VIOLET CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE

Cheesecakes - most people love them. Someone told me once that you can never have too many cheesecakes. Lyn, my girlfriend who lives in Tasmania, gave me this recipe a few years ago and every time I make it there is never any left.

VIOLET CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE

1 x 250g packed plain sweet biscuits
150g butter, melted
3 teaspoons gelatine
¼ cup hot water
375g packaged cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup castor sugar
1 x 300ml thickened cream
3 x 60g nestle violet crumble bars chopped
extra chopped violet crumble & whipped cream to decorate

Grease a 24cm springform tin, place on oven tray

Process biscuits until finely crushed, add butter process until just combined. Press biscuit mixture evenly over base and sides of tin. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Sprinkle gelatine over hot water in a cup until dissolved, cool

Beat cream cheese, vanilla essence and sugar into a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Stir in gelatine into the cream cheese mixture with violet crumble bars, fold in cream. Pour mixture over base in tin. Cover, refrigerate until set.

Serve cheesecake decorated with extra cream and violet crumble bars

LEMON CAKE

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 cakes


250g unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest lightly packed (6 to 8 large lemons - Use only fresh lemon juice and zest)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 cups icing sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour 2 loaf tins.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, the key to great cakes is beating the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed add the eggs, (break the eggs into a dish before adding to the batter to avoid a bad egg or shells in the batter) 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, to make sure there are no lumps, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Separately, combine ¼ cup lemon juice, the milk, and vanilla. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide evenly between the tins, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cook 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, cool for 10 minutes, invert them onto a rack set over a tray and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the icing sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

To freeze these cakes, prepare them except the glaze. Wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze. When you’re ready to use, defrost and glaze.

TURKISH DELIGHT AND PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

For all the people who enjoy eating turkish delight, which I do, I found this recipe for biscuits which incorporates this delicious chocolate and pistachio nuts. My husband doesn’t eat turkish delight the way I do but he loved these biscuits. So give them a try next time you have a cuppa with your friends.


TURKISH DELIGHT AND PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Preparation time: 20mins
Cooking time: 30mins plus 20mins
Makes: approximately 70

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/4 cups self raising flour
2 x 80g bags of pistachio nuts coarsely chopped
1/2 x 250g block of turkish delight chocolate, coarsely chopped

Line two baking trays with baking paper
Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition.


Stir in orange rind, juice and sifted flours. Mix well to form a smooth dough.

Add turkish delight and pistachio nuts until just combined.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Divide dough into four portions. Using hands roll each portion into a 20cm long log.

Press down on the logs to flatten tops. Place two logs 7cm apart on baking trays.

Cook in a moderate oven 180C for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.





Cool on trays.

Using a serrated knife, cut each long into 5mm thick slices. Place slices in a single layer on oven trays.

Cook in a moderately slow oven 1 60C for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, turning halfway during cooking. Cool on trays.

MACADAMIA and WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS

One of my favourite nuts is macadamia, so I found this easy recipe for biscuits and I added some white chocolate to give them even more taste.

MACADAMIA and WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS

Preparation: 10mins
Cooking time: 15mins
Makes: about 18

125g butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 cup chopped macadamias
50g white chocolate chopped

1/2 cup icing sugar

Preheat oven to moderate 1 80C. Lightly grease and line 2 baking trays.
In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Beat in vanilla.
Stir in flour and macadamias. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on trays 3cm apart. Flatten slight.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Stand on trays for 5 minutes, before rolling in icing sugar. Cool on rack and store in an air tight container.

COCONUT CUPCAKES

I made these Coconut Cupcakes for my family BBQ at my sister-in-laws place a few weeks ago, and my grand nephew Jacob, who is 7, came up to me and said: “These are the best cakes I have ever eaten.” Coming from someone so young, it was nice to hear.

Now I have been asked to make his birthday cake, which he kindly informed me that his favourite cake was chocolate and of course he would like the cupcakes as well. So give these cupcakes a go and then enjoy all the compliments.

COCONUT CUPCAKES

375g unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla essence
1 ½ teaspoons almond essence
3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
440g coconut

CREAM CHEESE ICING

375g cream cheese at room temperature
90g unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon almond essence
500g icing sugar

Preheat oven to 160C.

In a bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond essence and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter.
Beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 220g of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper cups. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until the tops are brown, and a skewer comes out clean when tested. Allow to cool in the pan 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

Makes about 18 – 20 large cupcakes.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

In a bowl of an electric mixer blend together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the icing sugar and mix until smooth