Coconut & Blueberry Bread with Whipped Lime Cream Cheese

Coconut & Blueberry Bread with whipped lime cream cheese

Bread Mixture 

2 cups raw coconut flakes

2 cups coconut milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted

¾ cup raw caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

1 ¾ cups self-raising flour

¼ teaspoon bi-carb soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup fresh blueberries

Whipped lime cream cheese Mixture

 

250g cream cheese

2 tablespoons lime zest

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon icing sugar

        

Combine coconut flakes and coconut milk in a large bowl. Cover and stand for 15 minutes.


Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a 7cm-deep, 10.5cm x 20.5cm (base) loaf pan with butter, dust with flour and line the base with baking paper.

Place sugar, egg and vanilla into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on low, until combined, slowly increase speed until mixture is slightly fluffy. Fold egg mixture and melted butter into coconut mixture with a spatula. Sift flour, bi-carb soda and baking powder over coconut mixture. Gently fold until combined. Fold in blueberries. Spoon mixture into prepared pan; sprinkle extra blueberries and coconut flakes over the top of mixture.

Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle over raw coconut flakes and lime zest.

For the whipped lime cream cheese, place cream cheese, lime zest, lime juice and icing sugar into a bowl, slowly beat with electric mixer until combined, increase speed until the mixture is whipped.  

Serve with whipped lime cream cheese or is delicious on its own fresh or toasted.

Chai Tea Cupcakes

Chai Tea Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon bi carb soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon allspice 

1 cup raw caster sugar

1/2 cup butter 

3 eggs 

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 cup milk

4 table spoons of loose leaf chai tea (or 4 tea bags)

Icing 

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

3 cups icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers.

In a small saucepan, place the tea and milk and heat until it just simmers. Remove from heat. Steep for 10 minutes. Pour through a strainer and allow the chai milk to cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, sift the flour, bi carb soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice and set aside.

In a bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter and raw caster sugar together until creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Scrape the side of the bowl and mix the applesauce in.

Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the batter. Stir through the chai milk. Do not over mix. 

Fill each cupcake paper with 2 tablespoons of batter and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing: In a bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter until light and pale. Add a small amount of icing sugar at a time until it creams together. Once combined, slowly beat the rest of the icing sugar, mix in the vanilla, cinnamon and allspice. Mix on high until icing is light and fluffy.

Coconut Brownies

Coconut Brownies

Brownie Mixture 

180g unsalted butter

190g dark chocolate

3 beaten eggs

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup caster sugar

½ cup desiccated coconut

1 cup sifted plain flour

¼ cup sifted cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Shredded coconut and icing sugar to serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm baking pan. This is also a great recipe to bake the brownies in a muffin tray or small loaf tin.

To start gently melt butter, chocolate, vanilla bean paste, raw caster sugar and brown sugar in a small glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Making sure the water never touches the bowl.

Remove the chocolate mixture from heat and set aside to cool for 2-4 minutes. (At this stage it is easiest if you take a tea towel; make it into a circle shape, place that on the bench under your bowl of chocolate mixture. This will help stabilize the bowl while your vigorously mixing in the next stage)

Sift flour and coco together twice.

While stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, beat eggs in; a little at a time. Fold through flour and coconut until just combined.

Pour brownie mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm. (Bake only for 25-30 if you prefer to eat your brownies nice and gooey)

Serve warm with shredded coconut and a dust of icing sugar. Brownies will keep best in an airtight container.

Photography by Matthew O'Brien: 

http://www.matthewobrien.com.au

Bake love not war

Anzac & walnut biscuits

Anzac & walnut biscuits

MIXTURE

120g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons of boiling water

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 cup plain sifted whole meal flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup rolled quick oats 

12 walnuts 

Preheat oven to 180°C. Melt syrup and butter in a saucepan. Next, in a small cup, mix bicarbonate of soda in 2 tablespoons boiling water, and add to the syrup mixture. In a separate mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, and mix well. Roll small teaspoon sized balls and press lightly on to a lined baking tray.                  

Makes 24 small, 12 large

* Alternative to bicarbonate soda is baking powder. Example: use 3 teaspoons of baking powder if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda.    

Photography by Matthew O’Brien: www.matthewobrien.com.au