Description
This is an Afrikaner recipe for Koeksisters (cake sister) or South African donuts. These are loosely based on a similar Dutch pastry.
Ingredients
- 3 cups white sugar
- 2 cups water
- 3 1/4-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger
- ½ lemon, zested in large strips
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups oil, or as needed
Instructions
- Combine sugar
- water
- ginger
- lemon zest
- and lemon juice together in a saucepan; bring to a boil
- reduce heat to medium
- and cook for 10 minutes. Cool syrup to room temperature
- transfer to a container
- and refrigerate until flavors blend
- 8 hours to overnight.
- Sift flour
- baking powder
- and salt together in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until mixture has a cornmeal texture. Add the milk; mix until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 2 hours.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 5×14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into twenty eight 1/2-inch wide strips. Twist pairs of strips together and pinch the ends together. Repeat for all of the strips. Cover strips with a clean cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Heat about 2-inches of oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Pour some of the cold syrup into a bowl and return remaining syrup to the refrigerator.
- Working in batches
- fry koeksister twists in hot oil until twists swell and are golden brown
- 2 to 5 minutes. Remove koeksisters from hot oil with a slotted spoon and immediately immerse in cold syrup for 10 seconds. Transfer soaked koeksisters to prepared wire rack to cool. Replenish cold syrup as necessary.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 10 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 18