Waffles - Rich Cocoa

1 c. unsifted flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Hershey's cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk or sour milk
1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. Add eggs and buttermilk; beat just until blended.

Gradually add melted butter, beating until smooth. Add vanilla. Bake in a waffle pan according to manufacturer's directions.

Serve with cream syrup or ice cream

Koeksista's

500ml (2 cups) cake flour
20ml (4 teaspoons) baking powder
3ml (½ teaspoon) salt
25ml (5 teaspoons) butter
125ml (½ cup) sour milk or buttermilk, or water and lemon juice Oil for frying

SYRUP:
1kg Huletts White Sugar
500ml (2 cups) water
2 pieces of ginger, bruised
2ml cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
Grated rind and juice of ½ lemon

Sift together the dry ingredients and rub in the butter with the fingertips, or cut it in with a pastry blender. Mix with the liquid to soft dough which can easily be kneaded. Use more liquid if necessary. Knead thoroughly until small bubbles form under the surface of the dough, cover with a damp cloth and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Roll to a thickness of 5mm and cut into 5mm strips 7cm long. Place ends of three strips on top of the other, press together and plait. When plaited, press the ends together again. Fry in hot, deep fat (170ºC) until done and golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper for a moment and then immerse in ice cold syrup.

Remove, allow excess syrup to drip off, and leave to dry on a wire rack.

SYRUP:

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Heat, while stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Cover and boil for one minute. Remove the lid and boil for a further 5 minutes. Do not stir. Remove from the heat and allow to cool thoroughly in a refrigerator if possible.

Makes approximately 35.

Custard Slices

CRUST:
1 roll of bought puff pastry

FILLING:
45ml (3 Tablespoons) cornflour
750ml (3 cups) milk
45ml (3 Tablespoons) Huletts White Sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
5ml (1 teaspoon) butter
5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla essence OR almond essence

VANILLA GLACÉ ICING:
250ml (1 cup) Huletts Icing Sugar
30ml hot water
Pinch of salt
2ml vanilla essence

A popular alternative to the puff pastry case is to use cream crackers - just as delicious, but without the baking.

Method

CRUST:

1.     Cut the pastry into two equal sheets and place onto baking paper. Prick the pastry a few times.

2.     Chill the pastry and then bake it in a very hot oven (230ºC) for 10 minutes.

3.     Leave to cool before filling.

FILLING:

1.     Mix the cornflour with a little of the milk.

2.     Heat the rest of the milk, sugar and salt to boiling point. Add the cornflour mixture, stir well and cook until thick.

3.     Add the hot mixture to the beaten eggs, stir and heat together until the mixture just reaches boiling point. Remove from the heat and add the butter and flavouring.

4.     Leave until well cooled and spread the filling on one crust, placing the other on top.

VANILLA GLACÉ ICING:

1.     Mix the hot water and icing sugar. Add the salt and essence and beat until smooth.

2.     Drizzle the icing over the tart and cut into squares just before serving. 

Peanut Brittle

75g brick margarine
340ml (11/3 cups) Huletts White Sugar
125ml (½ cup) Huletts Golden Syrup
250ml (1 cup) boiling water
325ml (1½ cups) salted peanuts

 Put margarine, sugar, syrup and water into a pot. Dissolve sugar over a gentle heat.     Turn up heat and boil mixture for half an hour, do not stir. To test if ready, drop a little of the mixture in cold water. If it is ready it will set hard and will crack when broken.   Remove pot from stove and stir in nuts. Pour into a greased tin (roughly 20cm x 20cm) and allow to set.

Break into pieces when hard and store in a 

Honeycomb

375ml (1½ cups) Huletts White Sugar
90ml (6 Tablespoons) Huletts Golden Syrup
30g brick margarine
5ml (1 teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda

Place the sugar and the syrup in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir to combine, then slowly bring to the boil. Add the margarine and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, and boil for 3 - 4 minutes. When the mixture begins to turn brown, remove from the heat. Sieve in the bicarbonate of soda, then stir until the mixture froths up. Pour the frothing mixture into a greased 22cm square pan. Leave to set until cold and hard. When set, crack into pieces by tapping it with a wooden spoon.

Store immediately in an airtight container. 

Fudge

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Ingredients

900g (4½ cups) Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar
300ml (1¼ cups) milk
30ml (2 Tablespoons) Huletts Golden Syrup
100g brick margarine
397g can full cream sweetened condensed milk
5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla essence

Method

1.     In a heavy based saucepan dissolve the sugar in the milk over a low heat.

2.     Add the syrup and the margarine. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 - 3 minutes.

3.     Remove from the heat and stir in the condensed milk. Bring to the boil again and boil steadily until it reaches the soft ball stage (when a little syrup is dropped into iced water it forms a ball which flattens of its own accord when picked up with the fingers. About 25 - 30 minutes).

4.     Remove from the stove and add the vanilla essence. Beat continuously until the fudge begins to thicken and is almost at setting point. Pour into a greased 27cm x 17cm pan. Cut into squares when almost hard.

Makes 54 squares.

Lammingtons

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Ingredients

VANILLA SPONGE:
500ml (2 cups) Huletts Castor Sugar
4 large eggs
250ml (1 cup) oil
5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla essence
750ml (3 cups) flour, sifted
15ml (1 Tablespoon) baking powder
250ml (1 cup) milk
Desiccated coconut for coating

CHOCOLATE COATING:
500ml (2 cups) Huletts White Sugar
250ml (1 cup) hot water
45ml (3 Tablespoons) cocoa powder
15ml (1 Tablespoon) butter or brick margarine

Method

VANILLA SPONGE:

1.     Whisk castor sugar and eggs in a mixer until light and fluffy.

2.     Add oil and vanilla essence, mix well.

3.     Add sifted flour and baking powder to mixture alternatively with milk.

4.     Pour the creamed mixture into a greased oven tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.

5.     Allow to cool and cut into squares.

CHOCOLATE COATING:

1.     Heat sugar, cocoa, butter and water until bubbly.

2.     Allow to cool, dip sponge squares into sauce and roll in coconut. 

Caramel Popcorn

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Ingredients

20ml butter or brick margarine
375ml Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar
90ml cold water
6 cups popped popcorn

Method

1.     Melt the butter and add the sugar and water.

2.     Stir over moderate heat until dissolved, then bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, cook for about 3 minutes, or until the steam has washed the sugar crystals down from the sides of the pot.

3.     Boil until soft ball stage has been reached (when a little syrup is dropped into iced water it forms a ball which flattens of its own accord when picked up with the fingers. About 25 - 30 minutes).

4.     Remove from heat and pour over popcorn, stirring gently to coat completely.

5.     When cool enough to handle, mould into balls or lollipops, and insert a small stick, if desired. 

Tuna Toasties

Serves 2

1 ti tuna, drained
45ml mayonnaise light
4 slices bread white/brown
2 slices cheese
15g margarine/butter
15ml olive oil

Mix tuna, mayonnaise and spread over two slices of bread,place cheese slices on top of tuna and  put the other slice of bread on top.
Melt margarine/butter and mix with olive oil, brush over both sides of  the sandwich.
Gill in sandwich maker or co in a wide pan over moderate heat till brown.

Easy Hedgehogs

It was my youngest cake sale today so made the following for him to take to school

This is one my most secret recipes that I have had forever.  Its a cheat way to make them but shuu... don't tell any-one.

1 Loaf day-old bread cut into equal cubes crusts removed

750ml Sugar

250ml Cocoa

375ml Water

30ml Butter

5ml Vanilla Essence

3c Coconut

Store bread in a air tight container. 

Mix the rest of the ingredients except for the vanilla essence in a pan over moderate heat until sugar has dissolves, boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla essence.

Dip the bread cubes into syrup mixture then roll in coconut.

Cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight container

Makes about 40cubes.

Chocolate Fairy Cupcakes

100ml Self Raising Flour

100 Cocoa

5ml Baking powder

100ml Castor Sugar

80g Soft Margarine

2 Eggs

Pre-heat oven to 180'c.
Arrange 60 fairy cases on a baking tray.

Sift flour, cocoa,baking powder and castor sugar together add margarine,eggs and beat well.  Spoon teaspoon fulls of mixture into the cases.  Do not overfill.

Bake at 180'c for 10-15min until well risen.

Cool on Wire rack

Icing:

200ml Icing sugar

15ml water (give or take)

60 Smarties

Sift icing sugar, add enough water to make a spreading consistency.

Decorate each cake with a smartie.

I was not too happy with the colour of the smarties since they changed them so maybe jelly tots would be better.