Chocolate fondant, meet your match! Because while we are all fans of you, it’s only because, until now, we had not been introduced to your sexier, rich cousin, the caramelised white chocolate version! And man oh man is this good. You will never go back to the dark chocolate version again! And no it’s not because I have a mild obsession with caramelised white chocolate – which I totally do – I’ve made hot chocolate with it, drizzled it over cakes, and that’s only if I’m not eating is straight as-is. But there’s a reason this pud featured in last month’s Essentials Magazine – because I need to shout the recipe from the roof tops! Btw, from now until December, I’ll be taking over a page of their magazine each month to do a Kate Bakes series so make sure to get the mag each month for a sweet fix!
Unlike conventional lava puddings, this salted caramel version has a nugget of the golden white chocolate inside which takes the guess work out of overbaking them – because there is nothing more disappointing than digging into a lava pudding without the lava! So bake up a batch of these for friends (or just yourself) and put the ‘win’ in winter!
Caremelised White Chocolate Lava Puddings
Makes 6
80g cream
150g Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar + 20g extra
100g salted butter
4 large eggs, lightly whisked
40g cake flour
Caramelized White Chocolate Truffle Filling
200g The Kate Tin White Baking Chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
55g cream, heated
pinch of sea salt flakes
To make the caramelized white chocolate centre’s: arrange the broken up white chocolate on a baking sheet and drizzle with the oil. Place in an oven preheated to 150C for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until it reaches a rich caramel colour. If the chocolate is lumpy, simply blend it in a food processor or pass it through a sieve. If it’s too thick, add a little more oil until it reaches melted chocolate consistency. Heat the cream to just below boiling point then pour over the caramelized chocolate and stir until smooth. Pour into a shallow container, sprinkle with the salt and allow to set for 1-2 hours. Roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into truffles. Chill in the refrigerator to set. Prepare 6 dariole moulds by greasing them with a good coating of cooking spray. Set aside. Scald the cream by heating it to just below boiling point. Place 150g of sugar into a pan and heat gently to caramelize. One it reaches a rich golden caramel colour, add the warm cream and swirl gently to combine. Add the butter and swirl to combine then set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Once the caramel mixture is cold, gradually whisk in the eggs little by little. Next, add in the remaining sugar and finally whisk in the flour. Fill the prepared dariole moulds halfway with the mixture, insert one of the caramel truffles and top with more pudding mixture so the mould is filled ¾ of the way. Bake in the preheated oven for 7-8 minutes until a deep golden colour and the tops are springy – the pudding should still be a little wobbly in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute before unmoulding. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.
TIP The caramelized white chocolate truffles make a delicious sweet treat on their own – roll them in toasted coconut or crushed up peanut brittle for something special!
This Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding magically splits into two layers while baking; a soft spongy cake layer on top and a dark toffee sauce on the bottom.
This Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding is nothing short of incredible. Who doesn’t love a bit of magic with their dessert – this one magically transforms from a watery sauce on top of some batter into a light toffee sponge with a luscious butterscotch sauce underneath. Pure heaven served with copious amounts of vanilla ice cream and some more caramel sauce, because, why the hell not?
Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding
2018-06-21 13:41:28
Serves 6
This Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding magically splits into two layers while baking; a soft spongey cake layer on top and a dark toffee sauce on the bottom.
Print
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
50 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
50 min
3455 calories
566 g
657 g
117 g
44 g
70 g
1346 g
1185 g
393 g
4 g
38 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
1346g
Servings
6
Amount Per Serving
Calories3455
Calories from Fat 1032
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 117g
180%
Saturated Fat 70g
351%
Trans Fat 4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 7g
Monounsaturated Fat 31g
Cholesterol 657mg
219%
Sodium 1185mg
49%
Total Carbohydrates 566g
189%
Dietary Fiber 6g
24%
Sugars 393g
Protein 44g
Vitamin A
81%
Vitamin C
1%
Calcium
48%
Iron
30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Lightly grease a 1.5-litre capacity ovenproof baking dish.
Place the sugar, flour, milk, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl and mix to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish. Set aside.
To make the caramel, place the sugar in a saucepan and heat until golden brown and a dark caramel colour. Add the butter and stir until melted, then add the water and milk to the caramel and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Pour the caramel over the back of a spoon to drizzle over the pudding mixture.
Cook for 35 minutes or until the pudding is cooked through. Serve immediately with vanilla custard or ice cream.
Soufflés have a bad reputation for being temperamental – and they can be – unless you have my genius, flop proof recipe! If you can make a chocolate mousse, this soufflé recipe will be a walk in the park!
“Why does nobody make souffle anymore?!” I exclaimed to my husband a few weeks ago. I’d been hit by a sudden need for one and after realising he wasn’t about to satisfy my craving, went on an online menu hunt to see if a nearby restaurant could. Nothing. The weeks may have passed, but my craving didn’t – until I was invited to visit the breathtakingly beautiful (newly renovated) Lanzerac Hotel & Spa, in Stellenbosch a few weeks ago. Apart from falling in love with its historic gabled architecture, grand leafy oak trees, opulent rooms and delicious wines, I also fell in love… with a soufflé. Not just any soufflé – a raspberry soufflé of dreams. So light, I was sure I was eating a pink cloud. While soufflé is often considered a little old fashioned and quite rare on dessert menus these days, it fits so perfectly into the old-world charm of this historic gem (which dates back to 1692). Even the lavish room I stayed in was decorated in the soft dusky raspberry hues.
When the raspberry soufflé I ordered from the Manor Kitchen restaurant was posted on my Instastories, you all went as crazy as I did. Clearly, I’m not the only one with a souffle obsession! So I set out to recreate the magic of Lanzerac’s raspberry souffle. It reminded me of my flop proof recipe, which is as easy as making a meringue. While most sweet souffles are made using a creme patisserie base, this one uses thickened cornstarch which makes it a lot more stable and almost idiot-proof (I also have an incredible two-ingredient chocolate souffle in my cookbook). I think the best part, though, is that these souffles can be made ahead of time. Make it in the morning, pop it in the fridge and when you’re ready to wow your guests, pop it straight in the oven for 7-8 minutes. It’s gluten-free, pillowy and light-as-a-cloud – and clouds don’t have calories, right?! 😉
The Easiest Flop Proof Raspberry Soufflé
2019-04-08 12:44:14
Serves 8
A great gluten-free dessert that’s super-easy to make and not nearly as scary as you think. These soufflés can be made and refrigerated or frozen until ready to bake .
Print
0 calories
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
0g
Servings
8
Amount Per Serving
Calories0
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0g
0%
Saturated Fat 0g
0%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 0mg
0%
Total Carbohydrates 0g
0%
Dietary Fiber 0g
0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin A
0%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium
0%
Iron
0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
200g pureed raspberries, seeds strained (or any other pureed fruit)
40ml castor sugar
20ml corn flour
½ tsp vanilla extract
6 large egg whites
40ml sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
extra castor sugar, for lining
icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
In a small saucepan combine the pureed raspberries with the sugar and cornflour and bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened. Transfer to a boil, cover the surface with clingwrap and allow to cool completely. Whisk until smooth.
Prepare 8 small ramekins by brushing them with melted butter and immediately sprinkle with castor sugar to cover completely. Shake out any excess sugar.
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and add the sugar and lemon juice gradually.
Fold the egg whites into the cooled, thickened pulp.
Divide the mixture between the prepared moulds, level off the tops.
Run your thumbnail around the inside of the rim - this will help the souffle rise.
The soufflés can now be frozen or refrigerated until ready to bake.
Bake at 200°C for 7-8 minutes until risen and golden.
This dreamy creamy White Chocolate Coconut Panna Cotta proves that dessert doesn’t have to be complicated – in fact, with a few tricks, you can turn ordinary into extraordinary!
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What do you make when you get a few bottles of bright, colourful, fruity Bursting Boba from The Bubble Tea Online Shop? Well, according to all of you, panna cotta! Last week when I posted that I’d found these little fruity exploding balls on my Instagram stories and asked the question: What should I make with this boba? I was hoping I’d receive a gajillion requests for Gin and Tonics, BUT you all had other ideas so White Chocolate Coconut Panna Cotta it is!
If you’re wondering what bursting boba is, they’re little squishy balls that burst in your mouth when you bite into them and they release a delicious liquid. It’s such a fun sensation! I first came across boba at chef school when we studied revolutionary chef Ferran Adrià who developed the technique of spherification (bursting boba). The cheffing world went crazy and 15 years later it’s still a complete game-changer. It provides an amazing element of surprise to anything it’s used in. Up until now, you would need to do some fancy at-home chemistry to make these little globules, but now you can simply order them online at The Bubble Tea Online Shop, in a jar, nogals!
While they’re extremely popular in Taiwan and used in Bubble Tea (yum!), I want to show you how you can use them to elevate a very simple vanilla panna cotta (or any other dessert for that matter) and how to present a restaurant-worthy dessert that will completely stun your guests into silence.
Flavour first. Make something really simple (like this White Chocolate Coconut panna cotta) then think about what colours and flavours are really going to make it a showstopper!
I don’t like getting to ‘way-out’ with flavours and I love the classics so I’m going with berries – some fresh strawberries for fragrance, cherries for acidity, some frozen raspberries for tartness. Make sure your dessert isn’t just sweet. Sweet is good, but if you add salty or sour with it, it means you can eat more! 😉
Next, textures. A truly special dessert is all about different textures! The creamy, velvety white chocolate coconut panna cotta needs the juicy berries (the frozen raspberries add some unexpected iciness to this) and then I added some of the Bursting Boba balls in strawberry, cherry and blueberry. I can’t wait to try using these in trifles on pavlova or in cocktails!
So, we’ve got creamy, juicy, and popping but we’re missing something crunchy! You can use toasted nuts, crunchy caramel or a crumble but this super-easy lacy tuile is WAY prettier!
They look really fancy but they are so easy to make and you could make them in whatever colour you like! I made a little black number for my white chocolate coconut panna cotta.
Now we’re ready to plate! I find a plain, white plate is the best way to make a dessert pop. Negative space is a big dessert trend so make sure to leave enough space for that.
If you’re nervous about unmoulding a panna cotta, how about setting it in a pretty bowl instead? I served my white chocolate coconut panna cotta with a drizzle of Bubble Tea Online Shop’s Berry Rooibos syrup to add extra flavour and a lovely gloss.
And voila! Restaurant magic, made right in your very own kitchen!
40g The Kate Tin White Baking Chocolate, finely chopped
40g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
300ml cream
4 (8g) gelatine leaves, soaked
BERRY SAUCE
60ml Rooibos infused mixed berry syrup
80g frozen mixed berries
20g caster sugar
TUILES
10g plain flour
5g black food colouring
80g water
20g vegetable oil
Fresh cut berries and cherries for garnish
Cherry, strawberry and blueberry boba for garnish
Instructions
To make the panna cotta, gently heat the coconut milk to just below boiling point, then stir in the white chocolate, sugar and vanilla until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in cream and softened gelatin leaves. Pour the mixture into prepared moulds and refrigerate until set.
For the berry sauce, combine the syrup, frozen berries and sugar in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Strain the sauce and allow to cool down.
For the tuiles, combine all the ingredients together. Pour about 30ml of the mix in a very hot non-stick frying pan, give it a quick stir and fry for 1 minute or until all the water has evaporated and it has stopped boiling. Drain the tuile on a piece of paper towel until ready to serve.
To Serve unmould the panna cotta by dipping the bottom of the mould in hot water, run a thin knife along the edge and turn onto a plate. Serve with sliced berries, a combination of the boba balls, drizzle with sauce and garnish with a tuile.
Disclaimer: No caramel was hurt in the making of this Cheats Crème Caramel.
You know how they say cheating is bad? Well, I propose that there’s a GOOD kind of cheating – the one where you can skip a whole step in baking to get to the deliciousness THAT much faster. Take crème caramel, for example. It’s so easy to make BUT waiting an entire day for the hard caramel to turn into a delicious sauce so you can eat it is absolute torture. So… what if you could cut out making the caramel for your créme caramel?
I know what your thinking, “Caramel-less cheats crème caramel? You barbarian.”
As you may know, the traditional crème caramel has a hard caramel set in the base of the mould – the custard is then poured on top and baked. After an overnight stint in the fridge, the caramel becomes a sauce which creates a golden brown waterfall once unmoulded. If you’re using refined white sugar, you NEED to caramelize it in order to get some flavour out of it BUT fortunately for us, these days we have an amazing range of dark and delicious unrefined sugars such as dark muscovado sugar. This is the ‘cheat’ in cheats crème caramel!
So, ditch the old-fashioned caramel and get yourself a bag of muscovado because we’re about to make magic happen. The beauty of this Cheats Crème Caramel is that you literally just have to scoop the sugar into the moulds. No caramelising, no crystals forming or third-degree burns.
This Cheats Crème Caramel is hands down the best crème caramel I have ever had in my life and I probably ate like 3 of them all on my own. Give it a try and you’ll never make crème caramel the traditional way ever again!
CHEATS CREME CARAMEL
2018-06-21 16:27:22
Serves 10
This is the easiest, creamiest créme caramel you will ever have - hands down.
Print
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
2674 calories
286 g
1381 g
149 g
53 g
86 g
1284 g
700 g
274 g
0 g
54 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
1284g
Servings
10
Amount Per Serving
Calories2674
Calories from Fat 1313
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 149g
229%
Saturated Fat 86g
430%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g
Monounsaturated Fat 46g
Cholesterol 1381mg
460%
Sodium 700mg
29%
Total Carbohydrates 286g
95%
Dietary Fiber 0g
0%
Sugars 274g
Protein 53g
Vitamin A
118%
Vitamin C
5%
Calcium
96%
Iron
30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (160 degrees for fan-forced) and make sure the oven rack is positioned on the lower third of the oven.
Lightly grease 10 small dariole moulds or ramekins with cooking spray and equally divide the Natura Sugars Dark Muscovado between them.
Compact the sugar in the base of the mould by using a smaller cup or a teaspoon. Place the moulds in a deep roasting tray, ensuring there’s enough room between each of the moulds.
Combine the eggs, Natura Sugars Golden Caster and vanilla extract. Gently heat up the milk and cream in a small pot over a medium heat until it just starts to boil. Immediately remove from the heat.
While whisking, gradually pour the milk/cream mix into the egg mixture.
Strain the mixture into a pouring jug and pour it into the prepared moulds. Don’t worry if any sugar begins to float, it will eventually sink.
Place the creme caramels in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the tray to reach halfway up the sides of the caramels. Bake for 25 minutes or until just set with a slight wobble in the middle. It should look like jelly!
Allow to cool before refrigerating for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
When you’re ready to serve, run a thin knife along the edges of the moulds and invert onto a plate. The caramels will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Make sure you don't over-bake it, the custard must still have a noticeable wobble.
This easy chocolate bread pudding is the best way to turn leftover bread into a spectacular dessert!
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Chocolate bread pudding is what you get when you combine FREEZING cold weather with World Chocolate Day (which is this Saturday 7 July) and my absolute FAVOURITE chocolate in the whole world. It’s moist, it’s comforting, it’s got pockets of melty dark chocolate in it and it tastes like a warm snuggly hug!
I’ve used my two favourite dark chocolates – AFRIKOA 70% dark chocolate in the pudding and the 55% semi-sweet dark chocolate in the sauce. If like me, you’ve always been concerned about how cocoa farmers are treated, then this is honestly the best chocolate on the market.
AFRIKOA is the first local South African chocolate maker who does direct trade with cocoa farmers in Tanzania, this means they cut out all the middlemen and pay the farmers what they truly deserve (because let’s face it, without them we wouldn’t even have chocolate!). With direct trade, the farmers earn 300% more than what they normally do. Which is kinda scary because that means everybody else is paying them 300% less! If you’re more interested in the sustainability of chocolate and why you should buy the best possible chocolate you can afford, you can read more about this in an article I wrote for Food24 here. I love that they are proudly African (bye bye imported chocolate!) and their chocolate tastes so complex and fruity – it opens up a whole new world for baking and desserts!
Let’s be honest, chocolate bread pudding isn’t the best-looking dessert in the world which is why I wanted to make it in a big bundt shape. Jip, I like big bundts – I cannot lie! You could absolutely make this chocolate bread pudding in a normal pudding dish and not unmould it – whatever makes you happy, whatever you do, though, make sure you share pictures of your Kate Tin creations with me on social media using #TheKateBakers or join my brand new Facebook group here.
Chocolate Bread and Butter Bundt
2018-06-27 15:09:15
Serves 8
A moist chocolate bread 'n butter pudding spiced with cinnamon and served with a hot chocolate sauce
Print
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
5376 calories
576 g
1656 g
288 g
122 g
155 g
2344 g
3145 g
376 g
1 g
106 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
2344g
Servings
8
Amount Per Serving
Calories5376
Calories from Fat 2566
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 288g
444%
Saturated Fat 155g
777%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 16g
Monounsaturated Fat 90g
Cholesterol 1656mg
552%
Sodium 3145mg
131%
Total Carbohydrates 576g
192%
Dietary Fiber 35g
140%
Sugars 376g
Protein 122g
Vitamin A
152%
Vitamin C
35%
Calcium
200%
Iron
166%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Preheat oven to 180C (or 160 fan-forced). Fill a large roasting tray halfway with water (the tray should fit the bundt tin you’re using) and place it in the oven to heat up – this your bain marie for late.
Butter the large bundt tin well and set aside.
In a big mixing bowl mix whisk everything together except for the chocolate and the bread. Add the bread and chopped chocolate then allow to soak for 15 minutes.
Place the soaked bread mixture into the bundt tin and press it down well so it reaches all the nooks and crannies of the tin.
Place the bundt in the bain marie in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the bread stars pulling away from the sides. Remove the tin from the water and leave it inside the oven, turn the oven off, leave the oven door slightly open and allow to cool completely – this is to help keep the bundt shape when unmoulding it.
In the meantime, make the chocolate sauce; heat the cream to just below boiling point then pour over the chopped chocolate and allow to stand for 4-5 minutes. Add the brandy then stir to combine.
When ready to serve, unmould the pudding and heat it up again in the oven or microwave. Serve with the hot chocolate sauce.
Notes
If you don’t want to unmould the pudding, simply bake it in whichever dish you want to serve it, bake and serve it immediately (you can skip the cooling process).
