teatime – My Whisk and I

Pear and Honey Cake

May 21, 2024May 20, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

3 pears
125ml sugar
45ml water
220g butter
340g honey
190ml cultured buttermilk
3 eggs
150g sugar
5ml vanilla
300g flour
10ml baking powder
5ml ground cinnamon
2,5ml ground mixed spice
10ml salt

Preheat your oven to 170℃ and spray the sides of a fixed-bottom cake tin with cooking spray.
Peel the pears and slice them into 8 wedges each.
Arrange the wedges on the bottom of the cake tin and set aside.
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium heat.
Do not stir but swirl the mixture from time-to-time until you have a caramel.
Remove from the heat and pour the syrup over the pear wedges in the cake tin. Set aside.
Add the butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat and gently simmer it for 5 minutes or so.
Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and add the honey, buttermilk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Whisk the mixture together.
Now sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt. Mix until you have a smooth batter.
Pour the cake batter onto the pears wedges and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove the cake from the oven and invert it onto a plate – leave the upturned cake tin for a few minutes before removing it.
Serve the cake with a dollop of cream, ice cream or yoghurt.

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Easy Banana Bread

May 9, 2024May 3, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

3 bananas, very ripe
200g brown sugar
150g butter
2 eggs
240g flour
10ml baking powder
1,2ml salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 13cm x 23cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Peel the bananas and place them in a mixing bowl.
Now beat them with an electric whisk until completely mushed.
Add the sugar, butter and eggs and lightly beat the mixture together on low speed. Set aside.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to another bowl and stir to mix.
Add one or two spoonfuls of the dry ingredients to the banana mixture while beating on a low speed. Keep adding and beating until all is incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes.
Cool the loaf in the baking tin for 15 minutes and then remove it and cool completely on a cooling rack.
Serve thick slices of banana bread spread with salted butter.

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Almond Pastries

May 5, 2024May 3, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Almond cream:
215ml almond flour (125ml + 60ml + 30ml)
125ml sugar
2,5ml vanilla
2,5ml almond extract
15ml flour
1 egg
30ml milk

2 x rolls puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water/milk
100ml slivered almonds
45ml icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the almond flour, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, flour, egg and milk to a mixing bowl and mix together. Set aside.
Lightly flour a working surface and lay out one sheet of puff pastry.
Spread the almond cream onto the pastry in an even layer.
Lay the second sheet of pastry on top and lightly press down onto it.
Slice into 2cm wide strips.
Twist the strips and then twist it again and bring the ends together to form a circular shape.
Press the ends together and lay each pastry circle on the prepared baking sheet.
Brush the pastries with the egg wash and sprinkle over the almond slivers.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Dust the hot pastries by sieving over the icing sugar.
Set aside to cool slightly.

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Apple Cheesecake

April 27, 2024April 23, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

300g dry biscuits
100g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, room temperature
100g caster sugar
300g sour cream
10ml vanilla
3 eggs
1 x 385g tin unsweetened pie apple slices, drained
2,5ml ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 150℃ and spray a 17cm x 27cm (22cm round) baking tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
Break the biscuits into the bowl of a food processor and blitz to crumbs.
Drizzle in the butter while the engine is running – the mixture should resemble wet sand.
Spoon the mixture into the baking tin and evenly press into the base and up the sides.
Place in the refrigerator until needed.
Add the cream cheese, caster sugar, sour cream, vanilla and eggs to the bowl of your clean food processor.
Process until well combined and spoon into a mixing bowl.
Add the drained apple slices and fold the mixture through.
Bake the cheesecake for 45minutes. It should just be set and still be slightly wobbly in the centre.
Turn off your oven, open the oven door slightly and rest the cake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven, sprinkle over the ground cinnamon and cool to room temperature.
Now refrigerate the cheesecake overnight.

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Milktart Muffins

April 18, 2024April 16, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Filling:
250ml milk
30ml butter
1 egg
60ml sugar
30ml flour
30ml cornstarch
5ml vanilla

310ml flour
10ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
90ml sugar
5ml cinnamon
2,5ml salt
1 egg
45ml butter, melted
250ml cultured buttermilk
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling over

For the filling:
Add the milk and butter to a small saucepan set over a low heat. Allow to warm to the point where small bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan, but do not bring to a boil. Take from the heat and keep aside.
Add the egg and sugar to a bowl and whisk together.
Add the flour and cornstarch and whisk again.
Drizzle the warm milk mixture into this while whisking continuously.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, place it back on a low heat and simmer for 2 minutes while stirring.
Take from the heat, add the vanilla, stir through and set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.

Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, cinnamon and salt to a bowl and mix together.
Add the egg, melted butter and buttermilk to a jug and whisk until amalgamated.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix through.
Spoon a tablespoon of the batter into each of the paper cups.
Now spoon a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each muffin and end off with another tablespoon of the batter on top.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Take the hot muffins from the oven and immediately sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.
Allow to cool one a cooling rack.

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Pomegranate Scones

April 13, 2024April 12, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

280g cake flour
8ml baking powder
2,5ml salt
100g butter, ice cold
25g sugar
62ml cream
62ml yoghurt
1 egg
45ml pomegranate seeds
egg wash: 1 egg + 15ml water whisked together

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Grate the butter into the flour.
Now rub the butter into the flour with your fingers.
Add the sugar, cream, yoghurt, egg and pomegranate seeds to a mixing bowl and whisk together to blend.
Cut the mixture with a palette knife to mix together, i.e. cut straight down into the ingredients and turn the bowl. Keep on cutting and turning until the mixture comes together.
Lightly dust a work surface and turn the dough out onto it.
Push the dough together even if there are bits that look dry.
Shape the dough into a rectangle by rolling it out on the surface.
Now turn up a third of the length and then turn over a third of the top part.
Roll this out to a thickness of 3,5cm and then shape the dough into a circle with your hands.
Place the disc on the prepared baking sheet and cut it into 8 wedges.
Brush the top of the scones with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack for another 15 minutes before serving.

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Banana Muffins

December 28, 2023December 11, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

You may add 125ml of chocolate chips or the same amount of chopped nuts to these delicious, moist muffins.
Yields 12 muffins.

500ml flour
10ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
2.5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
200ml brown sugar
100ml greek yoghurt
125ml sunflower oil
5ml vanilla
250g/3 very ripe bananas
2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon into a mixing bowl.
Add the brown sugar and stir through. Set aside.
Add the yoghurt, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs to a jug and whisk together. Set aside.
Add the bananas to a bowl and mash them.
Add half of the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir through.
Now add half the banana and mix again.
Add the rest of the liquid and the rest of the banana and mix with a spatula.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cups and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

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PaneScone

December 20, 2023December 11, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

450g flour
2,5ml salt
10ml baking powder
150g butter, cubed
120g sugar
120g candied citrus peel
120g raisins
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
250ml milk

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the flour, salt and baking powder to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Add the cubed butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar, citrus peel and raisins and lightly mix through.
Add the grated zest of the orange and lemon and stir again.
Add small quantities of milk, stir and repeat until the mixture comes together as a dough.
Flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Flatten with your hands so that it is 5cm thick.
Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter or a glass and place the scone on the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart evenly.
Bring the dough together to a 5cm thickness again and cut out some more rounds.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the scones and cool on a cooling rack.
Dust with icing sugar to serve.

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Mini Cinnamon Swirls

September 24, 2023September 6, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500ml self-raising flour
30ml flour
30ml caster sugar
150g butter, cubed
125ml milk
1 egg
10ml vanilla
125ml brown sugar
5ml ground cinnamon
25g butter, cubed
20g butter, melted

Glaze:
375ml icing sugar, sifted
15ml boiling water

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 24-hole mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
Add the self-raising and regular flours, caster sugar and butter to a food processor and process to fine crumbs.
Tip the mixture into a mixing bowl.
Add the milk, egg and vanilla to a jug and whisk together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be very sticky. Set aside.
Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a bowl and stir to mix.
Add the 25g butter and rub it into the sugar with your fingers.
Flour a work surface and divide the dough in half.
Roll out to 35cm x 20cm rectangle.
Sprinkle half the sugar and butter mixture evenly over the surface and roll it into a long, tight log.
Trim the edges neatly and then cut the log in to 1,5cm slices.
Place each slice in a hole in the muffin tin.
Melt the 20g butter and brush it on to the swirls.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove and cool on a cooling rack.

For the glaze:
Add the icing sugar to a small bowl and pour in 15ml of boiling water.
Mix together and drizzle over the swirls.
Stand the cookies for 20 minutes to set, before serving.

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Ice Cream Loaf

September 18, 2023September 6, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

300g ice cream
225g self-raising flour
food colouring, 3 colours of your choice
250ml icing sugar, sifted
vermicelli sprinkles

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a 22cm x 12cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Scoop the ice cream into a mixing bowl and allow it to melt. (You may melt it in the microwave as long as you don’t allow it to become hot).
Beat with an electric whisk until it is really fluffy.
Sift the flour over the ice cream and fold it in until well combined.
Spoon the batter into a loaf tin and randomly drip some food colouring on to the batter.
Swirl the colouring through with the tip of a knife.
Bake the loaf for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add 30ml of boiling water.
Mix through and pour over the top of the loaf, allowing it to run down.
Sprinkle the vermicelli over and allow 20 minutes to set.
Slice and serve.