Tiramisu

This is my favorite dessert to entertain with, it is simple, prepared in advance and since the main ingredients are coffee, chocolate and cream you cannot go wrong.

This recipe is from Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer's Tuscan Cookbook and honestly this is the only thing i have cooked out of it so far, but i have made it about 10 times so i think that is okay.

The recipe is easy to adapt to a larger quantity and i often make a 3/2 quantity.

You can make it in whatever bowl you like, and as neatly or as messily as you like, i just finished this one with a stencil i cut out of a piece of paper and dusted with icing sugar to make it more special.

Recipe follows,

Deep south Chocolate Cake (Pumpkin, Chocolate and Orange Cake)

Nothing to say, this cake is delicious. YUM.

Ingredients:
125g butter
1/2cup caster sugar
1cup warm, mashed cooked pumpkin (just dice boil and mash)
1 egg
1T. golden syrup
1 1/2cup Self Raising Flour
1t. baking soda
2t. custard powder
1T. cocoa (i usually just chuck a heap in)
rind and juice of one orange
optional (100g chocolate finely chopped added to the cake, and whipped cream and chopped banana to serve)

Method:
Preheat oven to 180. Boil pumpkin, mash and let to cool.
Cream butter and sugar, add warm pumpkin gradually.
Beat in egg, golden syrup and grated orange rind.
Sift dry ingredients together and fold in, then fold in orange juice.
Add chocolate chips if you would like then place mixture into a 20cm square tin lined with baking paper and bake for 40minutes.

This is best sandwiched with whipped cream and sliced banana and dusted with icing sugar.

Chocolate Potato Cake

Putting vegtable in a cake may sound a bit weird but it worked for carrot cake and the addition of mashed potato makes gives this cake a delightfully moist and smooth texture. Despite the vegtables I would not go as far as to say it is healthy, but it can't make it any worse for you at least.

Ingredients:
cake,
125g chocoalte
1/4cup water
1 1/2cup plain flour
1 1/4t. baking soda
1 1/4cup sugar
125g butter
3 eggs
1t. vanilla essence
1cup mashed potato
1/2cup sour cream

glaze,
125g chocoalte
3T. water
1T. butter
1cup icing sugar
1/2t. vanilla essence

Method:
cake,
 Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Place chocolate and water into a pan and heat gently until the chocolate is melted, set aside to cool slightly.
Sift flour and baking soda together.
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla essence and melted chocoalte.
Combine the mash potato and sour cream, then gradually add to the chocolate mix.
Blend in the dry ingredients.
Turn into a buttered 23cm ring pan and bake for 3/4 hours.
Cool in pan slightly then place on a rack and let cool completely before glazing.

glaze,
Melt chocolate and butter in the water over low heat.
Remove from heat and add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla essence, beat until smooth.
Adjust consistency with a little milk if too thick. Spread on the top and sides of the cake.

Rosalie's Chocolate Chip Biscuits

Ingredients:
4oz butter
1/2cup white sugar
1/2cup brown sugar
1/2t vanilla essence
1 egg
1 3/4cup self raising flour
1/2t. salt
4oz chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
2oz chopped walnuts or pecans

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Cream butter, sugars and vanilla then slowly beat in the beaten egg.
Mix in the sifted flour and salt, and then add the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Press rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on baking trays (allow room for spreading).
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until firm to touch.
Remove from the trays whilst warm.

Rosalie's Chocolate Coconut Biscuits

Ingredients:
1T. cocoa, dissolved in 2T. of hot water and allowed to cool slightly
4oz softened butter
1/2cup caster sugar
1cup plain flour
1t. baking powder
1cup dessicated coconut

Method:
Preheat oven to 180.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add the flour sifted with the baking powder then add the coconut and the dissolved cocoa.
Stir well and then kneed until smooth and the chocolate is through the mixture evenly.
Roll small quanitites into balls and place on baking trays, flatten slightly with the back of a fork and bake for 10-15 minutes or until done - do not overcook!
When cold join in pairs with chocolate glace icing.

Summary:
Should make about 30 double biscuits, preparation 15 minutes, cooking 10-15 minutes per tray.