Citrus Slice

Recipe and Images by Yasmin

I have modified a slice recipe to accommodate my love of citrus flavours; producing Citrus Slice. This is a delicious slice to share amongst friends for afternoon tea.

Ingredients:
For base and topping:

• 1 cup SR flour
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 100g butter
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tblsp milk

For filling:

• 100g butter
• 1 lemon, grated rind and juiced
• 1 orange, grated rind and juiced
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method:
For base, mix the sifted flours and sugar in bowl. Grate in cold butter, then rub it in until it resembles rolled oats. Make a well in the centre and add the lightly beaten egg. Add just enough milk so that the particles will stick when pressed, making a dough. Press 3/4 of this over the bottom of the pan, keeping the rest in the fridge to crumble on top.
For filling, melt butter on stove on a medium-sized pot. Take off heat. Mix in the grated lemon rind and juice, grated orange rind and juice, sugar and eggs, then heat again, stirring constantly, until first bubbles form. Pour it evenly over the base and crumble remaining dough mixture on top.
Heat oven to 180'C and bake slice for 35- 45 minutes, until golden brown, with centre almost as firm as the edges. Remove from loose bottomed pan. When cool, dust with icing sugar (optional).

Orange Creme Caramel

Recipe from Women's Weekly Barbecue Cookbook

Images by Amanda and Yasmin

This is a yummy dessert with an interesting texture. It is not as hard as a cheesecake but not as soft as custard. This dessert has double points for me because it is a citrus flavoured dish; however, it looses points because it is a very subtle flavour of citrus orange - and I love a strong citrus flavour. However, if you have a pallet similar to my sisters, you will love the infusion of orange you taste with each bite. It seems as though you might taste the orange but then as you grasp for the flavour it slips out of reach until another bite is taken. I served this dessert on Boxing Day and everybody loved it.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar, extra
• 300ml jar thickened cream
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp grated orange rind

Method:

Combine sugar, lemon juice and water in pan, stir over low heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, do not stir. Boil rapidly, uncovered, until syrup turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour the syrup into an 18cm round cake tin.

Lightly beat eggs and extra sugar together. Heat cream, milk and orange rind until hot, whisk into egg mixture. Strain mixture into tin, place in baking dish with hot water to come halfway up side of tin. Bake in moderately slow oven 45-50 minutes or until set. Remove from water, cool, refrigerate overnight. Turn onto serving dish, decorate with cream and orange segments if desired. Serves 6.

Orange Cake Bites

Recipe and Images by Yasmin

I was so excited about preparing this sweet snack because I invented the recipe. What gave me this idea was founded by my mother for two reasons. One, I was originally baking a cake for her birthday and it turned out as a flop - but it still tasted fantastic, too good to waste. Which leads to reason number two, I saved the cakes and turned them into little balls of goodness, as my mother suggested. To do this I gathered a basic idea for additional ingredients from an ancient and falling apart cookbook (which is no longer in print!), called Nmaa Cooks.

This recipe was an experiment but turned out to be a success! Remember that you can always salvage previous errors in cooking, the bin doesn't need to be fed!! Another example of a way to salvage this cake catastrophy would be to make a triffel, but if you decide to do this be sure that the cake is spongy enough and not a complete flop (like mine!). I encourage everyone to have a go and see what you can do with a bit of a mess, have fun! HINT: Make sure with this recipe that the mixture isn't sloppy or too moist, otherwise it will fall apart. If it is too moist then simply add more almond meal or, if none is left, and enough quick cook oats and oatbran to allow the mixture to stick firmly together.

Ingredients:

For cake pieces:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups plain flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk 

For snack mixture:

• 470g orange cake (made from ingredients above and method below)
• 100g sugar
• 115g almond meal (more if needed)
• 2 tblsps hot apricot jam
• 1-2 tblsps orange juice
• rind of half an orange
• desicated coconut, to coat
• oatbran and/or quick cook oats (if needed to combine mixture)

Method:

For Cake: cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, in a large glass bowl. Slowly add whole eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix flour with baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed ingredients, while alternatively adding milk. Grease and flour two round cake tins and evenly divide mixture between both. Cook in an oven at 180'C fan-forced for 20-30 minutes (longer if needed). Remove from oven and turn onto wired racks to cool. Then refridgerate for at least one day.

For snack mixture: Use hands to crumble cake mixture into a big bowl, until it looks like bread crumbs. Using a wooden spoon, combine sugar, almond meal and orange rind to the cake. Stir in jam and juice until thoroughly combined. At this stage if mixture is too sloppy or moist add as much oatbran and quick cooking oats as required, until firm. In spoon fulls, roll mixture into balls and then roll in desicated coconut to coat. Place balls into a tupperwear container and refrigerate for 24hrs until hardened.

Orange and Lime Cheesecake

Recipe from Favourite Muffins, Biscuits, Cakes and Slices
Image by Yasmin

(Serves 8)
I am very proud of my efforts with this cheesecake because it is the first cheesecake I have ever made. During  the process I faced a few speed bumps, but all turned out well in the end. So you don't worry while baking this cheesecake I shall tell you my hicups and how to over come them. Firstly, when you press the biscuit base into the removable base make sure that it climbs a little up the sides of the tin - otherwise once you have poured in the cheesecake mixture it will start leeking out the sides!!! If this does begin to happen - as it did with me - place the tin on to a baking tray and then into the oven. In this way it will have something pressing on the base so the leeking stops. Secondly, don't worry if the mixture seems really runny once everything has been added, if you are concerned add a little bit more cream cheese, condensed milk and cream. Once it has cooked it will set and become firm. Thirdly, after folding in the whipped cream the cheesecake mixture seems very lumpy, when it doesn't appear lumpy in the photo provided. Once again don't freak out, it is meant to look like that at this stage. While it is cooking the cream seems to melt, spread out and blend in with the rest of the mixture. Lastly, if the cheesecake starts to get dark spots on the top where it has overcooked, and the rest is not yet firm, simply rotate the tin in the oven and try to forget about it!!! Keep in mind that you can't get it perfect first time everytime, even if it doesn't look exactly as it does in the picture, remember it will still taste fantastic all the same! Good Luck!

Ingredients:
For Base:

• 1 cup plain sweet biscuits, crushed
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

For Filling:

• 3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 tblsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
• 3 tsps orange juice
• 3 tsps lime juice
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tblsp double cream, whipped

• desicated coconut, toasted, to decorate
• whipped cream, to serve 

Method:

For base, place biscuits and butter in a bowl and mix to combine. Press the bisuit mixture over the base and up the sides of the well-greased 23cm flan tin with a removable base. Bake for 5 - 8 minutes at 180'C fan-forced, then cool.

For filling, place the cream cheese, sugar, orange and lime zests and juices in a bowl and beat until creamy (may start to get lumpy here due to cream cheese). Beat in the egg, then mix in the condensed milk and fold in the cream (large lumps will form). Pour the filling into the prepared biscuit case and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or unti ljust firm. Turn the oven off and cool the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar. Chill before serving., Serve decorated with the toasted coconut and cream.

Orange and Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from Favourite Muffins, Slices and Cakes
Images by Yasmin
(makes approx. 12-16)

The smell of this muffin in the oven began a frenzy around my house. Everyone was asking what I was baking, but due to the sweet sent on oranges, they had already half guessed; Orange and Blueberry Muffins. Only recently have I begun to expand my selection of recipes to muffins. This was because my mother had always warned me when we ate coffee and cake together in the shops that the selection of cakes and muffins can often be dry; something she couldn't stand. For this reason I tended to stray away from muffins because I knew she didn't particularly like them. Now that I am a more confident cook I am happy to spend the whole weekend baking muffins, cakes and slices to my hearts content and not worry about over-cooking. I really enjoyed this muffin and am soon going to make a classic dessert in muffin form; Sticky Date Muffins! My stomach is already rumbling!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 orange
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 125g butter, chopped
• 1 egg
• 185g plain flour
• 170g caster sugar
• 1 tsp bi-carb soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 125g frozen or fresh berries

Method:

Preheat oven to 200'C fan-forced. Peel the rind from the orange, remove all pith, and cut the rind into small pieces. Remove membrane and seeds from orange and cut the orange into segments. Place orange rind and segments, orange juice, butter and egg in a food processor and process until well combined (mixture will curdle). Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Sift together flour, sugar, bi-crab soda, baking powder and salt, add to orange mixture and lightly mix. Batter should be lumpy. Fold in the berries. Divide batter between 12-16 greased muffin tin, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 180'C fan-forced until cooked and golden. Cool on wire racks. Serve.

Whole Orange Cake

Recipe from Super Food Ideas
Images by Renata and Yasmin

(serves 12)

The first time this cake was made in our household it was prepared by my mother. I watched intricately as she showed me the important steps preparing this cake; you must boil the oranges whole, with skin, twice. This is done to remove the bitterness of the orange and softening the peel and pitch; leaving a sweet taste for the cake. I have now successfully, as my friends told me, made a replica of this cake - following my mum's example. Everybody enjoyed devouring this cake at afternoon tea along with a wide collection of my favourite recipes; Gooey Caramel Muffins, Rum Balls (which will sadly not feature in this blog as it contains chocolate) and Scones (an old family recipe). Everybody always has a great time when surrounded by friends, family and great food!

Ingredients:

• 2 small (400g) oranges
• 125g butter, melted
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups SR flour, sifted
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
• Orange zest to decorate

Orange Icing:

• 1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
• 10g butter
• 2 tblsp orange juice

Method:
Preheat oven to 160'C fan-forced. Grease a 24cm (base) fluted ring pan (as seen below).

Place oranges in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Drain. Cover with cold water. Return to the boil. Drain. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Roughly chop oranges in quarters. Remove and discard seeds. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Stir  in butter, milk, eggs, flour, sugar and almond meal until combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in cake comes clean. Stand cake in pan for 10 minutes. Use a knife to lightly cut around the edge and middle to separate cake from edges of the tin. Turn onto wire rack and cool.

To make icing: Place sugar, butter and orange juice in a heatproof bowl  over pan of simmering water (bain marie). Stir for 5 minutes or until smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over cake. Top with orange zest. Stand for 15 minutes or until set.

Orange Jelly Cupcakes

Recipe and Image from Super Food Ideas

I have never made or tasted something quite like this before. The technique in soaking the cupcake in jelly without making it fall apart is difficult, but achievable. This idea and texture is interesting and tasty. The cupcake essentially falls apart in one's mouth, releasing a wave of orange flavour; something truly sensational. I strongly recommend decorating this cupcake half an hour before serving as it is a food that cannot be stored for many days due to the risk of mold and bacteria. Despite this factor this is a really simple and tasty treat for all to enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Basic Muffin recipe, using only 2 eggs (see Gooey Caramel Muffin Post)
• 85g packet of orange jelly crystals
• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• 300ml thickened cream, whipped
• silver  cachous, to decorate (optional)

Method:
Bake the basic muffin recipe in cupcake form. Meanwhile, prepare jelly following packet instructions. Refrigerate for 20 minutes only. Place coconut in a bowl (only a little bit at a time - the jelly wets it). Dip one cupcake in the jelly mixture, to coat. Roll in coconut. Transfer to serving plate. Repeat with rmaining cakes, jelly and coconut. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cut a small wedge i the topp of each cake. Discard wedge. Spoon cream into holes. Decorate with cachous. Serve.