Decadent Desserts

Gooey Chocolate Torte

Gooey Chocolate torteI whipped up this Gooey Chocolate Torte last night ahead of The Neighbours coming over for dinner (and ahead of a quick trip to the pub for pre-dinner drinks).

Now, when some food bloggers say “they whipped X up” I do a slight eye roll. Rarely, IMHO, do foodie bloggers whip something up. However, I promise, this WAS whipped up.  It took 7 mins to prep then 35 mins to bake.  Now, I’m sharing the recipe as I posted the steps as I made it on my Instagram story – and never have I had as many messages as since I had Botox in Bali.  I personally find reading recipes on Insta a pain in the bum… So because I’m occasionally thoughtful, here’s the recipe here too!

So here’s the recipe for my Gooey Chocolate Torte which takes extra brownie points for being made in ONE POT = Sod all dishes my friends. You are welcome.

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Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

cookies and cream cheesecake

Right.  This isn’t my recipe, let’s get that out of the way. Nope, this mega morsel of delicious-ness was the brainchild of my nine year old son (albeit with a little bit of help from his Mumma). He’s been on a cheesecake creation bender for the last month and he’s been churning out all sorts of cheesecake concoctions. This Cookies and Cream Cheesecake is the best cheesecake yet!  Being a child that was raised well (ha),  he’s happy to share his recipe.  Enjoy. 

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Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch sauce

sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce

There’s nothing ‘good for you’ about this pudding. It’s wicked. It’s also a crowd-pleaser, easy to make (you can whip the pudding up after your main course in ten minutes, rejoin your guests and dazzle them with your inner domestic goddessness) and you’ve probably got most of the ingredients on hand already. I do LOVE recipes where “nothing special is required”. Just distance yourself from the butterscotch pudding: It’s addictive.  

By the way, in the (unlikely) event that there’s some left, it freezes fine for the next time you want to dazzle your dinner guests. (more…)

Emma’s Easy Lemon Meringue Pie

easy lemon meringue pie recipeMy lovely foodie buddy Emma came to visit a while back and we spent a fun-filled foodie afternoon cooking up a dinner feast for our families.  One of my favourite things to do is to get together with a foodie friend and cook.  I love the opportunity to learn a new recipe, to pick up some new tips and tricks. Of course, the banter and the feast afterwards… Oh yes:  Talk about my happy place!    Emma whipped up this lemon meringue pie (partly chosen as I fessed up that I’d never made one before) in what seemed like no time at all.  And get this: She didn’t even use a recipe, it was all in her head, she’s been making this since high school! I was in AWE and I made her give me the recipe: Damn it was good.

With it’s biscuit base this recipe is a bit like a cheesecake crossed with a traditional lemon meringue pie. The filling includes a can of condensed milk, which, frankly, takes any dessert to a whole new level. The result is a soft, sweet, lemony, creamy filling – no sign of gluggy gelatin here folks. Best of all this recipe is so simple to make, I made it on holiday at the beach using a handheld stick mixer to blitz the biscuits!  Lastly, this is an ideal dessert to make ahead of time (e.g. the day before you need it). It keeps well and I reckon it tastes even better the next day. Enjoy! (more…)

Mars Bar and Baileys Cheesecake

Mars Bar and Baileys CheesecakeI’m not a big fan of dessert, I’m a savoury tooth girl – dessert? Or a cheeseboard and a Port? I’m the latter, every time.  However, there’s an exception. Put this cheesecake in front of me and I’m there, with bells on!

This is probably my signature dessert, I’ve been making it on on and off for at least a decade since my friend Marissa gave it to me!  It makes me warm and fuzzy inside when I go to my friends’ houses for dinner and this comes out as dessert. It’s tried and tested and I reckon one day when I’m an old lady, I’ll rock up to my son’s house for dinner and he’ll make it for me (he loves it – don’t judge me on letting a seven year old eat cheesecake with Baileys in it!). Anyhow, back to the recipe… You’ll see from the photo below that you can also make this in individual dishes, as opposed to being made in a cake tin (which is what I usually do) This is the sheer brilliance of my colleague Kelly who made this (kindly) for her team as a special treat and, lucky me, I got one too!  I shared this photo on my Facebook page and loads of you asked for the recipe. Sure thing! Here it is, complete with the photo of Kelly’s wonderful creation.  Big picture, make the cheesecake however you like, whether that’s in a springform cake tin, or Kelly’s way, in individual containers (it would be nice in red wine glasses!)  Either way… You’ll have your dessert goers begging for the recipe!

mars bar and baileys cheesecake recipe

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