SWEETS

summery temptations, wintery puddings & teatime treats.

baie lekker

BASIL & BERRY GELATO.

I like to think of this as summer in a bowl. The icy-silky-creamy texture of the (almost instant) gelato with the flecks of vibrant aniseedy basil is beautiful.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

WHAT TO DO

  1. Blend the ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker and eat immediately.
  2. If you prefer a thicker consistency, chill in an airtight container in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes

cherry-chocolate

SMOOTHIES.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 2 × 425 g cans stoned cherries in syrup (or 2 cups frozen berries)
  • 150 ml cream or full-fat milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

WHAT TO DO

  1. An hour before serving, remove the lids of the cherry cans with a can opener and place the cans in the freezer to chill.
  2. Just before serving, heat the cream or milk and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until almost boiling.
  3. Place the chocolate chunks in a heatproof bowl and pour over the cream mixture. Leave to stand for 1 minute, and then gently stir with a spatula until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has a silky consistency.
  4. Divide the chilled cherries between four bowls or glasses, sprinkle over the lemon zest and pour over the hot chocolate. Serve immediately.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes | COOKING TIME 5 minutes

roasted brandied

CLEMENGOLDS.

Clemengolds are a seedless variety of clementines. They are like little golden balls of pure sweet sunshine. This pudding is super simple, but really has punch. The kick of the brandy (or Pimm’s for a poshed-up version), the syrupy sweetness of the clemengolds and the suave smoothness of the vanilla ice cream make for a pretty special dessert. It’s not essential to grill the clemengolds on the braai first, but the charred caramelisation that it introduces adds a massive amount of flavour.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 4 clemengolds, halved with peel intact (or clementines, naartjies or oranges)
  • 2 Tbsp brandy or Pimm’s
  • 8 tsp muscovado sugar
  • 4 scoops vanilla ice cream or cream, for serving

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat a braai grill to medium-high and switch on the oven’s grill.
  2. Place each clemengold half cut-side down on the braai grill for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until just charred. Remove and using a sharp paring knife, slice around the inside of each clemengold peel to loosen the segments before you cook them. This will make them easier to remove, which means you’ll be able to eat them faster. Believe me, they’re so delicious, things could get messy.
  3. Place in an ovenproof baking dish, cut-side facing up. Sprinkle each half with a little brandy or Pimm’s and 1 tsp muscovado sugar. Grill in the oven for 5 minutes or until the sugar has melted and the clemengolds are just starting to bubble.
  4. Serve with vanilla ice cream or chantilly cream and drizzled with the leftover syrupy sauce.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes | COOKING TIME 6 minutes

FIG CRUMBLE.

Blog post, February 2012: ‘Figs! Whenever they come into season here in South Africa, they keep me awake at night. Fig crumble, honey roast chicken with figs and a Gorgonzola and pecan nut salad, poached figs in a spicy red wine reduction with clotted cream … See what I mean? I am relentlessly hounded by fig fantasies. And so it was with much delight that I received a little parcel of farm-fresh beauties last weekend from Rob’s chic and cheffy Aunty Sue in Stellenbosch, and couldn’t wait to put them to work. And now I am happy to share with you a humble little fig crumble that will leave you giddy.’ Serve with double cream, custard, mascarpone or ice cream.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 8 fresh figs, quartered, or 2 × 400 g cans, drained
  • 3 Tbsp slivered almonds or chopped pecan nuts (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 100 g cold butter, roughly chopped
  • 1⁄2 cup brown or castor sugar
  • 1⁄2 cup cake flour
  • 6 Tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 2 lavender flower heads, petals only (optional)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Lightly grease 4 ramekins or 1 medium-sized baking dish with butter.
  2. Divide the figs between the ramekins or place them all in the baking dish. Top with the nuts (if using) and honey.
  3. In a food processor or mixing bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until the butter is just incorporated and you have a rough crumbly texture. Spoon this crumble over the figs.
  4. Bake for about 15 minutes until the topping is golden and the fig juices are bubbling.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 15 minutes

NOTE: You can refrigerate the assembled fig crumble for up to 1 day in advance. Simply bake just before serving.

GLÜHWEIN NECTARINES.

Fruit poached in spiced wine is just that – yet it’s so much more. It’s some kind of miracle the way the juices ooze out so willingly and complement the sugared syrup of the wine and the piquancy of the spices. It’s sheer poetry. It’s also one of my favourite default desserts. You can poach figs, berries, pears, apples – the list is almost endless – and it’s the epitome of low maintenance. Here, nectarines take centre stage for an enchanting little post-dinner treat. Their glühwein-type spices make them very Christmassy, but that does not exclude them from our dinner table all year round.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 1⁄2 cup rosé wine (red or white will also do)
  • 1⁄2 cup water
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • 3–4 cardamom pods, ‘bruised’ to split them open
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2–3 Tbsp sugar
  • zest and juice of 1⁄2 orange or clementine
  • 4 ripe nectarines
  • 6 scoops vanilla ice cream, for serving

WHAT TO DO

  1. Place all the ingredients except the nectarines and ice cream in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low-medium.
  2. Meanwhile, cut around the circumference of each nectarine and pull apart into two halves. Remove the stone and slice each half into thirds.
  3. Add the nectarines to the wine syrup and leave to simmer for 10–15 minutes, tasting the syrup intermittently to check the sweetness is to your taste. Add more sugar if not.
  4. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with the leftover syrup.

SERVES 6 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 20 minutes

NOTES: This can be made up to 1 day in advance, stored in an airtight container in the fridge and then gently reheated before serving with ice cream or dollops of mascarpone that has been loosened with a little milk and flavoured with a drizzle of vanilla. It also works well with figs, apples, peaches and pears, as well as frozen berries direct from the freezer. I usually peel apples and pears before poaching, but not nectarines, peaches and figs.

LEMON SPONGE PUDDING.

I love lemony puds. And this is positively enchanting, not just because of the added fabulosity of the coconut or because it takes an I-kid-you-not total of 3 minutes to go from gooey mixture to pudding perfection, but also because the lemony-limey syrup makes it sing. It’s a perfect default dessert, exquisite in its simplicity. Play around with different flavours. The base is really just a simple sponge cake. Not overly polished or serious, just sublimely summery.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 100 g butter, softened or at room temperature
  • 100 g light brown or castor sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 100 g self-raising flour
  • zest and juice of 1 large or 2 medium lemons
  • 2 Tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 3–4 Tbsp readymade lemon curd (optional)

Lemon–lime syrup

  • 2 Tbsp light brown or castor sugar
  • juice of 1 lime
  • juice of 1⁄2 large lemon

WHAT TO DO

  1. To make the syrup, gently simmer the ingredients in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes until smooth, preferably with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix until combined. Sift in the flour, add the lemon zest, juice, coconut and lemon curd and gently fold to combine. Do not over mix.
  3. Spoon into 4 individual ramekins or 1 medium-sized heatproof dessert bowl and microwave on high for 21⁄2–3 minutes.
  4. Drizzle over the lemony-limey syrup and serve with vanilla ice cream, double cream or mascarpone.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes | BAKING TIME 3 minutes

CHAI-SPICED WHITE CHOCOLATE TART

with hazelnuts.

Of all the puds in this book, I think this one has the most X-factor. It oozes je ne sais quoi, thanks to the transporting aromas and flavours of the spices, the lightness of the white chocolate filling, and the crunch of the toasted hazelnuts. It’s a pretty special little number.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Pastry

  • 125 g cake flour
  • 65 g cold butter
  • 2 Tbsp castor sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1–2 Tbsp cold water

Filling

  • 200 g white chocolate, roughly chopped, plus extra for serving
  • 5 Tbsp cream
  • 100 ml milk
  • 2 cardamom pods, ‘bruised’ to split them open
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 4 whole cloves
  • pinch of salt
  • 1⁄3 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1⁄4 cup roughly chopped hazelnuts

WHAT TO DO

  1. To make the pastry, combine the flour, butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cold water as needed, to loosen the mixture if it is too dry, and continue mixing until everything comes together in a rough ball of dough. Note, you can easily mix the dough by hand too.
  2. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes. Lightly grease a shallow 20 cm tart tin and set aside.
  3. For the filling, place the chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl. Bring the cream, milk, spices and vanilla paste or extract to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan and then pour through a sieve over the chocolate. Gently stir until all the chocolate has melted.
  4. Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 0.5 cm thick and use to line the tart tin. Prick the surface a few times with a fork and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill (to avoid blind baking).
  5. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and place a baking tray on the middle shelf. (The extra heat from the baking tray will help to cook the bottom of the pastry shell.)
  6. Lightly whisk the egg and extra egg yolk in a separate bowl and add to the chocolate mixture. Pour this into the frozen tart shell, scatter over the hazelnuts and bake on the baking tray for 15 minutes. Then turn down the oven to 130 °C and bake for a further 20–25 minutes or until the tart is light golden and set.
  7. Serve with shavings of white chocolate on top.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes | BAKING TIME 35–40 minutes

ICE CREAM.

Ice cream is a universal language that always translates to ‘yes please’ and ‘oh, ok’. Who am I to mess with the status quo? And so, to go with the flow, here are three of my very favourite frozen treats that take centre stage at our dinner table all too often. They’re all based on the same (astonishingly simple) formula, so once you get the hang of it, get stuck into experimenting with your own flavour combinations.

SPICED FIG

ice cream.

Figs poached in red wine and spices, and then mixed into a light and fluffy ice cream. The result? Pretty poetry on a plate.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 2⁄3 cup red wine
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 4 cardamom pods, ‘bruised’ to split them open
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp castor sugar
  • 4–5 ripe figs, halved
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1⁄2 cup icing sugar
  • juice of 1⁄2 lime

WHAT TO DO

  1. Bring the red wine, spices, vanilla extract and castor sugar to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the figs and leave to cook for 15–20 minutes until the wine reduces and takes on a syrupy texture.
  2. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a jug to remove the figs and spices. Pick out the figs and mash them with a fork or blitz in a blender.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream until fluffy peaks form, sift in the icing sugar and gently fold to combine. Next, fold in the lime juice, half the fig purée and half the red wine reduction.
  4. Pour into a freezer-friendly container and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours.
  5. When ready to serve, reheat the remaining fig purée and red wine reduction together and spoon over the ice cream.

SERVES 6–8 | PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes | FREEZING TIME 3 hours

NOTE: Instead of figs, you can use any stone fruit, such as nectarines or plums, or even peeled and cored pears.

LIME CURD

ice-cream sandwiches.

These are cute-as-a-button and terrifyingly irresistible. Gloriously sharp and satiny lime curd ice cream (which tastes like cheesecake ice cream but better, according to my friend Lucy – can you tell why we’re friends?) sandwiched between golden, crunchy heart-shaped lavender shortbread cookies is just magical.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

WHAT TO DO

  1. Whip the cream until thick and stiff peaks form. Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in the lime curd, zest and juice. Do not over mix. Check the flavour; if too tart, add a little more icing sugar.
  2. Pour into an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
  3. Serve scoops sandwiched between the shortbread cookies.

SERVES 4–6 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | FREEZING TIME 3 hours

HONEY & TOASTED PECAN NUT

ice cream.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • large handful pecan nuts
  • 1 cup cream
  • 3⁄4 cup icing sugar
  • 3 Tbsp runny honey
  • pecan nut brittle, for serving (see page 173)

WHAT TO DO

  1. Toast the pecan nuts in a small frying pan over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool before roughly chopping.
  2. Whip the cream until thick and stiff peaks form. Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in the honey and toasted pecan nuts. Do not over mix.
  3. Pour into an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
  4. Serve with some homemade pecan nut brittle broken over the top.

SERVES 4–6 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | FREEZING TIME 3 hours

BOURBON BANANAS.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tsp bourbon (or brandy)
  • 2 tsp Demerara or light brown sugar
  • handful walnuts or pecan nuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup double cream

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven’s grill.
  2. Either divide the banana slices between 2 individual ramekins or layer them all in one ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the bourbon, sugar and nuts. (For a non-alcoholic version, substitute with 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice and a drizzle of honey.) Bake for 5–10 minutes on the middle shelf under the grill until the sugar caramelises.
  3. Mix the vanilla extract into the cream and spoon on top of the puddings.

SERVES 2 | PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes | COOKING TIME 10 minutes

dark chocolate & berry

PUDDING POTS.

These are far from fussy and yet filled to the brim with all the enchanting flavours their name implies. Ideally, they should be eaten immediately, served with vanilla ice cream, double cream or mascarpone and fresh berries.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 100 g butter, softened or at room temperature
  • 100 g light brown or castor sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 100 g self-raising flour
  • 120 g dark chocolate, melted
  • 1⁄4 cup dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)
  • 1⁄4 cup mixed berries

WHAT TO DO

  1. Cream the butter and sugar for 2–3 minutes until smooth, preferably with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix until combined. Sift in the flour and gently fold in the melted chocolate, chocolate chips and berries. Do not over mix.
  2. Spoon the mixture into 4 individual ramekins, filling them halfway, or a medium-sized microwavable bowl. Microwave two puddings at a time on high for 21⁄2–3 minutes, or 4–5 minutes if using just one bowl.
  3. Dust with icing sugar before serving with your choice of fresh berries, ice cream or cream.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | COOKING TIME 5–6 minutes

PEAR TARTE TATIN.

Tarte tatin is not one of the most famed sweet treats in all of France for no good reason. What’s not to love about light and flaky pastry encasing golden caramel pears? What makes me love this dish even more is that it’s rooted in unpretentiousness. According to gastronomic tales of old, the Tatin sisters made a tart and dropped it just before serving. So they served it upside down and, voila, a legend was born. Serve with double cream or vanilla ice cream.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 6 pears, peeled, cored and quartered (or enough to cover the base of your pan)
  • 75 g castor sugar
  • 75 g butter, cubed
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 × 400 g roll frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • icing sugar, for dusting

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  2. Microwave the pears in a covered container on high for 6 minutes or until soft and easily pierced with a knife. Alternatively, poach in a saucepan half-filled with water. Drain off any juice that the pears created while cooking.
  3. Heat the sugar, butter and water in a heavy-based (cast-iron) ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir two or three times and then leave to simmer until the sugar is melted and golden.
  4. Add the pears, lemon juice, vanilla essence and cinnamon to the pan and gently stir until the pears are well coated. Arrange them so that they are lying as flat and close together as possible, then remove from the heat and set aside.
  5. Cut out a circle of pastry that is just wider than the width of the pan. Lay it over the pears and tuck in the sides so that everything is well covered.
  6. Pierce the pastry a few times with a knife to allow steam to escape during cooking and bake for 25–30 minutes or until the pastry is puffy and golden.
  7. Leave the tart to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a plate. Hold the plate over the pan with a dish cloth and invert the pan – be very careful, as the extremely hot caramel can spill out. Lightly dust with icing sugar before serving.

SERVES 4–6 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | COOKING TIME 30 minutes

NOTE: If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, follow the instructions as far as step 4 using a regular frying pan, and then transfer the ingredients to a greased shallow ovenproof tart dish and continue on from there with step 5.

dark chocolate &

SALTED CARAMEL TART.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Pastry

  • 125 g cake flour
  • 65 g cold butter
  • 2 Tbsp icing sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract, paste or essence
  • 1–2 Tbsp cold water

Salted caramel layer

  • 100 g castor sugar
  • 100 ml cream
  • 1 tsp sea-salt flakes (fleur de sel)

Dark chocolate layer

  • 250 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped, plus extra for serving
  • 1⁄2 cup cream

WHAT TO DO

  1. To make the pastry, blend the flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined, then mix a little more until the mixture comes together in a loose ball of dough. Only add the water 1 Tbsp at a time to loosen the mixture if it is too dry. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
  2. To make the salted caramel, melt the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir as this will cause the sugar to crystallise, instead just swirl the pan gently from time to time. When the melted sugar is golden in colour, add the cream and salt, gently stir and simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Be careful when adding the cream as it will cause the mixture to bubble furiously.
  3. To make the dark chocolate layer, place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until just before boiling point and pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for a minute, and then gently stir with a spatula until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is silky.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and place a baking tray inside to heat up.
  5. Roll out the pastry dough between two sheets of baking paper to about 0.5 cm thick. Use the pastry to line a deep 20 cm tart tin, preferably loose-bottomed. Prick the base a few times with a fork. Line the pastry base with baking paper or tinfoil, fill with baking beans, lentils or rice to weigh down the pastry and bake on the preheated baking tray for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 3 minutes until the tart base is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
  6. When the tart shell is cool, pour in the salted caramel and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes and then pour in the cooled chocolate. Return to the fridge until set. Serve topped with shavings of dark chocolate or a scattering of chopped nuts.

SERVES 6 | PREPARATION TIME 40 minutes | SETTING TIME 40 minutes

NOTES: You can double the pastry and freeze half for up to 2 months to use when you need it. For easy filling and baking, freeze the dough already in a pie dish if you have a spare one. This recipe is ideal to make the day before and can be stored in the fridge. Just allow it to come to room temperature before serving. For an even speedier version, use a sheet of store-bought readymade shortcrust pastry.

CROISSANT BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

with chocolate chips & pecan nuts.

We don’t always think of different foods as being in or out of fashion, they’re either à la mode or dastardly dreary. But maybe, like me, you’re quietly pleased to see a few good old-fashioned favourites getting a bit of a facelift lately. So here are my twists on two classics.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 4 croissants (I use almond ones)
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 100 g dark chocolate chips
  • 100 g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 11⁄2 cups milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • pinch of ground cinnamon

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Cut each croissant in half, along both the width and the length (so you get 4 pieces from each). Butter each of the cut sides and lay them buttered side up in a medium-sized ovenproof dish or 4 individual ramekins. Scatter over the chocolate chips, pecan nuts and, finally, the sugar.
  2. In a mixing bowl or jug, lightly whisk the eggs and then add the milk, vanilla extract, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour this over the croissants.
  3. Bake for 25 minutes, or 15–20 minutes if using individual ramekins, until light golden and puffed up.
  4. Serve as soon as possible with dollops of cream or custard.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | BAKING TIME 25–30 minutes

CARDAMOM RICE PUDDING.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 heaped tsp brown sugar
  • 3 cardamom pods, ‘bruised’ to split them open
  • 1⁄2 cup Arborio rice

WHAT TO DO

  1. Bring the milk, vanilla extract, sugar and cardamom pods to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the rice and leave to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Serve as soon as possible with coconut cream on the side.

SERVES 3–4 | PREPARATION TIME 5 minutes | COOKING TIME 45 minutes (mostly unattended)

ROSEMARY PANNA COTTA

with earl grey syrup.

This is one of my favourite dinner-party prizes. I’ve yet to meet anyone who can resist a velvety panna cotta, and here with its rosemary infusion, it’s got real swagger. Paired with the Earl Grey syrup, I think it’s rather remarkable.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 50 g castor sugar
  • 175 ml cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 leaf gelatine
  • 1 cup double-thick Greek yoghurt

Earl Grey syrup

  • 1⁄2 cup boiling water
  • 1 Earl Grey tea bag
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp castor sugar

WHAT TO DO

  1. Heat the castor sugar, cream, vanilla paste or extract and rosemary in a small saucepan over medium heat, gently stirring for 2–3 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Remove the rosemary sprigs with a slotted spoon and discard.
  2. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. Gently wring out any excess water from the gelatine before adding it to the cream mixture. Stir until dissolved, then add the yoghurt and whisk until everything is combined and the mixture is silky.
  3. Divide the mixture between 4 ramekins and chill for 2–3 hours until set.
  4. To make the Earl Grey syrup, simmer all the ingredients in a small saucepan for 3 minutes, then remove the tea bag and continue simmering for a further 15 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by half. Set aside to cool slightly.
  5. Pour the syrup over the set panna cotta and serve.

SERVES 4 | PREPARATION TIME 20 minutes | SETTING TIME 2–3 hours

NOTE: For a quicker option than the Earl Grey syrup, blend 1 cup frozen mixed berries with 1–2 tsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp icing sugar for an almost-instant berry coulis.

LAVENDER SHORTBREAD COOKIES.

I have Mum to thank for these gorgeous little bites. She’s churned out armies of her rosemary butter biscuits for as long as I can remember, the recipe for which you’ll find in bitten. These are just a little twist on those, although slightly more shortbready in texture.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 125 g butter
  • 75 g icing sugar
  • 175 g cake flour
  • 1 tsp lavender flowers

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Cut a sheet of baking paper to fit a large baking tray.
  2. Cream the butter and icing sugar, and then mix in the flour and lavender. Alternatively, mix everything in a food processor until just combined.
  3. Lightly mix the dough by hand until you have a smooth ball.
  4. Roll out the dough on the baking paper to about 0.5 cm thick and, using a cookie cutter (I like to use a heart-shaped one), press out cookies. Transfer the sheet of baking paper to the baking tray. If you have the time, chill the whole sheet of cookie dough on the baking tray in the fridge for 20 minutes. This is not vital, but helpful.
  5. Remove the baking tray from the fridge, pull away the dough ‘borders’ around the cookies and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

MAKES quite a few | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | BAKING TIME 15 minutes.

NOTE: You can use half the dough and freeze the remainder to use on another occasion if you like.

passion fruit

TEA LOAVES.

Sophie inspired these mini loaf cakes. I found the dinkiest, cutest loaf tins a while ago and just had to make baby tea cakes for her and her friends. The passion fruit curd gives them an extra creaminess and makes for very moist and pretty little loaves.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 40 g butter, softened
  • 80 g castor sugar
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 40 g cooking oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 90 g self-raising flour
  • 1–2 Tbsp milk, if needed
  • 2 Tbsp passion fruit curd

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease two mini loaf tins, approximately 10 cm long and 6 cm wide, and line with baking paper. Alternatively, use a muffin pan.
  2. In a food processor, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the oil and vanilla extract. Switch off the mixer, tip in the flour and then switch on again briefly, until the batter is just combined. Add 1 Tbsp milk at a time if the batter is too thick; it should just be able to pour.
  3. Half-fill each of the loaf tins with batter, then spread 1 Tbsp passion fruit curd over each. Pour over the remaining batter until each loaf tin is three-quarters full.
  4. Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into each comes out clean.
  5. Allow the loaves to cool in their tins on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes before removing. When completely cool, lightly dust each loaf with icing sugar and decorate with lavender or top with extra passion fruit curd.

MAKES 2 mini loaves | PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes | BAKING TIME 12–15 minutes

COCONUT ANGEL FOOD CAKE

with lime buttercream icing.

It’s unfathomable to me that angel food cakes are so rarely found outside of America. This is one of my very favourite teatime treats. The fluffy cloud-like texture never fails to amaze me. Here, with coconut essence, it also happens to taste like the beach (or so says my friend Jess, and I see no reason to disagree). So I’m sure you can understand why I’m left completely defenceless every time.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 10 egg whites
  • 1 level tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 level tsp coconut essence
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300 g castor sugar
  • 120 g cake flour

Lime buttercream icing

  • 125 g butter, at room temperature
  • 250 g icing sugar
  • zest and juice of 1 lime

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Lightly spray a bundt or angel cake tin (i.e. a deep round cake tin with a hole in the middle) with baking spray.
  2. Beat the egg whites in the (very clean and very dry) bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed for about 1 minute until frothy and soft peaks form.
  3. Add the cream of tartar, coconut essence and vanilla extract and continue mixing for about 2 minutes, spooning in half the castor sugar as you mix, until the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form.
  4. Switch off the mixer and gently sift in the remaining castor sugar and the flour in two batches, folding in with a spatula each time until just combined.
  5. Pour the batter into the cake tin and gently run the spatula around the middle of the batter to release any air pockets. Gently flatten the surface with the spatula.
  6. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into it comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out and cooling completely.
  7. To make the icing, cream the butter and icing sugar until light, fluffy and creamy. Add the lime zest and juice and mix until combined.
  8. Ice the completely cooled cake before transferring it to a serving platter or cake stand.

MAKES 1 × 30 cm cake | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | BAKING TIME 35 minutes

EASIEST-EVER RED VELVET CAKE

with vanilla cream-cheese icing.

This recipe originally comes from my friend Peter Bhasa, who needs no excuse to churn out multitudes of perfectly fluffy vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. The extra couple of minutes to whisk the egg whites are well worth it, adding a lovely lightness. And the simple addition of red food colouring is all it takes to transform this cake from exquisitely simple to magnificently retro.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 200 g castor sugar
  • 150 g cake flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 heaped Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1⁄4 cup cooking oil
  • 1⁄2 cup hot milk
  • 2 Tbsp red food colouring
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla cream-cheese icing

  • 200 g cream cheese
  • 100 g butter
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

WHAT TO DO

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease or line a round cake tin.
  2. Cream the egg yolks and castor sugar in an electric mixer until white and fluffy.
  3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and mix until just combined.
  4. Mix the oil and hot milk in a cup and pour this into the batter, then add the red food colouring and vanilla extract. Gently mix again and set aside.
  5. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until firm peaks form and then lightly fold into the batter.
  6. Pour the batter into the cake tin and gently drop the tin on your counter two or three times to expel any large air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
  7. To make the icing, whisk all the ingredients until light and fluffy. If necessary, refrigerate until it firms up and then use to ice the cake.
  8. Cut the cooled cake in half and ice the middle and the top.

MAKES 1 medium cake | PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes | BAKING TIME 20 minutes

RED VELVET CAKE POPS

with white chocolate jackets.

Cake pops are taking the world of patisserie by storm, and it’s easy to see why when the result is delightfully tiny, caramely balls of cake suited up in, here at least, white chocolate jackets.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

WHAT TO DO

  1. Crumble the red velvet cake into a mixing bowl and mix until you have quite fine crumbs. Add the caramel and dark chocolate and mix until well combined.
  2. Roll thumb-sized portions of the cake mixture into neat balls. Chill on a plate in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in 20 second bursts in the microwave (about 80 seconds in total), and then leave to stand for a minute or so. Stir with a whisk until you have a silky consistency and leave to cool to room temperature.
  4. Skewer each cake ball on the end of a bamboo skewer and dip in the white chocolate to coat. Stand the cake pops in jars or drinking glasses – make sure they are not touching – until set. If you would like to decorate them, gently dip them in some coloured sugar crystals while the chocolate is still soft.

MAKES 10–12 | PREPARATION TIME 20 minutes (excludes cake baking)