Chocolate Creme Caramel

1 orange – zest finely grated
160g dark chocolate
600ml milk
250g castor sugar (plus 3 tbsp extra)
120ml water
4 large eggs
3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 160°C fan forced (180°C conventional)

Combine orange zest and chocolate in a small bowl. Bring milk to simmer in a small saucepan and pour over chocolate. Stir until smooth, then set aside.
Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook, without stirring, until the mixture is a caramel colour. Pour caramel into a 20cm ovenproof dish and swirl round the sides to coat.

Whisk eggs, yolks and 3 tbsp of sugar in a medium bowl until well combined. Add milk mixture and stir until smooth. Pour egg mixture through a strainer into the baking dish. Place dish in a baking tray and pour in hot water until it reaches about ½ way up the sides of the dish. Bake for 75 mins or until just set. Remove and cool, then refrigerate overnight.

To serve, run a warm, dry knife around the edges and invert onto a plate.

Chocolate Cheesecake

1 x 250g packet of Arnotts Chocolate Ripple Biscuits
50g unsalted butter - melted
600g softened cream cheese
170g castor sugar
¾ tsp salt
5 eggs
380g white/milk/dark couverture chocolate
85ml cream
¾ tsp vanilla essence
Topping –
125g dark couverture chocolate
30g butter
1 tbsp cointreau

Preheat oven to 150°C
To make base, place biscuits in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Add melted butter and combine. Press into a greased 22cm springform tin and place in the freezer while you make the filling.

Mix softened cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth in texture. Add eggs one by one until they are completely incorporated. Melt the chocolate and add to the mix, then stir in cream and vanilla essence.

Pour the mixture into the springform tin and bake for 1 ½ hours or until just set. Turn off the oven and leave the cake to cool there for another 2 hours. Chill it in the fridge, still in the tin.

For the topping, melt the dark chocolate with the butter and rum and carefully cover the cheesecake. Place back in the fridge to set, then remove from the tin and serve.

Apple Pie

Pastry -
650g plain flour
250g caster sugar (plus 2 tbsp extra)
Pinch salt
½ lemon – zest finely grated
250g butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2-3 tbsp iced water
Filling -
8 apples (I like Pink Lady)
2tbsp lemon juice
270g castor sugar
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
100ml water
1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 170°C fan forced (190°C conventional)

For pastry, combine flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Rub butter to mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add eggs, yolks and water and knead until dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 mins.

For filling, combine apples, lemon juice, 170g castor sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and rest for 15 mins. Dissolve remaining sugar in water and add apple mixture. Cook for 5-8 mins or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon zest and spread out to cool for 5-10 mins.
Grease a springform pan or pie dish and line base with baking paper. Cut pastry into two pieces, roll out to about 1cm thick and press larger piece into base of dish. Cover with apple mixture and top with remaining pastry. Seal edges and dust with castor sugar. Bake for 40-50 mins or until golden.

World's Simplest Fruit Cake - a little bit like Barmbrack

600g mixed dried fruit
600mL boiling water
3-4 tsp instant coffee
1/4 cup sherry
Approx 2 cups SR flour

Soak fruit in liquid - at least 6 hours or so, until the fruit's gone juicy again.
Mix in SR flour 1 cup at a time - you might need a little bit more or less, depending on how much liquid the fruit has absorbed. I find that as long as it looks like a thick/gooey mix, it turns out fine ... it's a far less exact science than cake making usually is

Pour (I use the word advisedly - it should be just a little bit too thick and sticky to pour smoothly) into a cake tin lined with baking paper. Bake at 160C for 1 1/4 hours or until it springs back in the middle. I usually end up covering mine loosely with foil about half way through to stop the top browning too much, but I think that's just my oven.

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

Pudding (serves 2):
1/3 cup SR flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cocoa
3 tbsp melted margarine
1/4 cup milk

Sauce:
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 180C and grease 2 small ramekins.

Combine margarine with dry ingredients and stir in milk. Pour mixture into dishes. Combine brown sugar and cocoa, and sprinkle over the surface of each pudding. Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over each pudding and bake for 15-20 minutes or until springy.

Mississippi Mud Cake

Cake-
250g butter, coarsely chopped
200g good quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
330ml milk
2 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs

Ganache Topping (Variation - dust with a little bit of cocoa):
1/3 cup cream
200g good quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 150°C fan forced (170°C conventional). Grease deep 22cm round cake pan; line base with baking paper.

Combine butter, chocolate, milk, sugar and vanilla extract in medium saucepan, stir over low heat until mixture is smooth.

Cool mixture until barely warm, whisk in sifted dry ingredients and eggs, then pour into pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.

Stand cake 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

Bring cream to the boil in small saucepan, remove from heat, add chocolate, stir until smooth, pour over cake. Or, refrigerate ganache for about 30 minutes, then beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, spread over cake. Or, refrigerate ganache until firm, then beat in a small bowl with electric mixer until smooth and thick, spread whipped ganache over cake.

Creamy Rice Pudding
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

* 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
* 2 cups milk, divided
* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg, beaten
* 2/3 cup golden raisins (optional)
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In another saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.

I leave the raisins out, use 1/4 cup of sugar, and add lots of cinnamon. Mmmm