The cake that Tannie Maria and Henk made

Tannie Maria is very excited that her new cookbook, Recipes to Live For, has been shortlisted in two categories for the Gourmand Awards. She’s heard they are like the Oscars of cookbooks, and 222 countries are participating. 

Sally Andrew is the author of the Tannie Maria murder mystery series from whence the cookbook recipes are drawn, and will be regularly sharing extracts with TGIFood.

Snake lily. Some Karoo colour to get you into a Klein Karoo state of mind. (Photo: Bowen Boshier)

The amazing weerligkoek, up close. (Photo: Ed O’Riley)

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar and cornflour. Slowly add the juices, and stir until well mixed.


2. Keep stirring until the sugar has melted, then bring to the boil for 3 minutes.


3. Lightly whisk the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl, then, while whisking, add the hot sugar mixture in a slow stream. (Don’t add the hot liquid all at once, or you will get scrambled eggs.)


4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring back to the boil.


5. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens and does not have a raw egg taste.


6. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter cubes, one at a time, until well mixed and glossy.


7. To give the curd a more intense colour, add the beetroot and stir. Remove the beetroot when the curd is a nice pink colour.


8. Spoon the curd into a shallow dish, cover with clingfilm, and gently push the clingfilm on to the curd to stop a skin from forming. Allow to cool to room temperature, then stir in the zests.


9. Cover again and refrigerate. When cold and thick, set aside about ½ cup for the cake and store the rest in sterilised jars.


10. Unopened, the curd will store well in the fridge for up to 3 months. Once opened, use within 14 days.

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line two 20cm springform cake tins.


2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.


3. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl and beating well.


4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baobab powder or cream of tartar.


5. Alternately mix small amounts of the flour mixture and the milk into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the flour.


6. Divide the batter between the two cake tins, and make them level. It will seem too little, but don’t worry.


7. Mix together the chopped walnuts and cinnamon, and sprinkle over both cakes.


8. Gently spoon the meringue over the nutty batter in both tins.


9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Check after 15 minutes, and cover with foil if it looks like the meringue is browning.


10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins before gently turning out, keeping the meringue part on top.

1. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, mix the egg whites, sugar and baobab powder or cream of tartar.


2. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, then hand-whisk continuously for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch.


3. Attach the bowl to the electric mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat on low for 2 minutes, then on high for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has cooled down and stiff peaks form. Set aside.

1. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, or in the sun in a glass bowl covered with foil.


2. Pour on to a baking tray lined with wax paper. The chocolate should be about 3mm thick. If necessary, smooth out with a spatula, to make a thin, but strong, layer.


3. Sprinkle with a little food-colouring powder (if using).


4. Just before the chocolate sets, cut it into long, thin triangles of different lengths. Allow to set completely before snapping the shards apart.

1. Do the cake-building just before serving, because meringue can absorb moisture and melt a little.


2. Spread a thick layer of cold grapefruit curd over the cake that will form your bottom layer. Keep it about 2cm away from the edge.


3. Place the other cake on top (this will push the curd to the edge), then spread the top cake with a layer of grapefruit curd.


4. Make a big swirl of mascarpone or crème fraîche in the centre of the curd.


5. Decorate by sticking the long triangles of chocolate, sharp point up, into the mascarpone or crème fraîche. The chocolate shards should look like zigzags of lightning.


6. Use as much of the mascarpone or crème fraîche as you need, and toothpicks if necessary, to hold the lightning shards in place.

• It is best to make the curd at least 2 hours before starting on the cake, so that it has time to cool and set in the fridge. Make sure it is cold when you use it. It is also delicious with buttered toast, scones, ice cream or yoghurt.


• If you don’t have mascarpone or crème fraîche, you can make your own thick cream: beat ½ cup cream with 1 tsp cornflour, 1 tsp icing sugar and ½ tsp vanilla essence, until the mixture is stiff.


• If there is mascarpone or crème fraîche left over, put a dollop on the side when serving the cake slices.


• You could also make the lightning shards with meringue by doubling the ingredients for the meringue recipe, and keeping half for making shards. Use a spatula to spread the meringue in long triangle shapes on to a baking tray lined with wax paper. Sprinkle with a little food-colouring powder (if using). Dry in a low oven, below 100°C, until hard and slightly yellow. DM