Little Box Brownie

A Baking Blog from Melbourne, Australia

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Chocolate Pudding for two

by 19 Comments



The winter months are slowly creeping in on us down here in Melbourne. I love winter time, I know most people find winter dull, and can’t wait for summer, but I think winter is snug and beautiful. That’s why two years ago I packed up and left Brisbane, to come to Melbourne so I could enjoy the seasons. I love coming in from the cold to a nice warm house. I would love to have a roaring, crackling fire to come home to, it seems such a romantic notion. My little heater will have to do for now. One day though, I’ll sit near a roaring fire eating this next recipe. Like a scene from a movie, a girl can dream!! Nom nom nom 🙂

 Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding
 
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup milk
50g melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
 
Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup hot water

Pre heat the oven to 180C

Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa into a bowl, add the sugar. Combine the milk, butter and vanilla essence together and add to the dry ingredients, stir until well combined. pour into a baking dish or frypan and spread the mixture out. Top the mixture with the brown sugar, cocoa powder and then pour over the water. Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes or until cooked.
 

 

Ginger & Walnut Slice

by 28 Comments

I have been looking for a recipe that includes walnuts and ginger for the longest time, well ever since one of my most loyal and devoted readers told me how good the flavour combo was. At Christmas time when walnuts are around she gets a big bag full and some crystallised ginger and eats the two together. She suggested I should use them together in a recipe, so G this one is for you!!!

I was at the Auckland Airport, having been told my plane was to be over 3 hours late!!! So I was at the airport for nearly 6 hours waiting. My brother and sister in law hung out with me for as long as they could and then had to go to put the little one to bed. So to kill some time I went to look at the magazine racks, and I stumbled upon a New Zealand Magazine, Taste, that had this next little recipe in it. The recipe in fact comes from Elizabeth Messenger who was a 1950’s cooking icon. I snapped the magazine up and settled myself into a corner with a coffee and was transfixed with this magazine until my plane arrive. If you can get your hands on Taste I would highly recommended it. I have even written to them to ask if I can get it anywhere in Oz. Oh by the way the flavour combo is fantastic.
Enjoy xxx
Sophia

 
Ginger and Walnut Slice
 
100g butter
100g brown sugar
2 egg yolks
170g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons of water (optional)
 
Meringue Topping
 
50g walnuts (chopped)
2 egg whites
100g brown sugar
70g crystallised ginger (chopped)
 
Preheat the oven to 150C
 
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the yolks one at a time beating after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and ginger into the bowl, and stir to combine. If the mixture is to dry and doesn’t come together to form a dough, add the water, and form a dough. Press the mixture into a lined 30x20cm tin and sprinkle the walnut over the top. 
To make the topping, place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk with and electric beater until soft peaks form. Slowly add the brown sugar while still whisking, whisk until the mixture is glossy. Fold in the ginger and smooth over the top of the base. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked, serve with a fresh pot of tea.

Ginger & Walnut Slice

by 21 Comments

I have been looking for a recipe that includes walnuts and ginger for the longest time, well ever since one of my most loyal and devoted readers told me how good the flavour combo was. At Christmas time when walnuts are around she gets a big bag full and some crystallised ginger and eats the two together. She suggested I should use them together in a recipe, so G this one is for you!!!

I was at the Auckland Airport, having been told my plane was to be over 3 hours late!!! So I was at the airport for nearly 6 hours waiting. My brother and sister in law hung out with me for as long as they could and then had to go to put the little one to bed. So to kill some time I went to look at the magazine racks, and I stumbled upon a New Zealand Magazine, Taste, that had this next little recipe in it. The recipe in fact comes from Elizabeth Messenger who was a 1950’s cooking icon. I snapped the magazine up and settled myself into a corner with a coffee and was transfixed with this magazine until my plane arrive. If you can get your hands on Taste I would highly recommended it. I have even written to them to ask if I can get it anywhere in Oz. Oh by the way the flavour combo is fantastic.
Enjoy xxx
Sophia

 
Ginger and Walnut Slice
 
100g butter
100g brown sugar
2 egg yolks
170g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons of water (optional)
 
Meringue Topping
 
50g walnuts (chopped)
2 egg whites
100g brown sugar
70g crystallised ginger (chopped)
 
Preheat the oven to 150C
 
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the yolks one at a time beating after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and ginger into the bowl, and stir to combine. If the mixture is to dry and doesn’t come together to form a dough, add the water, and form a dough. Press the mixture into a lined 30x20cm tin and sprinkle the walnut over the top. 
To make the topping, place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk with and electric beater until soft peaks form. Slowly add the brown sugar while still whisking, whisk until the mixture is glossy. Fold in the ginger and smooth over the top of the base. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked, serve with a fresh pot of tea.

Orange Blossom Pancakes

by 24 Comments

During my trip to New Zealand, my sister in law and I went to a fantastic little coffee shop, Atlas in Ponsonby, where we had some out of this world pancakes. We had only dropped in to have a coffee on our shopping expedition of Kitchen shops around the Ponsonby area. However when we saw the menu, well what can I say – it was destiny. We had to give the pancakes a try.
They where Orange blossom pancakes served with seasonal fruit and natural yogurt. Talk about yummy!
When I returned to Australia, I had to try and recreate the recipe, so went on the search for orange blossom water which is not as easy as you would think to find. I ended up finding some at a little turkish cafe/supermarket.
I couldn’t resist opening the bottle to have a smell on the way home, I was expecting a beautiful orange zesty smell, boy oh boy was I wrong, the stuff stinks, I mean it smells really, really bad. It smells like old ladies – kind of musty. Oh well I thought I spent $5 on this bottle I may a well see what its like. All the way through making the pancakes I was still unsure if I should use it as I wanted beautiful tasting pancakes, but I persisted, and I’m glad I did as the taste is subtle but slightly there and gives the pancakes a great orange taste, that the orange juice alone doesn’t give. So when you make them you may think you can leave out the orange blossom water, but don’t!! Consider yourself warned, or you won’t get the full flavour.
Orange Blossom Pancakes
 
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup juice from an orange
1 egg
60g butter (melted)
1 teaspoon orange water
1/3 cup of sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Butter to fry
 
Place the buttermilk, orange juice, egg, butter and orange blossom water into a bowl and whisk to break up the egg and combine the ingredients. Sift in the flour and baking soda and whisk until all the ingredients have combined and you have a thickish batter. 
Heat a non stick pan with a little butter, use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop up the mixture and pour into the saucepan, when the mixture starts to form little bubbles, flip it over, when cooked remove from the heat. Add a little more butter and repeat.
 
Makes 7 large pancakes