mitzireddy

The milk tart shooter is one of the things that stands out for me from the Come dine with me SA show last year – it’s the first time that I had heard of it and it stuck in my mind as all the contestants that evening loved it as did I when I had my first taste at a New
Year’s party. I served it during the Easter weekend – it’s creamy and delicious
with the flavour and taste that reminds you of the traditional milk tart.

I got this recipe from our friend, Nikki, from the New Year’s party – this mixture makes approximately 860ml.

MILK TART SHOOTER

Ingredients:

• One 375 ml bottle Vodka (you can reduce it
  to 300 ml if you prefer less kick)
• One 395 gram tin of condensed milk
• One 375 ml tin evaporated milk
• Ground cinnamon to serve

Method:

1. 1.  I whisked the condensed milk and evaporated
   milk together and poured it directly into half a bottle of vodka and shook the
   bottle to blend the mixture together. You can reduce the amount of vodka to
   300mls if you prefer less of a kick.

2. Keep in the fridge or freezer until needed – the bottle will not crack. Shake well
before pouring into shooter or shot glasses.

Sprinkle each milk tart shooter with ground cinnamon and serve chilled.

I received a call from my sister, Dawn, a few weeks ago asking me how to use gelatine for the Crunchie cheesecake recipe that I posted as my niece, Serusha, was in the process of making it. Serusha, a varsity student, has now started showing an interest in baking – and is reading my posts – I am chuffed- so this recipe for the dark and delicious chocolate
cake by Ina Garten is especially for her.

“This is the most fabulous chocolate cake that I’ve ever made,” says Ina Garten, host of Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa. “It’s so easy and so moist and light. There’s buttermilk and a cup of coffee in the batter! The frosting is just buttercream and a little
coffee.”  -  we all have our favourite choclate cake recipes but I have to agree with her . This cake is dark and deliciously moist – and its a recipe that I will be using often.

Double-Chocolate Layer Cake

Ingredients
 

1 3/4 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons bicarb of soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee

Icing

¾ cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

250gr unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Butter two 20cm
   round cake pans and line them with parchment paper; butter the paper. Dust the
   pans with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer,
   mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt
   at low speed. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and
   vanilla. Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just
   incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared
   pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each
   cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then
   invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper.

Icing

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate
at high power in 30-second intervals, stirring, until most of the chocolate is
melted. Stir until completely melted, then set aside to cool to room
temperature.

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer,
   beat the butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and
   vanilla and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the side of the bowl. At low
   speed, slowly beat in the icing sugar, about 1 minute. In a small bowl,
   dissolve the instant coffee in 2 teaspoons of hot water. Slowly beat the coffee
   and the cooled chocolate into the butter mixture until just combined.
2. Set a cake layer on a plate with the
   flat side facing up. Evenly spread one-third of the icing over the cake to the
   edge. Top with the second cake layer, rounded side up. Spread the remaining
   icing over the top and side of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before
   slicing.