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They are just so quick and easy to make for such a great result.
It is very hard to eat just one…..

• 2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved in 1/3 cup boiling water
• 180gm butter, chopped
• 250gm dark cooking chocolate, chopped
• 1 ½ cups plain flour, sifted
• ½ cup dark cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 ½ cups caster sugar
• 1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Pre-heat oven to 170⁰ C. Line a rectangular tin with baking paper-with overhang at the long sides to allow removing the brownies easy. The tin I use is 32 X 22 cms.

Place the coffee mix, butter and chocolate in a medium pan - stir over a low heat until butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth-remove from heat and set aside.

Sift the flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Add the sugar and nuts, stir to combine. Make a well in the centre, add the chocolate mixture and the eggs and stir until well combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin- smooth the top with the back of a spoon until quite even. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Brownies are a fudgy texture – don’t overcook.

Remove from oven onto a wire rack to cool. Remove from the tin when completely cold and cut into squares. Enjoy !!!

Melissa’s Boiled Chocolate Cake - “Easter Muffin Recipe”

• 1 cup water
• 1½ cups caster sugar
• 125gms butter
• 2 tbsp cocoa (good quality produces a nicer cake)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ cups SR flour - sifted
• 2 eggs

I am too impatient to wait for it to cool by itself and so I sit the saucepan in the kitchen sink filled with cold water to speed up the process.

When cool – with handheld electric beaters mix in the sifted flour till well combined – then beat in the eggs one at a time.

This mix can be made into a large cake in either a round or square tin lined with baking apper – cook at 170 degrees (160 degrees fan forced) for approx 40 minutes (depending on your oven) – check with a skewer and adjust cooking time accordingly. 

I also use it to make cupcakes – Cup cakes are cooked for approx 13 minutes (check after this time-should spring to the touch) – only 2/3 fill the cupcake paper.

This is a moist almost fudgy cake that is just so easy to make.  My mum always made this cake for all our birthdays and is a treasured family favourite.  The best thing is that it can all be prepared in one saucepan which saves on washing up – what’s not to love!

Melisa was is again today & of course the theme was “Easter”. These muffins are mouth watering & the decorations speak for themselves!

Recipe not yet received … however the picture is enough to inspire.

Our regular client “Melissa” brought this fabulous cake in for morning tea to share with the Lifeworks Girls.

We all indulged ourselves, following Melissa viewing a slideshow of the recent studio photoshoot of her 3 gorgeous children.
She was delighted with her new WatchMeGrow album pages! 

Pure Indulgence Choc Raspberry Cake
Serving Size: 10-12

You need to start this recipe the day before required -  

• 225g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped finely
• 5 eggs (at room temperature)
• 180g caster sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 150g almond meal 
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee 
• 150g fresh or frozen raspberries (at room temperature)
• Thin or thick cream, to serve
• Icing sugar to dust

Method: 

• Preheat oven to 170°C. Butter a 20cm spring-form pan and line the base with baking paper.

• Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water) until the chocolate melts.  Or in a microwave proof bowl in short bursts on med-low – 1 min 20 seconds to begin with, stir and then for 20 second bursts -stirring in between blasts 

• Remove the bowl from heat and rest on a tea towel on the bench.

• Separate eggs (reserve yolks) and use a stand or hand-held mixer to whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. 

• Add caster sugar in two lots, beating well between each addition until the mixture is glossy.

• Stir almond meal, coffee, vanilla and egg yolks into chocolate mixture. 

• Fold in a spoonful of eggwhites to lighten the chocolate mixture, and then fold in remaining egg whites.

• Add the raspberries and fold in very carefully. 

• Pour mixture into prepared cake pan and bake for 45 minutes.

• Turn the oven off and leave cake in oven for another 15 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. 

• Remove cake from oven and allow to cool, leave cake in the pan, wrap in a tea towel and refrigerate overnight.

• Remove from tin, dust with icing sugar and serve slices with a dollop of cream on the side.