Feijoa Fiesta - Part 1

I'm not particularly a fan of Autumn (don't like when it starts to get cold!)....BUT, I do love the wonderful 'fall harvest' - especially feijoa's!  Last year I bottled up quite a few jars of feijoa's, and managed to save them until summer time when they were PERFECT with ice cream.  This year I'm doing even more.  It's a real treat!  
So today I made this Feijoa & Ginger Cake with brown sugar glaze....it really is quite something.  Light, with a hint of that feijoa texture, and the warm 'bite' of ginger (completely optional of course, you can omit it - I just happen to love the stuff)

FEIJOA & GINGER CAKE 

Ingredients:

75 grams butter 1 cup mashed feijoas

10 small pieces crystallised ginger, chopped finely (optional) 2 eggs 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp baking soda ½ cup milk (warmed) 1 tsp baking powder 2 cups flour 1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground ginger (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius, grease and line a 20cm round cake tin (or similar)

In a large saucepan, melt the butter

Stir in the feijoa and crystallised ginger, sugar, and vanilla essence

Whisk in eggs

Warm the milk and add the baking soda.  Add to mixture

Sift the flour, spice, and baking powder into the wet ingredients and mix

Pour into a greased and baking paper-lined 20cm cake tin

Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes.

Brown sugar syrup:

4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

2 Tablespoons milk

Simmer together in a pot until sugars are dissolved, drizzle over cooled cake

Drizzle with brown sugar syrup

Enjoy. YUM

Lemon & Rosemary Yoghurt Cake....easy peasy lemon squeezy

Lemons and Rosemary are rife in the garden at the moment, and what better combination for a deliciously moist cake - zesty lemon with a subtle, fresh, evergreen rosemary scent.  This is an adaptation of a recipe I was given by a work colleague quite a few years ago.  I have no idea where it has come from as it was a photocopy of a photocopy!  No butter, just oil (unless of course you top it with buttercream like I did!).

(Recipe below)

 LEMON & ROSEMARY YOGHURT CAKE

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup sugar
Rind of 2 lemons
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup yoghurt
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp fresh and finely chopped rosemary (optional)
2 cups self raising flour

Beat oil, eggs, sugar and lemon rind well, and then add the remaining ingredients.
Pour mixture into greased and lined 24cm spring form cake tin.
Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before turning out carefully onto a rack.

Can be sprinkled with icing sugar, or, when completely cool, smothered in lemon butter cream frosting (mmmmm)

ENJOY! x

MINI COOKIES IN A JAR

Something super cute - "mini" cookies in a jar!  These would make the sweetest wedding favours.  A swing tag was just a bit too large to hang off the side of the wee jelly jar, so I wrote the instructions in these paper scrolls and tied them to the jar.

Layer the following into a quilted jelly jar (or a regular jam jar) - it needs to be packed down quite firmly:
1/2 a cup of flour, 1/2 a teaspoon of baking powder, 1/8 cup of white sugar (all mixed together)
1/8th of a cup of brown sugar
1/2 a cup of chocolate chips

Cover lid with pretty fabric or paper if desired, bind with twine and tie on a tag or scroll with the following directions:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius.
Empty contents of jar into bowl.
Melt 50grams of butter, beat one egg, and add to dry mix.
Drop tablespoons of mixture onto oven tray.
Bake for 6-7 minutes.


They are deliciously chewy and buttery, mmmmmm

Enjoy!

COOKIES IN A JAR

Here's a sweet little take on our Brownie in a Jar - It's a wee "Cookie in a Jar"! Made in our smaller Pint Mason jars, they are super cute - perfect for gifts and wedding favours. 

Layer the following into a Pint size jar:
1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 cup white sugar (mixed together)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
Cover lid with pretty fabric or paper, bind with twine and tie on a tag with the following directions:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius.
Empty contents of jar into a bowl.
Melt 100grams butter, beat one egg, and add to dry mix.
Drop tablespoons of mixture onto oven tray.
Bake for 6-7 minutes.
Makes approximately 12, delicious, crunchy and chewy cookies!!!
(Mine turned out more chocolatey, as the melted butter melted my chocolate chips!)
Enjoy. x