Anzac Slice

As I am writing this post I sit hear eating a piece of this slice.  Scott loves Anzac's of any variety and in any form, chewy, crunch he will eat it!  This slice is soooo easy and quick to make and you can have it chewy or crunchy, it just depends on the cooking time, less for chewy, more for crunchy.

I originally saw this recipe on the Create Bake Make blog by Lauren.  This is such a fantastic recipe and one that will be made regularly here, not just around Anzac day.  Thanks Lauren!

110 gm rolled oats

150 gm plain flour

130 gm light brown sugar

70 gm desiccated coconut

125 gm butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

In a mixing bowl place your coconut, oats and flour.

In a saucepan place your butter, sugar and golden syrup.  Heat until the butter is melted over a medium heat, stir until sugar is dissolved and butter is fully incorporated.

Remove your pan from the heat and stir in the bicarb, stir in, you will find that it froths up and doubles in size quickly.

Pour the butter mix over the dry ingredients and mix together.

Make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Press into a lined baking tray.  Bake in a 180 C pre heated oven.  To achieve a nice chewy slice bake for 20 minutes, for a crisp and crunchy slice bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool in tray, it is easier to cut while still slightly warm.

Watch it disappear!

Spanakopita Triangles (Spinach and Ricotta Triangles)

I don't follow all traditions of the religious kind, however, Good Friday is a Meat Free kind of day.  I go to the fish market first thing in the morning and pick up a couple of nice fresh fish and we normally have homemade fish and chips.  

This year I also felt like a tasty but lighter lunch so I mad some Spinach and Ricotta Triangles.  The Greek's got it right with the good old Spanakopita.  Cheese, spinach and crispy, crispy pastry.

You can make this in many ways, as a pie or in triangles or in a coil shape.  Any way you make it this is a great light lunch or snack and makes a great school lunch box addition.  You can freeze these uncooked as well.

500 gm ricotta cheese

100 gm Parmesan cheese, grated

100 gm tasty cheese, grated

250 gm frozen spinach

1 egg

filo pastry, from the fridge not freezer

100 gm butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

In a mixing bowl place your three cheeses.

Add the Egg, salt, pepper and lemon rind.

Mix together.

Make sure you squeeze the liquid out of your spinach when defrosted.

Mix through the spinach,

Make sure that you keep your filo under a damp tea towel to ensure it doesn't dry out.

Place one sheet of pastry on your bench and brush with melted butter, lay the second sheet over the top.

Slice the sheets into 3 strips.

Place a dessert spoon of the spinach mixture at one end of each strip.

Brush the strip with butter and then fold on corner over the filling to form a triangle.  Fold the triangle over itself to the end to form a triangle package.

You may need a little extra butter to stick the pastry end down.

Place your triangles on a lined baking sheet and remember to cover with a damp tea towel to ensure they don't dry out.  At this stage you can refrigerate for later, bake or freeze.

When ready to bake just brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Yum!

Bake at 200C for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve.

Victoria Sponge

It has been years since I made a Victoria Sponge.  I love the buttery vanilla cake filled with Jam and Cream.  Always great with a cup of coffee or tea.  I thought i would make one for a friends going away at work.  Yes I did make a trial one for the boys as well.

There are two methods for making a Victoria Sponge either the traditional cream method and then the all in one method.

I made my cakes both ways and there was not much difference bar time.  The best advice I can give you is weigh your eggs, match all the other ingredients weights to the eggs.

4 eggs this should be approx 230 to 250 gm in weight

self raising flour, same weight as eggs

butter, softened same weight as eggs

caster sugar, same weight as eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

I placed my jug on the scales then set the scales to zero, cracked in my 4 eggs and measured the other ingredients to match.

Place all ingredients into your mixer bowl and on low speed beat until combined, turn the mixer to medium and beat for two minutes or until smooth.

Divide evenly between 2 lined, 20cm baking tins.  Bake at 180 C for 25 to 30 minutes.  NOTE: You must NOT open the oven door at all for 25 minutes or the sponge will sink.  

I say this from experience!! 😢

Take cakes out of the oven once cooked and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tins and then remove from tins and turn out onto a cake rack.  When fully cooled top one cake with jam of choice and whipped cream then serve.

Mango Coconut Cream Cheesecake

This cheesecake was inspired by one of the scrummy cheesecakes Scott and I shared while we were in Hawaii.  The Cheesecake Factory has some divine cakes!  The original was a Mango Lime Cheesecake with a layer of Mango Mousse .... a bit tooooo much work for me however this one went down well with Scott and didn't even last the week!

2 x 250 gm Cream Cheese

500 gm mango flesh, pureed

1/2 cup sugar

2 leaves gelatin, soaked

2 tablespoons boiling water

200 ml coconut cream

1 pack dry sweet biscuits, crushed

60 gm butter, melted

Blitz the biscuits to crumbs then blend through melted butter.  Press into the base of your lined, spring form cake pan.

Puree the mango flesh, you can use either fresh or frozen (thawed) mango.

I keep my coconut cream in a jar in the fridge, I use it in lots of things!

Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.

Beat through the mango puree

Mix your soaked gelatin with the boiling water and stir until dissolved.

Beat through the gelatin mix and coconut cream for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth.

Pour over the prepared base and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Serve with some mango puree, mango chunks and whipped cream.