South Africans love our sweet treats, and luckily we’ve got a host of locally-loved favourites that always feature at functions.
Modern couples are opting for a dessert table laden with a variety of dishes to tuck into instead of the singular wedding cake. This way, your guest have options that tailor to different tastes.
Those wanting a classic South African day should incorporate the iconic desserts our country has become known for. Another bonus is that all of them can be customised to be individual serving sizes, making dishing these treats up even easier.
All of these dishes have been featured in menus at top restaurants like Jonkershuis, Spek en Bone and The Blue Crane. If it’s good enough for our top chefs, it’s good enough for us!
It’s not a South African event without these treats on the dessert table:
Malva Pudding
This dessert screams nostalgia for many South Africans. This sweet pudding had a spongy texture, and is covered in a hot, creamy sauce and served with ice-cream or custard.
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Milktart/Melktert
This milk-based custard treat is one of the most iconic South African desserts. This traditional Afrikaans treat consists of a sweet pastry crust that holds a custard filling made of milk, flour, sugar and eggs. It can be baked or left to set in the fridge, then dusted with cinnamon to finish it off.
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Peppermint Crisp Tart
For a truly indulgent dish, opt for a peppermint crisp tart. This quick and easy dessert is made by layering tennis biscuits, a mixture of whipped cream and caramel and then crumbled peppermint crisp chocolate bars. Warning, it’s dangerously delicious and sweet, so its best served with coffee to cut through the sweetness.
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Koesisters / Koeksusters
There are two types of koeksisters with completely different tastes and histories, so it’s important to know which one you’re serving up.
The koesister is a Cape Malay invention, featuring a light and fluffy dough delicately spiced with cardamom, cinnamon and dried ginger. The dough is fried in a ball shape then dunked in syrup and dusted with desiccated coconut.
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A Koeksuster is the Dutch version, made by frying plaited dough and then dunking it in a sweet syrup.
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Picture: Pexels
