Bitter Sweet Recipes

I am the first to admit that I don’t like eating bananas once they get to that brown spotted stage. Usually when my bunch of bananas start to ‘turn’ they are immediately peeled and chopped into small bits to be frozen and used in smoothies. This time I got to them a bit late and they were already quite brown and beginning to go soft, perfect for banana bread.

Because the weather is starting to warm up I wanted to make a summery banana bread, I was searching around for a recipe and came across Janelle Bloom’s Banana and Coconut bread (as featured in Super Food Ideas magazine), which intrigued me because it used coconut milk as the ‘wet’ ingredient.

So now I am writing this waiting for my banana bread to bake and enjoying the delicious scents wafting from the oven. My teapot is waiting and the water is boiled so I can have a nice cup of tea with that first slice hot from the oven…

An hour later the banana coconut loaf is ready, it has a nice sweet chewy crust and a very moist spongy texture. Definitely my new favourite recipe for banana bread, this is going into my permanent collection, nice one Janelle!

Two days later and the banana loaf is still moist and delicious, it has a wonderful texture with lots of little bits of banana and the coconut flavour complements it wonderfully.

This recipe makes a large loaf… don’t do what I did and put it in a small tin! Janelle’s recipe states that it will keep well in an airtight container for about a week.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup castor sugar
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

METHOD

Grease and Line a large loaf tin, and preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celcius.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.

Mash your banana and combine with the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and mix until combined. (it will look a little lumpy due to the chunks of banana and the coconut)

Place batter in your prepared pan and cook for about one hour until your loaf is lightly browned and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I love anything Apple and Cinnamon flavoured, it’s just one of those great flavour combinations which manage to make me feel warm and cozy every time I eat or smell it. So on this very cold night I decided it would be nice to make my version of an apple and cinnamon tea cake (to enjoy in bed with a cup of tea while reading my latest library book).

This cake has quite a fluffy spongy texture with a nice crust around the edges. The sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top also gives the apples a yummy sweet crunch that goes very well with the sweet brown sugar cake below. Perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea in the cold weather!

This cake can be stored in an airtight container for around two days after cooking, but it is best enjoyed on the day of baking. I like to cook it in my pyrex pie plate instead of a traditional cake tin, I prefer the ratio of apple to cake because I dont like tea cake that is 3 inches thick, but if you dont have a pie plate a medium cake tin is also ok.

INGREDIENTS

190 grams Self Raising Flour
Pinch of Salt
80 grams Cold Butter
120 grams of Brown Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

2 small Green apples

1 1/2 tablespoons of White sugar
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
METHOD

Grease and line a medium cake tin or a pie plate (I use a pyrex pie plate for this cake), Preheat your fan forced oven to 160 degrees celcius.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Cube your cold butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips. (You can also do this in a food processor, just pulse it until you get the right texture)

Stir in the brown sugar making sure to crush any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon.

Make a well and add the egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk well to a smooth batter.

Pour your batter into the prepared tin. Peel, core and slice your apples, and arrange the slices on top of the batter. Sprinkle with your mixture of cinnamon sugar.

Bake in the oven at 160 degrees celcuis for 20 minutes, until the apples are caramelised and golden and the cake beneath is cooked.

Allow it to cool before slicing and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a steaming cup of tea.

These messy little pies are so easy and yummy. They are really easy to throw together for a quick and tasty dessert. The rough lids that leave gaps around the edges allows the steam to escape during cooking which will ensure you have a crisp shortbread crust and delicious caramelisation of the sugar around the edges to create a sweet sticky toffee effect. Of course you can make them neatly for beautiful presentation, but I like the idea of a rustic pie that is just begging to be smooshed into ice cream and eaten.

I make these using a texas muffin pan with 6 holes. I find that they are the perfect size for a satisfying dessert and allow a perfect ratio of shortbread crust to apple filling. This recipe serves 6. They may be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days after cooking but are best served warm and fresh.

INGREDIENTS

Shortbread crust
170 grams of plain flour
pinch of salt
55 grams of white sugar
115 grams butter
1 large egg yolk
1 -2 tablespoons cold water

Apple Filling
90 grams of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon of plain flour
4 apples of your choice (I used pink lady because they are in season)

METHOD

Make the Shortbread Crust

Combine the dry Ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and rub in the butter until you have a wet sand texture.

In a small bowl whisk together the water and egg yolk and add it to the flour mix.

Mix until it comes together an form it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the Apple Filling

Combine everything except for the apples in a large mixing bowl. Stir until all ingredients are combined and it forms a crumbly mixture.

Peel, core and slice your apples. Mix them into the sugar mixture until well coated.

Assemble

Grease your 6 hole texas muffin tin and preheat your oven to 170 degrees celcius.

Divide the shortbread pastry into 6. Divide each ball into a larger and a smaller ball so you are left with 6 larger balls and 6 smaller balls of shortbread pastry.

Roll out the larger balls into round circles to fit the muffin tin holes as a ‘crust’. fill the crust with the apple mixture. The apple mix will shrink slightly during cooking so it is best if they are well filled.

Roll out the smaller balls and use these as “pie lids”. I like to make mine a little messy as the holes  and gaps around the edges allow the sugar around the edges to caramelise, allows the steam to escape to stop them becoming soggy and it gives the pies a home made feel.

Bake for 25-30 mins until the tops are crunchy and golden and you see caramelised sugar around the edges of each pie.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream and a dusting of icing powder.

These special little cupcakes are a mixture of two recipes from The Australian Women’s Weekly book “cupcakes”.
They are a great alternative to traditional lemon meringue pie and they deliver just the right amount of coconut and lemon flavours for an indulgent treat. The pretty decoration and unusual frosting and really easy to do, and they look great arranged on a platter for a birthday party or get together.

This recipe makes 12 standard cupcakes, or 6 texas muffins, or 1 medium cake. It needs to be eaten on the same day of cooking however you can prepare the lemon curd a day in advance for faster assembly on the day. This recipe is not suitable for freezing, and will be affected negatively by prolonged refrigeration. This recipe can be doubled.

INGREDIENTS

Coconut Cake
125 grams softened butter
2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest
150 grams White sugar
2 whole fresh eggs
80 ml Milk
60 grams Desiccated Coconut
185 grams Self Raising Flour

Lemon Curd Filling
4 egg yolks
75 grams White sugar
2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest
60 ml Lemon Juice
40 grams Butter

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting
220 grams White sugar
80 ml Water
2 egg whites

Coloured Sugar
White sugar
1 drop of yellow food colouring

METHOD

Make the Lemon Curd:
Combine all ingredients in a clean bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is thickened and will coat the back of a metal spoon. Cover the surface of the lemon curd with cling wrap and refrigerate until cold.

Make the Coconut Cakes:
Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celcius and prepare a 12 hole standard muffin pan or a 6 hold texas muffin pan by lining them with paper cases.

Beat the Butter, zest and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the milk and coconut, then fold in the flour.

folding in the coconut and flour

Divide the mixture amongst your prepared muffin cases and bake in your preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and spring back to the touch.

Place on a rack to cool.

Make the frosting:
When the cupcakes and curd are cold, prepare the frosting. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and boil without stirring, until mixture thickens but does not colour. This should take about 5 minutes.

boilling sugar syrup

In a large clean bowl, whip your 2 egg whites to soft peaks with electric beaters. With the beaters still running slowly start adding the hot sugar syrup in a small stream to the egg whites, continue to mix well until all syrup is added and your egg whites are volumous, white, glossy and very fluffy.

Hot sugar syrup being beaten into the egg whites

Assemble:
Scoop out about a tablespoon of cake from the top of the cupcakes.

Cupckaes with holes ready to be filled with curd

Fill the hole with a tablespoon of curd

Cupcake Filled with Lemon Curd

Ice the cupcakes with the marshmallow meringue frosting. You can pipe it on or spoon it on and create peaks with the back of a spoon.

Make the coloured sugar by combining the sugar and food colouring in a small zip lock baggie and shake till all the sugar crystals are evenly coloured.

Sugar coloured Yellow

Sprinkle it over the tops of the cupcakes.

VARIATIONS
If you like you can use a blowtorch to lightly brown the meringue frosting. It is already technically cooked due to the use of hot sugar syrup but this will give it a nice appearance and a slight crunch.

If you like you can also make this recipe into a full sized cake. Just bake the cake mix in a medium round cake pan, slice in half and fill with lemon curd and then ice with the frosting.

I had a houseful of boys this weekend, and after a boozy late night they were all looking a bit groggy in the morning. So I whipped up a big batch of pancakes and strong coffee for them. This is my absolute fail safe pancake recipe that is made up of a conglomerate of many different recipes and tips from cookbooks and my mum. Its very quick and easy to make and always produces a light fluffy pancake that will rival any you get in a cafe or restaurant.
I have added some cinnamon and nutmeg to spice the batter slightly, which just adds a hint of something extra that you cant quite put your finger on and makes for an unforgettable and different-in-a-good-way pancake experience.

This recipe make about 6 large pancakes, you can double it or even triple it if you are feeding lots of people. It needs to be made just before cooking and doesn’t require and resting period like some other pancake batters do. Once the pancakes are made, if you have leftovers they can be frozen quite successfully in a airtight ziplock bag and toasted in the toaster for a quick crispy pancake, however they will lose some of their light and fluffy qualities. See the variations section below for pancakes that freeze well.

INGREDIENTS

1cup self raising flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
about a tablespoon knob melted butter

METHOD

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and spices.

Mix with a fork and make a well.
To the well add the milk, vanilla essence and egg.

Whisk well until the batter is free of lumps.

This next stage is very important in producing a beautiful light fluffy and well risen pancake.
In a nonstick fry pan melt the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Once melted pour the butter into your batter.
Now mix your batter VERY gently with a whisk until the butter is JUST mixed in.

Under no circumstances should you over mix you batter once the butter is in this will result in a flat and rubbery pancake.

Do not rest the batter in the fridge, or on the bench, you need to cook them immediately after adding the melted butter to the batter.

Now using a paper towel rub the butter residue around the pan and heat to medium heat to prepare for cooking of your pancakes.

Gently ladle 1/3cup of batter (I like the size of pancake this amount produces but if you want large pancakes of pikelets instead adjust the measurement accordingly)  into the center of your fry pan.
Wait for bubbles to start forming on the surface and a crust to form on the bottom and flip the pancake over.

A few seconds after you flip you will notice that the pancake is rising up, This creates air bubbles and makes a deliciously light and fluffy pancake.

When the bottom of the pancake is lightly browned it is ready to be served.

You may need to adjust the heat of your pan during the cooking of the pancakes, I usually turn the heat down a notch or two after the first 2-3 pancakes are cooked to stop them cooking too fast and burning. If you are using a non stick pan you should not need to add anymore butter to the pan, but if you like the extra flavour you can use the paper towel from the beginning to rub some extra butter into the pan.

Ideally it is best to eat the pancakes when they come hot off the pan, but if you are cooking for a few people and this is not possible you can place them in a warm oven (warmed to 100 degrees celcius and turned off) for a few minutes while you cook the rest. But be warned don’t leave them in for too long or they will deflate and go crisp on the edges.

VARIATIONS

Once you have your basic pancake batter down pat you can really do any variations that take your fancy. Here are some suggestions;

Berry pancakes: Stir in your choice of frozen or fresh berries before cooking and serve with berries in syrup and a dusting of icing sugar.

Banana pancakes: Finely slice small segments of banana and stir into the batter before cooking also, substitute 1 tablespoon of sugar for 1 tablespoon of honey, the banana will caramelise while the pancake is cooking and the honey adds a delicious depth of flavour. These ones are great for freezing to have for a delicious quick weekday breakfast.

Apple and cinnamon Pancakes: Grate a green apple and add it to the pancake mix and increase the cinnamon to 1.5 teaspoons. These ones are also great for freezing.

Pikelets: As mentioned above, this recipe makes really good pikelets too. They are great with afternoon tea, or to put in the kids lunches. Instead of 1/3 cup measures of batter, use 2 tablespoons of batter. Serve with jam and whipped cream.

This is actually the first time I made this yummy little dessert and I will definitely be making it again! I found the original recipe in Gourmet Traveller Magazine, but I have made some improvements to suit my tastes.

Its not the prettiest dessert to serve up as it is practically a wobbly baked custard with fruit, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in taste. I think if I were to make it for a dinner party, I would probably bake it in individual ramekins to save the bother of trying to serve it in a presentable manner.

This recipe will serve 6.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup plain flour
3 tablespoons of white sugar
3 whole eggs
450 ml of full fat milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
30 grams of melted butter, plus a little extra to grease
300 grams of tinned or fresh apricots
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (to sprinkle)

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius and grease a baking dish with butter ( I used a pyrex pie dish).

If using tinned fruit, drain it well. If using fresh fruit slice in half and remove the stone. Arrange your fruit cut side up in your prepared dish.

In a medium mixing bowl mix the flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Mix the milk with grated nutmeg and heat in a saucepan or microwave until it is hot.

Slowly whisk your milk mixture into your egg mixture, then pour it over the fruit.

The original recipe stated to dot the butter over the dish instead of including it in the batter, but in my opinion, this does not yield desirable results

Bake in your preheated oven on the bottom rack for 40 minutes, until the clafoutis is puffed, golden and set.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar and allow to cool slightly (it will be easier to cut) before serving with some good quality vanilla bean ice cream.

VARIATIONS

The classic clafoutis is made with cherries, and I would love to try this come summer when there is an abundance of fresh cherries.

You can really use any stone fruit in this recipe and it can be canned or fresh. I used canned apricot when I made it (which was delicious), but I have a sneaking suspicion the taste and texture would be much improved using fresh fruit.

I would also like to try some variations using fresh berries, or a pear and almond one. But I cannot vouch for the success of this as I am yet to test it. Ill post back on these variations when I get my hands of some fresh berries…

Biscotti is one of my all time favourite things to dunk into my coffee. I used to work in a cafe that sold delicious biscotti, and when I stopped working there I decided it was high time for me to have a go making it myself. I discovered that there are so many different types of biscotti out there, and even more ways to make it. My first biscotti were Christmas cranberry and pistachio biscotti… great flavour, but hard as a rock, these ones really were made for dunking (if you didn’t want to break your teeth). My second biscotti was an almond flavoured flop, once again tasted great, but after the first baking the log flattened out like a pancake with chunks of almond poking out. My third biscotti was almond and cherry, surprisingly it kept its shape, had a good level of crunch and most importantly tasted like biscotti should. This recipe is an amalgamation of the first two recipes with a few critical alterations to produce a delicious and good textured biscotti.

Biscotti are dried biscuits, so they will keep very well for quite a long period of time in an airtight container. They are great for gifts and easy to post in the mail to friends and relatives. This recipe will make about 13 biscuits, you can double or triple the recipe if you would like more biscuits, just make 2 logs instead of 1.

INGREDIENTS

30 ml of melted butter
75 grams white sugar
5 ml of Vanilla essence
2 ml of Almond essence
1 egg
125 grams plain flour
pinch of salt
3 grams of baking powder
40 grams of glace cherries (whole)
80 grams of raw almonds (whole)

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celcius and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

In a medium bowl mix the butter, sugar, essences and egg until well combined.
Sift in the flour, salt and baking powder and mix well.
Stir in the cherries and almonds.

With wet hands form the dough into a log on the prepared baking tray. Taper the sides to produce the biscotti shape.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the log is springy to touch and lightly browned.

Turn the oven down to 120 degrees celcius.

Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly until you can comfortably handle it.

Transfer it to a cutting board and using a wet, sharp serrated knife cut the log into 1.5 cm biscuits.

Arrange the biscuits on their sides, back on the baking tray and bake for about 5-10 minutes on each side turning once.

The biscotti should now be ‘dry’. Allow them to cool before storing in an airtight container.

VARIATIONS

There are countless variations on the biscotti recipe. You can substitute the almond essence for a different flavour, or omit it and add extra vanilla essence in its place.
You can also substitute glace cherries for dried cranberries or any other dried fruit. Similarly, the almonds may be substituted with any variety of nut that complements the dried fruit of your choice.

Biscotti are also partial to being dunked in or drizzled with melted white or dark chocolate for added flavour and presentation.

I saw this on ABC’s “The cook and the chef” the other night and was inspired to make one too.
A traditional pound cake uses a pound of each ingredient (flour, butter, eggs and sugar) and there are many added flavour variations of the recipe.

I had some left over dried fruit from my hot cross bun making at Easter time so I decided to make a fruit pound cake. It turned out with a delicious moist golden crumb with a hint of fruit and brandy, perfect with your mid morning cup of tea.

This is a smaller version of a pound cake, as, frankly, I don’t have a small army to feed 4 pounds of cake to. This cake will produce 4-6 serves but you can double the recipe for a larger cake.

INGREDIENTS
100 grams dried mixed fruit
100 grams of softened butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
100 grams white sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon of baking powder
100 grams plain flour

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celcius. Prepare a small cake or loaf tin grease and line with paper.

Soak fruit in some boiling water for 10 minutes and drain.

Beat butter and vanilla until fluffy and slowly add the sugar. Beat for another 5 minutes on high speed until pale and thick.

Stir in eggs and brandy to the butter mixture until just combined.

Sift flour and baking powder together and fold into butter mixture. Gently mix in the fruit until just combined.

Pour into prepared tin, smooth over the top and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool and slice.

This can be stored in an airtight container for about 5 days.

There is nothing like a delicious gooey bread and butter pudding to warm you up during the cooler months. The sweet custard combined with the crispy sugary bread bits on top make this my favourite dessert during winter.

This recipe will serve 6 people. It is a good idea to use good quality butter to achieve a rich smooth and creamy flavour.

INGREDIENTS

10 slices of white bread, buttered on both sides
2 cups skim milk
5 whole fresh eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
5 tablespoons of white sugar
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg

METHOD

Lightly grease a medium sized baking dish with melted butter.

Spread your bread on both sides with good quality butter.

Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl.

Slice the buttered bread into four triangles and arrange one layer of bread in the bottom of your baking dish.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar, some cinnamon and nutmeg.

Continue making layers like this until all of the bread is used up and the baking dish is full.
Push down on the bread with a wooden spoon to compress it slightly and pour the milk mixture carefully over the bread and sprinkle with the remaining sugar and a little cinnamon.

Allow the pudding to stand for half an hour, the bread will soak up some of the milk mixture during this time.

Preheat you oven to 160 degrees celcius during the resting time. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the custard is set and the pudding is puffed and lightly browned.

Serve warm with whipped cream or a good quality vanilla ice cream.

VARIATIONS

There and many variations on this classic pudding. Here are some of my favourites;

Include a sprinkle of sultanas and toasted slivered almonds between each layer of bread. sprinkle some of the almonds on top before baking.

When buttering the bread, you can also spread each piece with some good quality marmalade or preserve of your choice, you will need to reduce the sugar depending on the sweetness of the jam or marmalade you have chosen.

Mix in 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder into your milk mixture, and sprinkle dark chocolate buttons in between layers of bread. Do not sprinkle the chocolate on top as it may burn during cooking.

If you like coconut you will love these moist and coconutty and are very moerish little petit fours. They are really fast and easy to make and they are always a hit with my friends and relatives.

This recipe will make about 20 macaroons. They will keep well in an airtight container for about a week.

INGREDIENTS

1 egg, separated
1 pinch of salt
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 1/2 cups of dessicated coconut

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius and line a baking tray with nonstick paper.

Beat egg white and salt to soft peaks add the yolk and continue beating. Slowly add the sugar in 3 batches beating between each addition.

Stir in coconut with a spoon.
Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes.

With damp hands roll teaspoon sized balls of mixture and arrange on your prepared baking tray.
These Macaroons wont spread much during cooking so you can put them quite closely together.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned on top.
Wait for the macaroons to cool on the tray and then store them in an airtight container.

VARIATIONS

There aren’t really any flavour variations on this recipe, but for a more indulgent treat, dip the cooked macaroons in melted dark chocolate.