5 Cup Cake!

Big thanks to Mum (Lesley) for this recipe, I'm always looking for a healthy treat.

This really is more a loaf than a cake, so would be good toasted a few days after freshly cooked, or robust enough to freeze in slices for lunchboxes!

Super easy, use your thermo or just attack with a wooden spoon!

Take 1 cup of self raising flour, 1 cup of coconut, 1 cup of mixed fruit or nuts to taste, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of milk. Combine, stand for 10 minutes and then pour into a loaf tin and bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted comes out dry.

Suggestions.... Substitute half the coconut for rolled oats or bran. I reduced the sugar to 2/3 cup and used brown sugar. For the fruit add finely chopped apple and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Try sultanas and walnuts (not for a nut free school!), craisins and sunflower seeds, finely chopped zucchini and mixed fruit and nut... Get creative!

Cherry Self Saucing Pudding

It's starting to feel wintery, so I decided a warm pudding was in order tonight! Scared by the 'numbers' on a packet mix, I decided to dream up my own version with the help of my Thermomix and an old recipe from my Country Women's Association Cookbook.

First I made the topping (that ends up as sauce) with 95g of raw sugar and 3/4 cup of frozen sweet cherries, pulsed at turbo speed until well combined but not slushy. Set aside, and don't bother cleaning the bowl before the next step.

Then I took 95g of raw sugar, 60g of chopped butter and 1 egg and mixed at speed 5 for 15 seconds. I added 1/2 cup of buttermilk (normal milk would work too), 1 cup self raising flour (sorry can't remember the weight!) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mixed at speed 5 for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and mix again for 10 seconds before spooning into a greased baking dish. Gently top with the ground up cherry/sugar mix and carefully pour over 1 1/2 cups boiling water before baking at 175 degrees for around 40 mins or until pudding is baked through- test the middle.

I served with custard and it got the thumbs up all round. I think this would also be yummy done with raspberry, blueberry or a mix of all. It certainly hit the winter comfort spot!