Basic recipes

Butter icing

• 500 g icing sugar
• 100 g butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 30 ml boiling water
• 2.5 ml vanilla essence
• food colouring (optional)

1. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Cream the butter and icing sugar together. Add the boiling water and mix until smooth (don’t overmix otherwise it will become runny). Stir in the vanilla essence.
2. Colour the mixture with a few drops of liquid or powdered food colouring, if needed. Powdered food colouring is available from baking supply stores.

Glacé icing

• 250 ml icing sygar
• ± 30 ml water
• 2 ml flavouring of your choice
• a few drops of food colouring (optional)

1. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth and spreadable.
2. Colour the mixture by adding a few drops of food colouring at a time, until the desired shade is achieved.

Royal icing

• 750 ml icing sugar
• 2 extra large egg whites
• 5 ml lemon juice

1. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the icing sugar to the egg whites, one spoonful at a time, while beating continuously until the mixture is foamy.
2. Add the lemon juice while beating and continue adding icing sugar until the mixture has achieved the desired consistency. Keep the icing covered until needed, to prevent it from drying out.

Coloured chocolate

• white chocolate
• oil-based powdered food colouring

1. Place the white chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl and microwave it on high for a few minutes, stirring every now and then, until melted. Add the food colouring a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the chocolate is the desired shade.

Rice Krispies squares

• 30 ml margarine
• 35 marshmallows
• 300 ml Rice Krispies

1. Place the margarine in a large bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Add the marshmallows and microwave for another 3 minutes. Add the Rice Krispies and mix well. Spoon the mixture into a 20 × 20 cm square dish and press flat. Leave to cool, then cut into squares or any shape, as indicated in the recipe.

Coloured Rice Krispies squares

• 30 ml margarine
• 35 white marshmallows
• 100 g coloured chocolate (see above)
• 300 ml Rice Krispies

1. Place the margarine in a large bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Add the marshmallows and chocolate and microwave for another 3 minutes. Add the Rice Krispies and mix well. Spoon the mixture into a 20 × 20-cm square dish and press flat. Leave to cool, then cut into squares or any other shapes, as indicated in the recipe.

Coconut ice

• 1 tin condensed milk
• 500 g icing sugar
• 2 × 200 g packets desiccated coconut
• food colouring

1. Mix the condensed milk, icing sugar, desiccated coconut and a few drops of food colouring together in a mixing bowl. Spoon the mixture into a 20 × 20-cm square dish and press flat. Allow to set completely before cutting into squares or other shapes.

Coloured coconut

• desiccated coconut
• gel food colouring of your choice

1. Place the coconut in a small mixing bowl. Add one drop of food colouring at a time and mix well with a spoon. Add more food colouring, one drop at a time, until the coconut is the required shade.

Doughnuts (2 variations)

FOR A DOUGHNUT MAKER

• 1 large egg
• 80 ml milk
• 10 ml oil
• 30 ml castor sugar
• 300 ml self-raising flour

1. Beat the egg, milk, oil and castor sugar together. Sift the self-raising flour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar mixture to the flour and stir until smooth. Bake in the doughnut maker until golden brown.

MAKES 24

FOR DEEP-FRYING

• 30 ml butter
• 190 ml sugar
• 750 ml cake flour
• 15 ml baking powder
• 2.5 ml salt
• 250 ml milk

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the flour and milk alternately to the butter mixture. Mix well and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 10 mm thick. Cut out rounds using a cookie cutter. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out a hole in the centre. Leave to stand for 15 minute.
2. Deep-fry the doughnuts in hot oil (190 °C) until golden brown on both sides. Remove the cooked doughnuts from the oil and place on paper towel to drain.

MAKES 24

Fridge brownies

• 250 g butter or margarine
• 500 g icing sugar
• 100 ml cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 × 200 g packets Marie biscuits

1. Place the butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl and microwave on high for 1¹⁄₂ minutes, or until melted. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder together and stir into the melted butter. Beat the eggs and fold them into the mixture. Microwave the mixture for about 3 minute. Break the Marie biscuits into pieces and stir into the chocolate mixture. Spoon the mixture into a 20 × 20-cm square dish, press flat, and leave to cool. Refrigerate until firm, and then cut into squares or any other shapes.

Basic cupcakes

• 125 g cake flour
• 5 ml baking powder
• 125 g butter at room temperature
• 125 g icing sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 ml vanilla essence

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Place 12 paper cookie cups in the hollows of a muffin pan.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Cream the butter and icing sugar together in a separate bowl. Beat the eggs, add them to the butter mixture and stir well. Add the vanilla essence and mix well. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Beat everything together with an electric mixer until creamy. When the batter drips easily from a spoon, it is ready.
3. Fill the cookie cups three-quarters of the way and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.