Friday, March 29, 2024

Perfect For a Picnic: Donna Hay’s Dreamy One-Pan Desserts & Baking. 4 Decadent Treats to Try!

Donna Hay is Australia’s most loved home cook and bestselling author – and if you’ve ever picked up one of her cookbooks or whipped up one of her recipes, we’ll be preaching to the choir here when we tell you her easy-to-follow recipes are magnificent. She creates stylish dishes that are super easy to put together.

And this week, her fans have reason to rejoice – Donna’s latest cookbook, One Pan Perfect, hits shelves this week.

So, if you need to add some new recipes to your baking repertoire, here she has four fab new ideas that are perfect for taking on a picnic!

raspberry yoghurt scrolls

The beauty of these scrolls is that all the magic happens in your humble frying pan. Plus, the yoghurt keeps them super moist and fluffy.

  • 2 cups (300g) self-raising (self-rising) flour
  • 1½ cups (225g) wholemeal (whole-wheat) self-raising (self-rising) flour
  • ⅓ cup (75g) raw caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (420g) plain thick yoghurt
  • ½ cup (125ml) light-flavoured extra virgin olive oil
  • pure maple syrup, for brushing
  • filling
  • 2 cups (250g) frozen raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons raw caster (superfine) sugar, extra

Preheat oven 180°C (350°F).

Place the flours, sugar and baking powder into a bowl and mix to combine. Place the vanilla, yoghurt and oil into a bowl and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the yoghurt mixture in and mix with a butter knife until you have a rough dough.

Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper to form a 20cm x 35cm (8 inch x 13¾ inch) rectangle.

Remove the top layer of baking paper. Sprinkle the dough with frozen raspberries and the extra sugar. Working from the long edge, roll the dough over tightly to enclose the berries and then slice into 9 equal pieces.

Place scrolls into a 23cm (9 inch) ovenproof frying pan or 23cm (9 inch) cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until golden. Brush with maple syrup while hot and serve. Serves 9

Once you master these scrolls, you can get creative with so many different filling combinations! From apple and cinnamon, to blueberries tossed in elderflower cordial.

blueberry, lemon and yoghurt scones

I love how these tray scones come together so easily. I also love that they are loaded with better-for-you ingredients, making them the perfect snack.

  • ½ cup (75g) coconut sugar
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) light-flavoured extra virgin olive oil
  • 1¼ cups (350g) plain thick yoghurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
  • 1 cup (120g) plain (all-purpose) wholemeal (whole-wheat) spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
  • ¾ cup (120g) buckwheat flour
  • ½ cup (60g) almond meal (ground almonds)
  • 2 tablespoons white chia seeds
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups (250g) frozen blueberries
  • demerara sugar, for sprinkling
  • store-bought creamed honey, to serve

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

Place the coconut sugar, oil, yoghurt, vanilla and lemon rind into a bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, mix the flours, almond meal, chia and baking powder together to combine.

Make a well in the centre, add the yoghurt mixture and use a butter knife or a flat spatula to gently mix the dough until almost combined+. Add the frozen blueberries and stir through.

Lay the dough out onto a large baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.

Using lightly floured hands, bring the dough together and flatten out into a rough 20cm (8 inch) round.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces and sprinkle the top with demerara sugar. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden-brown.

Serve with creamed honey, if you like. Serves 8

+ It is important to work quickly when using yoghurt and baking powder as these contain active ingredients.

Get creative with these scones! Frozen raspberries, blackberries or chopped soft fresh dates will all shine.

aperol spritz peaches

A sticky, spritzy dessert that is drenched in all the best parts of your favourite aperitivo cocktail, for when you need a taste of la dolce vita.

  • 4 peaches
  • 3 cups (750ml) prosecco
  • 1 cup (250ml) Aperol+
  • ½ cup (110g) raw caster (superfine) sugar
  • 2 vanilla bean pods, ends trimmed
  • 6 thick strips orange peel
  • vanilla bean yoghurt or ice-cream, to serve

Place the peaches into a medium saucepan and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, drain and gently slip the skins off.

Return the saucepan with the peaches to medium-high heat. Add the prosecco, Aperol, sugar, vanilla and orange peel and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove peaches and reduce the syrup for 8–10 minutes or until it has thickened slightly.

Top peaches with vanilla bean yoghurt or ice-cream and a drizzle of syrup. Serves 4

+ Aperol is a bitter orange liquor. You can swap it for Campari, if you prefer.

You can adjust the amount of Aperol to suit your taste.

upside-down summer pavlova

All the summertime sweetness without the fuss! This recipe literally turns the classic pav on its head so there’s no assembly needed.

  • 6 white or yellow peaches or nectarines, stones removed and sliced into wedges
  • 6 plums or apricots, stones removed and quartered
  • ⅓ cup (40g) fresh passionfruit pulp
  • 1½ cups (185g) fresh or frozen raspberries
  • whipped cream, to serve
  • meringue
  • 225ml egg whites (about 6 eggs)
  • 1 cup (220g) raw caster (superfine) sugar
  • ¼ cup (35g) coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 1½ teaspoons white vinegar

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).

Place the peaches, plums, passionfruit and raspberries into a deep 25cm x 35cm (10 inch x 13¾ inch) baking dish. Set aside.

To make the meringue, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until soft peaks form.

Combine the caster sugar and coconut sugar in a bowl. Add the mixed sugars to the egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each addition has dissolved before adding more.

Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk for a further 10–15 minutes or until thick and glossy.

Place the cornflour and vinegar in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add the cornflour mixture to the egg white mixture and gently fold through.

Spoon the meringue mixture over the top of the fruits. Reduce oven temperature to 140°C (275°F) and bake for 1 hour or until the meringue has crisp edges. Serve warm or chilled with whipped cream. Serves 6–8

I recommend a freestyle approach to the fruits you use in this pavlova – just look to the season for inspiration!

Recipes extracted from One Pan Perfect by Donna Hay. HarperCollins. RRP $55.

Donna Hay’s One Pan Perfect is out now, RRP$55
Photography: Chris Court
Recipe and styling: Donna Hay

From Donna Hay:

“ONE PAN PERFECT is the only book you need to prepare almost-instant, ALL-IN-ONE MEALS that are super tasty, super easy and bursting with pure deliciousness! Full of breezy WEEKNIGHT MEALS that are READY IN MINUTES through to crowd-pleasing weekend lunches and sweet treats, these recipes will redefine your idea of easy cooking with just a single PAN, POT, TRAY or DISH.

Bursting with over 120 recipes, ONE PAN PERFECT by Donna Hay showcases THE MAGIC that happens when beautiful ingredients mingle together over a bubbling simmer or bake. In an AUSTRALIAN FIRST, over 20 QR codes throughout the book bring me to life right there in your kitchen via exclusive video content, where I’ll show you my best TIPS, TRICKS and HOW-TOS to shortcut your way to kitchen success. I’m basically your PERSONAL COOKING COACH!

ALL-TIME FAVOURITES are revisited in tasty new ways, with classics like pavlova and zucchini slice given a time-friendly flavour upgrade. NEW FAVOURITES emerge with SUPER EASY and DELICIOUS pasta’s, tray bakes and soups, all designed to upscale the nutrition, downscale the clean-up, and make mid-week cooking an ABSOLUTE BREEZE.

We’re all looking to create delicious meals in FASTER, SMARTER and TASTIER WAYS. My book delivers on this and more. It’s FUSS-FREE cooking at it’s absolute best, and I can’t wait to share it with you!”

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