Ladybird Johnson's Lemon Cake

Great for Easter.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter or margarine (at room temperature)
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 egg yolks
2 1/2 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon lemon juice
 
***Lemon Icing***
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine (at room temperature)
1 lemon, Grated rind only
1 lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons cream (or more, until spreading consistency)
Yellow food coloring, if desired

PREPARATION:

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until light and lemon-colored; blend into creamed mixture. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; resift 3 times. Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture in thirds, alternating with milk. Beat the batter thoroughly after each addition.

Add vanilla extract, lemon rind and lemon juice; beat 2 minutes. Bake in greased 10-inch Bundt pan in preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 1 hour or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. You can also can use three 9-inch round cake pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Double the frosting recipe for a layer cake.

Lemon Icing

Combine ingredients and beat, adding cream until desired consistency.

serves/makes 16

This recipe from CDKitchen for Lady Bird Johnson's Famous Lemon Cake

Broodje Bapao

Roll:

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. yeast
3 tbsp. oil

Filling:

1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cups pork (or beef/pork mix) ground
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. hoisin or oyster sauce
salt and sugar, to taste

Roll: 
Dissolve sugar in water completely. 
Mix flour, yeast and baking powder, then add water mix and oil. 
Mix, then knead until no longer sticky. 
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double in bulk, about 45 minutes. 


While waiting, make the filling:
Sauté onion until translucent but not brown, adding the garlic towards the end. 
Add the meat and cook through. 
Add liquids and spices, cook 1 additional minute, and set aside.
When dough is risen, form into long loaf and cut into approximately 6 equal pieces. 
Roll each piece flat, put filling in center and seal shut.


Let stand for 15 minutes, then steam for 20-25 minutes.

Piesang Brood

"Complete South African Cookbook":

500ml (2cups) flour
250ml (1cup) sugar
120g (8TBS) butter/margarine
2 eggs
3 large, ripe bananas, peels and mashed
65ml water
7ml (1.5tsp) baking powder
5ml (1tsp) bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt

1. Cream the butter or margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy in texture.

2. Stir in the mashed bananas and beat to combine thoroughly.

3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well.

4. Sift the flour and salt into the mixture and stir to blend well.

5. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the water and stir into the mixture, then stir in the baking powder.

6. Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin and bake in the oven at 180'C (350'f) until done, about 45-55minutes.

7. Let it cool in the tin for a few min, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

(Shared by Liezel Bohdanowicz)

Perfect Crescent Rolls

4 T. yeast
1/2 c. + 2 T. warm water
6 eggs
1 c. oil
1 c. sugar-
2 c. warm milk
10-11 c. flour
2 T. salt
*Recipe from The Food Nanny

Mix together the yeast and warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then add the eggs, oil and sugar and let beat for 1 minute. Warm the milk in the microwave until warm, but not scalding. Add the warm milk to the dough and mix until combined. Add the 10-11 c. of flour one cup at a time. Add the salt. Continue to knead for 5 minutes on medium speed. Allow to raise 23 hours in bowl. After the 2-3 hours, separate dough into 6 even balls. Roll out each ball until the size of a dinner plate on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 pizza wedge slices. With each wedge, roll downward wrapping bottom skinny bottom piece down and around to make pretty crescent shape. Place 3 rolls across and 8 down, 24 on each cookie sheet. Allow the rolls to double in size while covered with clean dish towel (about 15 min.). While raising on top of oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake one sheet at a time. Bake 6 minutes on the bottom rack and then 5 minutes on middle shelf until light golden brown. Once they are perfectly golden brown, take out and brush tops with butter.

Peppermint Brownies with Ganache Glaze

Brownies:
4 cubes butter
4 c. white sugar
1 c. cocoa powder
8 eggs
1 t. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
1 T. vanilla
Peppermint Frosting:
1 cube butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
3-4 T. milk
2 drops peppermint extract
1 T. vanilla
2 drops red food coloring
3-4 peppermint candy canes, crushed (for the topping)
Ganache Glaze:
1 bag milk chocolate chips
3-4 T. heavy whipping cream

For the brownies: soften margarine or butter and place in a large bowl or mixer. Add the cocoa, butter and eggs and beat until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and mix together until incorporated. Pour into a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 29-32 minutes, or until brownies are cooked through. Don't over bake, you will want your brownies a little under done. Let brownies cool and then frost with the peppermint frosting. Peppermint frosting: Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add enough milk to make the frosting a smooth and soft texture. Add the extract, vanilla and dash of salt. Add the food coloring and beat until frosting is ready to spread over brownies. Ganache Glaze: Put chocolate chips and whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 40-60 seconds, or until chips are melted smooth. Stir together until smooth and the consistency of hot fudge. Pour ganache over the mint frosting on top of the brownies. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top of the ganache and let cool. Cut into squares once topping is cooled.

Orange Glazed Muffins

1 c. milk (or 1 c. water + 3 T. dry powdered milk)
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. sour cream
2 eggs
1 c. butter, melted slightly
3 1/2 c. flour (can use wheat and white)
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Zest of 1 orange
Orange Glaze:
1/4 c. orange juice
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. orange zest
Dash of salt



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with muffin wrappers. Whisk together the wet ingredients of the muffins. Mix in the dry ingredients with the wet. Fold together until incorporated. Pour into the muffin tins. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the center of the muffin is cooked. For the glaze, whisk together the orange juice, powdered sugar and zest together until smooth. Once muffins are cooked and cooled, drizzle with the orange glaze.

Mexican Breakfast Pizza

2 pkg. crescent roll dough
1 lb. hot or milk ground pork sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cans diced green chilies
1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced
6 eggs
3/4 c. milk
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper


Saute the sausage, bell pepper and onion together until sausage is cooked and crumbled and vegetables are soft. Set aside. Open crescent packages and place the dough on the bottom of 2 round pie plates or one 9x13 pan. Spread dough all over the bottom of the pans until the bottom is completely covered. If using 2 pie plates, divide the sausage mixture in two and put 1/2 on the bottom of each pie pan. If using a 9x13 pan, pour all of the sausage mixture on top of the bottom crust. Mix eggs, green chilies, seasonings and milk together. Pour egg mixture over the sausage mixture in the crusts. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the egg. Bake casseroles at 350 for 25-30 minutes (for pie plates) or 40-50 min. for 9x13 pan. Casseroles will be cooked all the way through when the center of the casserole is no longer soft and jiggly. Put a toothpick into the center to see when they are done cooking. Let cool. Serve with salsa and sourcream.

Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake

1 devil's food cake mix
Crushed Heath bars or a bag of chocolate covered Heath bits
1 t. unflavored gelatin
1 T. cold water
2 T. boiling water (heated in your microwave)
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 t. vanilla
Chocolate Ganache:
8 oz. semi or milk chocolate chips
8 oz. heavy cream
*Recipe and picture from Our Best Bites

Make the box cake as normal in 2 round pans that have been greased and floured. Make according to box directions, bake, let cool and remove from pans. For the mousse, in a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water and allow to stand for about 1 minute. While gelatin is softening, bring 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in the microwave. Whisk into the softened gelatin and allow to cool slightly. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form. Mix in gelatin mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes. For the ganache: Combine chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2 minutes and stir. Heat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is fully melted and can be whisked and incorporated into the cream. Be sure and scrape the sides and bottom to make sure you don't find any globby bits of chocolate when you start working with it. The ganache will thicken as it cools.
With a serrated knife, carefully slice the dome-iest part of each cake layer off so the layers are level. Place one layer on the serving plate and spread about 1/2 of the chocolate mousse (as much as you can fit)over the cake (there will be leftover mousse to eat). Sprinkle with Heath bits. Place second layer on top of Heath bits. Spoon ganache over the top layer, allowing it to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with additional Heath bits and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garlic Breadsticks

3 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
7 c. flour
3 t. salt
2 T. Italian seasoning
1 T. garlic powder
1/2 c. sugar


Sprinkle the yeast and sugar onto the warm water and allow it to sit a few minutes until the yeast becomes bubbly. Then add the 7 c. of flour and salt. Once all of the ingredients are combined, allow your mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes. Place dough onto your counter. Cut into equal pieces. Roll out each strip of dough into a long rectangle shape. Twist the long piece of dough into a spiral shape. Place spiral piece onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Let breadsticks rise until they are the size you want them to be. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Once breadsticks are out of the oven, drizzle with melted butter and a little more seasoning mix (or Johnny's GarlicSpread).

Gustav's Mom's Piesang Brood

125g Marg/Butter (0.551cup)
250 ml sugar (1.057 cups)
5ml vanilla essence (1.015 tps)
2 eggs (beaten well)
4 bananas (squashed)
500 ml cake flour (2.114 cups)
5ml baking powder (1.015 tps)
5ml bicarb of soda (1.015 tps)
125ml boiling water (0.528 cups)

Preheat oven to 356C
Mix marg and sugar well
add vanilla essence, eggs and bananas
beat well
sift flour, baking powder
fold into mixture
dissolve bic of soda in water and add to mix
put mixture in a bread pan about 23 cm
bake for 1 hour or until done
remove and store

Note:  Flavor improves if kept in airtight container for a day or so

Easy Cheesy Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter (I used salted)

Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir in cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and butter together. Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.
Bake in greased muffin tins at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Makes 12.

Source: PDub

Ros' Notes:

I made these with cheese that was about to expire (Mexican, fine shredded taco flavored cheese).  This recipe could not be simpler and the outcome is so tasty!  Next time I might try and use a more corsely (gah, i give up trying to spell this...) grated cheese, but all in all these were so easy to make and tasted just deelish!

Oatmeal Crunchies

(First batch... too wet)

YUM!!!
Source: Vanielje Kitchen

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup organic plain (cake) flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup organic butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

In a pot slowly melt the butter and sugar
Add the bicarb and the syrup and stir ’til incorporated
Mix the dry ingredients
Pour the butter mix into the oats and mix well
Press into an oven proof pie dish and bake @180*C (pre-heated oven) for 20 minutes
That’s it. When you take them out you may find the tray of oats is soft and wobbly in the centre. It firms up as it cools. Crunchies are meant to be chewy, if you would like them more crisp, give them another 5 minutes in the oven. Cut while they are still slightly warm and store, like biscuits, in an airtight container.

(Chocolate Crunchie recipe here.)

Ros' Notes:

OMG!  These are (always were) delicious!!  Totally easy to make and bake - even without the dessicated coconut (Bleurgh).  Also, I only had instant oat packets with flavoring powder.  I sieved the flavoring out, and used them anyway and they worked just fine. 

Second batch was too dry:

Buttermilk Rusks

Source:  Vanielje Kitchen

250g Unsalted Butter
400g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
250ml buttermilk (1 cup)
1kg self raising flour



* Cream unsalted butter with granulated sugar
* Add eggs and beat well
* Add buttermilk
* Sift selfraising flour and add to the mix.
* Knead into a soft dough
* Form into small balls and place side by side in a buttered bread tin, or a round or square cake tin.
* Bake @ 200*C for 30 minutes then turn the oven down low, or leave the pilot light on
* Allow the rusks to cool slightly then break them apart and lay them on several baking sheets
* Return the rusks to the oven and leave the rusks for about 5 hours to dry out, turning a couple of times to ensure they dry evenly.
* Store in an airtight container (and I would advise you to stash a few where no one else knows to look, as they disappear all too quickly.)

Easy Strawberry Yogurt Cake

1 Box White Cake Mix
3/4 cup Water
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
6oz Yogurt (Any flavor, but strawberry is best)

Preheat oven to 350F
Beat everything on low for 30 secs
Beat everything on medium for 2 minutes
Pour into cake tin and bake according to box directions/until knife comes away clean

Ros' Notes:

For the best flavor do not use a low-cal/sweetened yogurt.  The saccarine taste is (to me) unpalatable in this cake.  I prefer to use a full fat, full calorie yogurt, but you may not mind the artificially sweetened kind.  Either way, this is an easy cake and tastes great!

Cape Seed Bread

CAPE SEED BREAD (Like Woolies)

Ingredients:
185 g whole wheat flour
42 g sesame seeds
37 g flax seeds
28 g sunflower seeds
26 g poppy seeds
4 g cracked wheat
15 g multigrain mix
4 g salt
15 g high protein wheat gluten
2 g roasted malt powder
9 g fresh compressed yeast
195 ml chilled water

Directions:
1. To prepare dough, combine all ingredients (reserve 5 g of poppy seeds and 5g of sesame seeds) in a mixer. Dough should be sticky and form a ball
2. Sprinkle flour on work bench and flatten dough to a rectangle that is approximately 15 cm x 20 cm. Scroll up the dough piece so that it is in a
cylindrical shape about 18 cm long .
3. Roll the piece of dough in sesame seeds and put into a small baking pan (if you do not have Teflon coated you will need to grease your pan first)
4. Place pan in a hot steamy room or proof box for approx 45 minutes or until the dough has risen over the height of the tin.
5. Using a small serrated knife, cut along the length of the dough piece, splitting the dough open about 3 cm. In this cut sprinkle on approx 5 g of poppy seed
6. Bake in oven with steam for 30 minutes at 225 Celsius.

Source:  CookSister

Jan Ellis Pudding

JAN ELLIS PUDDING (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of self-raising flour
1 egg
1 Tbsp apricot jam
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp softened butter
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tsp grated orange zest
FOR THE SYRUP:
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange zest

Method:
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk.  Mix all the other ingredients together well, then add the milk and mix well until smooth.  Pour into a baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 180C or until a skewer comes out clean.
Plase all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.  Serve each portion of pudding with a generous helping of syrup and some custard.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE (serves 6-8)

Ingredients
225g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
100g unsalted butter
175g icing sugar, sifted
4 large free range eggs, separated
mascarpone to serve

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C and grease a loose-bottomed 25cm cake tin
In a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, melt the chocolate and butter together.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and icing sugar together until they are creamy.  Fold the melted chocolate into the egg mix.
In a clean bowl (and using a clean whisk), whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold the egg whites gradually into the chocolate mix, in three or four portions. 
Using a spatula, pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake at 180C for about 30 minutes, until the top of the cake is slightly cracked but it is still gooey in the middle.  Allow the cake to cool on a rack and then remove from the tin.
Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar, cut and serve with a dollop of mascarpone.

Ham, Cheese & Paprika Muffin

HAM, CHEESE AND PAPRIKA MUFFINS (makes 12)

Ingredients:
2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
1/2 tsp ground hot paprika
80g butter
130g chopped cooked ham (about 6 slices)
1.5 cups coarsely grated full flavour cheddar cheese
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
250ml milk
sweet paprika for sprinkling on top

Method:
Grease a 12 hole muffin pan (or use non-stick like I did!).  Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips.  Stir in the chopped ham and grated cheese, then the egg and milk.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan, sprinkle with the sweet paprika and bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cooksister Saffa Scones

MAMMA'S SCONES (makes 8-10)

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
3.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of oil
2/3 cup of milk
1 egg

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C (350F).  Lightly grease or spray a large baking sheet.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat the egg together with the milk and oil.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the liquid into it.  Then mix using a wooden spoon, making cutting motions as if you were drawing a noughts and crosses grid.  Turn the bowl after each grid.
Mix until all the liquid has been absorbed but do not over-mix.  If there is still some dry flour visible, add milk a tablespoon at a time and mix till all the flour is absorbed.  The mixture should be sticky but firm enough to hold its shape when you form the scones on the baking sheet.
Form a rough balls from the dough and place them on the baking sheet, evenly spaced.  You can make them as neat or as free-form as you like but remember they are not going to look like cookie-cutter, egg-washed scones!
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden - test with a toothpick to see if they are done.  They are delicious with sweet or savoury toppings - in the picture, I have gone for butter and red cherry jam.  In the unlikely event that there are any left over from breakfast, slice in half, top with grated cheddar and pop under the grill for a tasty mid-afternoon snack.

Ros' Notes:

Be very careful with the baking powder.  I found 3.5 tsp to be too much.

South African Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 - 6 very ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

Directions:
Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla.
Add the eggs one by one and mix well after each addition.
Sift together the dry ingredients and mis into the butter/sugar/egg mix. Mash the bananas and add to the mixture.
Pour into a small greased loaf tin and bake at 180C for one hour or until the bread starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the tin. Allow to cool before removing from the tin and slicing.