

I made mine rustic looking but a piping them may be nicer.

Base:

½ pack of sweet biscuits, crushed (I used scotch finger)

3 tablespoons of butter melted

Filling:

250g of Philly cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of caster sugar

300 ml of thickened cream

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1.   Crush the biscuits in a small food processer then add the melted butter, making sure that the base stays a little bit crumbly. Push small spoons of biscuit mix into mini muffin cases.

2.   Using an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and sugar and add the lemon juice.

3.   In a separate bowl, whip the cream until firm peaks form.

4.   Fold in the cream to the cheese mixture and fill the muffin cases. I just used a spoon but it would look nice if you used a piping bag.

5.   Allow to set in the fridge, then enjoy.

What have you been cooking this week?

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Chicken in Saffron Stew {Weekend Cookbook}

Don’t be put off by the word “Stew”, this is a really yummy meal that I have often cooked for dinner guests. It takes a while to cook, but if you are organised enough you can have it cooking while you prepare the house/dessert/children for your dinner guests.

I like to serve it with rice and green beans and I try to make sure there is some crusty bread to mop up the delicious stew at the end.

Chicken in Saffron Stew (Serves 4)

60ml Olive oil

1/3 cup blanched almonds

1 thick slice of bread, crusts removed and cut into pieces

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of saffron threads

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of chopped, flat leaved parsley

4 -6 chicken thighs

4-6 chicken drumsticks

2brown onions, finely chopped

125ml (1/2 cup) fino sherry (I use normal sherry)

1 ½ cups of chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 egg yolks

1.      Heat a tablespoon of the oil and fry the almonds and bread in a fry pan until golden, then place aside on paper towel to cool. Using a mortar and pestle or food processer add the bread, almonds, cinnamon, garlic, saffron and half the parsley and grind to a crumbly consistency.

2.       Heat the remaining oil and brown the chicken, then remove from the pan. Cook the onions gently until they are soft.

3.      Using a large saucepan or stovetop casserole dish, add the chicken, onion, sherry, stock, bay leaf and thyme and simmer for 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken piece and cover to keep warm. Add the almond paste to the saucepan and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice egg yolks, and remaining parsley. Return to the stove on a very low heat until slightly thickened (don’t boil or it will separate). Season to taste, then return the chicken pieces and gently warm through.

 What have you been cooking this week?

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Weekend Cookbook: Kiddy Star Biscuits {Cooking with kids}

I am not really good at doing crafts with my kids so I cook with them a lot. I figure that the mess is worth it because you get a tasty treat at the end. I also appreciate not having a million pieces of paper with cotton balls stuck to them around the house. 

My kids always ask to make these biscuits. They love helping with the ingredients and then getting to roll out the dough and use the cutters.

Try this one out with the kiddies (if you dare). They also make good Christmas gifts.

Kiddy Star Biscuits



125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tablespoon of cocoa sifted

1. Mixed the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat for a few more minutes.
2. Add the flour and beat until a dough forms. Remove 1/2 of the mixture.
3. Add the cocoa to the remaining dough and beat until combined.
4. Roll each dough portion between two sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Find two star cutters, one slightly smaller than the other. Cut the same number of stars in each dough. Place the chocolate stars on top of the vanilla stars.

6. Place on a baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

What have you been cooking this week?


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Weekend Cookbook: Cheesy Bread Rolls {cooking with kids}

This is a great recipe that doubles as a fun morning activity and a special lunch for the kids. My girls  love to knead the dough, and then use it like play dough and make cute shapes. If you get the timing right you can have fresh bread rolls and shapes for your lunch.

When I first made this recipe I used plain flour (which is fine to use) but I have since started using  00 flour which is available in Coles/Woolworths and it makes them so much better. I also use this flour for my Brioche recipe and my Pizza Bases so when I buy it, it never goes to waste.

Cheesy Bread Rolls

1 x 7g pack of dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

2/3 cup (150ml) luke warm water

½ cup cheddar cheese

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 2/3 cups of 00 flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsl olive oil

1.      Put  the yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Add 50ml (3 tablespoons) of water and stir to dissolve the yeast. Leave for 5 mins or until bubble appear.

2.      Grate the cheese and place them aside for later

3.      Place the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the center and add the oil and the yeast mixture. Stir until a dough forms.

4.      Place the dough on a lightly floured bench and knead until it is nice and smooth. This takes about 10 minutes (let the kids have their own dough to knead, they will love it).

5.      While you are kneading add in the cheese and continue to knead it through to work in the cheese.

6.      Divide the dough into eight pieces and make balls (or you can make fun shapes. My kids like to make snails, turtles and even butterflies.

7.      Place the rolls or shapes onto a lightly oiled tray and press down a little. Leave them to rise for 40-45 minutes covered with a damp tea towel (Preheat the oven to 200 degrees while they are rising ).

8.      Once they have doubled in size place them in the oven for 12- 14 minutes.

What have you been cooking this week?

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Weekend Cookbook: Lemon Explosion Cupcakes {Guest Post}

I can't remember how I found Honey, You Baked!, but it is one of my favourite food blogs and I just love the title. Recently I asked them to guest post for the Weekend Cookbook and I am very excited about this yummy recipe. If you want to follow Honey, You Baked! or know more about the girls, read their bio at the bottom of this post.

Lemon Explosion Cupcakes

Firstly, I need to give a BIG thankyou to Lisa for letting me guest blog.  We will have to get her over to Honey, You Baked! Sometime soon!!

Now there is not much in my life that can compare to a great cupcake.  They always cheer me up and the utter scrumptiousness of something seemingly so simple never fails to amaze me.  Today I thought I would share a recipe for one of those cupcakes.  Hold on to your hats! Your tastebuds will dance and sing!!

Lemon Explosion Cupcakes

                                                                                                                            

YOU WILL NEED:

For the cakes:

175g unsalted butter – softened

175g white sugar

3 eggs

A splash of vanilla extract

175g SR Flour

Rind and juice of 2 x good size lemons (rind finely chopped)

1/2 cup (or so) of milk

Cupcake moulds and papers

2 x soup spoons

For the Filling:

Cream Cheese

4 x Tablespoons sifted Icing Sugar

Juice of 1 x large lemon

1 x piping bag and round nozzle

Small sharp knife

For the Top:

Icing Sugar to dust

THE HOW TO:

• Preheat your oven to 180Deg C and get your cupcake trays and papers all ready

• Cream your butter & sugar in an electric mixer till light and fluffy

• Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time

• Add your flour, rind and lemon juice and milk and mix up well.

• Using the soup spoons, ladle the mixture into your papers.  You need them about 3/4 full.

• Bake for approx 20mins until lightly golden.

• Whip up your cream cheese, lemon juice & icing sugar until smooth and well combined.

• Place some of the mixture into a piping bag with round nozzle.

• Once the cakes have cooled, you can have a bit of fun with your presentation.  I’ve made Butterfly Cakes (always a hit with the kids), Cupcake Sandwiches and Filled Cupcakes (both fabulous as you can pop them in a container without fear of the icing sticking to the lid!). 

• For the Butterfly Cakes – Use the sharp knife and cut out a little cone shape of cake from the middle.  Cut this cone in half.  Fill with cream cheese mixture and then re-attach your “wings”.

• For the Cupcake Sandwiches – Slice your cakes through horizontally just under the mound section.  Dollop on some mixture and replace the top.

• For the Filled Cupcakes – grab your piping bag and stick the nozzle down into the cupcake and give a squirt of mixture.  You may have a little escaping out the top, which is easily wiped off. 

• Once all your cakes are done, give a liberal dusting over the tops with icing sugar.

Glorious little morsels – just waiting for the perfect occasion.  Afternoon Tea, Mothers Day or indeed ANY day!

About Honey, You Baked!

HYB is Danni & Mel, two friends and mummies, who used to work, cook and play together in Sydney. Now Mel has moved home to Tasmania and the girls spend time blogging about Baking, Making, Books, Babies and just about everything else in between! Drop us a line we would love to hear from you!!

www.honeyyoubaked.com

www.facebook.com/HoneyYouBaked

www.twitter.com/honeyyoubaked

About Danni (That’s me in the blue!)

I’m a SAHM mum from Sydney with two beautiful girls (6 and 16mnths) and a hard working hubby.  As well as HYB with my blog buddy Mel, I spend my time running after my family, my dog, growing my own veggies, sewing & crafting and expanding my small cake business (read: organisational freak lives here!).

What have you been cooking this week?

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Weekend Cookbook: Dim Sims

I didn't try Yum Cha until I was at least 25, maybe even older, but when I did I was hooked. It is amazing and so much fun. I love the little trolleys filled with bamboo steamers containing all sorts of delicious food that arrive at my table. I want to say yes to everything and often eat much more than I need to. I recently told my husband that it was time for us to go to Yum Cha to which he replied "We are going to Yum Cha for a work meeting this week". I tried to get an invite, but sadly they changed plans so I was left with a massive craving and no plans to satisfy it.

Lucky for me, my friend and I were planning a cooking day. I decided that we would have a Yum Cha style lunch and attempted Dim Sim and Steamed Pork Buns. Today I want to share the Dim Sim recipe as it was delicious. I actually think I could live on them they are so good.

Dim Sims

150g medium green prawns, peeled and deveined

250g pork mince

1 small carrot, finely chopped (or grated)

1 cup of finely shredded Chinese cabbage

1 small onion, finely chopped

2cm piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

2 teaspoons of cornflour

24 gow gee wrappers

11.      Finely chop prawns and place into a bowl. Add pork, carrot, cabbage, onion and ginger. Mix to combine. Whisk together egg, soy, sauce, oil and cornflour in a jug. Pour over meat mixture and mix well.

2.      Place a teaspoonful of mixture onto the centre of each gow gee wrapper. Gently press wrappers around the filling, pleating the edges together and leaving the tops open.

3.      Pour water into a wok or saucepan until it is 1/3 full. Bring to the boil and place a bamboo streamer lined with baking paper over the water (make sure it doesn’t touch the water). Cover with the lid and steam for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve alone or with a dipping sauce.

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Weekend Cookbook: Creamy Salmon Pies

Our family loves to eat salmon. We enjoy it as it is a really easy fish to eat, and there are so many different ways you can cook it. We buy a massive slab of it from Costco and freeze it in meal sized portions so that we can eat it around once a week.

The recipe that I have for you today is a family favourite. We found it in a cooking magazine and have loved it ever since. My hubby particularly loves the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese combination.

Creamy Salmon Pies

Serves 4

Olive oil spray

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

20g butter

1 tbls olive oil

1 leek, thinly sliced

2 tbls plain flour

½ cups of chicken stock

1/3 cup thickened cream

1 tsp dried tarragon leaves

500g skinless salmon fillets, cut into small pieces

1.      Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spray four ramekins with the olive oil spray to grease. Combine the breadcrumbs and the parmesan cheese.

2.      Heat butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until leek softens slightly. Add flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the stock, whisking until combined. Cook stirring for 5 minutes or until the mixture comes to the boil. Add cream and tarragon and cook stirring for 2 minutes or until the mixture thickens.

3.      Add the salmon and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until salmon is cooked through. Spoon into the prepared dishes. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden.

4.      Serve with mash potato and steamed green vegetables.

What have you been cooking this week?

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