Tag Archives: Natura Sugars

Carrot Cake

This week, we had a ray of light, among all the alarming news, celebrating a special colleague and friend’s baby-shower. She requested a carrot cake and this finally forced me to attempt making one! I’m not a fan of nuts, especially pecan nuts, so this was really made with so much selfless love 🙂

Happy to report that this is lovely moist cake, easy enough to whip up, no fancy equipment needed and you can make it in advance, can I get a whoop-whoop!

Ingredients:

  • 260g chopped toasted pecans (keep half for decorating)
  • 300g brown sugar (I used the Natura Sugars Light Demerera sugar)
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 240ml oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup crushed pineapple (drain most of the sauce)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
  • 312g flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp’s ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups carrots, grated

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 177°C. Prepare either two or three round cake pans, by greasing them then lining with baking paper, finally greasing the baking paper too.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the sugars, oil, eggs, crushed pineapple and vanilla together in a large bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined. Finally fold in the carrots and half of the pecans.
  3. Pour the batter into the cake pans evenly and if utilising three cake pans then bake for 20-24 minutes and if using two pans, bake for 30-35 minutes. Test the cake by inserting a skewer, if it does not come out clean, continue to bake until it does and be sure not to over bake the cake. Do not over-bake. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans before transferring to a cooling rack.
  4. Assemble the cake by layering with cream cheese frosting. You can find my legit, no short cut cream cheese frosting recipe here 🙂 Top the cake with the leftover toasted pecans. To keep the cake nice and firm, pop it into the fridge for about 30mins before cutting and serving. Enjoy 🙂

Chocolate Fondant

Just in time for the weekend, ready to impress your guests or just your tummy! Because you deserve it, you made it through January and February! 🙂 How manic have these first two months been? With all that’s happening in the world and the jam-packed kick start to the year, we need a moment. This Chocolate Fondant recipe is quick and easy and oh-so-lusciously-delicious!

If you do whip them up, please do send or tag me in the pics and let me know what you think?

Ingredients:

  • 125g butter (have some extra for greasing)
  • 1 Tblsp cocoa powder (have some extra for dusting)
  • 125g good quality chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 60g caster sugar (Natura Sugars golden caster sugar is great!)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 100g flour, sifted

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare your ramekins (or ovenprood moulds if you want to pop them out when plating) by greasing them with the extra butter and lightly dust them with the additional cocoa powder.
  • Melt the butter and chocolate in a bain marie or create your own bain marie by placing them in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (make sure the base does not touch the simmering water).
  • Using an electric whisk, beat the sugar, eggs and egg yolks until they’re pale and fluffy.
  • Pour the melted butter/chocolate mixture over the egg mix and gently fold in the sifted flour and cocoa, using a metal spoon.
  • Place the ramekins/moulds on a baking tray. Fill the prepared ramekins with the batter and bake in the preheated oven for roughly 8 minutes.
  • Once removed from the oven, they are ready to devour! The centre should be soft with a silky chocolate sauce. Serve with a scoop of your favourite ice cream, whipped cream or creme fraiche and a dusting of cocoa powder. Yum!

Gingerbread Muffins

Oh my goodness it’s festive season! Aside from Ramadaan, this is my absolute favourite time of year, of course because you get to switch off and have pure, quality time with the loved ones, chucking routine aside. Yaaaassss!

This is totally the time of year where indulgence is on the incline and quick and easy ticks absolutely every box. On that note, I introduce to you, the Gingerbread Muffins. So easy to make and such a delicious snack, perfect for breakfast, brunch or just a tea-time treat. Don’t worry, it’s a subtle and warm ginger flavour, much like gingerbread cookies and totally controllable to your preference.

Aaaand here they are…

Ingredients:

Gingerbread Muffins

  • 115g unsalted butter
  • 234g dark muscovado (Natura Sugar)
  • 375g flour
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp bicarb
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon (ground)
  • 1 and 1/4 tsp ginger (ground)
  • 100g brown sugar (Natura Sugar)
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 120g plain yoghurt
  • 120ml milk

Vanilla Glaze

  • 120g icing sugar (Natura Sugar)
  • 1 Tblspn fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
  • 1 Tblspn (15ml) milk

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 218°C and line a muffin tray with muffin liners.
  2. Either in a saucepan or in a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and muscovado sugar together for about 1 minute. Stir until thoroughly mixed together. Set aside to slightly cool as you prepare the dry ingredients.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, bicarb, salt, cinnamon and ginger together.
  4. Into the muscovado/butter mixture, whisk the brown sugar, egg, yoghurt and milk until all wet ingredients are combined. Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined, be careful not to over-mix.
  5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling all the way to the top of the muffin liners. Optional: Sprinkle some extra sugar on the tops for a delicious crunch
  6. Bake at 218°C for 5 minutes, then immediately reduce the oven temperature to 177°C and continue to bake for 15-16 minutes until the tops are cracked and centers are set. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in pan before glazing and devouring.
  7. Prepare the vanilla glaze by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Depending on your preference, add more icing sugar to thicken or more milk to thin out. Drizzle on top of warm muffins and the glaze will set as the muffins cool.
  8. ENJOY!!

Banana Choc and Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Yesterday I celebrated a milestone birthday and this was definitely the first of I can only imagine many, if not every birthday, where I felt like I really am getting old…er. It was an amazing birthday surrounded by loved ones who truly made me feel incredibly special and hey, we all want that feeling on our birthday’s right?!

During my recent trip to Dubai, I raided a Waitrose store, bought a bunch of chocolate chips and other items we can’t find in SA. One of these items was the Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips – yip can’t find them anywhere over here – if someone has a contact please do let me know!

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Brulee Cheesecake

For my daughters birthday, I was looking for quick and easy things to make because my time was going to be spent making her perfect birthday cake. I wanted something that was no fuss to dish/eat and to be really honest I was looking for an excuse to use my blow torch that I’ve had for years but just never got around to buying gas or figuring out how to use it.

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Salted Caramel Brownies & Toasted Meringue

My obsession with salted caramel continues…these delicious gooey brownies topped with toasted meringue has the best salted caramel surprise and is just a magical flavour combination.

If you want to make them in advance, bake the brownies and keep them airtight sealed and also make the caramel and store it in a jar in the fridge, keeping both ready until you’re ready to serve them (should preferably be within three days). Just top and toast the meringue when you’re ready to serve them and they’ll be absolutely perfect.

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Pastéis de Nata

Can you resist a warm pastry? Neither can I… What about if it was filled with a smooth, vanilla-infused custard…I know! Impossible to resist. Well, his is the decadence that is the Portuguese Custard Pastry, the incredibly dreamy Pastéis de Nata!

I thought it would be intimidatingly difficult to create but nope, not when you have ready-made puff pastry and this is so easily available these days, introducing Woolworths and our wonderful smaller businesses like Farmstyle Pastry.

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Baked Chocolate Cheesecake

One of my absolute fave local baking blogs is The Kate Tin – Katelyn’s recipes are amazing, her pictures and food photography is basically next to none and I mean just scroll through any of her channels and you’ll be drowning in drool.

For a while now, I’ve been looking for a go-to baked chocolate cheesecake recipe and when I attempted hers, I was SOLD!

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Choc-Chip and Marshmallow Cookies

I think I’ve made cookies every weekend for the past month and I have a number of excuses lined up but the truth is, I’ve been constantly craving a good cookie. Is it just me, or is it incredibly tough to find a delicious choc-chip cookie in Cape Town?!

If you think so too, I may soon be answering your prayers as I’m planning to start selling some of my baked goods, which includes cookies (the most delicious recipes I’ve conjured).

For now, here is the recipe for the choc chip and marshmallow cookie I whipped up today. This is the sort of cookie recipe you could throw anything into really, I just happened to have some marshmallows in the cupboard, staring at me… 🙂

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