Just for mum: the CWA’S delicious baked goods recipes
FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GENERATIONS OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN AND BAKE A MOTHER’S DAY TREAT FROM THE COUNTRY WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA.
BASIC VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
Makes about 1 cup
100g butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence 160g (1¼ cups) pure icing sugar, sifted milk, optional
In a small bowl, beat the butter and vanilla until pale and creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar until well combined. If the mixture is too firm, add a little milk until the desired consistency.
MELTING MOMENTS
Makes about 24
250g butter
⅓ cup (40g) icing sugar 1½ cups (225g) plain flour ½ cup (60g) cornflour
Cream butter and icing sugar until light and creamy. Add sifted flour and cornflour.
Place mixture into a piping bag and, using a fluted tube, pipe mixture onto a greased baking tray, about 3cm in diameter, allowing for a little spreading during baking. Or, roll into 3cm balls and press lightly with the back of a lightly floured fork.
Bake in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes, until biscuits have a nice golden colour. Allow to cool.
When cool, join with Filling or Lemon Cream (see below; in the photo, we used Lemon Cream). FILLING Mix 40g butter and 2 tablespoons raspberry jam together, then add 3 tablespoons icing sugar. LEMON CREAM Beat 60g butter until smooth, then gradually add ½ cup (60g) sifted icing sugar, beating until mixture is light and creamy. Fold in 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind and 3 teaspoons lemon juice.
CRANBERRY, MACADAMIA & WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS
Makes about 30
230g butter
⅓ cup (75g) sugar
¼ cup (60ml) condensed milk
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
¾ cup (110g) white chocolate bits ¾ cup (115g) macadamias, chopped ½–¾ cup (75–100g) dried cranberries,
chopped
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Melt butter, then stir in sugar and condensed milk. Add remaining
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ingredients and mix well.
Using hands, form mixture into 3cm balls and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Gently flatten into biscuit shapes.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a light golden brown.
TIP You could also use combinations of dark chocolate bits, almonds, dried apricots or pistachios.
GINGERNUTS
Makes about 24
125g butter
1 cup (220g) sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons treacle
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour 3 teaspoons ground ginger
Beat butter and sugar together, add eggs and treacle. Mix well before adding sifted flour and ground ginger, until it forms a soft dough.
Place in teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking tray. Bake for 12–15 minutes in a moderate oven, until golden. Be careful they don’t burn. VARIATION Add a little more self-raising flour to make the dough firmer, then cut out into gingerbread man biscuits. Decorate.
ORANGE, POPPY SEED & CARDAMOM BISCUITS
Makes about 24
250g unsalted butter or margarine ½ cup (110g) caster sugar grated zest of 2 oranges
1 egg yolk
2 cups (300g) plain flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Beat butter and sugar to a cream, then add the orange zest and the egg yolk and stir until combined.
Add the flour, salt, cardamom and poppy seeds and mix until it becomes a soft dough. Chill for about 15 minutes.
Remove from fridge and roll into two log shapes on a lightly floured surface.
Chill again on a lined baking tray until firm (about 20 minutes). Preheat oven to 175°C.
Slice logs into 1cm thick rounds and place 2cm apart on a lined or non-stick baking tray.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until biscuits are slightly golden. Cool on tray until firm. >
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NEVER-FAIL SPONGE
Makes two 20cm cakes
4 eggs, separated small pinch of salt
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence ¾ cup (90g) cornflour
1 large tablespoon custard powder 1 teaspoon cream of tartar ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Preheat oven to 175°C.
Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form, then gradually beat in caster sugar. Beat well until very thick, stiff peaks form. Gently fold in egg yolks and vanilla.
Add twice-sifted dry ingredients, then gently fold them through the egg mixture until combined.
Turn evenly into two well-greased sandwich tins, 21cm x 6cm deep.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the sides of the cake have shrunk a little from the side of the tins.
Turn out to cool, then slice through and fill with cream and jam, to make two individual layered cakes, or one big cake with four layers.
Ice or decorate the top as required; in the photo the cake is topped with strawberry halves and dusted with icing sugar.
VARIATION For a Chocolate Sponge, add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to dry ingredients.
FORCER BISCUITS
Makes about 24 180g butter 125g caster sugar 2 eggs 75g cornflour
285g plain flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda Basic Vanilla Buttercream (see page 104)
Cream butter and sugar together well, beat in eggs.
Sift flours, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda into the creamed mixture and mix to a smooth dough.
Place small quantities into a biscuit forcer (press) or piping bag and force through the different shapes onto a greased baking tray/s.
Bake in a moderate oven (175°C) for about 12–15 minutes, until biscuits have a nice golden colour. Remove from trays and allow biscuits to cool.
When cold, join biscuits together with buttercream, or make a plain icing by beating together icing sugar, a knob of butter and boiling water to a spreading consistency.
GINGER FLUFF
Makes one 21cm layered cake
4 eggs
¾ cup (165g) white sugar pinch of salt
1 dessertspoon (12ml) golden syrup ½ cup (60g) cornflour 2 dessertspoons (24ml) plain flour 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoon cream of tartar whipped cream, to serve chopped glacé ginger and icing sugar
Beat eggs, sugar and salt for 20 minutes, using an electric mixer.
Add golden syrup.
Sift together twice the cornflour, flour, spices, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar. Fold into egg mixture.
Pour into two greased sandwich tins, 21cm x 6cm deep.
Bake in a moderate oven for 15–20 minutes. To test if a sponge is done, gently press the centre of the sponge with your finger. If an impression remains, the cake will require more cooking; when cooked, it will spring back when lightly pressed.
When taking a sponge out of the oven, run a knife around the edge immediately to free the cake, or it may collapse. Turn the cake out onto a wire cake rack covered with a tea towel.
Once cooled, place whipped cream between layers. Dust with icing sugar and top with glacé ginger, or ice as desired.