The Simple Truth about Happiness… and an Orange and Yoghurt cake

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Orange is the happiest colour. — Frank Sinatra

In the Kalahari winter, the desert’s chill seeps into every corner of my kitchen, where the crisp, invigorating air contrasts sharply with the summer’s dry heat. A basket of vibrant winter citrus fruits sits prominently on my kitchen table, their zesty fragrance wafting through the space and infusing it with a refreshing burst of scent. The house is quiet. As I sit with my journal, gazing out over the cold, dry savannah, I am reminded that our search for happiness often leads us in many directions, sometimes missing a simpler truth. True and lasting happiness is not found in happenings or external circumstances but in a deep relationship with my Father. Psalm 144:15 assures me: “Blessed (happy) are the people whose God is the Lord.” And Ecclesiastes 2:26 adds, “To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness.” As this truth wraps around me like a comforting blanket and I am filled with a profound sense of peace and contentment.

This feeling of tranquility carries over into my kitchen as I prepare to bake an Orange and Cardamom Yoghurt Cake—perfect for a Friday treat. Yes! It is weekend! The aroma of spices—cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom—fuses beautifully with the citrus, creating a captivating scent that envelops me on this cold morning. From the instant I start zesting the oranges, the kitchen takes on the inviting aroma of a charming bake shop. This cake is especially perfect right now—with oranges in season and the warming spices adding their special touch, it’s ideal for these cold winter months.The mingling fragrances of spices and fresh fruit transform my Kalahari kitchen into a warm, joyful retreat, a true celebration of winter’s embrace and the comforting presence of happiness found within.

This is a winter must bake! This cake is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and add a delightful touch to your weekend.

Orange and Cardamom Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients

  • 250g butter (room temperature)
  • 250 ml (1 cup) castor sugar
  • zest of one orange
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 375g (2 1/2 cups) self raising flour
  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) grounded cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • 375ml (1 1/2 cup) greek yoghurt
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut
  • 30ml (2 tablespoons) poppyseed

Syrup ingredients

  • zest and juice of 2 oranges
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) water
  • 250ml (1 cup) caster sugar
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) honey
  • 5 star anise
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C
  • Grease a medium-sized ring from pan and dust with cake flour.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Incorporate the orange zest into the mixture.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Sift the flour, cardamom, and salt together in a separate bowl.
  • Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture alternately with the yogurt, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
  • Gently fold in the coconut and poppy seeds until evenly combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup.

  • Combine all syrup ingredients in a small pot.
  • Heat the pot over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  • Bring the syrup to a boil, then let it simmer for 5 minutes. (The delightful aroma of the spices will fill your kitchen!)
  • Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before turning it out of the tin.
  • Place the cake on a cooling rack.
  • Gently pour the hot syrup over the cake, allowing it to soak in.

Top the cake with a generous dollop of whipped cream, allowing its creamy sweetness to elevate each bite. For an extra touch, sprinkle some chopped pistachios on top of your cake, letting them adhere to the sticky, sweet syrup. This cake is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and add a delightful touch to your weekend.

Whoever is happy will make others happy. ― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

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Life and Lemons

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brown plant and flowers

I cannot believe we are one third into 2021. It has been a whirlwind few months with many changes in our home… we are all still trying to adjust to a new normal. Children are far off at college, our house is quiet and we are adjusting to a so called new-normal. 2020 has shown us that nothing stays the same for long–rather, seasons come and go naturally with the predictable (and unpredictable) transformations that our world endures.

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”

– Alan W. Watts

The change of seasons excites me! Days are becoming shorter, evenings longer. I love autumn! As summer’s light dims and the leaves begin to fall, I like autumn’s reminder that a meaningful life isn’t only about productivity, but transition too.

Autumn is a time of beauty, of harvesting and of shedding the old. While autumn is a time of productivity, it is also a time of completion and transition.I love the quote that reads: If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.

Discerning the seasons of our lives isn’t always easy. The Book of Ecclesiastes says there’s ‘a season for every activity under heaven’ it is wonderful to know that our Lord is involved in all this too. God has tasks for us to do, seasons for us to do them in, and wants to guide us through each of them. I am reminded every day through this new season that it is all a choice- a choice to live expectantly. To live attentively. To live with significance. And embrace the seasons of life.

Breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit! And with all the beautiful lemons in season, I am tempted to bake these easy lemon bars. These are classic lemon bars featuring a soft butter shortbread crust and a tangy sweet lemon curd filling that’s baked to the perfect consistency. The lemon layer is thick and substantial, not thin or flimsy like most other lemon bar recipes.

Lemon bars are one of the EASIEST desserts to make but they’re guaranteed to bring a smile to your face; so bright and zingy with all the lemon flavour from the juice and zest, they’re simply irresistible! So Yes! When life gives you lemons- bake lemon bars!!

Recipe on page 2.

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Chocolate is happiness that you can eat.

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Since the children are back at school, the days and weeks merge into one big busyness. There are days that I miss our lockdown days on the ranch. No distractions except the call of the jackal. No early morning rush except for coffee and Rusks on the porch watching the sun rise over the Kalahari savannahs. No frantic driving from one appointment to another except for a late afternoon game drive and a relaxing sundowner under the old camelthorn tree.

Even with all the distractions and the hustle and bustle of our new so-called normal, I remind myself of what I have learned during these challenging months. Live attentively. Give attention to what you are giving attention to. Life simply. The little things matter.

Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus.

Ann Voskamp

We so easily get caught up in the mundane routine of every day that we forget to celebrate life in its fullest! So on this Monday morning, I am thankful. Thankful for living a beautiful simple life with Janneman and my ( taller and wiser) than me kids, a life-changing faith that keeps me grounded and focused, friendships that nuture my soul and the love of food (and chocolate) that keeps me sane! And on this Monday morning we are baking a delicious, chocolatey, gooey, silky ( did I say delicious?) easy chocolate fondant cake. This is a recipe that I always fall back on, especially on a day like today when I want to celebrate life. And shout out: God is good. Life is good!

I bake this Chocolate Fondant cake in a 8” cake tin and not in individual moulds. It makes for a thick, dense, creamy and deeply chocolatey fondant that bears a signature crust on top. After cooling down, I place it in the refrigerator ( in the cake tin) until an hour before serving. This is to properly set and firm up. I then remove it from the fridge, overturn it on a beautiful dessert plate and top it with fresh berries, chocolate shavings or serve just as a simple slice of cake! Make sure it is served at room temperature. With the soft chocolate cake exterior and a mouth watering melted centre, you will dream of this fondant cake for days after making it. But guess what? It’s so easy and quick, you can make it again!

Serve as dessert with vanilla ice cream, or as a teatime treat with double whipped cream. Yes, I am thankful for the simple things. Something like Chocolate Fondant Cake on a Monday afternoon! Chocolate is for sure happiness you can eat!

Recipe on page 2

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The Best Time for New Beginnings (and cake) is now.

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Good morning from a beautiful flourishing Kalahari. Everything is in bloom and spring is jumping and skipping through the savannah landscape. Thorn bushes are softened by blossoms, and the night echoes to the calls of amorous barking geckos (the quintessential sound of the Kalahari). Meerkat pups venture outside their dens for the first time, gemsbuck calves and springbuck lambs frolic in the dry grass. There is a palpable sense of anticipation as we await the summer rains.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Isaiah 35:1

Yes, it is a challenging year and we are all ready for change and new beginnings. Everywhere I go, I cut off a flowering branch full of blossoms, as a reminder that spring is a period of renewed beauty. Spring breathes upon us the spirit of hope and promise. There is the realization of new beginnings, new energies, and new life.

So today I am celebrating all the beauty around me. We may have missed out on family gatherings, birthday celebrations and memorable events but still we baked! It seems like we were all #quarantinebaking through the coronavirus pandemic. On Instagram, Facebook and Youtube everyone is sharing their new baking skills and recipes. A scroll through my social media feeds is akin to a trip to a local bakery!

But, no matter the reason why everyone is baking ( for who needs to justify making an amazing cake), I am sharing my mother’s ultimate, best, amazing, easy carrot cake recipe with you. This is most probably the cake recipe that I have had the most recipes requests for. There isn’t another recipe that I’ve ever tried that even comes close to this carrot cake recipe for flavor, moistness, and texture. It is topped with an easy homemade cream cheese frosting. Yes, this is hands down the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Period.

So if you are looking for an easy, delicious foolproof cake to turn your day into a joyous celebration, grab your apron. All I need today is an excuse to sit on the porch with a cup of coffee, a big slice of moist carrot cake and a heart of thankfulness because of a new season.

Recipe on next page to ensure easy sharing and printing. Happy baking!

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Say Cheese… Cheesecake!

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I love a baked cheesecake! It is my number one cake and dessert and something I love baking. The decadent mixture of cream cheese and sour cream…the excitement and thrill of removing a smoothly baked, no cracks- cheesecake from the oven…. pure bliss. Simple. Elegant. Decadence.

The intense enjoyment and appreciation of cheesecake dates back far, very far… as far back 230 A.D. according to John J. Sergreto in his book Cheesecake Madness. Rumour has it that the Romans were first introduced to cheesecake on their quest to concur Greece, which seems to be the first enjoyer of cheesecake.

Sources say that cheesecake, in ancient Greece, was believed to be a good source of energy and even served to athletes during the Olympic games. We have no Olympic Games this year due to the pandemic, but that does not mean we can not indulge in a slice of creamy, silky, smooth baked cheesecake!

Because you don’t live near a bakery doesn’t mean you have to go without cheesecake.

Hedy Lamarr

My mom has been baking this recipe for years and we still call it a family favorite here in my Kalahari kitchen. You need look no further for a creamy and ultra smooth classic cheesecake recipe! A buttery cookie crust, with a thick layer of creamy cheesecake and a whipped sour cream topping, if you like.

Once you have a stellar base recipe, you can alter it with different ingredients and flavors. Get creative or keep it simple. Either way, it’s going to impress. Say hello to your new favorite cheesecake recipe!

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