These biscuits are crisp and light, I really liked them; it's impossible to have only one! I think maybe I was supposed to use wheat bran flakes, I’m not sure (the recipe calls simply for ‘bran’) but since I couldn't find them in the supermarket I used oat bran. Recipe below and list of ingredients …
Deluxe Chocolate Cake
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday a few weeks ago. Every year I make him a different cake, and this time I decided to make him one from The Great New Zealand Baking Book. He is quite pleased with my project of baking every recipe in the book, considering he gets to taste …
Creamy Rice Pudding
I love rice pudding. In Argentina it's called ‘arroz con leche’ (literally ‘rice with milk’). It’s one of my dad’s favourite desserts; he could eat a whole pan by himself. I thought I wouldn’t like this version because it has cinnamon and orange in addition to vanilla, and I normally prefer it with just vanilla. …
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
The origins of carrot cake are not clear; apparently it’s an old recipe and its popularity was revived in the United Kingdom during World War II because of rationing. Carrot cake is like the moistest cake ever. It is also sweet and delicious, and the lemony cream cheese frosting is just amazing. This is a …
Deep-Dish Apple Pie
I love apple pie. This version is different to the ones I’ve made in the past, because in addition to butter, the pastry also has lard. Pros and cons of this: Pros: Lard makes a super crisp, flaky pastry. When you take it out of the oven it looks amazing!It’s easy to work with pastry …
Plaited Scones
These plaited scones were delicious; I loved both the sweet and savoury filling. They are not difficult to make and they end up looking amazing! Sweet filling: mix all ingredients together in a bowl: pitted and chopped dates, dark rum (I replaced it with brandy), softened butter and ground cinnamon. Set aside until required (recipe …
Peaches & Cream Sponge Cake
Sponge cakes are not that easy to make. They require some technique and in my opinion it’s quite easy to mess it up. My sponge cakes always turn out flawed and it’s very frustrating. Having said that, there isn’t much that you can’t fix by spreading it with raspberry jam and whipped cream. Add some …
Panna Cotta
Panna cotta means “cooked cream”. This gluten-free Italian dessert is made with cream, milk, sugar, vanilla and gelatine. It’s easy to make and delicious. This recipe is in the “Baked Desserts” category in The Great NZ Baking Book even though it doesn’t need to be baked; you only need to simmer the ingredients in a …
Peanut Brownies
This recipe is a kiwi favourite. But these are not brownies. They are biscuits (or cookies if you prefer American English). I do not know why they are called brownies. If you know, please tell me! I encountered two problems with this recipe: 1. The biscuits flattened a lot in the oven. This could be …
Farmhouse Sultana Cake
I’d never tried a sultana cake before making this recipe and I really liked it. It’s moist and buttery and delicious! And easy to make. The author says this is a very popular heritage recipe she updated from an old South Island sheep station cookhouse notebook. It would have been made to feed the shearers …
The Great New Zealand Baking Book Project 