Grandma’s Recipe – Apple Shortcake

I was blessed to know my wonderful Grandma into my early 20′s until she passed from Cancer. She was a Wife to a Sheep Farmer, a Mother to seven, a Grandma to 21 and by now would be a Great Grandma to lots & lots of Great Grandchildren!

She was very special to me and some of the fondest memories I have of her are baking and preparing meals for her family & grandchildren and I am delighted to have many of her recipes, passed on by my Mum who was her eldest daughter.

This is such a yummy recipe – so light and really easy to make. It is one of my favourites and I am sure it will become one of yours too!

Grandma’s Apple Shortcake

Ingredients

6 oz room temperature butter (170 grams)
1 teacup of sugar (delighted with this reference – I just use 1 Cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
3 Cups Flour
2 tsp cream of tarter
pinch of salt
Apple Filling = I use a pre-prepared can of Delish Apple Pie Filling

Method

Preheat Oven to 180C – 355F

Cream the butter and the sugar in a food mixer until pale

Add eggs and blend well, then sift the dry ingredients and combine until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl. (If you know me from this blog you know I never sift anything so up to you!)

Gently knead into a ball and fridge in gladwrap for 30 minutes (at least).

Roll out half of the dough on a well floured bench into desired shape and using rolling pin to carefully transfer the dough to the prepared greased dish and gently press in – trim off excess if needed.

Sprinkle a small amount of white sugar and cinnamon onto the dough and then spoon the apple mixture onto the base.

Repeat with the remaining dough – roll and gently lap on top of the apple mixture then gently press down – trim the edges until they are tidy.

Feel free to make a pretty pattern or simple marks with a fork for added effect once cooked.

Cook for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top

The most important aspect of cooking times for this recipe is that the bottom is cooked well – which is why I like to use a clear glass baking dish – the bottom needs to begin to brown. So if in doubt give it a few minutes longer so that it does not fall apart when you slice it.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing into squares, dust with icing sugar to serve.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This can easily be made into an Apple Pie – and is so so good with ice-cream, custard or cream! Simply add the dough to your favourite pie dish with the same method. Bake and serve while hot. Yum!

Thank you so much for stopping by to see this lovely recipe from my dear Grandma, have a look around while you are here for more Sweet Treats or Fun Activities for Kids.

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Enjoy! 🙂

Chocolate Weetbix Slice

This is such a quick easy recipe – and a great one for the kids to make on their own as they get older. Perfect for lunch boxes or to fill up the baking tins.

Ingredients

180g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup dessicated coconut
3 weetbix, crushed
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
(Optional, you can add raisins, chocolate chips or nuts to this for added flavour & texture)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (355F)

Melt the butter and add the vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients

Pour the melted butter into the dry ingredients

Combine well and press into a lined slice tray

Cook for 15-20 minutes until it begins to firm up.

Cool and ice with basic chocolate icing and sprinkle with coconut or chocolate sprinkles to finish. Cut the slice into portions and store in an airtight container.

Thank you for taking the time to check out this recipe. To keep up to date with all my recipes & fun kids activities you can register your email above left, or find me on Facebook or Twitter.

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Have a wonderful day 🙂

Grandma’s Recipe – Banana Cake

I was blessed to know my wonderful Grandma into my early 20’s until she passed from Cancer. She was a Wife to a Sheep Farmer, a Mother to seven, a Grandma to 21 and by now would be a Great Grandma to lots & lots of Great Grandchildren!

She was very special to me and some of the fondest memories I have of her are baking and preparing meals for her family & grandchildren and I am delighted to have many of her recipes, passed on by my Mum who was her eldest daughter.

This is one of the first recipes I made as an adult and continue to make often to this day always with her in my heart. Whenever bananas go past their best I pop them in the freezer – you can then get the bananas out a few hours before you need them, or you can even thaw them in the microwave if you are pressed for time – they don’t look great but they taste amazing in baking!

It is such a simple recipe and can be made into a cake or muffins, its lovely, light and moist and freezes well.

Grandma’s Banana Cake

Ingredients

4 oz butter (112g)
6 oz sugar (168g)
2 eggs
2 mashed bananas
2 Tbsp hot milk
1 tsp baking soda
8 oz flour (224g)
1 tsp baking powder

Method

Cream the butter  & sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and mashed banana and beat well.

Heat the milk in the microwave for 10-13 seconds until hot – then add 1 tsp baking soda and mix until frothy and add this to the mixture and blend well.

Add the flour and baking powder and mix well.

Put batter into a greased cake tin & cook – my memories are always of this being done in a round ring tin so that is what I always use, but any baking tin will do and I spray it with cooking spray to prepare it. Cook for 25-30 minutes at 200C (390F) Cake is done once a skewer or knife comes out clean.

Ice cake once cooled – store in airtight container. You can freeze the un-iced cake for up to 3 months.

Ice with any icing you desire – chocolate or vanilla is nice. I usually do my basic vanilla icing for this cake.

Basic Vanilla Icing

2 Cups Icing Sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp melted butter
Small amount water

Combine the icing sugar, vanilla & butter into a bowl and mix well. (Sift icing sugar if not smooth, or whisk to remove lumps) Carefully add a teaspoon of water at a time to the mixture until you get the desired consistency.

I hope you enjoy this simple but tasty recipe and it becomes a family favourite for you too. 🙂

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Have a wonderful day 🙂

St Patrick’s Day – Honey Rice Bubble Crunch

To be sure, To be sure, St Patrick’s Day is not far away! So we are turning things green in the name of celebration in our house!

This recipe is super quick and easy to whip up using my Honey Rice Bubble Slice Recipe, check it out Here

You can either use it as a slice or use cupcake cases for something fun for a party.

Ingredients

125g Butter diced
125g Sugar
2 Heaped TBSP Honey – I use clover honey
4 cups Rice Bubbles
Green Food Colouring

Method

In a large sauce pan gently heat the butter, sugar and honey over a low heat.

Be sure to scrape the sides occasionally so the sugar does not burn. Stir constantly to ensure it does not stick at the bottom until it begins to boil then with occasional stirring allow to boil for approx. 4 minutes. You will notice the colour and smell begins to change and the consistency becomes slightly sticky. Add your green food colouring at this stage – a few drops goes a long way.

Remove from the heat and add the Rice Bubbles and mix well. Pour mixture into a lined 20 x 20 slice pan and set aside or pop in fridge to cool.

Once almost cooled remove from pan and slice into desired size pieces. Alternatively use cupcake cases and spoon the mixture into them and set aside to cool – if you use a second spoon to scrape off the mixture you will save burnt fingers!

I hope you enjoy this fun easy recipe that has been modified for St Patrick’s Day. You can find me on Facebook to keep up to date with my yummy recipes and lots of fun activities for kids.

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Have a super day! 😀

Traditional Pancake Recipe

Today is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day so thought I would share this recipe which makes lovely light thin pancakes in no time at all. This is a basic traditional recipe – the no frills version from http://www.allrecipes.co.uk.

Ingredients

250g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
500ml milk
Knob of butter for frying

Choice of Toppings: Caster Sugar, Lemon, Maple Syrup, Golden Syrup, Whipped Cream etc

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl (Remember I never sift and they were fine!)

2. Break the eggs into a bowl and then add to flour

3. Pour in half of the milk and whisk briskly – using an electric handheld beater or food processor makes this step easier

4. Add the remaining milk and whisk until the batter is smooth

5. Heat an small pan over a low heat. Add a small knob of butter and swirl the pan to coat the bottom

6. Use a ladle to spoon the pancake batter into the pan, then tilt the pan to spread the mixture out evenly

7. As it sets, shake the pan to see if the pancake is loose, then flip it over with a palette knife. Cook the other side for 30 seconds -then shake again to see if it’s loose

8. Slide onto a warm plate, sprinkle over some sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice – then eat immediately!

9. Cook the rest of the pancakes, one at a time but remember to melt a small knob of butter before adding the batter

I hope you enjoy this lovely light pancake recipe. Remember to follow me on Facebook or Twitter to keep up to date with more lovely recipes & fun kids activities too!

Have a wonderful day 🙂

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Buttercream Icing Recipe – Step by Step

I thought I would share a more step by step process for making buttercream icing – there are many recipes out there but there are a few tips & tricks that make it easier and once you have made it a few times it’s easy to get the hang of!

Disclaimer – I am Just a Mum! I am no expert and have learnt what I know from making my kids birthday cakes not culinary school! There are plenty of other experts around for you to look at, this is just my take on it! 😉

When I was making sure my recipe was the same as others out there I noticed that there are many variations to quantities, so this is my recipe I have always used but the processes are the same regardless of what amounts you prefer.

I used standard butter here but I often use vegetable shortening from our local kitchen store Chef’s Complements if I need the icing to be pure white as our butter here in NZ means the icing still retains a creamy/yellowy colour at best.

The first tip is that you will need either an electric hand beater, food processor or food mixer for best results. You need to really whip the butter to get it creamy and pale and its near impossible to do it by hand.

Ingredients

125g softened butter
1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar (you are supposed to sift I never do!)
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla
Food Colouring

I recommend using the best icing sugar you can find – some brands are definitely better than others and will effect the outcome. Also you use imitation vanilla essence but you will need to use more for flavour than a quality vanilla. Taste as you go for the flavour you prefer.

Soften the butter in the microwave in short bursts to get it to just softened stage, not melted, 10 seconds at a time.

Add the butter to a large bowl and begin to blend on high until it begins to go pale and creamy – approx. 2-5 minutes

Add half of your icing sugar and mix well again for at least 60 seconds – I find by adding this first portion of icing sugar and mixing it allows me to get a paler colour as the mixing blades have more to work with.

Add the last measure of icing sugar, milk, vanilla and food colouring. I doubled the recipe today so I added the icing sugar in 3 stages, adding milk to the last two stages. Continue to add food colouring a few drops at a time until you get the desired colour. Try not to overmix too much once all ingredients are together to avoid overly aerated icing.

Once the colour and consistency is right prepare your piping bag.

There are so many piping bag sets available, you can buy them for only a few dollars to more expensive brands, and even reusable ones are available at supermarkets – with a bit of practise I find it’s easier to pipe decorations onto a cake than it is to try and get smooth icing!

I usually use a plate to practise on before I ice onto the cake – this allows me time to get the feel of how to hold the bag – and also make sure I am happy with the tip I am using, try out a few different ones to see which one you like the best. Today I wanted to try something I have not done before with my Magical Orange Cake, I see all the errors but really I am sure it looks ok! Icing is pretty forgiving and you can always scrape bits off or just do your best and no one will be the wiser.

When icing with a piping bag make sure you twist the top tightly and that no air is trapped in the bag and that you have a firm grip on the bag itself – there are lots of tutorials on YouTube for easy fancy ways to decorate so check them out!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask and I will see if I can help.

I hope you have enjoyed this Just a Mum ‘How To’ – icing kids cakes is such a simple way to delight them on special occasions.

Thanks for checking out my recipe today – you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter for more recipes & fun kids activities. Invite your friends along too!

Have a great day and happy icing! 🙂

Crunchy Lemon Muffins

I really enjoy this recipe – super quick to make up and results in lovely moist lemony muffins with a tasty crunchy top. I got the recipe & lemons from my Mum and Dad so that is even better! Lovely warm or cold and can be frozen also.

Ingredients

2 Cups self raising flour
1 Cup white sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
100g butter, melted
1 Cup milk
2 large eggs

Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup white sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 200C (390F).

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl.

In the second bowl mix together the melted butter, milk & eggs.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid ingredients into this. Lightly fold ingredients together until the flour is dampened. Do not over mix.

Spoon into well greased muffin tins and bake for 10-15 minutes.

While the muffins cook, mix the lemon juice and the second measure of sugar (do not dissolve the sugar). As soon as the muffins have been removed from the tins, brush them with the lemon juice topping.

Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container once cooled.

Makes 12 muffins.

I hope you enjoy this easy Crunchy Lemon Muffin Recipe.

You can find more lovely recipes in the page above titled Sweet Treats and follow me on http://www.facebook.com/justamumnz for updates of my recipe & fun activity posts.

😀

Weekend Brunch – Pikelets Recipe

I am sure every Kiwi has the Edmonds Cookbook and the Pikelet Recipe but thought I would share this one for my US friends & those where Pikelets are just an odd sort of pancake!

Pikelets are traditionally served with berry jam & cream – but honestly you can use any topping or spread you like – my kids will even use honey & peanut butter! They are thicker & smaller than pancakes and often served cold – although I try to keep mine a little warm and serve straight away – but you can also pop them in an airtight container to serve later in the day.

This is such a simple recipe & takes no time at all to whip up.

Ingredients

1 Cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup Milk

Method

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl (worth nothing I never sift anything – so it all goes in and a quick whisk is the best it gets!)

In another bowl beat egg and sugar until thick – I use my handheld electric beater but a food mixer or strong arm on a whisk will do the same thing.

The sugar & egg should form ribbons off the beater & be thick and pale in colour

Add this mixture with the milk to the sifted ingredients and mix until smooth. I then pour the mixture into a jug to make pouring the pancakes onto the pan easier.

Cook Tablespoonsful on a hot greased girdle (*see below for random fact) or non stick frying pan – I sometimes use a small amount of butter on a kitchen paper towel to lightly grease or cooking spray. Turn Pikelets over when bubbles start to burst on the top surface.

Cook both sides until golden. What I do next is something my Mum always did – not sure where she got the idea from! But I always lay a tea towel on a plate in half and lift the tea towel to add the pikelets to and cover again to keep them warm.

Serve the pikelets with a lovely berry jam and whipped cream – or maple syrup, marmite & peanut butter for the less posh amongst us!

Feel free to add crazy faces with sultanas or chocolate chips!

This recipe makes 8-10, I usually double it. Great recipe to add food colouring too if you are needing green something for St Patrick’s Day!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have since I was a little girl.

(*) So a girdle – I had to double check my recipe – surely the mean griddle??? But no apparently not – in Scotland its called a girdle, in Ireland its a griddle & the Welsh call it a bakestone – well that’s what Google told me so what do you call it??

For more recipes & fun ideas for kids I would love for you to head over to My Facebook Page and hit LIKE – I upload something most days and would love to share with you more of my families ideas.

Hope you have a wonderful day, let me know how you get on with this recipe in the comments below – if you cannot see the comments – open the post & they should appear!

Enjoy 😀

Top Deck Chocolate Slice

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I have seen this recipe for a brownie using Cadbury Top Deck Chocolate in so many places online recently so had to try it! I was assisted today by my lovely Junior Chef Miss Six so it is an easy recipe for the kids to help with as well. ❤

It results in a chewy yummy brownie type slice that is really easy. You can easily replace the Top Deck with any other chocolate you like – the white chocolate gives a lovely contrast to all the dark chocolateyness of the brownie – or you could add nuts or just plain white chocolate – it is a versatile recipe.

Ingredients

220g block Cadbury Top Deck Chocolate
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
½ cup shredded coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚C (355F). Line a slice tin with baking paper.

Chop up chocolate and set aside.

In a bowl add the dry ingredients and mix well.

Then add the condensed milk & chocolate and blend well.

The mixture once blended is super sticky & thick! So expect this, it’s totally normal but a bit odd! Just scoop it into the prepared slice tine.

Bake in oven for 20-22 minutes, I needed longer as mine was in a smaller tin and thicker so test it and use your judgement. When cool cut and dust with icing sugar.

I hope you enjoy trying this decadent treat. Let me know how you get on with the recipe.

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Thanks for stopping by 😀

Strawberry Jelly Mousse Delight!

How gorgeous does this look! I have been wanting to try this ever since I saw it here at Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart a few weeks ago. Of course me being me I have turned in into a more Kiwi dessert with what I have in the cupboard! It is so simple, cheap & good for the waist line!

The best bit about this recipe is you can make it with standard jelly & instant pudding (mousse) or quite easily change the ingredients with Weight Watchers or sugar free desserts!

Today I have made it with Weight Watchers products and the results are great!

Ingredients

1 pkt Jelly (Jello 85g or 3oz)
2 pkts Instant Pudding or Mousse (made according to packet directions)
Milk – for the instant pudding, skim or full cream depending on preference
Strawberries or Raspberries

Method

Find wine glasses with stems that ensure they sit at the right angle in your chosen container – my tall pretty wine glasses were not quite right so the ones I chose were perfect – have a play and nowhere does it say they have to match! 😉

After checking out my cupboard I decided that ice-cream containers provided the perfect angle to set the glasses in, but you may choose a cake tin or even a shoe box! Whatever makes life easier for you and your fridge!

Make the jelly according to the packet directions, and add to this sliced strawberries.

Tilt your glass on an angle and add the jelly strawberry mixture and pop the glasses into the container. Carefully carry this to the fridge and cool for 2-4 hours or until well set. You could easily do this part in the morning before work or taking the kids to school and make the mousse later in the day.

Once jelly has chilled completely prepare your instant dessert/mousse according to the packet instructions.

Pour into the chilled jelly glasses and cool for 1 hour or until set.

To finish it off complete with a swirl of whipped cream (lite if being good!) and top off with some sliced strawberries & a little mint if you want to be super fancy!

How pretty does this look for something so simple.

A lovely easy Valentines or special occasion treat. You of course can make a mousse from scratch if you so desire or any other method you choose.

My valentines were 9 & 6 years old and they gave it the BIG thumbs up!

Enjoy 🙂

For other Valentines inspired recipes check out my Jelly Sugar Cookies or my popular Jelly Roll Ups

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Thanks for taking the time to check out my recipe today 🙂