Easy recipes for any cook: from cheat's meals to cooking from scratch

Sausage recipes

Boerewors stew

15 minutes

Christmas dessert

Gooseberry cream vanilla sponge trifle with singed meringue caps

2 minutes

Afternoon tea

White chocolate cardamom and orange layered cake with white chocolate ganache

1 hour

Berry recipes

Rhubarb and strawberry tart

40 minutes

Nut recipes

Pear, walnut and radicchio salad

La Vignarola

25 minutes

Coffee recipes

Coffee-and-date cake

35 minutes

Coffee-and-date cake

Serves 8 - 10

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cooking Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

150 g dates, coarsely chopped
1 cup Fairtrade black coffee
1 t bicarbonate of soda
65 g butter, melted
110 g caster sugar
1 extra-large free-range egg, beaten
1 t orange zest
150 g cake flour
1 t baking powder
1 t mixed spice

For the topping:

110 g caster sugar
60 g butter
1 T water
30 g pecan nuts, chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20 cm loaf tin.

Soak the dates in the coffee and bicarbonate of soda for 15 minutes. Add the butter, caster sugar, egg and orange zest.

Sift the flour, baking powder and mixed spice together and add to the wet ingredients. Stir well and pour into the prepared baking tin.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Drizzle with the topping.

To make the topping, place the caster sugar and butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, stir in the water and nuts and drizzle over the cake.

Spinach lasagne

Chicken in tomato sauce

Spicy cabbage hash browns & crispy fried eggs

Crispy five-spiced duck pancakes

Coriander and chilli-crumbed fish with chunky tomatoes

Crumbed pork steak with pineapple salsa

Salmon with wilted lettuce and pea salad and minted creme fraiche

Rhubarb with baked cream

Boerewors stew

Gooseberry cream vanilla sponge trifle with singed meringue caps

White chocolate cardamom and orange layered cake with white chocolate ganache

Rhubarb and strawberry tart

Pear, walnut and radicchio salad

La Vignarola

Coffee-and-date cake

Coffee-and-date cake

Ingredients

Method