Orange Poppy Seed Syrup Cake

Orange Poppy Seed Syrup Cake

A popular combination of flavours makes this syrupy cake a safe bet to be loved by everyone.The cake by itself is deliciously moist.

• 1/3 cup poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup milk
• 185g butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup orange juice

1. Preheat oven to moderate. Grease and line deep 22cm round cake pan.
2. Combine seeds and milk in small bowl; stand 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile beat butter, rind and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined between additions.
4. Stir in flours, almond meal, juice and poppy seed mixture. Spread mixture into prepared pan.
5. Bake cake in moderate oven about 1 hour. Stand cake 5 minutes, then turn onto wire rack, pour hot syrup over hot cake. 

Orange Syrup

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup water

Stir combined ingredients in small saucepan over heat, without boiling until sugar dissolves, bring to boil.simmer uncovered without stirring for 2 minutes.

Serves 16

Orange-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Bars

This cheesecake has got wonderful contrasting flavours and the swirl makes it a pleasure to look at.

Crust

• Crackers
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 egg white

Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
• 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Heat oven to 180 C. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with foil, letting foil extend above pan on opposite sides. Coat with non-stick spray.
2. Crust  Process crackers in food processor until fine crumbs form. Add butter and egg white, pulse until crumbs are moistened. Press this evenly over bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes until set. Cool.
3. Filling  Whisk cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs orange juice and peel in a large bowl until smooth. Remove 1/4 cup of this mixture and pour remaining batter over the cooled crust.
4. Stir cocoa, one tablespoon water and two tablespoon sugar in a cup to mix. Stir into reserved 1/4 cup batter until blended. 
5. Spoon over the filling onto the previous layer without disturbing it too much. Then drag a toothpick or skewer through the entire filling in a spiral motion to create a marbled effect.
6. Bake 30 minutes or until firm around edges but slightly jiggly in the centre.
7. Cool in refrigerator for at least 3 hours until firm.
8. To serve, holding foil by ends, lift to cutting board.

Citrus Delicious Pudding

This  magic pudding, as it cooks, separates to give a layer of fluffy sponge over a tangy citrus sauce. And is delicious when served hot with cream or ice cream. This is one of those puddings where you end up having it all in a go! 

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 125g butter softened
• 1/2 cup self-raising flour
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup milk

1. Place sugar and butter in a bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, lemon and orange rinds and lemon and orange juices.
2. Place egg yolks and milk in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir into citrus mixture.
3. Place egg whites in a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form, then fold into batter.
4. Spoon batter into a greased 1 litre capacity oven proof dish.
5. Place dish in a baking pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of dish. Bake at 180 C  for 45 minutes until cooked. 

Serves 6

Source: Grandma's Cooking

Carrot Cupcake

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups (about 2 carrots) finely grated carrot

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases. Using an electric mixer, beat oil, castor sugar and eggs in a medium bowl until light and creamy.
2. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices over mixture.Fold into mixture until just combined. Stir in carrot.
3. Spoon mixture into prepared cases. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted at centre comes out clean. Remove from oven. Stand in tray for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 Frosting

• 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sifted icing sugar, zest and juice in a small bowl until light and creamy. Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.


Freeze un-iced cakes for upto 3 months.


Source: recipes+

Lemon Drizzle Cake

The lemon juice and sugar poured over the cooked cake produces a crunchy glaze and gives it a tangy flavour.

• 175g butter, softened
• 175g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 175g self-raising flour, sieved
• grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light in colour and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and milk.
2. Fold the flour into the mixture with the grated lemon zest.
3. Spoon the mixture into a greased and lined 900g loaf tin
4. Bake at 180 C for 50-65 minutes until the cake is golden brown and firm to the touch.
5. Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar together and pour over the cake as soon as it is removed from the oven. Allow the glaze to be set before removing the cake from the tin. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 10-12 slices

In the pictures, I have used castor sugar instead of icing sugar for the lemon drizzle.

The lemon in the recipe can be substituted with orange juice and orange zest & an orange juice and sugar mixture can be poured over the cake.

Orange Drizzle Cake

Apple & Date Muffins

• 2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 75g butter, melted
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 medium green-skinned apple,peeled, grated
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pitted dried dates

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a 12-hole (1/3 cup) muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk butter, buttermilk and egg in a jug; pour into dry ingredients. Stir until just combined (dont overmix). Fold in carrot, apple and dates.Spoon mixture into prepared holes.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted at centre comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool in tray for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Top cooled muffins with orange icing.

Orange Icing

Makes for 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 20g butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, approximately

Sift icing sugar into medium bowl. Stir in butter and enough juice to make a smooth icing. Spread icing on cooled muffins. 

• You will need 3/4 cup grated carrot and 1/2 cup grated apple.
• You can replace apple with 1/2 cup grated pear; replace dates with 1/3 cup chopped sultanas
• To store, keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in a freezer for up to 3 months.

Makes 12

Source: recipes+