Louise Cake

This cake or slice as it is more like is one of our family’s favourites. It is so easy to make and guaranteed to disappear in no time. I generally double the mix. I have used raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry and apricot jams for this one. All are equally enjoyable.

4 ounces butter

2 ounces sugar

2 eggs separated

8 ounces flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar and add the egg yolks one at a time. Add flour and baking powder. Knead a little and press into a greased 8 or 9 inch shallow square baking tin. (A double mix fits perfectly into a Swiss roll tin or sponge roll tin. It can also be pressed to ½ inch thick on a greased baking tray. Spread with raspberry jam but not too thickly.

Topping:

Beat the egg whites till stiff and add ½ cup coconut and 1 cup of icing sugar (confectioners sugar). Spread this over the jam. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180^oC, 350^oF) for 30- 40 minutes. If doubling the recipe allow another 10-15 minutes. Cut into squares when cold.

Happy baking

Aussie Coffee Tea Cake

I am on a bit of an old fashioned dessert kick today. Here is an awesome old fashioned coffee tea cake recipe that I hope you will enjoy.

I will see what else I can dust off from the old files.

Happy baking!

Aussie Coffee Tea Cake

2 cups soft brown sugar

2 cups plain white flour

¾ cup butter or margarine

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 cup strong hot black coffee

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat your oven to 175^oC. Mix together the sugar, flour and butter or margarine until crumbly and well combined but not so much that it creams. Take 1 cup of the mixture out and reserve for the topping.

Dissolve the baking soda in the strong hot black coffee and add it to the flour mixture. Add the egg and vanilla essence.

Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 23 cm x 30cm x 5cm deep cake tin. Top with the reserved crumble mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes before removing and allow to cool. When cool, dust with icing sugar and serve at room temperature with tea or coffee

Grandma’s Easy Butter Pie

 

½ cup sugar

1 egg

1 large tablespoon butter

1 large tablespoon plain white flour

1 cup milk

1 x 23cm pastry lined deep pie dish

Cream the sugar, egg butter and flour together until they are light and fluffy. Add the milk and combine well ensuring that the ingredients are well combined and smooth.  Pour the filling into the prepared uncooked pastry, Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon depending on your taste and bake at 180^oC for 30 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and the filling has set.

Serve with fresh fruit or berries and fresh whipped cream.

Very Old Fashioned Dutch Apple Pie

6 – 8 apples

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Puff pastry

Streusel:

1/3 cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup + 2 tablespoons plain white flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter

½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 190^oC. Line a 23 CM pie plate with the puff pastry. Peel, core, and slice apples into a bowl and sprinkle over the lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning.

Mix all the dry ingredients except the chopped walnuts together in a bowl and cut in the butter with pastry blade or knife.  Add the chopped walnuts and mix to combine. Add ½ the mixture to the waiting lemon sprinkled apple slices and mix to coat.

Place the coated apple slices into the prepared pastry lined pie plate and then sprinkle the remaining streusel mixture on top. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the aluminium foil and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Serve hot warm or cold with either fresh whipped cream, custard or vanilla ice cream.