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How To Make South African Koeksusters

Recipe For a Tea Time Treat or Dessert

Mar 9, 2009 Fleur Hupston

A koeksuster is a syrupy, braided confectionery not entirely unlike a donut but much richer and sweeter.

Koeksuster literally translated means sister's cake. Koeksusters are a type of deep fried donut which are braided, immersed in boiling fat and then dipped in a cold sugar syrup while still hot, which makes the outside of the koeksuster slightly crusty and the inside soft, juicy and very sweet. Not for the health or weight conscious, it is just the thing for those with a sweet tooth.

Recipe:

To make traditional South African koeksusters you will need:

Ingredients for the koeksuster batter:

  1. 1 beaten egg
  2. 6 tablespoons of milk
  3. 6 tablespoons of butter
  4. 2 cups white flour
  5. 2 teaspoons baking powder

Making the Batter:

  • Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl large enough to mix dough in.
  • Add the butter, rub into the dry ingredients.
  • Add the milk and the beaten egg and knead into a dough, do not over-handle or over-work the dough.
  • Place into the fridge to cool (approximately 1 – 2 hours)
  • Roll out the dough on a floured board to the thickness of 6 millimeters (¼ inch)
  • Cut dough into lengths of 4 – 5 centimeters (3 ½ inches long) leaving one end uncut.
  • Braid the pieces tightly as if braiding hair, press the cut ends firmly together.

Ingredients for the koeksuster syrup:

  1. 4 cups sugar
  2. 1 cup water
  3. 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
  4. 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  5. 1ml ground ginger (pinch)

Making the Syrup:

  • Add the ingredients to the water and bring the mixture to the boil.
  • Simmer for about 10 minutes or until it starts to evaporate a little and turn into a syrup.
  • Allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Method:

  • Heat about 1 liter of vegetable oil in a deep pan until hot enough to fry donuts.
  • Remove half of the syrup from the fridge
  • Deep-fry the koeksusters in the oil until they turn golden brown, then drain them on absorbent paper towels.
  • Plunge the koeksusters into the cold syrup, for a few seconds it is important to do this while they are still hot to get the right texture as this will seal the syrup outside and leave the inside of the koeksusters dry in contrast.
  • As you follow this process with more koeksusters, the syrup will gradually become warmer, so when about half way through the koeksusters use the second batch of cold syrup that you have in the refrigerator.
  • Allow to dry on a baking tray.

Serving Suggestion:

Koeksusters are very sweet – to counteract the sticky sweetness a little, they are good to eat along with a strong cup of coffee or tea.

The copyright of the article How To Make South African Koeksusters in Recipes is owned by Fleur Hupston. Permission to republish How To Make South African Koeksusters in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Koeksusters, Huletts Koeksusters
   
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