mini apple pancakes

makes 12-24 depending on size

You can add whatever fruit you want to these. Thinly sliced banana is beautiful. Experiment and create your own signature dish with fruits most people wouldn’t expect to find in a pancake.

1 cup plain flour

1 cup self-raising flour

2 tablespoons castor sugar

2¼ cups nut or soy milk

1–2 teaspoons vanilla essence

3 small apples, peeled, cored and chopped in a food processor or finely by hand

Margarine for cooking

1. Sift flours into a bowl.
2. Add castor sugar.
3. Stir in soy milk until a nice batter is formed.
4. Add vanilla essence and apples. Combine.
5. Heat a small non-stick frypan to medium heat and melt a teaspoon of margarine.
6. Add a heaped tablespoon and cook until the batter starts to bubble, and then flip.
7. Repeat until all batter is used.
8. Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and fresh fruit. 
   

note: You can make larger pancakes with larger chunks of apple.

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caramelised pear with dates & avocado mousse

makes 4

A beautiful and decadent dessert that does need some concentrating on the caramelised sugar – you don’t want it going to toffee. It is sweet and creamy with the pear adding a burst of texture.

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and each cut lengthways to create 8 wedges

2 ripe avocados

1 cup castor sugar

150 grams cream cheese

4 fresh medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthways

¼ cup orange juice

4 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ cup Amaretto liqueur (can replace with rum)

⅓ cup pistachios to garnish

1. Cut avocados in half; remove seed and scoop out flesh. Place into a food processor along with creamed cheese, orange juice and maple syrup. Blend until smooth, creamy and with no chunks. Place in fridge until needed (can be made night before).
2. In a heavy based frypan over a medium heat add castor sugar.
3. Using a swirling motion, gently move the sugar around until it has totally melted and has become golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and be careful not to burn or you will make toffee!
4. Add pears (be careful not to come in contact with melted sugar) and continue to swirl the sugar around to coat pears. This can be tricky, but persevere because the end result is worth it.
5. Pour in Amaretto (or rum) and swirl to incorporate. Simmer for 2 minutes until syrupy and the pears are tender.
6. Remove from heat and add dates. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes. 

To serve:

1. Using ⅓ of the avocado mousse, divide evenly between 4 dessert glasses.
2. Using ⅓ of the pear mixture, divide evenly between each glass.
3. Repeat layering with remaining avocado and pear mixture.
4. Chill.
5. Garnish with pistachios to serve.
   

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chocolate self-saucing pudding

serves 4

In my early twenties I started to write down recipes in a small exercise book; I still have that exercise book, (although it’s falling apart) and this recipe is in it. Like chocolate cake with warm chocolate syrup it’s the sort of dessert you can eat anytime; a rainy Sunday afternoon or a warm Saturday evening – in fact I stopped typing to whip one up. True story! Our guest Cheryl and I just enjoyed a bowl full while sitting on the lawn and under the sun.

1 cup self-raising flour

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons melted margarine

1 heaped tablespoon cocoa

½ cup soy milk

sauce

½ cup sugar mixed with

1 tablespoon cocoa

1¾ cups boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Add margarine, sugar, milk, flour and cocoa into a bowl, and mix until combined.
3. Oil a round ovenproof casserole dish and pour in batter (20 cm x 6cm)
4. Sprinkle sugar and cocoa mixture over top of batter.
5. Gently distribute the boiling water onto the pudding by pouring it over the back of a spoon.
6. Bake for 30–35 minutes.
7. Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and ice cream.
   

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strawberry parfait

serves 2 

This is an all-year-round dessert. Our guests enjoy this by the fire in winter or by the dam in summer. You can present this sweet dish in tall glasses or shallow bowls, but make sure they are glass. Remember, people eat with their eyes first.

1 punnet (approx. 250 grams) of strawberries

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

¼ cup + 1 teaspoon agave

¼ teaspoon vanilla essence

½ cup of water

1. Place cashews, 1 teaspoon of agave, coconut oil, vanilla essence and water into a blender. Process until creamy.
2. Divide into two bowls and set aside. Rinse blender.
3. Blend strawberries and . cup of agave until smooth (also nice with small chunks).
4. Pour strawberry mixture evenly over cashew cream.
5. Using a skewer, swirl around from the bottom to bring the cream up to the surface to decorate.
6. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
   

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cointreau orange cheesecake

serves 12-16

I quite often alter this to create a strawberry cheesecake by swapping the fruit, jelly and liqueur around with strawberries and strawberry flavourings. It looks magical, and I have used mostly store purchased ingredients to cut down on the time and effort involved. It’s really quite easy! 

400 grams sweet dry biscuits

200 grams melted margarine

¼ cup orange jelly jam

2 tablespoons Cointreau

1 tablespoon water

3 large fresh oranges peeled and pith removed (and seeds if visible)

⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons castor sugar

400 grams cream cheese

200 grams sour cream (best store bought)

400ml full cream coconut

3 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 1+ tablespoons of water to make a runny paste)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 small box of orange jelly mix

For the base:

1. Oil and line a spring form pan and also oil baking paper. Place sweet dry biscuits and melted margarine into a food processor and combine. Scrape down side when required and ensure mixture is well combined. Tip mixture into spring form pan and press down evenly across the base and approximately 1 cm up the sides. Place in fridge to set.
   

For layer 1:

1. Heat orange jelly jam, Cointreau and water over a medium heat and whisk until runny. (Don’t worry if you have a lump or two.) Allow to cool slightly and spread evenly over base. Return to fridge.
   

For orange filling:

1. Chop up 1 large peeled orange and heat over a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of castor sugar and simmer until flesh begins to breakdown and soften. Allow to cool slightly. 
   

For cheesecake filling:

1. In a saucepan place the cream cheese, sour cream, coconut cream, ⅓ cup of castor sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence and cornstarch mixture over a medium heat to break it down and then whisk until smooth.
2. Pour half of this mixture onto the base. Then spoon on the orange filling randomly across the cheesecake. With a knife slice through the filling to spread throughout the cheesecake mix without combining then cover with remainder of cheesecake mixture. Place in fridge to set for at least a few hours.
   

For top layer:

1. Make jelly according to packet instructions and allow to cool slightly. Cover cheesecake with remaining two orange pieces and then pour over jelly. Allow to set overnight in the fridge covered.
   

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pistachio & rosewater pudding

serves 4-6 

I remember playing around with this recipe with my Pa keeping me company in the kitchen one Saturday afternoon. It brings back warm memories for me. I still remember his face as he took his first mouthful, and the appreciative sigh that followed. This is lovely served with fresh coffee.

8–9 sheets filo pastry

½ cup shelled, unsalted pistachios, crushed with a mortar and pestle

2 tablespoons castor sugar

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

330-gram can of vegan condensed milk

½ cup cashew cream

1½ cups soy milk

1 teaspoon rosewater

The pulp of 1 passionfruit to garnish or fruit of your choice (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 210°C.
2. Scrunch each filo sheet into a loose to medium round shape about the size of a small tennis ball. Place in a greased pan 20 cm x 20 cm x 4 cm. (Leave no gaps, so look for a tight-fitting pan. Square works well.)
3. Bake filo balls for 10 minutes or until golden at 210°C, and then remove from oven.
4. Reduce oven heat to 180°C.
5. Heat condensed milk, cream and milk in a saucepan over a medium heat until just warm.
6. Remove from heat and stir in rosewater.
7. Scatter filo with pistachios, sugar and coconut.
8. Pour cream mixture evenly over filo and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
9. Serve immediately scattered with passionfruit pulp or some other fruit.

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orange syrup cake

serves 6-8

A few years back a local gave me a massive box of oranges fresh from their tree. I made several things from the gift and this was one of them. There is something awesome about a sticky cake because no one ever minds you licking your fingertips after polishing off a slice.

2 oranges

3 eggs equivalent (I use Orgran’s ‘No Egg’)

180 grams melted margarine

1 cup raw sugar + 1 extra cup

1½ cups self-raising flour

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup water

1. Place 1 orange into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil.
2. Remove from boiling water and repeat process starting with cold water again. This removes the bitterness of the orange peel.
3. Set aside to cool. 

NOTE: Steps 1 to 3 can be done the night before, and the orange can be kept in the refrigerator.

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a shallow round cake tin (24 cm x 4 cm).
2. Using a knife, cut out ends of the boiled orange and pull out pith from the middle. Discard. Cut the orange into chunks and place into a food processor and puree. Scrape down the sides occasionally, and if there are 1 or 2 large pieces that persist, remove and discard.
3. Add egg equivalent, margarine, 1 cup of sugar and flour. Process again until everything is combined. Scrape down sides occasionally to ensure mixture combines well (between 1 and 2 minutes).
4. Pour batter into prepared cake tin and bake for 35 minutes. Whilst your cake is baking, prepare syrup.
5. Juice your second orange to secure ¼cup of orange juice. Scoop out flesh and discard the flesh.
6. Using a sharp paring knife, cut off as much white from the orange peel as you can, discard and slice the peel into strips as thin as you can manage.
7. In a saucepan over a high-medium heat, add sliced orange peel, orange juice, water and 1 cup of sugar. Stir to combine until the sugar completely dissolves.
8. When cake is cooked, wait a couple of minutes for the cake to cool, remove from tin and place onto a cooling rack. Leaving the cake on the cooling rack, place it over a plate that has an upturned lip. Using a skewer or a toothpick, poke holes all over the surface of the cake about ½ of the way through (40 to 50 holes).
9. Pour syrup over the hot cake and leave for a few minutes. Using the dish underneath, replace it with a clean one and pour syrup from first plate back over cake. Repeat this process until all of the syrup is absorbed.

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strawberry pillow fight

serves 4-6 

One of my favourite desserts, and how they managed to remain untouched long enough to be photographed is beyond me. They are so light and hollow inside that you bite into the pastry and it’s like biting into air. I like to serve mine in a big stack on a plate in the middle of the table so everyone can graze on them at will. 

For strawberry sauce

1 small punnet (approx. 250 grams) of strawberries, hulled, washed and quartered

1 cup water

1 cup raw sugar

pillows

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons margarine

¾ cup warm water

Oil for shallow frying

Icing sugar to dust

For strawberry sauce:

1. Place water and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until dissolved.
2. Add strawberries and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Pour through a sieve and press through strawberries.
6. Bottle and keep in fridge.

NOTE: Residual strawberries that didn’t go through sieve are nice on toast! Strawberry sauce can be used over ice cream, over cereal or in milk shakes.

For pillows:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Rub in the margarine with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Gradually add in enough water to form dough. Wrap the dough in clear film and place in the fridge overnight (or for at least an hour).
3. Cut the dough in half and work with one piece at a time. Roll the dough out on a dusted counter in a square shape 3 mm thick.
4. Cut into 7 cm squares, creating about 16 per block of dough. Set the squares aside on the dusted counter.
5. Heat 1–2 cm of oil in a small, shallow frypan (until a cube of dried bread floats and turns golden, about 1 minute). Do not overheat your oil.
6. Cook squares 1 or 2 at a time. (You can cook more by using a large frypan with more oil.)
7. Using tongs, gently submerge them in the oil. Some will puff up, others will not. Turn over when golden and, once cooked, drain on paper towel.
8. Stack your pillows on a serving plate, dusting each layer with icing sugar.Drizzle with strawberry sauce and serve immediately with coffee. The ultimate in sticky finger food!

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peanut butter & strawberry jam cupcakes

makes 12

This is the Australian version of peanut butter and jelly, but in a cupcake. I partook in ‘Bake your Blues Away’ in 2014 and made a tray of these to give away to strangers in an attempt to engage with others. Having been taught not to talk to strangers, I opted to present them to our local constabulary in town. It felt nice presenting our police men and women with an ARK (Act of Random Kindness).

1 cup of plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup of raw sugar

¼ cup of canola oil

¾ cup of soy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon strawberry jam

peanut butter frosting

¼ cup of margarine

½ cup of peanut butter

1 tablespoon of soy milk (you can add a little more if you feel it is needed)

1 cup of sifted icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12-cake cup pan.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add sugar and mix to combine.
3. Add oil, soy milk, vanilla essence and apple cider vinegar. Beat to remove any lumps.
4. Add peanut butter and strawberry jam and combine using a knife. Slice the peanut butter and jam through the batter leaving streaks. Do not beat.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked.
6. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
7. Ice with frosting using a piping bag or spread evenly with a knife.
   

For peanut butter frosting:

1. Add all ingredients into a bowl and beat with electric beaters until smooth and creamy.
   

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carrot & coconut slice

serves 8-10

This is one of those recipes I have been making for so many years now I have no idea of its origin. The time it takes to create this slice makes it appealing and a good recipe to teach children. I love using a purple carrot due to the colour it gives the end result.

1 cup finely grated carrot (can use purple carrot if you can find one)

1¼ cups self-raising flour

¼ cup roughly chopped nuts of your choice

1 cup soy milk

1 cup raw sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

½ cup sultanas

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and combine well.
3. Grease a loaf tin (22 cm x 12 cm x 7 cm).
4. Pour mixture into loaf tin.
5. Bake for 1 hour.
6. Turn onto a cooling rack immediately after baking.

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pfeffernusse

makes approx. 32

You will never be able to eat store bought ones again once you have tasted these. I know I can’t. Traditionally eaten at Christmas time, why not make a few batches and give them as gifts wrapped in a tea towel? Paper is a waste!

4 cups plain flour

½ cup margarine

½ teaspoon instant coffee powder or granules

1 cup malt extract

½ cup brown sugar

¾ teaspoon amaretto (substitute with ½ teaspoon of almond essence)

¼ teaspoon finely ground

black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons of ‘No Egg’ powder dissolved in 4 tablespoons soy milk

Icing sugar for dusting

1. Mix margarine and flour together with your fingertips to form a crumb-like mixture.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well with a large metal spoon. The batter will be very thick so use your hands if needed.
3. Roll into small balls, about an inch in diameter.
4. Put on a lightly greased tray; they don’t expand much so you can fit a lot on there.
5. Let stand overnight refrigerated and covered in plastic.
6. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
7. The next morning, bake for 10–12 minutes.
8. Whilst still hot, roll the pfeffernusse in powdered sugar and then allow to cool.
   

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white chocolate mud cake

serves 12-16 

This cake gets better with age. By day three it has settled into an even deeper textured cake. Rich and totally decadent, we eat it here simply because we can. But don’t you think this is a great birthday cake?

1 cup margarine

250 g white vegan chocolate

200 ml water

1 ½ cups caster sugar

1 ¾ cups plain flour

1 cup self raising flour

½ cup creamed tofu (or you can use 2 egg equivalent)

½ cup tofutti sour cream (or see recipe page 178)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

icing

½ cup vegan margarine

125 gram white chocolate (melted)

¾ icing sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 150oC
2. Heat margarine, sugar, chocolate and water in a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until combined.
3. Sift both flours together in large bowl and using electric beaters, beat in chocolate mixture.
4. Add creamed tofu, sour cream and vanilla, continue to mix using electric beaters.
5. Pour mixture into a deep cake tin (20cm x 6cm) and cook for 1.5 hours
6. Check that a skewer comes out clean.
7. Turn onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing. 
   

For icing:

1. Using the electric beaters, cream together margarine, icing sugar and melted chocolate. The icing will do the top and sides generously. Decorate with shaved dark chocolate.
   

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doughnuts

makes 20

Messy? Yes! Worth it? Yes! I remember standing in a queue at a fresh produce store looking at a jar of applesauce wondering what I could make with it. I purchased it, still with no idea, and told the checkout operator if I created something yummy I’d be back. I returned the following weekend with a tray of piping hot, applesauce filled doughnuts for everyone – much to everyone’s delight!

¼ cup castor sugar

¾ cup warm soy milk

2½ cups plain flour

1½ teaspoons yeast

Pinch of salt

3 eggs equivalent (I use Orgran’s ‘No Egg’)

100 grams margarine

Jam or apple sauce (filling of your choice)

Oil for frying

Extra castor sugar for rolling your doughnuts

1. In a saucepan on a low heat, warm the milk and add sugar, stirring until dissolved.
2. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and egg equivalent, stirring well to combine. Tip mixture onto a lightly floured bench; using hands, knead dough until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Place dough back into bowl. Knead in margarine (I wear disposable gloves here). Dough will be slippery, glossy and shiny. Once mixed in, turn back onto a lightly floured bench and knead. Now it will start to look normal.
4. Place dough in a bowl, cover with plastic and place in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. 
5. Divide dough into 20 equal pieces (about the size of a ping-pong ball), roll into balls, place on baking tray, cover with plastic, and stand another 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
6. Heat oil in wok.
7. Place jam/filling into a piping bag.
8. Add dough balls to oil a few at a time (make sure oil is not too hot or dough balls will burn), turning occasionally until brown on each side. Place on absorbent paper.
9. Toss/roll through extra castor sugar. Inject with filling of choice by using an old sauce bottle or piping bag. (Be careful not to use a chunky filling. This can block your piping instrument and make for an amusing scene for someone.) .