Amy Johnson Cake

Amy Johnson was the first woman aviator to fly solo from England to Australia, but why is there a cake named after her? Maybe this extraordinary aviator was also a extraordinary baker? Maybe this was her favorite cake? Or maybe the solo flight which bought her to Australia, was marked with an afternoon tea to celebrate her achievement? Whatever the reason, this beautiful old fashioned recipe is best enjoyed with a  with  a good cup of tea or coffee.

Even though it is described as a 'cake', it is almost like a thick slice. A biscuit base covered with raspberry jam and currants, topped with sponge cake  and iced with a thin layer of either vanilla or lemon icing.

Base
1 cup SR flour
1 tsp salt
60g butter
Filling
Raspberry Jam
250 g currants
Topping
60g butter
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 cup SR flour
1/3 cup milk

Base - sift flour and salt, rub in butter. Mix into a dough with a little milk. Line a 23cm (9 inch) square sandwich tin with dough. Spread with raspberry jam and sprinkle with currants.

Topping - Cream butter and vanilla, gradually add the sugar creaming well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add sifted flour, alternating with milk. Pour over base and filling. Bake in a moderate oven 175c fan forced for 35 - 40 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack to completely cool. When cool ice with either vanilla or lemon icing.

Cake will keep in an air tight container for 4 days.

Chocolate-Filled Oat Crunch (Kingston Biscuits)

Who ate the last Kingston from the 'Arnott's Assorted Cream Biscuits'? Fine I'll make my own! Oat, coconut and demera sugar biscuits, sandwiched together with milk chocolate.

William Arnott these biscuits will give your recipe a run for its money. You've still got the upper hand in the 'Tim Tam' department, but I'm working on it.

Chocolate-Filled Oat Crunch (Kingston Biscuits) - Gourmet Traveller, October 2006
180gm butter
120gm demerara sugar
90gm (1/4 cup) golden syrup
150gm (1 cup) plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
60gm desiccated coconut
60gm (2/3 cup) rolled oats
150gm milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 160C (fan forced). Using an electric mixer, cream butter , sugar and golden syrup until pale and fluffy, then add flour, bicarbonate of soda, coconut and rolled oats and beat on slow until just combined.

Spoon teaspoons of mixture onto baking paper-lined trays. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool biscuits on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Cool to a thick consistency, then spread over the base of half the biscuits and sandwich with remaining biscuits. Biscuits will keep in an airtight container for 5 days.

Makes 20