Recipe adapted from the Australian Women's Weekly

Serves 10 or more

250g unsalted butter, chopped
200g white chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups (450g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (375ml) water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (300g) plain flour
2/3 cup (100g) self raising flour
Caramel Icing:
125g butter, chopped
1 cup (200g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) milk
1 1/2 cups (240g) sifted icing sugar mixture, approximately


Preheat the oven to slow (150C).

Grease and line the base and side of a deep 22cm round cake pan. Bring paper 5cm above the side of the pan.

Combine the butter, chocolate, sugar and water in a medium saucepan, stir over a low heat until the chocolate and butter have melted and the sugar is dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl; cool for 15 minutes.

Whisk in vanilla and eggs, then the combined plain and self raising flours. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, then cover cake loosely with foil to stop over browning. Bake for a further 1 hour.

Cool cake in the pan.

Caramel Icing: Combine the butter, brown sugar and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, cool. Add enough icing sugar mixture to give a spreading consistency, stir until smooth. Spread cold cake with cooled caramel frosting.

Uniced cake can be made up to 4 days ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To decorate as pictured, I just used mini kit kats and fresh raspberries.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/caramel-mud-cake.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com/pin/399413060675760535/

Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au 

Makes 10 cups

500ml Apple and Blackcurrant Juice
1.25L lemonade, chilled
850ml can Sunshine Punch fruit drink
Sparkling Mineral water (optional, see notes above)

Pour the apple and blackcurrant juice into ice cube trays of your choice, freeze overnight.

Just before serving, add the fruit drink and lemonade in a punch bowl or large jug. Add mineral water, to taste, if using. Add the ice cubes and serve immediately.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/kids-party-punch.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060677725062/

Recipe adapted from http://cookingwithmanuela.blogspot.com.au/

Serves 8-10

110g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
200g caster sugar
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
235ml milk
a pinch of salt
225g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 medium (or 3 large) golden delicious apples, cored and peeled
Icing sugar, for dusting


Preheat oven to 175C/155C fan forced.

Grease and line with baking paper the base and sides of a 23cm round spring form tin.

Melt the butter, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and caster sugar, until well combined.

Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract, salt, milk and the cooled melted butter, whisk to combine.

Add the flour and baking powder, now using a spoon, mix until well combined.
Thinly slice the peeled and cored apples. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with the juice of 1/2 a lemon. This will stop them browning and add flavour to your cake.

Add just over 1/2 of the sliced apples to your cake batter (save the nicer looking slices as your decorative slices for your cake top. Larger slices for your apple outer circle, smaller ones for the inner circle). Gently fold the apple slices into the cake batter.

Pour the apple cake batter into your prepared tin and flatten it out to get a level surface.

Decorate with your reserved apple slices, starting from the outer edge.

Place in your preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Use a toothpick or skewer to see if fully cooked. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before releasing sides of tin. Allow to cool.

Dust the cake with icing sugar, serve warm or cold.

To save the recipe to your favourites go www.whatscookingella.com/easy-apple-cake.html 
Pin it: www.pinterest.com/pin/399413060681926682/ 

Recipe adapted from www.bestrecipes.com.au

Serves 12

1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup water


Preheat oven to 180C.

Grease and line the base of a round 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl add the flour, caster sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk it to combine.

Place the bicarbonate of soda on top, add the vinegar, vanilla extract, oil and water. Whisk to combine, do not over mix.

Pour mixture into your prepared tin, bake for 30-35 minutes or until just firm to the touch. It will feel soft and spongy when pressed.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before cooling on a rack. Once cooled, dust with icing sugar.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/dairy-and-egg-free-chocolate-cake.html
Pin it: ww.pinterest.com/pin/399413060681892542/

Adapted from Manu Feildel's cookbook Manu's French Kitchen

Serves 4 as an entrée

4 eggs
300g fresh chicken livers, remove blood vessels, fat or any green tinged parts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
20g unsalted butter
1 x 200g piece speck, cut into 3cm x 1cm strips (lardons)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
300g frisee, dark green outer leaves removed, pale yellow inner leaves picked, washed, dried
50g pine nuts, toasted
1/4 bunch chives, cut into 4cm lengths

Raspberry Vinaigrette:
25ml raspberry vinegar, extra
50ml vegetable oil
25ml olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


Raspberry Vinaigrette: Place the extra raspberry vinegar, vegetable and olive oils, salt and pepper in a glass screw top jar. Seal and shake until well combined.

To toast the pine nuts, I put them in a clean frying pan and stir around until they start to colour, set aside until needed.

Place the eggs in a small saucepan, top with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat, simmer for 2 minutes for soft boiled, drain and refresh in cold water. Carefully peel the eggs, set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the speck and fry for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside. Do not spill out the fat left in the frying pan.

Season the livers with salt and pepper. Add the livers to the speck oil in the hot frying pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden but still pink in the centre. Add the vinegar and stir, scraping the base of the frying pan to release any stuck down bits. Now stir in the parsley and remove from heat.

Place the frisee in a large serving bowl. Add the raspberry vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Top with the speck and the liver mixture.

Slice the eggs in half over the salad, then place them around the salad. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and chives. Serve immediately.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/chicken-liver-frisee-and-speck-salad.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com/pin/399413060677503532/

​My kids love banana bread, and I have tried quite a few recipes trying to find ones I like. This one although not my absolute favourite banana bread (my favourite is on the website also titled Banana Bread which has rum and cognac in it) this is really good.

I posted this one as I find it really easy to make, it is made with items I find in my pantry (and obviously old bananas) and I don't need to wait for butter to soften.

Also this banana bread feels healthier than others I have tried. Now I am no nutritionist, but it doesn't have a lot of butter, uses skim milk and it has a lot less sugar than other recipes I have tried, so to me it seems healthier.

Now as for the bananas, I made this twice yesterday and both times I used bananas I had in the freezer. They were over ripe when I put them in there, they get all mushy when frozen, but for this recipe, it works perfectly. So if you have bananas that are not edible anymore, freeze them and use them for this recipe, no waste and your kids will love you.

Whether healthier or not, if I have posted it, I must like it, and so do the rest of my family.

Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au

Serves 8-10

265g self raising flour
40g plain flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
140g brown sugar
125ml skim milk
2 eggs, lightly whisked
50g butter, melted, cooled
3 overripe medium bananas


Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan forced.

Grease and line with baking paper a 11cm x 21cm loaf pan. Allow the baking paper to overhang on 2 opposite sides.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, remove from heat and allow to cool in the saucepan while you get the other ingredients ready.

In a large mixing bowl add the bananas. Mash up with a fork.

To the bananas add the flours, cinnamon, brown sugar, skim milk, eggs and the butter. Mix with a fork until just combined.

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan, smooth out the surface. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Also when you press on it, it will feel cooked. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Using the two overhanging sides, pull the banana bread out of the tin and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/banana-bread-2.html
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060694647638/

250g white chocolate, chopped
1 punnet fresh strawberries

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl, only large enough to fit the chocolate in (the larger the bowl, the harder it is to dip the chocolate in).

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, do not allow the chocolate bowl to touch the water. Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly, while preparing the strawberries.

Wash and pat dry with paper towel the strawberries.

Dip in the strawberries completely up to leaves, leave a little of the strawberry visible. Let excess chocolate drip off, then place on the prepared baking tray to set. You can place them in the refrigerator to set quicker if needed.

Once set, in the chocolate that was left over, add a few drops of pink food colouring, you want to be able to see the pink colour against the white chocolate, you will need to remelt the chocolate, add some more chocolate if needed.

Dip the strawberries into the pink chocolate but only half way up, you want to be able to see the white chocolate, allow the excess to drip off. It is nice when the strawberries are different, so dip each strawberry to different heights, or at different angles.

Place back on your baking tray, allow to set in or out of the refrigerator.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/chocolate-strawberries.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com/pin/399413060677332237/

Serves 6

300g bacon, diced
1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
4-6 shallots, sliced
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
6 eggs
Pinch of baking powder
Salt and pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan forced. Grease and line with baking paper a 20cm x 30cm baking tin.

In a large bowl add the bacon, zucchini, carrot, shallots and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

In small bowl whisk the eggs with the baking powder. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the eggs over the bacon mixture, stir well to combine.

Pour the bacon mixture into your prepared tin.

​Serve hot or cold with a green salad.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/bacon-and-egg-slice.html
Pin it: ​www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060677018340/

Adapted from a Margaret Fulton recipe.

Serves 6-8

250g macaroni or ditalini pasta
2 x 425g cans red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
340g can Spam, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Vinaigrette dressing:
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, to taste

Cook macaroni according to instructions on the packet. Drain, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil so it doesn't stick together once cooked. Cool completely.

When cold, transfer to a salad bowl, add the beans, spam, parmesan and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

For the dressing start with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar, mix it in well. Taste, if it needs more oil and vinegar add it a tablespoon at a time, until you get the flavour you like.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/macaroni-and-bean-salad.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com/pin/399413060676911263/

Recipe adapted from Julie Goodwin's cookbook 'Gather'

Makes about 3 cups

3 ripe avocados
1/2 large lemon, juiced
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped finely
4 shallots, cut in half lengthways, finely chopped
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Scoop the flesh out of the avocados and place in a medium sized bowl with the lemon juice. The juice is not only for flavour, but it also works to stop the avocado browning. Mash it up well with a fork.

Add the tomatoes and shallots. Season well with salt and white pepper, to taste.

You can prepare this in advance but keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container, until needed.

It is at its best if used the same day, but it can be used the next day also.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/fresh-guacamole.html
Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060697357225/