Category: Dessert (Page 1 of 2)

Coconut Cream Mango Slushie

February 22, 2023 / Kaluhi / 9 Comments

Some of my followers on twitter point out that during mango season, all I tweet about is mangoes. And they are completely correct!! Am I trying to change? Absolutely not! I love my obsession! And I love that you guys are well aware of it. But can you blame me? Is there anything or any fruit more worthy than a toxic obsession than mangoes? There really isn’t! Over the years, every mango season has had us make several mango recipes (which you can check out here) and for this season, we are going to add yet another one.

It is hot and mangoes are in abundance. Therefore the perfect item to celebrate both is my coconut cream mango slushie. Super simple to make and I know you are really going to love this one!

Lime Cardamom Zebra Cake

May 11, 2022 / Kaluhi / 14 Comments

I have always found zebras so gentle and majestic! I don’t quite know what it is about them, but I have always really loved them. I enjoy spotting their herds between Naivasha and Salgaa when driving out to Maragoli. When we were kiddies, mom would always called to us in the back seat to look out and see the Zebras grazing, or the flamingoes in Lake Naivasha or the deer that are usually amongst the Zebras too. My sisters and I were always so fascinated, and now even much older we still get just as fascinated but it is sprinkled with a lot more appreciation too that we live in the most beautiful country in the world where a simple drive out of the city has you savor nature in such mighty glory. When I drive out of the city, I make sure to stop & take pictures whenever I see an animal I normally wouldn’t in Nairobi, and just take in it’s beauty and the beauty all around it.

I love Zebra Cake too. I love it’s stripes. I love how simple it is to make. I love how perfect it is to have – especially with some tea – during stormy May! I added my own twist to this and I am totally looking forward to see you guys enjoying this!

Dried PawPaw & Ground Nut Mango Custard

February 25, 2021 / Kaluhi / 15 Comments

I always say, the most assured way to know that a recipe is excellent is by looking at the reactions of the people you made it for look like. If the plates, or bowls (as it is in this case) are cleared then that is a clear indicator that said recipe is a winner. When I was making this custard, I didn’t even know what I was going to name it. I didn’t even know what I was going to make but what I knew for sure was the flavour notes I wanted to taste in my mouth. I wanted something creamy something fruity something with character and something that is light yet indulgent enough for a dessert.

The flavours I put together for this custard are easy to bring together. And the complexity of every note that explodes on your tongue is unforgettable. My sisters inhaled this and cleared this within seconds. Everyone was completely quiet while eating and that was a clear sign that this was a winner. I am so excited to share this with you guys today. I hope you enjoy this as we wind down mango season. This shall be the second of three mango recipes I’m going to share this year. this was the first and you can check out the rest we have done since I started blogging compiled and linked in this Twitter thread. That said let’s get into this beaut!

Cinnamon Rolls with a Mango Amarula Frosting

January 13, 2021 / Kaluhi / 28 Comments

December was really a month that I had my creative juices flowing!!! I guess I really did needed down time because a rested mind is a creative one. I love the holidays so much because not only is it rest time and a valuable time but time for a little bit of indulgence. I have always been a mindful eater, but over the holidays I let loose a little bit. Just a teeny tiny bit. Because everyone is at home too, we experiment a lot and what we make is always a feast! I first flirted with the idea of marrying Amarula and Mango last month as I shared with you on twitter; but just didn’t know how I’d do it. After some hopping off and on some ideas, I settled on todays beauty of a recipe and I am excited to share with you guys!

Chocolate Swiss Roll with Rum Whipped Cream Filling

May 14, 2020 / Kaluhi / 9 Comments

My sisters’ and I usual snack during breaktime in Primary School was either a mandazi or a fruit or some biscuits with some juice. It was just a small snack 10 o’clock to keep us kinda full as we waited for lunch a little later at 12.45. We just carried whatever we could find at home, and we always had something to have- which was such a blessing. Once in a while, dad would buy us swiss rolls to carry for break and we loooooooved it so much. When Langata Uchumi Hyper was in it’s prime, their bakery was the world!! Literally everything they made was excellent! Don’t even get me started on their delicious power sandwiches *wipes excess drool*. Dad would bring the swiss roll log home and we would slice it and share among ourselves. It often didn’t make it to the next day, but when it did, it made snacking during breaktime so damn good!

For today, I am taking my childhood favorite and putting a twist of my own. Listen, you will fall head over heels in love with my chocolate swiss rolls with the richest rum whipped cream filling!

Coconut and Cinnamon Oat Cookies

October 24, 2018 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

I am so happy that it has started raining this week. At the core of my being, I will always always always looooooove super sunny, hot weather, but there is something that I love about the soothing effect of a grey day. I think it is a universal feeling that we find the sound of rain so relaxing, no? I always pause at the sound of beating rain. And when I have some clothes to change into, or if I am headed home, I will walk in the rain or dance in the rain- depending on my mood lol! This is also the time of year where our ovens grow warm. Where the house is filled with the inviting aromas of warm spices. Where we have our warm socks and giant knitted sweaters on. Cookie in one hand and warm milk in the other.

I love oat cookies because they are no-fuss and take such a short amount of time to make. High in fiber and delicious sounds like a perfect win to me! I made apple chai masala oat cookies a few months back and today, a twist to my favorite: coconut and cinnamon oat cookies. You will love these so much!

Labania za Maziwa

April 25, 2018 / Kaluhi / 28 Comments

My boarding school was one of those super strict, super structured, super rigid catholic boarding schools. I often say, if it weren’t for my friends, who are my forever friends, and for the company they offered, I would have gone crazy. Most rules never made sense, but you know, we just went with it. We were not allowed to carry much junk food, which I personally did not mind since I have never been a sweet tooth anyway. But what we had ,we made sure to make use of. Most people went overboard with milk powder, making biscuit sandwiches with them , heck even licking it as it was. We were desperate! 😀 It was eventually banned as well. I decided to get a pack and relieve those days. It did not taste as good as it did back them, but since I was not going to waste it, I decided to prepare a snack with them.

Labania za maziwa can be classified as a sweet. They are chewy in texture, just as a fudge would be. They are easy to make right at home, which is always a plus since you can control how much sugar goes into them. This is what we are getting into today and I am so sure you will love them as much as I do! <3

Mango Plum Nicecream

February 6, 2018 / Kaluhi / 6 Comments

I live for mango season! I always make sure that as much as I can, I eat as many of them while they are at their sweetest! They are now super easy to find now (duh!!) but sometimes, you can buy some that are not as sweet since different vendors buy them from different sources. I finally fount a vendor close to home who sells the absolute sweetest mangoes in the entire world, and each time I leave home, I make sure I pass by his spot, and get me some. He is my new best friend!! Because of the large stock at home, I also try as much as possible to incorporate them into my recipes so that they do not go bad. From pancakes, to salads, to possets, it is a true mango extravaganza!!! Now that it is 3 billion degrees in Nairobi, the best way to cool off for me these days is by having nice cream! Super easy to make, dairy free and you will not need any special gadget to make it.

I hope you love this as much as I do <3

Cardamom Coconut Faluda

January 30, 2018 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I have reached that time of year where I am just itching for a trip. A cute stay-cation would do just about now. I am aching for the coast, especially after looking through my pictures from my Lamu trip. I want to wake up to the sound of waves beating the white sandy shores. I want to have a slooooooooow morning and have breakfast overlooking the ocean. I want to spend my afternoons walking through the narrow Lamu streets, having a taste of every single delicacy I come across. I want to have some faluda after enjoying some sea food pizza for lunch. I want to go have an afternoon nap, and there after go for a sunset dhow ride . I want to have prawns and fries for supper then have a little sippy sippy on the floating bar. I want to go back to Lamu so hard!

When I was eating this dish I had Lamu on my mind. I made this recipe in November of last year and the pictures got lost. But now that I have found them, I am excited to share the recipe with you inspired by one of my favorite places on earth! <3

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes

May 16, 2017 / Kaluhi / 10 Comments

I love eating delicious things with company I enjoy! The day I made these cupcakes I had the GORGEOUS Lyra Aoko come over and also shoot the entire baking process and have this as out first collaborative project. I love how she thinks and I an so captivated by her creative process. So for someone as awesome as her to say she wants to capture my creative process, there was no way I was going to say no! I am ~~borderline~~ obsessed with her and I am not even gonna hide it! You remember when I told you that she is one of Kenya’s greats in this post. Check out her blog, get inspired by her Instagram, follow her on Twitter and also subscribe to her YouTube channel. All images for this post were captured by Lyra Aoko. <3

For both of us, this was work, but it did not feel like it because we are both doing what we love! We went through the morning creating, all the while talking about life, our careers, our families, boys (duh!) and literally everything else. The outcome was great! I made a few missteps first time trying this, maybe due to getting too immersed in our delicious conversations, but I retried the recipe and found my errors and I will show you how to get it right when you give this a try! :))

Boozy Banana and Raspberry Parfait

May 3, 2017 / Kaluhi / 9 Comments

I had wanted to type out this blog Wednesday last week so that it could be ready and scheduled for you guys by Friday last week. However my Wednesday was at the mercy of someone who could not keep time and just like that my whole day was wasted and ruined (and they did not apologize for keeping me waiting for 3 hours!! *flips table*). If you know me well, you know ‘African Timing’ in one of my top pet peeves and just like that my mood was severely dampened. I got home so tired, and quite disappointed, but decided to get my mood up by talking to you guys <3.I did that by holding an ‘ASK ME ANYTHING’ on all my social media platforms. My Facebook and Instagram audience are a bit more reserved and I think scared to actually ask me anything (why are you scared of me guys? I don’t bite) But my twitter fam went all out! That is where the party was! I laughed non-stop from 6 p.m to 11 p.m! When I told them to ask me anything, Lord, I opened Pandora’s Box and funny enough, I thoroughly enjoyed it! You can check it out here!

I finally got time later last week to type this blog and three other recipes I am looking forward to sharing with you in the coming weeks. So first, allow me to share something really sweet and delicious that my two younger sisters enjoyed and I know you will too!

Mango Coconut Faluda

March 10, 2017 / Kaluhi / 7 Comments

One of the things I enjoyed most in Lamu was immersing myself in the culture of the local people. I loved sampling their food (like, duh!!!) and enjoyed even more learning how they prepare things that are typically not as common in inland regions of the country. During our last day of the Lamu Food Festival, we were treated to a hands on swahili cooking class. This was at a local restaurant on Shela beach, overlooking the sea and enjoying the breeze coming in during that hot mid morning. Making Faluda was one of my favorites! It was so easy to make, and as usual, very very tasty to have. You can check out how Umma took as through here. This time I try it out, and of course with my own twist :)). Considering mango season is coming to and end, lets wind it down in style with my chilled mango coconut faluda <3.

Caramelized Cinnamon Banana Stuffed Crepes

November 11, 2016 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I love a good brunch dish. One that is so rich, and so flavorful and one that literally sings to the deepest part of your soul. My friend Soni always says, brunch is not a time of day, but an experience. And I have to say, I agree with her. She loooooves brunch, and really takes in every moment and savors all the delicious things that most brunch banquets have to offer. A little bit of sweet. A little bit of savory. For me, during most brunches, I find myself gravitating more towards the sweet. Considering tomorrow is another glorious weekend, and most of us will be sleeping in. It would be an absolute delight to have something very delicious to wake up to! I have always loved crepes, because they double as both a breakfast dish and a dessert dish and no way to bring this together than in this brunch dish! A word of caution though: My caramelized cinnamon banana stuffed crepes may just end up being one of your top addictions!

Mint Strawberry Posset

October 28, 2016 / Kaluhi / 2 Comments

The past week had been a huge adventure!!!! We first visited Anfield in Liverpool for a live Liverpool vs Manchester United match courtesy of Guinness. The next two days we spent in Dublin, Ireland which has become one of my favorite places to be. Besides the genuinely nice people, I loved getting immersed in the history of the city which is well preserved and proudly shown off. This too was the case at the Guinness Storehouse where we managed to learn the history of Guinness beer, its introduction into various markets, especially the Kenyan one, how the beer is brewed and various foods that can be prepared with the brew. What struck me was how seamlessly Guinness can be used to bring out flavors in both sweet and savory dishes; something most beers cannot really emulate.

I was telling my younger sister about my Dublin adventures and she was particularly curious by how an assertive beer would taste in a sweet dish. I decided to give her a taste and she was absolutely blown away with how delicious my minty strawberry posset, laced with Guinness was. She is such a sweet tooth, and this dessert completely won her over to team Guinness!! It was over in minutes!!! And that is always a good sign as to how good the dish tastes. This sweet chilled treat is perfect for sunny Nairobi. So easy to make and unforgettable to have!

Coconut Banana Frozen Yoghurt

September 29, 2016 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

One of my favorite textural contrasts when it comes to food is having a mix of smooth and crunchy or soft and crunchy. It really does make the whole eating experience a lot more exciting. Eating is more than just to get full but also a dance of the senses. The more senses involved, the better the experience. For me, texture plays a key role in that.

For today’s recipe we shall be playing with crunchy and smooth textures. As part of Onja bloggers monthly posts, this month’s theme is texture. An easy silky luxurious banana and coconut frozen yogurt recipe is what I have for you today, and of course in true K fashion, simple, but exploding with flavor 🙂

Crispy Sweet Potatoes with Orange Rosemary Syrup

June 29, 2016 / Kaluhi / 33 Comments

I have always loved indugent food. But even though I am not one to gain weight easily, I still know that I have to take care of my body and try keep it as healthy as I can but still keep the flavor. As I always say, healthy does not have to be boring, right? :)) One way of keeping it flavorful but still very healthy is to substitute something which is not too great with something that has equivalent qualities but overall better for your body.

On the day I made these, I wanted something sweet but still keep it healthy so sweet potatoes were obviously the go to :D. With this recipe, I decided to think outside the box and explore more with substitutes that are often overlooked. Are you ready? Lets make magic!

Cinnamon Breakfast Crumb Cake

June 28, 2016 / Kaluhi / 14 Comments

My second ever baking post on the blog. People usually say if you love to cook, you don’t love to bake. But I absolutely don’t believe that since I actually have a knack for baking. It is just that, my oven has not been working for almost 2 years now. Remember this post where I told you all about it? :(. But whenever I can, I shall be sneeking in baking posts for you guys.

As we move closer and closer to the colder months of July and August, I am usually more into really indulgent foods. I like having my sweet cake with while enjoying rainy foggy Sunday afternoons in. One of my favorite cakes to have is my crumb cake with some strungi of course. Let’s whip some up and hopefully you’ll be into it too :))

Orange and White Chocolate no-bake Cheese Cake

June 17, 2016 / Kaluhi / 25 Comments

Is it just me or the more you don’t want your mom to find out about something, the more likely she is to find out about it? I don’t know it that sentence makes sense, but if you get what I mean, I think you can relate. Moms have a inbuilt “mischief sensors” that kick in whenever we secretly do what they tell not to do. My mom is TOTALLY against food wastage. I had bought some strawberries to make this cheese cake with. I got so busy in between and I kept postponing. Slowly but surely, the strawberries got spoilt. I felt guilty, but knew I had to throw them away before mom saw them. I hid them amongst some veggies so that I could throw them away when she was not around and guess what, she found them in just a few minutes. Did she sense I was up to something? I think she did. One lecture on food wastage later, I realized that was stupid of me and decided to use oranges instead. The result: stellar as always. I will show you what to substitute a bread or biscuit crust with to give you the same A+ results.

Swahili Cooking Class III – Mkate wa Mkono

May 6, 2016 / Kaluhi / 5 Comments

By the time we reached to our final dish of the cooking class, we were all buzzing with excitement. After making makaki ya kulisha and faluda, which were both very very delicious, I could barely hold in my excitement as we delved into our final dish, mkate wa mkono. “Mtapiga picha kwanza ama niendelee?” (Would you like to take pictures now or shall I just proceed) Our teacher for the day, Ummu would politely ask. We would then snap away and attentively watch her as she cooked. I must admit, following Ummu in her kitchen, watching her as she cooked and learning new techniques reminded me how I used to follow my mom around in the kitchen when I was young. Its safe to say, the learning process never stops.

Today I show you how to make mkate wa mkono, which is a snack with the texture of a biscuit, popularly served at weddings and other major occasions. It has very beautiful intricate designs which mirror the culture of Lamu. But they are so easy to make and I will show you :))

Swahili Cooking Class II – Faluda

May 4, 2016 / Kaluhi / 18 Comments

I love experiencing how different people from different regions enjoy their meals. It opens up your mind to a lot more and that is how you grow. When I go to a new place, I try as much as possible to try out new things for that very reason. Lamu was the perfect place for an adventurous culinary experience.

I noticed that the people of Lamu like to incorporate as many flavors as possible. You will find something savory, something sweet, something a bit tart and something a bit spicy. They make their banquets a whole experience. Our Swahili cooking class reflected exactly that. Now that we made something savory, it was time to delve into the sweet. Faluda is a jelly-like dessert with soft floral notes and mild nutty taste. And guess what, it is so easy to make!!!!