Ingredients (serves 10)
- 85g packet green jelly crystals
- jelly snakes, jelly frogs and cachous, to decorate
-
Cake
- 340g packet buttercake mix
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 60g butter, softened
- 1 tube green Dollar Five sprinkles
Method
- Make jelly, following packet directions. Pour into a 20cm (base) round dish. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line base of a 20cm (base) round cake pan.
- Make cake: Prepare cake, following packet directions. Before pouring mixture into cake pan, fold through sprinkles (this gives a magical coloured effect once cake is cut). Bake as directed. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
- Place cake, right side up, on a platter. Using a serrated knife, trim top off cake to create a flat surface. Spoon jelly on top of cake. Press cachous into frogs to form eyes. Decorate cake with snakes and frogs.
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Ingredients (serves 12)
- Melted butter, to grease
- 130g (1 1/4 cups) almond meal
- 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
- 200g butter, at room temperature
- 215g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 4 eggs
- 2 x 300ml ctns double cream
- 2 x 250g punnets strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced lengthways
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Caramel sauce
- 12 soft caramels (such as Pascall Columbines)
- 80ml (1/3 cup) pouring cream
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a round 20cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper. Combine the almond meal and flour in a bowl.
- Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until combined. Use a large metal spoon to fold the almond meal mixture into the egg mixture until well combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in oven for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes to cool before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, to make the caramel sauce, combine the caramels and pouring cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Use a balloon whisk to lightly whisk the double cream in a medium bowl until the cream thickens slightly. Use a large serrated knife to cut the cake in half horizontally. Place the base of the cake, cut-side up, on a cake stand. Spread half the double cream over the cake and top with half the strawberries. Repeat with the remaining cake, double cream and strawberries. Drizzle over the caramel sauce and serve immediately.
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Ingredients (serves 4)
- 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 500ml (2 cups) water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 mandarins, peeled
- 8 1.5cm-thick slices Madeira cake
- 30g (1 1/2 tbs) butter, melted
- 125ml (1/2 cup) double cream, to serve
Method
- Place sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan. Stir over low heat, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add mandarins. Simmer, uncovered, turning mandarins twice during cooking, for 10 minutes or until soft. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mandarins to a large plate and cover to keep warm.
- Place the syrup over high heat and bring to the boil. Boil, uncovered, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until the liquid reduces by half.
- Meanwhile, preheat a chargrill on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of cake slices with melted butter. Reduce heat to medium, add half the cake slices and cook for 1 minute each side or until golden and heated through. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with remaining cake.
- To serve, divide the cake and mandarins among serving bowls. Drizzle with the syrup and serve with a dollop of the double cream.
Notes & tips
- Leftovers: use the cinnamon sticks in casseroles
- Use the Madeira cake to make trifle
- Use the cream to make sauces or serve on seasonal fruit
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Ingredients (serves 6)
- 1 x 350g pkt frozen Sara Lee Chocolate Cake
- 1 x 50g bar Nestle Violet Crumble
- 80ml (1/3 cup) thickened cream
- 70g (1/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
- 6 scoops vanilla ice-cream
Method
- Thaw the cake following packet directions. Use a sharp knife to cut the Violet Crumble bar lengthways into thin shards.
- Place cream and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, and stir until sugar dissolves. Simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, cut the cake into 6 equal portions.
- Divide the cake among serving plates and drizzle over caramel sauce. Top with ice-cream and sprinkle over the Violet Crumble. Serve immediately.
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Ingredients
- 5 oranges
- 300g (3/4 cup) honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 350g honey cake (Hille brand), crusts trimmed, cut into 2cm-thick slices
- 200g carton country-style plain yoghurt
Method
- Peel the rind from 1 orange using a vegetable peeler. Remove white pith from the rind and cut the rind into thin strips. (Alternatively, use a zester.)Juice all the oranges and reserve 250mls (1 cup) of juice.
- Combine orange rind strips, reserved orange juice, honey and 3/4 tsp of the cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until golden and slightly syrupy.
- Place honey cake slices into a large shallow heat-resistant dish. Pour over the syrup. Carefully turn cake slices to coat evenly with syrup. Set aside for 10 minutes (or longer if time permits). Combine remaining 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon with the yoghurt.
- Serve honey cake slices with the cinnamon yoghurt.
Notes & tips
- Microwave tip: Combine orange rind strips, reserved orange juice, honey and 3//4 tsp of the cinnamon in a small heat-resistant microwave-safe bowl. Heat, uncovered, for 2 minutes on Medium-HigW650watts/70%. Reduce power to Medium/500watts/50% and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 5-6 minutes or until slightly syrupy.
- Leftovers: Mix cinnamon with honey and serve on crumpets or add cinnamon to cake mixtures.
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Ingredients (serves 20)
- 1 square 25cm carrot cake (see related recipe and carrot cake variation)
- 1 1/2 quantities orange butter icing (see related recipe and orange butter variation)
-
Glace citrus slices
- 335g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
- 250ml (1 cup) water
- 4 limes, thinly sliced
- 4 lemons, thinly sliced
- 3 oranges, thinly sliced
Method
- To make glace citrus slices, place 2 wire racks over 2 baking trays. Place sugar and water in a large frying pan and stir constantly over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil gently, uncovered, without stirring, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly.
- Add the lime slices to the syrup and boil gently over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further 3 minutes. Transfer the lime slices to the racks and arrange in a single layer. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool completely. Repeat with the lemons and then the oranges.
- Meanwhile, to assemble the cake, use a serrated knife to trim the top, to even the surface. Split the cake in half horizontally. Place the top layer upside-down on a cake board. Use a spatula or flat knife to spread it with a third of the icing. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides, smoothing with the spatula or knife.
- To decorate the cake, use a sharp knife to make a cut through the rind of each citrus slice. Twist each slice and place on the cake, piling, overlapping and twisting them together.
Notes & tips
- This simple but stunning citrus cake is ideal for a birthday, or a special afternoon tea.
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Ingredients (serves 6)
- Melted butter, to grease
- 150g pitted dried dates, coarsely chopped
- 60ml (1/4 cup) boiling water
- 1 x 340g pkt White Wings golden butter cake mix
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 60g butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 125ml (1/2 cup) milk
- 300g Aunt Betty’s toffee dessert sauce
- Double cream, to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a round 6cm-deep, 20cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper.
- Place the dates in a microwave-safe bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover and stir to combine. Cook in microwave on High/800watts/100% for 30 seconds. Use a fork to mash until smooth. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
- Combine cake mix and mixed spice in a bowl. Prepare the cake using the butter, eggs and milk, following packet directions. Stir in the date mixture. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
- Heat the sauce following packet directions. Cut cake into wedges. Top with double cream and sauce to serve.
Notes & tips
- Freezer tip: At the end of step 3, cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Continue from step 4.
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