Story behind this cake.... I made this for my sister in law Zakiyya's Birthday. It reminded me of her previous Birthday when we all waited in line for Starbucks to open. Boy!!! What a long queue... But it was worth it... Memories were definitely made!

Poor confused Starbucks teller...He thought he was experiencing a severe case of dejavu...  What can you expect when all the men in our house are named Muhammad...He served one coffee after another to each Muhammad in our family...LOLL...   I wish I had the video, the way he handled it though... Left us in stitches... By then everyone in Starbucks were singing Happy Birthday to Zakiyya... And seeing smiles on everyone's face especially Zakiyyas, was priceless!

So ofcourse I felt inspired and wanted to try to recreate a cake after the coffee we enjoyed with my own twist...

Starbucks Salted caramel crunchie Chocolate cake

1 and 3/4 cup flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder 

1 and 1/2tsp baking soda

3/4tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk (or 1tblsp vinegar in 1 cup milk) 

115g butter melted

1 tblsp vanilla essence 

1 cup hot coffee (2tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water) 

Fresh cream 500ml 

Crunchie chocolate x2 or more if you like 

1 slab wholenut chocolate 

Almonds roasted or other nuts... 

Grease either 3 round cake tins or 2.... But should have little left over... As this recipe is for 3...

Preheat oven to 175deg

In large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then add the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla essence... Beat till smooth... About 3mins.

Then add hot coffee and mix with spatula. Batter will be runny.. Pour into tins and bake for 35mins..

Heat a tin of nestle caramel treat on stove top on low heat and add half or 1 teaspoon salt(taste as you go)  and mix well till smooth.. Till salt dissolved.. 

Whip 500 ml fresh cream with 6 tablespoons sugar and half teaspoon vanilla essence. 

Now add the melted caramel sauce to one layer and top with chopped Cadbury crunchie, roasted nuts, and Cadbury wholenut chocolate... Top with Cream.  Add your next cake layer and then coat the entire cake with fresh cream.. 

Heat the caramel slightly... Just till warm..mix and pour slowly on the top of the cake.. Use a skewer stick to make swirls with caramel and fresh cream...It's ok if it drips over the cake.. You can do it as you like...  And then top with chopped crunchie, wholenut chocolate and nuts.. 

Try other topping options like popping candy, snaxells choc Stix, caramel or other gourmet popcorns, peanut brittle(break into uneven shards and top the cake with the standing shards) toffee or caramel sweets... Fillings can be jam and fresh cream, or First Choice Velvet chocolate flavoured dairy dessert that's new and comes in a box... Should be in the custard section of your local grocer. 

Zakiyya loved the cake! We all did, so I'm sure you will too!  

By the way, Zakiyya makes Couture cakes and bakes, so if you'd love to see her creations, or have her make your special bake, follow her on instagram... Click here.. Couture Cakes and Confections by Z

Pic courtesy of Starbucks

Ramadaan is just a few days away. I cannot believe it! It will also pass by so quickly, so do your very best to make as much ibaadah as possible with a clean and sincere heart,  and may Allah accept our ibaadah, zakaah, sadqah and our fasts.. Make the most of it! It's a gift and it's freedom from the fire... What more can we ask.. InshaAllah ameen... All the very best... And lots of love and duas from me, as always!

Next up will be more on the HFWSA.... And I get cooking with aniseeds?? 

Recovering from a hectic work week, followed by a working weekend, and with just days to go to finally open my online store Stylexplora, I am thoroughly BEAT!

I can't believe the amount of rain following that weekend ...Alhumdulillah, SubhanAllah and indeed AllahuAkbar!

It was a fantastic weekend with the Stylexplora team! Fashion shoot done and dusted! I'm still in complete disbelief! I was stressing about the weather for the shoot, as news of Cyclone Dineo did its rounds and the venue constantly revised and changed. The day for the shoot approached and it was cloudy, sunny, and for the most part...a really hot day, and my clarity on the venue clearer than the day! Everything went far better than expected! Alhumdulillah!

I had  the pleasure of working with astute modest models, focused and dedicated to their work, and cannot wait to reveal both my line and my gorgeous ambassador. It's no easy task for models to change into more that 10 outfits per model, with the heat bearing down, hijab styling in the mix, and do a shoot of each outfit within a limited time with the photographer. I greatly appreciated their ability to work independently, as I combined my roles of stylist, make-up artist, hijab stylist and shoot coordinator. I am definitely going to include a post in future for a successful photoshoot, should you ever find yourself in the same position.

For  now though, I could do with the super power of a couch potato! Yes! I'd like the ability to sit and chill and not have annoying feelings of guilt over being unproductive. I have issues!....but cooking isn't always one of them;)...so here's a great recipe for Chicken Quiche:*

I've been making this one since high school...if you want it banting friendly...leave out the pastry crust and go crustless. You can also swop the chicken for tuna, salmon, steak, or veges. Excuse the blurry image, I had to capture a shot from my video of the quiche coming out the oven, because I forgot to take a pic. I made this one for my mum.

Chicken Quiche:

Ingredients:

Pastry

1 cup flour

5ml salt

120g butter/ margarine 

Rub above together till crumbs,

1 egg beaten slightly

3 tblspoon grated cheese

Quarter cup ice water

1 tspn lemon juice 

Add cheese to flour mix, then the beaten egg. Make a well in the centre off the flour mix and add the water a teaspoon at a time till you form a soft, pliable dough that is not sticky. I use my Kenwood food processor for the whole method.

Roll out your dough, in one direction (pastry works well this way!;)... grease your large round cake tin or glass casserole dish, and press the dough in. Use a knife flat, to trim round the edges of the dough that sticks out, and pierce dough with fork.

Filling:

Half onion, grated or processed

125ml butter/ margarine

Half green pepper (optional)

3 chicken fillets (500-750g) cut into cubes

Quarter tspn ginger garlic 

2 eggs,

62ml fresh cream/ nestle dessert cream

62ml fresh milk

Half cup grated cheese

Pinch of mixed herbs

salt and pepper to taste

Chilli powder 

Saute onions and green pepper in the butter. Cook till soft and then add chicken, with ginger garlic, salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste. Cook till tender. Beat egg, cream and milk together. Add the herbs to the milk mixture. Fill the pastry with the chicken mix, then pour over the milk mix and cover with cheese and more mixed herbs.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30mins or till golden. 

Cut into slices and serve warm.

Kick it up a notch and try Amina's wonderspice in chicken tikka...love it mixed with a bit of yoghurt to marinate the chicken, you can then leave out the spices and salt. I even coat lamb chops with this marinade, their chops marinade is just as amazing! in fact marinated chops with this quiche and some veges on the side is a great meal.

Enjoy! Let me know how it turned out;)

FIRSTLY all puns intended!:)

My kids like many, love Milo. So I thought with winter coming up, I would round up these Milolicious recipes for you to try out. They have all been tried, tested in my kitchen, and devoured on the same day that I made them.

First up: "The best Vanilla Cake" I have ever tasted and no, it�s not my recipe. I happen to come across this recipe while doing research for a completely unrelated topic and just had to try it out! This recipe has been adapted from the Cupcake project blog. Thankyou so much Stef! 

It�s time you try it out for yourself�.with my ever moist "Milo icing".

This Milo icing stays wet and doesn�t dry up even if you leave it out of the fridge for 2 days. Most of all, it is delicious! 

P.S. I have a bad habit of chucking cakes into the microwave instead of storing them in a container, so my family can easily access it. 

Ultimate Vanilla Cake with Milo Icing:

Vanilla Cake:

1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean ( I just omit this if I don�t have it)

1 3/4 cups (175 grams) cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup (75 grams) full-fat sour cream (I used yoghurt, or milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice)

1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)

1 tablespoon pure (not imitation) vanilla extract

2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).

In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean.

Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.

Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. It's supposed to be that way.)

For cupcakes:

Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.

Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done if you are doing cupcakes. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown.

If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.

When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.

For large cakes: divide evenly into two cake tins. Then bake at 175deg c for about 25-30mins. Check when done.

Milo Icing:

50 g butter

� cup icing sugar

4 tblspoon Milo

4 tblspoon cocoa

enough milk to combine (add little at a time)

First mix icing sugar and butter till smooth, then add in the cocoa.

Make a paste with a little milk and the Milo and mix well.

Now add the Milo paste to the icing mixture and blend well, add milk, a tablespoon at a time mixing well till you get a soft icing consistency. Do not add too much milk, or you will have icing with dark brown spots that doesn�t taste as great.

Decorate your cake as desired and enjoy!

This cake is great for catering for when you need to cover with plastic icing...it doesn't dome in the oven.

Milo Mousse: 

1 level cup custard (ready made like Parmalat or Clover or even better homemade custard with or without sugar as Ready made has a very strong vanilla, artificial sugar taste)

2 level tablespoon Milo

� cup fresh cream (beaten or whipped till creamy)

Mix Milo and custard well, then whisk in the fresh cream. Serve individually with Peppermint crisp or Aero crushed over, or use as topping for dessert.

Milo Balls: a classic

1 packet Marie biscuit or tennis biscuit( use a little less coconut if using tennis biscuit)

1 tin sweetened condensed milk

4 tblspoons Milo

� cup coconut

extra coconut for rolling

Process the Marie biscuits a little at a time in processor or put into plastic bag and crush with rolling pin till crumby and fine.

Then mix the condensed milk, Milo, and coconut with crushed biscuit, until well combined.

Roll teaspoonsful into balls and then roll in coconut till well coated.

Milo Mudcakes: 

Great for serving guests!

165 g butter, coarsely chopped

100 g dark chocolate chopped coarsely,

1 and 1/3 cups castor or sugar,

2/3 cup water,

� cup fruit juice or milk,

2 tablespoons Milo,

1 cup plain flour,

2 tablespoons self raising flour

2 tablespoons cocoa,

1 egg

Preheat oven to 170deg c. line 12 hole std muffin tin.

Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, juice or milk and Milo in small saucepan, stirring over low heat till smooth.

Transfer mixture to medium bowl, cool 15 minutes. Whisk in sifted flours, and cocoa and then the egg just until combined. (do not whisk the egg first, you�ll get a normal cake instead of a mud cake which is dense and heavy like mud..lol)

Divide mixture among cupcake cases in muffin tin and bake for about 45-50 mins�

Once done and cakes cool, transfer to individual teacups.

Beat fresh cream. Add to top of each mudcake and the dust with cocoa and roughly chopped dark or milk chocolate. Serve with saucers and a spoon.

You can also use chocolate sauce or melted chocolate to make 4 or 5 circles over the cream each one smaller than the other and evenly spaced. Then use a skewer to pull the sauce from the center  of the cake to the rim of cup. Do many lines all around the circles and create a web or feathered effect.

Hope you try these recipes and concoct your own special desserts too! Remember Sharing is caring..:)

xoxo

Pizza Base:   

makes two large and one medium pizza base ( great for big crowds and freezer storage)

6 cups flour                                  
2 Tblspoon sugar                                      
2 teas salt                                        
10g yeast
1 cup oil
1 and half cups boiling water
1 cup milk                                        

In a large enough bowl mix oil, boiling water and milk. In a large bowl sift dry ingredients. Add liquids to the dry ingredients and knead into a soft dough, use flour as needed .

Leave 2 rise, (cover bowl with foil) when double in size, knock down and leave for another 45 minutes.

You can then prepare the pizza sauce and filling.

Aromatic pizza sauce:

2 tspn Crushed ginger and garlic
1 tblspoon butter or olive oil
1 tblspoon tomato paste
2 liquidised tomatoes(optional but gives more sauce)
2tspn fine salt
3 tblspoons sauce of your choice (use lemon and herb for chicken, bbq like steers bbq for beef or lamb and sweetchilli or just tomato sauce)
Herbs like oreganum, italian and parsley
sugar to taste**
1 tspn chilli powder (optional)

Place all of sauce ingredients into a saucepan and allow to simmer till thick on low heat. Set aside and prep filling.

Filling:

Meat or chicken about 1 kg for all bases or 400-500g for one base, cut into cubes or chicken into small pieces can shred after cooked. Add salt and pepper according to taste about 1 tspn fine salt and half tspn black pepper  for every 500g meat or chicken, cook on moderate heat on stove top till just cooked through and chicken until just tender(avoid over cooking- you don't want tough meat and dry chicken;)

Roll risen dough into pizza base sizes thick or really thin, it rises so I prefer thin. Cover a greased tray with foil and grease with butter or spray with non stick cooking spray. Place the bases over, cover with some of sauce and bake the base at 160 degrees for 10-15mins. After done will be freezer suitable.


Rest of sauce will be used for filling. Once out the oven and cooled add meat then green pepper, mushrooms or pineapples etc of your choice and the spread with about a 3tblspoon of the sauce per large base. Top with grated cheese and bake in oven 160deg till heated through and cheese melted.Garnish if desired.

** Sugar in the sauce helps to balance the acidity taste of the sauce and bring out the flavours instead, it gives you control over how the sauce should taste.

I have tried chocolate brownies from Fournos, Mugg&Bean, Milky Lane, Frank Brady's, Spur and countless garage convenience bakeries too.

I finally after much testing came across this recipe..it's moist, fudgy and chocolatey...everything you'd expect from a brownie..Try it for yourself!

Fudgy Chocolate Brownie

375ml castor sugar
225g butter
160ml cocoa
2tsp coffee optional
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
310ml flour
50g pecan nuts roughly chopped

Combine sugar butter cocoa and coffee in saucepan and heat gently till  butter has melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5mins.

Beat in eggs one at a time until mixture is smooth. Add vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour and pecan nuts.

Spoon into large rectangular casserole dish and bake st 180C for 25-30mins till skewer comes clean.



Heat 150 g chocolate in a double boiler or micro and add a third cup of cream or more to get a smooth ganache to pour over the brownie, once baked;)



Important Tip:

Key to this recipe is not to overbeat, you want a dense cake and not a normal sponge cake. So beat the egg for a short while, and when pouring into the dish to bake, the batter should be very sticky and stick to your spoon as you spread it.