Orange cake

This is a very quick delicious orange cake that uses the whole orange blended with the batter. Pouring over an orange syrup is optional, you could use orange icing instead.

Ingredients:
200g Navel orange
175g unsalted butter at room temp
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups SR flour

Grease a baba tin.
Cut unpeeled orange into segments & process in food processor until fine. Add butter, sugar, eggs & flour. Process until combined. Pour into tin & bake in moderate oven (180 degrees) for 45 mins.

Stand cake for 5 minutes before turning onto rack to cool.

To make syrup: heat about 100mls orange juice with 1/4 cup caster sugar until reduced slightly, then cool for 5 mins. Pour syrup over warm cake.

If using icing: Combine 1 cup icing sugar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice & pour over cooled cake.

Chocolate cherry torte

680g jar morello cherries

200g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

4 eggs

1 cup SR flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

100g dark eating chocolate, grated (or chocolate flakes)

120g flaked almonds

1-2 tablespoons rum

Rich chocolate icing

150g dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup cream

Drain the cherries in sieve or colander. To remove excess liquid from cherries, line a tray with absorbent paper, add well drained cherries in a single layer, stand while preparing the cake.

Beat the butter & sugar with an electric mixer until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until just combined.

Fold in combined sifted flour & cinnamon, then chocolate, almonds & rum.

Fold in the cherries.

Spread mixture into well greased 22-24cm springform pan (lined with paper)

Bake in a moderated oven for about an hour. Stand cake for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Combine chocolate & cream in heatproof bowl, stand over a pan of simmering water, stirring until combined. Spread the icing over the top of cooled cake.

This is quite a special cake, dense & moist. Beautiful served with a dollop of cream. I originally found this recipe in the Womens Weekly (as do most of my favourites) Reader 's contributions.

Blondie

You've heard of Brownies now you can make this delicious Blondie

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
60g butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Sift together dry ingredients & add nuts.
Add brown sugar to melted butter & mix well, then add egg & vanilla.
Add flour mixture a little at a time to wet ingredients until mixed well.
Stir in choc chips.
Spread dough into an 8 or 9" slice pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees.

Apple and cinnamon cake

1 cup plain flour
1 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
125g butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 apples, peeled & sliced
1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra
1 teaspoon cinnamon, extra

Mix together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, sugar, eggs, melted butter, milk, cinnamon & vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Place into a greased 20cm round cake tin, top with the apple slices & sprinkle with the extra sugar & cinnamon. Bake at 160 degrees for 1 hour. Allow to cool in tin for 5 mins before turning out.

This recipe is from Donna Hay, I bake the mix in friand (or patty tins) for 20-25 minutes.

Scones (Jenny's recipe)

2 cups SR flour

1 cup liquid ( 1 beaten egg, cream & milk to make up the 1 cup)

Make a dough from the flour & liquid & knead on a floured surface.

Cut scone shapes with a knife.

Cook for 15 mins in a hot oven (200 degrees)

This is a fail safe scone recipe from Jenny Medwell. I make this on a heated pizza stone for a lovely crisp bottom.

Chocolate spiders

100g packet Changs Fried Noodles
200g milk or dark chocolate
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

Melt the chocolate, stir in peanut butter until smooth.
Add the noodles
Spoon blobs of the mix on to a tray to harden

Erin wanted me to post this recipe, its straight from the Changs noodle packet but is easy & delicious

Rum Balls

2 cups plain biscuits crumbs
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 cup sultanas
1 tin condensed milk
2 tablespoons coconut
4 tablespoons dark rum

Mix together biscuit crumbs, cocoa, sultanas & coconut. Add rum & condensed milk. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour then roll into small balls and roll in extra coconut.

This is the 'queensland version' of rum balls & are everyones favourite. I usually add the sultanas to the whole biscuits in the food processor so they are ground up together. You can use plain chocolate biscuits instead of the plain just omit the cocoa.

Lemon Slice

1 tin condensed milk
350g plain biscuits crushed (not too fine)
140g melted butter
1 cup coconut
rind of 4 lemons finely grated

Mix together biscuit crumbs, coconut & lemon rind, add melted butter & condensed milk.
Press into slice tin & refrigerate for 12 hours.

Icing
Mix together 2 cups of icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a firm consistency, sprinkle with extra coconut

I'd been looking for a good lemon slice recipe for a while, this one is delicious, with just the right texture.

Five cup slice

1 cup coconut
1 cup choc bits
1 cup sultanas
1 cup nuts (peanuts or other nuts)
1/2 cup glace cherries
1/2 cup diced dried apricots

Mix these ingredients together in the slice tray, then drizzle over 1 can of condensed milk to cover. Bake covered with foil at 180 degrees for 15 minutes then bake further 15 minutes uncovered.

This 'no bowl slice' came from Jenny Medwell. You can use any ingredients you have on hand, try craisins & macadamias for a Christmas version.

Swiss Tarts

125g butter, softened

1 cup plain flour

1/4 cup icing sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

12 glace cherries

Combine the butter, flour, icing sugar, salt & vanilla. Spoon teaspoonfuls into mini muffin tray or small patty pans, place 1/2 a cherry on top. Bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Lauren gave me this yummy recipe. It is very simple to make & the little tarts have a buttery shortbread consistency, they don't last long.

Caramel Slice

Base
200g plain biscuits crushed
125g butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tin condensed milk
1 tablespoon golden syrup

Topping
300g chocolate
30g copha

Heat butter, brown sugar, condensed milk & golden syrup in a pan, stirring constantly until it becomes a caramel consistency.
Mix in the biscuit crumbs until combined. Press mixture into a greased slice tin & refrigerate until set.
Melt choc & copha together & pour over slice, refrigerate again, cut into small pieces.

This slice is a little different to other caramel slices in that it does not have layers but the caramel is combined with the biscuits, this makes it easier to make & just as delicious.

Belgian Lemon Tea Cake

1 cup SR flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
60 g butter
1 egg
1 cup lemon butter (bought is fine)

In a food processor combine flour, sugar & butter. Add egg until the mixture forms a dough.
Press 2/3 of the dough into a greased 20cm springform pan. Spread lemon butter over the dough. Crumble small pieces of dough over lemon butter to cover.
Bake 30 mins at 180 degrees. Cool in tin. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

This is very easy and delicious dish to make, I found it a Family Circle mag back in 1997!