Lemon sultana slice

This is a great recipe for a picnic or a road trip as it keeps well in an airtight container.  It is very easy to make, simply put together the dry ingredients, melt the butter and add.

When you make the mixture it will look like there is not enough, but trust me, there is!  I make a very runny icing, by juicing the lemon first, then adding the icing sugar a spoon at a time.  Drizzle the icing on the cake and you will notice it seeps into the cake a bit like a drizzle cake.  This makes the slice more lemony and delicious.

You could easily change  the lemon to orange or lime, the sultanas to chopped dried apricots or apples, or dates or even choc chip, so it is quite versatile.  You could also leave out the lemon all together if you like.  Cut the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven to make life easier later, then transfer the cake on its paper to a wire rack to cool.

For a chewier slice, cook at 160C fan forced for a little longer, until it springs back when touched.  You will find it looks a bit browner, but tastes great.

I make up the dry ingredients in an air tight container, then when I want to make the slice, just melt butter and honey and bake.  While it is baking I make the dry ingredients for another batch and store.  You could also use maple syrup instead of honey, and add a few pecans to the mix for a more Canadian style.

Lemon Thyme Drizzle Cakes

This is my drizzle cake recipe that has been cobbled together from experience and other recipes.  It makes exactly 12 little cakes.  They are delicious!

DONT be tempted to put in more thyme however, as this makes them too savoury.  Taste the syrup as this will be the predominant flavour of the cakes, it should have a subtle thyme flavour and be really lemony.  You can easily 1/2 the recipe if you want to make just 6 little cakes. You could change the recipe by substituting about a tablespoon of lavender for the thyme and make lemon - lavender cakes.

If you want to be fancy and ice the cakes, I suggest you leave them for at least an hour to absorb the drizzle, then ice with a lemon glaze (just icing sugar and lemon juice). Or you can just dust with icing sugar.  I don't think they need it though.

You MUST follow the instructions for greasing the tins on this one!  I have tried several ways, and this is the only one that works.  Papers don't work, just greasing does not work etc. etc.  You have to
spray with oil and then dust with plain flour. 

Delicious update!
After Meagan and Harry's wedding lemon and elderflower is the flavour of the day.  To turn these into that flavour, simply :

1. take out the thyme completely
2. use only 180g sugar in the mix
3. Take a tablespoon of lemon juice from the mix and substitute a tablespoon of elderflower cordial.
4. Add 2-3 tablespoons of elderflower cordial to the syrup mix.
5. Make an elderflower icing of 1 tablespoon butter, 1tablspoon cordial and enough icing sugar to make the consistency you like.  Ice the cakes.

 

Sticky Chicken Wings for a Crowd

This recipe has been adapted from one by Matt Sinclair.  I buy 2-1/2 Kilos of chicken wings, then take off the tips and chop it into 2 pieces.  That gives me about 2 kilos of actual wings to cook.  The first time you cook these, maybe back off the chili flakes to 1 tbsp. if you have some chili-phobes in the family!  These are also good served with lime wedges.

Vege Burgers for a crowd (make ahead)

What do you do when your husband is turning 60 and you are having 30 people for a party and only one of them is a vegetarian?  Make vege burgers of course!  I made a large batch of these the day before the party, and simply re-heated them in the oven just before serving.  They were such a hit I had to grab some for the vegetarian in the family!

This  recipe will only serve about 6-8, so if you are making for a crowd just multiply it.  The choice of vegetables can be varied, but I would always put in zucchini, and make fresh breadcrumbs if you have time - the blender will be on the bench anyway.  You can substitute oats for breadcrumbs if you like, and you could add some Panco to the flour if you want them really crisp.  I have not tried it, but I am sure you could put some lentils into the recipe if that takes your fancy.