Line a container that is about 20cm x 14cm with baking paper.
Pour 250ml milk into a small bowl and add the cornstarch. Whisk together until the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside. Pour the other 250ml milk into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Place over medium-low heat and cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring. The milk should be warm but it should not come to the boil. Now, whisk the cornstarch mixture while slowly pouring it into the saucepan. Stir continuously for about 4 minutes until the mixture is very thick. Pour the mixture into the prepared container and allow to cool completely – about 2 hours. Add the desiccated coconut to a shallow bowl. Lift the milk pudding out of the container with the paper and cut into small squares. Roll each square in the coconut to coat. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
You can top these cupcakes with a chocolate ganache icing or leave them plain – I prefer plain as they are sweet and gooey with the melted Easter egg on the inside.
200g butter, room temperature 200g sugar 200g flour 83ml cocoa powder, sifted 7,5ml baking powder 1,2ml bicarbonate of soda 2,5ml salt 150ml sour cream 2 eggs, lightly beaten 7,5ml vanilla 12 small, filled chocolate eggs
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on high speed, scrape down the bowl and mix again on high speed. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated. Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer and add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Stir through by hand until just incorporated. Divide the batter between the 12 paper cups and insert a filled chocolate egg in each. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
500ml milk, tepid 250ml x 6 all-purpose flour 30ml sugar 15ml instant yeast 10ml salt 85ml butter, cubed, room temperature
Fit a dough hook on your stand mixer. Add the milk, 5 x 250ml flour, sugar, yeast and salt to the mixer bowl. Turn the mixer on a low speed and knead to bring together. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, workable dough. Knead for 3 minutes on medium-low speed, until you have a smooth elastic dough. Add the butter and continue to knead on medium-low speed until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes. Spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray and set aside. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Divide in half. Shape one half into a 22cm diameter disc and place in the prepared cake tin. Divide the other half into three equal portions and roll each into a rope about 60cm long. Now braid the three ropes together and place the braid flat around the edge of the pan, forming a circle. Trim the ends of the braid so that it “meets” neatly. Place an uncooked egg in the centre of the circle – this symbolises birth/new life. Cover the tin with a tea towel and leave to double – it should take about an hour. Preheat your oven to 180℃. Place the bread in the oven and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from the cake tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
6 hot cross buns, halved 240g cream cheese, room temperature 125ml cream 2,5ml vanilla 160g Biscoff spread 4 bananas, sliced
Toast the halved buns in a dry pan. Add the cream cheese and cream to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Refrigerate until needed. Add the biscoff spread to a small bowl and warm in the microwave for about 30 seconds at a time, until you have a very soft spread. Spoon the cream cheese mixture on the buns. Slice the bananas and arrange on top. Drizzle with the biscoff spread.
160g Orange flavoured De Villiers Chocolate 160g cream 12 De Villiers Chocolate hollow easter eggs
Chop the chocolate finely and add it to a mixing bowl. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and allow it to warm up – it should be hot when you stick your finger in it but it should not boil. Pour the warm cream on the chopped chocolate and stir until all the chocolate has melted. Set the bowl somewhere in your kitchen and stir every time you walk past. The ganache will take about 40 minutes to come to piping consistency, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. In the meantime, slice the top off the Easter eggs. I warm the bottoms of the eggs and then stick them on to a spoon so that they sit upright. Spoon the ganache into a piping bag and fill the eggs. Scatter some orange zest over to serve.
These little cakes can be baked in a 12-hole muffin tin when lined with paper cups. Baking time remains the same.
175g butter, room temperature 175g brown sugar 30g + 200g Biscoff spread 3 eggs 175g self-raising flour
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and spray 6 ramekins with cooking spray. Add the butter, sugar and Biscoff spread to a mixing bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time while mixing. Add the self-raising flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Divide the batter between the 6 ramekins. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack.
Decant about 200g of Biscoff spread and place in the microwave oven for 20 second spurts. Stir the spread and micro again until you have a pourable consistency. Place the cooled cakes on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and pour over the spread. Stand for 30 minutes until set.
Place a heavy-bottom saucepan on medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy and browned. Remove from the pan. Place the chicken breasts on a flat surface and halve them horizontally so that you have 8 thin chicken portions. Mix the flour, breadcrumbs and salt together in a shallow dish. Coat the chicken generously with the flour mixture. Pour the vegetable oil into the saucepan and allow it to warm up. Fry the breasts for 3minutes per side, remove from the saucepan and set aside. Remove the oil from the saucepan and wipe it clean with paper towel. Now add the butter and allow to melt over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir around until it forms a paste. Cook for one minute while stirring. Gradually pour in the chicken stock and milk and whisk continuously. Now add the Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and tarragon. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken back into the sauce. Sprinkle over the bacon and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes. Serve the chicken and the sauce on creamy mashed potatoes.
If there had to be a cake that I could not live without, it would be this Vanilla Cake. It is plain and simple, has the finest, most delicate crumb and can be dressed up or down with icing, cream, fresh fruit, steamed fruit or a compote. Whichever way you choose to eat yours, I hope this becomes one of your very favourite cakes too! Please note: THERE ARE DIFFERENT BAKING TIMES DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU BAKE THE CAKE IN ONE OR TWO CAKE TINS.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray two 22cm loose-bottom cake tins and line the base and sides with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk to mix through. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar with the mixer still running. Now beat on high speed until the mixture is three times its original volume – about 7 minutes or so. Scatter a third of the flour on the surface and mix on the lowest speed until the flour is just incorporated. Keep going until there is no flour left. Add the butter and milk to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm when you put your finger in it. NB: you want the butter to melt but NOT boil the milk! Pour the milk-mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil and whisk through with a hand whisk. Add about 250ml of the egg and flour mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. The batter must be smooth. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and very slowly pour in the milk mixture. Scrape down the sides and base of the bowl. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds. Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins. Lift each tin 5cm from the work surface and drop it – repeat a few times to knock out the large air bubbles. Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks and removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely before filling with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
This recipe makes 12 muffins but can easily be doubled. You may also keep the batter in the refrigerator for a week. Be sure to take the batter out and leave it at room temperature for 40 minutes BEFORE baking. They store really well in a sealed container.
50ml + 200ml buttermilk 6ml bicarbonate of soda
375ml bran 125ml boiling water 60ml butter, melted 190ml brown sugar 1 egg, beaten 160ml flour 160ml wholewheat flour 2ml salt 125ml grated carrot 125ml pecan nuts, roughly chopped
Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups. Pour the 50ml buttermilk into a small bowl, sprinkle in the bicarbonate of soda and stir to dissolve. Set aside. Add the bran to a large mixing bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir through. Drizzle over the melted butter and stir together. Now add the brown sugar, egg and 200ml buttermilk. Pour the buttermilk and bicarb into the mixture and stir through.|Add the flour, wholewheat flour, salt, grated carrot and nuts and mix together. Divide the mixture between the paper cups and bake for 20 minutes. Cool the muffins on a wire rack and keep stored in an airtight container.
For the crème pâtissière: Add the corn flour to a mixing bowl. Pour a small amount of milk into the bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the yolks and half the sugar. Whisk to gather by hand until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside. Pour the rest of the milk and the rest of the sugar into a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Take the milk from the heat as soon as tiny bubbles start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Drizzle the warm mixture onto the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place on a medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture is thick and smooth. Allow to cook for 30 seconds before removing from the heat. Add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and allow to cool completely.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Unroll the pastry sheet and cut it into 4 equal rectangles (cut through lengthwise and then halve each strip). Place the rectangles on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Place another sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry and then place another baking sheet on top of that. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Assembly: Whisk your room temperature crème pâtissière by hand until it is smooth. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large (1,5/2cm) nozzle. Lay a pastry sheet on a serving plate and pipe dollops over the entire sheet. Repeat until you have one pastry sheet left. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add a tablespoon of milk. Stir the mixture, adding a few drops more until you have a very thick paste. Spread the icing paste on the pastry sheet and set aside to dry. Place the iced pastry on top of the custard slice. Slice into portions once you have displayed your beautiful creation.
My Whisk and I 