Mother’s Day: precious time together
Next Sunday should be a special day for moms – it’s Mother’s Day. Here are some ideas to make it one for the memory banks. Arthi Gopi chats to celebrity chefs Deena Naidoo and Roxi Wardman, who has a big surprise
IT’S going to be a special Mother’s Day for the Bluff ’s MasterChef winner Roxi Wardman she has a “bun in the oven” herself.
“I don’t think I will be spoilt much this Mother’s Day, I may have to wait until next year,” she laughed.
With just a month to go for the momentous day, Wardman said she and her husband Byron were looking forward to the birth of their son.
“We are so over the moon, we just cannot wait to hold our baby,” she said.
Wardman opened her own restaurant called Spoonful Eatery in Glenwood soon after winning the TV reality competition 2015.
The former train driver is serving up fare in the Durban suburb, and hosts cooking classes. She is also expected to be part of a new South African vegan reality show soon.
Here is her recipe to delight moms next Sunday.
Sweetie Pie Cupcakes
A chocolate cupcake, topped with a marshmallow frosting which is covered in chocolate!
Chocolate cupcakes Ingredients:
1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1 egg 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup boiling water
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°c and line cupcake tray with holders.
In a bowl mix together all dry ingredients.
Add egg, oil and buttermilk and mix well.
Add boiling water and mix well.
Decant 1/4 cup of batter into each holder and bake for 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. Makes 12 cupcakes.
Marshmallow fluff Ingredients:
3 egg whites 2 tablespoons sugar 2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup water 3/4 cup glucose syrup
Method
In a pot combined glucose, water and 2/3cup sugar.
On a medium heat, bring sugar mixture to the boil and to 120°c should take about 15 minutes.
Whilst sugar mixture is coming to temperature, in a bowl whisk egg whites until foamy.
Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
When sugar is at right temperature slowly add to egg mixture whisking continuously.
Whisk until mixture is thick and glossy.
Makes enough fluff for 12 cupcakes. Chocolate coating Ingredients: 250grams dark chocolate 1 teaspoon oil Method
Melt chocolate and oil over a double boiler, until chocolate is smooth and runny. Set aside To assemble the cupcake:
Pipe marshmallow fluff on top of cupcakes. Put in freezer for 20 minutes to set.
Once fluff is set, dip into chocolate to coat marshmallow fluff.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Mom’s inspiration
Masterchef 2012 winner and former Durbanite Deena Naidoo is still making waves in the culinary world.
He’s presently building the new site for his restaurant Aarya (named after his daughter) at the Silverstar Casino in Krugersdorp.
His cooking and baking inspiration came from his late mom, Gonum Naidoo.
“My late mom loved baking hence my acknowledgment to her on this special day. This recipe is one of my favourites,” he said.
Red Velvet Cake/ Cup Cakes
Preparation time: 15 mins Baking time: 35 mins for double layer cake or 15 minutes for cup cakes Serves: 8-12 Ingredients 500ml cake flour 5ml each of baking powder, bicarbonate of Soda and Salt 50ml of cocoa powder 500ml sugar 250ml cooking oil 2 eggs 250ml of buttermilk 10ml of vanilla extract 20ml red food colouring 5ml of white balsamic vinegar 5ml instant coffee dissolved in 125ml of water OR 125ml prepared filtered coffee Method: Preheat oven to 180 C. In a large glass bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and keep aside.
In a large glass bowl, beat together the sugar and cooking oil.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla essence and red food colouring until combined.
Add this mixture to the sugar and vegetable oil and mix well.
Lastly stir in the coffee and white balsamic vinegar.
Add the sifted dry ingredients a tablespoon at a time, gently mixing until just combined.
Grease 2 springform/non stick cake pans with either butter or oil.
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and shake to expel any excess air bubbles.
Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Do not over bake as cake will continue to cook as it cools.)
Allow to cool in pan before removing. Cool on a cooling rack.
If baking cupcakes, line a muffin pan with paper cup cakes cases. Half fill these paper cup cake cases with batter and bake for 15- 18 minutes. (check with a toothpick at 15-minute mark).
Remove from oven and place the cup cakes on a cooling rack to cool.
When cake is completely cooled, ice the cake with homemade cream cheese icing. Home-made Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients 250g of cream cheese, full cream 500g icing sugar, sifted 100g of butter, softened 5ml of vanilla essence Method Beat butter. Gently add the cream cheese and vanilla essence and mix until well combined.
Slowly add the icing sugar. Mix until combined.
You may need a tablespoon or two of full cream milk to get a creamy consistency. Mix until smooth and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Sandwich cake together with the cream cheese icing.
Spread the rest of cream cheese icing on the sides and top of cake.
For cupcakes: place cream cheese icing in icing bag, pipe.