Hot Chocolate Sauce Recipe

We served this quick and easy sauce with squares of macadamia brownies and scoops of vanilla ice cream. The finishing touch was a swirly chocolate decoration.

3/4 cup (188ml) thickened cream (35 to 40 percent fat)
190g chocolate (we use a combination of dark and milk eating chocolate)

Warm chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally. When chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, remove from heat and pour over dessert. Any extra sauce can be stored in the freezer and melted over low heat before serving. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Chocolate Gift Box

We enjoy creating food gift baskets for friends and relatives. This chocolate-themed gift box cost us about $32 to make.

First, we lined the base of a cardboard gift box with clear cellophane and crumpled gold tissue paper. This elevates the items added to the box.

We then filled the box with the following items:
A chocolate brown teddy bear
A block of chocolate truffle chocolate
Ribbon-tied cellophane bags containing peanut clusters and almond chocolate
A peanut slab (chocolate and peanuts)
Bars of milk and white chocolate
A triple chocolate cookie
A couple of single foil-wrapped chocolates

Finally, we wrapped a brown organza ribbon around the box and finished with a bow.

We purchased the gift box and ribbon from a local florist. The bear and some of the chocolates were from a department store. The remaining chocolates were purchased from a chocolate shop and the cookie was bought at a deli. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

This is a soft, dense mud cake with a rich ganache icing. We serve the cake on its own or with cream and ice cream. Slices of the cake can be microwaved before serving to melt the ganache and form a chocolate sauce.

We use a combination of milk and dark chocolate in both the cake and ganache.

Mud Cake Ingredient Quantities for Various Pan Sizes (pdf)

Serves at least 16.

250g chocolate (we use 125g dark chocolate and 125g milk chocolate)
250g butter (if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt with the butter)
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules/powder
188ml (3/4 cup) water
325g (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) plain flour
30g (1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
550g (2 1/2 cups) caster sugar
4 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
2 tablespoons (40ml) oil (we use a mild-flavoured oil, such as sunflower)
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
125ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk

Ganache
150g milk chocolate
150g dark chocolate
84ml (1/3 cup) thickened cream (35 percent fat)

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (not fan-forced).

Grease the side and base of a deep 23cm or 24cm diameter (inside top measurement) round cake pan. We use a springform pan for easy removal of the cake. Line base and side of the pan with non-stick baking paper, extending the paper a few centimetres above the top rim of the pan.

Place 250g chocolate, butter, coffee and water in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. When chocolate and butter have melted, remove mixture from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm/room temperature. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda together into a very large bowl.

Add the caster sugar to the bowl with the flour mixture, and stir the ingredients together until well combined. For this recipe, we prefer to use a whisk to stir ingredients together.

In a medium bowl, place eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk.

Whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and flour mixture in a three batches, stirring until combined after each addition.

Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (24cm pan) or 1 hour and 30 minutes (23cm pan). Insert a thin-bladed knife or wooden skewer into the centre of the cake to test whether it is cooked through. If the knife/skewer comes out clean or with moist crumbs (not gooey batter) attached, the cake is ready.

Remove cake from oven, cover with a clean tea towel and allow to cool in the pan.

When the cake has cooled to room temperature, remove it from the pan. The top surface of the cake will probably have a crunchy crust, which you may wish to trim off. We turn the cake upside down to give a flat surface for icing.

Make ganache. Spread ganache over cake using a palette knife or flat-bladed knife.

We store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

Ganache
Place chocolate and cream in a medium heavy-based saucepan over very low heat. Stir frequently, and remove from heat when chocolate has just melted and mixture is smooth. If necessary, allow the ganache to cool slightly at room temperature to obtain a spreadable consistency. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

The following photo was submitted by Silvana C. Silvana made and decorated this large chocolate mud cake for her niece's 21st birthday. The stars were made by a cake decorator and finished by dipping in melted chocolate. White and dark chocolate panels were placed around the sides of the cake and it was finished with a bow.

Ingredients: Double the above quantities
Pan size: 12 inch (30.5cm) square
Baking time and temperature: 1 hour and 45 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius (not fan-forced), covered with baking paper.

The following photo was submitted by Jade, who made this cake for her brother-in-law's birthday party. The design is from Naughty Cakes by Debbie Brown.

The box was made from a layer of dark chocolate mud cake (above recipe), a layer of white chocolate mud cake, and a layer of madeira sponge cake. It was frosted with buttercream and covered with fondant. The box flaps were made from pastillage and decorated with fondant flowers. The lady was made from dark chocolate mud cake (base) and modelling paste (torso, arms and head).

Pan sizes: 18cm square (for the box), half a Wilton 3D sports ball pan (for the base of the lady).
Baking times and temperatures: The dark chocolate mud cake square and half ball pan were baked at 150 degrees Celsius (fan-forced) for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The white chocolate mud cake square was baked at 150 degrees Celsius (fan-forced) for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

The following photo was submitted by Sandy H. Sandy made this Dora the Explorer cake for her daughter's birthday. The cake was frosted with chocolate ganache (hair), and white chocolate ganache coloured with chocolate colouring powder (skin). Dora's eyes, nose and mouth were made from chocolate.

Ingredients: Double the quantities in the above recipe
Pan size: 30cm square (the square cake was cut to shape)
Baking time and temperature: About 1 hour and 45 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius (not fan-forced), covered with baking paper.

The following photo was submitted by Alison C. Alison made this dark and white chocolate mud cake for her brother's wedding. The cake was iced with ganache and decorated with Belgian chocolate cigarellos.

Pan sizes: 28cm diameter (bottom tier), 23cm diameter (middle tier), 18cm diameter (top tier).
Ingredients: For the bottom tier, the quantities in the above recipe were multiplied by 1 1/2. The middle tier was made according to the above recipe. This white chocolate mud cake recipe was used for the top tier.

The following photo was submitted by Lukasz K., who made this cake for a friend's birthday. The top of the cake was levelled with ganache and then the cake was covered with fondant. The decorations were made from coloured fondant.

Pan: 25cm square pan. The sides of the pan were wrapped in three layers of paper and tied with string.
Baking time and temperature: 150 degrees Celsius (fan-forced) for about 2 hours.
Ingredients: The above quantities were multiplied by 1 1/2.

The following photo was submitted by Ashley K., who made this cake for her daughter's christening. The cake was iced with white chocolate ganache and decorated with ribbon and chocolate shavings.

Ingredients: The bottom tier was made using the above recipe. This white chocolate mud cake recipe was used for the top tier.
Baking times and temperatures: As specified in the corresponding recipes.
Pan sizes: 25cm diameter (bottom tier), 21cm diameter (top tier).

The following wedding cake photo was submitted by Louise. The chocolate mud cutting cake and cupcakes were iced with white chocolate ganache and decorated with lilac-coloured chocolate hearts.

Individual Sticky Date Puddings Recipe

The following recipe makes six individual puddings. If you have trouble neatly presenting desserts, these puddings are great as there is no slicing involved.

Makes 6 puddings.

Puddings
135g (3/4 cup) pitted dried dates
125ml (1/2 cup) water
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
30g butter
1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla essence)
112g (3/4 cup) self-raising flour
80g (1/3 cup) caster sugar

Butterscotch Sauce
150g (3/4 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar
250ml (1 cup) thickened cream (35 percent fat)
1 tablespoon (20ml) golden syrup
20g butter

Whipped cream, to serve

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced).

Grease six holes of a muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity holes).

Place dates and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add bicarbonate of soda and butter and remove from heat. Stir date mixture until butter is melted and set aside to cool to room temperature. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Pulse date mixture in a food processor until it forms a coarse paste. Add egg and vanilla and pulse until combined.

Combine flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add date mixture and stir until just combined. Divide mixture evenly between six muffin holes.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a pudding comes out clean.

While puddings are baking, place the butterscotch sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to the simmer, simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

We prefer the puddings served hot from the oven. We pierce the puddings with a skewer before pouring the sauce over to help the sauce absorb into the puddings.

Serve puddings with hot butterscotch sauce and a dollop of whipped cream and/or ice cream.

Store leftover puddings and sauce in the refrigerator or freezer. Puddings can be reheated in the microwave. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Potato Pancakes Recipe

These potato pancakes are shallow fried until golden and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Preparation time: about 15 minutes (excludes cooking time).

Makes about nine (9cm diameter) pancakes.

1 small onion
625g potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
1 large egg (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
28g (2 tablespoons) self-raising flour
Salt and pepper
Oil, for pan-frying

Peel onion and grate into a small bowl. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Peel and grate potatoes into a large bowl. Remove excess moisture from potato by firmly squeezing handfuls of grated potato over the kitchen sink.

Add onion, egg, flour, pepper and a generous amount of salt to the potato and stir well to combine.

Heat oil in a heavy-based, non-stick pan over medium to medium-high heat. Drop scant 1/4 cups of mixture into pan and flatten slightly.

Cook pancakes for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Adjust the heat if the pancakes are browning too quickly or too slowly.

If you are cooking the pancakes in batches, you can place the cooked pancakes on a baking tray in a warm oven while cooking the remaining pancakes.

Drain pancakes on paper towels and serve. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Unbaked Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

This recipe produces a very soft, creamy cheesecake.

Preparation time: about 30 minutes

Serves 10-12.

Base
250g Nice biscuits (we use Arnott's brand)
120g butter, melted (the amount you need may vary, depending on the type of biscuits you use)

Filling
125g cream cheese (about 34 percent fat), softened
395g (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice

Topping
250ml (1 cup) cream, sweetened with sugar to taste and whipped until thick

Use a food processor or blender to finely crush the biscuits.

Combine crushed biscuits with melted butter.

Firmly press biscuit mixture into a 23cm diameter (base measurement), 3cm deep flan pan or pie plate. We use a rectangular dish if we want to serve the cheesecake in small squares.

Place base in fridge to chill while making filling.

Beat cream cheese in an electric mixer until completely smooth and creamy. Stop the machine occasionally and use a spatula to scrape down the side and base of the bowl. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

With the mixer running, gradually drizzle in the condensed milk (stop to scrape the bowl down occasionally).

Add the lemon juice and beat until combined. The mixture should thicken when the lemon juice is beaten in. If your filling is a little lumpy at this stage, you can pass it through a fine strainer. Spread filling over base.


Place cheesecake in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours to allow the cheesecake to set.

Top with sweetened whipped cream before serving. We decorate the cheesecake with grated chocolate or fruit. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Baked White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Above: Baked white chocolate cheesecake with strawberry coulis, vanilla ice cream and mint leaves.

This white chocolate cheesecake has a soft, smooth and creamy consistency. Because it is rich, we like to serve it with a fruit coulis (or fresh fruit) and ice cream.

To make a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake, pour half of the filling over the base, sprinkle with 150g of raspberries, then pour the remaining filling over the raspberries and bake.

Serves at least 10.

Base
250g Nice biscuits (we use Arnott's brand)
120g butter, melted (the amount you need may vary, depending on the type of biscuits you use)

Filling
375g cream cheese, softened
82g (1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon) caster sugar
3 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
185g white chocolate, melted
225g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sour cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla essence)

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (not fan-forced). If you have a fan-forced oven and are unable to turn the fan off, preheat your oven to 145 degrees Celsius.

Line the base of a 20cm or 21cm diameter springform cake pan with baking paper. Grease or line the side. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Finely crush biscuits in a blender or food processor. Combine crushed biscuits with melted butter and firmly press mixture over the base and side of the prepared pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Using a food processor or electric mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. When mixture is smooth, beat in eggs one at a time.

Quickly stir sour cream into melted white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add to cream cheese mixture along with the vanilla. Beat until ingredients are combined.

Pour filling over biscuit base and bake for about one hour. Leave cheesecake at room temperature for one hour then cover and refrigerate for several hours, or until cold and set.

When ready to serve, cut with a hot, dry knife. Store any leftover cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Chicken Parmigiana Recipe

Tender pieces of crumbed chicken are topped with homemade tomato sauce and grated cheese, and then oven baked until the cheese is golden and melted. The tomato sauce and crumbed, uncooked chicken can be prepared in advance but it is best to cook the chicken and assemble the dish just before it goes into the oven.

Serves 4-5.

Tomato Sauce

Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

20ml (1 tablespoon) oil
1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
400g can crushed/diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, firmly packed
Salt and pepper

Crumbed Chicken
400g skinless chicken breast fillets or tenderloins
2 eggs
20ml (1 tablespoon) milk
50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
About 150g (about 1 1/3 cups) packaged breadcrumbs
About 125ml (1/2 cup) oil, for frying

Cheese Topping
140g (1 1/3 cups, firmly packed) grated mozzarella cheese
40g (1/2 cup, lightly packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
22g (1/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a heavy-based medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until onion has softened but not browned. Add tomatoes, basil and brown sugar, increase heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reached the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for 10 minutes, and then puree sauce in a blender or food processor.

Trim any fat from chicken. If using chicken breasts, cut them in half horizontally. Cover chicken with a freezer bag and lightly pound with the flat side of meat mallet to flatten. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl. Coat one piece of chicken in flour and shake to remove excess. Then dip the chicken into the egg and milk mixture ensuring that all of the flour is moistened.

Then coat the chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to ensure crumbs adhere. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.


To fry chicken, heat some of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. We cook the chicken in two batches using 1/4 cup of oil for each batch (the number of batches will be determined by the size of your frying pan and you'll need to divide the oil evenly between each batch). Fry the chicken in a single layer, without overcrowding the pan, until golden brown and cooked through.

Wipe the pan out with paper towels between each batch of chicken to remove any crumbs. This prevents the overcooked loose crumbs adhering to the next batch of chicken.

Drain cooked chicken on paper towels.

Place cooked chicken in a large baking dish and spread with sauce. Sprinkle with combined cheeses.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees fan-forced) for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden. We sprinkle the chicken parmigiana with chopped parsley before serving. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Prawn Pizza Recipe

Makes 2 pizzas (about 30cm diameter).

Pizza Dough
We use this recipe for the pizza dough.

Pizza Sauce
We use this recipe for the pizza sauce.

Prawn Topping
About 30 green prawns, peeled and deveined (we purchased 680g of headless, unpeeled prawns)
About 2 cups (about 260g) grated cheese (we used a combination of mozzarella and tasty cheddar cheese)

Make pizza dough and sauce.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Celsius (not fan-forced). Place an oven rack in the lowest position in the oven. If you have a fan-forced oven and are unable to turn the fan off, preheat your oven to 230 degrees Celsius.

Lightly brush two baking trays with oil. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a round disc. Pushing from the centre of the disc, press the dough out to form a circle with a diameter of about 30cm. If the dough springs back, let it rest for a few seconds, then continue to shape the circle. The base should be an even thickness without holes.

Top with each base with pizza sauce. Arrange prawns on top of pizza sauce.

Sprinkle cheese over prawns.

We cook the pizzas one at a time so both pizzas can spend their entire cooking time on the lowest oven shelf near the bottom element. This helps to produce crisp bases. If you are cooking the pizzas in a fan-forced oven, it shouldn't make any difference if you cook them both at the same time. Cook pizzas for about 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden and base is crisp. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au

Tempura Prawns Recipe

This quick and easy recipe makes a light, crisp batter that would also be suitable for fish or vegetables.

We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.

Tempura Batter
75g (1/2 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
1 egg, lightly beaten (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
188ml (3/4 cup) cold soda water

Uncooked king prawns (the above recipe should make enough batter for up to 1.5kg of medium king prawns)
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Shell and devein prawns. We left the tails on for presentation purposes.

Sift flours together in a medium bowl. Add egg and soda water and mix until just combined (it is okay if the batter is a little lumpy). Allow batter to stand for a few minutes.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok. Holding prawns by the tails, dip in the batter and allow excess to drain away. Deep-fry prawns until batter is very lightly browned and prawns have turned pink and are cooked through. (It is best to fry the prawns in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan.)

Drain and serve. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au