TradeMe Chocolate Cupcake

I made these cupcakes on Mother's Day for the family gathering. The feedback was positive.

I like making cakes that are not fussy about how it is mixed and yet turns out with a nice texture. Best of all, cakes that can be mixed with a hand mixer from start to finish and this is one such cake. Easy peasy. And it is a beauty. The cupcakes were light, fluffy, rich looking and so yummy.

For now.....I can stop trying out chocolate cake recipes. I have found the ONE ! I have named this Trademe Chocolate Cake to differentiate it from the thousands of recipes out there for chocolate cake.

Makes 23 cupcakes

Ingredients
100gm butter, softened
200gm sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup (125ml) milk,
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup boiling strong coffee (1 tsp coffee powder)

190 gm flour
¼ tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
40 gm cocoa

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Homemade Fresh Chilli Paste

Grinding a big batch of chillies is much easier than trying to grind 2 or 3 in a food processor. It is a pain with small quantities as the chillies only get flung to the side of the bowl.

I have frozen my batch of chilli paste and just snap pieces off when required. It defrost very quickly too.

Ingredients
500 gm fresh red chillis

Method
1. Wash, cut off the ends and remove most of the seeds with a teaspoon.



2. Put into a food processor and blend until fine. There is no need to add water or oil..

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Peach Yoghurt Ice Cream

A refreshing and healthy low fat indulgence. When the peaches were in season, there was a glut from my tree so I ended up removing the skin and stones and freezing the fruit. At first I wasn't too sure how the ice cream would taste using frozen peaches but I have to say it turned out much nicer than when fresh peaches were used.


Makes 1 litre

Ingredients
400gm peaches (weight after skin and stone removed)
100gm sugar
100ml cream
500gm low fat yoghurt
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp vodka
2 Tbsp sultanas (optional)

Method
1. Add sugar to peaches and set aside for 1 hour.

2. At this stage there will be a fair bit of liquid in the peaches and sugar mix (especially if using frozen peaches). Boil the mixture until thick and syrupy. Leave to cool.

3. Add all the ingredients (except sultanas) into a blender. Blend at high speed.

4. Add the sultanas. Place in the fridge for a few hours or leave overnight to let the flavour develop.

5. Churn in ice cream maker.

6. Scoop to an airtight container and freeze for a few hours.

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Sweet Chilli Prawns

Absolutely mouthwatering prawns and... it is a quick and easy dish. Our hot favourite at the moment. The flavours are sweet and spicy with the sauce coating the prawns beautifully.

For this dish it is better to use shelled raw prawns. Add less chilli if you like it less spicy.

Ingredients
20-25 raw prawns
1-2 Tbsp oil
1" ginger, julienne
2 clove garlic, mashed
5 spring onion or chives, cut to 1¼" length

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