Ice Cream Loaf

Ice Cream Loaf

300g ice cream
225g self-raising flour
food colouring, 3 colours of your choice
250ml icing sugar, sifted
vermicelli sprinkles

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a 22cm x 12cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Scoop the ice cream into a mixing bowl and allow it to melt. (You may melt it in the microwave as long as you don’t allow it to become hot).
Beat with an electric whisk until it is really fluffy.
Sift the flour over the ice cream and fold it in until well combined.
Spoon the batter into a loaf tin and randomly drip some food colouring on to the batter.
Swirl the colouring through with the tip of a knife.
Bake the loaf for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add 30ml of boiling water.
Mix through and pour over the top of the loaf, allowing it to run down.
Sprinkle the vermicelli over and allow 20 minutes to set.
Slice and serve.

Coca Cola Sheet Cake

Coca Cola Sheet Cake

Not a true cake but rather a delicious concoction of brownies and fudge!!! Easy and quick for every lover of sweetness!

500ml sugar
500ml flour
375ml marshmallows, shredded (about 14 large)
125ml butter
125ml vegetable oil
62ml cocoa powder, sifted
250ml Coca Cola
125ml buttermilk
5ml baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
10ml vanilla

Frosting:
450ml icing sugar, sifted
125ml butter
45ml cocoa powder, sifted
30ml Coca Cola
5ml vanilla
250ml pecan nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray an oven tray/sheet pan with cooking spray.
Add the sugar, flour and marshmallow to a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter, oil, cocoa powder and Coca Cola to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Pour the hot mixture onto the marshmallow mixture and stir until well blended – some of the marshmallow will melt, but not all of it.
Pour the buttermilk into a small bowl and dissolve the baking powder in it. Add to the rest of the mixture and mix through.
Now add the eggs and vanilla and give the mixture a last stir.
Pour the batter in to the prepared oven tray and bake for 45 minutes.

For the frosting:
Sift the icing sugar in to a mixing bowl.
Add the butter, cocoa powder and Coca Cola to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Pour the hot liquids on to the icing sugar and blend well.
Add the vanilla and nuts, stir through and spread onto the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Set aside and allow the cake to cool before serving.

Condensed Milk Cake

Condensed Milk Cake

This is one of the easiest and quickest cakes you will ever bake. It is delicious to eat as is and perfect when making trifle!

1 x 385g can condensed milk
4 eggs
60g butter, melted
5ml vanilla
180g self-raising flour
1 x 360g can caramel treat
250ml cream

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a bundt cake tin with cooking spray.
Add the condensed milk, eggs, butter and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together with electric beaters.
Sift over the flour and beat together on high speed for 1 minute.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake tin and bake for 35 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate. Cool completely.
Serve the cake with dollops of caramel treat swirled into the whipped cream.

Chocolate-Brownie Cheesecake

Chocolate-Brownie Cheesecake

The best of two worlds!! A delicious chocolatey brownie base with a velvet baked cheesecake topping!

For the brownie base:
115g butter
115g dark chocolate, chopped
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
50ml milk
115g flour

For the cheesecake topping:
500g cream cheese, room temperature
125g caster sugar
3 eggs
5ml vanilla
125ml Greek yoghurt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin.
Add the butter and chopped chocolate to a heatproof mixing bowl and place it over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir every now and then until melted.
Remove the bowl from the head and add the sugar. Whisk until the ingredients are amalgamated.
Add the eggs and milk and whisk to mix.
Add the flour and stir through until the mixture is just blended.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and even it out with a spatula.
Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove and set aside.
Lower the oven temperature to 160℃.
Add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat together on high speed until you have a smooth mixture. Scrape the bowl down once or twice in between mixing.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the yoghurt. Stir the yoghurt through the cheesecake mixture.
Pour the mixture onto the baked brownie base.
Place in the oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Run a knife around the edge of the cake before removing the sides of the cake tin.
Cut into slices and drizzle with melted chocolate to serve.

Apple-Cinnamon Loaf

Apple-Cinnamon Loaf

This is a light fruity loaf that is not too sweet but still ticks all the boxes for a special treat!

500ml flour
125ml sugar
7,5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
250ml buttermilk
1 egg
62ml vegetable oil
250ml dried apple, diced
125ml pecan nuts, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 23cm X 13cm loaf tin.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and mix together with a whisk.
Add the buttermilk, egg and vegetable oil to a wide-mouth jug and whisk together until blended.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until all the flour has been incorporated and you are left with a shaggy, wet batter.
Add the chopped apple and nuts and stir through.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and pat it into the corners.
Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing.
Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Pistachio Cake

Pistachio Cake

This is an easy and quick cake loaf that is perfect for afternoon tea.

100g pistachio nuts, chopped
200g caster sugar
150g butter
125ml yoghurt
3 eggs
200g flour
5ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml vanilla
4 limes, zest and juice
200g icing sugar
30ml pistachio nuts, sliced

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm X 10cm X 7cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the pistachios and caster sugar to the bowl of a food processor and whizz until fine.
Add the butter, yoghurt, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla and lime zest and whizz again until smooth.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 55 minutes.
Cool the loaf in the tin for 20 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and add the lime juice.
Spoon the glaze over the pistachio loaf and scatter with the sliced pistachios.