1 x 200g packet of coconut biscuits (Tennis biscuits) 80g butter, melted 800g cream cheese 250g crème fraîche 180g caster sugar 40g flour 4 eggs grated rind of 3 lemons 100ml lemon juice 10ml vanilla Meringue: 4 egg whites 70g sugar a pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 140℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Break the biscuits into the bowl of a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter with the engine running. The mixture should resemble wet sand. Spoon the biscuit mixture into the prepared cake tin, spread it out evenly and press it down on the bottom with the back of a spoon. Set aside. Add the cream cheese, crème fraîche, caster sugar, flour, eggs, lemon rind, lemon juice and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until you have a very smooth mixture. Set aside. Wrap the outside of the prepared cake tin with aluminium foil, place the tin in a roasting tin and pour 2-3cm water into the roasting tin. Place in the oven and bake for 1,5-2 hours, until set like wobbly jelly. Turn off the oven, open the door and allow the cake to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the cheesecake in the baking tin for 3-4 hours.
Meringue: Add the egg whites, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (without the bottom touching the water). Whisk the mixture by hand until the sugar has dissolved and it burns your finger when you touch it. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and whisk at the highest speed until firm, glossy peaks form. Spoon or pipe the meringue onto the cheesecake and flame with a blowtorch before serving.
125ml sugar 125ml flour 3 eggs 5ml vanilla 30ml butter, melted 250ml milk enough pitted cherries to cover the bottom of a pie/flan dish
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a ceramic pie/flan dish. Add the sugar and flour to a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs, vanilla, melted butter and milk together in a wide-mouth jug. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients while whisking. Fill the bottom of the pie dish with an even layer of cherries and pour the batter over the cherries. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. The clafoutis will puff up in the oven and fall back on itself as it cools. Dust with icing sugar once cooled.
500g self-raising flour 10ml cream of tartar 10ml bicarbonate of soda 10ml ground ginger 2ml salt 170g butter, cubed 170g golden syrup 350g brown sugar 2 eggs 12 chocolate balls, halved 250ml cream, whipped
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 24-hole mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt. Add the cubed butter and rub in with your fingers. Set aside. Add the syrup and sugar to a saucepan set of medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has almost completely dissolved. The mixture should be very runny. Cool for 5 minutes. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and add it to the syrup mixture while whisking. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly – there should be no dry flour left. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place in the muffin pans. Flatten the balls with your fingers and then make an indent with a small shot glass/the back of a lemon juicer. See video below. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately press the indents like you did before baking. Place half a chocolate ball in each hollow and set aside to cool. Top each ginger cup with whipped cream to serve.
This is one of the easiest and quickest cakes you will ever bake. It is delicious to eat as is and perfect when making trifle!
1 x 385g can condensed milk 4 eggs 60g butter, melted 5ml vanilla 180g self-raising flour 1 x 360g can caramel treat 250ml cream
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a bundt cake tin with cooking spray. Add the condensed milk, eggs, butter and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together with electric beaters. Sift over the flour and beat together on high speed for 1 minute. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake tin and bake for 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate. Cool completely. Serve the cake with dollops of caramel treat swirled into the whipped cream.
50ml sugar 50ml water 125ml grenadilla pulp and seeds 250g grenadilla flavoured yoghurt 6 vanilla cupcakes
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then allow to simmer for 1 minute without stirring. Take from the heat and allow the sugar syrup to cool. Pour about a third of the sugar syrup onto the grenadilla pulp and mix vigorously so that you end up with a saucy consistency. Set aside. Half the cupcakes horizontally and place one half in a serving glass. Top the cake with a spoonful of yoghurt and a spoonful of the grenadilla sauce. Repeat the layer with the rest of the ingredients. Bon appétit!!
It has been said that a Viennese Sachertorte is a cake worth fighting over….! Hopefully without the fighting, you will bake this labour of love and indulge in the best chocolate cake in the world! Traditionally the cake is served with Chantilly cream on the side so that every bite may be dipped into the cream before eating. If you want a higher cake like the one in my photographs, bake the cake twice – the apricot and chocolate glaze is sufficient to cover a higher/larger cake.
Chocolate glaze: 220g sugar 125ml water 200g dark chocolate, chopped
Place an oven rack in the centre of your oven and preheat to 180℃. Lightly butter 22cm springform tin with butter and line the bottom with a round of baking paper. Dust the sides of the tin with flour and tap out the excess. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Remove from the heat. Stir the chocolate often until tepid but still fluid. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Turn the mixer to low speed and beat in the icing sugar. Set the mixer back on medium-high and beat until light in colour and texture. (about 2 minutes) Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Now beat in the chocolate and vanilla with the machine running. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat. Stir about a fourth of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Now fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible whisps of whites. Sift half the flour over and fold in with a spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin and spread it evenly. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the tin and invert the cake onto the wire rack. Remove the baking paper. Re-invert the cake on another rack to turn it right side up and leave to cool completely.
For the apricot glaze: Melt the jam in a saucepan over medium heat, add the rum and pass through a sieve. Set aside to cool slightly.
Trim the top of the cake to make it level. (Optional) Cut the cake horizontally into 2 equal layers. Brush the top of one cake layer with a third of the apricot glaze. Place the second layer on top and brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining glaze. Allow to cool until the glaze is set/less sticky. Half an hour in the refrigerator should be sufficient.
For the chocolate glaze: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the chocolate, remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate has melted and you are left with a smooth, glossy glaze.|Set aside to cool and thicken slightly.
Transfer the cake to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the slightly warm chocolate glaze over the cake. Take care to cover the entire cake and the sides. Allow to cool and set completely – 2 hours minimum. Trim away any hardened glaze on the bottom of the cake and transfer it to a serving plate. Serve each slice of sachertorte with a generous dollop of cream so that each bite may be dipped in the cream before eating.
1 x 385g can of condensed milk 60g butter, softened 190ml sugar 10ml vanilla 2 eggs 125ml flour 125ml cocoa powder, sifted 1,2ml salt 80g dark chocolate, finely chopped 80g dark chocolate, chopped a handful of pistachio nuts
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Add the condensed milk, butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream together with a hand-held mixer, until smooth. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix for another minute. Now add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix again on low speed. Add the chopped chocolate and stir through with a spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the baking tin. Add the 80g chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water and allow to melt. Drizzle the chocolate over the brownies and sprinkle the pistachio nuts on top. Slice and serve.
For the biscuit base: Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups. Spray the paper cups with baking spray and set aside. Process the biscuits to crumbs. Whisk the egg white with a fork until just frothy and add to the crumbs. Add the melted butter and give everything a good mix. The mixture should resemble wet sand. Divide between the cupcake liners and press the mixture down firmly into the bottom of each cup. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
For the filling: Turn you oven temperature down to 160℃. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water. Allow to melt completely, remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Add the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa powder to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until combined, scraping down once or twice between mixing. Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer, add the melted chocolate and fold in until no streaks remain. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set in the centre. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecakes inside with the door closed, for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the baking tin. Refrigerate the cheesecakes for 1 hour before adding the topping.
Marshmallow-Meringue Topping: Turn your oven to the grill setting and move the oven rack to the top position. If you are going to blow-torch your toppings you may leave your oven off. Add the egg whites and sugar to a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk the mixture for about 3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very frothy. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed for about 6 minutes, until very thick and glossy. Spoon or pipe the topping on the cheesecakes and either place under the grill to toast or blow-torch the topping.
Jodetert is a traditional South African bake of years gone by. It is a wonderful concoction of light and buttery biscuit discs, layered with a soft custard and literally melts in one’s mouth. Without doubt, one of my all-time favourite eats – do try it!
For the biscuit: Preheat your oven to 180℃. Cut 8 pieces of baking paper the size of a large baking tray. Spray each paper sheet with cooking spray. Add the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the beaten egg in a thin stream while the engine is running, until the mixture comes together in a dough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Divide the dough in to 7 equal portions. Place one piece of dough on a sprayed piece of baking paper and dust with flour. Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll the dough to a thickness of 5 mm and a 20cm diameter circle. Remove the baking paper on top and place the dough circle on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Repeat with the other 6 pieces of dough.
For the filling: Add the flour, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Drizzle the milk onto the flour mixture in a thin stream while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir with a whisk until it thickens. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and place some plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Allow to cool completely.
Assembly: Spoon the custard into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. Place the first biscuit disc on a serving plate, pipe a spiral of custard onto it and place the second biscuit circle on top of it. Repeat the process of piping custard and stacking the biscuit discs until you have none left. Dust the Jodetert with some icing sugar and serve with a good cup of coffee.
The original cake, Kladdkaka, is a traditional Swedish bake but this is my take on it, resulting in a warm dessert that is somewhere between a brownie and a lava cake. From start to finish it will take you 30 minutes to put together this more-ish chocolate cake!
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Dust the bottom of the tin with cocoa powder. Set aside. Add the chocolate and butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir every now and then until completely melted. Pour the chocolate-butter mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the flour, cocoa powder and sugar to the bowl and stir together by hand. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until combined. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 25 minutes. The cake should have a firm top that cracks when you apply pressure to it with your finger. Allow the cake to cool slightly in the cake tin. Run a knife between the cake and the tin and remove the cake ring. Serve warm with a dusting of icing sugar.
My Whisk and I 