Sour cream chocolate cake

1c cocoa
1c boiling water
1c softened butter (225g)
2.5c sugar
4 eggs
2tsp vanilla
3c flour
2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1c sour cream

Preheat oven to 180deg C
- Dissolve cocoa in the hot water and set aside to cool.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. USE A BIG BOWL. This is alot of ingredients, and a big cake.
- Add eggs one at a time, mix well after each.
- Add vanilla.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream to the butter/sugar bowl.
- Lastly add cocoa mixture and combine. Is your mixing bowl overflowing yet?
- Bake in 9inch round cake tin, but I used two loaf tins because I only have a small cake tin and I had a sneaking suspicion this mixture was going to be too big.
- Bake for 30-35 mins until you insert a knife and it comes out dry. Be careful not to overcook as rumour has it this cake can dry out easily.
- Cool for 10 mins then turn out onto a cooling rack.

This was terrible. It was dry. I don't know if that's because I had it in the oven for closer to an hour because it wouldn't cook, and if this was because there was two of them? It literally had a cake crust on it. I refused to take it to work for my work-mates (the original destination for the cakes) so they will be going to the ducks or more likely the rubbish bin. Such a shame, because I know people who have had major success baking with sour cream.

Caramel slice

BASE:
1.5c regular flour
1tsp baking powder
125g melted butter
1/2c brown sugar

Mix all together and press into a lined baking tin approx 15cmx30cm. Bake at 180 deg C for 10 mins.

TOPPING:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2tbsp golden syrup (I used a bit extra)
1tbsp butter

Combine in a sauce pan, bring to the boil for approx 5 mins stirring constantly. Pour over baked base, a return to the oven for another 10 mins-15 mins until the centre is no longer liquidy.

ICING:
150g cooking chocolate
50g butter

Place butter and chocolate in a metal bowl. Boil water in a saucepan. Remove from heat and place the metal bowl firmly over the top. Do not let any water/steam get into the chocolate or it stiffens. Stir until chocolate is melted. Spread over the cooled filling.

Chill until chocolate is set then cut into slices using a warm knife. Store in a airtight container in the fridge.

This is REALLY hard to cut. I think I used a too small pan, resulting in a too thick base. Tom really loves it, I think it's too sweet... I don't usually like caramel slice anyway, it's the one thing in the world that I think is too sweet so no surprises there!

Banana cake with lemon icing

1c white sugar
100g melted butter
3 eggs
3 Mashed bananas
1tsp baking soda
1/2c milk
150ml yoghurt (any flavour, I used apple crumble Fresh n Fruity)
2c flour
3tsp baking powder

- Preheat oven to 160 deg C. Grease a 20cm round cake tin.
- Beat sugar, butter and eggs until smooth
- Add mashed bananas and mix well
- Heat milk in microwave for approx 1 min and add baking soda, stir well. Add to other mixture.
- Add yoghurt, flour and baking powder. Mix well
- Pour into cake tin and bake for 45-50 mins. Cool in tin for 5 mins before releasing onto cooling rack.

This was good! I really liked the addition of yoghurt, and I really like bnana cake. The use of yoghurt meant that I didn't have to use a cup of oil like my usual recipe!

Sticky lemon slice

125g butter
1c flour
1/2c icing sugar
1c castor sugar
1/2c lemon juice
1tbsp grated lemon rind
1tbsp custard powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs

- Combine butter, flour and icing sugar in food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs
- Press into a lined baking tin and bake at 180 deg C for 15-20 mins until lightly golden
- Mix castor sugar, lemon rind & juice, custard powder, baking powder and eggs in food processor until well combines.
- Carefully pour over warm base and bake for a further 25mins until set
- When cool, dust with icing sugar and slice.

YUM! SO GOOD! Seriously, someone take it away before I eat it all.

Chocolate buttermilk cupcakes

- 120g softened butter

- 1.5c sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1tsp vanilla

- 1.5c flour

- 1/2c cocoa

- 1tsp baking soda

- 1/4tsp salt

- 1/2c buttermilk

- 1/2c water

Cream Butter and sugar with electric mixer.

Add eggs one at a time. Don't overbeat.

Add vanilla and stir.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients

In a separate bowl combine water and buttermilk

Alternately add dry ingredients/buttermilk mixture to the butter and sugar bowl

Pour into muffin cups, fill to about 2/3

Bake at 180deg C for 15-20 mins
Cool for 10 mins before removing from muffin tin
Let cool before icing

Well, turns out I forgot the vanilla! These still tasted good though. I'm not icing them, because I used re-usable silicone muffin cups which aren't suitable for taking these in to work for my colleagues. These are VERY light, fluffy, spongy and fragile. As soon as you pull the muffin cup away the cupcake will break so if iced I imagine will be pretty difficult to eat! 

Blueberry buttermilk pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

-In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

-In a separate bowl, whisk wet ingredients (without blueberries)

-Combine well.

-Spoon into fry pan and sprinkle blueberries (I used tinned blueberries) over the pancake

-When holes appear on the top and/or sides shrink back, flip the pancake.

-Serve with your favourite pancake topping

Black forest brownie

200g melted butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1c cocoa
3 eggs
1/2c standard flour
200g block of black forest chocolate, chopped as finely as you can - I am lazy and impatient, and cut mine as below

- Preheat oven to 150deg C and grease a 20x20cm dish

- Use electric mixer to cream butter and sugar

- Add cocoa and beat for 3-5 mins until creamy

- Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each

- Sift in flour gradually

- Stir in chopped chocolate

- Bake for 1 hour. Brownie should appear cracked on the outside but the inside should appear undercooked. 

- Let it cool in the tin, then cut into squares and dust with icing sugar (optional, I think it tasted delicious without it)

Yum, just as delicious as the slice I had at work the other day! My favourite is when I get a mouthful with the little jellies.