Having been baking for many years now, I have amassed a collection of recipes. For me, baking is very therapeutic and I can spend hours in the kitchen. There are times however, when I want to throw something quick together, or do not even want to switch the oven on at all. I therefore have built up a repertoire of bakes ranging from multi-layer cakes to quick one bowl brownies.
Many of you know that I do this more as a hobby, rather than a full time blogger trying to make an income from content creation (it is for this reason that you see no adverts on my site … well, at least for now). My goal with sharing recipes is two-fold:
- to teach people the fundamentals of baking and make it not feel as intimidating
- to scratch my own creative itch, by taking familiar flavours and creating something new (my peppermint crisp showstopper comes to mind) or even coming up with new flavour or ingredient pairings (think my rice pudding with bay and sage apples).
I have seen such growth in my page during 2025, for which I am so grateful! That being said, it has been a ton of hard work. At the moment, it feels like I am working two jobs – being an actuary by day and then creating recipes and blog posts by night. So every time you make a recipe and share feedback with me (even if it is not overwhelmingly positive) it really means a lot to me, as it feels as if you are giving something back, based on what I put out there – thank you for that 🙂
I guess what I am trying to say, in a nutshell, is use my recipes to bake more and share the results with me, as that makes me incredibly happy. In that spirit, I am sharing some of my best recipes for 2025. These range from multi-layer cakes, that will require a full day of baking and decorating, to biscuits which can be whipped up within an hour. Whatever your level of skill, there is something for everyone and I hope you love these as much as I do 🙂
I have grouped the recipes into the following categories:
- Fantastic Fridge Tarts
- Beautiful Biscuits
- Tantilizing Traybakes
- Perfect Puddings
- Show-stopping Cakes
Fantastic Fridge Tarts
- Peppermint Crisp Tart
- Cremora Tart
- Pineapple Fridge Tart
Peppermint Crisp Tart
I gained almost 10 000 followers on Instagram from this recipe alone. It is by far my most viral recipe and everyone who makes it absolutely loves it. What you may not know however, is that I resisted making this for the longest time, as I felt that it was so easy, a recipe was not even required. Upon reading a lot of reviews for this recipe, I saw that people really did not like how sweet it was, and I did not like that once I spooned it out of the tin, it did not hold a neat shape.
I therefore tinkered with this recipe to find something which is pleasing on the eye and also on the palette.
The recipe can be found here: Peppermint Crisp Tart
Cremora Tart
Now I must admit that unlike many South Africans, I did not grow up eating this tart, and when I saw it online, I was very skeptical. I did not believe that something which contains no eggs or gelatin could set so perfectly. I guess I was wrong – the coffee creamer gives the recipe amazing body – this sits somewhere between a mousse and a fridge cheesecake.
The recipe is so incredibly easy that I have shared it on Instagram rather than my blog.
The recipe can be found here: Cremora Tart
Pineapple Fridge Tart
Again, pineapple fridge tart is not something which I have had on my radar for a while – but I have been noticing that people want simpler recipes which do not require baking and so this tart was born. Whilst everyone has their own way of making this, I have used quite a few tropical flavours like lime and passionfruit, in addition to pineapples. The result is a summery dessert perfect for a braai.
The recipe can be found here: Pineapple Fridge Tart
Beautiful Biscuits
- Naan Kathai
- Easy Buttery, Shortbread
- Pecan Nut Biscuits
Naan Kathai
If you have not heard of these before, they are a traditional Indian type of biscuit with a slight crunch but also melt-in-your-mouth texture. Again, I have seen loads of adaptations of the recipe using ghee, oil and butter as fats. I tested at least four recipes, before settling on this one and judging from all the comments, this is definitely a winner.
When baking techniques are simple, what this does is allow the ingredients to shine. It was therefore very important that I get the balance of spices correct, and I simply adore the inclusion of black pepper in this recipe. Now, the quantity of black pepper I will leave up to you – as my mother says ” not too much to overpower everything, but also not too little that you cannot taste it” (the most unhelpful advice, I know). But I want you to find your own perfect spice blend, so will leave you, the reader, with some creative freedom.
The recipe can be found here: Naan Kathai
Easy, Buttery Shortbread
Says what it does on the proverbial tin. Fun fact, most of my biscuit recipes are from my sister. Growing up we did not have a great deal and so baking biscuits and selling them was her little side hustle to make pocket money to pay for her tuition whilst in high-school.
Baking that many biscuits, you learn a thing or two and her secret to that perfect crunch a shortbread has is to double bake the recipe.
The recipe can be found here: Easy, Buttery Shortbread
Pecan Nut Biscuits
I love a good recipe that can be dressed up or down. The base of this recipe requires no more than 5 ingredients and comes together in a flash -mix everything together and bake. You can of course stop there, but I do think I enjoy making things look pretty more than baking the actual biscuit. A dusting of icing sugar and a dip of chocolate is the perfect yin and yang look to this bake.
The recipe can be found here: Pecan Nut Biscuits
Tantilizing Traybakes
- My Ultimate Chocolate Brownies
- Peppermint Crisp Traybake
- Milk Tart Crumble Bars
My Ultimate Chocolate Brownies
These are decadence at its best. I must be honest and say that this is a bit more expensive in terms of the ingredients it needs, but it does produce the most fudgy, delicious chocolate brownies you will ever eat. I have tested this recipe a few times before I settled on this one. What I find most important is getting the correct tin size – you can bake these in a 20cm cake tin too, but I find that the height you get from a 23cm square tin is simply perfect!
The recipe can be found here: My Ultimate Chocolate Brownies
Peppermint Crisp Traybake
I absolutely could not pass up the opportunity to make the most delicious traybake which has a chocolate and caramel marble sponge at the bottom and an almost peppermint crisp tart filling on the top. I could say more about this, but I think you can figure out that this is awesome – go make it!
The recipe can be found here: Peppermint Crisp Traybake
Milk Tart Crumble Bars
I am always a bit scared when I come up with a new concept using something as beloved as milk tart, that people are going to hate it – “why fix what is not broken” was a comment on one of my TikTok posts. To that, I say have a little imagination. Reinterpreting this classic milk tart as a slice with a crunchy base and spicy apple for balance is truly a wonderful feat.
The recipe can be found here: Milk Tart Crumble Bars
Perfect Puddings
- Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
- Malva Pudding
- Gingerbread Pudding
Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
This is every chocolate lovers dream – a warm gooey pudding served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I initially created this for a winter pudding series I was doing, but this would be equally delicious in summer with some seasonal fruit to cut through the richness.
The recipe can be found here: Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
Malva Pudding
A South African staple – not fancy modifications here! What I have done is cut down on the sugar however, so you can have seconds and not feel guilty.
The recipe can be found here: Malva Pudding with Creme Anglaise
Gingerbread Pudding
Based off a malva pudding, this pudding has the warmth of ginger and the dark, broody flavour of the molasses. Think of a gingerbread cookie, but now in pudding form. This one is for the adults, as it does include brandy in the sauce, but easily swap that for water for a more accessible version.
Be prepared to draw a few gasps as you bring it to the table, if you bake it like I have done in a bundt tin, but a traditional casserole will work as well.
The recipe can be found here: Gingerbread Pudding
Show- stopping Cakes
- My Ultimate Carrot Cake
- Delicious Hummingbird Cake
- Salted Caramel Peanut Cake
My Ultimate Carrot Cake
Over the years, I have continued to work on this cake recipe to make it the best that it can be – it has changed somewhat since I have posted it in 2020. I have also added a spiced pineapple filling and pecan praline which are optional, but both add so much to the cake. Simply use them by adding them in between the cake layers and you can use any extra for decoration.
I have provided two options for the icing, a traditional cream cheese icing and a brown butter version. Both are delicious, but I prefer the brown butter for the nuttiness it imparts.
The recipe can be found here: My Ultimate Carrot Cake
Delicious Hummingbird Cake
Truth be told, I am not a wild fan of banana desserts. In fact, overripe bananas grudgingly get used to make banana bread. This cake however is so utterly delicious thanks to the brown butter cream cheese icing – it is warm, toasty and not overly sweet.
The icing works so well that I have also included it as an option in the carrot cake recipe above.
The recipe can be found here: Delicious Hummingbird Cake
Salted Caramel Peanut Cake
There are a few components to this cake, but each adds something so wonderful. For me, the star of the show is actually the caramel French buttercream. Caramel cakes can end up being cloyingly sweet, but by using a French buttercream, it lends a velvety texture to the cake and helps to balance the sweetness perfectly.
The recipe can be found here: Salted Caramel Peanut Cake
All recipes by adventureswithsugar.com
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