rosemary loaf cake

Rosemary Loaf Cake (Adapted from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking)


1 cup soft butter
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 tbs skim milk

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C.
2. Mix flour, salt and baking powder.
3. Cream butter and sugar until pale, smooth and light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, folding in a spoonful of flour after each addition, then add the vanilla extract. Fold in the rest of the flour and finally add the rosemary.
4. Thin the batter with the milk - you're aiming for a soft, dropping consistency.
5. Pour the batter into a buttered (or lined with parchment paper) 450 g loaf tin.
6. Cook for 60 minutes or a bit longer, until a cake-tester comes out clean.
7. Leave to cool in its tin on a wire rack. When completely cold, unmould and wrap well in foil until you need to eat it.
8. Keeps well for a few days.

milo chocolate chip muffin

Milo Chocolate Chip Muffin (makes 9 muffins)

1 1/4 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup Milo powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter (chopped into small cubes)
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix the flour, Milo and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. Rub in the butter till it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Mix in the sugar and chocolate chips.
4. Mix the eggs, milk and vanilla in a smaller bowl.
5. Stir the wet into the dry mixture till the batter just comes together.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 200 C for 20 minutes till brown and well risen.
8. Let cool then eat!

puff pastry pinwheels

Rugelach Dough (Adapted from Kate Zukerman's The Sweet Life)


1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

1. Sift together the flour, salt and sugar. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and soft cheese together till ilight and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients till well combined.
3. Scrape the dough onto plastic wrap and press into a flat disk. Then, double rap the dough and refrigerate overnight.
4. To use, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle about 12 x 16 inches. Then, cut into two 6 x 16 pieces.
5. Fill as desired with the long side facing you, and roll up. Wrap the dough in wrap again and chill for 30 minutes. Or, if you want, you can freeze the log to use later in the week.
6. To cook, slice the log into 1-inch cross sections, and place each little round about 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 180 C for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is a light golden brown. Allow the pinwheels to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. They will keep up to 4 days, depending on your filling.

easy sticky toffee pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding (Adapted from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson)


For the cake:

1/2 cup dark muscovado sugar (I used raw brown sugar)
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs unsalted butter (melted)
200 g medjool dates (chopped)

For the sauce:

1 cup dark muscovado sugar
about 2 tbs unsalted butter (to top the pudding), broken into little pieces
2 cups boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.
2. Generously butter a baking dish that has a capacity of 1-1/2 litres.
3. In a bowl, combine the sugar and the flour, making sure there are no lumps.
4. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter. Mix well.
5. Pour the milk mixture into the sugar and flour mixture and mix until just combined.
6. Fold in the dates.
7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.
8. Sprinkle the 1 cup of muscovado sugar over the top of the batter. Dot with the 2 tbs of butter.
9. Pour the boiling water over everything.
10. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake is springy when touched.
11. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. When you cut into it, you will have a lovely sponge cake on top and the most delicious sauce on the bottom.
12. Serve with ice cream, yoghurt or creme fraiche while still warm!