Iced Mandarin Yoghurt Cakes

Winter in Australia means an abundance of citrus fruit and my fridge has been full of mandarins for a week or so now. They are so delicious and sweet at the moment but the kids are starting to get a bit over them. I know they would eat them made up into something else so based my recipe on this Greek Yoghurt Cupcake recipe by Natasha’s Kitchen.

I had Greek yoghurt to use up and, in the past, I’ve used yoghurt in cakes and it made a very moist cake with a lovely creamy taste.

 

The house smelt amazing as they came out of the oven and my ‘chief taste tester’ was keen to grab one as soon as they landed on the kitchen counter.  They were perfect un-iced or just right with an icing made with the juice of half a mandarin. This is a great recipe and one that I’ll try again with orange or lemon.

 

Iced Mandarin Yoghurt Cakes

(Adapted from “Natasha’s Kitchen” Greek Yoghurt Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting)

 

• 1 2/3 cups SR flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1 large egg white, room temp
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt 
• juice and rind of 1 medium (or 2 small) mandarins

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 150 deg C (fan forced oven).
2. Prepare cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
3. Mix first five ingredients in a bowl.
4. Melt butter. Add whole egg and egg white plus remaining ingredients.
5. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
6. Scoop cake mixture into cupcake liners and bake for 20 mins (approximately) or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Ice with a mixture made from 1 cup of icing sugar, the juice of 1/2 a mandarin and a tablespoon of butter (melted). 
8. Can be eaten un-iced.

 

 

 

 

Iced Banana & Walnut Loaf Cake

Here’s my old favourite recipe, again. The No Fuss Fudge Cake (NFFC) but in the form of a loaf cake. I thought I’d won the lottery by finding a banana in my freezer and made it into a cake. The kids are having banana withdrawls and at around $15 per kilo at the moment, they can continue to have withdrawls. After the floods earlier this year and cyclones, the banana industry is still trying to get back on it’s feet and they’re so ridiculously overpriced. I used to get sick at the sight of those slimy, black bananas in the freezer but seeing one recently got me all excited.

Iced Banana & Walnut NFFC Loaf Cake

1 and half cups plain flour

3 tablespoons cocoa (omitted)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon white vinegar

6 tablespoons oil (I use canola)

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

half teaspoon salt

1-2 bananas, mashed

1/2 walnuts, chopped finely

Turn oven to 180 C. Grease a 20cm tin well. Dust inside the tin with a little flour. Tap out excess. Put the flour, sugar, banana, walnuts and water in a bowl. Add vanilla, vinegar, oil, baking soda and salt. Mix with beaters until smooth. (Mixture is runny.) Pour into the tin. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then take out of tin. Ice with lemon icing. You could also leave uniced.

Lemon Buttercream:

2 cups icing sugar

100gm butter, softened

juice of 1 lemon

 

 

Crispy Coconut Iced Cookies

Time to fill up the bikkie barrel and not a lot of time to do it so wanted something quick and easy. I got out “The Australian Women’s Weekly 100 Delicious Biscuits & Slices” cookbook that my Mother had given me and looked for something I had all the ingredients for. Wanted a nice crispy biscuit so the Crispy Coconut Cookies won. I adapted the recipe slightly, only for convenience, that is melting the butter instead of creaming the butter and sugar together and topped with a bit of pink icing and shredded coconut.

Crispy Coconut Iced Cookies

125gm butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups Self Raising flour
pinch salt
1 cup shredded cocnut

Combine melted butter and sugar, mix in beaten egg, add flour, salt and coconut. Roll into balls (press down with the back of a spoon or a fork for a flatter cookie). Place on baking trays, allow for spreading and bake in a 180 deg C oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Top with icing and a little shredded coconut.

Makes approx 24 cookies.