Upside Down Raspberry Syrup Cake

I once saw this made on Ready Steady Cook and have never looked back. This is a very sweet cake and when ever I make it, there are always lots of compliments.

The following recipe is for 2 small individual servings, but I usually double the recipe and bake it in a cake tin.


Ingredients
150g frozen raspberries
1/4 cup (55g) of packed brown sugar
60g butter
1/4 (55g) of caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 (50g) self raising flour
1/4 (60g) milk

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
2. Place raspberries in an oven proof dish (such as ramekins). Sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Cream butter and sugar in small bowl until light an fluffy. Fold in eggs, flour and milk until combined. If it is a bit runny, add a bit more flour.
4. Spread cake mixture over the raspberries.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Once out of the oven, take a butter knife and go around the edge of the cake to release it. Turn the dish (ramekins) upside down on to a plate and serve with cream or ice-cream.

*NOTE. The cake will take a good 40 minutes to cook if you double the recipe. I always add a bit more brown sugar than the recipe asks for, it produces more syrup once cooked.

Shepherd's Pie

This is now one of hubby's favorites since finding this recipe on the net. Its really quick to make and it covers us as a family of 3 for left overs for dinner the next night.

Ingredients for the meat base
20ml of Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Large Carrot, diced
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed (I have used garlic powder when I dont have any fresh on hand)
1 kg of raw mince
60gm of Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon of Flour
250ml of Chicken Stock
40ml Worcestershire Sauce
400g Tin of Crushed/Diced Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of frozen peas, or a mix of whatever you have on hand.

1. Heat oil in a large pan and add onion carrot and garlic and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
2. Add raw mince and increase heat until meat has changed colour.
3. Add tomato paste and flour and mix until combined.
4. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato's and salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid has reduced. You will need to stir occasionally.
6. Preheat oven to 210 degree Celsius
7. Stir in frozen vegetables to the meat mixture and pour into oven proof dish.
8. Top the meat base with mashed potato.
9. Sprinkle potato's with cheese.
10. Bake for 20 minutes.

*NOTE* This recipe is very versatile. I have omitted the carrots, as I didn't have any, and used pizza base sauce in place of the tomato paste, again my cupboard was lacking.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins

These are my favourite muffins. The contain my favourite chocolate, white, and one of my favourite fruits, raspberry. Of course you could substitute other fruits like blueberry, strawberry, blackberry etc. Or have a mix of a few berries.

Ingredients (see side panel for gram to cup and other conversions)
300g of Self Raising flour
150g of Caster Sugar
170g of Chopped White Chocolate
10ml of Lemon Juice
250ml of Milk
125ml of Oil
1 Large Egg
200g of Raspberries (I use frozen as they bleed less)

• Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (no fan).
• Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin paper cups.
• Whisk Lemon, Egg, Lemon and Milk until combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, Caster Sugar and White Chocolate.
• Stir in wet ingredients in, gently, until just combined (don't over mix).
• Now add the berries and give another quick gentle stir to combine ingredients.
• Don't worry if the batter is thick, it's supposed to be.
• Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full (you will have some left over for a smaller batch).
• Cook for 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven, or until a skewer comes out clean and the muffins are cooked.

Muffins can be frozen (if they last that long) but are best the day they are baked.

*NOTE* For those that have a reaction or intolerance to eggs, I have tried this recipe with an egg replacer and couldn't tell the difference, they were just as good

* I use a silicone muffin pan and I need to increase the cooking time slightly

To Kick Things Off

My newest project, my recipe blog. Until I get around to making an awesome looking recipe book (ideas are in my head, but I need to put them on paper), I thought it would be a good idea to start organising the recipes that I want to go into it. The second reason for starting this blog, is that my 'filing' system for my recipies is this

Im not so worried about the books, its the pile of paper that I have to search through evertime I want a recipe. Although I am going to have to go through the books to get my favourites out. I have become very good at judging approximatley where the one I want is. In my mind, its a highly aquired skill!

I know its not going to be an overnight thing, but check back when you can, you might just find something that tickles you fancy! All the recipes on here will have been tried by me, and I will try to add pictures so you can see what it really looks like.