Tag: afternoon tea

Lemonade Pimm’s scones

A fluffy scone filled with the flavours of a classic Pimm's cocktail: lemonade, strawberries, cucumber, mint and of course, Pimm's!

Pimm’s – the ultimate springtime tipple. I thought I’d try my hand at a scone recipe adapted to include the flavours of an original Pimm’s cocktail. It works – and even my Nanna approves!

To begin with, make a batch of scones. These I have adapted from the classic lemonade and cream recipe that I have been making ever since my childhood. I thought this was the perfect recipe to use, as Pimm’s is made with lemonade. First key ingredient: tick. This recipe is so easy, and I have jazzed them up with some orange zest. Second ingredient: tick.

A fluffy scone filled with the flavours of a classic Pimm's cocktail: lemonade, strawberries, cucumber, mint and of course, Pimm's!A fluffy scone filled with the flavours of a classic Pimm's cocktail: lemonade, strawberries, cucumber, mint and of course, Pimm's!

Serve the scones with whipped cream that has a dash of Pimm’s mixed through (tick), strawberry jam (tick) and a slice of cucumber (tick). You may think this sounds mad, but I promise you that the freshness of the cucumber works for this sweet delight. Not an everyday treat, but leftover scones can be easily frozen for another day.

A fluffy scone filled with the flavours of a classic Pimm's cocktail: lemonade, strawberries, cucumber, mint and of course, Pimm's!

Lemonade Pimm's Scones

  • Servings: approx. 10
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups plain flour
  • 6 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup lemonade
  • Zest of one orange
  • 600 ml cream
  • 2 tsp milk
  • 2 tsp Pimm’s
  • Strawberry jam, to serve
  • Cucumber, sliced, to serve
  • Fresh mint leaves, to serve

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius. Grease a baking tray with spray oil.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, lemonade, orange zest and 300ml of the cream in a mixing bowl using a metal knife. Mix as little as possible and remove onto the work surface as soon as it comes together.
  3. Lightly knead the dough with a little extra flour until the outside of the ball is not sticky. Pat down to make flat (about 3 cm tall).
  4. Dust a scone cutter in flour (so that the dough does not stick) and cut the scones. Place close to each other on the prepared tray. Continue to pull together the scraps of the dough and cut more scones until all of the dough is used.
  5. Brush the tops of the scones with milk.
  6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden on top.
  7. Whilst the scones are cooking, whip the remainder of the cream until soft peaks form and stir through the Pimm’s.
  8. As soon as the scones are removed from the oven, take off the baking tray and wrap the scones in a teatowel.
  9. To serve, cut the scone in half, spread with strawberry jam, top with a teaspoon of cream, and a slice of cucumber and a sprig of mint.

 

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White chocolate and lime slice

A tangy, sweet white chocolate and lime slice

Looking at produce in season at the moment, I noticed limes. We are fortunate to be receiving plenty of these from our local veg box, CERESFairfood. I never seem to struggle thinking up various ways to use them, but more often than not, it is in a savoury dinner dish.

A tangy, sweet white chocolate and lime slice

I wanted to branch out and use lime in a sweet dish. Lemons I use all the time, but limes, not so much. So I experimented and made a slice with limes and white chocolate. Originally, I was envisaging a brownie (or blondie) type concoction, with ooziness and a fudgy centre. But it didn’t turn out that way the first time I made it, it turned out even better!

This slice is crispy, tangy, crumbly and flavourful. This slice is so fresh, so light, it just seems perfect for the weather we’re having at the moment!

A tangy, sweet white chocolate and lime slice

White chocolate and lime slice

  • Servings: approx. 25
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Ingredients

  • 240g plain flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup caster sugar
  • Zest of one lime
  • 160g unsalted butter, melted
  • 75g white choc chips, melted
  • Juice of one lime
  • 2 eggs
  • 175g white choc chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius. Grease a baking tray with spray oil.
  2. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and lime zest. Stir to combine.
  3. Whisk together the melted butter, melted choc chips, lime juice and eggs.
  4. Combine dry and wet ingredients, and stir through the remainder of the choc chips.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the baking tray and use a spatula to evenly coat the base of the baking tray.
  6. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until set. Cut into slices, remove from the baking tray and let cool on a wire rack.

Grapefruit shortbread with marshmallow icing

A tangy grapefruit shortbread with a sticky marshmallowy icingToday I am featuring a recipe that my grandmother was famous for. They are a universal favourite –the melting moment, or yo-yo. A shortbread that always, always receives compliments and requests for the recipe. My grandma used a secret ingredient – that of custard powder, to give the shortbreads a vanilla, soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Usually I save this recipe for the Christmas period. They are simple and quick to make, and so fail-proof, they’re fantastically seasonal. However, faced with some grapefruits gifted to me by my neighbour, and wanting to bake something different with them, I decided to jazz up my grandma’s shortbread recipe with a new twist.

A tangy grapefruit shortbread with a sticky marshmallow icing

An unexpected combination: grapefruit, shortbread and marshmallow, but if you make the recipe below, I think you will find that it works like a charm!

A tangy grapefruit shortbread with a sticky marshmallow icing

Grapefruit shortbread with marshmallow icing

  • Servings: approx. 20
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Ingredients

For the shortbreads:

  • 120g unsalted butter, softened
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 60g custard powder
  • 120g plain flour
  • Zest of one grapefruit

For the icing:

  • 30g butter
  • Juice of one grapefruit
  • 130g marshmallows
  • ¼ cup caster sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius. Grease a baking tray with spray oil.
  2. Cream butter and sugar with beaters or a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. Add custard powder, flour and grapefruit zest, and beat until mixture forms a dough.
  4. Using a rolling pin, roll dough until it is approximately ½ cm thick. You may need to dust the worktop and the rolling pin with a little extra flour so that it doesn’t stick.
  5. Use a 4cm diameter scone cutter to cut the biscuits. Continue to roll out the dough until it is all used.
  6. Place the biscuits on the tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins or until golden. Once baked, leave on the tray for 5 mins to cool, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. To make the icing, melt the butter, grapefruit juice and marshmallows in a small saucepan on a low heat. Once melted and combined, add the sugar and continue to cook and stir until sugar has dissolved.
  8. Place the icing into a clean bowl and put into the fridge for at least an hour to cool and set. The icing should become sticky and not run off a spoon.
  9. Once the icing is sticky, spoon it into a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled biscuits. Leave to cool and set completely.

 

Pineapple and Coconut Drizzle Cake

Pineapple and coconut drizzle cake - perfect tropical vibes to freshen up a wintery rainy day!

Pineapple has such tropical vibes; I always associate it with summer. What a superb way to freshen up a dull and dreary Melbourne winter weekday. It has me dreaming of sunny beaches and summery breezes.

The pineapple I bought for this cake was lovely on its own. It was so juicy and sweet. The best pineapple I’ve ever had was in Fiji, on my honeymoon. But this pineapple was almost as good!

Pineapple and coconut drizzle cake - perfect tropical vibes to freshen up a wintery rainy day!

Coconut is the perfect flavour to combine with pineapple. And using coconut cream means that this cake is super easy to make dairy-free – just substitute the butter with a dairy-free spread and you’re good to go! I actually did this the second time I made this cake to cater for some dairy-free friends and it tasted just as good.

I decided to emulate the texture of a lemon drizzle cake by soaking the cake with a pineapple sugar syrup. Combined with a topping of shredded coconut, the texture of this cake is dense and intense and oh so tasty!

Perfect for an afternoon cuppa on a rainy day.

Pineapple and coconut drizzle cake - perfect tropical vibes to freshen up a wintery rainy day!

Pineapple and Coconut Drizzle Cake

  • Servings: 8
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Ingredients

  • 110g unsalted butter, softened
  • 110g caster sugar, plus 30g extra
  • 2 eggs
  • 130g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 35g dessicated coconut, plus a handful extra
  • 125ml coconut cream
  • 100g fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius. Grease a 20cm cake tin with spray oil.
  2. Place pineapple chunks into food processor and whizz until pureed. Strain the pineapple puree and reserve the juice in a small bowl. Place both pineapple puree and pineapple juice to the side.
  3. Cream the butter and 110g of the sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the eggs, one by one.
  5. Fold in the flour, baking powder and coconut.
  6. Stir through the coconut cream and pineapple puree until combined.
  7. Pour the mixture into cake tin and bake in the oven for 35 mins or until golden on top, and a skewer comes out clean.
  8. While the cake is baking, mix 30g of the extra sugar with the pineapple juice to create a thick paste.
  9. Leave the cake to cool for 5 mins, before turning out onto a wire rack. Use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour over the pineapple sugar syrup while the cake is still warm. Sprinkle extra coconut over the top and leave to cool fully before storing or eating! Keeps well for 2-3 days in an airtight container.