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.
A sweet omelet may be a strange/unusual idea but this traditional omelet with vanilla and fresh berries will surprise and delight your tastebuds!
3 eggs, separated 30ml + 30ml sugar 1ml + 1ml salt 45ml flour 125ml cream 2,5ml vanilla 80ml strawberry/raspberry jam fresh berries icing sugar, for dusting
Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line the base of a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with baking paper. Spray with cooking spray and set aside. Add the egg whites to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Add the egg yolks, 30ml sugar and 1ml salt to a separate mixing bowl. Beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes until you have a very thick, very pale mixture that falls from the whisk in ribbons. Fold a third of the egg whites into the mixture, add the rest and fold in until just combined. Sift the flour over and fold in with a metal spoon until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin and gently smooth the top. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. The omelet should be fluffy and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Add the cream, vanilla, 30ml sugar and 1ml salt to a mixing bowl and whisk until medium-stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed. Remove the omelet from the oven and remove the ring of the cake tin. Invert the omelet onto a plate and gently peel off the baking paper. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread the jam on half the omelet. Spread the cream over the jam and sprinkle over the fresh berries. Gently fold the omelet over. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
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.
1 bagel per person 2 eggs 30ml milk a pinch of salt
cinnamon-sugar
Add the eggs, milk and salt to a bowl and whisk together. Slice the bagels in half horizontally and dip each half in the egg mixture. Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a splash of vegetable oil. Fry the egg-soaked bagel for about 2 minutes before flipping it and frying for another 2 minutes. Generously dish the warm bagel halves with cinnamon sugar and serve while warm.
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.
62ml tepid water 10g instant yeast 250ml milk, warm 30ml sugar 7,5ml salt 5ml ground cinnamon 62ml butter, melted 2 eggs 4 x 250ml + 83ml flour 1 x can/portion Dulce de Leche or Caramel Treat 3 bananas, sliced
Pour the tepid water into a small mixing bowl and sprinkle over the yeast. Stir until dissolved and set aside. Add the milk, sugar, salt and cinnamon to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and whisk together by hand. Stir in the butter, eggs and yeast mixture. Turn the mixer to a low speed and gradually add the flour. You are looking for a dough that is soft enough to handle. It is usually ready when it easily pulls away from the sides. Knead/mix for another 5 minutes. Rub a few drops of oil on the inside of a mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow to rise until double in size. (about 90 minutes) Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Roll the dough to a 0,5cm thickness and cut circles of dough with a biscuit cutter, about 8 cm in diameter. You need about 22 circles to make two small breads. Line two 11cm X 25cm loaf tins with baking paper. Spread a teaspoon of caramel on half of each circle and place 3 slices of banana on top. Fold the circle in half and place it in the prepared tin with the open ends facing up.
Continue until all the discs are in the loaf tin. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 40 minutes. Preheat your oven to 180℃. Bake the breads for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from the baking tin. Serve the pull-apart bread warm or at room temperature.
1 chocolate bar, broken into blocks – I used De Villiers nut butter chocolate puff pastry, store-bought 1 egg yolk and 15ml water, whisked together
Preheat your oven to 220℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Cut the pastry into squares and follow the following technique to make little parcels:
Place the chocolate parcels on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the egg-wash. Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.
Line a 22cm x 11cm loaf tin with plastic wrap, leaving enough plastic to make an overhang (so that you can fold it on top of the mousse later on). Tip: wet the loaf tin before lining it – the water will help the plastic “stick” to the the tin. Add the white chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt. Remove from the heat, give it a good stir and set it aside for about 5 minutes to cool. Add 15ml of the boiling water to a small cup and sprinkle 2,5ml of the gelatine over. Stir the mixture continuously until the gelatine has dissolved completely – about 2 minutes of constant stirring. Add the gelatine and one egg yolk to the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Add 125ml cream to a mixing bowl and beat with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Add the cream to the chocolate mixture and stir through until combined. Add one egg white to a clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until soft peaks form Fold the egg white into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the white chocolate layer is set.
Repeat the process with the milk chocolate and half of the remaining ingredients. Pour over the white chocolate mousse and place back in the refrigerator for another hour or until set.
Repeat with the dark chocolate and the remaining ingredients. Pour over the milk chocolate layer and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.
Serve the mousse with a chocolate sauce or plenty of berries.
My Whisk and I 