Blog Archives
Date Truffles
Salwaa’s Date Truffles
Delicious date balls or truffles made with dates, pistachios, crushed tennis biscuits and covered it with coconut and chocolate. It’s a very nice sweet and it goes well with mint tea. These date balls makes a great gift.
Add apple sauce instead of an egg. See my notes at the end.
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive since 2011!
Ingredients:
250g dates (pitted)
1 packet Tennis or Marie biscuits
110g butter or margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten*see variation below*
Desiccated coconut
Method:
Chop the dates ensuring no pits remain.
Crush the biscuits.
Combine the dates, butter, vanilla essence and sugar in a small pot.
Cook over low heat until well mixed and soft.
Allow to cool slightly, add the beaten egg and crushed biscuits and mix well.
Shape into small balls by hand and roll in the coconut.
Store in the fridge.
Variation:
Use 2 tablespoons apple sauce instead of the egg.
Dip the date balls in melted chocolate then dip in chopped nuts. I used pistachio nuts and almonds.
Or, press flat and evenly into a flat baking tray, cut into squares.
330th anniversary of the arrival of Sheikh Yusuf of Macassar to South Africa.
Our Cape Malay Heritage
Today marks the 330th anniversary of the arrival of Sheikh Yusuf of Macassar to South Africa.
If you see some people in the Cape Malay community today packing their picnic baskets with samoosas, koeksusters, boeber, rose water and dates it is most probably because they’re going to be having Iftar (breaking of the fast) today in Macassar.
Macassar is a small suburb between Strand and Somerset West in the western Cape. The small fishing village is hardly paradise but it has a legendary tale which will be told by its inhabitants that Moses parted the waters, Jesus walked on the waters but that it was Sheikh Yusuf of Macassar who put his foot in the salty sea waters and it turned into fresh waters that the sailors on board the Voetboog could drink when they were sailing to the Cape of a Good Hope. Sheikh Yusuf of Indonesia was exiled in the Cape by the Dutch East India Company in 1693
The story about Sheikh Yusuf of Macassar is one that will be celebrated today by lots of Cape Town aunties and their families who will be visiting his shrine in the Western Cape. In a booklet, “Guide to the Kramats of the Western Cape.”, edited by Mansoor Jaffer and published by the Cape Mazaar the voyage of the Voetboog sailing to the Cape was not without its challenges. Jaffer writes, “The voyage to the Cape was not without mysterious events. En route the fresh water supply became depleted and being far away from land, this caused deep concern. When Sheikh Yusuf came to hear of this, he merely put his foot in the sea, and told the men to let down the casks in that spot. When they pulled up the casks, they discovered, to their amazement, that the water was fresh and perfectly good to drink. It could have been that the Sheikh knew that they were near one of the fresh water currents of the coast of Natal. If so, it clearly displays the extent of his exceptional knowledge. Nevertheless, the legend lives on in the oral history of the community and is related with great pride by those who believe in his mystical powers.”
Today marks 330 years when the Voetboog sailed into the Cape of Good Hope in 1694 with Sheikh Yusuf; and his “mystical powers” continued to rein for the five years during which he was exiled here and during which time he contributed to a phenomenal spread of the Sufi school of Islam that was rooted in stoicism of personal & political ideals, tolerance for others and a marriage between science, art, politics and spirituality.
Sheikh Yusuf was a spiritual and political teacher to many of the slaves in the Cape. In 2005 the South African government honored Sheikh Yusuf posthumously with the National Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo in Gold for his contribution to the struggle against colonialism.
Sheikh Yusuf died in 1699, just five years after his arrival at the Cape, and more than three centuries later his memory continues to live on with significant numbers of people who pay homage at his shrine in Zandvliet (now known as Macassar to honour the place where he was born).
Written by Ismail Raeesa and share by Mogamat Kammie Kamedien
Recipe for 100 cupcakes
Baking for a crowd doesn’t have to be stressful! My cupcake recipe, fit for any large gathering, will ensure you’ll have more than enough to go around and have leftovers to enjoy with a cuppa…
You will need a really big bowl to mix the batter. Perfect homemade cupcakes also depend on the ingredients you use, the techniques you employ, and the variables in your own kitchen. But thankfully, in most cake recipes, the same basic principles apply.
Some tips for baking the perfect cupcake:
- 1. Use quality ingredients – I always use large eggs
- 2. Bring ingredients to room temperature – Let eggs and milk warm up on the counter for 1 hour before you mix your batter for a taller, softer cupcake!
- 3. Use a kitchen scale or measuring cups – ensure you use the correct size measuring cups and spoons
- 4. Don’t over-mix the batter – For best results, mix by hand (or use a stand mixer on the lowest setting), and mix until all ingredients are just combined.
- 5. Check your oven temperature – for a flat cupcake top, I recommend baking on 170°C for approx 25 min
- 6. Don’t open the oven door during baking! – opening the door whilst baking may result in your cupcake sinking in the centre
- 7. Bake cupcakes in the centre of your oven – Position your oven rack in the very centre of your oven to help cupcakes bake evenly (unless you using a fan assisted oven)
- 8. Use a quarter cup measurement to fill cupcake liners – fill your cupcake liners two thirds full
- 9. Move cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely – allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating
My cupcake recipe can be made a day in advance and also freeze well. Flash freeze on a tray and then seal in an airtight container. Can be frozen for up to three months. When ready to enjoy, you can thaw the cupcakes at room temperature on a plate, they should be ready to consume in around 2 hours.
If possible, try to freeze cupcakes unfrosted. They are easier to store and stack, and can be quickly frosted just before you’re ready to serve them.
My recipe for a hundred simple cupcakes.
You will need:
5 cups castor sugar
20 large eggs
5 cups cooking oil, I used vegetable oil
3 tablespoons vanilla essence
10 cups cake or plain flour
5 tablespoons baking powder
2½ cups milk
You will need to:
Preheat oven to 170C, line muffin or cupcake tins with cupcake cases.
Cream eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Pour in the oil and mix well until the mixture is light and creamy. The mixture should be pale yellow in colour. Stir in the vanilla essence. Add the flour and baking powder, mix until combined. Do not over mix. Stir in milk and mix to combine until the mixture is a smooth dropping consistency.
Divide the mixture equally between the 100 cupcake cases. I used a quarter measuring cup to fill my cupcake cases. Fill the cases up to three quarters.
Bake the cupcakes in a preheated oven at 170°C for 15-20 minutes or until well risen, golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Decorate as required.
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Romany Creams
Salwaa’s Romany Creams
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive!
Romany Creams
Romany Creams, one of South Africans favourite tea time treats. A crunchy chocolate flavoured biscuit sandwich together with good quality chocolate. Traditionally it’s made round but I’ve made them into squares as well! It’s a hit with kids as well. Instead of sandwiching together with chocolate, finish with a colourful smartie on top. Use a drop of chocolate to paste the smartie in place.
Smartie Romany Creams
Ingredients:
2 extra-large eggs
¾ cup cooking oil
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups desiccated coconut
3 – 4 cups self-raising flour
125g soft butter
Cooking chocolate to complete
Method:
Cream the butter, sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy.
Add the eggs. Mix well.
Add the coco powder and stir to combine.
Gradually add the self-raising flour & coconut.
Mix by hand to make fairly stiff dough.
Roll out dough to 2-3mm thick on a lightly floured surface.
Using a fork, scrape lines over the dough to create a slightly rough texture.
Cut out round shapes with a biscuit cutter.
Transfer onto baking sheets.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for approx 8-10minutes.
Allow to the biscuits to cool on a wire rack.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.
Sandwich two biscuits together using the melted chocolate.
Leave to set. Yields approximately 40 complete biscuits
Cook’s Tip:
Place a piece of greaseproof paper or plastic wrap over the dough before rolling. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
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Kolwyntjies
Kolwyntjies (korrewyntjies) – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights – Salwaa Smith
Kolwyntjies (korrewyntjies, cupcakes)
Nowadays kolwyntjies are better known as cupcakes, kolwyntjies were baked for special occasion topped with a spread of icing and topped with hundreds and thousands or eaten plain.
Shukran / tramekasie / thank you Grandma Soraya for the recipe 😉
Click here for details of where to purchase my latest cookbook
Creating memories, today my granddaughters helped me baked kolwyntjies!
Maryam & Thanaa
May Allah bless them always, Ameen
Makes 24
Ingredients:
100g softened butter
3 Tbsp cooking oil
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup warm milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
Using a large mixing bowl cream the butter, oil and sugar together. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
Fold in the self-raising flour, baking powder, milk and vanilla essence.
Pour the mixture into 24 cupcake cases or into 2 well-greased (grease with butter and dust with flour) muffin tins.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 – 20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack completely before decorating.
Kolwyntjies
Frosting:
1 ¼ cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp butter
3 tsp hot water
Food colouring as desired
Mix all the ingredients together. Divide into small bowls and add the food colouring. Spread a spoonful over the cakes, sprinkle with hundreds and thousands and top with a sweet, chocolate or candy.
Kolwyntjies nowadays known as Cupcakes 🙂
© Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
Patterned Swiss Roll
Patterned Swiss roll – my daughter, Tohierah, saw this idea on the internet and decided to make this cake. You can virtually use any design. Draw a design on a piece of paper and use it as a guideline. Try making hearts, giraffe patterns, flowers, lace patterns, dots, etc…
Ingredients For The Pattern
3 Tbsp (50g) unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup icing sugar, sifted
2 large eggs whites
4 Tbsp cake flour, sifted
food colouring as required
Method:
Cream together butter and icing then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well until all the ingredients are well combined. Colour as desired. Get your template and put baking paper on top of it in a baking tray and copy the design using the coloured batter. Freeze the design in the tray till its hard to the touch. Depending on the pattern you using this batter should be enough for 2 Swiss rolls patterns.
Use any pattern for your design
Place baking paper over your design
Coloured batter used for this design
Completed pattern – freeze until hard
Ingredients For The Sponge Cake
3 large eggs, separated
80g caster sugar
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melt
4 tbsp cake flour, sifted
½ tsp vanilla essence
Wet a kitchen towel
Method For The Swiss Roll:
Separate the egg whites from yolks in two bowls
In the bowl with the egg whites add half the sugar and cream of tartar
Mix the egg whites with an electric mixer till soft peaks form don’t over mix you will know its ready when the peaks hold its shape but the mixture is still quite soft
In the bowl with the egg yolks add the remaining sugar and mix this till its fluffy and creamy
Swiss Roll Batter
Pour the batter on top of the frozen design
Trim the edges
Flip the Swiss Roll onto the wet towel
Roll it in the towel
Filled with cream, multi colour heart design
Multi colour dots design
Filled with strawberries & cream
Patterned Swiss Roll
Ingredients For The Pattern
3 Tbsp (50g) unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup icing sugar, sifted
2 large eggs whites
4 Tbsp cake flour, sifted
Food colouring as required
Method:
Cream together butter and icing then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well until all the ingredients are well combined. Colour as desired. Get your template and put baking paper on top of it in a baking tray and copy the design using the coloured batter. Freeze the design in the tray till it’s hard to the touch. Depending on the pattern you using this batter should be enough for 2 Swiss rolls patterns.
Ingredients For The Sponge Cake
3 large eggs, separated
80g caster sugar
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melt
4 Tbsp cake flour, sifted
½ tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp cream of tartar
Prepare a wet towel to use once the Swiss roll has been baked.
Method For The Swiss Roll:
Separate the egg whites from yolks in two bowls
In the bowl with the egg whites add half the sugar and cream of tartar
Mix the egg whites with an electric mixer till soft peaks form don’t over mix you will know it’s ready when the peaks hold its shape but the mixture is still quite soft
In the bowl with the egg yolks add the remaining sugar and mix this till its fluffy and creamy
Then fold egg white mixture with egg yellow mixture in three stages to ensure you don’t knock out all the air that was created
Once it’s all combined put half your flour in the cake batter as well as half the melted butter fold it in in a figure of eight to ensure all the air is kept in the batter
Do that again with the rest of the flour, rest of the butter and vanilla essence till everything is combined
Take the frozen pattern out the freezer and pour the Swiss roll cake mixture evenly over the pattern
Pour the batter on top of the frozen design
Pop the tray into the preheated oven at 180 degrees for seven minutes
Remove the cake from the oven, trim the edges whilst in the pan still
Flip the Swiss roll onto a damp tea towel ensuring that the pattern of the cake is facing down
Roll it up and allow to cool
Unfold when cool and fill as desired and re-roll.
© Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
Orange Biscuits (lemoen koekies)
Orange Biscuits (lemoen koekies)
Traditional Cape Malay biscuits flavoured with orange essence and dried citrus peels.
Orange Biscuits / Lemoen Koekies
Ingredients:
250g soft butter or good quality baking butter
1 cup sugar
1 extra large egg
¼ cup sunflower oil
3 tsp orange essence
4 x 250ml cake flour, sifted
1 tsp ground naartjie/orange/satsuma peel (dried and ground)
1 tsp baking powder
Cachous (sen-sen) sweets to complete
Sen-Sent Sweets / Pink Cachous
Method:
Using a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar
Add the oil, essence and egg, mix well
Add the flour, baking powder and citrus peels
Mix well to form a firm dough
Roll out the dough approximately 5mm thick on a lightly floured surface
Cover the dough with cling film or greaseproof paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin
Take a fork and lightly scrape the surface of the dough to make a line pattern
Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter and place the biscuits on a baking tray (no need to grease the baking tray)
Place a sen-sen sweet in the middle of each biscuit
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 12 – 15 minutes or until lightly browned
Makes approximately 70 biscuits.
Orange Biscuits
Lemoen Koekies
© Cape Malay Cooking
Saboera Biscuits
Saboera Biscuits
Traditional Cape Malay biscuits subtly flavoured with spices and rose water.
Saboera Biscuits
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
250g soft butter or good quality baking margarine
¼ cup sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 extra large egg
1 tsp rose water
4 x 250ml cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp ground dried naartjie (satsuma) peel
To complete:
½ cup sugar poured into a side plate
Black currants
Method:
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together using a whisk until light and fluffy
Add the oil, egg, vanilla essence, rose water and mix well to combine
Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into the wet mixture and mix to form a firm dough
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until approximately 5mm thick
Cover the dough with greaseproof paper or cling film whilst rolling to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin
Cut oblong shapes with a cookie cutter
Press 3 currants on top of the biscuits, slightly spread out
Saboera Biscuits
Dip each biscuit (the top side only) in the sugar and place onto a baking tin, leave some space between each biscuit in case of spreading
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 12 -15 minutes or until light brown
Makes 70 depending on the size of the cookie cutter.
© Cape Malay Cooking
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Light and fluffy chocolate cake made in a Bundt or ring tin.
5 extra-large eggs, separated
1 cup white sugar
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup sunflower oil
2 tsp baking powder
¾ cup hot water (boiled water, slightly cooled)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Preheat your oven to 170C.
Grease a Bundt (ring) tin.
Using a large mixing bowl, cream the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the oil and stir to combine.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together in a separate bowl.
Add the flour mixture and the hot water to the wet ingredients in stages mixing well after each addition.
Using an electric beater whip the egg whites stiff until they hold their peaks.
Fold the egg whites lightly into cake mixture until just combined. DO NOT OVER STIR as the cake will lose volume and won’t be as light and fluffy.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake at 170C for 35 minutes. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out on a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
Ganache
200g Cadbury Diary milk chocolate
½ cup fresh cream
Melt together for 60 seconds in the microwave in a suitable container without stirring. Let it rest/stand for 2 minutes and stir to combine the chocolate and cream. Pour this over the cake. Decorate with fresh strawberries and/or chocolate curls.
© Cape Malay Cooking – Salwaa Smith
Cape Malay cookbook highlights traditional recipes
Cape Malay & Other Delights Cookbook
Written by Yazeed Kamaldien
When Cape Town cookbook author Salwaa Smith moved to the United Kingdom 14 years ago she made sure her family would not forget the tastes of home.
Surrounded by cuisine from around the world in the UK, Smith cooked all the traditional Cape Malay stews and staples she grew up with in Surrey Estate suburb. She relied on her trustworthy typed-up a list of recipes from home.
Three years ago those recipes gained wider appreciation when Smith started the Cape Malay & Other Delights page on Facebook.
Cape Malay cookbook author Salwaa Smith. Picture by Yazeed Kamaldien
This Facebook page currently has close on 100,000 subscribers, many of whom encouraged Smith to publish a book of recipes.
Earlier this month, Smith launched her self-published Cape Malay & Other Delights Cookbook in Cape Town, after an initial UK launch.
Smith says her desire to “create something” started…
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Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights - Salwaa Smith 
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