MasterStef Cupcakes

Based on the recipe by Kate Nichols (as featured in Master Chef).

Now that I've been regularly making these cupcakes for quite some time - this is my reviewed recipe with tips!

This makes 24 good sized cupcakes.

Ingredients
150g unsalted butter, softened
275g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
300g self-raising flour
3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160C fan-forced). Line muffin pans with paper cases of your choice.

2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Add the flour and milk in alternate batches and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add flavourings of your choice.

3. Spoon mixture into paper cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.


Butter cream frosting

This amount of frosting will allow you to ice 24 cupcakes with a generous high whip. If you are planning just to spread a small amount on top of your cakes then halve this recipe.

Ingredients
200g butter, softened
6 cups icing sugar mixture

1 tsp vanilla essence (or alternate flavouring - optional)

colouring (optional)

1/2 cup milk

1. Beat butter in a large bowl until pale, gradually add the icing sugar mixture while beating. As the mixture stiffens add the vanilla essence and colouring. Gradually add the milk a little at a time. Please note you may not need to add all of the milk, heat and humidity will affect how much liquid needs to be added. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Spoon into a piping bag and decorate cooled cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles (or other).

Lemon Slice

Ingredients

BASE:
125g unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups plain flour, sifted

TOPPING:
4 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp plain flour
1/2 cup milk
Finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
Pure icing sugar, for dusting

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line base and sides of a slice tin with baking paper. Using an electric beater, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy. Sift over flour and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Press mixture into base. Bake for 10 minutes or until starting to brown around edges; let cool.

2. Put eggs, extra sugar and flour, milk, rind and juice in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour mixture over base. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set. Stand tin on a wire rack to cool. When cold, cut into squares and dust with icing sugar.

Easiest Slow Cooker Meal Ever!!

Thank you Emma for this recipe:


Great slow cooker recipe (well it's a 'fast cooker' one really) I made this afternoon. Got some chicken drumsticks, chopped up a few potatoes and some pumpkin (about roasting size pieces). Threw them all in the slow cooker and sprinkled a 50 cent packet of Coles french onion soup over the lot. I stirred them around to coat them (you could toss them in a bag too I guess). I popped the drumsticks on top of the veges and turned the thing on high. No water. As everything cooks, the juices run out and make a gravy with the soup. It looks fantastic (and tastes fantastic too...I snuck some potato already)!! It only took about 3hrs on high in my cooker, you could put it on slow and leave it for longer if you prefer.

Banana French Toast

If you've got one of those flat sandwich toasters you'll love this one!!

French toast:
4 slices bread
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup milk

Filling:
1 mashed banana
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
icing sugar
maple syrup

Method:
Whisk eggs and milk together - soak bread.
Mash banana with sugar and cinnamon.
Spread banana mix over 2 slices of bread, place other slices on top.
Pop the 2 sandwiches onto your sandwich press and toast (you could also use a frypan, just flip the sandwich over to toast each side).
Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup!!

Stovetop Playdough!

The best playdough recipe around (it's found on 'cream of tartar' boxes)!!
note: 'cream of tartar' is found in the cooking aisle with bi-carb soda.

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
4tbs cream of tartar
2tbs cooking oil
1 cup salt
2 cups water
food colouring

Mix the ingredients together in a saucepan over a medium heat for 3-5mins or until the mixture congeals. It's a great muscle workout while you're stirring.

This makes a beautiful, soft playdough that keeps for ages. Store in a seal top bag in the fridge. I normally divide it into 4 and just have one bag on the go at at time. That way when it gets full of dust, crumbs, pet hair, etc you can throw it out and get another bag started.

Pumpkin Fruit Cake

Everyone I know who's tasted this recipe says it's the best fruit cake ever!! The addition of mashed pumpkin makes a beautiful, moist, rich cake. Thanks to a lady I worked with many years ago I have this copy. Merry Christmas!

INGREDIENTS
500g mixed dried fruit (I like to use sultanas, raisins, cherries, chopped apricots, chopped prunes and crystallised ginger)
1 ½ cups sugar
125g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bi-carb
1 cup cold water
1 cup boiled, mashed pumpkin, cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
pecan nuts to decorate

METHOD
Grease a deep, square cake pan then line with a few layers of baking paper, extending paper about 5cm above edge of pan.

Combine dried fruit, sugar, butter and golden syrup in a large saucepan. Dissolve bi-carb in water and stir into fruit mixture. Bring to boil and simmer for 30minutes or until mixture looks syrupy. Cool.

Stir pumpkin into fruit mixture, then eggs and sifted flours. Spoon mixture into prepared pan; decorate with pecan nuts.

Cook in slow oven, 150ºC, for about 2 ½ hours, or until cooked when tested with a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake that comes out clean. (Cover with foil if top becomes over-brown).

Cool cake in pan before turning out.

MASTERCHEF CUPCAKE RECIPE

Basic cupcake recipe
Recipe by Kate Nichols

100g unsalted butter, softened
185g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
2 eggs
200g self-raising flour
1/2 cup (125ml) milk

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160C fan-forced). Line muffin pans with paper cases of your choice.

2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste with electric mixer until pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Add the flour and milk in alternate batches and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add flavourings of your choice

3. Spoon some mixture into paper cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.


Basic butter frosting

100g unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (450g) icing sugar mixture, sifted
¼ cup (60ml) milk

1. If using basic butter frosting, beat butter in a large bowl until pale, gradually add the icing sugar mixture while beating. Add the milk and beat until well combined.

BIRD SEED SLICE

(Low GI, gluten-free...and super yummy!!)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups of seeds (sesame, sunflower, pepita, etc)
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts, chopped (peanuts, almonds, walnuts, etc)
1 cup dried fruit (sultanas, chopped apricots, fruit medley, etc)
100 g butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey

Roast seeds, coconut and nuts in oven until nicely browned (toss frequently as they will easily burn).
Add dried fruit.
Melt margarine, sugar and honey in saucepan.
Pour into dry ingredients and mix well.
Press into slice tin and cut when cooled.

EASY APPLE SLICE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups diced apple (red, green or both) with skin left on

1 cup SR flour

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup broken pecans (or try almonds or sultanas)

Combine ALL ingredients together - spread into a slice tray and bake at 180 degrees for about 35 minutes. This makes a lovely cake-type slice, perfect as a snack or heat it up with custard for dessert.

BASIC CHOC-CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

Ingredients
125g butter
250g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 cup SR flour
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 cup choc chips (or see variations below)

In a medium sized bowl, beat butter, sugar, essence and eggs until smooth.
Sift dry ingredients and stir into mix. Add remaining ingredients.
On trays lined with baking paper, drop heaped teaspoons of mixture about 5 cm apart.
Bake in moderate oven about 15 minutes, or until firm.
Makes about 40.

Variations on Basic Cookie Recipe

GINGER, WALNUT & DARK CHOCOLATE
½ cup cocoa (sift in with dry ingredients)
1 cup crystallised ginger (chopped finely)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dark choc chips


APRICOT, MACADAMIA & WHITE CHOCOLATE
1 cup chopped apricots
1 cup chopped macadamias
1 cup white choc chips


CORNFLAKE, PEANUT & COCONUT
1 cup cornflakes
1 cup peanuts
1 cup desiccated coconut


WALNUT, RUM & RAISIN
1 teaspoon rum essence (instead of vanilla essence)
½ cup cocoa (sifted in with dry ingredients)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup dark choc bits