The BEST chocolate cupcakes EVER!

Seriously though. These are honestly the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever eaten!! This recipe was given to me by my beautiful Sea Gypsy friend, and every single time I devour one, or two, or seven of them, I think of her (love you!) They are so good that I am actually reluctant to share them with you because I so jealously love them!  

What you need:

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cups cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of bicarbonate soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

Frosting:

• 125g softened butter
• 2 1/2 cups sieved icing sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence 
• 2/3 cup cocoa

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 
2. Sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients together and add to the dry mixture, folding together gently.
4. Add 1 cup of boiling water (this is the ultimate secret!) The batter should be a rich dark and glossy colour and very runny. This makes the cupcakes wonderfully moist. 
5. Bake for about 15 minutes.
6. To make the frosting, just combine the ingredients and mix till smooth. (This icing is SO good, it tastes just like the pilsbury chocolate frosting, and it was basically all I ate all day long today - as well as my sisters and dad, whipping spoons in and out of the bowl!)
7. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost and fall in love!

Thank-you Sea Gypsy!! 

White chocolate, raspberries and macadamias

What could be more wonderful than baking on a Sunday afternoon for your family? They will love you! If you haven't already realised, I have a great love affair with food, and this weekend I treated my mouth to delicious farm rye with handcrafted chili cheese, smoked mozzarella, camembert, pestos, humus, my mom's warmly baked scones with jam and whipped cream, and chocolate fudge cake. Extend the love affair, and treat your family, or those loved ones around you, with white chocolate, raspberry and macadamia brownies, well actually "blondies" :)

What you need?

• 125g butter, chopped
• 200g white chocolate (or more, much more!!)
• 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten lightly
• 3/4 cup (110g) cake flour
• 1/2 cup (75g) self raising flour
• 100g of white chocolate, extra, chopped
• 1/2 cup (75g) macadamias, toasted and chopped coarsely
• 150g fresh or (thawed) frozen raspberries
• 1 Tbsp of icing sugar, to sprinkle

What you do?

1. Preheat the oven to 180-190C /(or 350-375F).
2. Grease a cake tin, and line with baking paper (which I didn't do... and it turned out alright-ish)
3. Melt the butter and white chocolate in a glass bowl placed above a pot of boiling water, stirring over the low heat, without boiling, until the mixture is lovely and smooth. Cool until just warm.
4. Sitr in the sugar, eggs, sifted flours (and you all know that this is for hardcore bakers only, us lazy one just throw it all in), add in the extra chocolate pieces, nuts and raspberries.
5. Place the mixture into the pan and spread out.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until firm, allowing to cool within the pan. Dust with icing sugar, cut into slices and let them sweetly kiss your tastebuds. 

Making it through

There is a little hamlet called Riviersonderend that Ray and I stop at when we drive to and from George to visit our family. We have to stop at that small, but very special, bakery along the side of the road for coffee and the most amazing pies. This little bakery has worked up quite a reputation and almost everyone I know who takes that road makes a quick driveby to pick up their favourite pie! We love the pies so much that we asked friends who were travelling back to Cape Town to please bring some back to us - and they did! Our family enjoyed them Friday afternoon :)

Ray and I spent Friday evening with friends at a chocolate fondue - well I didn't know most of the people, but found myself laughing and chatting as if I had known then for ever (I keep thinking, "What a wonderful group of people!") What I loved the most was giggling with my sister, Ray stuffing me with chocolate covered strawberries messing it all over my face, holding me beside the fire and keeping me close while I almost fell asleep on the late night ride home...

I awoke on Saturday feeling rather ill, but I forced myself to go to dancing... it ended up being the most incredible African Contemporary dance class I have been to in years! I had the most fun - even if I felt utterly broken in the end (my legs are still shaking, my shoulders are bruised, I cannot lift up my arms and laughing is agony!) I think that I just needed that brief moment to fly, to express all the frustration of the last few stressful weeks, to be challenged and to push myself to the point of collapse.

And that is exactly what happened... since then I have spent almost two days in bed sleeping. The very last thing I feel like doing is attempting to study for my Biochemistry exam tomorrow (cries) and my Genetics exam on Wednesday (sobs), neither of which I have studied for (blames all the time stealing tests from last week). I do have hope though... when I stare into the week ahead I always feel overwhelmed, yet I forget to look back and see that I made it through the week that was! Somehow (well I know how - by the strength of my Saviour!) I always seem to make it... sometimes more gracefully than others, but I am sure that He will help me stumble along and finish strong. 

I am (always) eternally grateful to Ray for the endless cups of tea, pieces of toast and hugs he has gently given me... (it is always the little things that are truly the big things!) But I better stop blogging and start studying! 

Decadent chocolate mousse

So I have survived this weekend's brutal storm of terrifying thunder, flashes of white hot lightning slicing through the midnight sky, pelting hail, gale force winds shaking my windows in their paint-peeled wooden frames, pelting hail, the churning ocean and bitter coldness. 

I definitely think that we all could use some comfort food (also my lovely's family is down for the weekend!) And so this recipe came to mind:

I made this to impress my future in-laws... and let's just say that they were seriously impressed :) I love anything with chocolate and this is pure decadence and will satisfy any craving (I highly recommend doubling the recipe - a single recipe is shown below - because you will definitely be wanting more!)

What you need?

• 100g  (or 3 1/2oz) of dark chocolate (good quality)
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 35g of castor sugar
• 150ml (or 5fl oz) of double cream

What to do?

1. Place the dark chocolate and milk in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt and combine until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until thick a creamy.
3. Whisk in the melted chocolate gently. (When I did this I so brilliantly got my one finger stuck in the moving whisk/mixing things - and yes, the mixer was ON - needless to say it was VERY sore! So just be careful, or make sure that it is switched off at the wall before you push those prongs into the handheld mixer - lesson learnt). 
4. Whip the cream in a bowl until peaks form. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture until combined - take care not to over mix. 
5. Whisk the egg whites until still and fold into the chocolate mixture. (Yes, now you may lick all those yummy spoons!)
6. Spoon (I like to use a spatula) the chocolate mousse mixture into a serving bowl, or individual serving containers, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (it is worth it).
7. Decorate with chocolate shavings, or crunchy biscotti and strong coffee, or a dollop of whipped cream :)

Go and impress your family!

Sunshine smiles

The sun is shining and we are smiling :)

For days I had been anticipating these moments. R and I spend every day together, but we are always so incredibly busy, working side-by-side late into the night, or the painful, early hours of the morning... and I could just not wait to have a day off and spend it relaxing with my best friend.

Even a Genetics test, horrendous practical and delayed trains could dampen my excitement of being able to attend Bible study last night. It is a time of encouragement, of being challenged, grappling to understand God's Word, together being shaped by the truth, asking those difficult questions, honest prayer, feeling awe and thankfulness. But it is also a time of great laughter, teasing one another, catching up, eating way too many chocolates, wrapped in R's warm jacket, a blazing fire place and screaming at the TV cheering our Olympic favourites on... It fills you up. The sense of unity, friendship, accountability and love, we are like a family :)

Something that struck me again last night in discussion... as a believer, I have died with Christ, my sin has been crucified with Him on the cross, and I have been raised to new life, to freedom, not to myself, not to do whatever I so please, not to sin, but to live for God, free to obey Him, to say no to sin and be more like Christ... I am free to live how God originally created humanity to be in the very beginning, to glorify God! 

After a long, dreamless sleep, lazing in warmth and for once getting out of bed only after the sun has risen... ah, wonderful! I celebrated my Women's day with a group of lovely ladies. It was a colour workshop, where you discover what "season" you are - a Summer, Winter, Autumn or Spring. Mounds of fabrics where draped over us, comments of "Oh, that looks awful!" or "Wow, that makes you glow!" ensued with much love and laughter. Then tea with nutty, chocolate Texas brownies and decadent New York cheesecake, standing on the balcony overlooking the most glorious view of endless, deep blue ocean stretching before us, high up on the mountain with the whole bay far below, the white sails of the boats twinkling in the distance. 

I have been enjoying the sun with R, loving these stolen hours, just grateful. But the day is only going to get better with a family barbecue :) Happy Thursday! 

Cake-in-a-cup :)

Craving something chocolate? (Trick question - OF COURSE!) Also, it is Monday, so what better excuse that to treat yourself after making it through today? This is the quickest, easiest chocolate cake-in-a-cup recipe ever! Within just minutes you will be spooning pure yumminess into your mouth :)

What you need:

• 4 Tbsp self raising flour (or plain flour with 1 tsp of baking powder)
• 4 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cocoa 
• 3 Tbsp nutella (yes, really!)
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

What you do:

1. Mix everything in a bowl and whisk with a fork - or directly into a REALLY large mug!
2. Divide the mixture into 2 mugs. 
3. Cook in the microwave for 1-3 minutes - it'll depend on your microwave strength. If you want it to be all gooey and fudgy in the middle, cook it for a little less. Be careful of the mixture overflowing. 
4. It is seriously that simple! Serve with a dollop of melted marshmallow, vanilla ice-cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, nutella, caramel treat - INDULGE :)

Chocolate chunk cookies

Winter is raging. It is icy. Rain clouds have replaced the clear blue skies and wonderful warmth of the past few days. Across the country snow has fallen. And so, here is something that you can do to keep warm - bake American-style chewy chocolate chunk cookies. In my family we make these at least once a week - they really are THAT good! Within thirty minutes you will have gone from wanting, to making, to baking, to eating.

What you need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups of firmly packed brown sugar (that yummy sticky sugar, or you can just use white sugar and add a good squirt of golden syrup)
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla or caramel essence
• 1 1/4 cups of self-raising flour (or normal flour with a tsp of baking powder)
• 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips (or at least 2 100g slabs of dark chocolate roughly chopped into lovely large chunks of goodness) - personally, add as much chocolate as you like, for a true chocoholic believes that you can never have too much chocolate!
• 1 to 1 3/4 cups of either oats, walnuts, raisins or coconut (or a combination) - we usually add either oats (to make us feel "healthy") or crushed pecans 

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180/200 C (or around 400 F).
2. Using an electric mixer (or your arm and a whisk - which will really warm you up!) beat the eggs and sugar together - for about 1 minute or until the mixture changes to a lighter colour.
3. Stir in the oil, essences, sifted dry ingredients and remaining ingredients (basically throw everything else into the bowl).
4. Cover and cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (I don't think we have ever done this step before - we just cannot wait!) But for those of you that have a little bit more baking patience, this is so that the mixture hardens to prevent the cookies from spreading while they bake (for us the oats usually hold the cookies together nicely).
5. Place spoonfuls of the cookie dough mixture onto a grease baking tray or two. If you have a really sweet tooth you can roll your cookie balls in icing sugar and then place them on the tray to bake.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes (like that is going to happen!)
7. Enjoy while still warm - with a tall glass of cold milk or crumbled over a bowl of ice-cream :)

When I lay in bed, under my blankets, licking the melted chocolate off my fingers, all warm and cozy, I remember all those who are less fortunate than me... I have been so blessed and have so, so very much, while many in SA suffer in this freezing cold. Give thanks, be humble, share! Leave your safe, comfortable life and help those who go without, let your prayers become action, take a plate of cookies to your neighbour, go through your cupboards and fill boxes for the shelter down the road, donate blankets at your local supermarket, get involved in a church outreach or community project, smile at a stranger, make a small but loving difference :)

Chocolate brownies!

Is there anything more lovely on a freezing cold winter's day than eating chocolate brownies hot out of the oven? And so here is a moist, fudgy, and one of our favourite (and easy), chocolate brownie recipes:

What you need:

• 180g butter 
• 150g dark chocolate (about 2 slabs/bars)
• 1 3/4 cups of caster sugar (sticky brown or normal white sugar are also fine)
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 1tsp caramel essence (if desired)
• 3/4 cup of cake flour
• 2Tbsp self-raising flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 100g of your favourite sweet treat (see below)
• 1/3 cup of yumminess (see below)

What to do:

For me the fun has always been in the making: see it as a time to relax, no distractions, just you quietly leaving all worries outside of the kitchen door, adorable in your apron, creative genius if just for a few minutes... let yourself experiment, it is not about creating the "perfect" baked good but about trying new things, laughing, licking that chocolate drenched spoon and feeling yourself de-stress :)

1. Preheat the oven to 160C (or 325F) and grease a medium-sized baking tray. (Once I made these in a smallish tray where the mixture overflowed in the oven while baking causing the most horrible mess. I remember scraping burnt brownies for quite a while...)
2. Melt the butter (fact: butter makes everything better!) and dark chocolate until smooth. The "proper" way is to place them in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water... but the microwave works just as well (for time pressed - not lazy - bakers).
3. Add in the sugar, beaten eggs, essences, sifted flour (let's be honest - who actually sifts their flour - unless they need to impress someone special right?) and cocoa (which really should be sifted to avoid clumps) to the butter/chocolate mixture. 
4. The "awesome" part of adding in your favourite sweet treat: I usually just add in another slab of chocolate chopped up, but this is where you can make the brownies your own - white chocolate chips, raspberries, cherries, chopped nuts like hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, your favourite chocolate bar all diced up like bar one, nougat, rolo, reeses peanutbutter cups, new york peppermint patties, fudge pieces, crushed meringues, honeycomb, a dollop of creamcheese or sourcream, whatever your heart desires! (I have a rule that the "baker" is allowed to eat as much of their treat while they are adding it to the mixture - but beware of hungry family members!)  
5. Pour your delicious mixture into into the prepared tray. This is where the "yumminess" comes in: take little spoonfuls of peanutbutter, nutella or caramel treat (use your baking inspiration) place them into the mixture and swirl through with a knife. 
6. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes (I promise that it is worth the wait - said by the most impatient chocoholic in the world!) or a little bit longer for a lighter, cake-like brownie. Tip: sometimes I find my brownies getting crisp on the edges but still gooey in the middle, I then turn down the heat (or turn off the oven) and leave them in there for about 10-15 minutes until firm.
7. Final, and BEST, step is to EAT your brownies while still wonderfully warm (or like my family which demolishes them within minutes) and preferably with ice-cream. Enjoy :)

One last baking idea:

Sometimes we truly just need to eat the most decadent imaginable baked creation possible - layered brownies: the bottom layer is chocolate chip cookie dough, the middle layer is double stuffed oreo cookies topped with your favourite treat (caramel, chocolate, marshmallows), and the top layer is brownie mixture. Repeat layers as your "need" demands,  bake and serve with, of course, ice-cream!