Get the appKirsten Tibballs has shared a spooky recipe for Spider Nut Cookies, taken from her cookbook Chocolate All Day. The recipe combines peanut butter cookies with a milk chocolate honey ganache truffle, which sits on top as the spider's body. Chocolate legs, eyes and red chocolate blood complete the design. The cookies are baked at 170 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes and then cooled at room temperature before the decorations are added. The recipe makes 30 to 35 cookies.
A soft almond butter slab cake packed with fresh blueberries and finished with lemon icing makes a crowd-pleasing treat. Baked in a single lamington pan, it cuts into 16 pieces, suiting morning teas and school fetes. The recipe calls for butter, caster and brown sugar, self-raising flour, almond meal, milk and two punnets of blueberries. Toasted flaked almonds and extra berries finish the cake. The icing is made from icing sugar and lemon juice, and the cake is left to set for two hours before serving.
A towering lamington cake, layered with mascarpone cream, chocolate icing and raspberry jam, has been shared from the Country Women's Association. The recipe was made by home cooks on ABC iview's Recipe of the Year, in episode three. The method involves baking three sponge layers, coating two in desiccated coconut, and assembling them with jam and piped mascarpone cream. Chilling the cakes between steps helps the icing set before assembly.
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Get the appPastry chef Natalie Paull has shared a make-ahead cheesecake that needs almost no baking. The dessert uses a cardamom crust and a filling flavoured with lemon juice. Paull says it works well with summer berries and mango, and it can be made in a foil container as a gift. The cheesecake needs at least three hours to set, and overnight chilling is best. If it fails to set, Paull suggests a gelatine fix. The recipe is taken from her book Sweet Heart.
A make-ahead Christmas fruitcake improves with time, so it can be baked weeks before the festive season. Senior food editor Sarah Murphy says the cake should be fed with brandy or dark rum every two weeks until Christmas. The recipe calls for soaking dried fruit overnight, then baking the batter for three hours at 160°C. The cake is wrapped in baking paper and foil, then stored in a cool, dark cupboard away from sunlight. In hot homes, it should be kept in the fridge instead.
A new roundup offers twelve lemon cake recipes, ranging from the classic lemon drizzle cake to gluten-free options. The recipes include a golden syrup and lemon cake, a lemon fluff cake and a lemon and walnut carrot cake. The guide also explains that lemon juice adds flavour, helps cakes rise and keeps the crumb moist. It advises readers that lemon cake can be frozen for up to two to three months, then thawed in the fridge or at room temperature.
A Country Women's Association scone recipe offers a tried and true method for light, evenly risen scones. Bakers should cut the dough with straight up-and-down cutter movements, as twisting causes scones to rise at an angle. The dough is patted to 2.5cm thick and baked at 230ºC fan-forced for 14 to 16 minutes until golden. Once cooled, the scones are split and spread with jam and cream. Home cooks from ABC iview's Recipe of the Year also prepared the recipe in episode two.
A Country Women's Association jam roll is a classic recipe that can impress family members. The key is to follow the instructions closely. The sponge should rise evenly, stay soft and moist, and not crack. The jam should be enough to hold the roll together without seeping out the ends. The recipe was also featured in episode one of ABC iview's Recipe of the Year, where home cooks recreated the dessert.
Lemonade is the secret ingredient in a simple three-ingredient scone recipe. The carbonation in lemonade aerates the dough, creating light and fluffy scones. The recipe, which may have originated from a rural Country Women’s Association, takes just 20 minutes to prepare and is best served with strawberry jam and whipped cream. The scones can be frozen for up to three months.