Vanilla Cake

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Some of my earliest and greatest memories come from this recipe, from licking the batter out of the bowl as a child to cupcakes at birthday parties. It’s a recipe that’s been passed down from my grandmother to me, and it’ll definitely be passed down to my grandchildren, it’s the perfect vanilla cake recipe.

Vanilla Cake

230 grams margarine

1 ½ cups sugar4 eggs

4 cups self-rising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

A pinch salt

2 cups milk

3 teaspoons vanilla essence

1.     In a large bowl cream your margarine and sugar until they become light in texture and the sugar has dissolved slightly.

2.     To the bowl add your eggs one at a time; allow them to beat in before adding the next one. Beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

3.     In a separate bowl sieve flour, baking powder and salt. In a jug measure out milk and vanilla essence.

4.     Using a (K) beater or spatula, fold in flour and vanilla. I slowly pour the milk whilst adding tablespoons of the flour mixture; this prevents the mixture from becoming lumpy. Be careful not to over mix your batter because the cake will crack.

5.     Pour your mixture into a greased cake tin or cup cake tin. Bake at 180C 15-20 minutes for cupcakes and around 35 minutes for a cake depending on the tin.

6.     Once cool decorate with butter icing, cream cheese icing or as a Victoria sponge.

This is really versatile and can be used as a base for any child’s birthday cake or simple for afternoon tea. The cake is really moist and has a delicious vanilla flavour; everyone who tries it loves it.

Mulva Pudding

My Gran mother made this pudding for my family for Sunday afternoon tea, it is such a lovely warm and comforting dish. It’s a traditional South African dessert that is really worth trying.

Mulva Pudding

1 cup Self raising flour

½ cup soft brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup carnation milk

a pinch salt

2 tablespoons brown vinegar

2 tablespoons apricot jam

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

serves 8

Sauce

½ soft brown sugar

½ cup carnation milk
½ boiling water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1.     Beat eggs and brown sugar in a bowl until the eggs turn a light yellow colour.

2.     Sift flour, bicarbonate soda, baking powder, and salt, then add wet ingredients and mix until the batter combines and is smooth.

3.     Spoon mixture into either little ramekins or one large pudding dish, they will rise a fair bit so don’t fill them all the way to the top.

4.     Bake in the over at 180C for 15-20 minutes (depending on your dish size)

5.     While the pudding is in the oven you can begin your sauce.

6.     In a saucepan add all your ingredients and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved, then set aside.

7.     Once the puddings are done, drizzle the sauce evenly over the top and leave them to soak it all up. Serve while they are still warm.

This is best served with cream, custard, ice cream or all three. It’s a simple pudding that everyone will love. Don’t be alarmed by the vinegar, that is simply to help the pudding rise, you wont taste it at all in the end. It doesn’t contain much fat or sugar so its not a bad option for people who are health conscious.

Carrot Cake

This is a classic cake, it’s amazingly moist and the creamy icing on top is to die for. Its perfect to share with guests for afternoon tea. 

Carrot Cake

2 cups flour

¼ cups sugar

3 eggs

1/3 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups carrots grated and tightly compacted

¾ cup sunflower oil

Makes 12 muffins or one cake 

Cream Cheese Icing

100g margarine

200g cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

500g of icing sugar (+/- it varies depending on the temperature)

1.     Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and beat until they turn a pale yellow. Measure out your sugar and slowly drizzle it into the eggs so that they hold their form. Do the same with the oil. Your mixture should be very light and fluffy.

2.     Grate your carrots, you want them to be compacted into your measuring cups so that your cake is moist, using the freshest carrots are always best too. Add any juice that drains from your carrots into the bowl along with the carrots.

3.     Sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and baking soda into the bowl. Then fold/mix in until all your ingredients have combined. Do not over mix or you will lose the light texture.

4.     Spoon into muffin ting or into one large cake tin (whatever you prefer) and bake at a preheated oven of 175C. Cup cakes take around 15 minutes and a full cake will take between 25-30 minutes. Check your cakes regularly because all ovens vary.

5.     To make the icing, beat margarine and cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Then add the icing sugar slowly until it comes together, taste to see how much icing sugar you need, it shouldn’t taste too much of cream cheese. Then add your vanilla essence and beat until combined.

6.     Once the muffins are cooked allow them to cook before icing them and topping off with delicious walnuts.

If you have left over icing you can pop it into an airtight container and store in the freezer for next time. It can be used on any cake you like, and it’ll be delicious.

Chicken Alfredo

Creamy and divine, Alfredo is an all time favourite. It’s such a classic and simple Italian dish.

Chicken Alfredo

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

2 cups mushrooms

3 slices of bacon

1 egg

250ml cream

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

3-4 chicken breasts

¼ grated parmesan

Serves 4

1.     Dice onion into fairly small pieces. Then Slice mushrooms and bacon. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pot and fry off onion. Once the onion turns golden brown, add mushrooms and garlic. Cook until mushrooms soften, and then add the bacon. Leave in the pan until the bacon is fully cooked and caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2.     Dice chicken into small cubes. Add chicken and a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Cook through until chicken has browned all over and turns golden. Then add your mushrooms, onion and bacon back into the pan and stir through.

3.     Pour your cream into a jug along with one egg, Italian herbs, seasoning and grated parmesan. Mix with a fork until the egg yolk is completely mixed into the cream. With the pan on its lowest heat, add the cream mixture and stir through, keep the heat low to prevent the sauce from curdling.  Season the sauce to your taste.

4.     Cook your pasta in a separate pot (I like to use fresh pack pasta, but any pasta is okay). When the pasta is cooked to your liking drain it using a collider and add to your sauce. Allow the sauce to coat the pasta evenly and serve. Grate a bit of parmesan on top and enjoy.

This is in Italian classic and utterly delicious. The sauce isn’t too rich or creamy and has a perfect balance of flavours. It’s very quick to make and I’m sure everyone will enjoy it.

Tiramisu

Rich, creamy and delicious. Tiramisu is such a classic dessert, the perfect end to any meal and leave you feeling one hundred percent satisfied.

Tiramisu

500g mascarpone cheese

200g finger biscuits

150g castor sugar

2 egg whites

4 egg yolks

150ml strong coffee

60ml Tia Maria

1.     Separate eggs into two separate bowls, the egg yolks should be in a larger bowl, as this will be used for the entire mixture. Beat the egg whites and set aside

2.     Add castor sugar to the egg yolks and beat until they become very light yellow and form ribbons. Once they are light enough add the mascarpone and beat until smooth. Now add your egg whites and gently fold in. Your cream mixture is complete.

3.     Measure out your coffee and Tia Maria into a flat-based bowl. One at a time soak your biscuits and line them up along the base of your serving bowl (if the biscuits aren’t soaked all the way through, feel free to add more coffee mixture).

4.     Once the biscuits are neatly places spoon your cream mixture on top and smoothen out. You can do as many layers as you like as long as your bowl allows for it. Once all the layers are complete grate dark chocolate on top and leave in the fridge to set.

The coffee blended with the Tia Maria creates such amazing sensation in your mouth. The creamy mascarpone is beautifully thick, sweet and creamy and calms down the richness on the soft biscuits. It’s an absolutely perfect blend.  

Apple and Cinnamon Crumble

Sugar, spice and everything nice, in one little cup. This is absolutely delicious. It would have to be one of my favourite desserts.

Crumble

150g white flour

75g sugar

75g cold butter

Filling

6 large apples

¼ cup raisins (as much or little as you desire)

½  cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1.     Peel, core and cut up apples, place into a microwave proof bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Cover the bowl with cling wrap, poke a whole in the centre to release the steam. Cook the apples in the microwave for around 10 minutes or until apples have softened enough to easily poke with a fork.

2.     While the apples cook place flour, sugar and cold butter into a food processer and blitz until butter is broken up. Do not mix until it turns to pastry, your mixture should have a flour-like consistency. If you don’t have a food processer simply use a fork for mash up the butter or your hands, try to keep the butter from melting. 

3.     Once the apples are finished place them into your ramekins or over proof dish, sprinkle raisins on top and your raisins. Give them a mix so the cinnamon is evenly distributed. Flatten sightly, and then sprinkle your crumble mixture on top, using a fork to spread it out. Do not press it down its better left light and fluffy.

4.     Place the dish in a preheated oven of 180C and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the crumble has turned golden and the apples are bubbling.

The aroma created by this crumble is absolutely mouth watering. Its divine with warm custard, cream or ice cream.  It’s so tasty you’ll be heading back for seconds before you finish your first helping. Its best eaten warm, so reheat it if you cant eat it fresh.

Chicken Potpie

Chicken pie is such a simple and easy dish to make. Such a warm comforting food that everyone enjoys. Its great for rushed nights when there isn’t much time for dinner.

Chicken Potpie

1 onion

1 garlic clove

2 pieces of back bacon, fat removed

8 button mushrooms

2 chicken breasts

1 cup frozen peas

50g butter

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

½ teaspoon chicken stock

1 sheet of butter puff pastry

Serves 4 

1.     Dice onions,crush garlic and roughly chop mushrooms.

2.     Heat olive oil in a medium size saucepan, add chopped onions and cooked until golden brown then add garlic and mushrooms.

3.     While those cook down, chop up bacon into rough pieces. Then add them to the pan with onions and mushrooms. Stir until cooked through. Then remove from the pan and set aside.

4.     Dice chicken into small cubes. Cook the chicken in a dash of olive oil until the pieces have browned and cooked through. Then remove from the pan and set aside.

5.     With the pan on a low heat, add 50g of butter and leave to melt then add flour, stir until combined. Now using a whisk add milk and whisk thoroughly to remove lumps. Add herbs, chicken stock and season well. If the sauce appears too thick add a bit of water or white wine. Once you are happy with the consistency of the sauce, add chicken, frozen peas and onion mixture and stir through.

6.     Spray ramekins with olive oil or spray and cook, then spoon in the mixture.

7.     Cut pastry to fit ramekins and place on top, poke a hole in the center to prevent the sides creeping over and brush with milk or egg.

8.     Place in a preheated oven of 190C for 15-20 minutes until pastry is golden and crispy.  Allow them to cool before serving.

Ashleigh’s molten chocolate sauce

This is the recipe for the easiest chocolate sauce. It looks like molten chocolate and tastes like heaven. It can be stored in the fridge or even freezer, it doesn’t freeze or go hard so it’s ready to dish whenever you feel like some. It’s delightful on ice cream or as a topping to other desserts. It’ll definitely be a winner with your kids.

Molten chocolate sauce

2 Mars bars/ bar ones (snickers bars work well too if you enjoy nuts)

80g marshmallows

150g of dark or milk chocolate (any chocolate in the house works)

100g nutella

1 tin evaporated milk (carnation milk)

1.     Roughly break marshmallows up into smaller pieces, do the same with the chocolate and candy bars.

2.     Into a medium sized pot measure out milk and nutella, and add broken up chocolate and marshmallows.

3.     Place the pot on medium heat on the stove and stir until bubbles appear.

4.     Turn down the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes until molten and all the pieces have melted. Stirring occasionally to prevent the base from catching.

5.     Set aside to cool before pouring into containers for storage or drizzling over creamy vanilla ice cream.

 

The marshmallows allow the sauce to stay soft in the freezer so it’s easy to store. It makes a great ice cream Sunday sauce too. It’s so delicious I doubt it’ll last long in anyone’s house.

Homemade Muesli

This is a great healthy option. It’s a perfect breakfast all year round. Because there are no oils or saturated fats, it’s really healthy and won’t go rancid in your pantry.  Making your own breakfast cereal means that there are no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours. It’s truly the healthiest way to start your day.

 Homemade Muesli

1kg raw rolled oats

1 cup oat bran

¾ cup natural almonds

¼ cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

1 cup shaved coconut (not desiccated)

½ raw sugar

¼ cup of honey or golden syrup

½ cup boiling water

1 cup sultanas

1.     Heat oven to 170C. Place a sheet of baking paper onto a large baking tray or two baking trays depending on your oven size. Place oats, bran, almonds, sunflower seeds, sugar and coconut onto your tray.

2.     Pour 1 cup of water into a mug, into this add you honey or syrup, and stir until dissolved. Drizzle this mixture over the baking trays. Mix until wet blends with the oats.

3.     Place into the oven for 30 minutes, take out and mix every 10 minutes to prevent the edges from overcooking.  Sprinkle the sultanas over the top and set aside.

4.     Allow the muesli to cool before transferring into airtight containers.

We have a constant supply of muesli in our house. It’s delicious with natural yoghurt and a bit of honey. To mix it up, add other types of nuts, seeds and maybe other bought muesli to mix in.

Coq au Vin with Roast Vegetables

This is definitely a winning combination. The golden roasted butternut goes perfectly with the soft goats cheese and pine nuts. The chicken is perfectly succulent and tender. The vibrant colours of the vegetables mixed with the stained red wine chicken marry perfectly together and create a delicious winter meal.

Coq au Vin

700g of spring onions/ 2 medium brown onions

50 ml olive oil

4 rindless bacon slices (roughly chopped)

300g button mushrooms

2 garlic cloved, crushed

8 chicken thigh fillets

¼ cup plain flour

350ml dry red wine

1 cup chicken stock

¼ cup tomato paste

3 bay leaves

 4 sprigs of thyme

2 sprigs of rosemary

1.     Dice onions (unless you are using spring onions). Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, cook onions until just brown, keep stirring to prevent any burning.

2.     To the same pan add bacon, mushrooms (whole) and garlic. Cook until bacon is crisp and fully cooked.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

3.     Coat the chicken lightly in flour and shake off and excess. Place all the pieces in the pan over medium heat. Turn until all the sides have browned slightly.

4.     Once nearly cooked add red wine, chicken stock, tomato paste, onion and bacon mixture, and herbs. Gently stir to allow the flavours to blend. Bring to the boil, then allow the pot to simmer gently for around 35-40 minutes or until chicken is perfectly tender. Season to taste.

This is a great meal for entertaining guests, it easily serves large numbers and needs minimal preparation, and you can leave it simmering as your guests arrive so you are free to entertain. It also fills the house with an amazing rich aroma that is bound to get their mouths watering.

Roast Vegetables

1 whole butternut/ pumpkin (1kg)

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes

1 red onion

3 potatoes (one per person or as desired)

½ cup of pitted kalamata olives

100g goats cheese (or feta if you prefer

406 pine nuts (unroasted)

6 whole garlic cloves

Fresh rosemary, thyme

¼ cup olive oil

1.     Rinse butternut under running water to remove any dirt. Cut the butternut into 2 cm thick discs or fair sized chucks, leaving the skin on. Cut potatoes into quarters. Place the potatoes and butternut into a steamer and leave to steam for 20 minutes or until softened but not completely cooked. If you are using a microwave they will only need 10 minutes.

2.     While they are cooking roughly chop the onion and the ends off the garlic. Leave the olives whole as well as the cherry tomatoes.

3.     Once they are done, place a sheet of baking paper onto a large oven tray. Scatter the onions and cherry tomatoes on the tray; then place the butternut and potato over them. Crumble small chunks of goats’ cheese onto the discs of butternut. Scatter the olives, garlic and pine nuts throughout. Drizzle olive oil over the top and disperse the fresh herbs. Season generously.

4.     Place into a hot oven 180C for around 2 hours until everything has turned golden brow. 

 These vegetables work well with any dish. The creamy rich goats cheese mixed with pungent pine nuts takes roasted vegetables to a whole new level. The sweet cherry tomatoes and dark olives add a variety of flavours and textures. The flavours explode in your mouth.