Chocolate Caramel Slice

A moist, extremely sweet slice, with a soft filling and a firm chocolate layer on top. Very nice.

Ingredients: Base

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 brown sugar

4oz butter, melted

Ingredients: Filling

1/3 cup golden syrup (found at specialty stores here - I found it at cost plus world market)

4oz. butter, melted

2 x 400g cans sweetened condensed milk

Ingredients: Chocolate Topping

6 oz. dark chocolate

3 tsp. vegetable oil

Method: Base

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Place the flour, coconut, sugar, and mutter in a bowl and mix.

3. Press the mixture into a square container that has been lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake for around 15-18 min (until browned).

Method: Caramel Filling

1. Place the golden syrup, butter and condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat and stir for 7 min, or until it has thickened slightly.

2. Pour over the cooked base.

3. Bake for 20min (check after 15), or until the caramel is golden.

4. Refrigerate until the slice is cold.

Method: Topping

1. Place the chocolate and oil in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted.

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

3. Spread over the slice.

4. Refrigerate until firm.

5. Cut with a heated knife.

Taken from Donna Hay "Modern Classics book 2: Cookies, Biscuits + Slices, Small Cakes, Desserts, Hot Puddings, Pies + Tarts" pp. 16-17.

Baked Doughnuts

These were a light version of doughnuts - nowhere near as oily or fatty. They do no really taste like the usual doughnuts, but they are tasty all the same.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups warm milk,

95 to 105 degrees (divided)

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

5 cups all-purpose flour

A pinch or two of nutmeg,

freshly grated1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Method

1. Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar and set aside for five minutes or so to let it proof.

2. Stir the butter into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated.

3. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth.

4. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place, and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

5. Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop.

6. With a 2-3 inch cookie cutter, stamp out circles in the dough . Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them.

7. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

8. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8.

9. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

10. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately.

Taken from the gorgeous blog of Tartelette http://tartelette.blogspot.com/

White Chocolate Cake

This cake was a really nice cake and was very easy to make. A moist cake with a rich chocolate icing.

Ingredients: Cake
6oz butter, chopped
1 cup milk
1.5 cups sugar
5 oz white chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1.5tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs

Ingredients: Icing
150g chocolate (I used semi sweet, but I would try something more milky, maybe even a white chocolate or a milk chocolate)
1/2 cup whipping cream

Method: Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. Place the butter, milk, sugar, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and eggs in a bowl.
4. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Pour into a well greased bundt pan, and bake on the middle rack until cooked when tested with a skewer (check after 30min, but it may need up to 50min).

Method: Icing
1. Place chopped chocolate and the cream together in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Stir until choc is melted.
3. Take off heat and allow o cool for 10 min.
4. Pour over cake, tap to remove air bubble and then put in fridge to set.

Taken from Donna Hay's "Modern Classics Book 2: Cookies, Biscuits + Slices, Small Cakes, Cakes, Desserts, Hot Puddings, Pies + Tarts" pp72-3 & 92