Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Damper Scrolls

I originally found this recipe from http://www.taste.com.au and made a few adjustments to it.  To make it suitable for students with nut allergies I replaced pinenuts with sunflower seeds. I also reduced the amount of feta and replaced semi-dried tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes to make the recipe more budget friendly.  I also halved the damper ingredients to suit a group of two to three students (and again to keep the recipe budget friendly)

To cut down on preparation time, you could also use ready-made pesto instead of making it from scratch, although the kids love using the blender to make the pesto.

Despite being a little apprehensive about some of the ingredients, my students (and their parents) loved this recipe and I have had many requests for it.

It's great as a lunch box filler or an afternoon tea snack.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Damper Scrolls

 (Makes 8)

225g (1.5 cups) self-raising flour 40 g butter, chopped 1 T finely shredded fresh basil Salt & freshly ground black pepper

¾ c milk 50 g feta, crumbled Milk, extra, to brush

 

Sun-dried tomato pesto ·         80 g (1/3 cup) sun-dried tomatoes ·         2 T sunflower seeds ·         15 g (1 T) finely shredded parmesan

·         1 t crushed garlic ·         30 ml (2 T) vegetable oil ·         Salt & freshly ground black pepper

 

1.      Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

 

2.      To make the sun-dried tomato pesto, place the sun-dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds, parmesan and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin steady stream until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until required.

 

3.      Sift the flour into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the basil and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

 

4.      Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk. Use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until evenly incorporated and the mixture begins to hold together. (Do not over mix. The dough should be soft but not sticky.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until just smooth.

 

5.      Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to a 15 x 20 cm rectangle, about 1cm-thick.

 

6.      Spread the sun-dried tomato pesto evenly over the dough and sprinkle with feta.

 

7.      Starting from a long side, roll up firmly to form a log. Brush the edge with a little extra milk and press down firmly to seal.

 

8.      Cut log crossways into 8 equal portions, about 2cm thick. Place the scrolls on prepared tray.

 

9.      Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and just cooked through.

 

10.  Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Note:   If you are short of time, you can use ready-made basil pesto for this recipe.

 

 

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/3268/semi+dried+tomato+pesto+damper+scrolls

A Batman Cake for my 5 year old

This is from last year but didn't get around to posting the pictures.

A Minion Cake (from Despicable Me) for my big 6 year old!

Assemble the Minions!

I made this cake for my son's 6th birthday party, which was on the weekend.  It was a big challenge but he and his friends loved it.

I used this recipe for the cakes (yes, it was about 5 cakes) which a friend gave me.  I made two batches of the mix and had enough for a dozen cupcakes too

Cupcakes - from The Magnolia's Bakery version, makes 48 regular cupcakes;

250g butter unsalted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ICING
4 cups icing sugar
125g butter unsalted
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR CAKES: using an electric mixer, cream butter in a large bowl until smooth, add sugar gradually and beat until mixture is light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sifts flours and combine. Add flours in four parts, alternating with milk and vanilla; beat well after each addition. Put mixture into 48 regular paper cupcake cases set in a muffin trays. Bake at 180 degrees C for about 20 minutes, or until golden.

FOR ICING: sift icing sugar. Place butter, milk, vanilla and half the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Add remaining sugar until icing is a good consistency. To make different colours, place icing into separate bowls and gradually add food colouring.

Note: have all ingredients at room temperature.

Tips

• Use top quality fondant - I would recommend Satin Ice over Pettinice as it tears less.  I used Pettinice for the yellow parts of the cake and it was a struggle to wrap it around the body without it stretching and tearing.
• To get a smooth finish with the fondant, take the time to ganache the cake, hot knife it to get it super smooth and then let it set before covering with fondant.
• I used half of the Wilton Ball tin to get the head shape.  The rest of the cake was made with 6 inch Wilton cake tins
• I iced the top of the cake separately to the body.  The goggle strap covered the join.  I am not sure I would do it this way again as rolling the icing around the body was quite tricky. Fortunately, I was able to cover mistakes by putting a high back on the overalls and by adding a buckle to the back of the goggles :)
• Make the goggle and the eye in advance so they have time to dry properly
• I put thin cake boards under the head top and between every two layers. I punched holes in the body cake cards so I could put wooden dowels through both the cakes and the boards.
• I used four cake dowels through all the layers except the rounded head part.

Lighting the candles

The cake along with a few cupcakes

The first slices being taken out