6 T plus 1 t butter

2 T soft brown sugar

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 9 rings OR a tin of pineapple rings, drained.

9 glacé cherries

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

¼ t pandan paste (green Malaysian food colouring made from crushed pineapple leaves)

1 ½ cups sifted self raising flour.

3 T milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease the sides of a cake tin, measuring 20 cm x 20 cm, with 1 t butter. Cut 2 T of the remaining butter into small pieces and dot them over the base of the tin. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the base on top of the butter. Arrange the pineapple slices on of the sugar, and place a cherry in the centre of each ring. Set aside

Beat the remaining butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until it is soft and creamy. Add the sugar and cream it with the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating them well until they are thoroughly blended. Now add the pandan paste. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon. Stir in enough of the milk to give the batter a dropping consistency. Spoon the batter into the cake tin being careful not to dislodge the cherries. Smooth down the top of the batter with a spatula. Place the cake tin in the oven and bake the cake for 50-60 min or until the cake is golden-brown and a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove the tin from the oven and allow cake to cool for 5 min. Run a knife around the sides of the cake. Invert a serving tray over the cake tin and reverse the two. The cakes should slide out easily. Decorate the tray with slices if fresh pineapple. The cake may be served as a dessert with fresh cream.

Line a pie dish with a layer of puff pastry and bake ‘blind’

Filling

1 L milk

10 T cornflour

1 Cinnamon stick

Pinch of salt

6 t sugar

6 t butter

4 eggs

Mix the cornflour and a little cold milk into a smooth paste in a cup. Bring the remaining milk to the boil in a saucepan, together with the cinnamon stick, sugar, salt and butter.

Separate the yolks and the whites from the eggs. Beat egg yolk in a mixing bowl. Add the hot milk slowly to the yolks, mixing well. Stir in the dissolved cornflour.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat slowly. Stir well until it thickens.

Beat the egg whites in a bowl until they are stiff. Fold the egg white into the hot mixture. Strain the custard mixture into the pre-baked pastry shell.

Bake for 1 hour at 140°C.

Remove the tart and sprinkle top with a little cinnamon-sugar. Cool until it has set.

500 g butter

500 g flour

1 t cream of tartar

200 ml soda water

2 metric tots of brandy

Sift the flour and the cream of tartar into a mixing bowl. Grate the butter and work it into the flour.

Combine the soda water with the brandy and add to the mixture. Knead. Let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator and then allow it to soften at room temperature before rolling it out onto a floured work surface until it is about half a cm thick.

Fold the pastry and refrigerate it for a further 20 min before rolling the pastry out again as above. The pastry will then be ready to use.

1 ½ cups of flour

1 t salt

1 ¼ t baking powder

½ cup of cocoa

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups sugar

2/3 cup of oil

1 t vanilla essence

4 T fresh milk

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Sieve all the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and the sugar till fluffy. Add the oil, vanilla essence, milk and sour milk. Beat well. Sift in all the dry ingredients. Mix well. The mixture will be slightly runny. Bake for 30 -35 min in a moderate oven 180°C or until a skewer comes out clean.

The above cake may be iced using your favourite chocolate icing or the recipe below. Its quick, easy to make and effective.

Refrigerate 3 flake chocolate bars until they are firm. Coat the chocolate cake with a smooth jam of your choice. Crumble the chocolate bars and sprinkle thickly over the jam-covered cake so that the chocolate sticks to it.

Enjoy!