Fonio coffee cake
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“This is my go-to dessert that celebrates the African continent. It uses amasi and fonio, an ancient West African grain that adds a crunchy texture to the cake.” – Lipato Shogole
Ingredients
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- 250 g butter
- 200 g sugar
- 3 free-range eggs
- 1 cup strong coffee
- 100 g fonio
- 120 g flour
- 1 t baking powder
- 3⁄4 cup milk For the coffee syrup:
- 1 cup strong coffee
- 100 g brown sugar
- salt a pinch For the strained amasi:
- 4 cups full-cream amasi
Method
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1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cream the butter and sugar until pale, smooth and airy. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then whisk in the coffee. The mixture may split slightly but don’t panic – it all comes together in the end.
2 Gently stir in the fonio. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold through using a spatula. Stir in the milk. Grease a 24 cm loaf tin well.
3. Pour the cake mixture into the tin and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature before slicing thickly.
4. To make the coffee syrup, place the coffee, sugar and salt in a saucepan
and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring a few times, until the sugar has dissolved completely. Cook to make a thickish syrup. Allow to cool.
5. To make the amasi, place a piece of muslin cloth over the top of a bucket, securing it with clothes pegs. Pour in the amasi and place the bucket in the fridge overnight. Once strained, dollop over the cake and drizzle with the coffee syrup.
Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Khanya Mzongwana
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