What's Christmas Without Trifle

Trifle - Sweet and refreshing on a hot, Darwin Christmas. This recipe is ideal for those who want to say that they made it but the truth is, they only assembled it all together.

Trifle
1 jam roll
2 packets portwine/raspberry jelly (follow manufacturer's direction and allow to set)
1 litre custard (I made mine with 2/3 cup of custard powder and 1 litre of milk, boiled until it thickens and let to cool)
500gm fruit salad in syrup (drained, and reserve the syrup)
600ml cream

Method:

1. Cut jam roll into 1cm slices.
2. Line half the jam rolls into glass bowl,
3. Drizzle 1/3 of the fruit salad syrup over the jam roll slices.
4. Cut jelly into cubes and fill the glass bowl with half the amount of jelly made.
5. Pour the custard over the jelly.
6. Top with half the drained fruit salad.
7. Place the remaining jam rolls on top of the fruit salad layer.
8. Repeat steps 4 - 6.
9. Whip cream until cream almost triple in volume (but before it turns into butter)
10. Using the spatula, layer the cream on top of the trifle.

Note: No cream layer in my pic as it was nearly overflowing, and my partner has to take it into work so I didn't want cream all over the car.

Christmas - A Time to Get Drunk

Christmas - drinking with family and friends which kinda inspired me to make these rum balls. However as I don't take alcohol and neither should I compromise my partner's and his workmates' work ethics as paramedics, I thought I had better substitute it with rum essence

Rum balls

250gm plain biscuits (Arnott's Arrowroot, Marie and Nice biscuits would do fine)
3 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp rum essence (or the real stuff)
395ml condensed milk (1 tin)
1 cup desicated coconut
Extra desicated coconut, cocoa, or chopped nuts, for decoration

Method:

1. Process the biscuits in a blender until they resemble bread crumbs.
2. Add in the desicated coconut.
3. Sift in the cocoa.
4. Add the rum and condensed milk into the mixture and stir until the mixture sticks together.
5. Roll into balls and roll over the extra desicated coconut (or cocoa or chopped nuts) for decoration.

Colour of Christmas

Been deprived of my decorating set for so long that I decided to make cupcakes - only so that I can decorate them. I went through some websites and found ideas on what to decorate on my cupcakes, and because I couldn't decide which ones I wanted, I ended up with all of them.

Cupcakes
250 gm butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 egges
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
370ml milk

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar together
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add in vanilla essence and beat well.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together.
5. Add the flour in 3 portions along with the milk, and mix well, starting and finishing off with the flour.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 20-25 mins.

Glace:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp milk
20gm butter (softened)

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre of the icing sugar and add in butter, and 1 tbsp boiling water.
3. Stir until well combined.
4. Add milk and stir until well combined.
5. If more water is required to acquire the right consistency, then add in some more boiling water and stir.
6. Colour icing as desired and coat the cupcake tops.

Note: Making the glazing is optional. I only did it because I wanted a coloured surface to place my buttercream decorations. If using this step, place the iced cupcakes into the fridge for 10 mins so the icing glace can harden.

Buttercream:
120gm icing sugar
240gm butter
colouring

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Add the butter and beat until the butter achieve a pale ivory colour.
3. Colour as required and decorate (the fun bit)

Christmas once again

It's been a long time but with Christmas holidays here, and having just resigned from my job (as I got a new position), I finally found my baking & decorating hobby once again.

Oreo Truffles

250gm Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)

3 packets of Oreo cookies (39 pieces of oreos)

Method:

1. Place the Oreo's (including the sandwiched cream) into a blender and blend until finely processed.
2. Place Oreo's into large mixing bowl.
3. Combine the softened Cream cheese with the Oreo's until thoroughly combined.
4. Roll into balls, or shape them into the desired shape. Place into fridge for 10mins or freezer for 5 mins before decorating with icing.

*DO NOT place the cream cheese along with the Oreo's into the blender otherwise when oil starts weeping out in big droplets, don't say that you haven't been warned.

Icing:
Heat white chocolate as per directions on the packet. Add in peppermint oil once the chocolate is melted. Colour and decorate truffles as desired.