laurasaur

This was one of the most disappointing things I have ever baked. I don’t know what I did wrong but it was very time consuming and very ugly. My second (top) shortbread layer split and I had to patch it up a abit. But hey, it tasted delicious but I won’t be making this again any time soon.

Adapted from “Ladies, a Plate” by Alexa Johnston..

shortcake:

170g/6oz butter
115g/4oz sugar
1 egg
250g/2 cups flour
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder

caramel filling:

390g/1 tin condensed milk
100g/4 tbsp golden syrup
115g/4oz butter
1/2 cup sugar
vanilla to taste

icing:

120g/1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C and line a 12×8 tin. Make the filling by combining filling ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until all mixed together.

Cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg. Add the sifted dry ingredients and vanilla and mix to a dough. Divide in half and chill for about 15 minutes.

Roll one half out and place in the prepared tin. Pour over the caramel filling. Roll out the second half and place on top.

Bake for 20 minutes of until firm on top. Ice while hot with the chocolate icing, made by combining the icing sugar and cocoa with the butter (melted) and enough hot water to make spreadable. I think a better option would be melted chocolate.

My rolling skills are poor!!

These classic, iconic New Zealand biscuits are very yummy and very much loved by everyone. They are incredibly easy to make and failproof. I found this recipe in the gorgeous – “Ladies, a Plate” by Alexa Johnston. She has researched, baked and tested hundreds of classic “New Zealand” recipes.

This batch is going to my new work – hopefully they like them.

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
40z/115g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius or 350 farenheight. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl combine the oats, coconut, flour and sugar.

Place butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and heat until melted together, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Place baking soda in a cup, and add the boiling water, stir if there is any baking soda not dissolved.

Pour into the melted butter in the saucepan (it will foam up, don’t be afraid!) and stir together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together until no dry ingredients can be seen.

Form into heaped teaspoonfulls and place on the baking tray with at least an inch (3 cm) around them or they will do what mine did and form a giant biscuit he he.

Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden for chewy biscuits, and 15 minutes and dark golden for crisp ones.

Cool on a rack and store in an airtight tin. Makes about 36.

So surprising how some things just taste so good together. Cheese and chutney, marmite and chips, tomato sauce and everything.. haha.. Feijoas and Bananas are another awesome combo. And real vanilla bean.. although you can substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract if you want. Nice way to celebrate the first day of a new job… I feel like a proper grown up. Onto my second real job.. it’s all good.

10-20 feijoas, halved and scooped
1-2 ripe bananas sliced small
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup oats
50g butter at room temperature

Mix fruit and vanilla seeds in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over and dot butter on top.

Mix all dry ingredients in a deep bowl. Cut the butter into rough pieces and rub it into the dry ingredients with the tips of your figures until well mixed in.

Crumble this mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes at 180C until you can see the caramel mixture bubbling just under the crumble. Let cool slightly before serving.

I don’t really have anything new to post but I just thought I would share how super cool and cute this JellyBelly dispenser is!!

My hubby put one in my bag to surprise me (yeah, I know, so awesome) and it is super cute. I have always loved Jelly Belly’s (especially the flavour that most people hate: buttered popcorn) ever since my trip to America when I was about 10.

So no new baking for now, I spent a few hours on Sunday making a huge brownie platter for an event we went too, 2 batches of regular brownies, 1 batch of caramel brownies, whipped cream and a rich chocolate sauce.

There was less than 10 people at the event and about 2/3rds of the brownies got eaten so definately a success, pretty much my backup plan when I need to bring something sweet and I don’t have much time or energy.

So apparently I now know the fundamentals of the Wilton cake decorating method. This was my cake for my final class or lesson 4. I’m not really feeling like it was my best work but considering I was in bed all day yesterday sick and still not well today I think it turned out OK.

The icing layer is too thin and you can see the chocolate cake (Nigella chocolate fudge) through which really bugs me. Also I hate the Wilton class buttercream so I frosted the cake in a classic buttercream made with butter not shortening. It’s still tooth-achingly sweet and if time had permitted I would have made an italian meringue buttercream but some of us have to work too P

Oh and once again my roses were average. But my technique definitely improved towards the end of the class.. I actually find them quite quick to make now.