From zesty lemon meringue flan to a decadent berry and brownie cheesecake, these fruity cake recipes won’t disappoint when the craving hits!
Lemon meringue flan
Serves 8 // Cooking Time 40 minutes + cooling time
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup cornflakes
2 × 385g tin condensed milk
½ cup lemon juice
4 eggs, separated
Dried lemon slices, to decorate
Method
For the cornflake-brittle base
- Grease a baking tray.
- Cook 1 cup sugar in a pot over low heat until melted, then stir in the cornflakes.
- Pour the mixture onto the baking tray. Leave to cool.
For the flan
- Preheat the oven to 175°C and grease a flan mould or cake tin.
- Whisk together the condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks to make lemon curd.
- Pour the lemon curd over the cornflake-brittle base and cover with foil.
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until almost set. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the meringue
- Place remaining 1 cup sugar in a pot over medium heat. Cook, swirling until it is completely melted and boiling.
- Whip the egg whites until they reach ribbon stage (just before stiff-peak stage).
- Slowly drizzle in the still-boiling sugar while beating the egg whites. The heat will cook the egg and turn the meringue mixture glossy.
- Spread over the cooled lemon curd. Brown with a blowtorch or pop under the grill for a few minutes. Decorate with dried lemon slices.
Recipes & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen
Date swirl granadilla ‘cheesecake’
Serves 8 // Cooking Time 90 min
Ingredients
For the filling
180g raw cashews
1 tin full-fat coconut cream
100g tofu
1½ tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup honey or golden syrup
1 cup coconut oil, melted
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Pinch salt
For the crust
¾ cup gluten-free rolled oats
¾ cup peanuts
200g pitted dates
Pinch salt
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1–2 tbsp hot water
For granadilla topping
2 gelatin sheets
200ml granadilla pulp
50g sugar
Method
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave uncovered for 1 hour, then drain.
- Preheat oven to 180°C and line a standard cake tin with parchment paper.
- To make the crust, place oats, peanuts, dates and salt in a blender and mix until the mixture is a fine breadcrumb texture. Add coconut oil and hot water until the mixture has a cookie dough consistency.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined cake tin. Spread it out evenly and press down firmly.
- To make the filling, add the soaked cashews to a blender with the coconut cream, tofu, cornflour, vanilla, honey, coconut oil, lemon juice and zest, and salt and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the filling over the crust and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the edges look dry but the centre is still a little jiggly.
- Allow the cake to cool in the oven, then refrigerate for 4–5 hours.
- 9. To make the granadilla topping, bloom the gelatin by placing the sheets in cold water for 3
- 10. Place the granadilla pulp and sugar in a saucepan over low heat.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add in the gelatin and cook for another 2 minutes, or until dissolved.
- Allow to cool before pouring evenly over the cheesecake.
Recipe & Styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za
Berry and brownie cheesecake
Serves 12 // Cooking Time 1 hour 50 minutes + overnight
Ingredients
For the brownie base
100g 70% dark chocolate
3 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp xylitol
1 egg
1 cup almond flour
1 cup sunflower seeds, ground
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
For the filling
4 eggs
900g cream cheese
1½ cups sour cream
¼ cup xylitol
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp vanilla essence
For the berry compote
200g frozen berries
2 Tbsp xylitol
Method
For the brownie base
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Microwave the chocolate and the coconut oil together, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.
- Whisk in the xylitol and egg. Add the almond flour, ground sunflower seeds and cocoa.
- Press into a 20cm springform cake tin and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin.
For the filling
- Beat the eggs into the cream cheese, one at a time, then stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Pour filling into base and put on the centre oven rack with a pan of water on the rack below. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 3 hours.
- Remove from oven and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
For the berry compote
- Place berries and xylitol in a pot over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to a thick syrup.
- Allow to cool, then drizzle over the cheesecake.
Recipes analyzed by: Jenny Meyer
Photography: HMimages.co.za
Chocolate lava cakes topped with cherries
Makes 4 // Cooking Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
130g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
75g butter
120g eggs, plus 40g yolk (±4 eggs)
65g golden caster sugar
30g flour
Cherries, for serving
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Grease 4 small round moulds or pudding basins with butter and flour.
- Place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Melt over a pot of simmering water. Place the bowl on the pot, making sure it fits snugly and that bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir regularly until melted.
- Add the eggs, sugar and flour to the chocolate mixture. Whisk together until shiny.
- Pour the batter into the moulds and bake for 10–12 minutes.
- Turn the lava cakes out of the moulds and serve with cherries.
Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli