Ingredients

Method

• 150 g sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 2 t vanilla essence
• 560 g self-raising flour
• 2 cups  buttermilk
• sunflower oil, for deep-frying 
• 250 g desiccated coconut, for sprinkling
For the syrup:
• 2 cups  water
• 400 g sugar
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Method

Ingredients

1. Beat the eggs and the sugar in a mixing bowl until light and creamy.

2. Add the oil and vanilla and beat until frothy.

3. Sift the flour and add to the mixture, then add the buttermilk. Mix well.

4. Heat the sunflower oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add spoonfuls of the batter to the warm oil and deep-fry the bollas in batches until golden brown all over. The number of bollas you fry per batch will depend on the size of your pan. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper or in an empty egg carton.

5. To make the syrup, simmer the water, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon for 10 minutes.

6. Dip the bollas into the syrup for a few minutes, then remove using a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut and serve.

Nanna’s tips

• When your syrup is ready, stir in a spoonful of margarine. This will give the bollas a nice shine.

• If you want to speed up the process of making the syrup, add another ½ cup sugar.

• If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, add a splash of lemon juice to a cup of milk and stir through. Set aside until it thickens.

Find more doughnut recipes here

Extracted from Tietie en Nanna se Huiskos by Najma Abrahams and Azba Fanie (Human & Rousseau). Note: book is printed in Afrikaans.

Photographs: Donna Lewis