Let's try some home-baked desserts this Christmas

“What passes for dessert in Kenya?” read a post in one Facebook group.

The answers on the comment section left me in complete stitches. Some said a glass of hot water while others stated that Kenyan dessert is a “saucer”, which basically refers to a second helping of the main dish.

Growing up, we sometimes ate fruits at the end of the meal and I guess that was dessert?

There are also those tiny mandazis that are served with tea and, depending on the occasion, a 20-litre yellow jerrycan of sour porridge will also feature on some dessert menus. 

Generally, having dessert is not part of our Kenyan culture. But it does not have to be that way, at least not this Christmas.

There is a wide range of yummy treats that are waiting for you to try them out. One thing I have noticed on the few occasions I have indulged in a well laid out dessert buffet is that it mostly consists of cakes and pastries. Learning to bake this festive season will come in handy in helping you create a delicious dessert menu.

Jane Annette, a pastry chef and instructor at Nuru Foods, tells us why we should try out home-made desert bakes this Christmas.

First of all, is it difficult to learn how to bake?

Absolutely not! In fact, there is no end to learning when it comes to baking; every day you discover something new. The basics are quite easy to grasp and after that the sense of adventure kicks in and you keep trying out new recipes, adding your own twists to the old recipes and discovering new tastes. As long as the desire to learn is there, baking is easy.

That is encouraging to hear...what are some of the easiest bakes to start out with?

You can easily make muffins, cupcakes, cookies, breads and simple cakes from the comfort of your kitchen. The recipes are available online and some of these bakes require very few ingredients. For instance, do you know what you require to bake biscuits? Self-rising flour, butter and sugar, just that.

Why should we try out home-made bakes especially during this festive season?

Baking at home is so affordable and who does not want to save a little money? Secondly, it gives you an opportunity to play around with the ingredients and gives room to cater for any dietary restrictions if need be. For example, if you wish to cut out refined sugar, you can substitute this with honey or blended fruit such as bananas.

With home-made bakes, you do not need to gamble on the ingredients, unlike off-the-shelf pastries. You also get to skip on preservatives because you only bake what you need for the moment. And lastly, baking is so much fun. Imagine being in the kitchen on Christmas Eve with all your loved ones and you have your aprons on, dusting flour on the kitchen counter as the delicious aroma of warm freshly baked cookies waft from the oven…pure bliss!

Can I still bake if I have no access to an oven, say for instance when I go to the village for Christmas?

Of course you can. I have baked several times on my gas cooker. Remember, the idea behind the oven is to create regulated heat for the mixture to cook. You can improvise this by placing your mixture in a sufuria and immersing it in a bigger sufuria before placing it directly on the source of heat. That way, the bigger sufuria will provide regulated warmth that will be conducted by the smaller sufuria that contains the mixture you wish to bake. The source of heat is not the issue here; it can even be a jiko. All you need is to regulate the warmth. I bake using the pressure cooker and sometimes it comes out better than when I use the oven.

Do you have any recommendations on yummy treats we can try out this Christmas…a recipe maybe?

Just one recipe? (Laughs) Well, easy bakes will definitely enhance the cheer in your kitchen this festive season. You can never go wrong with cupcakes. If you wish to bake with your children, you can make the cupcakes and let the children have fun with the icing. That way, everyone participates in the baking. Cupcakes are playful and fun especially when you have a wide variety of toppings – whipped cream, berries and fruits, crushed nuts, chocolate chips.

Here is a recipe for my all-time easy bake vanilla cupcakes:

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup of butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Line muffin cups with cupcake papers.

2. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar together using a mixer or wooden spoon, until it becomes light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs – one at a time. Pour the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture and stir until evenly mixed.

4. Add the vanilla extract into the wet mixture and stir thoroughly.

5. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and salt.

6. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet mixture as you stir to mix evenly. Add the milk gradually as you stir up the mixture to form a thick batter.

7. Pour the batter into the cupcake baking tins and bake for 20minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Remove and leave them to cool for about 10 minutes.

8. The cupcakes are ready to eat but if you wish to put some frosting and decorate with sprinkles or fruit topping, go for it!

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