Zimbabwe, a country in Southern Africa, is known for its stunning landscapes and vibrant culture. The local cuisine features an array of beverages like Maheu, hearty meat stews, and Sadza, a cornmeal-based bread. When it comes to desserts, Zimbabwe offers a delightful selection of treats that locals cherish and prepare for special occasions, using locally sourced ingredients.
Great Zimbabwe
Magwinya (Fat Cakes)
These treats are enjoyed across African countries and especially loved in Southern African countries, it goes by different names - Magwinya, Amagwinya, Mafetcook, Vetkoek or Fat Cakes. Also known as African Fat Cakes (or mini doughnuts), Magwinya are balls of fried dough, coated in sugar and dipped in jam. They are somewhat like doughnuts, or rather Mexican Buñuelo, with a little sweetness to them.
Fat cakes which are known by the name of ‘magwinya‘ in Botswana are really a lot easier to make than you might think! The dough is made with flour, yeast, sugar, a little salt, oil and water, shaped into balls and deep fried until golden brown. Tswana fat cakes are not only popular in Botswana but all over Africa, especially Zimbabwe where they are called ‘mafatcooks’. The Nigerians call them ‘puff puffs’ and the Kenyans call them ‘mahamri’. So as you can see, there are variations everywhere. In the UK, we’d call them ‘mini doughnuts’.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Plain flour | 600 g |
| Caster sugar | 40 g |
| Dried yeast | 7 g |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp |
| Vegetable oil | 1 tbsp + 200ml for frying |
| Warm water | 250 ml |
Fat cakes are probably one the simplest dough recipes you’ll ever make.
Read also: Food and Desserts in Ancient Egypt
Ingredients:
- Plain flour - these fat cakes don’t need a lot of gluten so plain flour is perfectly fine. The dough balls are really soft from doing so!
- Dried yeast - I used a normal dried yeast for this recipe. You can use fast-action but it’s not necessary.
- Caster sugar - A lot finer than granulated sugar. Plus you’ll need some extra for rolling, so consider this when buying your ingredients.
- Salt - helps control the growth of the yeast (but be careful to weigh separately because salt can also kill the yeast).
- Vegetable oil - give the dough balls some colour but also helps combine the ingredients, a long with the water. You’ll need a lot of vegetable oil for frying too.
- Warm water - the warm water helps activate the yeast. Too hot and it will kill the yeast!
Instructions:
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt. Keep salt away from the yeast!
- Add the warm water and oil. Give it a good mix with a wooden spoon. Add more water if it's too dry. The dough needs to be sticky but not too wet.
- Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for an hour.
- Once doubled in size, give it another mix and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat your vegetable oil up to deep-frying temp - 180°c/350°F. Do a test one first.
- Scoop a dessert-spoonful of dough out and use another spoon to drop it into the oil.
- Fry until golden brown (around 5 mins) ensuring you turn them every now and then. Check it's cooked through by cutting in half. Adjust time if needed and go ahead with cooking the rest in the same way.
- Place all the cooked ones on a plate covered with paper towels, to drain the oil out.
All you need to do is mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl, a long with the water and oil. Give it all a good mix with a wooden spoon. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for an hour. Once you notice that the dough has pretty much doubled in size, give it another mix with your spoon and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Scoop out a spoonful of batter (you may need a little spoon to help as it’s very sticky) and drop it into the hot oil (carefully!). Fry them, turning over a few times, until golden brown. This will take around 5 minutes. Do a little test one first to see how long it takes with the temperature of your oil. Leave them to drain on a plate covered with paper towels and continue frying!
Magwinya’s (fat cakes) are delicious when dipped into something sweet, such as jams of all fruit or even Nutella/chocolate spread. You could just leave them plain and coated in sugar. I have read that you can serve them with savoury dips too.
Storing: Fat cakes store well in the fridge. The sugar may go a little bit sticky but if you know you’ll be storing them, leave them plain and coat in sugar afterwards. I put mine in a freezer bag to keep them fresh.
Read also: Delightful West African Sweets
Storing fresh dough: You can actually make this dough the day before. I kept half of my dough (as I had too much) and cooked some the next day. The dough won’t freeze well, so it's recommended to freeze once cooked and before you coat with sugar.
Re-heating: Place them in a hot oven for 5 minutes or zap in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Malva Pudding
Malva pudding is a South African dessert, that is also popular in Southern African countries. Malva Pudding is one of my favorite sweet and decadent South African desserts. Maybe you need a dessert to serve for your African-themed party. Or perhaps you want to indulge in a decadent and sinfully delicious dessert. It is a baked sweet pudding cake from South Africa with a caramelized exterior and spongy interior.
We soak it in a warm butter sauce as soon as it comes out of the oven. It has a pudding base, made from butter, sugar, eggs, apricot jam, milk, flour, and salt that is covered in a sauce made with water, cream, vanilla, butter, and sugar. I first made this cake during my home economics class. Back then, any cake was a good cake because, in Africa, it’s not an everyday occurrence. We save cakes for special occasions.
Malva Pudding
Read also: A Taste of Ghana: Desserts
I’ll never forget that warm, buttery taste the first time I took a bite of this moist and decadent dessert. When I found a great recipe in Marcus Samuelsson’s cookbook, “The Soul of a New Cuisine,” I knew I had to recreate this heavenly treat.
Key Ingredients:
- Fruity Ingredients - Apricot jam and orange zest deliver bright, citrusy notes that vibe insanely well with the rich butter sauce.
- Butter Sauce - Butter, evaporated milk, granulated and brown sugar, and almond and vanilla extract create a delectable butter sauce.
- Liquid Ingredients - Eggs, orange zest, sugar, butter, and apricot jam.
- Dry Ingredients - Flour, baking soda, and salt.
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, orange zest, sugar, butter, and apricot jam until light and fluffy. Then, add the vinegar and milk to the egg mixture.
- Sift flour, baking soda, and salt in another mixing bowl.
- Gradually fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. The mixture might be runny, and that’s ok.
- Bake the cake at 350℉ (175℃) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. It should take about 25-30 minutes.
- While the cake bakes, heat the evaporated milk, butter, sugar, and almond and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Then, pour the butter sauce on the cake. Serve immediately. Or let it cool and store it in the fridge if you plan on serving it later.
Tips and Variations:
- Go gluten-free!
- Swap up the extracts. Hazelnut extract, an almond-flavored liqueur, or warm spices like cinnamon are all good.
- Get creative by garnishing your Malva pudding with fresh berries and mint leaves, a drizzle of chocolate sauce, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Feel free to make this a day or two ahead of time. You can also freeze Malva pudding as a whole cake or as individual slices. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.
FAQ:
- Do I have to use apricot jam? It’s traditional for a more authentic malva pudding recipe, but feel free to experiment with other flavors. Peach jam would be a great replacement.
- How do I know when Malva pudding is done? It will rise and have a golden brown top. Also, a cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean. It should have a moist, sponge-like texture.
- What does Malva pudding taste like? The texture is similar to tres leches. The taste is also similar but with apricot and sticky toffee undertones.
Malva pudding goes amazingly with different toppings. Fresh fruit, grilled pineapple, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream all take the experience over the top. And a hot cup of ginger tea pairs well with the apricot flavor.
One bite of Malva pudding, and you’ll definitely want to add this to your dessert recipe collection.
Chikenduza (Candy Cakes)
Chikenduza recipe
Also known as Zimbabwean candy cakes, Chikenduza is pink and sweet and authentically Zimbabwean, that are bready and look like muffins. Welcome back to Traditional Tastes - our journal series that takes you on a tour of the tastiest delicacies from all around the world. Today we are hopping over to Zimbabwe with this delicious Chikenduza recipe. Also known as Candy Cakes, Chikenduza are a thick, yeast-based cake that are topped with bright pink icing.
These cakes are made with flour, butter, vanilla, milk, sugar, yeast, eggs, salt, powdered sugar, and red food colouring. These bread-like cakes are a treat that you will traditionally find in many Zimbabwean bakeries. They are made with flour, butter, vanilla, milk, sugar, yeast, eggs, salt, powdered sugar, and red food colouring.
Chikenduza
Once the dough forms after hand kneading, it is rolled into balls and pushed into muffin tins or a similar vessel and baked in them. Once it puffs up nicely, it will double the size of a muffin and once it cools, it is covered in a thick pink icing, that drips down the tops of the cakes.
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm milk (make sure it is warm - not hot!) Stir to combine.
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Grease 6 large muffin tins and preheat oven to 180 C.
- Use a spoon to transfer the dough into the prepared muffin tins until they are about 3/4 full. Use the back of a wet spoon to smooth out the tops.
- Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out dry.
- Next, make your icing. Add the powdered sugar, water and food colouring to a bowl and combine. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add more water.
Melktert (Milk Tart)
Another South African dessert, Meltert was created by Dutch settlers in “Cape” and with time became popular in other African countries too. Side note from Sandy: This dessert is also called Melktert, which is Dutch for “milk tart.” This dessert originally came from the Dutch who settled in South Africa.
It consists of a pastry crust filled with a milk custard made with flour, milk, eggs and sugar. The milk ratio is more than the eggs in the tart so the tart is light with a strong flavour of milk. Once baked, it is served with a dusting of ground cinnamon.
Mbatata (Sweet Potato Cookies)
Mbatata are soft sweet potato cookies that come from another African country, Malawi, but is also popular in Zimbabwe. It’s a tiny country and the cookies are usually shaped into hearts to reflect the warmth of the locals. It uses sweet potatoes, butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and raisins that are combined to make a dough and baked, making cookies that are soft but delicious to bite into and not too sweet.
Mawuyu (Baobab Fruitcake)
These are quite a unique dessert and Mawuyu, Umkhomo or Baobab fruit is said to be highly nutritious having triple the amount of Vitamin C than your average orange, a lot of calcium and also packed with antioxidants. This dessert is only of the forms that is made by locals, it could also be used to make pies and tarts. A typical fruitcake uses butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, buttermilk and the baobab fruit pulp.
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