Lyne’s Slice Recipe

by Vikki White

Lyne’s Slice

180g Cashew nuts

85g Copha

180g Glace cherries

1 Teaspoon Instant coffee

225g Dark chocolate button melts

¾ Cup desiccated coconut

Festive chocolate slice, so easy to make.

Festive chocolate slice, so easy to make.

  1. Grease an 18cm square slice tin.
  2. Chop Copha roughly and place in a heatproof bowl with the chocolate buttons.  Place bowl over a gently simmering pot of water ensuring that no water gets in contact with the chocolate or it will seize (harden).  Stir in coffee gently with a metal spoon, and remove from heat when completely melted.
  3. Pour half of the chocolate mixture over the base of the slice tin.
  4. Combine nuts, cherries and coconut in a bowl and sprinkle over the chocolate in the tin then pour the remaining chocolate mixture over the top.
  5. Cover and cool in the fridge.
  6. Cut into small squares with a hot knife just before it is set.

Lyn’s Slice

by Vikki White

Dot’s sponge cake was a bit tricky, but I think I have mastered it now…only took me three tries at it!  I had to do a bit of research but I stuck with the original recipe and it tastes delicious.  I am not sure it looks or tastes the way Nan’s did, I am convinced there is something else she did that she didn’t write down.  What I discovered was 1. Sift your flours three times 2.Use room temperature eggs 3. Use a metal spoon to fold the flour into the egg mixture and 4. DO NOT open the door during cooking.  Worth the effort for a lovely cake!

Cherries, chashew nuts, chocolate...what more could you want?

Cherries, chashew nuts, chocolate…what more could you want?

 

The next recipe I have found is Lyn’s Slice.  She has noted on the top of the handwritten page “very nice”.  It feels a little bit festive with glace cherries and nuts so I will give it a go over the weekend.  Next week I am going to try a Christmas cake and I will reveal the recipe for the best Christmas Gravy ever and Mums yummy Turkey stuffing!

Vikki xxx

Dot’s Sponge Recipe

by Vikki White
OK it's not so pretty to look at but it tasted delicious!

OK it’s not so pretty to look at but it tasted delicious!

Dot’s Sponge

5 Eggs at room temperature

¾ of a Cup of castor sugar

¾ Cup of Kream cornflour

½ Teaspoon of Bi-Carb Soda

½ Teaspoon of Baking Soda

3 Teaspoons of Plain flour

1 Teaspoon of Self raising flour

 

  1. Grease 2 deep 20cm round cake tins and line the bases with baking paper and preheat oven to 180C.
  2. Sift Cornflour, Plain and Self raising flours with Bi-Carb soda and baking powder together three times.
  3. With an electric mixer beat eggs and gradually add caster sugar, continue beating on medium/high for about six minutes.
  4. Gradually add flour mixture and gently fold in with a metal spoon until just combined.
  5. Divide mixture evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until cakes start to shrink away from the sides of the tin.  Do not open the door during the cooking process or the cakes will sink in the middle.  Cool in the tins for 5 minutes then turn out on to wire racks to cool completely.
  6. Sandwich the two cakes together with whipped cream and raspberry jam and top with passionfruit icing made from about 1 ½ cups pure icing sugar mixed with 2 -3 tablespoons of tinned passionfruit pulp.

Granny Salad

by Vikki White

Nan’s famous Granny Salad is definitely a favorite in my house and often requested when I go to BBQ’s and offer to bring a salad. It is one of those things that she never wrote down the recipe for but it was made for any occasion and it was expected at most dinners at Nan’s.  I think this recipe came from Nan’s Granny, and that’s how it got it’s name.  I do remember her telling me once that she used to make it every Sunday when they went to Nanna Bell’s for lunch.  All I know for sure is that everybody loves it, and, as I have discovered, we all make the dressing slightly different.  So I will give you the basic formula and you can change it to suit your taste.  Thanks to Aunty Cheryl, Mum, Jenn and Wendy for sharing their recipe’s with me.

Vikki xxx

Granny Salad

Pour dressing over salad and serve immediately!

Pour dressing over salad and serve immediately!

4 Eggs hard boiled and cooled

About ¼ of a cup sugar

About ¼ of a cup malt vinegar

About 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

About ½ a cup of cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Iceberg lettuce shredded

Sliced Tomatoes, cucumber and onion (red or salad onion work best)

  1. Shred lettuce and place in a shallow salad bowl and layer sliced tomato and cucumber on top. Add onion and top with sliced egg whites.
  2. For the dressing, place crumbled egg yolks, sugar, vinegar, mustard, cream and salt and pepper into a container with a lid and shake well.  Taste and adjust to suit.
  3. Pour over salad and serve immediately.

Dot’s Sponge

by Vikki White
Definitely a well used recipe!

Definitely a well used recipe!

The Mexican Wedding Cookies were a bit of  challenge, but after the third batch I finally got them right!  They are very much like a shortbread biscuit but a little bit fancy!  Does anyone know why they are called Mexican Wedding Cookies?

I am currently testing all the different Granny Salad recipe’s trying to find the best one to post, but this is a difficult task because even my three girls like the dressing slightly different….leave it with me, I will get back to you on that one.  Meanwhile I am going to make Dot’s Sponge and I am going to make passion-fruit icing and fill it with yummy whipped cream.

Vikki xxx

Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe

by Vikki White
Just a bit fancier than a shortbread!

Just a bit fancier than a shortbread!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

250g butter softened

2 cups sifted icing sugar

1 cup walnuts

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

  1. Preheat oven to 180c
  2. Place flour, walnuts, cinnamon into a food processor with a pinch of salt.  Process until nuts are finely chopped then set aside.
  3. Beat the butter and 1 cup of icing sugar in an electric mixer until pale then add the vanilla and the flour/nut mixture.  Beat until a soft dough forms.
  4. Roll the dough out on to a lightly floured workbench, divide into two and gently work it into two 3cm wide logs.  Cut each log into 10 pieces and roll into balls.
  5. Place on lined baking trays 3cm apart and bake for 20 mins or until lightly golden.  Cool slightly.
  6. Place the remaining 1 cup of icing sugar in a separate bowl.  Once the cakes are just cool enough to handle, place them in the bowl with the icing sugar and toss them to coat.  Cool completely on a wire rack then toss again in the icing sugar.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

by Vikki White
Not much to go on, but I'll work it out! I hope...

Not much to go on, but I’ll work it out! I hope…

The Lemon Cake was really lovely especially with loads of double cream!  The kids didn’t like it so much and are nagging me to make something chocolate…..all in good time, I say!  I found this recipe for Mexican Wedding Cookies and thought I’d give it a go over the weekend.

After many requests, next week I am going to make Nan’s famous Granny Salad.  This recipe is not written down anywhere and I think we all have slightly different ways of making it.   Mum, Cheryl, Jenn, Wend, if you have 5 minutes, jot down your Granny Salad recipe and post in the ‘comments’ after this post and we’ll compare recipes!  Does anyone know why we call it Granny Salad and where the recipe originally came from?

Vikki xxx

Lemon Cake Recipe

by Vikki White
Syrupy Lemon Cake

Syrupy Lemon Cake

Lemon Cake

115g caster sugar

115g butter

115g self-raising flour

2 Eggs lightly whisked

Juice and rind of one lemon

½ cup sugar

 

  1. Preheat oven to 160c
  2. Cream butter and caster sugar and slowly beat in eggs
  3. Add flour and lemon rind and mix well
  4. Pour into a greased and lined loaf tin
  5. Cook for 20 – 25 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly
  6. Meanwhile place lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes until sugar dissolves.  Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 more minutes until thick and syrupy.
  7. Pour the syrup over the cake while still hot and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin
  8. Serve with double cream
Emma likes her cake with lots of cream and blueberries

Emma likes her cake with lots of cream and blueberries

Approved by my official spoon licker!

Approved by my official spoon licker!

Lemon Cake

by Vikki White

Mum’s first slice is really lovely, thanks to Ros and Rob for being wonderful guinea pigs!  Mum is pretty sure Nan got this recipe from her Mum who was Lillias Annie Broomhall.  Maybe this was the first recipe Nan got from her Mum, we’ll never know, but it is nice to think this recipe has been handed down from my Great Grandmother!  We know she baked this slice often, maybe it reminded her of her Mum.

Lemon Cake

Lemon Cake

I have lots of nice lemons on the tree at the moment so my next recipe is a Lemon Cake. This recipe is written in Nan’s lovely handwriting and has some direction with it so hopefully I can do it justice.  Will post results soon.

Vikki xxx

Mum’s First Slice Recipe

by Vikki White
Yummy with a cup of tea!

Yummy with a cup of tea!

Mum’s First Slice

I cup self-raising flour

¾ cup mixed fruit

½ cup castor sugar

115g butter melted

I tablespoon of golden syrup

1 Egg

1/3 cup coconut

  1. Mix all ingredients together
  2. Press into a slice tray and cook at 170c for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown
  3. Cool on a wire rack
  4. This slice is lovely on its own or with zesty lemon icing