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Carrot Cheesecake

There are two very simple ways to put a smile on my face: feed me Carrot Cake or feed me Cheese Cake. And recently, I have discovered that you could "kill two birds with one stone" and feed me Carrot Cheesecake - two cakes combined into one. This recipe was easier than expected and the final result was AMAZING! The cakes set beautifully, the texture was perfect and the taste was indescribable.

This recipe is bound to get you major brownie points with your friends and family and I highly recommend you take the time to make this cake. Although it is a more expensive cake to make, it should definitely be on one's "baking bucket list". 

Ingredients 

Cheesecake 

2 Cups Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp All-purpose Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup Sour Cream

Carrot Cake

3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Cream Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 180 C
2-in-1 

1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup Carrots (grated)
75 g Walnuts (chopped)

Cream Cheese Frosting 

2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp Sour Cream

Directions (In order of preparation)

- Grease the baking tin ( I recommend a springform circular tin)

Cheesecake
- Beat together cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth
- Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat until just combined

Carrot Cake 
- In a separate bowl, beat the oil and sugar until smooth
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth and light (roughly 2 minutes)
- In another bowl, sieve and mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir manually until just combined
- Finally, fold in the carrots and walnuts

- Spread the carrot cake batter into the bottom of your tin
- Pour the Cheesecake mixture over the carrot cake mixture
- Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes (if the top starts to brown, cover with tinfoil at 45 minutes)
- The cheesecake should be slightly soft and jiggly when you remove it from the oven
- The edges of the cheesecake may crack due to the carrot cake rising but that's what the cream cheese frosting is for

Let the cakes cool before icing and once iced, refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Icing
- Combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy
- Mix the icing sugar in slowly and beat on medium for 2-3 minutes
- Add the vanilla and sour cream until combined

ENJOY!!!

Pesto Pizza Wrap

There are not many people who would turn down PIZZA. Being the health conscious individual that I am, I had to get creative when it came to pizza, because as much as I love sinking my teeth into a delicious crispy slice or six, my body cannot afford to indulge as much as it wants to. My solution?

This simple pesto pizza wrap which has become a staple, convenient go-to meal for me. It really does fill the gap and satisfy my pizza cravings.

I am not saying I will never indulge in a full blown pizza from now on, but this is a great way to tuck in at home when one doesn't have the time to make an elaborate meal or when one wants to be calorie conscious:

Instructions:

1. Place the wrap on a baking tray and preheat the oven to 180 degrees

2. Spread the pesto on the base of the wrap and sprinkle feta and chopped nuts on top

3. Bake for roughly 10 minutes (until crispy)

4. Take out the oven and add the avo and rocket

5. Serve immediately and season to taste

As Easy as Pie

"As Easy as Pie"

I never quite understood this saying until recently when I attempted my first lemon meringue pie. It really was one of the simplest treats I have ever baked. This effortless tart requires minimal ingredients and is just simply delicious!

This recipe just has to be shared:

Ingredients:

• 1 Packet Tennis Biscuits (crushed)
• 2-3 Tbsp Margarine (melted)
• 1 Tin Condensed Milk
• 1/2 Cup of Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Cup of Castor Sugar
• 3 Eggs

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 C
• Crush the biscuits and melt the margarine
• Mix the tennis biscuits and margarine together and press down into a greased pie plate
• Place it into the oven for a few minutes to toast the base
• Mix the condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks together
• Pour the mixture into the pie shell
• Stiffly whick the egg whites and gradually add the castor sugar slowly as you are whisking the egg whites
• Spread the meringue mixture over the condensed milk filling and form into peaks
• Bake at 180 C until nice and golden brown (20-30 minutes)

It's as simple as that! The perfect tea time treat!

 

Happy Baking!  

 

The Velvet Cake Co

In the words of Marie Antoinette, "Let them eat cake."

I cannot think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than cake tasting. This past weekend, Kelly Hartmann from Lovely Pretty and I went cake tasting at Velvet Cake Co with our two Land girls. It was a treat to say the least (excuse the pun).
 

 

Cake must be one of the most satisfying things to eat, yet ladies are often left riddled with guilt after consuming their slice of heaven. Despite the fear of guilt, we embraced the calories this weekend at Velvet Cake Co and lucky for us, it was so good that it denied any guilt from creeping in.

 

Kelly, a friend of mine, who is also a wedding blogger and coordinator, decided it would be a great idea for the two of us to go to Velvet Cake Co and blog about it from two different perspectives - a foodie perspective (cue Relish) and a wedding perspective (cue Lovely Pretty) (you can find her post about our day from Thursday). Obviously I jumped straight on board with the idea and here are a few reasons why:

1. Firstly, the sweet tooth in me does not know how to say no
2. Secondly, I know how delicious the cakes at Velvet Cake Co are
3. Thirdly, do we really need a reason to eat cake?

After frantically searching for time in our busy schedules, we finally diarised our cake tasting expedition a whole month in advance and then eagerly waited in anticipation for the day to arrive. At the quaint coffee shop and cakery (if there is such a word), we were greeted by an enthusiastic staff member who was a great host the entire morning. He provided us with generous cake slices, good banter, limitless water and great photography skills. We were truly impressed and felt very at home. The cherry on top was when he offered to carry us and our "cake babies" to the car.

 

We immediately inspected the menu - after admiring the wall art of one of the biggest rainbow cakes ever - and decided to choose an assortment of cakes to share, as we realised what a difficult decision choosing a slice of cake can be (yes, first world problems).

We eventually chose The Coco Chanel Cake, The Milktart Cheesecake, The Hummingbird Cake and The Caramel Popcorn Cheesecake. The Carrot Cake really had my eye, but against my better judgement I refrained from choosing this delectable cake covered in cream cheese icing as I have had it before and felt I needed to broaden my horizons.

The Short & Sweet of Each Cake:

The Chocolate Coco Chanel Cake  

Moist. Rich. Chocolatey. Lindt Ball.

Milktart Cheesecake

Creamy. Tasty. Cinnamony. Yummy.
 

 

The Hummingbird Cake

Cream-cheese. Flavourful. Soft. Delicious.
 

 

The Caramel Popcorn Cheesecake

Moreish. Smooth. Phenomenal. Unique.

 

 

The Velvet Cake Co opened its first cake-to-go emporium in Belville in 2014 and opened their second shop in Loop Street in 2015. Their promise to you is : Innovation. Variety. Celebration. WOW experience. They believe that everyday is worth a celebration and they strive to provide a "magical and jaw-dropping cake experience" which they most certainly did for us!!

 



The Italian Adventure

Italy.

What comes to mind?

Probably something along the lines of... PIZZA. PASTA. BREAD. ICE-CREAM. 

Yes, the stereotype is true... Italians LOVE pasta
Yes, the stereotype is true... Italians LOVE pizza.
Yes, the stereotype is true... Italians LOVE ice-cream.

I kid you not, Tim Noakes would be no fan of Italy. Pasta is consumed in large amounts every single day and no matter how cold it is, it is NEVER too cold for ice-cream. Italians are believed to be the highest consumers of ice-cream worldwide and after my 2-week trip in Italy, I know why - nothing beats an Italian Gelateria.

 

My Italian Foodie adventure was delicious, to say the least and my A type blood group was more than happy with the staple diet of carbs and lack of meat. One would think that after two weeks in Italy, I would be thrilled to be back to eating the South African variety of food but alas, I spent my first two weeks back in Cape Town preparing and consuming my favourite Italian meals.

There are 2 Italian Dishes (besides the obvious PIZZA) which became my Italian Staple:

1. The Amatriciana Pasta Dish (something that SA needs to bring on board their menus ASAP) 
2. The Aubergine Parmigiana  (a vegetarian's dream)

The Amatriciana is a smoky, tomato based pasta dish which is an Italian classic. Find a recipe here.

The Parmigiana is a cheesy, aubergine dish which can be served as a main or a side. Find a recipe here.

These two meals were the family favourite during our stay in Italy. Both dishes offer a rich, tomato base and cheesy flavour. YUM.

So now dinner is covered, but dessert? Well, Ice Cream of course. There is definitely no shortage of this delicious treat in Italy. Every street is lined with Gelateria's and this is no exaggeration. The Italians are spoilt for choice and within each Gelateria, the flavour selection seems infinite. My favourite was definitely the Coffee and Chocolate Hazelnut, while my little sister opted for Nutella ever single time.
 

I was lucky enough to stumble across the World's Best Ice-cream in San Gimignano, Tuscany. Gelateria Dondoli won first place at the Ice Cream World Championships from 2006 - 2009 and this was most certainly well-deserved. It was hands down the best ice-cream experience ever. The flavours were rich and the texture was exceptionally creamy.

 

I truly embraced the ice-cream eating culture in Italy and loved every second of it. According to a study done on an elderly group, the one thing they wish they had done more of in their life was eat more ice cream. Something the Italians are definitely doing right.

Life is short . Eat Dessert first!

 



The Burger Festival

The Burger Festival made it's debut in Cape Town last weekend, at the foot of table mountain. The organisers were lucky enough to have Jan Van Riebeeck High School's main rugby field as a venue and what a venue it was!! This festival not only featured awesome burgers and an assortment of craft beers, treats and wines but the views were breath taking and Cape Town really showed off. Despite the periodic rainfall on Saturday, the organisers kept everything running smoothly and ensured a good time was had by all. They were very attentive to everyones' needs and I highly commend them on this.

 

I was lucky enough to be invited to the event as media and had the opportunity to chat to the vendors and enjoy a burger of my choice. I circled the venue a couple times trying to decide which burger I wanted (which proved to be a really tough decision). The vendors did a great job at presenting the most mouth-watering menu's with items such as "Pulled Pork", "Smoked Brisket" and "Wagyu Beef". Not to mention the delicious toppings such as "almond pesto", "sundried tomatoes" and "salsa". I finally made a decision and went for the slider combo from Lunchworks. This consisted of 3 mini burgers: a BBQ Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Burger, a Cheese and Salsa Beef Burger with Ranch Sauce and an Ostrich Burger with Cream Cheese and Jalapeno's topped with Sweet Chilli Sauce. Needless to say, it was delicious!! I really enjoyed all three burgers and found it difficult to choose a favourite.

 

Lunchworks is a restaurant and catering company situated in Waterkant street in the City Bowl which strives to prepare food from free-range, organic and local produce. They are a fresh food café, open from Monday-Saturday, which serves breakfast & lunch. They also do daily deliveries of freshly prepared meals to those nearby. Their festival burgers did not disappoint and left such an impression on me that I highly recommend checking this place out.

 

There were numerous vendors at the festival, but the three that really stood out to me were: Lunchworks, Kitchen Cowboys and Tre Eatery. Lunchworks meal was delicious, as I have elaborated on. Kitchen Cowboy's presentation was impressive and Tre Eatery oozed atmosphere and the ultimate vibe. I love how Tre Eatery had their own relishes on sale and served their burgers with Jack Daniels (which was also there "secret" ingredient in their basting). The Tre vendors left a really great impression on me and I am super excited to make a trip to their restaurant in Somerset West which they refer to as a "gourmet food and designer drinks bar".

 

Kitchen Cowboys appealed to me because of their elaborate stand. I loved the innovation and the burger which stood out to me the most was a cheese, sundried tomato and almond pesto burger. The combination sounds deadly and if my stomach was big enough, I definitely would have devoured one of those. 



Kitchen Cowboys can be found at numerous Cape Town markets running from Wednesday-Sunday. They also have their own Canteen in Woodstock which runs from Monday-Friday. Chef Pete Goff-Wood (who most associate with Masterchef SA) runs this eatery at his cookery school and serves an assortment of foods ranging from burgers and sandwiches to pies and bunnychows.

Besides the great food, there was awesome "coffee-on-the-go". Obviously, being the coffee lover that I am, my first purchase at the Festival was a "Bean There, Drunk That" Cappuccino. This company is partners with Blasters - a family restaurant/entertainment centre who was serving their burgers at the festival. The coffee was right up my alley and the staff were delightful. I was thoroughly impressed with my "hug in a mug" and could not stop raving about this purchase.

 

 

 

All-in-all, The Burger Festival was a great place to hang out with friends and eat good food. I look forward to seeing this festival grow and develop in the future. Congratulations to all involved and for all the effort and hard-work you put in to the event. It does not go unnoticed.

 

Bootlegger Coffee Company

Cape Town does it again! Another gem of a restaurant has popped up and this one is an absolute treat! Bootlegger Coffee Company has opened up another branch in Kalk Bay and this weekend I was lucky enough to experience the most delicious coffee to date -  in a picturesque European setting. I honestly felt like I was in Italy (which I am excited to say I will be visiting in March and look forward to sharing this experience with you all).

My friends and I made a trip to Kalk Bay and were pleasantly surprised when we discovered Bootlegger had just opened their doors to the public. This restaurant has an amazing atmosphere and is situated in a prime position with scenic sea views. They serve the most amazing coffee (I cannot emphasise this enough) and delicious food such as pizzas, burgers, salads and gourmet sandwiches. We shared an avo, bacon and feta pizza (duh) and the spinach and feta pizza., They were served on wooden boards with a serving of chilli and garlic. We couldn't fault anything about our foodie experience, even if we tried.

 

We left this restaurant feeling so content and satisfied. Our little trip to quirky Kalk Bay turned into an imaginary escape to Europe. I highly recommend a trip to Bootlegger Kalkbay for a treat of an experience consisting of exceptional food, phenomenal coffee and outstanding service.

 

Bootlegger Coffee Company was founded roughly two years ago, by two men. Today, it has expanded and roasts its own delicious coffee (from Guatamala, Costa Rica) and an assortment of eats and treats in Seapoint, Kenilworth and Kalk Bay.

 

Find and Follow Bootlegger on Facebook & Twitter

 

The Burger Festival

I am happy to announce that The Burger Festival will be coming to Cape Town this summer and I am giving away TWO tickets.

The Burger Festival will be held at the main rugby field of Jan Van Riebeeck High School, De Hoop Avenue Tamboerskloof, on the 13 and 14 February 2016. Set in the heart of Cape Town, this venue is at the foot of Lions head and looks up to the beautiful views of Table Mountain.

The event will showcase what Cape Town has to offer in the following categories:

25 Burger Vendors

10 Wine Estates

10 Craft Breweries

10 Artisan stands

Live Entertainment

​​

The Festival is an event celebrating the world of Burgers paired with the pleasures of various cocktails, wines, beers and entertainment on offer. It is hosted by Flavourful Events who create unique premium experiences that combine the flavours, tastes, sights and sounds in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. The Burger Festival will also be donating a percentage of their proceeds to Unicef.

To find the event on facebook, click here and be sure to enter the competition by answering one simple question:

Who is the Burger Festival hosted by?

(leave your answer below under comments or on my facebook status about the event)

Wine not?

Much to my hearts dismay, the thesis has taken over and my food blogging journey has taken a back seat over the past few months. Fortunately, wine has got my creative juices flowing and while I'm still an avid coffee supporter, I sense a "Wine Time" journey beginning - and what better season than with the approaching summer vacation.

Last weekend I found myself in the beautiful town of Stellenbosch visiting my cousin and "wine time" partner, Georgi. After the usual lunch catch up, we found ourselves contemplating how to embrace the summer sun that has thankfully graced the Western Cape with its presence lately. Our first and only suggestion seemed like a no-brainer: Wine Time. What better way to spend a Friday than soaking up the sun, sipping on wine and appreciating the happy giggles associated with it? "Wine Time" is a phrase we have coined this year to describe those days and nights where we sip on wine, pour out our hearts to each other and promise to make each other "maids of honour" (as girls do). So, we quickly rallied the troops (#squadgoals) and found a cosy spot in the delightful Brampton Wine Studio in Stellenbosch.

The Wine Studio is a stylish studio in the heart of Stellenbosch offering a wide variety of wine and food. The studio oozes ambience and atmosphere and the wine provides for a constant vibrant buzz in the room. One can take a seat at any of the chalkboard tables, which allows for the imagination to run wild as one doodles with the colourful selection of chalk. The studio has eight wines to choose from: a Sauvignon Blanc, Unoaked Chardonnay, Rose, OVR, Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Brut Rose MCC. The wine is delicious and the service is impeccable. Brampton provides a comfortable space to make one feel at home and allows for the inner-child to join the adult in the room. Georgi captured the essence of Brampton when she said:

"Brampton, the only place you can feel like a child and an adult at the same time"

 

We had the greatest afternoon in this quaint studio on Church street and highly recommend it to anyone who gets the chance, because as Brampton say:


Check out Brampton's page on Zomato for an up to date menu and restaurant reviews and remember, its always the right time for Wine Time :)

HAPPY WINE TIME EVERYONE

The BEST pizza in town

It's competition time!! If I didn't already get your attention with the words "Best Pizza", I am sure you are all focused now - knowing that you could be a winner!! Borruso's Too is running a great competition where you stand the chance to win a date night for two at this lovely Italian restaurant in Plumstead. The voucher entitles you and a significant other to each enjoy a free main meal and drink of your choice.

 

All you have to do to enter, is follow this link: Win A Date Night for Two and share my blog on Facebook. When you share my blog, don't forget to tag me and Borusso's Too.
 

I had the opportunity to attend a Pizza tasting evening at Borusso's this week and was highly impressed. I mean, my mouth was already watering at the word "Pizza" but the food exceeded all expectations and left me convinced that this was the BEST pizza in town. We were lucky enough to not only eat their pizza, but to try out a selection of starters and desserts from this cosy restaurant and nothing disappointed.
 

Their unique starter called "Porcopoppers" left everyone in awe. They consist of a pepperdew stuffed with feta and bacon, and then deepfried in a light and crispy beer batter. Indulgent, I know!! The other starters were chilli-poppers, focaccia bread, a meat platter and a salmon salad. There was something for everyone and every element was delicious.

 

 

Borusso's Too menu has the craziest combination of pizza toppings, that just happen to work oh too well. I was convinced I would never eat fruit on a pizza or blue cheese on anything but I left Borusso's discovering my new favourite pizza had PEAR on it. The Pear Special was everyone's favourite with pear, caramelised onion, brie and bacon working together to create the most phenomenal foodie experience. The other pizzas we tried were the BBF, the Porcopeppa and the Carne. To have a look at the awesome menu on offer, have a peak here: menu  and special's menu.

 

Our waiter, Robbie, was an absolute hoot! He met everyone's needs and created a fun-filled evening, and quirky atmosphere. He dubbed the perfect catch phrase to describe the incredible menu on offer at Borusso's:

 

"Here at Borusso's we make you love the things you thought you hate!"

 

Borusso's Too is a vibey family restaurant that offers something for everybody. Their menu caters for everyone's tastes and dietary requirements with a selection of pizzas and pastas, vegetarian dishes and salads. They also have an awesome dessert menu to end on a sweet note. Their most popular winter dessert, Banana Flambe, is literally set alight when served.

Our group favourite had to be the decadent chocolate and vanilla baked cheesecake. The portion was extremely generous and the cheesecake was absolute perfection. The picture speaks for itself:

 

There is no doubt that Borusso's Too makes thee BEST pizza in town. Thin bases, generous toppings and unique combinations that leave one's tummy smiling. There is no doubt that I will be back very, very soon and there is no doubt that you should enter this competition: http://borrusostoo.co.za/win-a-date-night-for-2/. You DO NOT want to miss out! Winners will be announced on Facebook on 1 August 2015. 



Cafe Hopping & Coffee Shopping #2

The Coffee Shop Hopping continues! This time around, Cands & I visited Latitude 33, The Power & The Glory and Skinny Legs Café in Cape Town. Before I enlighten you on our awesome experiences, I thought I should quickly introduce us:

This is Candi Land. She is one of my oldest friends and housemate. She works at Topco Media in the CBD and when we can, during her lunch hour, we explore the coffee shops of Cape Town. She is a vibrant lady with a heart for adventure. She has been the perfect person to partner with in this venture as she always makes life so exciting.

I am Shan, the foodie and blogger. I only discovered my love for coffee in 2014 but since then I often wonder how I ever lived without it. Exploring restaurants and coffee shops everywhere and anywhere has to be one of my favourite things and I have loved sharing my experiences with all of you.

Our first coffee shop stop was at Latitude 33. This restaurant felt like home and I cannot wait to go back there! We made ourselves comfortable on one of the couches, near the fire, and fully relaxed while sipping on our honey nut latte & hot chocolate. The staff were super friendly and went out of their way to make sure we were happy. Our drinks were served with homemade biscotti which was absolutely delicious and readily welcomed by our bellies.

 

While cosing up on the couch, reading through the menu and appreciating our surroundings, we noticed two things: the coffee milkshake is the most popular order (even in winter!!) and the soups are phenomenal! The soups looked so appealing that I couldn't resist a take away Thai chicken soup which was super tasty.

 

 

 

I highly recommend this awesome spot on Bree street. The atmosphere is homey and above the restaurant is an awesome little clothes shop.

We believe that there secret to success is
the "lounge" that they create within the restaurant.

 

Our next stop was at The Power & The Glory - what a popular coffee shop!! We struggled to find seats in this vibrant corner café on Kloofnek.  The barrister at the bar greets you as you walk in and place your order before finding a seat. I ordered a cappuccino and homemade dateball and Cands had their Belgian cocoa.

 

The Cocoa was made of dark chocolate and was served with a marshmellow. At R22, I highly recommend this drink to anyone who gets the opportunity. It was divine!! The coffee was also delicious and only cost R18. The date ball, made from only nuts and dates, completed the experience - the perfect treat for those trying to be healthy.


 We believe their secret to success are the character-filled Le Creuset mugs that come in an assortment of funky colours - making the drinking experience all the more colourful.
 

Skinny Legs & All was our last stop on this leg of the journey (excuse the pun). The best way to describe this café is "simplicity".   White décor, unembellished tables and painting-filled walls. Nothing says clarity quite like Skinny Legs. In honour of today's winter sun, we opted against the coffee grain and ordered two delicious cold beverages. Candi ordered a fresh mint, lemon and ginger juice - which cleaned her palate like a bomb (quote, unquote) - and I ordered the raw chocolate shake made of Greek yoghurt, raw chocolate, banana and a little bit of honey. This creamy treat left me feeling guilt-free and satisfied.

We believe their secret to success is the alternative menu and healthy approach to eating and treating.

 

 

We are very excited for our next 3 stops:

• Street Food on Bree
• God's Army
• Motherland

We can't wait to share these adventures with you!