Cake batter donuts - a pinterest recipe

I used to have a pretty lethal donut addiction. When I turned 21 I was given no less than four dozen donuts from Annie's in Bathurst (where I went to Uni) for my birthday. Clearly my friends knew me well and I did share don't worry.

I was an RA at college and my apartment on campus had the coffee flowing and the donuts on tap. They were my naughty addiction. Everytime I walked down the hill into town I came back with donuts. Those were the days when I could eat anything and it had no impact on my body or my health.

These days I don't actually eat desserts or cakes or for the most part sugar -so they are a rare treat.

On Pinterest I have noticed several recipes for cake batter donuts and then I noticed in the Mother's Day Avon catalogue (which I get from a friend each month) there was a mini donut tin. It felt like the universe was speaking to me.

I got my donut pan yesterday and made these donuts yesterday:
http://forkfulofcomfort.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/cake-batter-doughnuts.html

When they were done we tossed the first ones in cinnamon and sugar like the local donut shops.

The final batch I added rainbow chocolate sprinkles so they were a tad chocolatey.

My daughter took the remains in her lunchbox today and declared them a hit!

Menu and Easter planning

It's a short week with Easter and the end of the first school term. How it can possibly be April already I do not know.

My menu plan therefore is brief:
- Honey mustard chicken, brown rice and green veggies
- Steak sandwiches and onion rings
- Soup and homemade bread, baked apples for dessert
- Taco night

The weekend is still up in the air plan-wise but I do know we are having my folks and my mother-in-law on Easter Sunday.

I am thinking:
- seafood chowder
- BBQ leg of lamb with a pumpkin rice bowl and greens
- dessert

My daughter thinks she and I should make the dessert on the cover of this month's Australian Good Taste magazine which is a Chocolate Salted Caramel Cheesecake. It looks delicious but I am worried my mother-in-law will go into diabetic shock...so the jury is still out on that.
http://www.taste.com.au/good+taste/

Custard two-ways

Today was grandparents day at my daughter's school. It's her final one actually as she is in Year 6. My Dad dutifully attends this event every year. He takes the morning off work, rocks up in his suit, eats his hot-cross bun and heads back to the office. My parents live an hour away and it's a rather convoluted trip to the office.

Anyway I had bought some mini pastry cases with a view to making some custard tarts one day and what is one of my Dad's favourite cake-shop treats from his childhood? Yes, the custard tart so last night I made a batch of custard up for custard tarts.

Of course because mine were mini tarts and we had leftover custard so I decided to make bread and butter pudding with the remains. Not just any bread and butter pudding mind you - choc chip hot cross bun bread and butter pudding!

So we had the pudding after dinner and today the lunchbox had custard tarts for my daughter and her grandfather!

Custard
3 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or the beans from 1/2 a vanilla pod
2 3/4 cups milk.

1. Whisk all together in a large bowl.

Custard Tarts
12 pre-made mini tart shells (I used Sara Lee)
1/2 quantity of custard
nutmeg to sprinkle on top.

1. Fill pastry cases with custard.
2. Sprinkle with nutmeg
3.Bake till set, about 20 minutes.

Choc Chip Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding
4 choc chip hot cross buns
1/2 serve of custard
1/2 cup walnuts

1. Slice hot cross buns and arrange in a casserole dish
2. Pour over custard
3. Scatter over walnuts.
4. Bake in moderate oven 30-35 minutes
5. Serve with ice-cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!