Choc Ripple Cake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Another popular recipe that a lot of people down under know and love! Its the Famous Choc Ripple Cake, also known as an icebox cake or kind of like a biscuit pudding. The cream content in this may seem like a lot, but because its absorbed by the biscuits, you will need it. But in saying that you don't need to eat a lot, just a small slice will suffice.... but if you're anything like me, you'll go back for seconds... and thirds. So here goes!

**Serving Suggestion: Flan out a Strawberry, for a simple and elegant decoration. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mma4wgX22wg for a how to Video.

Ingredients:

• 600ml Thickened Cream
• 250g (1 Pack) Choc Ripple Biscuits 
• 1/8 Cup Icing Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 100 - 200ml Thickened Cream, additional for cracks that appear
• Slight squeeze of Lemon Juice

Method:

1. Place the desired serving dish in the fridge. 
2. Whip the 600ml of the Thickened Cream with the icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until stiff.
3. Spread some whipped cream along the base of the serving dish. This acts as a cushion for the biscuits.
4. Place 1 biscuit upright and continue sandwiching using a tablespoon of cream. Continue doing this until a log is formed. 
5. Using the remainder cream, spread it across the top Sandwich the biscuits using 1 - 2 tablespoons of cream. Stack into your desired shape and then smother the remainder cream on top of the log. (I stacked my choc ripple cake with 5 sandwiched biscuits per row until all used up. This allow the log to be long yet easy to cut to serve).
6. Place the log into the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours but overnight is best. 
7. After this time limit is reached, you can see that the cream has been absorbed and spectacles of the biscuits are visible. If you're a perfectionist like me, using the remainder cream, whip until stiff with some icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and smother the top of the log once more. Refrigerate once more.
8. Slice on the opposite direction to how you stacked it and serve. This will let you see the biscuit layers within this case.
9. ENJOY!

**Note: the lemon juice is only tiny and don't think that it will make the cream tangy becasue it won't. A friend let me know of this tip, and it helps whip the cream faster and trust me - it WORKS!

**Serving Suggestion: Splatter some Raspberry Coulis or sauce with some fresh Raspberries in the center. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Raspberry and Lime Sorbet

Hey Guys and Girls! 

New recipe that people who have the taste buds for sour yet refreshing recipes - here's one for your books! Its a light, refreshing, tangy yet sweet sorbet that is dairy free and is sooo smooth that its beautiful! The lime in this recipe can be tweaked as per your tastes, but when I made this, the flavour that goes on in your mouth is an explosion! This is the type of sorbet that leaves your mouth empty in the fact that its doesnt leave that longing dairyness (if thats even a word). So here goes. 

Ingredients:

• 500g Frozen Raspberries, thawed
• 3/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 2 Limes, juiced and zested (this depends on how sour you like it)

Method:

1. Place a freezer safe container in the freezer. 
2. Process the Raspberries until smooth. 
3. Add the Lime juice and whisk together.
4. Pass the Raspberry and Lime mixture through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
5. Whisk in the Lime zest and Sugar until dissolved. 
6. Pour mixture into the pan and allow to freeze for 1.5 hours. While the mixture is freezing, make sure to stir until full set and soft to touch yet still maintains its form. 
7. After the mixture is fully set, blitz it in the food processor once more to maintain a smooth consistency and then pour into the pan once again and set until completely frozen.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Sri Lankan Butter Cake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Sorry for the delay, I've been on study break for my final exams and I haven't been able to produce any good food. Anyway, I've always wanted to imitate the famous Sri Lankan Butter Cake that I always get when I visit family friends place... the coasre crumb, the soft texture, the perfect amount of sugar... all things that can describe a Sri Lankan Butter Cake. I got this recipe from Craftiness Whatnot and I tweaked it a bit to make the cake more airy and light. What makes this recipe so easy, is that it works in equal amounts and this specific recipe yields a kilo worth of cake, but can be tweaked to make a less amount. So here goes. 

Ingredients:

• 250g Unsalted Butter, softened
• 250g Caster Sugar
• 250g Plain Flour, measured then sifted
• 4 eggs, separated into 4 yolks and 4 whites
• 2 tsp Baking Powder, sifted into the flour mixture
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Cream of Tartar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 
2. Grease and line your desired baking pan. I used a 9x13x3 rectangle cake sheet pan, which allowed me to get the perfect thickness to my cakes. 
3. Beat the butter and sugar till pale and creamy, then add the vanilla extract and beat again. This should take nearly 10 minutes, and is crucial to this cake being the best. 
4. Fold in the flour mixture. It will be very thick but make sure you don't over fold.
5. Whip the yolks till thick and creamy and fold into the butter flour mixture. Again don't over fold. 
6. Beat the egg whites till foamy and add the pinch of tartar and beat this stiff.
7. Fold in the whites mixture in two additions and once again make sure not to overfold but make sure the egg whites are mixed in.
8. The mixture will be thick but this is what makes the mixture perfect.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for twenty minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
10. Cool down and enjoy. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Coconut, Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Fourth post and this recipe will be awesome if you have a sweet tooth like me. It's also a no bake cheesecake and its fully vege - NO GELATINE! I didnt add the whipped cream design at the top but it was just an embellishment made with fresh whipped cream. So here it goes!

Ingredients:
Base Layer

• 250g Nice Coconut Biscuits (if you prefer other biscuits, you can change it but this is what gives the recipe a nice coconut hit!)
• 85g Butter, melted and cooled

White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling

• 500g Cream Cheese, softened & cubed
• 3/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract
• 3 tbsp Thickened Cream
• 1 cup Thickened Cream, softly whipped
• 220g White Chocolate, melted and cooled

Raspberry Swirl Filling

• 250g Raspberry
• 3 tablespoons Icing Sugar
• 4 tablespoons Water
• 2 teaspoons Agar Agar Powder
• 2 tablespoons Water

Method:

1. Grease and line a 22cm Springform Pan
2. Pulse crushed biscuits with melted butter and press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Beat the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until all combined.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of the thickened cream and beat till smooth.
5. Stir through the chocolate mixture.
6. Fold in cream and set aside.
7. Puree the Raspberry and Icing Sugar with Water till smooth and thick.
8. Pass the Raspberry Mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and set aside,.
9. Whisk together Agar Agar powder with water and mix through raspberry mixture. 
10. Bring Raspberry mixture to a boil for a few minutes and cool slightly.
11. For the swirl, place half cream cheese and raspberry and twirl using a chopstick. Repeat this once again but be quick because the Agar Mixture will set quickly when combined with cream cheese.
12. Put cheesecake in the fridge to set and its done. 

Thanks for Reading, 

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Vegetarian Pizza Lasagne

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Third post and this one is one amazing recipe! (Being an original Lusciously Decadent Original Recipe). I've  been making this recipe for now what seems to be ages and it is a hit with my family. Actually I think its been 5 years now since I made it when I was the wee age of 14. Anyway, it's a recipe that combines two well-known favorites: Pizza and Lasagne! and its Vegetarian! So its a good thing for kids to eat also because you can tuck as many vegetables you want under the deliciousness of cheese and tomato sauce that a pizza and lasagne's have. I know it may seem like a lot of cheese in the recipe, but it is what gives you that pizza feeling!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet: Lavish/Mountain Bread
• Vegetables (anything in a pizza to your liking will do). e.g. is below.

• 2 Capsicums, sliced thinly
• 1 Onion, sliced thinly
• 1 Tomato, sliced thinly
• 1 x 125g packet of Sundried Tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 160g Baby Spinach
• Rocket, sliced roughly
• Pizza Cheese Mix (500g – 750g)
• Oregano Dried Herbs Packet
• 1 clove of Garlic, minced finely
• 2 x 170g Tomato Paste Cans (alternatively you could use a premade pizza sauce with herbs already included)
•  Oil Spray

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°.

2. Empty Tomato paste into a bowl and combine a generous amount of Oregano herbs and garlic.

3. Oil the baking dish lightly.

4. Leave one (1) Lavish bread aside.

5. Start the layering process as follows: Lavish bread, tomato paste mixture, sliced vegetables, cheese and a light sprinkle of Oregano herbs.

6. Repeat Step 3 until all the Lavish breads are finished or baking dish is full.

7. Using the lavash bread aside, top the last layer, and sprinkle with remaining cheese and herbs.

8. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted, and golden on top.

This recipe is the first original recipe I made in my endeavors in making lunch to take to school. A rather delicious contrast to chicken and salad burgers, rice and sandwiches to keep me satisfied during my school years. Do try this recipe, and get back to me on whether you love this recipe as much as my family does, and i can assure you, you will want more than one slice! You can customise it to suit your tastes with chicken, ham or whatever meat you would like, cause afterall, you will be the one that eats it! 

Until next time.......

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Tandoori Fish & Spinach Ravioli

Hey Guys and Girls! 

2nd Post! and already I've had 24 views! Thanks Guys! Figured since Sunday is when my whole family is around the house, that it would be an awesome day to get experimenting on dinner.. and tonights was Tandoori Fish and Spinach Ravioli. Might i add this is the first time I made this and the recipe for the actual filling is made by me :) Hopefully you guys will try it and love it as much as I did - but i did cheat in the tandoori paste.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 4 Basa Fillets (about 0.5kg) (washed)
• 3 Tablespoons - Tandoori Paste
• 125g Baby Spinach (washed and dried)
• 1 Lemon (sliced into two)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 small Onion, finely diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely diced

 Method

1. Lightly whisk together the tandoori paste and half a lemons worth of juice and add over the fillets of fish. Cover and allow to marinate for several hours, to allow the flavours to seep into the fillets. 
2. Place three tablespoons of Olive Oil in a saucepan and allow to heat. Place half the fillets i.e. 2 fillets and cook until full cooked and set aside. Do the second batch with the rest of the oil and allow to rest in some foil. Do not overfill the pan as it will make the fish soggy and not get the nice outside.
3. Flake the fish using a fork and set aside to cool. In this time, make the pasta dough to your liking. 
4. Using the same saucepan, heat it up and add the onion and garlic and allow to cook.
5. Add the Spinach and allow to wilt down. Once wilted, add the fish from the foil and salt and pepper it to your taste.
6. Add half a lemons worth of juice and let cook for a minute or two. Set the mixture aside to cool. In this time. 

When I made this pasta dough, I only trialed it using the general rule of 100g and 1 egg per portion. Because of that i wanted enough for my family to have two ravioli each, and because my parents are much of a non-srilankan food eating background, I made the dough using the following recipe. Please feel free to use your own pasta dough recipe. This mixture made about 10ish Ravioli with plenty of leftover filling to drizzle on top, so if you made more pasta you could have had more ravioli. So the recipe i used is as follows.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 200g Plain Flour
• 2 eggs
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Semolina
• Extra flour for kneading and dusting. 

 Method

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper, and sprinkle the Semolina over the paper. Set aside. 
2. Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl or into a clean surface. Create a well in the centre.
3. Break two eggs into the centre of the well.
4. Using a fork or spoon, start to whisk in the flour, making sure the eggs don't exit the well. Do this till fully incorporated. It might be sticky, so don't be alarmed.
5. Once all mixed in, using clean hands, knead the dough till elastic making sure to add more flour if need be to make it not sticky.
6. Once kneaded, place dough in some cling film and tightly wrap. Place the dough in the fridge for half and hour. In this time, you can finish making the filling.
7. Cut the pasta dough into thirds, and use a third at a time. Do not leave the remainder pasta open, as it will cause the pasta to dry therefore cover the rest and place in the fridge.
8. Flatten the third, and sprinkle some flour over this piece.
9. Dust your pasta maker with some extra flour and place the pasta third into the pasta maker on the largest setting.
10. Once rolled initially, fold the mixture into thirds and put in the pasta machine the opposite way. 
11. Continue using this method, until the desired thickness is reached, folding the dough and putting it through each setting at least twice . On my machine, I had 7 settings, so i went to 4 as my lowest. 
12. Continue with the rest of the pasta. 
13. Cut the pasta to your shapes, and fill the pasta with the filling, making sure not the overfill.
14. Close the filling with another pasta piece using a pastry brush with water to seal the edges.
15. Place done ravioli onto the semolina baking tray until ready to be cooked.
16. When ready to be cooked, simply boil some salted water, making sure to add some olive oil when the water is boiling, and cook the pasta until Al Dente.

So that sums up my Tandoori Fish and Spinach Ravioli. Hope you guys love it as much as I do.

Until next time.......

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)

Eggless No-Bake Mango Cheesecake

Hey Guys and Girls! 

Being the first food post of this blog, I figured it should be something that is LUSCIOUSLY DECADENT. This recipe, I gained in my search of eggless cheesecakes from a fellow writer of Sharmis Passions. Although I did tweak the recipe slightly, the taste is still as exquisite. 

Ingredients:

• 250 gm Philadelphia Cream Cheese  {1 Block}
• 170 ml   Pure Cream
• ½ cup Caster Sugar
• 800gm Tin Mangoes (Juice Drained)
• Gelatine - 1 Tbsp
• Hot Water - 1/4 cup
• 250 gm  Scotch Finger  {1 packet }
• 75 gm Unsalted Butter, melted.

 Method

1. Whiz the biscuits in a food processor/blender. Add melted butter and whiz again until the mixture comes together. Press into the bottom of an 8" springform pan that's lined with baking paper. Refrigerate while preparing the rest of the cheesecake. 
2. Beat the caster sugar and cream cheese, using a hand mixer, until light and fluffy and well combined. Add cream slowly to the mixture until all is combined in a smooth mixture. 
3. Add mangoes to a blender and whiz until mixture is smooth.
4. Add the gelatine to the hot water and stir till it completely dissolves. Add the mango puree and stir well. The mixture should make 1 - 2 cups.
5. Place half the mixture (1 cup) of the mango puree and add the rest to the cream cheese mixture. Stir gently until well combined. 
6. Pour on top of the biscuit base. Tap baking pan on bench lightly to remove any air bubbles and have a smooth top. Return to fridge for another 30 - 45 mins. 
7. Pour the mango puree as the third layer. Do this gently so that the layers don't combine.
8. Refrigerate overnight and get ready to serve a yummy dessert at your party that can be prepared well in advance!

This recipe has become of one of my favourite desserts to make when guests are coming over and it yields a refreshing taste in your mouth from the mango layer on top. I tend to have a creative flare when it comes to desserts to I try to make them look as beautiful as possible with the fresh cream layer on top and is completely optional.

Until next time.......

Lusciously Decadent Writer :)