The MOST delicious carrot and apple loaf cake

I just had to share this recipe as it is AMAZING!!  It's kind of a 'bit of this, bit of that' recipe but it turned out so well I just had to post it.  I was trying to find a recipe for nut free (school policy) carrot or apple muffins to make for Master J's lunch box treats.  When I googled it hundreds and hundreds came up!!  I started reading through them all to find one that was both healthy and a little bit of a treat and I decided to combine what I thought were the best bits from two or three different recipes and hope for the best.  Who would have thought I'd be this brave and adventurous in the kitchen!??

Cake Ingredients:

300g peeled carrots
2 green apples peeled and cored
150g butter
100g rapadura or soft dark brown sugar
100g unrefined caster sugar (I made mine by whizzing raw sugar in the thermomix for 3 secs on speed 9)
3 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
180g plain flour

Method:

• Pre heat the oven to 150 degrees.
• Grate the apples and carrots for 5 seconds on speed 6.  Scrape the sides on the TM bowl down and grate fro another 2-3 seconds on speed 6.
• Put the grated apple and carrot into a separate bowl and using (clean) hands squeeze out the excess juices.  I discovered this little trick when cooking baby food finger food for Miss L.  Too much liquid will make the cake a bit too dense and soggy.

• Add the butter and sugars to the TM and beat for 30-40 seconds on speed 7 until light and fluffy.

• Scrape down the sides of the TM bowl and add the eggs.  Beat on speed 7 for 15 seconds or until fully incorporated.
• Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder and mix for 10-15 seconds on speed 7.
• Fold in the grated apple and carrot by mixing on speed 3-4 for 15-20 seconds.

•  Pour into a loaf tin lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for 50 minutes to an hour.  I decided against the muffins in the end and actually I think it was much better as a loaf cake.

It smelt amazing!!

Cream Cheese and Orange Icing:

This is the best bit, I think - it was sooooo yummy!!  I used a block or 250g cream cheese, 50g icing sugar and the juice and zest of 1 orange.

Firstly I put the orange zest into the Thermomix and whizzed it for about 1 minute on speed 9.  Keeping a little of it aside for decorating I then added everything else to the TM bowl and mixed it for 20 seconds on speed 6.

Spread over your (cooled) loaf and ENJOY!!!

You can also follow Mrs D plus 3 on facebook - twitter - instagram - Pinterest or sign up to my newsletter

Traffic Light Brownies

This is another idea that I saw somewhere - Pinterest I think, but I just can't remember exactly where it was!!  Anyway I thought it was a great idea - and I'm very sorry for not crediting it's original source.

I've decided to use a lovely Nigella Lawson recipe for the brownies (which I altered ever so slightly for the thermomix), so if you're on any form of diet - look away now!!

A quick trip to woolies for the ingredients with two very enthusiastic little helpers!

Ingredients

150g chocolate (I used dark chocolate)

150g butter

3 eggs

280-300g sugar (I used the lesser)

1 tsp vanilla essence

25g cocoa powder

130g plain flour

A large bag of smarties (or M&M's)

Prep and Method

• Set the oven to preheat at 160 degrees (NOT 180 degrees as I did without thinking and then had to wait for it to cool a bit).

• Line a 20cm baking tin with baking paper.

• Chop the butter and chocolate for 5 seconds on speed 5.  Scrape down the sides with a spatula.  

• Melt the chocolate and butter for 2 mins at 60 degrees on speed 1.   Don't worry if there are still bits of solid chocolate in there - as Nigella says "there is nothing better than finding a sneaky lump of chocolate in your brownie".

• Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence and mix if 5 seconds on speed 4.

• Add the flour and cocoa and mix again for 5 seconds on speed 4.

• Pour the mixture evenly into the tin (trying not to eat it in the process).

• Finally get your 'enthusiastic' helper to sort out all the Smarites into traffic light colours ready to decorate!  Bonus points if they can tell you what the colours mean!!

• Pop your beautiful brownie tray into the oven and bake it for 50mins.  Nigella says to take them out the oven 10 minutes early if you want your brownies to be a little bit gooey in the middle.  Which we did and they were DELICIOUS!!

The green Smarties seemed to turn yellow in the over - but no one seemed to notice!!

• Once cooled, cut up and serve (and again try not to eat them all at once).

How could you resist eating a Mojito?

Last Saturday was Australia Day - A wonderful day to celebrate all things Aussie.  We've only been living in Sydney for just under two years and have been blown away by how welcoming the Aussies have been, and of course how beautiful their country is.  So Happy Australia Day everyone and thanks for having us!

We were were invited to a BBQ and I was asked to do the dessert.  I decided to go against tradition and do a non-Aussie desert.  I'm really not a fan of lamingtons (sorry!) and we've only just had pavlova at Christmas time.

Santa brought me a beautiful book for christmas called "In The Mix, Great thermomix recipes" and there is one particular recipe that I have been dying to try out.  (I haven't been able to make it yet as there is far too much risk that I will just eat it all)

The Mojito Cheesecake

Picture taken from my 'In The Mix' Cook book.

I LOVE mojito's - every version of them!  They are my all time favourite cocktail and they always bring back lots of fabulous and hilarious memories of nights out with the girls (yeah - those old days!!).  

So this Australia Day BBQ seemed like the perfect time to test it out.  And it was just so DELICIOUS that I just had to share it with you!!!  It really really tasted just like a Mojito.  The flavours were so intense and every now and again you get a surge of delicious Mount Gay Rum in your mouth!  If you closed your eyes you could quite easily be on a beach in Barbados!

So here is the recipe..........

I had to sneak the rum from Mr D's secret stash!

Ingredients:

35g Butter

150g Digestive biscuites

100g light muscovado sugar (although I used the dark kind as it was all I could find)

10g mint leaves (plus a few extra to decorate)

80g of golden rum (I used Dark Mount Gay)

zest and juice of 3 limes

250g cream cheese

250g mascarpone

Start buy zesting the limes.  Place all the peel into the thermomix and whizz on speed 9 for 3-5 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and press the turbo button just once for added effect.  Set the zest aside in a separate bowl, and give the thermomix a quick rinse out (no need to wash it, a rinse will be fine).

The Base:  

Put the butter in the TM bowl and melt for 1.5mins at 80 degrees on speed 1.  Add the biscuites and chop them for 5 seconds on speed 6.  Scrape down the sides and chop for another 2 seconds on speed 6.  Empty the biscuit mix into either a flan dish or individual glasses.  Then flatten and compress it with the palm of your hand (clean of course).  Set it aside until the  cheesecake mixture is ready.

I've used a flan dish but you could use individual glasses

Cheesecake mixture:

Place the sugar and mint leaves into the TM bowl with 40g of water.  I found it quite difficult to weigh out 10g of mint leaves as they are so light, so I just threw in a handful of leaves.

 Heat them for 2 minutes at 80 degrees on speed 2.

With the TM lid open, add the rum, lime zest (except for a small handful which you will need to save for decorating), cream cheese and mascarpone into the TM bowl.  Close the lid and place the MC into the top.  Now squeeze all the juice from the limes onto the lid so that it can drip down without any pips or pulp falling through.  Then whizz it all together for 20 seconds on speed 6.

 Pour the mixture onto your biscuit base.

Decorate with a couple of mint leaves and the remaining lime zest.    Pop it into the fridge to set for a minimum of 2 hours.  It's best if you leave it overnight.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and you will be in heaven.  I wonder if I could turn all my favourite cocktails into desserts??????

Ice-cream cup cakes

I saw an idea on Pinterest to bake cupcakes inside ice-cream cones!  As baking cupcakes is Miss H's MOST favourite thing to do, I thought we could give these as go - as something a little different!!  Master J (who is not normally interested in baking) also thought they were a great idea

Now I'm sure you could get these little ice-creams looking far more professional and perfect if you used an icing bag and piped it on properly (and then stuck a sneaky chocolate flake in the side).  However, my kiddies though these were the bomb!!  They tasted pretty good too (not that I broke my diet to sample one *wink wink*).

I used a really easy peasy chocolate cake recipe with buttercream icing.  The recipe has been Thermomixed as I'm a hopeless cook without it.

EASY PEASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

120g butter
2 eggs
100g milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence
120g sugar
120g plain flour
30g coco powder (Cocoa)
2 tsp baking powder

First pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (in bold because I ALWAYS forget this part)

• Melt the butter in the thermomix for 3 minutes at 60 degrees on speed 1.
• Place all other ingredients into the thermomix bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 5.

You see.......  I told you it was easy!

yummy chocolate cake mix in less than 5 minutes

Very important to taste test

Next, pour the cake mix evenly into ice-cream cones.  (Obviously don't use the pointy ones).  Don't fill them all the way to the top - only about 3/4 as the cakes will rise in the oven.  This recipe will make about 12 ice-cream cones.

Place the cakes into the oven for approximately 20 minutes.  Give the thermomix a quick rinse by placing about 300g water into the bowl and mixing it on speed 10 for 20 seconds.  Now you're ready for the icing.

EASY PEASY BUTTERCREAM ICING

150g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbs milk
300g icing sugar (pre-made in the thermomix).

To make the icing sugar, place 300g of raw sugar into the Thermomix bowl and mill for 20 seconds on speed 10.  Scrape down the sides and mill again for another 10 seconds on speed 10.  *(When using thermo-made icing sugar it is not as white in colour as shop bought icing sugar - but it is much purer and better for you (if you can call sugar good for you).*

Add all other ingredients and blend for 20 seconds on speed 8.

I have made vanilla buttercream to make it look like ice-cream, but you could of course add a drop or two of any food colour to change the look!

All ready to decorate

The next bit is the fun bit and if you like things to be perfect (and like me, have a tiny bit of OCD), then I advise you now to step out of the kitchen and leave the kids to it!!

Make sure the cakes have cooled down completely before attempting the icing.  Buttercream will just melt if it is put on something too hot!

Such concentration

And there you have it!  Cup cake ice-creams!!  They really were delicious...

Christmas & New Year 2012. Love Instagram!

It seems my favourite App has caused a bit of controversy over the past few weeks with the threat of selling our photos without permission.  I was horrified when I first discovered it and I'm guessing the rest of its billion users were too!  After a huge public uproar they very quickly retracted their statement, promising that our photos will be safe!  I certainly hope so!!

I did think very seriously about closing my Instagram account and kept a close watch on what everyone else was doing (and to be honest I'm still a little undecided).  I love the App, not so much for the 'camera filers', as you can pretty much find hundreds of Apps to do that now, but more for it's social aspect.  It's pretty damn addictive.  So my solution for now is to create a watermark for Mrs D (currently in progress) to brand all my online photos.  Instagram - you have one more chance.  Don't let me down!!!

With that aside, here is our Christmas week (or two):

Master J and Curly the dog

We moved into a friends beach-side home for the two weeks over Christmas and New Year to 'house sit' and look after Curly the dog whilst they are away.  Even though it was literally 15 minutes down the road from where we live, it has felt like a real break and was just like being on holiday (except that I could pop home every time we needed something - perfect).

Taking Curly Houdini for an early evening walk

We've re-named Curly the dog, "Curly Houdini" the greatest escaping dog!  Mr D repaired at least 3 holes in the garden fence and he still managed to find his way out!  Luckily he had his name and number on his tag because every time the kids yelled " MUM! Curly's escaped again!!!!" we knew we'll get a phone call within half an hour to come and fetch him from somewhere!  We did have some major panic attacks the first few time he did a runner as we were supposed to be taking care of him and were wondering what on earth we would tell his mummy if we lost him???  However, we soon realised that most people in the neighbourhood were very used to a visit from Curly.  At about 9:30 on New Years Eve he did another disappearing act and we were all pacing up and down the street calling "Curly, Curly, Curly", when the call came saying that he'd been found at Curly (ironically) Beach, which was a couple of beaches down from us.  I think he just wanted to join in the party.  The couple who found him had had a few too many drinks to drive (as had we) so they sent him back to us in a taxi!!!

Swimming with my boy in the parent/child relay 

Master J finally managed to convince me to get into the water and race with him at swim club.  I think if I didn't some of the other mums (not naming any names) might have picked me up and chucked me in!!  I must admit I was a bit nervous before my race (it's been a loooooong while since I last swam any kind of distance).  I had last minute panics before I swam that I might not remember how to dive or that my boobs might fall out of my swim suit, or that I might belly flop!!!  (Not really the kind of things you want to happen with an audience).  Anyway I took a deep breath and dived in for my 50m swim and surprisingly, as I hit the water I found it quite exhilarating.  I sprinted the first 30 meters and then suddenly my fitness (or unfitness) levels kicked in and I felt myself huffing and puffing to the finish line.  I even managed to win!  The kids were SO thrilled that mummy won her race and it was an awesome feeling hearing them cheering from the sideline.

Miss L loving the water.  She's definitely going to be a water baby like her sister

Master J and his best mate having fun after doing their fantastic swim club races

A pre-Christmas sausage sizzle for the opening of the new Swim/Surf Club building.  Santa even arrived on a fire engine doing Gangnam Style

Some obligatory christmas baking.  The best Rocky Road ever!!

Miss L's first Christmas

The view from our 'holiday' house.  It really was spectacular

Boxing day movies (and a view)

Going for a long walk around the bottom of Long Reef Headland

Uh Oh - the quickest way to clear the beach

We were just chilling on the balcony having some lunch when Mr D spotted a helicopter, and then another, and then on the third sighting he jumped up and rushed off to get his binoculars (and he calls me a drama queen!!).  Whilst he and Master J were trying to work out what was going on, I got the lastet from Twitter that a there has been an attempted shark attack!  Master J was loving watching all the commotion (as was Mr D) and he kept shouting "Mum, I can see a fin!".  Great!!!! - I'm pretty glad I was on the balcony and not in the water.

No one seems to be worried about the shark today!

Beach babies 

I think this is my most favourite photo of 2012.  Caught purely by accident with my iphone.  

Me and my gorgeous girls

Look what I've started......

Watching the Dee Why fireworks from our balcony.  We had the best view in town

New Year's Day!  Nursing teeny tiny hangovers but loving the sunshine and some family time.  I couldn't have asked for a better start to 2013

Love those happy little faces