Sour Cream Cinnamon Peach Cake

This is really a dessert cake, quite moist and lovely served warm with whipped cream - but we love it any time!

What I love most about this cake is that you can replace the peaches which pretty much any fruit making it perfect for any season (I have never actually made it with peaches!) today I used feijoas, a few months ago I used plums and berries or apples are also lovely and I am itching to try raw chopped rhubarb.  I think you are best to use a tart fruit as it contrasts beautifully with the sweet cake and topping.


3 cups chopped fresh peaches
100g butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, loosely packed
2 eggs
250g sour cream (I usually use light sour cream and that is fine, you could also replace with thick yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

In a food processor cream butter and sugar, add eggs, sour cram and vanilla and mix.  Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and pulse until just combined.  Add peaches and pulse the machine just a couple of times to lightly mix in peaches - don't overprocess.  (I don't have a food processor so I cream butter & sugar with a hand mixer, then mix in the dry ingredients, then fold through the fruit with a wooden spoon).  Pour the batter into a well greased and lined 23cm springform tin.  For the topping mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the cake.  Bake at 180 degrees C for 1 1/4 hours and cool in the tin.   

Peanut Butter Choc Chip Cookies

100g butter, softened
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup dark muscovado sugar (or use brown sugar, whatever you have)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Beat the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy (about a minute).  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and choc chips and mix until all combined.  Roll into golf ball sized balls - note that it is a crumbly dough so you need to squeeze it together a bit to shape into a ball, the heat from your hands melts the butter & PB enough to meld everything together.  Pop on a baking paper lined tray, gently flatten with a fork - again its quite a crumbly dough so if you are over enthusiastic you will squish it and it'll fall apart.  Bake at 180 degrees C for 8 minutes for a crispy outer & soft inner, longer if you like them crispier.

Makes approx 24

Mustard Beef Stroganoff

I tried to take a photo of this but no matter how I tried I couldn't make it look pretty and attractive, and we were hungry and the other half though I was a bit weird

500g beef rump, cut into strips
2 medium onions, sliced
oil spray
250g sliced button mushrooms if you like them, we don't - blurk fungis!
3 Tbs wholegrain mustard
150g sour cream (I use low fat)
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Brown the beef in the oil in a hot non stick frypan, just seal and brown don't cook  through as that will happen later.  Remove from the pan.  Saute onions in the pan until caramelised a golden brown.  Add the mushrooms if using - yuck!  Season with freshly ground black pepper.,  Add the wine and stock and simmer until reduced a bit (not long, maybe 5 mins).  Lower heat and add the beef and any meat juices back to the pan and stir in mustard and sour cream.  Simmer until the sauce has reduced a bit and beef is cooked through (another 5 mins - ish).  Serve over rice, noodles or our favourite, mashed potatoes.

Quick Cinnamon Cookies

1 1/4 cups flour
150g butter, softened
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor until everything clumps together in a ball.  Or if like me you don't have a food processor rub everything together with your fingers until it holds together.  On a floured board roll out to a square about half a cm thick.  This is quite a crumbly dough but it should hold together enough to gently roll out.  Cut into shapes, at this point you can sprinkle with nuts, choc chips, cinnamon sugar etc.  Bake @ 180 degrees C for 15-20 mins.  Cool on a wired rack

Nana's Steamed Pudding

This is my great nana's recipe, perfect winter comfort food!

140g brown sugar
140g butter
2 eggs
2 Tbs milk
140g self raising flour
sultanas

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and beat. Mix in milk, add flour and mix, add sultanas.  Pour batter into a greased pudding basin, seal and cook for 1 1/2 hours in a pot of simmering water.

Caramel Fingers

125g butter
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Rub butter into dry ingredients and press into a sponge tin.  Bake for 10-15 minutes @ 180 degrees.  While base is baking prepare the filling:

1/2 tin condensed milk
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs sugar

Melt filling in a small saucepan.  pour over base and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden.

Cinnamon Tea Cake

3/4 cup caster sugar
50g butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
3/4 cup milk

topping:
1 Tbs softened butter
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mixthe caster sugar and butter together in a bowl with a wooden spoon.  There won't be enough liquid to cream so mix as well as you can.  Beat in the egg.  Sift the flour and fold into the butter mixture alternating with the milk.  Spoon the batter into a well greased and floured loose bottomed cake tin.  Bake @ 180 degrees C for 40 minutes.  While the cake is still hot, spread top with butter and sprinkle over cinnamon sugar.  Allow the cake to stand in the tin for 5 minutes then cool on a wired rack.