Debbie's Apple Cake

I love this cake. Even Hanna likes it.....

First of all cut up about 6 large apples into neatish slices, put into a bowl and mix in about half a cup of caster sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon powder. Mix well until apples are coated.

Line a large baking pan with baking paper, and spread the apples mixture evenly over the base.

Then mix up the cake batter, and spread evenly over the apples.

Bake in moderate oven for about 1 hour, test with a skewer.

Turn out upside down so the apples are on the top.

Cake Mixture:

230g butter or margarine, softened

1 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk (or water)

2 cups self raising flour

Beat eggs and sugar well, then add remaining ingredients. Mix well, spread over apples and bake.

Cheese and Spinach Lasagna

9 oz pasta lasagna sheets (no boil)
2 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
5 cups whole milk, warmed up 1 minute in the microwave or sauce pan
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
18 oz fresh baby spinach, prepacked
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz tomato sauce

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. For the Cheese Sauce: In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat
3. Bring the heat back up to a medium high (it should be hot and golden) then add the flour to form a paste (roux) and stir with a whisk.
4. Slowly stir in the milk on a slightly higher heat while constantly stirring for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella. Turn off the heat.
5. For the Spinach: Roughly chop all the spinach leaves.
6. Sauté the garlic with the oil in a pan.
7. Add the spinach and a bit of salt to the pan and stir on low heat until the spinach is wilted. Set aside the excess water from the spinach in a bowl.

Assembly: In a 14” x 10” x 3” high rectangular pan, pour the whole can of tomato sauce first, then a layer of lasagna. Spread a layer of spinach, then sprinkle some cheese. Spread a bit of the cheese sauce, then add another layer of lasagna. Repeat two more times or until ingredients are used up. Be sure to finish with the rest of the cheese sauce. It should cover the whole tray, then sprinkle the remainder of the shredded cheese. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 375°F (until golden brown). When it's cooked, remove the tray from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.

Hazelnut Gateau with Strawberries and Cream

For the cake
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
50g vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp white vinegar
200g hazelnuts, ground (freshly ground, preferably)
1 tbsp espresso
2 tbsp cornflour
For the ganache
120ml cream
160g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
To finish
2 cups cream
1 tbsp castor sugar
2 punnets strawberries
icing sugar for dusting

Method
For the cake
Pre-heat oven to 160C. Whip egg whites till firm, gradually add sugars, then vinegar and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in ground hazelnuts, coffee and cornflour and spoon into a fully lined 27-28cm springform tin.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Cool. The gateau can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container.
For the ganache
Gently heat the cream until almost simmering, add the chocolate and remove from heat. Leave to sit for a few minutes then stir until combined. Pour over gateau and allow to set.
To assemble
Whip cream with sugar, spoon onto the gateau, top with berries and serve dusted with icing sugar

Cauliflower Cheese

Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower
30 g butter
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup coarsely grated well-flavoured Cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method
Trim the cauliflower into small-ish pieces and boil for 10–15 minutes, or until the floret stems are only just tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat and cook for 2–3 minutes more.

Add three-quarters of the cheese, some salt and pepper and stir until the cheese melts. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.

When the cauliflower is just tender, drain well and put into a baking dish (or into small individual dishes). Pour the sauce over the cauliflower, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and put into a moderate oven for about 15 mins until the cheese browns slightly.