Spicy Apple Cake

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup sugar
125gr Butter, Melted
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
¾ cup chopped walnuts
icing sugar, to dust.

1.  Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm round springform tin. Line base with baking paper. 
2. In a mixing bowl, combine apples and sugar, mixing until apples are coated with sugar. Stand for 2-3 minutes. Stir in melted butter and eggs. 
3. Sift together dry ingredients, stir into apple mixture. Stir in raisins and half the walnuts 
4. Spoon mixture into prepared tin. Sprinkle remaining walnuts over top of cake. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until cake springs back in tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar. 

I was given this recipe by a lady who bakes a plate for morning tea at our Church’s Mainly Music session. I have had it for sometime and as I have been given lots of apples I thought it was time to try it.

I followed the recipe as given. I probably had the sugar and apple standing for about 5 mins as I was doing other things. I beat the eggs into the melted butter before pouring this over the apples.

I had this warm for an after dinner treat and then cold through the week (yes I ended up eating the whole cake!!). I kept it on the plate in the photo covered in cling film and it was good for the week so a great keeper.

As I already knew what this cake was going to be like and still liked it when I made it! I will be keeping this recipe

Edmonds Toasted Muesli

¼ cup oil
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup coconut
½ cup EDMONDS Wheat Bran
½ cup EDMONDS Wheat Germ
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup sunflower/pumpkin seeds
½ cup chopped nuts
1 cup dried fruit

1. Preheat oven to 150°C
2. Put oil, sugar and honey into a saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves.
3. In a bowl, combine rolled oats, coconut, wheat germ, wheat bran, seeds and chopped nuts.
4. Pour oil mixture over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Tip into a large roasting dish. Bake 30-40 mins of until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
6. Leave to cool before adding dried fruit. Makes about 6 cups.

I forgot that I was supposed to follow the recipe to the “t’ so to speak.
I used canola oil as I only had that or olive oil and wasn’t keen to use the stronger flavour of olive oil.
For this recipe I melted the oil, sugar and honey in a jug in the microwave for about a minute stirring it twice.
I combined all the other ingredients except the dried fruit in a roasting dish and then poured the liquids over the mix and stirred it thoroughly.
I wasn’t sure how much sunflower and pumpkin seeds to put in so I used about 1/3 cup of each.
I ended up roasting the muesli for 40 mins stirring it three times during cooking.
I used sultanas and chopped apricots for my mixed fruit.

This has a nice nutty flavour and is one I will make again.

Bran Muffins

1 cup Edmonds Standard Grade Flour 
I tsp Edmonds Baking Powder
 ½ tsp salt 
2 tsp mixed spice 
1 ½ cups Edmonds Wheat Bran 
¼ cup sugar 
1 tsp Edmonds Baking Soda 
 Approximately 1 cup milk 
1 Tbsp butter, melted 
1 Tbsp golden syrup, melted 
1 egg beaten 
½ - 1 cup sultanas 

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. 
2. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, mixed spice, wheat bran, sugar and sultanas. 
3. Dissolve baking soda in milk. Blend in the melted butter, golden syrup and egg. 
4. Pour liquids quickly into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. 
5. Spoon batter into lightly greased muffin trays. 
6. Bake for 12 – 15 mins or until golden brown and baked. Makes 12 

I have few recipes for bran muffins with or without sultanas. I just thought I would try another to see if it was any better. Even the ingredients are similar. This was off the back of a packet of Edmonds Wheat Germ
I followed the recipe but actually found it better to melt the butter and syrup, beat in the egg quickly and then add the milk and baking soda (I had already mixed) and then gave it a good beat with a folk. I found I needed to use a cup of milk and my sultanas were a heaped half cup measure. 

These were a nice recipe and I will make one of my own again soon to see if I can decide which one I prefer.

Springtime Biscuits

125gr Butter
1 Tbsp Golden Syrup
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Cup Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt
1 ½  Cups Bran Flakes
1 egg, beaten

Warm butter and golden syrup.
Add brown sugar and beat until smooth.
Add all the dry ingredients and beaten eff.
Mix well.
Roll into balls and flatten with the back of a fork.
Bake at 180°C for about 15-20 minutes. 

This is a recipe off a Bin Inn mailer. I didn’t have any bran flakes so I used corn flakes. I liked the whole idea of just not having to cream the ingredients so just used the microwave to warm the butter and golden syrup and beat in the sugar. I added the egg next and then carefully stirred in the dry ingredients. Always remember to use a bowl bigger than you think so nothing spills over the sides.

They were a nice biscuit with a slightly soft cake type texture rather than a hard biscuit. They were a bit bland so I am wondering if bran flakes would be more flavoursome. Even adding a bit of essence may help. I am unsure if I will make this again.

 

Fruit Slice

125 gr Butter

1 cup White Sugar

1 cup Fruit Mix

1 ½ cups Self-Raising Flour

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

2 Tbsp White Sugar

Melt butter, then add sugar.

Add Fruit mix, self-raising flour, vanilla essence and beaten eggs.

Mix together.

Place in s sponge roll tin lined with baking paper.

Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle over the top before placing in the oven.

Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes.

This can be eaten hot with custard as a dessert or cold as a cake.

 

This is a recipe form a “Bin Inn Barrel Talk – Issue 38” (about 2004)

At first I had to read the recipe through and found the reason why there were two lots of sugar.

This is a fruit slice with a cinnamon sugar topping.

It’s a recipe style I like as it just uses melted butter and it’s all mixed up in the one bowl.

I did however add the flour at the end mixing all the wet ingredients with the sugar and fruit. This is an almost pourable mix so it just needs spreading in the tin.

I found it easier to mix the second amount of sugar and cinnamon together and then sprinkle over the cake with my hands so that I could gauge and even coverage.

I enjoyed this with ice cream but it would be equally nice with custard as mentioned in the recipe of maybe whipped cream or yogurt if you wanted a healthier option.

I will definitely be making this again but probably in a slightly smaller tin so it’s a little thicker.

Autumn Fingers

Ingredients

½ cup     flour                    70g

½ cup     coconut               45g

1 cup      rolled oats           100g

2 oz        walnuts                60g

Pinch      salt                        pinch

½ cup     brown sugar       100g

¼ cup     sugar                    50g

4oz         butter                   115g

2 tsp       golden syrup       30g

½ tsp      baking soda        ½ tsp

½ tsp      vanilla essence   ½ tsp

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a shallow 12 x 8in/30 x21 cm tin with baking paper, or grease it lightly. Chop the walnuts.

1.      Combine the flour, coconut, rolled oats, walnuts and salt in a large bowl. Add the sugars and mix well.

2.      Put the butter, golden syrup and sifted baking soda in a saucepan and melt gently together over a medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to froth. Pour it onto the dry ingredients and add the vanilla essence.

3.      Stir until everything is combined and press the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 15-20 minutes until it is golden brown, rotating the tin after 10 minutes. Try not to overcook it.

4.      Cut into bars while hot, pressing the edges gently back down if they roughen. Cool in the tin and store airtight. Makes 24

This was served at a group I went to for supper and I loved it so I asked for the recipe. It has a sweet, nutty, chew, ANZAC biscuit taste. It is from the book A Second Helping by Alexa Johnston, a sequel to her first book, Ladies a Plate.

I followed the instructions as it was written adding the vanilla essence into the melted mixture before I poured it all into the dry ingredients..
I baked it for the full 20 minutes but my oven is a bit hot so it was slightly over cooked. I will probably try it just for 15 minutes next time giving it a bit more if needed.

I will be keeping this one and maybe even buying the book and her first one!

Vi-Bran Muffins

140g (5 oz/1large cup) Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

115g (4oz 1. 5 cups) Vi Bran

55g (2oz 1/4 cup) sugar

1 egg

1 level tsp soda

225g (8oz) milk

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tbsp butter

Sift flour, baking powder and salt.

Add Vi-Bran and sugar.

Beat egg well, add soda dissolved in milk, then butter and golden syrup, warmed together.

Stir liquid quickly into the dry ingredients until the flour is just dampened.

Put in cold, greased patty tins.

Bake at 220 deg C for 12-15 minutes.

For variety, raisins may be added.

This is a very old recipe off the back of an Elfin Vi-Bran packet. You can use any baking bran.

I followed the recipe to the instructions beating the egg, adding the soda and milk. I heated the butter and golden syrup and mixed that in to the eggy mixture, before turning it all into the dry ingredients and gently folding it all together. I used a cup of sultanas as a 'variety' and had tossed them in the dry ingredients first. I actually found I only made 11 muffins as there wasn't enough mixture to go around my 12 medium sized muffin tin.
I cooked them for about 14 minutes and that may have been a bit long.

They are a nice bran flavour but are best eaten warm and with a bit of spread - I used butter.