treat – Page 32 – My Whisk and I

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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Chocolate Salami

December 2, 2022December 1, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250g dark chocolate, chopped
250g biscuits, something like ginger biscuits, finger biscuits, Marie biscuits or digestives
100g soft butter
150g caster sugar
3 eggs
30ml vanilla
30ml cocoa powder
75g almond nuts, chopped
75g pecan nuts, chopped
50g pistachio nuts, chopped
30ml icing sugar, sifted, to decorate
twine, to decorate

Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water and allow to melt until completely smooth. Set aside to cool.
Bash the biscuits in a plastic bag but keep it chunky.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together.
Gradually, and one by one, add the eggs – do not worry if it looks as though it has curdled at this stage.
Add the vanilla and mix until blended.
Sift the cocoa powder into the cooled chocolate and mix through.
Now add the chocolate to the egg mixture and mix through on low speed.
Take the bowl from the mixer and add the crushed biscuits and all of the nuts. Mix well.
Refrigerate the mixture (in the bowl is fine) for about 30 minutes.
Cover your working surface with plastic wrap.
Roll the mixture into a log shape with your hands until it resembles a fat salami, about 30cm long.
Cover the log with the plastic wrap and roll it, as if it were a rolling pin, to create a smooth cylinder.
Twist the ends and make a knot.
Refrigerate the log for at least 6 hours.
Take the salami out of the fridge and lay it on baking paper.
Rub some icing sugar over and tie with string to give it an authentic look.
Slice into discs 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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Melting Moments

November 21, 2022November 20, 2022by Karen Claassen1 Comment

250g butter, room temperature
60g caster sugar
2,5ml vanilla
260g flour
35g cornflour
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 160℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla, flour, cornflour and salt and mix until a very soft dough is formed.
Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle and pipe 3cm diameter rosettes onto the prepared baking sheet. Space them well apart as they do spread when baking.
Bake in the oven for 13 minutes.
Cool the biscuits on the tray and store in a glass container.
Yields about 25 biscuits but the recipe can easily be doubled.

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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.

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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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Soy Sauce Eggs

September 28, 2022September 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These marinated eggs are delicious as a healthy snack or added to any asian dish and theeeee perfect companion for a slurpy bowl of noodles!! Serve them as breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between..

190ml warm water
190ml soy sauce
25ml vinegar
80ml honey
6 eggs

Add the water, soy sauce, vinegar and honey to a jug and whisk together to blend the ingredients. Set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
Lower the eggs into the boiling water with a spoon and cook for 7 minutes, or to your liking.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice and keep on the side.
Transfer the eggs to the ice bowl after the 7 minutes. Once the eggs have cooled enough to handle it is really easy to peel them when kept under the cold water.
Place the peeled eggs in a container and pour the marinate over.
Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. The eggs must be submerged in the marinade – place a weight on top to keep them covered in the liquid.
Remove from the soy mixture, slice and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs to serve.

The eggs in these photographs were marinated for 24 hours – very dark colour and strong umami taste!!

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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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Udon Noodle Broth

September 26, 2022September 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g mushrooms, sliced
50g butter
750ml chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2,5ml ground ginger
20ml soy sauce
10ml sugar
20ml dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine if you can get hold of any)
2,5ml sesame oil
2 x 200g fresh udon noodles
a small handful of chives, chopped

Place a frying pan on medium-high heat. Wait for it to heat up and then add the butter and mushrooms.
Fry until golden. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add the stock, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, sherry and sesame oil to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat so that the broth can simmer.
Place a lid on the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the garlic and add the noodles to the broth.
Agitate the noodles with a fork so that they break up and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the fried mushroom and remove the saucepan from the heat.
Ladle the noodles and a good amount of broth into serving bowls and top with a sprinkling of chives.

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Chocolate Swirl Brownies

September 25, 2022September 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

150g butter, melted
250ml sugar
45ml espresso
2 eggs
5ml vanilla
80g dark chocolate, melted
190ml flour
60ml cocoa powder, sifted
2,5ml salt
80g dark chocolate, chopped

Cheesecake Swirl:
125g cream cheese, room temperature
80ml sugar
1 egg yolk
5ml vanilla

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
Add the melted butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the espresso, eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate and whisk to combine.
Now add the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
Fold the ingredients together until you have a smooth batter.
Add the chopped chocolate and fold through.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin and set aside.

For the cheesecake swirl:
Add the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Spoon dollops of the cheesecake batter across the surface of the brownie mixture.
Swirl the cheesecake mixture through the brownie batter with a small knife.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Cool the brownies in the baking tin before removing and slicing.