Fruity

Living with two boys seems to mean that if you buy fruit and you don’t eat it yourself, it will go off. Their dietary needs just don’t seem to encompass eating something healthy once in a while. That’s why, after a week of staying with my 10-year-old charge, I came home to one big mess of a fruit bowl. I was brought up never to waste anything that you could use so I was determined to use the fruit that was still in edible condition. Instead of sewing this week, I baked.

Normally, I am the worst at baking cakes. The don’t rise, they don’t taste that good, they are too dense. Banana cakes are my one exception. They’re too easy to turn out badly. In NZ, we have a cooking book called “Edmonds Cookery Book”. It has been around for ages and just about every household has one. I got this recipe from there and just replaced a bit of the flour with cocoa powder.

Chocolate Banana Cake

125 g  butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed bananas

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp hot milk

1 3/4 cups plain baking flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup cocoa

• Heat the oven to 180
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
• Add the eggs and beat well. Add the banana and mix in
• Add the baking soda to the hot milk and stir in to the wet mixture
• Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder in to the mixture. Stir
• Turn in to a lined/greased baking tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a stick comes out clean
• Cool before removing from the tin

Helpful tip from the book; This mixture can be used in two and baked for 25 min.

On the other hand, muffins seem to be my best friends. It’s the second thing we learn to make in school cooking class at the age of 10 or 11 and I swear that the apple muffins are the ones we made all the way back then. The first ones came from here and the second ones from here (this one is actually one of my favourite websites. Lots of good, easy recipes). Didn’t get any pictures of the apple and sultana ones, though, since I was in a rush to go out.

Pear and Cinnamon Muffins

2 cups plain baking flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 pears, peeled, cored and diced

• Heat oven to 200
• Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar together
• Combined the remaining ingredients and mix in to the dry ingredient. Be careful not to over mix
• Spoon in to muffin trays and top with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar (optional)
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a stick come out clean

Apple and Sultana/Raisin Muffins

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 cups plain baking flour

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups apples and sultanas/raisins (I just eye balled it. 3 small apples, grated, and a handful of raisins. I like lots of fruit)

• Heat the oven to 200
• Beat the oil and egg together until light and fluffy
• Add the sugar and milk and continue to beat
• Sift the flour, cinnamon and baking powder into the bowl and mix gently
• Fold in the fruit
• Put in to a muffin tray and bake for 20-25 mins or until a stick comes out clean

Til next time!