Celebration of warm festive spices and rooibos for a South African flare.
Just to be clear it doesn't have to be Christmas to whip up this cake because it's good all year round. And frankly, we don't need an excuse to eat cake, am I right?
This deliciously fluffy and moist cake sponge recipe is derived from a classic milk sponge recipe. However, this version of the recipe I aimed to make dairy-free and refined sugar-free by replacing the milk with a dairy-free alternative, cane sugar with coconut blossom sugar and the butter with ghee or coconut oil. Lastly, the spices and the infusion of rooibos tea to add a hint of warm festive flavours without declaring it to be a Christmas cake.
The rooibos is infused in the milk and then added to the batter before baking. To make the flavour a bit more prominent I lightly drizzled a rooibos syrup on the baked cake layers and allowed it to soak in and as a bonus, this adds a little extra moisture to the sponge.
If you prefer a stronger rooibos taste just add more tea bags to either the milk mixture, the rooibos syrup or both.
For the frosting, I used cocoa butter to help it set and not turn to a sloppy mess when it's at room temperature, but you can also use coconut butter. If it is a particularly hot day when you are assembling the cake just pop the cake in the fridge for 10-20 minutes in between frosting each layer to allow it to set.
or the decorations, I used crushed cashews, cinnamon sticks, black currents, fresh rosemary, and cloves. Just make sure to not eat the cloves as they do have a strong flavour.
Take Note: This sponge recipe makes two thin layers, but enough rooibos syrup and frosting to cover 3-4 layers. I recommend you follow the instruction below and repeat the sponge recipe a second time to achieve 4 thin, moist and fluffy layers.
Prepping time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Cuisine: Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free
Course: Dessert
Dry
· 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
· 1 cup of coconut sugar
· 2 tsp baking powder
· ¼ tsp salt
· 2 tbsp cinnamon
· 2 tsp ground ginger
· 1 tsp cloves
· ½ tsp nutmeg
· 1 tsp cardamom
· 6 rooibos tea bags
Wet
· 4 tbsps ghee/ coconut oil
· 3 large eggs, room temperature
· ½ cup of almond milk
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
Rooibos syrup
· 2 rooibos tea bags
· 1 tbsp honey
· 1 cup hot water
Cinnamon Cashew Frosting
· 2 cups raw cashews, soaked
· 2 cans full cream coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
· Pinch of salt
· 1/3 cup honey
· 100g cacoa/coconut butter
· 3 Tbsps almond butter
· 1 tbsp cinnamon
1. Refrigerate the coconut milk cans overnight and soak the cashews in water
overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 and grease the bottom and sides of two 20 cm round cake pans; line the bottom and side with parchment paper.
3. Combine the milk, rooibos tea bags and ghee/coconut oil in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the ghee just melted and then set the pan aside. Remove the tea bags when it steeped for 3-5 minutes.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices together onto a piece of parchment paper.
5. Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl either by hand or with an electric mixer then add in the salt. Whisk until light and foamy for 1-2 minutes. Then slowly start adding the sugar and whisk continuously on high speed for 3-5 minutes until lighter in colour and fluffy texture. Lastly, mix in the vanilla extract.
6. Gently mix the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture by hand. Add the dry flour
mixture in 4 additions, lifting both sides of the parchment paper to help guide it into the bowl while gently folding in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
7. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Using a kitchen scale to ensure that it yields equally thick layers.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven until golden and firm when touched in the centre,
about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
9. Run a sharp paring knife around the layers to loosen, and then invert the pans onto the racks.
10. Immediately turn the layers over so they cool with the paper on the bottom. Let it cool completely. If you’re making the cake ahead, wrap the cooled cake airtight and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before frosting.
Rooibos syrup
11. Add the rooibos tea bags, honey and hot water to a jar and let it steep for 3-5
minutes.
12. Make small holes over the entire surface of each layer of cake using a fork. Then use a spoon to drizzle the rooibos syrup mixture evenly and allow it to soak in, use about 4-5 tablespoon on each layer of cake.
Frosting
13. Rinse of the soaked cashews and add to a blender with the rest of the frosting
ingredients. Blend until smooth and transfer to as a jar and close the lit before letting it set in the freezer for 30-40 minutes or overnight in the fridge if you plan on only decorating the next day.
Notes
*Store the cake in a container at room temperature. You can store it in the fridge to let it
keep for longer this does, however, dry-out the cake.
*If you like a spicier and more intense rooibos flavour; increase the ginger and nutmeg you add in the batter and use more rooibos tea bags in the milk mixture.
A quick and easy roast vegetable salad for evenings you want something light.
]]>1 cup raw barley or bulgur wheat
2 – 3 sachets or cubes of your favourite stock
2 ½ cups water
Bring barley and broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, covered, until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before straining through a colander. Set aside.
± 400g Root vegetables (Sweet potato, beetroot, parsnips etc)
2 Red onions, quartered
200g Baby carrots
3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
Salt & pepper, to season
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Preheat your oven to 200C. Peel and cut your chosen veg into chunky cubes, keeping the baby carrots whole.
Pour the oil into a roasting tin, scatter and roll the vegetables in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place into heated oven for 45-55 minutes, until veggies are cooked through and fork tender.
• Note: you can use any seasonal veg for this salad and adapt it to what you have available. Keep in mind that the smaller you cube your vegetables, the faster they will cook.
1 ½ cup loosely packed mixed soft leaf herbs such as flat leaf parsley, basil, dill, sage etc.
2 medium cloves garlic (about 2 teaspoons)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1½ teaspoons honey
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combined all of the ingredients, except the oil, into a food processor and blitz until it forms a paste. Slowly add the olive oil to emulsify the dressing.
100g pumpkin Seeds
100g sunflower seeds
Add the seeds to a hot pan and toast by stirring continuously until lightly browned. Set aside to cool before adding to salad.
Assemble the salad by layering the veg & barley, top with dressing and seeds and serve with your next braai, roast dinner or as a hearty lunch on its own.
]]>A delicious breakfast you can make for that special person your life. Or just make to enjoy by yourself.
]]>400g streaky bacon
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Lay bacon in a single layer on the foil.
Put into a cold oven and set to 180C.
Bake for 15-25 minutes or until done to desired crispiness.
4 eggs
1 cup milk
pinch salt
8 slices sourdough bread, cut into chunky slices
Butter, room temperature
200-400g mixed berries, washed and hulled
Maple syrup or honey to drizzle
Whisk together eggs, milk & salt in a baking dish. Place bread slices, one or two at a time, into the egg mixture and flip to make sure both sides of the bread are well coated.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat and place soaked bread slices into the pan. Cook until golden brown on each side (about 2-3 minutes).
Serve hot from the pan with crispy bacon, butter, berries & a good drizzle of honey/syrup.
]]>Want to knock the socks of your guests. Serve them this striking hummus to brighten up your table.
]]>300g beetroot, peeled
1 ¾ cup cooked chickpeas
¼ lemon juice
Generous pinch salt and black pepper
2 chunky cloves garlic
2 tbsp tahini, heaped
¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Wrap beets in foil, drizzle with a bit of oil, sprinkle with salt and wrap tightly. Place in a roasting dish and roast for one hour until tender. Remove from the heat and let them cool in the foil (in the dish) for 20 minutes.
Once cooled, quarter the beets and place in food processor, along with all of the other ingredients except the olive oil and blend until smooth. Drizzle in olive oil as the hummus is mixing. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt, lemon juice or olive oil if needed. If it’s too thick, add a bit of water.
Serve on sandwiches, on a cheeseboard, with crackers or thin out with water to make a striking salad dressing!
]]>In need of a flavour bomb? A winter night needs soup. And not any soup? This soup.
]]>1 brown onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
5 cups of peeled and chopped tender carrots (Try use baby carrots if you can, I find the larger carrots aren’t as sweet!)
5 cups Stock (Depending on how thick you like it)
1 can coconut milk
5 cm fresh ginger
3 tbsp Miso
1 tsp Soy sauce
Small bunch of fresh coriander
Toasted peanuts, chopped
Toasted coconut flakes
Add the coconut flakes/peanuts to a hot pan and toast by stirring continuously until lightly browned. Set aside to cool before adding to the soup.
Heat the sesame oil in a medium size pot, add onion and sweat until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a few minutes. Add the carrots and cover with stock.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, covered with lid slightly ajar, for about 25 -30 minutes.
Once the carrots are soft, remove from heat and blitz with a stick blender or in a food processor, being careful with the hot liquid!
Return to the pot, add the coconut milk, & soy, and cook very gently over a low heat until coconut milk is completely combined. Remove from heat and stir in the miso paste until well combined.
Before serving garnish with fresh coriander, toasted peanuts, toasted coconut or even some fresh chilli!
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