Bec's Best-ever Carrot cake

 

250g walnuts 
400g carrots, washed and roughly chopped
2 eggs 
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla essence 
1/2 tsp mixed spice 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 1/3 cups plain flour 
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sunflower seeds 

1 3/4 cups icing sugar 
90g cream cheese 
45g butter, room temp 
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 185C. Grease 25cm round cake tin/ line with baking paper, and set aside. Place walnuts into blender and mill. Set aside. Place carrots into blender and chop. Set aside. Place eggs, sugar and oil in stand mixer and mix. Add vanilla, spice, salt, flour and bicarb to bowl and mix. Add walnuts and carrots and mix. Pour into cake tin and bake for 75 mins. Combine all icing ingredients in stand mixer and beat. Ice cake when it has cooled.

Mug Cake

 

3 tbs plain flour
3 tbs sugar
1 tbs cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
3 tbs milk
1 tbs marg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sift dry ingredients together in a mug. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Microwave for 50-70 seconds. (Less microwave time results in a more molten) texture. Serve with ice cream. 

Via Kidspot

Mug Cake

3 Tbs flour

1/4 tsp baking powder 

3 tsp sugar 

1 Tbs cocoa 

2 1/2 Tbs milk 

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbs Baileys 

Combine all ingredients into an oversized microwave-safe mug. Mix with a small whisk until batter is smooth. Cook in the microwave for about 1min. Top of cake should be dry. Serve with ice cream.

via

This made a great gift. I tested the recipe first and was also nice with Kahlúa.

Low Sugar Sponge Cake

I used this for Myles' first birthday smash cake as I was trying to do a refined sugar free cake. It tasted great but flattened as it cooled. I ended up making a normal sponge for the bottom layer. His layer actually tasted better! And the jam was super easy and tasty. The whipped coconut cream is also a big tick that I think I'll use more than normal cream from now on! 

I iced it too early as we had to postpone the session because Myles had an unprecedented long nap! So it cracked, but was still soft and yummy. I also toasted coconut on the stove until it was the ideal colour for sprinkles. (I was going to dye them with food dye to make rainbow sprinkles but went with this gold theme instead, much easier and tastes great!)

2 egg yolk 

4 egg whites 

1/4 cup pear concentrate (simmer 3/4 cup of pear juice til reduced to a third)

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup flour 

1 Tbs cornflour 

Boil olive oil with pear concentrate till the mixture steams. Set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile beat egg whites till soft peaks. Add in egg yolks to the olive oil mixture and slowly stir in the flour and cornflour. Fold egg whites into the flour mixture. Bake at 170C for 15mins in 10cm cake pan. Slice the cake halfway, spread the sugar free pear jam and sandwich it with the top layer. Cover in coconut whipped cream.

Sugar Free Pear Jam

Stir 1/3ml of pear concentrate (made by simmering 1 cup of pear juice till reduced to a third) and 1 tsp arrowroot starch (or cornflour), dissolved in a bit of water, into the pear concentrate. Simmer till thick and bubbly. Set aside to cool.

 via

Appel's Pumpkin Cake

1 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1 apple
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs flax seeds
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1 tsp mixed spices
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups SR flour

Simmer dates in 1 cup water. Add apricots to hot mixture then cover to cool. Add all other ingredients. Cook in loaf pan 50mins at 150C.

Lemon and Poppy-seed cake

200g butter 
1 cup sugar 
3 eggs 
1 tsp vanilla essence 
1/2 cup milk 
Grated zest of lemon 
2 tbsp lemon juice 
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder 
6 tbsp poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a 23cm round tin with baking paper. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, milk, lemon zest and juice, mixing to combine. Stir in flour, baking powder and poppy seeds until evenly combined. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth top. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 

Lemon Syrup
2 tbsp lemon juice 
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon

In a pot combine all ingredients. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. While cake is still warm, prick with a skewer all over and spoon over Lemon Syrup.

via taste.com

Chocolate Carrot Slice

Best carrot cake from the best cookbook! Yum! Always popular!

Banana Bread

 

1 3/4 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2/3 firmly packed cup dark brown sugar
100g chopped walnuts
3 large over-ripe bananas
2 large eggs, lightly whisked
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Lightly grease an 11cm x 22cm loaf pan and line base and 2 long sides with a sheet of baking paper, leaving 2cm overhanging. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl with the brown sugar, then add the nuts. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher, then stir in the eggs, vanilla extract and cooled melted butter. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they're just combined - don't overmix. Scrape cake batter into prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the loaf in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Cut into 8-10 slices.

via taste.com 

Almond Meal Banana Muffins

2 eggs
2-3 ripe bananas
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup flour
banana chips

Preheat oven to 180 C. In a large bowl mash bananas. Add eggs, honey, baking powder, vanilla, milk and stir. Add almond meal and flour and stir once more. Spoon into greased muffin tins and top with banana chips. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tooth pick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean and they become somewhat firm to the touch with a little give.

Spicy Banana Cake

125g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (firm pkd)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 Tbs golden syrup
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 Tbs custard powder
2 cups SR flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup strong, warm black coffee

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs, then syrup and bananas. Fold in sifted dry ingredients, then coffee. Place in 2 greased and floured 8" sandwich tins. Mod oven 25-30 mins When cool, fill with cream and top with coffee icing.

Banana Muffins

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2-3 ripe bananas
2 Tbs honey
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup banana chips, optional

Preheat oven to 200C. Grease 12 cup muffin tin. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well. Mix milk, egg, oil, banana, honey and walnuts in a separate bowl and add to well. Mix batter until moistened but not over-mixed. Spoon batter into muffin tins with ice cream scoop for uniformity. Top with banana chips. Bake for approx 15min minutes until golden brown and come out clean with tester.

Banana Bread

1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup water
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp bicarb soda

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 14x 21cm loaf tin. Combine dates, sugar and water in large saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add flour, banana, walnuts and bicarb soda and stir until combined. Spoon into prepared tin. Bake in oven for 40mins or until skewer comes out clean. Remove and set aside for 5mins to cool before turning onto wire rack. Serve warm, at room temp or toasted with butter.

Chocolate Cake

1 cup sugar

1 cup SR flour

2 Tbs cocoa

90g butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

vanilla

Put all dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour in melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat well 3mins. Mod oven 30mins

Chocolate Biscuit Cake (Grandma's)

250g milk coffee biscuits

185g copha

5 Tbs cocoa

3 Tbs boiling water

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 egg

vanilla

Soften biscuits by leaving out on a tray overnight. Cut copha into saucepan, heat slowly. Allow to melt (don't boil). Add boiling water to copha, stir til mixed. Mix icing sugar with egg and vanilla. Add the cocoa then the copha gradually. Beat well. Fill a lined loaf tin with alternate layers of chocolate and biscuits, beginning and ending with chocolate. Set.

Caramel Mud Cake (Nita's)

250g unsalted butter, chopped
200g white chocolate, chopped
2 1/3 cups brown sugar (firm pkd)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups plain flour
2/3 cup SR flour

Grease and line a deep 22cm round pan (paper 2cm over edge). Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water in medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate melted and sugar dissolved. Transfer to large bowl. Cool 15 mins. Whisk in vanilla and eggs, than combined sifted flours. Slow oven (150C) 2 hrs). (Cover with foil if it is over burning). Cool in pan covered with tea towel. Spread with frosting.

Caramel frosting
125g butter, chopped
1 cup brown sugar (firm pkd)
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar

Melt butter rub small pan. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to boil. Cook, stirring for 3mins. Cool. Add icing to spread consistency. Stir till smooth then spread on cake.

Chocolate Mud Cake (Nita's)

500g butter, chopped
350g dark chocolate, chopped
4 cups castor sugar
2 cups (500mls) hot water
2 Tbs dry instant coffee
1/3 cup (80mls) whiskey
1/3 cup (80mls) Irish Cream Liqueur
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups (450g) plain flour
1/2 cup (75g) SR flour
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder

Line base of 27cm x 33cm baking dish with 3 thicknesses baking paper (2cm above edge). Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, coffee, whiskey, liqueur in large pan. Stir over low heat without boiling until chocolate is melted. Cool 15 mins. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Whisk in eggs and sifted dry ingredients. Pour into prepared dish. Mod slow oven about 3 1/4 hrs (may need another sheet of paper over top about half way through cooking to prevent drying). Stand 10mins and turn out. When cold spread with icing. Decorate with chocolate curls and strawberries.

Chocolate Icing
375g dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup cream
60g butter, chopped

Place all in pan. Stir over simmering water until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Stir until spreadable.

Chocolate Cake (Mrs Bashford)

1 pkt Chocolate Devil's Food Cake
1 pkt Chocolate Instant Pudding
1 carton sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups choc chips

Mix all ingredients together. Beat 4 mins. Mod oven 45-50 mins

Coffee Cakes

1 1/2 cups SR flour
125g butter
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp black coffee
2 Tbs milk

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs. Fold in sifted flour alternately with milk and coffee. Spoon into patty cases. Mod hot oven 10-15 mins

Caramel Nut Cake

125g butter
2 eggs
2 cups SR flour
vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
6 Tbs milk

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and mix well. Fold in sifted flour alternatively with milk and vanilla. Place half the mixture in the bottom of a greased 18cm cake pan. Cover with filling, followed by remainder of cake mix. 180C 35-40mins.

Filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 tsp (25g) melted butter
2 Tbs flour
2 tsp cinnamon

Melt butter and stir in other ingredients. Spread evenly over half cake mix, as above.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
I cup veg oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
1 cup cooked beetroot, pure'ed 
2 Tbs walnuts, finally chopped (optional)

Sift all dry ingredients, add oil, vanilla, lightly beaten egg, beetroot and walnuts. Mix well (will turn a purple colour). Pour into a 7" square tin lined with paper. Bake at 180C for 50mins. When cool, dust with icing sugar.