Ingredients

40 gms red plums
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 cups white flour
½ cup brown sugar
50 gms melted butter or margarine

Method

1. Halve the plums and remove the stone
2. Put the plums into a saucepan with the sugar and water
3. Cook gently on the stove top until plums are tender, not mushy
4. Mix the flour sugar and butter or oil together to make a crumbly mixture.  (if it is too dry add more butter or margarine, if too moist add more flour)
5. Put the cooked plums into an ovenware dish
6. Spread the crumble mixture evenly over the plums
7. Bake at 180 degrees c (350 degrees f) for 30 minutes or until the crumble topping is browned.

Serves 4

Variations

• For a crunchier texture, use 1 cup wholemeal flour and 1 cup rolled oats in place of the white flour
• For a gluten free version, use gluten-free flour, rice flour ground almonds or cornmeal or a mixture of these or other gluten-free dry ingredients

Ingredients – base

50 gms margarine
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa
½ cup sugar

Ingredients – sauce

½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 ½ cups hot water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. On the stovetop or in the microwave, heat the margarine, milk and vanilla essence until the margarine has melted
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa into a baking dish and mix in the sugar
4. Pour the warm milk mixture over the flour mixture and stir well till smooth.
5. For the sauce, mix the brown sugar and cocoa together and spread over the batter
6. Pour the hot water over the batter. Do not stir
7. Put the dish in to the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the batter has risen to the top of the dish and is cooked through. 
8. To serve, cut the batter into pieces and place in a serving plate.  Spoon the sauce over the top.

Serve 4

Ingredients

1 packet of gingernut biscuits
½ litre whipping cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup orange juice
1 cake of dark chocolate, grated

Method

1. Pour the cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence into a bowl and beat until it is thick.
2. Divide the cream into two bowls – about 1/3 in one bowl and 2/3 in the other
3. Pour the orange juice into a small shallow dish
4. Take your packet of gingernuts and the smaller amount of cream
5. Dip both sides of one biscuit into the orange juice then spread the biscuit with cream
6. Dip another biscuit in the juice on both sides and then place it on top of the first biscuit as if you were making a sandwich
7. Repeat until you have a three biscuit stack
8. Place a small blob of cream on your platter and place the biscuit stack on it so the stack is on its side
9. Repeat steps 5-8 until you have used up all the biscuits and the bowl of cream
10. At this point you will have a row of biscuit-cream sandwiches laid on their side on the platter
11. Now take the large bowl of cream and completely cover the biscuit sandwich so you have a cream covered log shape
12. Sprinkle the grated chocloate all over the log
13. Put the log in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving so the gingernuts soften
14. To serve and slice diagonally with a sharp knife to get the full effect of the layered biscuit and cream

Allow about 4 biscuits per serving

Notes

You will need a large flat plate or platter to prepare your cake.

An electric whisk is useful to beat the cream but a hand beater works, it just takes a bit longer.

This cake needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours before serving.

If by any chance you have some left over, cover with cling film or foil and store in the fridge for no more than 2 days.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons custard powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups milk

Method

1. Mix together custard powder and ¼ cup of the milk till you have a smooth paste
2. Pour remaining milk into a saucepan and heat till almost boiling
3. Pour in the custard mixture and stir well until the mixture boils and thickens

To serve, pour over or beside your dessert.

This custard can be used with fresh or cooked fruit, steamed pudding, upsidedown pudding, or other sponge, crumble or cake type desserts.

Makes 2 cups runny custard.

If you want a thicker custard, use 1½ cups milk

To watch how to make Cassava Cake, check out this Youtube video  (It uses a slightly different recipe but same method)

Ingredients

500 gms frozen cassava or fresh grated cassava (available from Asian grocery outlets) 
½ tsp vanilla essence
½ 400gm can coconut milk
125 gms margarine
½ 300 gm can condensed milk
grated cheese (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees C
2. Mix sugar and margarine until smooth
3. Add the cassava , coconut milk and vanilla and stir
4. Pour the mixture into a baking tin
5. Bake for 30 minutes
6. Pour the condensed milk on top of the cassava cake and sprinkle the grated cheese on top
7. Place in the oven  for 10-15 minutes to brown the topping
8. Serve while hot.

Ingredients

4 slices of stale bread (preferably toast sliced)
2 cups milk 
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C.
2. Cut the bread into 2cm squares and put into an ovenproof dish
3. Beat the egg and mix in the milk  – this forms the custard
4. Pour the custard over the bread
5. Allow to stand for 10 minutes so the custard soaks into the bread
6. Put the dish into the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes until the custard is set.

Serves 4-6

 Variations

1. Add ½ cup sultanas to the custard mixture before pouring it over the bread.

Queen Pudding

Use the recipe above with the following changes:

Additional ingredients

2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons raspberry jam  
2 egg whites
¼ cup sugar

Method

1. Separate the egg yolks and whites
2. Beat the egg yolks and milk and proceed as for bread and butter pudding
3. Spread the raspberry jam gently over the cooked pudding
4. Beat the egg whites until foamy
5. Add the sugar and beat until peaks form – this is the meringue
6. Pile this meringue mixture on to the pudding and bake for a further 10 minutes at 190°C

 Ingredients

Base mixture

 1 cup flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons cooking oil 

Topping

 ¾ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 ½ cups boiling water 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°c
2. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into a mixing bowl
3. Add sugar
4. Stir in milk, vanilla essence and oil and mix.
5. Grease the bottom of a 20×20 cm or 23×18 cm baking dish with a little cooking oil
6. Spread the mixture into the greased dish
7. Sprinkle the 2^nd measure of sugar and cocoa over the base mixture
8. Gently pour the boiling water over the topping
9. Bake for approximately 45 minutes in the oven

During baking the dough rises to the top and the sauce forms at the bottom

To serve, use a spoon to cut into the cooked mixture and turn on to a serving plate then spoon the sauce over each serving.

 Serves 4

 Ingredients

¼ cup cooking oil
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle

Method

1. Prepare a large saucepan half filled with boiling water
2. Grease a steamed pudding bowl with a little oil
3. Pour the golden syrup into the bottom of the bowl
4. In a mixing bowl, beat the oil, sugar and egg together with a rotary or electric beater until mixture is light and fluffy
5. Add sifted flour and baking powder
6. Add the milk and mix well
7. Pour the mixture over the golden syrup in the steamed pudding bowl
8. Cover the bowl with a lid or with aluminum foil over the top and tucked in securely under the lip of the bowl (see photo)
9. Carefully lower the pudding bowl into the saucepan of boiling water
10. Cover the saucepan and boil gently for 1 ½ – 2 hours
11. Check water level from time to time and add more boiling water if necessary.
12. When cooked, lift the pudding bowl out of the water
13. Run a knife around the sides of the pudding and turn upside down on a plate to serve.
14. Serve with custard or icecream.

 Serves 4

 Variations

1. Add 2 tablespoons cocoa for a chocolate steamed pudding
2. Add ½ cup sultanas for a fruity pudding

 You can use china, glass or metal bowls for a steamed pudding.  Not plastic though.

 For individual puddings

Use 4 tea cups or small ramekin dishes.

Spoon a quarter of the mixture into each of the individual cups or ramekins and cover with aluminium foil tucked in around the edge. Cook for 1 hour in a large saucepan.

Ingredients

4 apples
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 cups white flour
½ cup white sugar
50 gms melted butter or margarine

Method

1      Peel, core and slice the apples into a saucepan
2      Sprinkle the sugar over the apple slices and pour the water over the top
3      Cook gently on the stove top until apples are tender, not mushy
4      Mix the flour sugar and butter or oil together to make a crumbly mixture.  (if it is too dry add more butter or margarine, if too moist add more flour)
5      Put the cooked apple mixture into an ovenware dish
6      Spread the crumble mixture evenly over the apples
7      Bake at 180 degrees c ( 350 degrees f) for 30 minutes or until the crumble topping is browned.

Serves 4

Variations

• For a crunchier texture, use 1 cup wholemeal flour and 1 cup rolled oats in place of the white flour
• Use brown sugar instead of white sugar to cook the apples and or in the crumble mixture
• Add 2 tsp ground cinnamon or mixed spice.
• Instead of apples, try other cooked fruits such as rhubarb, plums pears, blackcurrants, blueberries, blackberries, peaches or apricots.