If you’re looking for a dessert that ticks all the boxes (delicious, easy and fast to prepare – but truly impressive looking!), you never need look further than a Donna Hay recipe. While she’s not all about desserts – as you’ll see in her brand new cookbook Donna Hay The Fast Five, today we have three fab sweet treats from the book to share with you.
She’s arguably Australia’s most loved home cook and bestselling author, and her recipe book, Donna Hay The Fast Five, takes on the weeknight classics your family loves and re-imagines them into five super-fast, super-delicious recipe that will change your world!
The Fast Five transforms your weekly repertoire of recipes into flavour-forward crowd-pleasers. Bursting with over 145 recipes, golden schnitzels have more personality than ever, pantry pasta sings with delicious new twists, and weeknight staples like tacos and curry get simple switch-ups that change the game. You’ll also find my ready-in-a-flash desserts, sides that overdeliver on deliciousness, and super-tasty sauces, dips and toppers that take your creations from great to sensational.
chocolate truffle cake
Serves 10-12
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup (125ml) pure maple syrup
- 1¼ cups (300g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (100g) cocoa, plus extra for dusting
- 1½ cups (180g) almond meal (ground almonds)
- ½ cup (125ml) grapeseed oil
Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a 24cm (91/2 inch) round springform cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
Place the eggs, maple syrup and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed for 10 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Sift the cocoa and almond meal over and gently fold to combine. Add the oil and fold to combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35–40 minutes or until the cake is firm around the edges but has
a slight wobble in the centre. Allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
Remove the cake from the tin and place on a cake stand or serving plate. Dust with extra cocoa, to serve.
TIP: Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in a cool dry place.
banoffee brûlée tarts
Serves 4
- 1 cup (120g) almond meal (ground almonds)
- 1 cup (100g) flaked almonds
- 2 eggwhites
- ¼ cup (55g) raw caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (35g) coconut sugar
- coconut caramel sauce, to serve
whipped vanilla cream
- ½ cup (125g) mascarpone
- ½ cup (125g) plain thick yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Place the almond meal, flaked almonds, eggwhites and the caster sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Divide the mixture into 4. Place on the prepared tray and press out into rough 12cm (4¾ inch) rounds. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden around the edges.
To make the whipped vanilla cream, whisk the mascarpone, yoghurt and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Place the banana slices on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and sprinkle with the coconut sugar. Using a kitchen blowtorch, cook until the banana starts to caramelise.
To assemble, divide the whipped vanilla cream between tart bases. Top with the coconut caramel sauce and the caramelised banana.
TIP: If you don’t own a kitchen blowtorch, use the grill in your oven (broiler) to caramelise the banana.
Earl Grey, lemon and blueberry cake
Serves 12
- 1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea leaves
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 eggwhites
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
- 1 cup (220g) raw caster (superfine) sugar
- 3 cups (360g) almond meal (ground almonds)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup (125g) blueberries
- yoghurt frosting, to serve
Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a 10cm x 24cm (4 inch x 9½ inch) loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.
Place the tea leaves and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat and
allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain and reserve the milk. Discard the tea leaves.
Place the infused milk, eggs, eggwhites, lemon rind, sugar, almond meal and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the blueberries and fold through.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Place the cake on a serving plate and top with the yoghurt frosting, to serve.
TIP: This cake is just as delicious served warm without the frosting.
Recipes extracted from The Fast Five by Donna Hay. Published by HarperCollins, RRP $55.
More info https://www.harpercollins.co.nz/9781460715444/the-fast-five/
The Fast Five by Donna Hay RRP: $55.00 Available: 5 October 2022
Imprint: Fourth Estate ISBN: 978 1 4607 6287 5 Format: 272 pages hardcover
