Superb Chocolate Caramel Slice

Posted on May 27, 2016 by soulfoodie92

Everyone loves a chocolatey caramel sweet treat every once and a while. Most of us also have some stray Weet-bix lying around. This recipe uses Weet-bix in the base and is super delicious with the gooey baked caramel topped with simple chocolate icing. Why not give this one a go this week or even better get in there with the kids and have a family baking day with some other tasty treats.

I’ve used EquaGold Premium Dutch Cocoa in this recipe and it just takes it from average to amazing with such a deep chocolate flavour! You can purchased here.

Weet-Bix Chocolate Caramel Slice

Ingredients

Base
180g butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup weet-bix, crumbled
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp equagold dutch cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut, shaved/thread or desiccated
Caramel
1 395g tin condense milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla eseence
80g butter, cubed
Icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp equagold dutch cocoa
3 tbsp water

2 tbsp coconut to garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Line square 20cmx20cm cake tin with baking paper base and sides. (help you to pull out once cooked.)
Combine all base ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Press into the lined cake tin.
In small saucepan combine condense milk, brown sugar, vanilla and butter over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly. Once thickened pour over base and bake for 30 minutes, until caramel is golden brown and bubbling.
Allow to cool, once cold remove from tin.
Sift icing sugar and cocoa together into bowl stir in water, add more if necessary. (needs to be a thin icing)
Pour over cooled slice and smooth out evenly, top with coconut once set cut into 12 squares.

Squares: 12

Perfect with a hot cup of tea!

Feijoas yes please!

Posted on May 9, 2016 by soulfoodie92

I love feijoa’s hence this is my second post on feijoa’s today ! Make the most of them while they are nice and cheap and are available. If you get a your hands on to many you can always peel and freeze for when you have a feijoa craving!

This is one of easiest cake recipe out! You put all the ingredients in the food processor so no mixing or hand beating requires! It a moist upside down feijoa and lime yoghurt cake, it goes down a treat warm with a cup of tea. Would be perfect served warm with ice-cream for a different dessert but is just as good cold!

Upside Down Feijoa and Lime Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients:
5 feijoa’s, peeled and slice thick rings
2 limes, zest and juice
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 cup canola oil
1 cup yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in food possessor apart from the feijoa’s!
Puree until combined scrap down sides and blitz once more.
Line a loaf tin with baking paper and arrange the feijoa slices along the bottom making sure there are no gaps.
Pour over cake batter and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and a knife comes out clean when tested.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes until turning onto serving plate.

Serve warm or cold.

*this can be made in either a loaf tin or cake tin but it is important that you line it or it wont turn our of the tin.

Cinnamon Pear Upside Down Cake

Posted on October 12, 2015 by soulfoodie92

I must admit it has been along time since I’ve done a post on here. Life gets away with you sometimes. Anyway back to food! With having 3 days of which is very rear I cleaned the kitchen and set to creating something new for you all. Here is a great recipe to use up left over pears. I got a bag of 8 pears for $1.34 I absolutely love getting bargins!

Cinnamon Pear Upside Down Cake

Lightly spiced caramelized pears baked into a vanilla cake perfect served warm with a spoonful of plain yogurt or fresh cream.

Ingredients

6 pears peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 lemon zest and juice
3 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup melted butter
3 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp white vinegar
Coconut vanilla glaze
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup long thread coconut
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
To serve:
Dusting of icing sugar and yogurt or cream

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degress.
Line spring form cake tin with baking paper on the sides and base.
Peel, core and thinly slice pears add to bowl with brown sugar, lemon zest and juice and cinnamon. Stir and pour into the bottom of the lined cake tin.
In stand mixer whisk eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Whisk in melted butter, vanilla and vinegar.
Sift flour, baking soda into egg mix and fold through, pour ontop of the pears and bake for 35-40 minutes until tested with a knife come out clean.
Mix together icing sugar, vanilla, coconut and boiling water, stir until thin icing has formed, drizzle over the cake. Dust with icing sugar.
Serve warm with yogurt or cream.

Slices: 10-12

Sinful Chocolate Boysenberry Cheesecake

Posted on August 2, 2015 by soulfoodie92

Sinful Chocolate Boysenberry Cheesecake

I received a goodie parcel from Equagold a few days ago and as today is my day off a “Saturday to most”. So I decided that it was time to hit the kitchen and get the creative hat on. I was thinking cheesecake however I didn’t want to make the classic biscuit crumb so i opted for my moist chocolate velvet cake.

The end result is bloody delicious if I may say so myself. WOW sums up my reaction when my fork hit the chocolate boysenberry cheesecake!!! Words basically cannot describe this dessert it was basically like being in heaven! Creamy velvet chocolate cheesecake with a moist velvet cake finished with slightly sweet boysenberry gel! No need to buy chocolate and melt it into this cheesecake, Ive used Equagolds Premium Dutch Cocoa Powder it is just divine, you cant tell that its cocoa not melted chocolate.

Equagold is creating outstanding products if you would like to get your hands on Equagolds Dutch Cocoa Powder I have used in this recipe please click this link : Equagold Online Store

If you want to impress someone or treat yourself this is the recipe for you!!

Ingredients:
Velvet Cake Base
1 1/4 cup white flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 Equagold Premium Dutch Cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
250ml water
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp white vinegar
Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
250gm cream cheese, room temp
2 heaped tbsp Equagold Premium Dutch Cocoa, sifted
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp Equagold vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp gelatine
1 tbsp boiling water
Boysenberry Gel
1 1/2 cup frozen boysenberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp gelatine
1 tbsp boiling water

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
2. In large mixing bowl sift all dry ingredients for the velvet cake, once sifted whisk the dry ingredients to aerate and evenly mix together.
3. In a separate bowl combine all liquids for the velvet cake, pour into the center of the dry ingredients and mix through to combine. (Do not over mix)
4. Pour into a lined spring form cake tin and bake for 25-30minutes until when tested with a skewer it comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and turn put onto a cooling rack, once cold using a bread or serrated knife cut the top of the cake off. *see the picture
6. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer attach the whisk attachment, in the mixing bowl combine, cream cheese, sifted icing sugar and cocoa and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth.
7. Scrap down the sides and be sure to get the bottom of the bowl, add cream and whisk to combine.
8. in a small bowl sprinkle gelatine over boiling water and microwave for 15 seconds, stir well and whisk into cheesecake filling.
9. Using the same cake tin as you baked the cake, reline and this time line the sides, a little cooking spray before you put the baking paper around will make it stay in place.
10. Place the trimmed cake base in the bottom of the lined cake tin, followed by the cheesecake filling. Smooth over and place in the fridge.
11. Now onto the final stage, take a small saucepan combine boysenberry’s, sugar and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved around 4 minutes, add squeeze of lemon. Bloom the gelatine the same as for the cheesecake filling step and add to the boysenberry mix.
12. Allow to cool and pour over the cheesecake filling, place in fridge for 1-2 hours. 13. Serve with whipped cream or yoghurt.

Serves:8-12

Sift all dry ingredients for the velvet cake.

Whisk together wet cake ingredients and add to dry.

Stir to combine and pour into a lined medium sized spring form cake tin.

Bake at 180 degrees for 25-30minutes.

Once cooked and cooled, remove the lump over the cake to make it flat. ( you can eat the off cuts 🙂

Leveled cake.

Whisk in 1/2 cup cream, scrape down the sides.

In stand mixer bowl combine cream cheese, sifted icing sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Add dissolved gelatin mixture, mix well to combine.

Line cake tin bottom and sides.

Add trimmed cake followed by cheesecake filling.

Smooth over and refrigerate.

Combine 1 1/2 cup boysenberries in medium pot with sugar and water. Simmer for 4 minutes add gelatine mixture, cool.

Pour over cheesecake filling and refrigerate for 1-2 hours if possible over night.

Remove baking paper. Using a hot knife cut a medium size wedge.

Serve with whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar and cocoa.

Enjoy

3 Ingredient Bacon and Egg Bites

Posted on May 26, 2015 by soulfoodie92

We had a decent amount of snow hit Dunedin on Sunday/Monday this week. I was stuck and home with the day off. I was playing around in the kitchen on this cold day and created this simple easy recipe for bacon and egg bites. The base recipe is 3 ingredients but you can add whatever topping to them. I made some with cherry tomatoes, some with mushrooms and then just some plain ones.

You could add chopped chives, cheese, onion, vegetables what ever you like, they are a great lunch box filler for the kids or even your own for an afternoon tea snack!

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/2 cup bacon, chunky chop

2x puff pastry sheets

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
Grease a 6 hole muffin tin with cooking spray. (mine was between a normal size and a texas muffin tin)
Cut both pastry sheets into 4 even squares. You will have two spare, or if you have a larger muffin tray just use them up.. (these can be refrigerated or frozen and used at a later date)
Place a pre-cut pastry square in each of the greased muffin holes, gently tuck pastry hole into make a rustic looking tart shell.
Crack one egg in each pastry shell followed by handful of bacon pieces, salt and pepper and bake for 20-25mintues until golden brown.

Makes 6

As i said above you can add flavours to the base filling for a tasty fast snack!!

Sweet Sundays

Posted on July 6, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Sunday

A day that marks the end of another week. I have been pretty busy over the last week and haven’t been posting much at all lately. So I decided it was about time to get back into it. With the rain clouds hanging around and friends craving something sweet I thought of what I loved as a kid and when i think about it one of the top things would have to be mums chocolate caramel slice!!
Caramel slice is New Zealand favourite found in many grandparents recipe books it brings back memories for all.

Heres an easy recipe for chocolate caramel slice from my family to yours.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Ingredients:

Base
175g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. cocoa

Caramel Filling
1 1/2 375g cans sweetened condensed milk
5 tbsp. golden syrup
30g butter, cubed

Chocolate Icing
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. cocoa, sifted
2-3 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp butter, melted

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Line medium deep rectangular baking dish with baking paper.
In stand mixer bowl combine softened butter and sugar, beat for 5 minutes until pale yellow and fluffy.
Add beaten egg and beat until combined.
Sift in flour, cocoa and baking soda beat for 1 minute until well combined.
Pour into lined baking dish, press evenly over the base, dock with a fork and bake for 15 minutes.
In a small pot combine condense milk and golden syrup. Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes until well combined.
Whisk in cubes of butter, until incorporated, cook for 2 minutes until mixture thickens stirring so the bottom doesn’t burn.
Remove base from oven, pour over caramel and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the caramel is lightly browned and bubbling.
Remove from oven and cool.
Once slice is cool in a small bowl combine icing sugar, cocoa, melted butter and hot water. stir with a fork until thick spreadable consistency is reached. ( you don’t want it to runny.)
Pour chocolate icing onto the cooled slice evenly smooth it over and allow to set before cutting.

Cream butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy.

Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa into creamed butter.

Correct texture for base.

Press evenly into lined baking dish and dock with a fork.

Add condense milk and golden syrup to a pot cook for 3 minutes.

Whisk in butter and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Pour caramel into pre-cooked slice base.

Smooth over.

Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.

Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until lighly golden.

Once cool, ice with chocolate icing and enjoy.

Oh Bananas Bananas Bananas!!!

Posted on June 20, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Everyone must admit that sometimes they don’t get their bananas and they turn brown and go overly ripe. Well the best thing to use over ripe bananas for is baking of course! Here is a recipe that is very easy and tastes great hot out of the oven with a smear of butter or even made into French toast. Click on the link for; Banana Bread French Toast

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch salt
150gm butter, softened
3/4 cup soft brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
5 ripe banana’s, mashed

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees, grease square cake tin or loaf tin if you have one with butter followed by a dusting of flour. This creates an easy no-stick layer.
In a stand mixer bowl combine softened butter and brown sugar, beat for 5 minutes until pale in colour. (As seen in below.)
Add beaten egg and mashed banana
Sift all dry ingredients into the banana mix, fold through in a figure 8 motion, until incorporated make sure there’s no lumps.
Pour into prepared cake tin, smooth out. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and skewer comes out clean when bread is tested.
Cut around the edge of the tin with a knife, turn out.
Slice and serve while hot from the oven with butter.

Makes: 1 loaf

Grease tin with butter.

Followed by a dusting of flour, bang out excess.

Add brown sugar and soften butter to stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment.

Beat for 5 minutes until fluffy and pale brown.

Beat in banana and beaten egg. Sift in dry ingredients.

Pour in bread batter, smooth over surface.

Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot from the oven with cup of tea and butter.

Maybe make some sneaky Banana Bread French Toast with the left overs??

Do you like DOUGHNUTS??

Posted on June 18, 2014 by soulfoodie92

I must admit I haven’t been in the kitchen much lately and have been pretty busy with study and life. But yesterday I decided it was time to jump back in and do some sweet cooking. I though for a while what I could make that I haven’t made in a very long time and it was either chocolate mousse cake or doughnuts and well DOUGHNUTS overruled.

Here is a recipe I have created myself with gaining inspiration from others. I added something you don’t usually see into my dough; vanilla instant pudding. This was an experiment which worked, the addition of instant pudding gave the doughnut a delicate texture and subtle vanilla flavour.

Cinnamon, Choc Nut Doughnuts

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups plain flour
1/4 cup castor sugar
1 vanilla instant pudding sachet
3 tsp. yeast
pinch salt
300ml milk, warmed
100g butter, melted
3 egg yolks, beaten
canola oil for deep-frying
1 cup castor sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

Extra flour for dusting/rolling
1x chocolate ganache
75gm chopped nuts

Method:

Sift flour, sugar, instant pudding, salt and yeast into bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook.
Turn on mixer for a second to combine dry ingredients and to create a well.
Whisk together milk, melted butter and beaten egg. Add to the dry ingredients and turn onto medium speed for 2-3 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 2 minutes until dough is smooth.
Oil metal bowl, place dough in and brush gently with oil, cover with glad warp and place in a warm place for 1-2 hours. You want the dough to be doubled in size.
Knock back and turn dough out onto floured bench.
Roll out until the dough is 1.5 cm thick, using a medium size glass cut circles from the dough. Using the back of a piping nozzle or finger make a whole in the center of the circles.
You can re-roll the dough scraps or I like to deep-fry them as they are. This makes for no waste and great snack for the cook to snack on.
Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Heat oil to 180 degrees.
Combine sugar and cinnamon together in a rectangular dish.
Test oil temp with the centers cut from the doughnuts, they should float to the surface and be golden brown.
Set up a cooling rack over a baking tray to drain doughnuts on straight from the hot oil.
Place 4-5 doughnuts into the hot oil at a time, cook for 40-50 seconds each side until golden brown. Turn and repeat on other side, remove from oil with metal tongs or slotted spoon, drain on wire rack.
Place in castor sugar/cinnamon mixture and coat.
Place on cooling rack until cool.
Drizzle with chocolate ganache and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Makes: 18-20 doughnuts

Add dry ingredients to stand mixer, make a well and add wet ingredients.

Beat for 2 minutes, dough will be sticky and wet.

Turn out onto floured bench.

Knead for 2 minutes until smooth.

Once dough has doubled in size, tip onto a floured bench knead for 1 minute.

Roll out until 1.5 cm is reached.

Cut circles with a glass.

Using a piping nozzle or finger make a center hole.

Deep-fry doughnuts until golden brown.

Coat in cinnamon and sugar and cool on wire rack.

Drizzle with chocolate ganache and chopped nuts.

Snickers and Dark Chocolate Skillet Cookie

Posted on June 2, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Do you love cookies? Well do I have the ultimate cookie for you!! Here it is folks the; Snickers and Dark Chocolate Skillet Cookie served with a side of French vanilla ice-cream straight from the hot oven onto your awaiting plates. Perfect easy dessert and use the leftovers to fill the kid’s school lunch boxes or having with a cup of tea on that sunny day. That is if it lasts that long.

Snickers and Dark Chocolate Skillet Cookie

Ingredients:

250 gram block whittakers dark chocolate, chunky chop
2 snickers bars, chop into large peices
250 grams butter, soft at room temp
1/2 cup white sugar
4 heaped dessert spoons of condense milk
2 tsp. vanilla essence
3 cups plain flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt

French vanilla ice-cream to serve

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
In stand mixer bowl, add softened butter, condense milk, sugar and vanilla essence. Beat until light and fluffy, the mix would have turned from yellow to a pale white. (it is crucial that you get your butter/sugar mix to this stage to achieve the perfect cookie.)
Scrap down the sides and beater blade, add flour, baking powder, salt, chopped snickers and 3/4 block rough chunky chopped dark chocolate. Beat until just combine.
Grease a large heavy based skillet with butter, (must have a wooden handle or metal to go into the oven!)
Add 3 tbsp. flour and shake side to side to create a non-stick base for the cookie dough. Bang excess flour out.
Tip cookie dough into skillet and press down evenly.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. (it will be soft to touch, but once cools slightly will harden to the perfect cookie.)
Sprinkle over the remaining chopped chocolate, let sit in the turned off oven for 2 minutes to melt.
Serve your skillet cookie warm from the oven with a side of French vanilla ice-cream or a glass of warm milk.

Serves: 12 slices

Combine sugar, condense milk, vanilla essence and soft butter in stand mixer.

Beat until fluffy and pale white in colour.

Chop snickers into chunks and 3/4 block chocolate.

Add flour, baking powder, pinch salt, snickers and 3/4 chocolate to the beaten butter mix.

Perfect cookie consistency.

Grease cast-iron skillet with butter.

Add flour, shake side to side to evenly coat, bang out excess.

Tip cookie dough into prepared skillet.

Press down evenly with your fingers.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Add remaining chocolate and leave in turned of oven for 2 minutes.

Remove from oven allow to sit for 2 minutes.

Serve warm from the oven with a side of French vanilla ice-cream.

Seductive Cake

Posted on May 11, 2014 by soulfoodie92

Cinnamon, apple and lemon velvet cake.

Cinnamon Apple and Lemon Velvet Cake

Here is a heart stopping recipe for a mouth melting cinnamon apple and lemon velvet cake. Soft cinnamon apples with melting lemon cake and a drizzle of tangy lemon icing, you can’t beat this moist velvet cake. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon tea with friends or a rest for the family. This cake is delicious served warm from the oven with a drizzle of tangy lemon icing.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup white flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
250 ml water
1 tbsp. vanilla essence
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 lemon, zest
Cinnamon Apples
2 large granny smith apples, peel, core and 3 cm dice
1 tbsp. golden syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
50gm butter, melted
Icing
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 lemon juice

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees, line small cake tin and large muffin tin (6) with baking paper and light coating of oil to elemental the cake sticking.
Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk until the dry ingredients is evenly mixed, this is also aerating your dry ingredients.
Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients, in a jug whisk together oil, water, vanilla and vinegar. Pour into the well, whisk in a figure 8 pattern until just mixed through. (over mixing makes the cake tough.)
Combine apples, cinnamon, golden syrup and butter in a bowl toss so all apple is coated.
Line cake and muffin tins with cinnamon apples, place pour over cake batter and bake cake for 30-35 minutes and muffin size for 18-20 minutes until golden brown, test with a knife to see if cooked. (when knife comes out clean its cooked.)
Cool in tin, the cake will drop dramatically in size but don’t worry this is how it’s supposed to be. Run knife around the edge of the cakes and flip upside down onto a cooling rack, remove baking paper.
Combine icing sugar and lemon juice plus 4 tbsp. boiling water, stir until runny.
Drizzle over warm cakes and serve with unsweetened plain yoghurt or on its own.

Makes: 6 mini cakes and 1 small cake