Sweet Independence indulgences

Today as a nation we celebrate 62 years of Independence. The cuisine of a country is a direct reflection of the history and culture of that country.

Ours is a nation true to this, our cuisine is a direct reflection of our colonialisation and our indigenous peoples, and for this we have one of the most delicious and intriguing cuisines of any country around the globe.

The recipes today celebrate us as a nation as each recipe is a direct result of a blending of our traditions and ingredients. Let us also remember today is a holiday and next week its back to school, so here are some sweet options you can prepare with your family to celebrate the end of a wonderful vacation for your children and indulge as well, because sweet indulgences are always welcomed.

Happy Independence!

Traditional sponge with lime meringue frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups granulated sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

5 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

¾ cup milk

2 tsp vanilla essence

Measure all your ingredients and set them aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cut your butter into chunks and place into your mixing bowl, make sure that your butter is very cold, you can use frozen butter. Add your sugar and start the creaming process, cream your butter and sugar until light in texture and colour, take your time here, use your fingers to feel the mixture to determine whether your sugar has dissolved.

Now add your eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.

You must incorporate your eggs slowly, and your mixture should be light and fluffy before you add another egg. If your mixture is somewhat loose and rather eggy, or appear curdled, you must beat a little more.

Measure your flour and sift three times.

Combine the milk with vanilla.

Now add your flour in three additions, folding in the flour alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Prepare 2 nine-inch cake pans: grease the sides, line the base with waxed paper, grease your paper and flour the pans. Shake out any excess flour.

Spoon the batter evenly into cake pans, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cakes pull or shrink away from the sides of the pan.

Do not open your oven door during baking or your cakes will fall.

Remove cakes from oven, cool in pans for five minutes, then invert onto cooling racks, remove lining and place right side up.

Lime meringue frosting

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg whites

⅓ cup water

⅛ tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp lime zest

With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until fluffy but not dry. add cream of tartar.

Combine sugar with water, stir gently to combine, place in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, boil sugar until bubbly and spins a thread when lifted from a fork.

Poor syrup into egg whites with mixer running, add lime zest, continue to beat until all the syrup has been incorporated, beat for a few minutes longer until mixture loses some of its gloss.

Frosts 2 nine-inch cakes.

Trinidad key lime pie

Crust:

9 ginger or digestive cookies

2 tbs sugar

5 tbs unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

14 ozs condensed milk

4 egg yolks

½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

whipped cream to serve

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a food processor, pulverise the cookies, add butter and combine. Press into the base and up the sides of a 9-inch glass pie plate.

Bake for about 10 minutes.

Make the filling, beat the yolks with the condensed milk, add lime juice and zest.

Pour into the cooled cookie crust and bake for 15 minutes until set.

Chill well, preferably 8 hrs or overnight before serving.

Serve with whipped cream.

Serves 8

Lime yoghurt poppyseed cake

5 tbs butter

1 tbs poppy seeds

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup full-cream all natural yoghurt

1 tbs freshly grated lime zest

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 tbs lime juice

Melt butter in a small saucepan, add poppy seeds and remove from heat, cool.

Beat eggs in an electric mixer until frothy, add sugar and continue beating until thick.

Add yoghurt and combine.

Add lime zest. Combine flour with baking powder.

Divide into three parts.

Fold in the flour in two parts, fold in butter and poppyseed mixture, then fold in the last of the flour.

Turn into a lined 8-inch loaf tin and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until golden or when a wooden pick inserted, comes out clean.

Remove to a cooling rack.

Make the glaze:

Combine confectioner’s sugar with lime juice. Spread glaze onto cake. Let set, slice and serve.

Makes one loaf cake.

Tonka spiced cake doughnuts

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt, plus more

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ginger

1 tsp grated tonka bean (optional)

2 large egg yolks

1 cup full cream unflavoured yoghurt

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tbs unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut oil for frying

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbs lime juice

Hot water

In a medium mixing bowl place flour, baking powder, 1 tsp salt, spices and tonka.

Beat egg yolks with yoghurt, sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.

Add dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together as a smooth but sticky dough.

Gently turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and gently knead to a smooth but soft ball.

Dust dough with more flour and roll to ½-inch thick, brush off any excess flour.

Stamp out circles about 3½ inch in diameter, then stamp out centres from dough about 1 inch in width, remove dough from centre and set aside.

Fit a large pot with deep-fry thermometer and pour in oil to a depth of 1½ inch.

Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°.

Fry doughnuts, turning once, until puffy and browned, about 2 minutes per side.

Drain on paper towels.

Make glaze by combining powdered sugar with lime juice, add hot water if needed to make a slack consistency.

Dip doughnuts into glaze and place on wire rack to set.

Makes about 9

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