Warm apple coffee cakes

Cooking Time

25 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 granny smith or golden delicious apples, peeled
• 1/3 cup sultanas
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil spread
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat milk
• 2 x 150g tubs vanilla creme fruche

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease four 1-cup capacity ovenproof ramekins. Coarsely grate apples into a large bowl. Add sultanas, brown sugar, flour and walnuts. Stir until well combined.
2. Place spread in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on medium (50%) for 1 minute or until melted. Dissolve coffee in boiling water. Stir into spread. Add eggs and milk. Mix well. Add coffee mixture to apple mixture. Stir until well combined.
3. Spoon mixture into prepared ramekins until almost full. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve warm with fruche.

Notes

• To reheat cakes, turn onto a microwave-safe plate and cover with damp paper towel. Microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 2 minutes or until just warm.
• You can also bake these cakes in a texas muffin pan. Turn out to serve.

Chocolate marshmallow cakes

Preparation Time

120 minutes

Cooking Time

5 minutes

Makes

40

 

Ingredients

• 400g good-quality milk or white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 60g copha, chopped
• 250g packet shortbread biscuits (we used Scotch Finger), roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 80g Crunchie bar, finely chopped

 

Method

1. Line 40 x 1 1/2-tablespoon capacity mini muffin holes with small paper cases. Place chocolate and copha into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring constantly with a metal spoon, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Place biscuits, marshmallows and Crunchie into a large glass bowl. Pour over chocolate mixture. Stir until well combined. Place tablespoonfuls of mixture into paper cases. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

Step-by-step steamed banana and coconut cakes

 

 These coconut cakes with surprise banana filling is the perfect way to end to an Asian inspired meal. 

Makes

18

Ingredients

• 240g sticky rice flour (see note)
• 1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
• 200ml hot water
• 2 large (about 230g each) ripe bananas, cut widthways into 2cm pieces
• 2 cups (130g) shredded fresh dry coconut

 

Method

1. Sift flour into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup (50g) sugar and stir to combine. Add water and stir to combine. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead until smooth. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls.
2. Half fill a wok with water and bring to the boil over high heat. Line the base of a large bamboo steamer with baking paper. Use your thumb and forefinger to flatten one dough ball into a disc slightly bigger than the width of a banana slice. Place over the banana and gently press down to cover the top and sides. Repeat with remaining dough and bananas.
3. Place half the cakes in the steamer, then place over wok. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove steamer from wok and sprinkle cakes with half the remaining sugar. Spread coconut over a plate. Use a spatula to transfer cakes, one at a time, to coconut and roll to coat. Repeat with remaining cakes, sugar and coconut.

 

Notes

Sticky rice flour or glutinous rice flour is flour milled from sticky rice. Available from the Asian section of most supermarkets. Packaged dry shredded and desiccated coconut can be used as a substitute for fresh dried coconut - simply soak in cold water for 10 minutes before using to rehydrate. These cakes should be eaten warm, but you can make them in advance and reheat in the steamer just before serving.