Banana Biscotti

I made this as a treat for the babies at Max’s 6 month birthday party, it went down an absolute treat and is able to be enjoyed by teething babies and anybody else that fancies a piece.  If you're worried your baby may bite off a piece you could wrap the biscuit in muslin.

Ingredients:
½ cup ripe mashed banana
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 large egg yolk
2 (packed down) tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup self-raising flour (sifted)
pinch of salt
1-2 tablespoons water if necessary

Turn the oven on to 160˚C.
Mash the banana with a fork on a board, once mashed place it in a measuring cup to ensure you have the right amount – I found one small banana was about right, then put into a medium-sized bowl with the egg yolk, vanilla and brown sugar.
Sift in the flour and salt.  Fold everything together until the flour is dampened, without over mixing, adding water if the mixture seems thicker than a muffin batter.
Line the long sides and bottom of a loaf tin with a strip of baking paper, then spoon in the mixture. Level its top with the back of a wet spoon.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until a skewer or toothpick comes out cleanly, then take your loaf from the oven, remove from the baking tin and cool on a rack.  The loaf should be a pale colour, not golden brown.
Turn down the oven to 125˚C.
When the loaf is cool or cold, cut it into 5-10mm slices (depending on how thick you would like your pieces) with a sharp, serrated knife (they don't taste very good at this stage).
Lie the slices in one layer on a cooling rack or oven rack and bake them again at the lower temperature for 20 minutes, or until the slices are golden brown and crisp right through (you will need to take one from the oven and cool it before you can check that it is dry in the middle).  Watch carefully, since the flavour is spoilt if the biscotti brown too much.

Store in airtight jars for up to two weeks, but, if your baby is anything like Max or the others we had around here it won’t last that long!

 Max and his friend Kaitlin enjoying some biscotti together

Max’s Yellow Cake

Last week my boy Max turned a month old! I have no idea where the time has gone but I have managed to bake a few times and plan on baking a new cake each month for Max and decorating it.  This way I’ll have plenty of recipes to share with you and hopefully I’ll improve my skills so that I can knock it out of the park for Max’s 1st birthday! The piping on this cake was a bit rushed as I had a very hungry baby to tend to, so I will allow myself a little more time next month.

This month’s cake was a ‘Yellow Cake’.  I have made Bakerella’s version of this cake before and think I preferred that, as my cake wasn’t as moist as I’d like, but was still enjoyable.  To make you will need the following:

1 ¾ cups plain flour
¼ cup cornflour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
125g butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
¾ cup milk

Preheat oven to 180˚C.  Grease two round 9-inch cake pans.
In bowl, combine flour, cornflour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until completely combines. Slowly add flour mix alternating with the milk. At end of addition batter should be smooth. Divide evenly between your two pans.
Bake Yellow Cake Recipe for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.
Ice with a butter cream frosting (I used 200g butter and roughly 4 cups of icing sugar) and decorate to your personal taste.

 

Update…

Baby Max has arrived!!  Courtenay gave birth to Max on the 10th of Feb.  He weighed 8lbs 9oz and was 55cm long.  Sooo cute!  Can’t wait to visit and have a cuddle :)

So, sorry that there hasn’t been any new recipes popping up on our blog, but obviously, Courtenay has been a little busy.  I’ve been busy too, not with babies, but with work – had to start back at school this month.  I have been crafting away because a lady has approached me about selling some of the stuff I have on felt. on her website, so I have been stitching together a small stock for her.

If you have been baking and want to help us out we are more than happy to have you as a guest blogger.  Just send me an email (see to the right of the blog posts) and we can sort stuff out :)

So, that is what the haps is.  If you are looking to make something last minute for Valentines day, you can easily adapt some of the recipes already on here.  Why not make some cookies?  Just use a heart shape cutter and colour the icing pink!  You could make truffles, but change the mint slice biscuits to Strawberry Oreos!  Or, if you really want to show off, have a go at making a Red Velvet Cake.  Yum yum!

Hope to get you some more pics of little Max and some new recipes on here soon!

Still Baking…

Yup, that’s me at just over 38 weeks pregnant! I am very ready to meet this little man now, he is due sometime over the next week so fingers crossed he is nice and punctual like his Mum.

I have managed to do some baking lately but will have to fess up to lazy baking and using a packet mix. I felt like a yummy chocolate slice and saw this Edmonds mix at the supermarket, it was super easy to make and very delicious, well worth a go if you are short on time.

 
Melissa or I will update you when my little man (who we have already named Max) arrives, and if I manage to get any baking done before then I will get it posted ASAP!

A bun in the oven!

And... it's a boy!  Congratulations Courtenay! 
Courtenay is pregnant, and Thursday night she and her husband Shane found out that they are expecting a boy. 
I made her cupcakes to celebrate and Jude (one of our work colleagues) brought in balloons.  We set them up in Courtenay's classroom on Friday morning before she arrived at school to give her a surprise :)
Courtenay is due Feb 1st.  She is doing very well and baby looks healthy.