Category: Dessert

Cherry chocolate crumble

A rich cherry, chocolate and coconut crumble dessert recipe

This is the second crumble that I’ve posted, but I really do love a crumble. They’re fruity, juicy, cakey, and ever so simple to make. The perfect dessert for entertaining too, because they’re so easy to upsize.

A rich cherry, chocolate and coconut crumble dessert recipe

Desserts really shouldn’t feature in my house as often as they do, and given there is only my husband and I to eat them, I try to align my cooking of them with weekly dinners with my family so that the delicious sweetness can be shared around. Much less tempting if it’s gobbled up by others and not in the house for long!

A rich cherry, chocolate and coconut crumble dessert recipe

Cherry chocolate crumble

  • Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 350g Morello cherries, pitted and drained
  • ½ cup reserved Morello cherry juice from the jar
  • 150g strawberries, sliced (can be frozen)
  • ½ cup caster sugar
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ½ cup dessicated coconut

For the crumble topping:

  • 60g unsalted butter, softened
  • 70g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 30g dessicated coconut
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder

Directions

  1. Place cherries, strawberries, cherry juice and sugar into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 10 mins.
  2. Use a slotted spoon to remove the fruit from the saucepan and place in a bowl. Bring the cherry syrup to a boil for 5 mins until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, use your hands to rub the butter into the flour. Rub until the mixture becomes crumbly.
  4. Add baking powder, sugar, coconut and cocoa powder to the flour & butter mixture and stir to combine.
  5. Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius.
  6. Return the fruit to the cherry syrup. Mix through the chocolate chips and dessicated coconut. Spoon the mixture into individual sized ramekins. Sprinkle the top with a generous amount of crumble mixture.
  7. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until the crumble is golden and the cherry mixture is bubbling underneath. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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Apple and custard tart

An apple tart with a creamy custard filling

Growing up, my family and I would often go for holidays in regional Victoria. Sometimes a long car trip was required. I remember my dad had these bingo sheets that he would hand to us at the start of the journey. It had lots of pictures of typical things you might see – a red car, a cow, a petrol station etc. You had to colour in the boxes until you’d found them all. It was a fun way to pass the time when travelling as a young child.

An apple tart with a creamy custard filling

Whenever we made a pit stop, we’d find a park to play in and a local bakery in the little town. And we’d get pies for lunch, with chocolate milk or a vanilla slice or custard tart if it was teatime. I’d always pick the custard tart. I like the fact that it’s not too sweet, and the texture is deliciously creamy.

I’ve put a spin on the custard tart today, adding apples as we have plenty of them at the moment. I added far too much cinnamon for my photos, but it still tasted delicious! I took it to dinner with my family, and we all had a slice for dessert with tea.

 

An apple tart with a creamy custard filling

Apple and custard tart

  • Servings: 6-8
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Ingredients

For the pastry:

  • 240g plain flour
  • 160g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tbs caster sugar
  • ¼ cup water

For the apples:

  • 35g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 2 apples, sliced
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch cinnamon

For the filling:

  • 1 ½ cups cream/milk
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup caster sugar

Directions

  1. To make the pastry, beat the butter and flour together in a mixer using a dough attachment. Add sugar and combine. Add enough water to bring the pastry together into a ball. As soon as the pastry comes together, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 mins or until needed.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius. Grease a quiche flan with spray oil.
  3. To make the apples, melt butter and sugar in a small saucepan.
  4. Add the apples to the saucepan with the vanilla and cinnamon. Shake the saucepan to cover the apples with liquid, cover the saucepan with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  5. Take the pastry out of the fridge, and sprinkle the worktop with flour. Roll out the pastry until it is big enough to cover the base of the quiche flan. Line the flan with pastry and trim the edges, leaving extra height to allow for the pastry to shrink while cooking. Weigh down the pastry with baking paper and baking beads, and blind bake the pastry case for 20 mins in the oven.
  6. To make the filling, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Add the milk or cream and whisk.
  7. Remove the pastry from the oven and lower the heat to 160° Celsius. Remove the baking beads and baking paper. Line the pastry case with an even layer of the apples, and pour in the custard filling.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30 mins or until custard is set but wobbles when jiggled. Serve hot or cold, with ice cream or cream.

Mulled Orange Crumble

A dessert that comprises the flavours of mulled wine, and the feeling of hygge without the alcohol.

My husband and I found out that we were expecting a baby around this time last year. The week prior I had made a batch of mulled white wine. It was delicious and I think it was the last alcoholic drink I consumed.

I love the warming effect of a glass of mulled wine and I missed it last year. For me, it goes hand in hand with memories of winter folk festivals, roaring fires, good music and terrible weather. Reminiscing about this time last year, I was inspired to create a recipe that hinted of mulled wine, and the feeling of hygge (oh this was such a big thing last year!), without the alcohol.

A dessert that comprises the flavours of mulled wine, and the feeling of hygge without the alcohol.

So here is my creation – an orange crumble. Orange, to me, is a strange fruit to stew. But cooked on a low heat with spices just long enough to infuse the flavours, it works like magic. Oranges are delicious at the moment and, aside from eaten fresh, this is a clever way to use up a few extras lurking in the kitchen.

A dessert that comprises the flavours of mulled wine, and the feeling of hygge without the alcohol.

The crumble topping is so simple to prepare. In fact, next time I make this recipe I am so going to double the quantity and freeze the leftovers, ready to pull out on a random Thursday evening when the weather is freezing and the only thing to do is to snuggle up on the sofa and eat a cosy dessert. Maybe it could replace dinner….

A dessert that comprises the flavours of mulled wine, and the feeling of hygge without the alcohol.

Mulled Orange Crumble

  • Servings: Makes 4 individual ramekins
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Ingredients

For the stewed oranges:

  • 4 oranges, diced with all pith removed
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1-2 tbs water
  • 2 handfuls sultanas

For the crumble:

  • 60g butter, softened
  • 100g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • 30g rolled oats

Directions

  1. Add the diced oranges and spices, honey and water to a small saucepan and stew on a low heat for 5 mins until fragrant and sticky, but before the oranges lose their shape.
  2. In a separate mixing bowl, use your hands to rub the butter into the flour . Rub until the mixture becomes crumbly.
  3. Add the baking powder, sugar and oats to the flour & butter mixture and stir to combine.
  4. Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius.
  5. Stir the sultanas through the orange mixture. Spoon it into individual sized ramekins. Sprinkle the top with a generous amount of crumble mixture.
  6. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until the crumble topping is golden and the orange mixture is bubbling underneath. Serve with cream or Greek-style plain yoghurt.