Has dynamite ever dazzled your taste-buds in just one bite?It certainly hasn’t unless you have tried out my scelerisque sensation!

The name says it all. This dessert is an utter sensation of chocolate  flavours layered together with scrumptious whipped cream. It is bound to become an instant chocolate-lover favorite!

  

Yield: 4 desserts
Tine: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the chocolate pudding:

• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¾ cup sugar
• 6 tsp cornstarch
• 2 ⅛ cups milk
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 5 tsp butter
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped white and milk chocolate

• For the mini chocolate cake:
• 1 cup self raising flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup oil
•  ½  cup hot coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

• 1 ½ cups cold fresh cream ( whipping or heavy cream)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

For decoration:

• ¼  cup chocolate shavings

For the caramel ornament:

• ¾ castor/granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper.
3. To prepare the cake, sift all the dry ingredients into one bowl(self raising flour, sugar and cocoa powder)
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and gradually whisk in the oil, buttermilk, coffee and vanilla extract.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk until the cake batter is smooth. (It should be quite runny by now.)
6. Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes( until a wooden skewer or toothpick comes out clean when inserted).
7. Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes.
8. Run a dinner knife along the sides of the baking tray before carefully tipping over the tin to remove the cake.
9. Cover the cake until it is needed.
10.  To make the chocolate pudding, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch in a medium sized saucepan.
11. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
12. Heat the pudding mixture over medium-high heat for about 7-10 minutes until thickened and bubbling, while whisking continuously. Boil for a further one minute when bubbles begin to form.
13. Transfer the pudding to a bowl and stir in the butter or margarine.
14.  Cover with cling/plastic wrap, ensuring that the cling wrap is touching  the top of the pudding (to avoid having a skin forming on the top).
15. Refrigerate for about 25 minutes, till completely chilled.
16. To make the caramel ornament, lightly oil the back of four ladles.
17.  Place the castor sugar in a medium sized saucepan and heat the sugar over medium-high heat.
18. The sugar is slowly going to start melting. You may stir it with a wooden spoon to quicken the process.
19. As soon as the sugar has all melted, let it boil for 30 seconds and remove it from the heat. (It can burn in the blink of an eye, so it is important not to leave it on the stove any longer.)
20. While the caramel is hot, using a wooden spoon drizzle the hot caramel onto each one of the ladles, creating a pattern of your choice. (It is advisable to work fast during this step because the caramel will be harder to drizzle when it has cooled).
21. Let the caramel you drizzled onto the ladles cool before lifting off each caramel ornament. (This should not be difficult if you had lightly oiled each ladle).
22. To make the the whipped cream, whisk the fresh cream and confectioners’ sugar using an electronic mixer for about 1 - 1½  minutes, until stiff peaks form.
23.  To assemble the dessert, start by slicing the cake and cutting it into small cubes.
24. Assemble four wine glasses or dessert bowls and place  3-4 tablespoons of the chocolate pudding on the bottom of each one.
25. Layer a few of the cake cubes on top of the pudding layer until it is completely covered.
26. Add about 4 tablespoons of the whipped cream on top of the cake layer.
27. Repeat those last three steps with the pudding, cake and  whipped cream.(The layers don’t have to be perfect.)
28. Garnish the top of the final layer with the chocolate shavings and a caramel ornament for each of the desserts.

This recipe makes one of the most outstanding uses of wonton wrappers, and it does not take very long to put together. The wonton cups are usually extremely dry when they come out of the oven, so it is advisable to lightly brush each one of them with some oil when they come out of the oven so that they get a glossy look but still retain their crunch.

These work as for packed lunches, picnics as well as appetizers. If baked properly, the wonton cups are not supposed to lose their crunch even when stored in an airtight container so you may go and store them in one if you have any excess. It is crucial however not to place the filling in until you are about to serve them, otherwise the bottom part will become soggy if you leave the filling in for too long.

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield : 12 wonton cups

Ingredients

• 12 wonton wrappers (homemade or store bought)
• 1 cup croutons 
• 1 ½ cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 small lettuce head shredded ( about 1 - 1 ½  cups)
• ½ cup chopped cheddar cheese
• ⅓ cup chopped feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil

To garnish

• 8-10  sprigs of fresh parsley and cilantro
• A few green and red lettuce leaves

For the dressing

• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius 
2. Spray a 12 cup muffin tray with non-stick spray ( or lightly brush each of the muffin tins with butter or oil ) 
3. Fit each wonton wrapper into each muffin tin, ensuring that they each cover the bottom of the tin and the sides.
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes until they are golden brown, making sure they don’t get over browned.
5. Remove them from the tin and place them on a cutting board till they are needed.
6. In a medium sized bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing and whisk them until the dressing is smooth.
7. Add the shredded chicken and lettuce to the dressing and make sure they are entirely coated.
8. Place the croutons and the chopped feta cheese into the bowl and toss everything.
9. Brush each baked wonton cup with  a bit of melted butter and fill them with the chicken salad you have just made.
10. To plate, place one green and one purple lettuce leaf onto the bottom of each plate. 
11. Place the number of wonton cups you want on each plate and sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top on top of all the chicken wonton cups.
12. Garnish the plates with the fresh parsley and cilantro leaves and do not forget to listen out for the crunch as you take a bite into the divine chicken wonton cups!

Are you tired of the ordinary jelly and custard? Then that’s about to change!  This jelly and custard trifle has a unique twist which any coffee lover will undoubtedly love.

If you do not have Mochaccino powder, then you can substitute it with equal amounts of granulated coffee powder. I used lime flavored jelly, but any jelly flavor works this recipe. Homemade or store-bought custard are also ideal for this recipe.This trifle is a must-have that’s great for Christmas dinners (as it has a Christmas feel to it), or even just dinners at home!

                                                  

Time: 2 hours

Yield: 3 individual trifles

Ingredients

• 1 jelly packet
• 2 cups vanilla custard (homemade or store bought)
• 2 tablespoons Mochaccino powder ( or coffee powder)
•  4 tablespoons hot water

For decoration

• ¼ cup roughly chopped toffees
• ⅛ cup desiccated coconut
• ⅛ cup lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the jelly according  to the packet instructions.
2. Fill each dessert bowl halfway.
3. Let the jelly set in the freezer for about 1-1 hr 20 minutes
4. In the meantime dissolve the Mochaccino powder in the hot water and add it to the custard.
5. Let the Mochaccino custard rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
6. When the jelly has set, equally divide the custard among the bowls 
7. Top each bowl with equal amounts of the chopped toffee, desiccated coconut, (I colored some of the coconut with dark green food coloring) and lemon zest.

Your trifles will now be ready, and can be kept in the fridge until they are needed.