Showing posts with label Mainly Music. Show all posts

Valentine's Day Biscuits


The kids and I whipped up these cute little biscuits to take to Mainly Music this week.  We also packaged some up to give to their Nanas for Valentine's Day.

They are made using my old faithful Spice Biscuits recipe, originally found here - I always get comments about what a delicious biscuit they are!

I used Pillar Box Red colouring for the icing and I love how they turned out.

Give a sweet treat to your sweet heart tomorrow!

Ingredients:125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground clove

Icing
1 egg white, beaten lightly
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons plain flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice (approx)
food colouring


Method:
Beat butter, sugar and egg with electric mixer until combined.  Stir in syrup and sifted dry ingredients, in two batches.

Knead dough until smoothe, then roll out between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick.  Pop in the fridge for about half an hour. 


Cut shapes from dough and place on trays lined with baking paper.  Bake for about 15 minutes, at 150 degrees or 130 degrees fan-forced.

Cool on trays or a wire rack.  Spread with icing and set at room temperature.

Icing: 
Place egg white in small bowl, stir in half the sifted icing sugar; add remaining sifted icing sugar, flour and enough juice to make a thick spreadable icing.  Tint icing with colouring.



The kids and I whipped up these cute little biscuits to take to Mainly Music this week.  We also packaged some up to give to their Nanas for Valentine's Day.

They are made using my old faithful Spice Biscuits recipe, originally found here - I always get comments about what a delicious biscuit they are!

I used Pillar Box Red colouring for the icing and I love how they turned out.

Give a sweet treat to your sweet heart tomorrow!

Ingredients:125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground clove

Icing
1 egg white, beaten lightly
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons plain flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice (approx)
food colouring


Method:
Beat butter, sugar and egg with electric mixer until combined.  Stir in syrup and sifted dry ingredients, in two batches.

Knead dough until smoothe, then roll out between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick.  Pop in the fridge for about half an hour. 


Cut shapes from dough and place on trays lined with baking paper.  Bake for about 15 minutes, at 150 degrees or 130 degrees fan-forced.

Cool on trays or a wire rack.  Spread with icing and set at room temperature.

Icing: 
Place egg white in small bowl, stir in half the sifted icing sugar; add remaining sifted icing sugar, flour and enough juice to make a thick spreadable icing.  Tint icing with colouring.


Chocolate, Apricot and Hazelnut Cake


This is a seriously rich & decadent cake that I think is totally worth the effort and calories!  The apricot flavour is so delicious & the the hazelnut meal gives it that smooth texture.  As you can see, I made it to celebrate our recently-formed Mainly Music group and it was a hit!  I actually just made chocolate buttercream for the icing, rather than the one I've copied below.  You'll love this one!

Ingredients
1 2/3 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup water
250g butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
6 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup ground hazelnuts
2/3 cup buttermilk

Chocolate buttermilk cream
300g milk eating chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup icing sugar

Method
Combine apricots and the water in small saucepan; bring to the boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until apricot is soft.  Cool.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Grease deep 22cm round cake pan; line base with baking paper.

Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Transfer mixture to large bowl; stir in apricot mixture, sifted flours and cocoa, ground hazelnuts and buttermilk, in two batches.  Spread mixture into pan.

Bake cake about 1 3/4 hours.  Stand cake in pan 10 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

Make chocolate buttermilk cream: Stir chocolate and buttermilk in small heatproof bowl over small saucepan of simmering water until smooth; store in sifted icing sugar.  Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable.

Split cold cake into three layers; sandwich layers with two-thirds of the buttermilk cream.  Spread top of cake with remaining buttermilk cream.  Top with dark chocolate curls.

This is a seriously rich & decadent cake that I think is totally worth the effort and calories!  The apricot flavour is so delicious & the the hazelnut meal gives it that smooth texture.  As you can see, I made it to celebrate our recently-formed Mainly Music group and it was a hit!  I actually just made chocolate buttercream for the icing, rather than the one I've copied below.  You'll love this one!

Ingredients
1 2/3 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup water
250g butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
6 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup ground hazelnuts
2/3 cup buttermilk

Chocolate buttermilk cream
300g milk eating chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup icing sugar

Method
Combine apricots and the water in small saucepan; bring to the boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until apricot is soft.  Cool.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Grease deep 22cm round cake pan; line base with baking paper.

Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Transfer mixture to large bowl; stir in apricot mixture, sifted flours and cocoa, ground hazelnuts and buttermilk, in two batches.  Spread mixture into pan.

Bake cake about 1 3/4 hours.  Stand cake in pan 10 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

Make chocolate buttermilk cream: Stir chocolate and buttermilk in small heatproof bowl over small saucepan of simmering water until smooth; store in sifted icing sugar.  Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable.

Split cold cake into three layers; sandwich layers with two-thirds of the buttermilk cream.  Spread top of cake with remaining buttermilk cream.  Top with dark chocolate curls.