Warm up your body with these afternoon sweet recipes

Banana Milk Coffee

Ingredients

~6.7 fluid ounces (200ml) freshly brewed strong hot coffee

~8.4 fluid ounces (250ml) Milk I used semi skimmed

1 tbsp sugar

1 very ripe banana

1 tsp cinnamon plus extra for dusting (optional)

Instructions

Mash the banana in a bowl with the sugar until it's smooth with not many lumps. 

Add to a saucepan under a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the banana is hot. 

Gradually add in half of the milk until it starts to steam, remove from the heat and add in the cinnamon, stir.

Add the banana milk to a blender and blend until completely smooth whilst gradually adding the other half of the milk. (A high power blender is best to ensure no lumps remain)

Divide the hot coffee into two mugs and top with the banana milk (use a sieve when pouring the milk if you don't have a high power blender). Top with an extra dusting of cinnamon is desired.

Recipe Notes

It's best to use a very ripe (almost completely black) banana for this.

If you don't have a high power blender try using a sieve when pouring the milk into the cups to ensure there are no lumps.

*Please note all imperial measurements are an approximate.

Hot fudge chocolate pudding cake

Ingredients

CAKE:

1 cup plain, or all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder (I like unsweetened cocoa powder. (*See notes)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FUDGE SAUCE:

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I like unsweetened cocoa powder. (*See notes)

1-1/4 cups boiling water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 175°C | 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan*. Pre-boil water in a kettle while preparing cake.

FOR THE CAKE:

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add in the milk, butter and vanilla; whisk until smooth and fairly lump free.

Pour the batter into prepared baking pan or dish and spread evenly.

FOR THE SAUCE:

Combine together the remaining 1/2 cup white sugar, brown sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons cocoa powder. 

Evenly sprinkle mixture over the batter. 

Slowly pour the boiling water over the top (DO NOT STIR OR MIX INTO THE BATTER. ALLOW THE WATER TO SIT ON TOP).

Bake 35 minutes or until the centre is almost set.

Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Serve in dessert dishes with ice cream or whipped cream, and spoon fudge sauce from the bottom of pan over top of each serve of cake.

Recipe Notes

Baking dishes that can be used: 11-7-inch | 5-6 cup capacity | 1.5 - 2 quart/litre baking dishes

*Cocoa powders: A dark cocoa powder will yield in a rich and bitter-sweet chocolate flavoured pudding (pictured in the first photographs above). 

A normal unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's unsweetened, will yield a milder chocolate flavoured pudding -- not bitter in taste and still rich (photographed in the last images above). Please choose carefully, and use a cocoa powder you LOVE the taste of.

Adapted from Hershey's