Year: 2019
Chocolate Queen Cupcakes
Chocolate Queen Cupcakes
Course: DessertIngredients
250 g butter
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp instant coffee mixed with 4 tbsp. warm water
3 tsp baking powder
4 heaped tbsp of cocoa powder
2 cups flour
- SWEET VANILLA CREAM
250 ml fresh cream
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp icing sugar
berries and mint leaves for decorating
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°. Grease 2 muffin trays with butter or use cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and beat until light and fluffy. Sift in all the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and coffee mixture and blend until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the muffin trays.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until done. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the sweet vanilla cream, whisk the cream till almost stiff, add the vanilla essence and icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Cut the cooled cakes in half and pipe the cream on the bottom half and top with the other half to join the cake.
- Pipe the cream on top of the cake and decorate with a slice of strawberry and a mint leaf. For extra effect, just before serving, dust with icing sugar.
Koesisters
Mom walked into our room, with warm tea on a tray and a bowl of warm sugary koesisters, greeting us all with her warm loving smile. Yes indeed, it was Sunday morning in the heart of beautiful Cape Town and all was well with the world.
Ingredients
4 & ½ cups of cake flour
1 tsp of baking powder
10 grams of instant yeast
1 tbsp of caster sugar
3 tbsp of melted butted
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of soft mashed potatoes
3 tsp of naartjie peel powder or zest
1 & ½ tbsp of freshly grated ginger
1 tsp of mix spice
2 tbsp of aniseed
2 tsp of fine cinnamon
½ a tsp of ground cardamom seeds
1 & ½ cups of lukewarm water
1 large egg
- SUGAR SYRUP
3 cups of sugar
3 cups of water
5 pieces of stick cinnamon
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until well combined. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, the dough will be quite sticky so do not be tempted to add any more flour, just use some oil on your hands when kneading. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and allow to rise for 90 minutes in a warm and dark area of your kitchen.
- Next, knock down the dough and using a little oil on your hands, shape little oblong shapes and deep fry in oil in a deep saucepan on a medium to high heat until brown on both sides. Remove from the oil. To make the syrup, in a large saucepan, boil the water, sugar and cinnamon sticks until bubbling.
- Dip the koeksisters into the warm sugar syrup and allow soaking for a minute. Using a slotted spoon place koeksisters in a bowl and sprinkle with desiccated coconut.
