Ice cream birthday cake

Ice cream birthday cake

Looking for the easiest birthday cake you can make - and one that kids will adore? Try this simple ice cream cake that can be sliced and served on a plate or placed in an ice cream cone with a scoop. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 litres vanilla ice cream
• 1 pkt Choc Ripple biscuits
• 1 Kit Kat
• 1 pkt coloured sprinkles
• 100ml pouring cream
• 25g pure icing sugar

Method:

Take the ice cream out of the freezer for 15 minutes to soften before beginning to assemble your cake.

Place half the packet of biscuits into a plastic bag. Knot the top of the bag and smash the biscuits roughly into large peices. Set aside.

Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm round baking tin, or a springform tin, with plastic cling wrap.

Scoop half the softened ice cream into the prepared tin and smooth down with the back of a spoon.

Tip the broken biscuits pieces onto the ice cream to make a generous layer of biscuits. Leave a small border free of biscuits at the outer edge.

Scoop the remaining ice cream on top of the biscuits and smooth down again to make the top of the cake completely flat.

Place back in the freezer to set for 1 hour.

To decorate, combine the icing sugar and the pouring cream and whip until just stiff. Dip two Kit Kat fingers into the cream and then dip into the coloured sprinkles. Set aside.

To unmould the ice cream cake, gently turn the tin upside down onto a serving dish. The cake should slide out of the tin but if it sticks, you can tug gently on the plastic wrap to ease it out. Once on the dish, peel back the plastic wrap and discard.

Place a small dollop of the whipped cream on the cake and top with the Kit Kat finger.

Using a knife, smear a thin layer of the cream around the bottom of the cake and cover with the sprinkles.

Place back in the freezer until ready to serve.

Notes:

• This recipe can be used as a template for a variety of different ice cream cakes - you could add a layer of fresh strawberries, or frozen raspberries, inside the cake. Or use two (or more) different flavours of ice cream to get a striped effect.
• The cream is being used as a glue for the decorations - if you don't want to use cream, you can try warming the surface of the cake slightly with a knife dipped in tepid water and then adding your decorations. Just be sure to place the cake back in the freezer to ensure this method works.
• This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot

Slow Roast Lamb Shanks

Slow roasting ensures that the lamb becomes very soft and tender. Lentils add nutrition and texture to this delightful meal.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 large Frenched lamb shanks
2 leeks, trimmed, halved, washed, sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
1 lemon, rind finely grated
2 x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes
3 cups water
2 teaspoons Vegeta Gourmet Stock Powder
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 cup oregano leaves, chopped
1 cup dried green or brown lentils, washed
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Method

Step 1   Preheat oven to 200°C.

Step 2
Heat oil in a large non-stick saucepan over high heat. Cook lamb shanks, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until well browned on all sides. Remove to a large roasting pan.

Step 3
Add leeks and garlic to saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender. Add lemon rind, tomatoes, water, stock powder and sugar. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Add oregano. Pour mixture over lamb shanks.

Step 4
Cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Roast for 1 hour. Remove foil. Stir in lentils, making sure that lentils are submerged in liquid. Cover tightly with foil again. Roast for a further 1 hour or until meat is tender. Serve.

Slow roasting ensures that the lamb becomes very soft and tender. Lentils add nutrition and texture to this delightful meal.

Hot Dogs anyone?

Easy and Simple receipe for Hot Dogs

8 hot dogs, sliced down the middle, but not all the way through
8 buns, soft and fresh from the bakery
1 onion, chopped or sliced in rings
oil, a splurt...for cooking
butter, (real butter!) to spread on buns
Directions:

1 Heat oil in a non-stick pan to medium heat.

2 Prepare fresh buns by opening and buttering them.

3 Add sliced or chopped onions to fry. When browned, remove onions to keep warm, or keep them in the pan pushed to the side.

4 Slice hot dogs down the middle but not all the way through (keep it connected). You want to pry them open to have a double wide face down hot dog.

5 Lay them flat, cut side down in the seasoned pan and cook until brown, Flip to the other side and brown.6
When browned to your liking, remove from pan. Keep pan on medium heat.

6 Put buttered buns face down in the hot pan to toast them (I press them down a couple of times so butter and pan connect). When nice and brown, remove them.

7 Assemble the hot dog and sauteed onions into the bun.

8 Dress with mustard and ketchup and anything else your heart desires! Pour a nice, ice cold Coke with a straw, add some krinkle fries, and enjoy a trip back in time!

Polenta for 1

Polenta is the BASIC Italian comfort food...

Cornmeal may be either fine- or coarse-grained. Both work well in the following recipe; we used a fine-grained variety found in most supermarkets

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal or instant polenta

Preparation
In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes.

Sticky Soy and Honey Chicken Wings

Ingredients

Serves: 6 

• 12 chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup (85ml) tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced chilli (optional)
• 1/3 cup boiling water

---

Directions

Preparation:1hour  ›  Cook:50min  ›  Ready in:1hour50min 

1. On the barbecue: Cut chicken wings into 24 pieces and discard the tips. Combine all other ingredients and marinate for an hour.
2. Cook on the barbecue plate on medium heat, turning once till they are cooked to your preference.
3. To bake in the oven: Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
4. Place chicken wings (prepared as above) in a baking tray. Combine all other ingredients and pour over the wings and bake (turning the wings after 20 minutes) for 40-50 minutes until the liquid has gone sticky and thick.

Cream Puffs YUM

Ingredients    Serves: 10

Cream Puffs

Custard
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons plain flour
1 pinch salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Choux Pastry
125g butter or margarine
1 cup water
1 cup plain flour
1 pinch salt
4 eggs






Directions

Preparation: 15min  ›  Cook:1hour  ›  Ready in:1hour15min

Custard: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons flour and a pinch of salt. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until smooth.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 60 seconds, then stir in a small amount of hot liquid into the 2 egg yolks.

Return heated egg yolks to saucepan and stir, over heat, until mixture starts to bubble again. Remove from heat, add vanilla essence. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 230 degrees C.

Choux Pastry: In a medium saucepan, combine butter and water and bring to a boil. Sift together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt and pour all at once into boiling mixture.
Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Drop by spoonfuls onto flat baking trays, or pipe into desired shape.

Bake in the preheated oven, for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 200 degrees C and bake 25 minutes more, or until golden.

Cool completely, split, fill with custard, and replace tops.

YUM

Lammingtons... an Aussie Favourite

Ingredients

WOW an Aussie Favourite

125g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup milk
2 cups desiccated coconut
Icing
3 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup boiling water


Method:

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 3cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm (base) lamington pan. Line with baking paper, leaving a 2cm overhang on all sides. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture may curdle).

Step 2
Sift half the flour over butter mixture. Stir to combine. Add half the milk. Stir to combine. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth top. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack. Cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside overnight.

Step 3
Make icing: Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add butter and boiling water. Stir until smooth.

Step 4
Cut cake into 15 pieces. Place coconut in a dish. Using a fork, dip 1 piece of cake in icing. Shake off excess. Toss in coconut. Place on a wire rack over a baking tray. Repeat with remaining cake, icing and coconut.

Stand for 2 hours or until set. Serve.