Pineapple Muffins

Pineapple Muffins

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 cup white sugar
4 tbsp. pineapple juice
I can pineapple rings
6 maraschino cherries
2/3 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Large muffin tray.
Grease the muffin tray with butter or margarine then sprinkle with a little white sugar.  
Drain the pineapple rings and place one at the bottom of each muffin cup with a cherry in the middle.
Blend the other ingredients together until the mixture is creamy, this takes about 1 minute.
place the batter in the cups but do not fill to the top as the batter will rise. Use about 2 thirds of the cup to leave enough room to expand.
Place in the pre-heated oven at 180C for about 25 minutes, check if cooked through and remove from the oven.
Turn the tray over onto a large platter or oven tray and the muffins should drop off the tray easily and perfectly. If you feel uneasy, you may use a knife along the edge of the cups before turning it upside down, but I have found they drop off easily.
You may dust them with icing sugar for a special touch.
These are light and delicious as well as beautiful and easy to bake.
Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie


Ingredients

• 1 baked blind* 9-inch pie crust
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• less than 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1-1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1-1/2 cups cold water
• 3 eggs, divided into yolks and whites
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Zest lemon over wax paper. Set aside. In a glass measuring cup, squeeze 1 lemon. Add extra lemon juice to measure 1/4 cup. Set aside.

In saucepan with a wire whisk, stir together 1 cup sugar and cornstarch. Slowly stir-in water until combined. Add egg yolks. Stir until completely combined.

Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in reserved lemon juice, zest and butter.

Carefully spoon hot filling into pie crust.

Make meringue by placing egg whites into a dry and clean bowl. Beat them with mixer on high until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Spread meringue evenly over lemon filling, but not on the crust.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate Lemon Meringue Pie for at least 3 hours prior to serving.

Makes one 9-inch Meringue Pie with 6 large to 8 medium pieces.

Carrot Cake


Ingredients
Cake
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) flour
2 level teaspoons (10 mL) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) ground cloves
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground nutmeg
1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar
2/3 cup (150 mL) sunflower oil
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups (600 mL) carrot shreds
3/4 cup (175 mL) walnut pieces

Frosting
1 lime
1 cup (250 mL) mascarpone
6 tablespoons (90 mL) butter
3/4 cup (175 mL) powdered sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
Directions
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter two cake pans. Blend the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl, then mix in the spices.
Using an electric mixer, mix the muscovado sugar, sunflower oil, and eggs until smooth. Fold in the grated carrots and walnut pieces, then add the dry ingredients until evenly combined.
Spoon the mixture into buttered pans and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Frosting
Juice the lime and lemon, then mix the mascarpone, butter, sugar, and the juices. Sandwich the cake layers together with 1/3 of the frosting. Spread frosting over the top of the cake and smooth it down the sides to cover completely.

Lemon Cheese cake

This is a seriously yummy cheesecake which is very easy to make. You can add fresh cream and preserved lemon rind to the top for a very impressive cake, but it’s really great as it is.

What you need

1/2 packet crushed tennis biscuits

125g butter

185ml castor sugar

1 tub cream cheese

60ml lemon juice

5 eggs separated

30g flour

30ml maizena

The process

Take a 20cm, loose bottom cake tin and grease well with butter on the bottom and sides. Toss in the crushed tennis biscuits, shake it around until the bottom is completely covered and press down lightly. Then place it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Mix the butter and castor sugar together, add the cream cheese, lemon juice and egg yolks and mix with an electric beater.
Add the flour and maizena and give it another good mix.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff(meringue consistency) and fold them into the mixture. You don’t want to mix them in; you just want to combine them with the mixture evenly using a metal spoon.
Remove the cake tin from the oven and pour in the mixture.
Place in a pre heated oven at 180 Celsius for 15 minutes; then reduce the temperature to 150 Celsius and bake for a further 40 minutes.
The cheesecake should now be golden and firm to the touch.
Let it cool before removing the sides and dusting with cater sugar or adding topping and decorations.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
5 1/2 cups chopped apples

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add the eggs, oil and vanilla, mix well. Add the nuts and apple, mix until all of the apples are evenly coated. Pour into a 9x9 inch pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Serve warm or cool.

Fat-Free Cheesecake

Base
80g Marie Biscuits – finely crumbed
80g Ginger snaps – finely crumbed
½ teaspoon cinnamon
60g melted butter or baking margarine

Cheesecake filling
750g fat-free smooth cottage cheese
3 egg whites (extra large eggs)
160ml Castor sugar
15ml lemon juice
5ml grated lemon rind
5ml vanilla essence
10ml rose water (optional)
2 tablespoons gelatine
¾ cup fat-free milk

Method
Mix together the crumbed biscuits and the melted margarine. Press into the base of a 23cm spring-form pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. With a hand beater, mix together the cottage cheese, castor sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla essence and rose water. Heat the milk to just before boiling point. Turn the heat off and whisk in the gelatine. Whilst beating, add the milk and gelatine mix to the cottage cheese mixture and mix well.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the rest of the mixture. Pour into the pan and leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Serve topped with mixed fresh berries or strawberries.
NB: Fat free without biscuit base.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

1 packet of chocolate digestive biscuits
90g butter, melted
500g creamed cottage cheese
1 can (385g) Nestle condensed milk
200g Nestle Easy melt chocolate – white, melted
250ml fresh cream
15ml gelatine
60ml water
100g Nestle easy melt chocolate – dark, melted

- Combine biscuit crumbs and butter, press into base of 23cm spring form pan, and refrigerate until firm.
- Beat creamed cottage cheese and Nestle condensed milk until smooth. Beat in melted white chocolate and then the cream.
- Combine gelatine and water and allow to stand a few minutes, then dissolve it over hot water.
- Beat gelatine into cheesecake mixture, spoon over crumb crust.
- Swirl dark chocolate through cheesecake mixture, refrigerate until firm.
- Serve in sliced wedges.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Setting time 2 – 3 hours
Serves 10