donna hay | mrs flashman

ultimate one bowl choc dessert cake

May 16, 2013 by mrs flashman Leave a Comment

If a dark and dangerous mud cake got swept away in a passionate tryst with a wicked piece of fudge, this would be their decadent spawn.

It is the only chocolate cake recipe you will ever need. No fuss, no mess, no mixmaster required – just one bowl. You’ll have it in the oven in less than ten minutes. Scouts honour.

I like to bake it in a larger (24cm) springform tin, for a less dense result. Be sure to allow enough time for the cake to cool, and then set completely in the fridge.

I served it up for dessert on the weekend, and there was an elbow scuffle for seconds.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: chocolate cake, donna hay, recipe, ultimate one bowl chocolate cake

salted caramel cheesecake sandwiches

April 3, 2013 by mrs flashman Leave a Comment

Do yourself a favour and buy the current autumn issue of Donna Hay magazine. I didn’t think it could get any better than the molten peanut butter chocolate fondant cakes featured on the cover, but I was completed blindsided by these cheesecake sandwiches (page 140 if you please). Salted caramel is the flavour de jour, and I’m besotted with the yin/yang pairing.

I used light Philadelphia cream cheese in a pathetic attempt to dumb down the calories, and I don’t think the recipe suffered. It’s a breeze to make, you simply throw the required ingredients in the mix master, assemble the sandwiches in a slice tray, bake it in the oven and then leave to set in the fridge.

Right, so, back on the treadmill I go!

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Filed Under: nest, recipes Tagged With: donna hay, recipes, salted caramel cheesecake sandwiches

lamb-shank redemption

March 5, 2013 by mrs flashman Leave a Comment

I’m bringing back the shank. There’s something very ‘knights of the round table’ about them that makes me want to raise a silver stein and hunker down with both hands. Not to mention that they’re mortgage-buster affordable and just begging for an afternoon session in the slow cooker.

I seared the shanks, onions and garlic in a pan as per Donna’s instructions in this recipe, then tossed everything in the slow cooker on the high setting for 4hrs. The aroma of red wine, tomatoes and rosemary had mr flashman salivating, and the meat fell off the bone with little persuasion.

Best you sip the rest of the bottle of red wine while you wait for dinner to be served. Wasting it would be a travesty indeed.

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Filed Under: nest, recipes Tagged With: donna hay, lamb shanks, recipe, slow cooker

spicy soup for the soul

January 28, 2013 by mrs flashman Leave a Comment

Brrr. Baby it’s nasty outside. This tornado is really messing with my beach plans. I’m licking my wounds and soothing my soul with a bowl of spicy lentil and chorizo soup.

This recipe from Donna Hay is dead easy and ticks all the boxes:

minimal ingredients
maximum flavour
5 minutes of preparation
15 minutes to cook (no human intervention required)

The lentils give it some oomph, and the chilli has a real kick. Paired with crusty bread, it’s a hearty meal that will satisfy the hungriest of hubbies.

Go on. Give it try. You know you want to.

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Filed Under: nest, recipes Tagged With: chorizo, donna hay, lentil, soup

banana cake w caramel sauce

January 10, 2013 by mrs flashman Leave a Comment

Perhaps I was a monkey in a previous life. I love me some nah-nahs, even better when they’re the star of a wicked cake, dripping in warm caramel sauce.

Sour cream is the sneaky ingredient in this recipe, it balances out the sweetness of the banana and gives the cake a silky soft creamy texture.

You could bake it in a regular tin, but let’s face it, the pretty bundt pan takes it to another level (just make sure you grease that sucker thoroughly).