easy dessert – Page 2 – My Whisk and I

Festive Panna Cotta

November 29, 2022November 28, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This panna cotta is dollied up with a peach syrup, fresh peach slices and a biscuit crumb to whow your guests. It makes 6 portions of 125ml each – I prefer to make mine 80ml portions as it is a rich dessert.

45ml water
17,5ml powdered gelatine
750ml cream
100ml caster sugar
5ml vanilla

Pour the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the caster sugar.
Turn the heat to medium and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the mixture from the heat just before it reaches a boil.
Melt the gelatine in the microwave at 5 seconds bursts.
Add the liquid gelatine, in a thin stream, to the cream mixture while whisking vigorously.
Add the vanilla and whisk through.
Pour the mixture into bowls/glasses/moulds and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 6 hours, until set.

To serve:

Peach syrup:
Cut 3 fresh peaches into chunks and add it to a small saucepan.
Add 60ml peach/tropical fruit juice and simmer for 5 minutes on a low heat.
Blitz the mixture together and pour through a sieve.
Refrigerate the syrup until ice cold.

Crumb:
Place 6-8 dry biscuits in a plastic bag and smash them until you have an even crumb texture.

Assemble the dessert by drizzling the peach syrup over the panna cotta. Add a spoonful of the crumb and garnish with a few slices of fresh peach to serve.

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Summer Pavlova

November 24, 2022November 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a large pavlova and will feed 10 – 12 people. Make it for the perfect end to a summer’s lunch…

6 egg whites
400g caster sugar
10ml white vinegar
15ml cornflour
5ml vanilla
500ml cream
fresh cherries
fresh strawberries
passionfruit

Preheat your oven to 150℃. Draw a 22cm diameter circle on a piece of baking paper and place on a baking sheet.
Add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until soft peak stage.
Add the sugar a spoonful at a time while whisking continuously.
Add the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla and fold through.
Spoon the mixture onto the circle (on the prepared tray) and shape it into a round dome.
Place the pavlova in the oven and turn the temperature down to 120℃.
Bake the pavlova for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Turn off the oven but do not open the oven door. Allow the pavlova to cool in the oven for 2 hours.
Whip the fresh cream and spoon onto the fully cooled pavlova.
Top with the cherries and strawberries and drizzle over some passionfruit.

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2-Ingredient Caramel Mousse

November 4, 2022November 3, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

90ml Biscoff spread
300ml cream, cold
(60ml Biscoff spread, if you want a sauce to drizzle over the mousse)

Measure the Biscoff spread into a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
Give it a good stir and wait for the melted spread to cool down and come to room temperature. (when you can not feel a temperature difference when dipping your finger into it!!!)
Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and whisk until you have stiff but not dry peaks.
Pour the room temperature spread onto the whipped cream and very gently but thoroughly fold it through until no streaks are visible.
Refrigerate the mousse for an hour.
Pipe/scoop into glasses and serve.

Drizzle sauce:
Microwave about 60ml of the spread for 30 seconds, until melted.
Stir the mixture and stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Drizzle over the mousse before serving.

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Chocolate Tiramisu

October 11, 2022October 10, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This tiramisu is made with thin layers of chocolate cake and the traditional mascarpone-cream filling and sprinkled with grated chocolate!! Serves 6.

Cake batter:
190ml flour
190ml sugar
2,5ml salt
120g butter
80ml cocoa powder, sifted
120ml hot water
2 egg yolks
50ml buttermilk
2,5ml baking powder
2,5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 27cm x 37cm baking tray with baking paper.
Select 6 glasses or straight-sided bowls in which you are going to assemble and serve the tiramisu. Set aside.
Add the flour, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Add the butter, cocoa powder and hot water to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat.
Stir the mixture until the butter melts.
Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and pour over the dry ingredients.
Stir to combine.
Add the egg yolks, buttermilk, baking powder and vanilla and mix together.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake for 15 minutes.
Cool completely.
Remove the cake and cut 12 rounds using one of the serving glasses as a guide.
Set aside until needed.

Filling:
250g mascarpone, room temperature
125ml cream
15ml espresso coffee powder
7,5ml vanilla
25ml caster sugar

Add the mascarpone and cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Add the espresso powder, vanilla and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until very thick – be mindful not to over whip!

Assembly:
80g coffee flavoured, dark chocolate, grated

Layer a spoonful of mascarpone-mixture, grated chocolate, a cake disc and repeat until you have used 2 cake discs and have three layers of mascarpone.
Sprinkle with grated chocolate to finish off the tiramisu.
Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Either sprinkle with more chocolate or sift over some cocoa powder before serving.

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Cremora Dessert

September 27, 2022September 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250g digestive biscuits
100g butter, melted
250ml Cremona (coffee creamer)
1 x 385g tin condensed milk
250ml cream
80ml lemon juice
your choice of fresh fruit and/or berries

Place 6 glasses/bowl on a small baking sheet and set aside. (the baking sheet makes it easier to transport the desserts)
Place the biscuits in a food processor and process to crumbs.
Add the melted butter with the engine running. You want to end up with a mixture that resembles wet sand.
Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into the glasses and divide the rest equally. Press lightly onto the bottoms and place in the refrigerator.
Add the Cremona, condensed milk, cream and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk together until you have a very thick mixture.
Divide among the serving glasses and place back into the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours or overnight.
Take the desserts from the fridge about 20 minutes before you want to serve them.
Top with your choice of fresh fruit.

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Quince Granola Crumble

May 27, 2022May 16, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

5-6 quince
250ml sugar
500ml water
5ml vanilla

Crumble:
250ml granola
250ml almond meal/ground almonds
5ml ground cinnamon
125ml brown sugar
60g butter, cubed

Quarter the quince and then halve each quarter. Peel and cut out the core. Set aside.
Add the sugar, water and vanilla to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the quince slices to the poaching liquid and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Gently simmer the fruit until it can easily be pierced with a toothpick.
Take the saucepan from the heat and allow the quince slices to cool in the liquid completely.
Drain the quince and transfer the slices to a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish.

For the crumble:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the granola, almond meal, cinnamon, sugar and butter to a mixing bowl.
Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Keep going until the butter is well distributed throughout the mixture.
Spread the crumb mixture evenly on the quince slices and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve the quince crumble with a scoop of ice cream or yoghurt.

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Buttermilk Pannacotta

March 31, 2022March 27, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This buttermilk pannacotta is delicious when served with the this tart passionfruit syrup but of course, the choice is yours and it may be served with any sauce of your choice.

250ml buttermilk
10ml powdered gelatine
450ml pouring cream
60ml sugar

Passionfruit syrup:
80ml canned passionfruit
60ml sugar
80ml water
the grated zest of one lemon

Pour about 50ml of the buttermilk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Pour the remaining buttermilk, cream and sugar into a small saucepan set over low heat.
Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the gelatine mixture into this mixture and stir well.
Pour the mixture into 6 moulds with a 125ml capacity each, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours until set.

For the passionfruit syrup:
Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and place it over a low heat.
Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
Simmer the syrup for 1 minute without stirring and then take it off the heat.
Add the lemon zest and passionfruit pulp.
Stir through and set aside to cool completely.

Turn the individual pannacottas out on a serving dish and drizzle with the cold passionfruit syrup to serve.

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Tropical Chocolate Bread

January 20, 2022January 20, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a great variation on banana bread and perfect for brunch when served with roasted peaches. Keeps for 2-3 days in an airtight container but it is very good when toasted thereafter.

150g butter
190ml caster sugar
2 eggs
30ml milk
2 ripe bananas, sliced
250ml self-raising flour
5ml bicarbonate of soda
62ml dodo powder, sifted
125ml desiccated coconut
160g De Villiers Cocoa Nut Butter Chocolate, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 11cm X 25cm X 7cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on medium-high speed until creamy.
Add the eggs, milk and sliced bananas and mix for another minute.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder together and stir into the mixture.
Take the bowl from the mixer, add the coconut and chocolate and stir through by hand.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool.
Slice to serve.

Honey-Roasted Peaches:
6 fresh peaches
15ml butter, cubed
62ml honey

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones.
Place the peach halves on an oven tray and dot the cubed butter over it.
Drizzle over the honey.
Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until caramelised and golden brown.
Serve on a toasted slice of Tropical Chocolate Bread.

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Chocolate Calzone

January 14, 2022January 13, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

We made this chocolate calzone one Saturday afternoon when we had leftover pizza dough and it has been a firm favourite from then on. Serve it warm with fresh strawberries and a few basil leaves on the side. This recipe yields 6 – 8 pizzas.

Pizza dough:
15g dry yeast
10ml sugar
800g bread flour
2,5ml salt
60ml olive oil
400ml tepid water

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in a jug with the lukewarm water and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Set aside.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Add the oil to the flour.
Turn the machine on to its lowest speed and add the yeast mixture. Knead for 2 minutes.
Turn the machine to medium speed and knead for another 6 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave to stand in a warm place for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

If you are not baking your pizza in a pizza oven, preheat your oven to 220℃ and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Take the dough from the bowl and release the air from it by gently kneading it by hand for one minute.
Cut the dough into 6 – 8 portions.
Roll each dough ball to a thickness of 5mm and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Assembly of one calzone:
2 x 80g slabs of De Villiers Coco Nut, Nut Butter Chocolate
a handful of cashew nuts

Place the two slabs of chocolate, one atop of the other, on one half of the dough circle and sprinkle over the cashew nuts.
Gently fold the other half of the dough circle over the chocolate and pinch the edges together with your fingers.
Now fold the edge back by 1cm and pinch tightly together.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until done.

Serve the calzone with fresh strawberries and basil leaves.

(The calzone on the photographs was cooked in a pizza oven. )

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Layered Custard Pots

January 5, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These custard pots are easy to make and can be kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 12.

2 packets finger biscuits
1 can condensed milk
125ml lemon juice
90ml sugar
135ml custard powder
200ml + 800ml milk

Line up 12 ramekins or serving glasses.
Break/cut the finger biscuits in half and place 2 halves in each ramekin, “lining” the bottoms. Set aside.
Add the condensed milk and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and stir together until the mixture amalgamates. Set aside.
Add the sugar and custard powder to a mixing bowl and make a slurry by slowly pouring in the 200ml milk, while whisking.
Pour the 800ml milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Pour in the the custard and sugar slurry and whisk vigorously. Whisk until the custard is thick and smooth and starts to bubble.
Remove from the heat.
Scoop about 60ml of the very hot custard on top of the finger biscuits in the ramekins.
Now scoop about 60ml of the condensed milk mixture on top of the custard layer and shake the ramekins slightly so that the mixture spreads and covers the custard layer.
Repeat the finger biscuit, custard and condensed milk layers.
Bash 12 finger biscuits until very fine and divide equally among the ramekins.
Place the custard pots in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.