teatime treats – My Whisk and I

Blood Orange Cake

September 2, 2024September 2, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

I made this cake with blood oranges but it can be made with regular oranges as well. You will need 6 oranges in total.

3 blood oranges, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
15ml + 60g honey
75g butter, softened
1 blood orange, zested and juiced
3 eggs, separated
100g almond meal
90g polenta
200g ricotta cheese, drained
a pinch of salt
110g caster sugar
raw shelled pistachio nuts, to decorate
crème fraîche, for serving

Syrup:
150g caster sugar
2 blood oranges, juiced

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
Layer the blood orange slices on the bottom of the tin, in two layers.
Drizzle the 15ml honey over and set aside.
Add the butter, 60g honey and orange zest to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on high speed, until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Take the bowl from the mixer and fold in the almond flour, polenta, ricotta and orange juice. Set aside.
Add the egg white and salt to a clean bowl and beat until soft peaks form.
Gradually beat in the caster sugar until shiny.
Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.
Spoon the batter onto the orange slices in the prepared cake tin.
Smooth the top and bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

For the syrup:
Add the sugar and juice to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil and cook until you have a light syrup – about 10 minutes.

Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour the syrup over and allow to cool.
Invert the cake onto a serving plate and remove the baking paper.
Decorate with a scattering of pistachio nuts and serve with crème fraîche.

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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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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.

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Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

February 19, 2023February 17, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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Fig and Honey Tart

February 12, 2023February 11, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Pastry:
250g butter, cubed
170g icing sugar, sifted
500g cake flour
2 eggs, beaten together

Crème Pâtissière:
40g corn flour
500ml milk
4 egg yolks
100g sugar
5ml vanilla

100g pistacchio nuts, roughly chopped
about 16 medium figs
50ml honey

For the pastry:
Add the butter and sifted icing sugar to the bowl of a food processor.
Run the machine until the mixture is well combined and pasty.
Add the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Scrape down.
Drizzle a few drops of the egg into the bowl with the engine running. Add a few more drops at a time until the mixture comes together. (You may have egg left and that is okay – the less you need the crispier the pastry!)
Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap it with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 190℃.
You will use a 22cm loose-bottom flan tin but do not spray or butter the tin!
Roll the pastry to a 3mm thickness and line the bottom and sides of the tin.
Dock the pastry with a fork and bake blind for 15 minutes.
Remove the baking paper and weights/beans and set aside to cool.

For the Crème Pâtissière:
Add the corn flour to a mixing bowl. Pour a small amount of the milk into the owl and stir to make a slurry with the corn flour.
Add the egg yolks and half the sugar.
Whisk 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 in a very thin stream while whisking continuously.
Now pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place on a medium-low heat.
Stir until the mixture is thick and smooth. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and allow to cool completely.

Whisk the mixture by hand once it is at room temperature, until it is smooth.
Spoon it into a piping bag and pipe into the prepared pastry shell.
Scatter the chopped pistachio evenly over the surface.
Cut a cross into the top third of each fig and place the figs side-by-side on the pistachio.
Drizzle the honey over the figs before serving.

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Ginger Biscuit Cups

December 4, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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Condensed Milk Cake

November 27, 2022November 26, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

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.

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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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Almost Cinna-Buns

October 23, 2022October 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a cheat’s shortcut to cinnamon buns but in this case, made with puff pastry.

1 packet puff pastry
125ml cinnamon sugar
egg-wash: 1 egg yolk + 30ml water whisked together
250ml icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lay the puff pastry flat on a working surface and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over.
Cut the pastry into strips that are more or less 1,5cm X 12cm.
Roll each strip in its length and place each roll on the prepared baking sheet with the cut side up. (showing the spiral)
Brush the rolls with the egg wash and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the rolls and cool completely.
Mix the glaze by sifting the icing sugar and adding a few drops of hot water at a time. Be careful not to add too much water at a time as you are looking for a very thick consistency.
Now drizzle the glaze over the cooled pastries and set aside for about 30 minutes.
Keep the pastries in a sealed container.