If you haven’t indulged in some of Salwaa’s Cape Malay cooking, now is the time. Don’t delay; grab a recipe from Salwaa’s Cape Malay Cooking Delights collection, whip up a feast, a dig in today.

But before you do that, here’s a little more about Salwaa, one of South Africa’s cooking sweethearts!

Not many people take the time to get to know the person behind the delectable recipes they’ve tried, but perhaps the meal would be more enjoyable if you had a bit of background.

Salwaa’s Cape Malay Cooking Delights

Salwaa Smith, a Saffa cook well-known for her traditional Cape Malay cuisine, is one of eight children. She’s part of a thriving family filled with all the love and chaos of a typical South African family. She was born on the Cape Flats and moved to the UK in 2001. She is the proud owner of an active and well-supported Facebook page called Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights. It was started in 2001 and focuses on sharing recipes and cooking delights that delight those who encounter them. You may be impressed by the fact that her social media attracts more than 2.5 million visitors every month. That’s 2.5 million + people enjoying Salwaa’s Cape Malay dishes! Now we’ve got your attention, haven’t we?

Salwaa is involved in several fundraising activities and thrives on knowing that so many people are out there simply savouring and loving her dishes.

That’s all you need to know about Salwaa. Actually, a recipe or two wouldn’t hurt! While she has many recipes to choose from, we’ve chosen a firm Cape Malay favourite to share with you. Try it out, and let us know what you think!

Salwaa Smith recipes: Apricot Cheesecake

Apricot is a favourite flavour in Cape Malay cooking recipes so Salwaa’s apricot cheesecake recipe seems fitting. Enjoy!

What You Need

For the base:

• 1 and ½ cups of cake flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ¼ cup of caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 125g of butter

For the filling:

• 3 large egg whites
• 250ml of sour cream
• 250g of cream cheese
• 250ml of fresh cream
• ¾ cup of caster sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons of apricot juice (poured from the tin)
• 2 tablespoons of cornflour

For the apricot layer:

• 410g of tinned apricot halves

You will also need icing sugar for dusting.

What to Do

For the base:

1. Add all the dry ingredients to a big mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients for the base and then, using your hands, knead the mixture to form a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the fridge for half an hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Use a greased springform cake time of at least 22cm. Line the base and the sides with dough.
3. Place the raw base into the oven for approximately 10 minutes and then remove from the oven, allowing it to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius.

For the filling:

1. Using a bowl and an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they become fluffy and form stiff peaks.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the fresh cream until it becomes thick and firm.
3. In another bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar, sour cream, cream cheese, apricot juice, and cornflour and whisk until they form a thick, smooth consistency. Then, fold in the whisked cream and egg whites.
4. Place the apricot halves into the base of the cheesecake and then spread the mixture over them with a spatula.
5. Place the cheesecake into the oven and bake for 1 hour at 160 degrees Celsius. Once the cheesecake has been baking for 40 minutes, cover it with foil to protect the outer surface from over browning.
6. After 1 hour total baking time, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake standing inside with the door slightly ajar for around 15 minutes. Then, remove the cheesecake from the heat and allow it to cool completely.
7. Dust the cheesecake with icing sugar when it’s completely cooled.

This cheesecake is best when chilled for at least 8 hours in the fridge and served the next day with fresh coffee or mugs of tea. It’s even better if you’ve enjoyed a Cape Malay curry for your main course!

Get Expert Expat Advice from FinGlobal

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