These fresh fruit-forward recipes are sunshine on a plate. So, grab a fork and let these sweet treats steal the show. 

Coconut and nectarine tart

Serves 8  

Ingredients  

For the pastry  

255g flour
125g cold butter, cubed
80g  icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp ice water 

 For the filling  

2 eggs
75g caster sugar
40g desiccated coconut, plus extra to decorate
35g flour
75g butter, melted
450g (3-4) nectarines, sliced into wedges 

 Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. For the pastry, place flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and blend until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  
3. Add egg yolks and water and blend again until the dough comes together. 
4. Turn the dough out and use your hands to form it into a ball.  
5. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 
6. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface to about5mm
7.  Line a 20cm loose-bottomed tin with the pastry and prick the bottom with a fork. Refrigerate for another 20 minutes. 
8. Blind-bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. 
9. For the filling, whisk eggs and sugar until fluffy.  
10. Mix in coconut and flour, then fold in the melted butter.
11. Spoon into cooled tart shell and spread evenly. 
12. Arrange the nectarine wedges over the filling and sprinkle with extra coconut.Then bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden and cooked through. 
13. Allow to cool completely before removing from the tin. 

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli  

 

Frozen raspberry ripple cake  

Serves 12-15   

Ingredients 

1 large packet (350g) frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp (30ml) honey
1½ tubs (about 2.5L) vanilla ice cream 
2 boxes (500g) vanilla cake premixes + ingredients listed on the box
Raspberries and edible gold shimmer, for serving   

 For the meringue topping   

5 egg whites
1¼ cup (275g) caster sugar 
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod   

 Method 

1. Remove ice cream and raspberries from freezer to soften for 8-10 minutes. 
2. Blitz frozen raspberries and honey until smooth, using a jug blender or stick blender. 
3. Ripple berries through softened ice cream, careful not to overmix in order to retain a marble effect.  
4. Line two ice cream tubs with cling wrap and divide ice cream between two  Flatten tops and freeze for 3-4 hours or until solid.  
5. Prepare cake batter according to packet instructions. 
6. Pour into a20cm square cake tin lined with baking paper. Bake as per packet instructions. Cool completely. 
7. Cut the tops off cake to create a flat surface. Using the lid of ice cream tub as a guide, cut cake into rectangles.
8. Unmould prepared ice cream and place each on top of a cake, then stack cakes on top of each other. Gently squeeze to secure and return to freezer overnight. 
9. To make the meringue, whisk egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form using an electrical whisk. Add sugar one heaped tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously until glossy and stiff peaks form (this can take about 12-15 minutes). To test if it’s ready, rub some mixture between your fingers to check all sugar granules are dissolved.   
10. Remove the ice cream cake and place it on a serving platter.
11. Cover cake all over with the meringue.
12. Serve topped with raspberries and a dusting of gold shimmer.  

Cook’s note: 

Prepare meringue just before serving for best results. You can also store the meringue iced cake in the freezer for up to 6 hours, which will result in a slightly stickier coating. 

Recipes & styling: Liezl Vermuelen 
Photographs: Zhann Solomons 

 

Strawberries & cream cake  

Serves 6–8 

 

Ingredients 

For the strawberry compote  

300g strawberries, hulled and finely chopped
3 Tbsp (45ml) lemon juice
2 Tbsp (30ml) caster sugar   

 For the vanilla bean cake  

2 + ¾ cup (425g) cake flour
1 Tbsp (15ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5ml) salt
1 cup (250g) butter, softened
2 cups (400g) sugar
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla essence
3 large egg yolks
3 large eggs, separated
1½ cups (375ml) milk   

 For the icing  

¾ cup (180g) butter
3 cups (390g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence
1 tub (230g) cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup (60ml) cream, whisked to stiff peaks
Fresh strawberries and flowers, for decorating  

Method 

1. Place compote ingredients in a pot over medium heat.
2. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often, until thick and jammy. (Add more lemon juice or sugar to taste.) Set aside to cool. 
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a20cm Bundt tin well. 
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. 
5. Whisk butter and ¾ of the icing sugar in a stand mixer for 5 minutes, or until incorporated.
6. Add egg yolks one at a time, whisking well between additions, until batter is thick. 
7. Combine vanilla essence and milk.
8. Alternate adding the flour and milk, half at a time, beating until just combined and no flour remains. 
9. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, then add remaining sugar in 1 Tbsp increments until glossy and thick.
10. Mix half of the meringue into the cake batter until incorporated, then gently fold in the rest. 
11. Fold through ¾ of the berry compote. 
12. Pour batter into Bundt tin and swirl remaining compote through.
13. .Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. 
14. Whisk butter, icing sugar and vanilla together until smooth, about 3 minutes. 
15. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Fold through cream.Then, refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or until it has stiffened slightly. 
16. .Slather icing onto cake and decorate with fresh flowers and strawberries. Slice and serve.

Recipes & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg 
Photographs: Zhann Solomons 

 

Granadilla & chilli crème brûleé 

Serves 4-6  

Ingredients  

½ cup (110g) caster sugar, + extra for sprinkling
5 egg yolks
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence or ½ vanilla pod  
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 cups (500ml) cream
1 tub (115g) granadilla pulp, or flesh from 3 fresh granadillas   

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. 
2. Whisk together sugar and yolks until thick and pale, about 3-5 minutes. 
3. Heat cream, vanilla essence or vanilla pod and chilli over medium heat.  
4. Simmer until steaming, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard vanilla pod, if using.  
5. Slowly add cream into egg mixture, whisking vigorously to avoid the eggs from curdling. 
6. Place a kitchen cloth or tea towel in a deep roasting tray and place a 30x40cm oven proof dish on top (you can also use ramekins for individual portions). 
7. Pour mixture into dish (or divide between the ramekins) and swirl through granadilla pulp or fresh granadillas, if using. 
8. Pour lukewarm water into the roasting dish, making sure the water covers half of the bowl (or ramekins). 
9. Bake for 45-50 minutes, thecentre should still be slightly wobbly.   
10. Cool completely and chill for 1-2 hours or overnight. 
11. Sprinkle the top with caster sugar and caramelise using a kitchen blow torch or pop under the oven grill for 3-5 minutes. 
12. Cool for 2 minutes to let the sugar harden and serve.   

Cook’s note: 

Adding a tea towel underneath your dish not only keeps it stable, but also insulates your custard, preventing it from over-heating. 

Recipes and styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg 
Photographs: Zhann Solomons