Scones

Basic Scones

You may have to repeat this recipe multiple times before declaring yourself professional; however, once you know the recipe, it is simple and perfect for an afternoon.

Ingredients

• plain flour, for dusting
• 3 cups self-raising flour
• 80g butter, cubed
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
• jam and whipped cream, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Then sift self-raising flour into a large bowl.
2. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre. Add 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until mixture forms a soft dough, adding more milk if required. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until smooth (don't knead dough too much or scones will be tough).
4. Pat dough into a 2cm-thick round. Using a 5cm (diameter) round cutter, cut out 12 rounds. Press dough together and cut out remaining 4 rounds. Place scones onto prepared baking tray, 1cm apart. Sprinkle tops with a little plain flour. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and well risen. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm with jam and cream.
   
   Hope you enjoy your Scones :)

Rose-Hip Iced Tea

This is my own creation and did take a few times to make it taste good. This recipe is Dairy Free, Gluten  Free, Wheat Free and Egg Free

Ingredients:

• 2 Rose hip Tea bags
• 1/2 Cup of boiling water
• 1/2 Cup of Cold Water
• 10- 15 Ice Cubes
• 1/4 Cup of Pear juice
• Sugar (If Desired)

Method:

1. Boil the water and put into a jug with the 2 tea bags. Let it sit for 10 minutes, absorbing the flavours.
2. Remove the tea bags and fill with the cold water and pear juice. (Sugar can go into the jug now if desired) 
3. Put in the ice cubes and there you have it; Rose Hip Iced Tea.

Hope you enjoy :)

Chocolate Cake

For my very first recipe in this book, I felt it was only fair that I would use my first recipe that I made. A simple Chocolate Cake.

Ingredients

·         1 Cup of Self-Raising Flour

·         2 Tablespoons of Plain Flour

·         125g of Butter

·         1 1/3 Cups of Brown Sugar

·         ¾ Cup of Milk

·         ½ Cup Cocoa Powder

·         3 Eggs (TIP: crack the eggs into a cup before putting them into a bowl to make sure they aren’t rotten. You can’t always tell by the smell)

·         1 Tablespoon of Bicarbonate of Soda

Method

Although You may think that just knowing the ingredients then chucking them in a bowl, mixing them together and then baking them into a cake, that isn’t always the way. The method actually has a purpose.

1. Turn the oven to 180° & grease the pan/ tin with oil then line it with baking paper.
2. Combine all the ingredients and mix them with electrical beater on low for 2 minutes then high for 1min.
3. Pour the mixture into the pan/tin. Try to get as much of the mixture as possible. TIP: hold the bowl close to you with one hand and use the spatula to scrape around the sides of the bowl to get as much mixture as possible.
4. Bake for 40-45minutes.
5. Leave the cake in the pan/tin for 10 minutes before taking it out and icing it.

Icing J

·         195g 1 1/4 cups Pure Icing Sugar

·         1 Tablespoons of Cocoa powder

·         2 Tablespoons of Butter, at room temperature

·         1 Tablespoons of Boiling Water (For thicker icing, add less water. For runnier, add more water)

Icing is pretty simple. Either you like it runny or you like it thick. 

1. Mix all the ingredients together
2. Spread on top of your cake (TIP: Use a spatula when spreading the icing)

Hope you enjoyed your Chocolate Cake J

Pancakes

GF, DF, EF, low chemical and preservative free


This is a simple and tasty breakfast that everyone will love.

Ingredients:

Pancakes with Maple Syrup

• 1 Cup of Gluten Free Flour
• 1 Egg (or egg replacer)
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Essence
• 1 Cup of Soy Milk
• 1 tsp of Golden Syrup (Maple Syrup works well also) 
• 1/2 Pear and Maple Syrup for Toppings **optional*

Method:

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium low heat
2. Combine GF Flour, Egg, Vanilla Essence and Golden Syrup in a medium bowl. 
3. Gradually beat in the milk until the batter becomes smooth and changes colour to a light brown 
4. Put as much of the batter as you prefer into the pan. Leave until bubbles appear on the top of the pancake and then turn over and leave for 2-3 minutes
5. Serve with Maple syrup and Pear

Pikelets

Pikelets

GF, DF, EF, No Added Colours or Preservatives

Pikelets are a great afternoon tea treat for when the kids get home or even just a snack for morning tea  . Remember to store them wrapped in glad wrap or foil and in the refrigerator or else they will go off and mould easily. 

Ingredients:

2 Cups of GF Self Raising Flour

½ Cup of Lactose Free Milk

30g of DF Butter (I use Nuttelex)

½ Cup of Caster Sugar

Tbsp of Vanilla Extract (Optional)

Pure Maple Syrup or Pears  for toppings

Method

1. Turn on the stove.
2. In a large bowl, pour in sugar and flour. Make a medium sized well in the centre of the bowl. (TIP: Use a spoon around the edges of the well, so that the flour does not fall down into the hole.)
3. In the well, combine the butter, milk and vanilla.
4. Mix the ingredients together.
5. Using a spoon, pour the ingredients into the pan. Preferably 3 at a time, depending on what size you're frying pan is. (TIP: Don’t Crowd the pan.)
6. Make sure you stand close to the pan while you have the mixture in the pan so you don’t burn the pikelets. (TIP: Before you turn them over, wait till there are bubbles in the pikelet. This way you know when they are ready to be turned over.)

There you have it. A simple afternoon snack.

Hope you enjoyed your Pikelets :) 

Rice Pudding

This recipe is Dairy, Gluten and Egg Free.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Milk (16 fl. Oz) (Rice or Soy milk works well)
• 1 Cinnamon Stick (2 Tbs or Ground Cinnamon)
• 3 Strips of Lemon Grind **Optional**
• Pinch of Salt (less than 1 tsp)
• ½ Cup of Short grain white rice (4 oz) (Long grain works well too)
• 3 medium Egg Yolks beaten or egg replacer
• 1/3 Cup of Sugar (3 oz)
• 30g of Dairy free Butter (1 Stick) (Nuttelex)
• 1 tsp of Ground Nutmeg

Method

1.      In a large saucepan, slowly bring the milk, cinnamon, lemon rind and salt to a boil

2.      After 2minutes, remove the cinnamon stick and lemon rind (TIP: if you are using ground cinnamon then you can put it in at step 4 and leave it in)

3.      Stir in the rice and egg yolks (or egg replacer) at reduced heat (TIP: Allow the rice to simmer for about 15 minutes)

4.      Stir constantly (Now you add ground cinnamon)

5.      When the rice is soft, add sugar and butter and combine well

6.      Pour the mixture into a serving dish and sprinkle with nutmeg for added taste. Serve warm.

Carob Cake (With ZERO Aftertaste)

Most desserts that use Carob leave a horrible aftertaste; however after a lot of experimenting, i have finally found the perfect recipe with ZERO aftertaste:) hope it works out for you as it did for me. This recipe is Dairy, Gluten and Egg Free

Ingredients

·         1 Cup of Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour

·         2 Tablespoons of Gluten Free Plain Flour

·         125g of Dairy Free Butter (I use Nuttelex)

·         1 1/3 Cups of Brown Sugar

·         ¾ Cup of Dairy Free Milk (Soy or Rice milk both work)

·         1/4 Cup Carob Powder

·         3 Eggs or egg replacer

·         1 Tablespoon of Gluten Free Bicarbonate of Soda (I am highly intolerant to Gluten but normal bicarb soda does not affect me)

Method

Although You may think that just knowing the ingredients then chucking them in a bowl, mixing them together and then baking them into a cake will be satisfying, that isn’t always the way. The method actually has a purpose.

1. Turn the oven to 180° & grease the pan/ tin with oil then line it with baking paper.
2. Combine all the ingredients and mix them with electrical beater on low for 2 minutes then high for 1min.
3. Pour the mixture into the pan/tin. Try to get as much of the mixture as possible. (TIP: hold the bowl close to you with one hand and use the spatula to scrape around the sides of the bowl to get as much mixture as possible.)
4. Bake for 40-45minutes.
5. Leave the cake in the pan/tin for 10 minutes before taking it out and icing it.

Icing J

·         195g 1 1/4 cups Pure Icing Sugar

·         1 Tablespoon of Carob powder

·         2 Tablespoons of Dairy Free Butter, at room temperature

·         1 Tablespoon of Boiling Water (For thicker icing, add less water. For runnier, add more water)

Icing is pretty simple. Either you like it runny or you like it thick. 

1. Mix all the ingredients together
2. Spread on top of your cake (TIP: Use a spatula when spreading the icing)

Dairy Free Gingerbread Stars

This recipe is ONLY Dairy free. I have not yet tested it to see if it is compatible with other ingredients; however if you experiment, please feel free to let me know how your gingerbread stars turned out by either commenting or email me at cookingcraze@hotmail.com

Ingredients

• 25g Nuttelex dairy-free spread
• 55g (1/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 60ml (1/4 cup) golden syrup
• 1/2 tsp lemon rind
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 190g (1 1/4 cups) plain flour, sifted
• 40g (1/4 cup) self-raising flour, sifted
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 100g red boiled Lollies
• 100g green boiled Lollies
• Silver cachous, to decorate

Method

1. Combine the dairy-free spread, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
2. Transfer golden-syrup mixture to a bowl. Add the lemon rind, egg, combined flours, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and stir until well combined.
3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until dough loses its stickiness and is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.
4. Meanwhile, place the red Lollies in a sealable plastic bag. Wrap in a tea towel and use a rolling pin to gently pound until crushed. Repeat, in a separate bag, with green Lollies.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Use an 8cm-diameter star-shaped pastry cutter to cut out about 20 biscuits. Use a 5cm-diameter star-shaped cutter to cut out the centre of each biscuit. Wrap excess dough in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Use a round 5mm-diameter piping-bag nozzle to cut a hole in the top corner of each biscuit. Place on prepared trays.
6. Sprinkle the red Lollies into the star-shaped holes in the biscuits. Bake in oven for 5 minutes or until gingerbread is golden brown and Lollies melt. Remove from oven and quickly sprinkle the soft lolly centres with cachous. Set aside on the trays to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough, green Lollies and cachous to make another 20 biscuits.
7. Cut the ribbon into 25cm lengths. Thread a piece of ribbon through the hole in the top of 1 biscuit and knot the ends. Repeat with the remaining biscuits.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Fondant Icing

Vanilla Cupcakes with Fondant Icing. This recipe is Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free.

·         3 1/4 cups gluten-free self-raising flour

·         2 cups caster sugar

·         1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1 1/2 cups gluten-free soy milk

·         1/2 cup vegetable oil

·         1 tablespoon white vinegar

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons unflavoured gelatine

·         1/4 cup cold water

·         1/2 cup Glucose

·         2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

·         1 tablespoon Glycerine

·         8 cups (about 2 lbs.) confectioners' sugar, sifted

·         Icing colour as desired

Method for Cupcakes

·         Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line two 12 hole, 1/3 cup-capacity muffin pans with paper cases.

·         Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in centre. Place soy milk in a jug. Add oil, followed by vinegar. Using a fork, lightly whisk until just combined. Pour mixture into well. Using a wooden spoon, stir twice to combine. Using an electric mixer beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Beat for 1 minute or until pale and creamy.

·         Spoon 2 rounded tablespoons mixture into each case. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of 1 cake comes out clean. Stand in pan for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Method for Fondant

1. Combine gelatine and cold water; let stand until thick, about 3 minutes. Place gelatin mixture in top of double boiler and heat and stir until dissolved. Add glucose, mix well. Stir in shortening; just before completely melted remove from heat. Add glycerin, flavouring and colour. Cool until lukewarm.
2. In large bowl, place 4 cups confectioners' sugar; make a well. Pour the lukewarm gelatin mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon, mixing in sugar and adding more, a little at a time, until stickiness disappears. Knead in remaining sugar. Knead until the fondant is smooth, pliable and does not stick to your hands. If fondant is too soft, add more sugar; if too stiff, add water (a drop at a time). Use fondant immediately or store in airtight container in a cool, dry place.
3. Use fondant immediately or store in airtight container at room temperature until needed. If storing longer than 1 week, refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before kneading. Do not freeze. When ready to use, knead again until soft.

Vanilla Sponge Cake

Vanilla Sponge Cake is a vanilla sponge cake. This recipe is Gluten, Dairy and Egg free.

Ingredients

·         50g of Dairy free margarine (Nuttelex)

·         75g of Caster Sugar

·         25g of Gluten Free all Purpose Flour Mix

·         ½ Tsp of Bicarbonate Soda

·         1 Tbsp of Golden Syrup

·         5 Tbsp of Soy Milk

Method

1.            Preheat your oven to 190°

2.            Mix together Bicarb soda, Soy milk and Golden Syrup in a medium sized bowl

3.            Beat dairy free margarine and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy and a paler colour.

4.            Slowly add both bowls together. Add the flour and beat well.

5.            Pour the mixture into a pan and bake for 25 minutes. (TIP: To test when it is ready, insert a tooth pick into centre of the cake. If it comes out clean it is ready. If not, bake for another 5 minutes.

6.            When the cake is ready leave it on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before you cut and ice the cake.

7.            Your cake is now ready to eat!