NAARTJIE & RASPBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

My Ouma often used to make a pineapple upside-down cake for dessert at family gatherings. This is my take on her original.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 160ml (2/3 cup) caster sugar
• 125ml (½ cup) oil -use olive oil for a unique flavour
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• 330ml (1 1/3 cups) flour
• 5ml baking powder
• 125ml (½ cup) full cream yoghurt
• 6-7 small naartjies
• 100g punnet raspberries

For the syrup

• 45ml honey
• 125ml boiling water
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• full cream yoghurt for serving

Method

1. Grease and flour a 20cm loose bottom springform tin.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C.
3. Whisk the eggs until fluffy and then add the sugar and beat until the ribbon stage.
4. Whisk in the oil for a couple of minutes.
5. Sieve in the flour and the baking powder, folding in with a spatula.
6. Fold in the yoghurt.
7. Peel and slice the naartjies into halves across the segments.
8. Lay the naartjies halves cut side down into the baking tin and fill in the gaps with the raspberries.
9. Spoon over the cake batter making sure it’s nice and level.
10. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
11. While the cake is baking make the syrup. Place the honey, water, and rose water into a small jug and stir to combine.
12. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tin and placing it upside down on a serving platter.
13.  Brush the fruit with the syrup, keeping some to pour when serving, you can make more of the syrup if you want an extra syrupy feel.
14. Slice and serve with full cream yoghurt.

Braai Slaai – Chargrilled Greens with Avo coconut lime dressing

We are a family that braai’s….. my dad would braai every night if he could. As I’ve moved towards a more plant- based diet, I’ve found some fun ways of getting the chargrilled taste into my vegetables….

Ingredients

• 200g tenderstem broccoli
• Punnet of asparagus
• 3 medium size zucchini, peeled/ sliced into ribbons
• 150g baby spinach
• ½ small red onion, finley sliced
• 60ml peanuts

For the dressing:

• 1 avo
• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 125ml coconut milk
• 15ml fish sauce
• 60ml water
• 5ml salt
• 2.5ml black pepper

Method

1. Grill the broccoli, asparagus, and zucchini on the braai.(can be done on a ribbed skillet too!)
2. Place a braai-proof pan on the braai and toast the peanuts.
3. Crush the peanuts with the back of a tumbler or knife.
4. Start with laying the spinach onto your salad plate.
5. Then layer the grilled vegetables and red onion over the spinach.
6. Drizzle with the dressing and finally garnish with the crushed peanuts.