Katrina's Weet-Bix Slice

This is a terrific recipe that got shared in the playgroup kitchen by Katrina, one of the Mums who was sick of us repeatedly asking her for the recipe every time she made it. Not only does it use up all the broken bits at the bottom of the WeetBix packet, but its fun to make with little kids as its all about measuring and mixing.

And this is a little poem I learnt at my first cooking class when I was about six years old which I now share with my children:

First the oven,

Then the tin,

Wash your hands

And then begin!

1.5 cups crushed Weet-Bix

1 cup SR flour

1 cup sultanas

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup raw or brown sugar*

1 cup milk, or soymilk

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 180•C. Mix all ingredients. Spread into a greased square cake tin and bake 30-45 mins, depending on thickness.

*The last time I made this I dropped it down to 1/2 cup of sugar but it really wasn't sweet enough. I waited til it was cool though and drizzled some lemon icing over it and it made a very nice change.

4th Birthday Ice Cream Cake

There are several reasons this cake is terrific: 

1. It requires no cooking or icing.

2. It can be made well in advance of the party, giving you the appearance of being organised. 

3. Kids LOVE it! 

This recipe makes one enormous cake, enough to satisfy the whole preschool class who will come back for seconds and even thirds if you let them, so you'll need a really big 25cm springform tin. 

2 litres Streets Blue Ribbon vanilla ice cream

200g butter, softened

1.5 cups pure icing sugar

4 eggs at room temperature

400g dark chocolate melts

0.5 cup thickened cream

250g packet tiramisu sponge finger biscuits

2 x 175g packets hundreds & thousands

Soften the ice cream by leaving at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Then using a hand beater, cream the icing sugar and butter until pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Combine chocolate melts and cream in a microwave bowl and zap on high, uncovered for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon until melted and smooth. Add to butter mixture and and beat until smooth.

Line the base of a large 25cm springform tin then cover the base with 1 packet of the hundreds & thousands. Pour in half the chocolate mixture, taking care not to disturb the hundreds & thousands. Cut the biscuits in half lengthways to make two thinner biscuits and arrange in a single layer over the cake, trimming them to fit. Next put the icecream in squashing down gently. Then repeat the biscuits, the chocolate butter mixture and cover with the other packet of hundreds & thousands. 

Cover tightly with glad wrap and foil and freeze overnight.

Plum Teacake

This is a twist on a favourite recipe of mine that uses tinned pie apples. Its so easy to keep a big tin of fruit in the pantry, the left overs of which are lovely to eat on breakfast cereal or with ice cream. The colour and fragrance of this teacake is delicious and lends itself very well to girlie tea parties.

180g butter, softened

0.5 cup brown sugar

3 eggs, beaten

zest of 1 lemon

1 cup SR flour

0.5 cup wholemeal flour

0.5 tsp ground cinnamon

0.5 cup milk

1 large can tinned plums

0.25 tsp allspice

1 Tbs brown sugar, extra

0.25 cup flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 180•C. Grease a spingform cake tin and line the base with paper.

Cream the butter and sugar well until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each is added. Mix in the lemon zest. Using a metal spoon, fold in the sifted flours and cinnamon alternately with the milk. Stir until just combined and almost smooth. 

Spoon half the mixture into the tin and top with the tinned plums, halving each and removing the seed, until the mixture is covered with a single layer of plum halves. Spread the rest of the cake mixture over the plums. Then combine the slice almonds, extra brown sugar and allspice in a small bowl and sprinkle over the cake.

Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean - check carefully that the centre of the cake is cooked as it may need an extra 8-10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside until you're ready to serve it as its lovely warm and particularly indulgent when served with cream.