These carrot cake loaves are moreish and light. This is the sweet treat your family and friends will ask you to make over and over again. 

Mini carrot cake loaves

Makes 12 

Ingredients

For the carrot cake: 

2 cups (300g) flour
2 tsp (10ml) baking powder
½ tsp (2.5ml) bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp (5ml) salt
2 tsp (10ml) cinnamon
½ tsp (2.5ml) all spice
½ tsp (2.5ml) ground cardamom
1 cup (250ml) canola oil
1⅓ cups (300g) light brown sugar
4 large eggs
½ cup (120g) sour cream
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract (or paste)
270g carrots, peeled and roughly grated
⅓ cup (80g) pecan nuts, toasted and chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced 

For the cream cheese icing: 

⅔ cup (160g) butter, at room temperature
1 tub (200g) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla paste
Pinch salt
3⅓ cup (430g) icing sugar, sifted
1 lemon, zested 

Edible flowers, to garnish
Dried carrot (See cook’s tip) 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Spray 2 x 6-hole mini loaf tin or 30x22cm sheet pan with non-stick spray.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Add spices and mix though.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk oil and sugar until creamy.
5. Add eggs one by one, mixing well after every addition.
6. Add sour cream, vanilla, carrots, nuts, lemon zest and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. 
7. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold through until just combined into a batter. 
8. Transfer to the prepared tin.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes for the mini loaves (or 45 minutes for a sheet cake) or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
10. For the cream cheese icing, whisk all ingredients for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
11. If the cake was baked as a sheet, cut into portions. Ice cake loaves or squares to your liking. Decorate with edible flowers and dried carrot crisps just before serving. 

Cook’s tip 

To make the dried carrot crisps, preheat oven to 100°C. Use a vegetable peeler to make some thin carrot peels. Place the peels on an oven tray, making sure they do not lie on top of each other or are clumped up. Place in the oven to dry out for about 1 hour. While drying out, gently move the peels around on the tray every 20 minutes for even drying. Cool and store in an airtight jar. 

Recipes & styling: Lichelle May
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Pickled fish toast

The post Mini carrot cake loaves appeared first on MyKitchen.

Become an ice princess with our complete guide to piping and decorating. 

Frosted tips  

Firstly, icing needs to be stable to make it ‘pipeable’. American buttercream, also called butter icing, is easy and quick to make. Butter icing is also fun to shape and manipulate, and it takes on colouring in a lovely way.  

1. Butter must be at room temperature to ensure even mixing. If you have fridge-cold butter, cut it into equal slices and microwave on defrost until you can easily butter bread with it (or a lovely indent is made when poking with a finger). 
2. Sifting the icing sugar is vital. If you don’t, your buttercream will still work, but you will be dealing with clumps of icing sugar that you can never completely remove. Halfway through mixing, and at the very end, remove the whisk attachment and properly scrape down the sides and base of your mixing bowl to ensure you bring the lesser-mixed sections (appearing as a darker yellow) to the centre. 
3. Colour your icing by separating portions of mixture into smaller bowls. Douse the end of a toothpick in your desired colour and swirl this through the buttercream. Mix well with a spoon to see how strong the colour becomes, then repeat, or if needed, add in drops to reach your desired hue. 
4. Fit a nozzle in the piping bag before filling. Cut between ½ – 1cm off the tip, if using a disposable piping bag, and push the nozzle to fit snugly against the plastic. (The bag shouldn’t bunch out or have any gaps.) Hold the bag in the middle using your dominant hand, folding the excess bag open over your hand. Use a spoon or spatula to add scoops of icing into the bag, sliding the spoon over your thumb to scrape off excess. Push the icing down towards the nozzle. Fill until your piping bag is maximum ⅔ full, then twist or tie the end. (Don’t overfill the bag or it won’t close and icing will spill out.) 

Practice makes perfect!  

To practise piping, grease four corners of a tray and place baking paper on top, pushing down to secure. Hold the tied end of the bag with one hand and place your other hand a bit further down onto the bulge of icing. Press from the top hand to squeeze icing and pipe onto the baking paper, swirling, dotting, pushing and pulling as you wish. You can always scoop your practice patterns back into a bowl to use again. If you hold the icing for too long, it will become looser due to the heat from your hand. If this happens, pop in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up. On the flip side, if your icing becomes too hard when in the bag, press it in between your fingers to help warm it up.  

Patterns aplenty

1 Round nozzle/ plain savoy tube

This nozzle makes perfect pillowy teardrops.

2 French star (ATECO #19)

Creates fluted rounds that make a fun border for a circus-themed cake.

3 Open star (ATECO #32)

Creates a 6-pointed star or funky border.

4 Ruffle tube/skirt(ATECO #97)

Perfect for creating a light ruffled skirt around a border.

5 Ribbon/wavy petal nozzle (BAKING TIN #119)

Creates thin ribbons great for Victorian cakes.

6 Shell rope nozzle (ATECO #98)

Perfect for a delicate sea-shell border.

7 Small round nozzle

Any small round nozzle is great for writing on cakes or fine detailed dots or petals.

8 Basket weave nozzle (ATECO #48)

A trendy pattern used in a squiggle around cakes, but great for basket weaves too.

Vanilla buttercream

This makes enough to cover a 30x23cm cake and decorate it with all the twirls and patterns. You can halve the recipe to make less, or place leftovers in an airtight container and freeze for up to months.

Makes 1.5kg 

Ingredients

2 cups (500g) butter, room temperature 
7¾ cups (1kg) icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla essence
¼ cup (60ml) milk
Food colouring of choice 

Method

1. Place butter in a bowl and beat for 1 minute to loosen it up. 
2. Add half the icing sugar and slowly beat through (this prevents icing sugar from billowing up everywhere).
3. Beat on medium until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides and base with a spatula.
4. Add second half of icing sugar and beat on high until creamy, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape sides and base again.
5. Add vanilla for flavour and milk to loosen slightly.
6. If colouring, divide into the number of bowls you need for each colour.

The icing on the cake 

To finish your newly decorated cake, we suggest adding one or two extra sparkles such as: 

-Colour matched sprinkles or edible glitter.
-Chopped fruit, chocolate or biscuits, sweets or nuts (try match these to the flavour of your cake).
-3D fondant decorations themed to your cake such as animals or figurines.
-Candles or cake toppers. 

Recipe & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Raspberry and vanilla mille feuille with Selati Sugar 

The post Top decorating tips with butter icing  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Turn your little ones into bakers with these yummy and easy-to-make recipes with chocolate.

Chocolate cosmic cookies 

Makes about  20 cookies

Transform an ordinary box of cake mix into these easy-to-make cookies.  

Preheat oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper. Combine 1 box (500g) chocolate cake, 1 whisked large egg and 1⁄2 cup (125ml) canola oil. Mix well to form a dough and rest in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes. Scoop about two tablespoons of the mixture and gently form into a ball. Arrange them on a prepared baking tray, making sure to leave a 2cm gap between each ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Top with 1⁄2 batch of spreading ganache (see page 64 for ratios), sprinkles or mini Astros and enjoy.

Chocolate covered banana pops  

Makes 8  

This works well with strawberries, too. Simply thread a few onto a skewer and dip it in the chocolatey goodness! 

Heat 2 cups (500ml) cream in the microwave for about 1 minute (it should just start to boil). Add 200g chocolate chips to a bowl and pour over warm cream. Allow to stand for 3-5 minutes before stirring until well combined and smooth. Cover with clingfilm and set aside. Cut 4 medium bananas in half and thread onto a bamboo skewer (or ice- cream stick). Dip each banana skewer in chocolate to coat completely and shake off any access. Place on a lined baking tray and allow to set for at least 15-20 minutes before dipping again to give it a second coat. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if you like or a topping of choice. Freeze for 2 hours until firm before serving.

 Also read: For the kids: Eat me beaded jewellery

Chocolate cereal treats 

Makes about 16-20  

A childhood favourite with a chocolate twist that caters both for the kids and the grown-ups, too!   

Line two 12-hole mini muffin tins with muffin holders. Melt 200g chopped white chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water (or 30-second intervals in the microwave) until smooth. Set aside. Melt 1⁄2 bag (100g) marshmallows and 2 Tbsp (30ml) butter in a pot for 1-2 minutes (or in a large bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute). Add 4 cups (1L) puffed rice and melted chocolate to melted marshmallow and stir vigorously to combine before marshmallow cools. Spoon into lined muffin tin and allow to set in the fridge or at room temperature until firm.

Words by: Gail Damon
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine/Shutterstock  

Also read: Yummy froggy cupcakes for the kids

The post 3 yummy chocolate recipes to make with your kids appeared first on MyKitchen.

From pancake lollies to butterscotch popcorn balls – get your (and your kids’) hands deliciously dirty in the kitchen when you make this sweet treat with your kids. Yummy treats, plus a break from those pesky screens? Yes, please! 

Butterscotch popcorn balls 

Makes 12 // Cooking time 25 minutes 

Ingredients 

6 cups popped popcorn (±¼ cup kernels)
375 g castor sugar
90 ml water
20 g butter 

Method 

1. Line a baking tray. Ensure you have ice-lolly sticks and a wooden spoon close by. (You’ll have to work quickly; sugar sets fast.) Place popcorn in a bowl.
2. Melt sugar and water in a pot over medium heat. To stop sugar crystals forming, avoid stirring and rather swirl the pot every now and then. When sugar is dark caramel in colour, remove from the heat and stir in butter.
3. Immediately start pouring the caramel over the popcorn, while stirring with the wooden spoon, ensuring all popcorn is covered.
4. Start forming the mixture into balls using your hands. If it is too hot, use latex gloves.
5. Insert a stick into each ball and place on the tray to set. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli 

Homemade chocolate bar 

Makes 20 // Cooking time 4 hours 40 minutes 

Ingredients 

200 g vanilla wafer biscuits
200 g sugar
250 ml cream, warmed
125 ml golden syrup
3 Tbsp butter
½ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla essence
320 g milk chocolate
500 ml popped rice cereal
500 ml roasted and salted peanuts 

Method 

1. Line a 20 × 20 cm baking tin with baking paper.
2. Arrange the wafers in the tin in a single layer.
3. Melt sugar in a pot over low heat without stirring. Swirl the pan if it looks like the sugar is catching. Let it caramelise until it turns golden.
4. Add cream, syrup, butter, salt and vanilla. Simmer on low heat for 15–20 minutes. Test if it is ready by dropping a little in a cup of iced water – if it forms a toffee-like ball, it’s ready. Pour the caramel over the wafers and place in the fridge to set.
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir in the popped rice and peanuts.
6. Once the caramel has set, spread the chocolate-peanut mixture over it and pop back in the fridge to set fully, about 4 hours. Cut into bars and serve.

Recipe & styling: Caro Alberts
Photography: Juliette Bisset // HMimages.co.za 

Banana chocolate dips 

Makes 22-25 // Total Time 30 minutes 

Ingredients 

1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey or syrup
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ cup almond flour
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate, almonds or dried cranberries 

Top tip: No almond flour on the shelf? Simply blitz a handful of almonds until it resembles flour. 

Method  

1. Combine the peanut butter and honey or syrup in a bowl.
2. Stir through the remaining ingredients until combined.
3. Place the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill.
4. Use a tablespoon to scoop portions of the mixture.
5. Roll a portion between the palms of your hands to shape it into a ball. Repeat this process until you have 22-25 power balls.
6. Store them in an airtight container for up to 15 days.

Top tip: When you get to Step 2, you can fold in all sorts of dried fruit and nuts depending on what you think is yummy. 

Words by Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Fresh Living Magazine, Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Banana flapjacks with pineapple cream 

Pancake lollies with berry syrup 

Makes 12 // Cooking time 1 hour 

Ingredients 

For the berry syrup 

2 cups fresh or frozen berries
1 cup water
½ cup sugar 

For the pancake lollies 

1½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
3½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1¼ cups milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, melted 

Method  

For the berry syrup 

1. If frozen, thaw the berries (keep the juice).  
2. Place berries (and juice), water and sugar in a pot over medium heat.  
3. Bring to a simmer. Cook, while stirring continuously, for 15–20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. 

For the pancake lollies 

1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix the milk and egg in another bowl.
2. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients and butter into the well. Whisk until combined (the mixture should be slightly thick, but well combined).
3. Heat a lightly oiled non-stick pan. Drop 2 tbsp batter on to the hot pan. Cook for 1 minute on each side. For nice round pancakes, use a piping bag to pipe the batter on to the hot, greased pan.
4. Once cooked, insert a lolly stick into each pancake. Drizzle with the berry sauce and enjoy.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Juliette Bisset // HMimages.co.za 

Drool-worthy Snickers s’mores 

Makes 6 // Cooking time 10 minutes 

Ingredients 

4 Snickers bars
6 chocolate cream biscuits
75 g mini marshmallows 

Method 

1. Cut the Snickers bars into slices. Separate 6 chocolate biscuits into halves.
2. Place 6 biscuit halves on a plate and top each with pieces of chocolate. Microwave for 30–40 seconds, until melted.
3. Place the other 6 biscuits on another plate. Top each one with marshmallows and microwave for 15–20 seconds.
4. Sandwich the biscuit halves together and serve the s’mores immediately.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Kendall-Leigh Nash // HMimages.co.za 

Banana bread in a bag 

Makes 8 // Total time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour cooking 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jet Club (@jetclubafrica)

Ingredients 

1 large Ziploc bag
4 ripe bananas
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups cake flour
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, whisked
1 tsp vanilla essence
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup chopped mixed nuts (optional) 

Method  

1. Place 3 bananas in a Ziploc bag, seal and mash with your hands. 
2. Add butter and combine. 
3. Add baking powder, flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon to banana mixture. Seal and mash together with your hands until well combined. 
4. Add eggs and vanilla, seal and mix until batter is smooth. 
5. Transfer mixture to a greased loaf tin, then fold nuts through. 
6. Slice the fourth banana in thirds and place on top of the batter. 
7. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. 
8. Cool completely before serving. We recommend topping with honey, butter or peanut butter. 

Top tip: This Ziploc bag method minimizes unnecessary dishes and is the perfect activity to get the kiddies involved. 

The post Sweet treats to make with your little one appeared first on MyKitchen.

Show mom just how much you love her with these adorable Valentine’s sweet treats.  

Cereal love bites  

Makes 10 • Total Time 1 Hour  

Ingredients
400g marshmallows (pink and white) 
¼ cup butter 
5 cups puffed rice 
80g white Chocolate, melted 
pink gel food colouring (optional) 
2 tbsp colourful sprinkles  

Method
1. Grease and line a 30cm round dish.
2. Add the butter to a pot placed over low heat and stir until melted.
3. Add the marshmallows and mix until smooth.
4. Pour in the puffed rice and stir to evenly coat in the marshmallow mixture.
5. Scoop the mixture into the lined dish, using an oiled spatula to flatten and shape the mixture. Work quickly before it sets. Allow it to cool completely.
6. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, carefully cut out individual cereal bars. Chill in the fridge.
7. Place a few spoons of melted chocolate in a resealable bag and set aside.
8. Add a tiny drop of food colouring to the remaining white chocolate and stir through to create a light pink colour.
9. Place pink coloured chocolate into a piping bag and remove marshmallow bites from the fridge.
10. Drizzle with white and pink chocolate and finish with sprinkles.

Top Tip: No piping bag? Place melted chocolate into a resealable bag, snip the corners and pipe. 

Wafer dips  

Makes 15 • Total Time 20 Min  

Ingredients
100g wafer biscuits 
80g white chocolate 
red gel food colouring 
20g pink sprinkles  

Method
1. Arrange the wafer biscuits on a lined baking tray and place in the freezer.
2. Chop the chocolate and add to a mug.
3. Microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Add a drop of food colouring and stir through.
4. Dip the tops of the wafers into the chocolate, hold to allow excess to drip off, then place on the baking tray.
5. Decorate with some sprinkles to finish off.
6. Repeat with the remaining wafers, placing them in the fridge for 10 minutes when done so they set properly.

Sugar cookies 2 ways  

Makes 15 • Total Time 30 Min  

Ingredients
FOR THE SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH 
200g butter 
200g caster sugar 
1 Egg  
400g  flour 
1 tsp salt  

FOR THE JOLLY JAMMER HEARTS 
100g raspberry jam  

FOR THE COOKIE KISSES 
200ml cream 
200g milk chocolate, chopped 
300g white chocolate  

Method
FOR THE SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH 
1. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every minute.
2. Add the egg and beat until just combined. Do not overbeat.
3. Sieve in the flour and salt, then mix until just combined.
4. Work the dough together with your hands, then roll out into two discs.
5. Wrap the discs in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

FOR THE JOLLY JAMMER HEARTS 
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Remove one of the dough discs from the fridge.
3. Flour a working surface and roll dough out to 1/2 cm thick.
4. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as the dough makes, rerolling when necessary.
5. Assemble the cookies on a lined baking tray and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
6. Before baking, use a small heart cutter, or the large end of a piping nozzle (or small bottle cap) to cut holes out of half of the cookies.
7. Bake cookies for 15–20 minutes, or until golden.
8. Remove and cool completely. 9. Spoon raspberry jam onto the uncut cookies. Sandwich them with the open cookies to create a jolly jammer heart.

FOR THE COOKIE KISSES 
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Flour a working surface and roll the remaining dough out to 1/2 cm thick.
3. Using a round or fluted cookie stencil, cut out as many rounds as the dough makes, rerolling when necessary.
4. Assemble the cookies on a lined baking tray and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden.
6. Remove and cool completely. While you wait, make the ganache fillings below.

FOR THE MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE 
1. Add 100ml cream to a bowl and heat until scalding
2. Add the chopped chocolate. Set aside for a few minutes then stir until smooth.
3. Set aside to cool until thick.

TO ASSEMBLE THE COOKIE KISSES 
1. Add each ganache to a piping bag and ice half of the cookies.
2. Sandwich together with the remaining cookies.
3. Serve cookies with tea or coffee, or package as gifts.

Top Tip: Placing the dough in the fridge to rest at various points prevents it from spreading too much when baking.  

Words: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photographs:  Zhann Solomons  

The post Valentine’s-Day-Inspired Recipes Kids Can Make appeared first on MyKitchen.

Who doesn’t love a good cupcake? Go ahead and try these fun ideas at your next birthday bash!

Lemon poppyseed cupcakes 
SERVES 14  •  TOTAL TIME  45 min, plus cooling

Yoghurt ⅔ cup

Vegetable oil  ⅔ cup

Eggs 3

Zest of lemons 3 lemons

Caster sugar 300 g

Self-raising flour 300 g

Salt ½ tsp

Poppy seeds, plus extra for garnish 40 g

FOR THE LEMON BUTTER ICING

Butter, room temperature 250 g

Icing sugar, sifted 500 g

Lemon juice 3 tbsp

Zest from lemon 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a 12-hole muffin tin.

2. Whisk together the yoghurt, oil and eggs. In a separate bowl, rub the lemon zest into the caster sugar, then combine with the remaining ingredients. Pour in the egg mixture and mix to form a smooth batter. 

3. Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter.

4. Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when poked.

FOR THE LEMON BUTTER ICING

1. Beat the butter in a bowl until light and creamy.

2. Mix in the icing sugar in three batches, then mix for 2 more minutes until smooth and fluffy.

3. Mix in the lemon juice and zest.

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Dollop or pipe the lemon butter icing onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate with a sprinkle of poppyseed, lemonzest and edible flower, if desired.

Red velvet & toasted marshmallow
SERVES 18  •  TOTAL TIME  1 hr, plus cooling

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Flour 1 ¾ cups

Cocoa 3 tbsp

Baking powder ¾ tsp

Salt ½ tsp

Sugar 1 ½ cups

Vegetable oil ¾ cup

Eggs 2

Vanilla essence 2 tsp

Red food colouring 2 tbsp

Buttermilk 1 cup

Bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp

White vinegar 1 tsp

FOR THE MARSHMALLOW TOPPING

Egg whites 3 

Cream of tartar ¼ tsp

Granulated sugar ¾ cup

Vanilla extract ¾ tsp

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line two 12-hole muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.

2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Add the sugar and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until the oil is incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between
each addition. Add the vanilla and the food colouring, then beat until thoroughly combined.

4. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the sugar mixture in alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat the batter until the flour is just incorporated.

5. Add the bicarb and vinegar to a small glass and mix to incorporate. Add this mixture to the batter and beat through for 15 seconds until well combined.

6. Spoon the batter into the muffin holes – try adding the same amountsto each hole. We spooned four tablespoons (about 60 g) of batter into each cupcake holder.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, until the cupcakes bounce back when poked. Take out of the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, then remove.

Recipes & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photography: callen jefferson/hmimages.co.za

Cupcakes are one of our favorite childhood treats, but instead of having regular chocolate or vanilla ones, why not have mojito cupcakes?

The post 2 Delicious And Decadent Cupcake Recipes appeared first on MyKitchen.