Banana and Maple Syrup Pudding Recipe

Over the weekend I made a delicious dessert for Luke and myself - Banana and Maple Syrup Puddings.

Topped with thickened cream, icing sugar (I didnt have a sifter so excuse the chunky bit!) and extra maple syrup, I could have eaten 5 - I can't wait to make them again! This super easy recipe is below, these worked out perfectly and being the pretty average cook I am, this is definitely the type of recipe you can try first go even with guests coming. Enjoy! Kellie xx

Banana and Maple Syrup Pudding Recipe:

2 tablespoons of fine caster sugar
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 egg
50g butter
2/3 mashed banana
1/2 cup of self raising flour
Icing sugar
Thickened cream

Turn fan forced oven to 180 degrees. Mix sugar, maple syrup, egg, butter, banana and flour until combined. Place mixture into 2 x 250ml oven dishes. Bake for approx 25-30 mins (or until golden and skewer comes out clean).

Serve warm with sprinkled icing sugar, thickened cream and additional maple syrup.

Recipe source: Donna Hay.

Something sweet

I made this yummy, but not so pretty chocolate caramels. Just mix in the following in a sauce pan until it turns golden - 125g butter, 2 tablespoons golden syrup, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tin condensed milk. Pour into a linen pan, then when cold top with melted chocolate. Delicious!! Kellie xx

Delicious caramels...

I decided we needed something festive in our home given Christmas is only a few weeks away. I made some caramel lollies to keep in little bowls around our home. They are delicious! The only thing I found a little tricky was cutting through the bottom of the caramel, I think its because I let the caramel get too cool. Other than that, it was delicious!

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, more for greasing pan

1½ cups heavy cream

2 cups sugar

½ cup golden syrup

Pinch salt

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, optional.

1. Lightly grease a 9-inch-square baking pan. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a broad saucepan or deep skillet and turn heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.

2. Mixture will bubble and darken; when color is dark beige and mixture measures 235 degrees on a candy thermometer, it is butterscotch sauce. (Use immediately or refrigerate for up to several weeks; warm in a microwave oven or over hot water to soften.) To make caramels, keep cooking and stirring until mixture is even darker, nearly brown, and measures 245 degrees (or until a piece of it forms a firm ball when dropped into a glass of cold water).

3. Stir in the vanilla and pour into prepared pan. Cool, then remove from pan in a block and refrigerate, but not for too long - what you want is a mixture cool enough so that it's not too sticky, but not so cold that it's solid; this is the easiest state in which to cut and wrap.

4. Use a sharp knife to cut caramel into pieces, then wrap each square in waxed paper or plastic wrap. These keep for weeks, especially if refrigerated, but are best eaten fresh and at room temperature.

Kellie xx

Baking: Raspberry and White Chocolate Cake

I do get a bit nervous baking but this lovely cake turned out delicious yesterday - a raspberry and white chocolate cake with raspberry cream! Kind of like a giant friand. I have noted the recipe below just in case you wanted to give it a shot. The original recipe didnt have white chocolate but I just added it in as I love the white chocolate and raspberry combination. Kellie xx

1/3 cup plain flour

2/3 cup almond meal

1 cup icing sugar

90g melted butter

3 egg whites

1t vanilla extract

1 cup raspberries

Additional raspberries and whipped cream

Preheat oven to 160c. Combine flour, almond meal, icing sugar, butter, egg whites and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Fold through berries and place in a greased 18cm cake tin. Place remaining raspberries on top of mixture and bake for 35 - 40 mins. Serve with whipped cream.

Recipe source: Donna Hay ; No Time To Cook x

An Ada & Darcy Style - Thai Green Chicken Curry!

I'm not much of a chef, actually I'm generally a pretty boring cook so imagine Luke's delight last night when I decided to cook a Thai Green Chicken Curry. And his absolute surprise when it turned out delicious! There is hope for me yet. Replicate it {here} ... xxx

Photographs by Kellie Collis for Ada & Darcy x