UNSINKABLE BAKED LEMON CHEESECAKE
A favourite cheesecake, soft and creamy, that does not make waves in the baking, then collapse in the centre. The flat top, therefore, makes a perfect base for a spread of whipped cream and a sprinkling of lightly candied lemon peel and ginger. For a lighter option, the cream can be omitted – simply sprinkle the cheesecake with ground cinnamon before baking.
CRUST
250 ml (1 cup) biscuit crumbs
60 ml (¼ cup) melted butter
FILLING
2 large free-range eggs
125 ml (½ cup) castor sugar
2 ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence
7 ml (1½ tsp) very finely grated lemon rind (that’s 1 whole, thick-skinned lemon, well-washed and carefully grated to exclude any white pith)
30 ml (2 Tbsp) cornflour
2 x 250 g tubs smooth, low-fat cottage cheese, drained of any liquid
150 ml (3/5 cup) thick cream
Mix the ingredients for the crust and press firmly onto the greased base (not the sides) of a 20 cm pie dish – use the back of a spoon to spread evenly. Bake at 160 °C for 10 minutes. Cool.
To make the filling, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and light, then add the vanilla, lemon rind, cornflour, cheese and cream. Whisk well until everything’s combined, then pour onto the crust. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven at 180 °C for 20 minutes, then switch off the heat but don’t open the door – just leave it there for 15 minutes more before removing it to cool – it will still be a bit wobbly. Once cooled, refrigerate until firm enough to slice. Makes 8 wedges.
Candied lemon peel and ginger
Place in a small saucepan: 125 ml (½ cup) water; thinly julienned peel (or zest) of 1 medium lemon; peeled and very thinly sliced (about 10 ml (2 tsp)) fresh root ginger (about 1 small knob). Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until softened, then add 15 ml (1 Tbsp) light brown sugar. Increase the heat and boil, uncovered, until lightly caramelized, shaking the pan regularly. Remove from the stove when just starting to catch; carefully add 30 ml (2 Tbsp) water and leave to cool and soften further before sprinkling over the top of the cooled cheesecake.
FROZEN MAPLE, HONEY AND PECAN CREAMS
Amazing ingredients go into these sweet, luscious little igloos, which are just perfect with poached mangoes*, served hot with the melting, mapley cream. Using paper cases makes good sense. Frozen in this way, they can be turned out quickly onto little plates – or even quaint saucers; this method also stretches the recipe, which is a good idea as it is so rich – you can’t treat it like ordinary ice cream. When napped (or flanked) with a spoon of warm fruit (use pears when mangoes are out of season) they also look elegant, and taste superb.
60 ml (4 Tbsp) fat-free milk powder
60 ml (¼ cup) maple syrup (pure if you can find it, otherwise use the maple-flavoured one)
30 ml (2 Tbsp) pale, runny honey (e.g. veldflower or fynbos)
175 ml (2/3 cup) plain Bulgarian yoghurt (thick, not drinking yoghurt)
250 ml (1 cup) cream, fairly softly whipped
60–90 ml (4–6 Tbsp) chopped pecan nuts
a few drops of vanilla essence
1 XL egg white, stiffly whisked with a pinch of salt
Put the milk powder into a freezer-friendly mixing bowl – a large, bombe-shaped one is perfect. Pour in the maple syrup and honey and beat (using an electric whisk) until the milk powder has completely dissolved; scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary. (If the bowl is free-standing, hold it tightly while whisking – the mixture is so stiff that it easily sets the bowl spinning – one minute it’s on the counter, the next it’s on the floor.) Stir in the yoghurt, then give it all a quick whisk to combine, and place in the freezer until just firm, not solid. Remove from the freezer and beat again and, when smooth, fold in the cream, nuts and vanilla. Stir a dollop of the stiff egg white through, then fold in the remainder. Place 10 large paper cases in the hollows of a muffin pan, spoon the mixture into the cases, dividing equally, and freeze. Cover loosely, and they will hold their flavour for several days. Makes 10.
* Poach the fruit lightly – don’t let it get mushy. Just chop up one or two ripe mangoes chunkily, and heat through in the minimum of water with the minimum of sugar, for about 3 minutes. Pears will take a little longer.
STRAWBERRY AND MINT SOFT-SERVES
This is quickly whizzed in a blender to a pink, thick creaminess, like a soft-serve, but instead of coming in a cone (as one would expect in a Coffee Shop), the mixture is spooned into parfait or wine glasses or goblets, and refrigerated until just firm enough to be scooped up with small spoons. The minimum quantity of gelatine is used to achieve the softly set texture, while the elusive fragrance of fresh mint (just a snitch is necessary) comes through now and then to offset the richness. This dessert is a real quick ’n easy, and offers a slightly new take on the popular combo of strawberries and cream.
500 g ripe, bright red strawberries
10 ml (2 tsp) gelatine
30 ml (2 Tbsp) water
250 ml (1 cup) cream
180 ml (¾ cup) sifted icing sugar
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
1 x 250 g tub smooth, low-fat cottage cheese
10 ml (2 tsp) finely shredded fresh mint leaves
Rinse and hull the berries, pat absolutely dry, then chop into small pieces. For a velvety soft-serve, whizz all the berries in a blender until smooth; for a slightly chunkier texture, reserve one-quarter of the chopped berries, and fold these in later, along with the mint. Sprinkle the gelatine onto the water in a small container, then dissolve over simmering water – do not overheat. Add to the purée and pulse briefly to mix. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla essence until stiff, then gently stir in the cottage cheese until it’s all nice and smooth. Add the purée and the mint, then fold in the reserved chopped berries, if using this option. Keep folding over gently until combined but not uniformly pink – a slightly marbled effect is attractive. Pour, or spoon, into 6–8 glasses or goblets and place in the coldest part of the refrigerator to firm up – a few hours, or even overnight, loosely covered. Decoration is optional – although mint leaves have become boring and dated, a tiny sprig would actually be appropriate, otherwise a small strawberry, if you have any left, otherwise leave plain. Serves 6–8.
FRUITY CUPCAKES
These look like brown muffins, but they’re not. Based on a carrot cake mixture, they’re dense with fruit and spices and, topped with butter icing*, they make perfect, single-serving little cakes.
2 large free-range eggs
125 ml (½ cup) light brown sugar
125 ml (½ cup) oil
250 ml (1 cup) flour – cake, plain white or brown
2 ml (½ tsp) bicarbonate of soda
5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder
a tiny pinch of sea salt
2 ml (½ tsp) ground cinnamon
1 ml (¼ tsp) ground mixed spice
125 ml (½ cup) fruit cake mix
60 ml (4 Tbsp) finely chopped, pitted dates
2 medium or 1 jumbo carrot, coarsely grated (125 g)
60 ml (4 Tbsp) chopped walnuts
2 ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence
white butter icing and walnut halves for topping
Whisk the eggs and sugar. Add the oil and whisk very well until the mixture becomes creamy and a pale butterscotch in colour. Sift the dry ingredients – you can sift them straight into the creamed mixture (if using brown flour, add any bran left in the sieve). Combine well, then stir in the fruit mix, dates, carrot, nuts and essence. Have the muffin tin ready and waiting – you’ll need a large one, to take 10 paper cups (the big cups with a base diameter of 4 cm) – one cup in each hollow. Fill each cup to two-thirds full. Bake at 160 ºC for 30–35 minutes until richly browned and well risen; test with a skewer, it should come out clean when they’re done. (Note that these cakes do not peak, but have smooth, rounded tops.) Leave to cool in the pan before lifting out in their paper cases. Top each with a smal
l blob of icing, smooth over with a damp spatula (don’t be too concerned about wavy edges, they must look homespun) and lightly press in the halved nuts. Makes 10.
* If preferred, you could forget the icing, and simply top each with a nut before baking. Also good, and less sweet.
LIGHT CHOC-NUT ORANGE CAKE WITH DARK FUDGY ICING
An easy, beat-‘n-bake cake that looks gorgeous blanketed with velvety chocolate icing.
450 ml (14/5 cups) cake flour
60 ml (4 Tbsp) cocoa powder
15 ml (1 Tbsp) baking powder
a pinch of sea salt
300 ml (11/5 cups) castor sugar
150 ml (3/5 cup) oil
finely grated rind of 1 large orange
3 XL free-range eggs (unbeaten and at room temperature)
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
60 ml (¼ cup) milk
60 ml (¼ cup) water
100 g walnuts, chopped, except for a few halves for decoration
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the oil, orange rind, eggs, vanilla, milk and water, one ingredient at a time, in the order listed. Using an electric whisk, whisk on high speed until smooth – maximum 1½ minutes. Quickly but gently fold in the walnuts, and turn the mixture into a 22 cm cake tin, base and sides oiled and lined with baking paper. Spread evenly and tap once on the table top, before baking on the middle shelf of the oven at 180 °C. (If using a springform tin, place a baking tray on the lower rack in case of drips.) Bake for 50 minutes. Test with a skewer and, if done, stand for several minutes before turning out to cool. When cold, place the cake upside down on a large cake plate and brush the flat base (which is now the top) with a little melted smooth apricot jam and ice (see below).
Dark chocolate icing
In a heavy-based saucepan, over low heat, melt 150 g dark chocolate, broken up, with 15 ml (1 Tbsp) butter and 60 ml (¼ cup) water. When just smooth, switch off the stove plate and add presifted icing sugar, 50 ml (1/5 cup) at a time, stirring until it disappears before continuing. You will need about 250 ml (1 cup) in total. As soon as the mixture becomes thick but is still pourable, drizzle it evenly over the cold cake, allowing it to run down the sides – work quickly, as it firms up rapidly and you want to achieve a smooth, glossy finish. Gently press in a few walnuts here and there, and leave for several hours to set. Makes 10 large wedges.
FLOP-PROOF SCONES
Scones need to be enjoyed when freshly baked, and these are last-minute life-savers – especially if you’re running a Coffee Shop – because all it takes is a quick sift, whisk, pat and bake (no butter to rub in, no aerating, no fuss) to produce a billow of fat scones to pile with jam and thick cream. With this in mind, oil is used instead of butter. The wholesome, fruity version is another easy option.
Plain golden scones
500 ml (2 cups) cake flour
20 ml (4 tsp) baking powder
1 ml (¼ tsp) sea salt
30 ml (2 Tbsp) castor sugar
1 large free-range egg
60 ml (¼ cup) each oil, milk and water
5 ml (1 tsp) fresh lemon juice
beaten egg or milk to glaze
Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add to the sifted mixture and mix lightly, using a firm spatula and then, using your hands, quickly shape into a soft ball – flouring your hands if necessary. Pat out into a 2 cm thick circle or rectangle on a lightly floured board; don’t be heavy-handed, but the dough needs to be given a quick knead and smoothing out to remove any surface cracks. Cut out, using either a 6 cm round cutter, flouring it after every second scone, or cut into squares with a floured knife. Gather up any off-cuts and pat out smoothly again to give you 8 scones in total. Place fairly close together, but not quite touching, on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Brush tops with egg or milk, and bake near the top of the oven at 220 °C for 15 minutes until well-risen and golden. Remove to a rack to cool down before serving. Scones should be carefully broken in half, not cut, before spreading. Makes 8.
Chunky brown scones
250 ml (1 cup) white bread flour
20 ml (4 tsp) baking powder
1 ml (¼ tsp) salt
15 ml (1 Tbsp) castor sugar
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
250 ml (1 cup) wholewheat flour
125 ml (½ cup) fruit cake mix
30 ml (2 Tbsp) sunflower seeds
1 large free-range egg
60 ml (¼ cup) each oil, milk and water
5 ml (1 tsp) fresh lemon juice
beaten egg or milk to glaze
Sift the white flour, baking powder, salt, castor sugar and cinnamon, then mix in the wholewheat flour, fruit and seeds. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and add to the flour mixture, then complete as in the previous recipe, but extend the baking time to 18 minutes. Makes 8.
BUTTERMILK MUFFINS WITH CHEESE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
Bake, break and serve warm with butter and an eggy dish, or with soup, or for elevenses with coffee instead of something sweet.
500 ml (2 cups) bran-rich self-raising flour (or use white self-raising, or half and half)
2 ml (½ tsp) mustard powder
2 ml (½ tsp) salt
10 ml (2 tsp) castor sugar
2 pickling onions, coarsely grated
2 ml (½ tsp) dried mixed herbs
90 ml (6 Tbsp) finely snipped sun-dried tomatoes (first drained on kitchen paper if in oil)
60 g cheddar cheese, grated
60 ml (4 Tbsp) finely chopped parsley
1 XL free-range egg
250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
60 ml (¼ cup) oil
about 50 g extra cheddar cheese, and paprika for topping
Sift the flour, mustard powder, salt and castor sugar into a mixing bowl, adding any bran left in the sieve. Mix in the onions, dried herbs, tomatoes, cheese and parsley. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk and oil. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Stir quickly and lightly until the ingredients are just combined – do not try to smooth the batter, it should be lumpy. Spoon into 10 large, lightly oiled hollows in a muffin pan (not paper cups), dividing equally. Top generously with extra grated cheese, dust with paprika and bake immediately at 200 °C for 25 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Place on a rack to cool down briefly before gently removing the muffins. Makes 10.
NUTTY BROWN BANANA MUFFINS WITH HONEY BUTTER
Served freshly baked, broken in half and spread with a dab of the special butter, these moreish muffins are at their delicious best – but then they’re also good enough to enjoy just as they are.
500 ml (2 cups) cake flour
a pinch of sea salt
5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder
5 ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
5 ml (1 tsp) ground mixed spice
125 ml (½ cup) castor sugar
50 g walnuts, chopped
3 jumbo or 4 medium ripe bananas
80 ml (1/3 cup) melted butter (60 g before melting)
125 ml (½ cup) milk
1 XL free-range egg
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarb and spice into a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and the walnuts. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and mix in the melted butter. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and then whisk into the bananas. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix quickly to a loose batter; do not smooth it out – just fold over until no trace of flour remains. Pour, or spoon, into 12 large, lightly oiled muffin pan cups – they should be two-thirds full. Bake at 180 °C for 25 minutes, or until firm and richly browned. Leave to stand for a few minutes before easing out, and placing on a rack to cool. If desired, serve with the honey butter (see below). Makes 12 large muffins.
Honey butter
If using, whip 60 g soft butter until creamy, then add 30–45 ml (2–3 Tbsp) honey (fynbos or veldflower are both good) and whisk until combined.
GOOSEBERRY MUFFINS
Basic, soft muffins made special with the addition of golden Cape gooseberries. These are available in cans, which means you don’t have to have a bush and can make them all year round. Affirm the gooseberry flavour by serving these muffins with a pot of gooseberry jam, and a fluff of whipped cream.
500 ml (2 cups) cake flour
15 ml (1 Tbsp) baking powder
1 ml (¼ tsp) sea salt
60 ml (4 Tbsp) castor sugar
1 x 410 g can golden Cape gooseberries, very well drained and gently patted dry
60 ml (¼ cup) oil
1 large free-range egg
125 ml (½ cup) milk
125 ml (½ cup) water
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
ground cinnamon for topping
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and castor sugar. Gently mix in the berries, just until coated with flour – be careful not to mash them. Whisk together the oil, egg, milk, water and vanilla essence, and pour into a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Mix together lightly, then spoon into 10 oiled muffin cups (not paper cases), filling them two-thirds full. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 200 °C for 20–22 minutes until risen and a pale, golden brown. Some of the gooseberries might pop out of the tops. Just pop them back, and leave to stand a few minutes before removing to a rack to cool. Makes 10 fairly large muffins.
SMOOTHIES
Anyone with a blender and a few pieces of fruit can make a smoothie. Smoothies can be anything from a healthy, pure-fruit slurp, to a lush sort of milkshake, to a whole breakfast in a glass. The following are simple variations on the basic theme; salubrious and low fat, they are too thick to drink, and should be eaten slowly, with a small spoon.
Fig Jam and Foxtrot Page 19