Simple Sponge Cake

So last night I decided I would make a sponge cake, chocolate actually. The recipe is from an old recipe for Lamingtons but you don't have to do the cutting and icing part do you!

Ingredients ready to go

 

6 Eggs

6 Eggs

2/3 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup corn flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1/3 cup Self Raising flour

1/3 cup cocoa (if making it chocolate)

Grease your tin, either the slab for lamingtons or birthday cake, whatever you choose to make it for, or a round doughnut one like me if you are making if for fun, you choose.

Egg mix before sugar

2/3 cup caster sugar

Beat the eggs in a bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy, will take about 10 minutes

Gradually add the sugar (actually I add it all in one shot, still works)

1/2 cup Plain Flour

1/3 cup Self Raising Flour

1/3 cup Corn flour

Sift all the flours and cocoa if making chocolate, sift them a few times to ensure they are mixed well.

You can cheat I have found, put them all in a bowl together and use a wire whisk to mix them, this also aerates it all.

1/3 cup cocoa (if making chocolate)

 

Turn your mixer to low and add the flour gradually until almost incorporated.

Use a spatula to ensure it’s all mixed well.

Chocolate Sponge ready for oven

Vanilla sponge ready for oven

Pour into prepared pan and bake in oven 180°C for about 30-45 minutes.

Cool in tin for about 5-10 minutes then turn out onto cooling rack or the serving plate and let it cool further.

Chocolate sponge ready

This is what happens when you usea fancy tin - Kugelhoph

From here you can decide how to decorate, slice it up and make lamingtons, or slice it into layers and put icing in the layers.

Vanilla sponge ready

If making lamingtons, the icing mixture is:

4 cups icing sugar

½ cup cocoa

15g butter, melted

2/3 cup milk

2 cups coconut (approximately)

Pour milk, cocoa and icing sugar (1/2 cup at a time) in with melted butter

It works best if icing is warm as it is runnier and you are less likely to run out.

So if you want to warm it a bit more microwave it for 30 seconds each time you choose to warm it.

Using a spoon with holes in it or just a fork, dip the sliced and diced cake into the icing

When the piece of cake is coated drain a little and cover in coconut.

Put aside to set.

 

Lamingtons

  Lamingtons can be eaten straight away or left in an airtight container

(preferably in the fridge if its hot steamy Aussie summer weather)

Marmalade

 

Again like the cordial you can use any citrus with this recipe. I chose to use Limes because as I said in the Cordial post, I had many of them.

 My appoligies for the lack of photo's in this blog, it seems I got carried away with the making and forgot to take them!!

I was surprised at how easy this marmalade recipe was, I have made marmalade before and it had so many steps and ingredients I was put off. Until now that is. Again substitute the limes for lemons, oranges or any citrus you desire. its only limited by your imagination! This recipe makes approximately 2 litres.

Lemons

Sugar

Lime Marmalade

500g limes chopped finely

6 cups water

1.5kg Sugar

Combine limes and water in a large pot,

bring to the boil.

Continue to boil steadily for 20 minutes or until limes are tender.

Add sugar, stir until dissolved and boil briskly for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Sterilised jars, now cooling

Labels are a good idea

 

Pour into sterilised jars and seal. Store in fridge or cool cupboard

Home Made Cordials

 

 

We had some donated limes not long ago, way too many to use in a hurry so we thought, what can we do to preserve them? We could have done the oil and salt way, or juiced them and froze the juice and zest separately. But I wanted to try something I had not done before.

So Cordial it was.

I made three kinds, Lemon, Lime and Lemon & Lime. 

 This will make approximately 2 litres

The ingredients you will need (Depending on which one you would like to try)

Lemons

Zest

 Lemon cordial

1.5kl sugar

1 tablespoon Citric acid

Zest and juice of 8 medium or 6 large lemons

4 cups boiling water

Or make it Lime cordial

1.5kl sugar

1 tablespoon Citric acid

Zest and juice of 8 medium or 6 large limes and 1 lemon

4 cups boiling water

Citric acid and water

Sugar

Or make it Lemon Lime

1.5kl sugar

1 tablespoon Citric acid

Zest and juice of 5 medium or 4 large limes and 3-4 lemon

4 cups boiling water

Lemon Juice

As you can see by the ingredients they are all pretty much the same other than the citrus you add. You could choose to use oranges instead, just be sure not to use more than you need, they basically need to be approximately the same about in Juice and Zest in each recipe (Which I didn't think to weigh when I made these oops!)

 How to put it together..... 

 Place sugar, citric acid and lemon zest and boiling water in a large heatproof bowl.

Stir sugar until it dissolves then add the lemon juice.

Leave it to stand overnight or until it cools

 

Strain with a fine sieve,

Pour into sterilised bottles and seal.

Cordial can be used immediately or stored in a cool place for later.

You will be surprised. These recipes taste just like the bought ones only you know what goes into it because you made it.

Garlic bread

Quick and simple today. More of a put together than a recipe.

I am showing you garlic bread two ways. Cheesy loaf and the original you get from your pizza shop or pre-made at the shops.

 

For the Garlic Bread you will need:

1 long French stick or 2 short ones

100-125g Butter softened

5-6 cloves garlic crushed or chopped finely

Handful parsley chopped finely

Preheat your oven to 180°C

Put all the above ingredients in to a small bowl and mix together until well combined.

Cut first loaf into slices without cutting right though, you want them to still be joined at the bottom.

Spread the garlic and parsley butter onto each piece of bread by opening it up a little and spreading on one side.

When all slits have their butter, wrap in foil and put in the oven for 15 mins or until you think it’s ready.

Cheesy garlic bread you will need:

The remaining butter from the above recipe

Parmesan cheese grated

Tasty cheese grated

With the other loaf I cut long ways into 2 parts. Spread on the butter,

 

Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and then a little tasty cheese (not too much!).

Leave loaves open and place on tray. Cook in oven until cheese has melted and started to colour.

Enjoy!

Oh and you can just do the garlic bread one way for 2 loaves but I was doing it both because I could.