CHOCOLATE SQUARES

(Makes 20 squares)

It’s easy to underestimate these simple chocolate treats but they never disappoint! It has a silky cacao texture with a crunchy biscuit bite. The ideal treat to fill those glass jars for a special occasion.

INGREDIENTS

250g butter
400g icing sugar
30g cacao
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tsp coffee, dissolved
1 egg
1 packet of Marie biscuits, crushed

METHOD

1.	Prepare a glass dish (15cm x 20cm) with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. In a large pot, add the butter, icing sugar, cacao, and salt. Melt this mixture on the stovetop, over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved (Tip 1).
3. In a small jug, dissolve the coffee in a bit of hot water and add the vanilla and egg. Whisk until well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, crush the Marie biscuits into coarse pieces.
5. Remove the cacao mixture from the heat and slowly whisk the egg mixture in, while continuously stirring (Tip 2).
6. Stir the crushed biscuits into the cacao mixture and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Evenly spread the mixture out.
7. Allow to cool down and cut into squares.
TIPS
1. Continue with the other steps while you wait for the mixture to melt, while stirring occasionally.
2. If the egg curdles when adding the liquid to the cacao mixture, then the cacao mixture is still too hot. You can either wait for the cacao mixture to cool down more or add some of the hot cacao mixture into the cold egg mixture to temper the egg and then pour the liquid into the big pot.

TIRAMISU

(6 – 8 servings)

A rich and creamy Italian dessert that never disappoints. The coffee and cacao cuts through the richness while the biscuits and smooth filling do their part in creating the perfect balanced dessert in terms of taste and texture. Easy to prepare in advance and it only tastes better as the flavours develop.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup boiling water
¼ cup instant coffee
2 tbsp rum (optional)
1 pack of finger biscuits (Boudoir biscuits: 100-200g)
4 egg yolks
½ cup castor sugar
1 tub (230g) cream cheese
1 tub (230g) mascarpone
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla essence
½ cup cream
Dusting: cacao powder

METHOD

1.	In a medium glass bowl, add the water, coffee and rum and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool down.
2. Prepare a double boiler with a medium glass bowl that fits over a small saucepan or pot (without touching the bottom of the pot). Add a little bit of boiling water in the pot and put on a medium heated stovetop. In the glass bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar. Place the glass bowl over the pot with simmering water.
3. Whisk the egg and sugar mixture with a hand whisk until most of the sugar has dissolved (8-10 minutes). Remove the glass bowl from the pot and place the bowl with the egg mixture in the fridge to cool down.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, mascarpone, salt and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, whisk until smooth and creamy.
5. In a separate glass bowl, whisk the cream until medium stiff peaks form and fold the cream into the cheese mixture.
6. Lastly, fold the egg mixture into the cream mixture until well combined.
7. Now to build the layers. Dip the finger biscuits in the coffee mixture and cover the bottom of your prepared dish with the biscuits. Carefully pour over halve of the filling. Pack another layer of soaked biscuits and end off with a layer of filling (Tip 2).
8. Cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours until set or overnight.
9. Remove the plastic wrap and dust with cacao powder before serving. Store the tiramisu covered in the fridge.
Tips
1. The recipe can easily be doubled.
2. You can decide on the amount of layers you want, depending on the size of your dish.

MIMOSA CAKE

A beautiful duo: Champagne & Orange juice.
A soft cake crumb, infused with champagne syrup and decorated with citrus curd and cream cheese icing. A mouthful, yet so simple!

INGREDIENTS

CAKE
1 ¼ cup castor sugar
1 orange, zest (± 1 tbsp)
4 eggs, separated
½ cup oil
¾ cup orange juice (± 2 oranges)
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 cups cake flour
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar

CHAMPANGE SYRUP
½ cup water
½ cup castor sugar
½ cup champagne

LEMON CURD (Tip 1)
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup castor sugar
½ tsp maizena (corn flour)
¼ cup lemon juice (± 1 lemon)
2 tbsp butter (30g)

CREAM CHEESE ICING
125g butter, softened
200g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
1 tub (230g) cream cheese

METHOD

CAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and place the oven rack in the middle.
2. Prepare a bunt cake tin or 2 small cake tins (18-20 cm) with enough non-stick spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Mix with a mixer to “infuse” the sugar.
4. Separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside.
5. Add the egg yolks, one by one, to the sugar and whisk well after each addition.
6. Add the oil to the sugar and egg mixture. Whisk until light and fluffy.
7. Add the orange juice and vanilla to your mixture and whisk until well combined.
8. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt over the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
9. In a separate glass bowl, with a clean mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cake mix until well combined.
10. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin/s and bake for 25-30 minutes (Tip 2).
11. Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes before demoulding onto a cooling rack.

CHAMPANGE SYRUP
1. In a small saucepan, mix all the ingredients.
2. Over medium heat, stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Once the mixture starts to boil, stop stirring and allow the syrup to boil for 5-10 minutes until half of the liquid has dissolved.
4. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and allow the syrup to cool down.
5. Evenly pour the syrup over the cooled cakes.

LEMON CURD
1. Add the egg yolks to a small saucepan and whisk with a hand whisk.
2. Add the castor sugar and maizena to the egg yolks and whisk until a smooth paste forms.
3. Slowly add the lemon juice and whisk until well combined.
4. Place the saucepan over your stovetop and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture thickens (8-10 minutes).
5. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter. Mix until smooth and glossy.
6. Pour the curd into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap, directly onto the lemon curd (Tip 3).
7. Allow the curd to cool down. Once the cake is cooled down and iced, pour spoonsful drops over the icing and decorate as desired. This curd adds so much texture and flavour to the cake.

CREAM CHEESE ICING
1. In a medium bowl, whisk the butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until well combined.
3. Add the vanilla, salt and cream cheese and mix until smooth.
4. Decorate the cooled cake with your icing and top with lemon curd.
TIPS
1. You are more than welcome to use store bought lemon curd. However, this recipe is so easy and you can really taste the difference!
2. The cake tester should have some moist crumbs on when testing the cake. When the cake tester comes out clean, the cake is most probably over baked.
3. The plastic wrap should touch the lemon curd; this prevents a dry layer to form on top. The same trick works with any custard. The mixture will thicken more as it cools down.

MOJITO CAKE

A shout out to my absolute favourite cocktail! Lime and mint wears the crown while the rum syrup deepens the explosion of flavours. I just can’t get enough and every bite makes you more curious to taste again.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE
5 limes (Tip 1)
2 tbsp mint, finely chopped 
2 cups brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup oil (sunflower/canola)
1 cup double cream plain yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½  tsp salt

SYRUP
½ cup water
½ cup castor sugar
½ cup white rum

ICING
200g  butter, softened
400g icing sugar, sifted
1 tub (230g) cream cheese, room temperature
¼ tsp salt

METHOD

CAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 160⁰C. 
2. Prepare two round cake tins (21-23cm) with baking paper and non-stick spray.
3. Zest the limes and chop the mint. 
4. After removing the zest of the limes, cut the tops and bottoms off. Cut the skin and white flesh off the fruit. Over a bowl, carefully cut the wedges of fruit out of the membranes, allowing the fruit and juices to fall into the bowl. Break the fruit up into smaller pieces. Set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, lime zest and mint. Whisk the sugar mixture until the sugar starts to colour and mixture is fragranced (Tip 2).
6. Add the eggs and oil to the sugar and whisk until light and fluffy.
7. Add the yoghurt and vanilla essence to the egg mixture and mix until well combined.
8. Sift the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
9. Add the lime pieces and juices to the cake batter and mix. 
10. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tins and bake for 40-50 minutes in the middle of the oven. Allow the cakes to cool down for 10 minutes before demoulding onto cooling racks.

SYRUP
1. In a small saucepan, mix all the ingredients.
2. Over medium heat, stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Once the mixture starts to boil, stop stirring and allow the syrup to boil for 5-10 minutes until half of the liquid has dissolved. 
4. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop and allow the syrup to cool down.
5. Evenly pour the syrup over the cooled cakes. 

ICING
1. In a medium bowl, whisk the butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until well combined.
3. Add the salt and cream cheese and mix until smooth.
4. Decorate the cooled cakes and store the cake in an airtight container.
TIPS
1. If you can’t find limes, you can also use lemons.
2. This step is to enhance the flavours of the lime and mint by infusing the sugar with the oils released when whisking or rubbing.

STRAWBERRY BLONDIES

She is a real sweetheart, perfect for the summer days. A classic flavour combination with the white chocolate that melts in your mouth and the fresh strawberries that elevates the flavour and texture of this treat.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream can transform this bite into a summer dessert.

INGREDIENTS 
1 cup (230g) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150g white chocolate
8-10 fresh strawberries (1 cup), roughly chopped
½ lemon, juiced
2 tbsp castor sugar
METHOD 
1. Preheat the oven to 180⁰C with the oven rack in the middle.
2. Prepare an oven proof baking dish (25x20cm) with baking paper and non-stick spray. You can also use a round cake tin (21-23cm).
3. Cut the strawberries and squeeze the lemon juice over the strawberries (Tip 1).
4. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture and whisk until well combined.
6. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
7. Fold the chopped white chocolate into your batter until evenly distributed. 
8. Spoon the batter into your prepared baking tin and spread the batter out.
9. Add the strawberries on top of the batter and sprinkle with castor sugar (Tip 2).
10. Bake the batter for 25-30 minutes until light brown. Do not over bake the blondies, it should be moist and chewy when cooled down. Allow the blondies to cool down before cutting into pieces. 
TIPS
1. The lemon juice prevents the strawberries from turning brown when baking.
2. The castor sugar helps the strawberries to lightly toast and caramelize.

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Definitely not just a dark version of a cheesecake; this cheesecake is in a class of its own! Smooth chocolate and cream cheese creates a winning combination to ensure a melting-in-the-mouth moment with every single bite.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST
2 x Packets of Oreo biscuits
100g butter, melted

CHEESECAKE
200g milk chocolate, finely chopped
100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup cream
3 x 230g tub cream cheese
1 cup castor sugar
¼ cup cacao
4 large eggs
2 tsp instant coffee (dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water) OR 2 tbsp espresso
1 tbsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

METHOD

CRUST
1. Prepare a springform cake tin (23-25cm) with non-stick spray.
2. In a food processor, grind the Oreo cookies until fine (Tip 2).
3. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined.
4. Add the crust to the bottom and sides of the prepared cake tin.
5. Place the cake tin in the fridge for the crust to set.

CHEESECAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C and ensure the oven rack to be in the middle or two thirds from the top of the oven (Tip 3). 
2. In a small glass jug, add the cream and heat it in the microwave until boiling point (1-2min).
3. In a medium glass bowl, add the milk- and dark chocolate. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute before stirring until a smooth ganache forms. Set aside.
4. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment to beat for 5-10 minutes until the cream cheese is light and fluffy (Tip 4). 
5. Add the castor sugar and cacao powder to the cream cheese and mix until well combined.
6. Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture, one by one, mixing well after each addition.
7. Add the coffee, vanilla and salt and mix until just combined.
8. Fold the chocolate ganache into the batter and mix until well combined.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 110⁰C  and bake for another 45 minutes (Tip 5).
10. Switch the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool down in the oven with the door closed. 
11. Once cooled (4-6 hours), remove the cheesecake from the oven. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to set further in the fridge (4-6 hours or overnight).
TIPS
1. The better the quality of your chocolate, the better the taste of your cheesecake.
2. If you don’t have a food processor, use any method you know to finely crumble the cookies. The finer the texture, the less crumbly the baked crust will be.
3. I prefer to bake a cheesecake or milktart one level lower than the middle of the oven.
4. You can also use a hand electric mixer, but the whisking technique adds more air into the cream cheese, which creates cracks on top of the cheesecake when the air escapes when baking.
5. I place an oven tray below the cheesecake to capture the butter dripping out of the cake tin to prevent the fat from creating smoke when dripping onto the bottom of the oven. 

PASTEIS DE NATA

My mouth waters just by saying the name of these delicious Portuguese tarts. A flaky puff pastry cup with a rich custard filling creates the perfect balance! You only need a few basic ingredients to make serious impressions.

INGREDIENTS

PASTRY
1 x 400g Puff pastry roll
PASTE
2 tbsp cake flour
2 tbsp maizena (corn flour)
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla essence
5 egg yolks (Tip 1)
CUSTARD MIX
2 cups full cream milk
1 cup castor sugar
Rind of 1 lemon (Tip 2)

METHOD

PASTRY
1. Defrost your pastry in the fridge overnight to ensure that it is fully defrosted but still cold.
2. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray.
3. On a clean, floured surface, roll out the pastry. Lightly flour the pastry on top and roll with a rolling pin until the pastry is almost double in size.
4. Cut out 12 circles and mould the muffin cups with the pastry.
5. Place the muffin pan back in the fridge to keep the pastry cold.
PASTE
1. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C and ensure that the oven rack is in the middle. 
2. In a medium glass jug, mix together all the ingredients, except the egg yolks, until a smooth paste forms.
3. Add the egg yolks and mix well until the mixture is lump free. Set the paste aside.
CUSTARD MIX
1. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. 
2. Microwave the milk mixture for 5 minutes, mixing halfway through.
3. After 5 minutes, remove the lemon rind.
4. Slowly add the paste to the milk mixture while continuously whisking until smooth.
5. Microwave the mixture again for 3-5 minutes, whisking every minute, until the custard starts to thicken.
6. Spoon the custard into the pastry cups until the cup is ¾ full (Tip 3). 
7. Bake the tarts for 20-25 minutes until the custard surface starts to blacken in the middle, still having a shiny gloss.
8. These tarts are enjoyed best when lukewarm and as fresh as possible. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. 
TIPS
1. You can use the egg whites for a delicious meringue. You can also freeze the egg whites.
2. When peeling the lemon rind off, try to cut off as little of the white flesh of the lemon with the rind. You just want the flavour of the yellow part.
3. Take into consideration that the puff pastry will rise when baked. If the cup is too full, the filling will cook over. 

CITRUS SPONGE CAKE

A classic winter favourite! Orange and Lemon joins their flavour-forces in this light and fresh citrus cake. A perfectly soft cake crumb with a rich cream cheese icing, tanged up with a smooth lemon curd. She’s perfect for tea time.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE
1 ¼ cup castor sugar
1 orange, zest (± 1 tbsp)
4 eggs, separated
½  cup oil
¾ cup orange juice (± 2 oranges)
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 cups cake flour
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar 

LEMON CURD (Tip 1)
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup castor sugar
½ tsp maizena (corn flour)
¼ cup lemon juice (± 1 lemon)
2 tbsp butter (30g)

CREAM CHEESE ICING
125g butter, softened
200g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
1 tub (230g) cream cheese

METHOD

CAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and place the oven rack in the middle.
2. Prepare a bunt cake tin with enough non-stick spray (Tip 2).
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Mix with a mixer to “infuse” the sugar.
4. Separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside. 
5. Add the egg yolks, one by one, to the sugar and whisk well after each addition.
6. Add the oil to the sugar and egg mixture. Whisk until light and fluffy.
7. Add the orange juice and vanilla to your mixture and whisk until well combined.
8. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt over the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
9. In a separate glass bowl, with a clean mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cake mix until well combined.
10. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes (Tip 3).
11. Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes before demoulding onto a cooling rack.

LEMON CURD
1. Add the egg yolks to a small saucepan and whisk with a hand whisk.
2. Add the castor sugar and maizena to the egg yolks and whisk until a smooth paste forms.
3. Slowly add the lemon juice and whisk until well combined. 
4. Place the saucepan over your stovetop and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture thickens (8-10 minutes).
5. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter. Mix until smooth and glossy.
6. Pour the curd into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap, directly onto the lemon curd (Tip 4).
7. Allow the curd to cool down. Once the cake is cooled down and iced, place spoonful’s over the icing and decorate as desired. This curd adds so much texture and flavour to the cake.

CREAM CHEESE ICING
1. In a medium bowl, whisk the butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until well combined.
3. Add the vanilla, salt and cream cheese and mix until smooth.
4. Decorate the cooled cake with your icing and top with lemon curd.
TIPS
1. You are more than welcome to use store bought lemon curd. However, this recipe is so easy and you can really taste the difference! 
2. You can also use two small cake tins (18-20cm) or any baking dish.
3. The cake tester should have some moist crumbs on when testing the cake. When the cake tester comes out clean, the cake is most probably over baked. 
4. The plastic wrap should touch the lemon curd, this prevents a dry layer to form on top. The same trick works with any custard. 

PINA COLADA SWISS ROLL

A celebration of coconut and rum! This cocktail inspired cake has a soft sponge with a silky filling and a crunch of coconut. She’s perfect for tea time or as a dessert.

INGREDIENTS

SWISS ROLL
5 eggs, separated
¾ cup castor sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vanilla essence
¾ cup cake flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

RUM SYRUP (Optional)
½ cup water
½ cup castor sugar
½ cup white rum

FILLING
100g butter, room temperature
100g icing sugar, sifted
1 x 230g tub cream cheese
1 tbsp white rum
¾ cup desiccated coconut

METHOD

SWISS ROLL
1. Prepare a baking tray (about 35x25 cm) with baking paper and non-stick spray (Tip 1).
2. Preheat the oven to 200⁰C and place the oven rack in the middle.
3. Separate your egg whites into a large glass bowl and the yolks into a large mixing bowl.
4. With an electric hand mixer, whisk the egg yolks until light and fluffy, adding the castor sugar, lemon juice and vanilla while whisking until everything is well combined.
5. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt over the egg yolk mixture. Fold in until just combined.
6. With a clean electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and fold into the cake batter until everything is well combined.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray, as thin and evenly as possible. Once the batter is in the baking tray, you want to spread it as little as possible to prevent knocking out the air.
8. Bake the Swiss roll for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
9. While baking, prepare your tea towel. Gently wet a clean kitchen towel with hot water and generously sprinkle the towel with castor sugar.
10. Loosen the sides of the cake and flip the baking tray over onto the prepared tea towel. Carefully remove the baking paper and immediately roll the cake from the shorter side up. Leave the cake in the tea towel and allow to cool down.

RUM SYRUP
1. In a small saucepan, mix all the ingredients together over low heat. 
2. Allow the sugar to dissolve before the mixture starts boiling (Tip 2).
3. Once the mixture starts to boil, stop stirring and allow boiling for 5-8 minutes until the syrup has reduced to a third of the mixture. Remove from the heat and cool down.

FILLING
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until well combined and creamy.
3. Add the cream cheese and rum, mix until just combined.
4. Add the coconut and mix.
5. Once the cake has cooled down completely, carefully roll it open again.
6. If using the syrup, sprinkle it over the cake. You don’t have to use all of the syrup. 
7. Spread the filling over the swiss roll and roll up, again from the short side. Decorate with some extra filling or with a simple dusting of icing sugar (Tip 3).
TIPS
1. I didn’t have a baking tray small enough so I used a big oven dish that I divided in half using foil that I folded and placed in the middle of the tray. Be creative and use your imagination.
2. You can stir the syrup mixture to help the sugar to dissolve and make sure that there are no sugar granules sticking to the sides of the saucepan. Everything should be dissolved before the mixture starts to boil.
3. Cut the sides from the Swiss roll neat before serving.

LITCHI & PASSION FRUIT CHEESECAKE

A celebration of tropical fruits, ideal for the hot summer days! I’m very loyal to a baked cheesecake, but these fruits asked for a fridge cheesecake.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST
1 packet of Tennis biscuits
1 packet of Marie or Digestive biscuits
150g butter, melted (Tip 1)
pinch of salt

CHEESECAKE
3 x cream cheese tubs (230g each)
¾ cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
15 tinned or fresh litchis (Tip 2)
1 packet of jelly; litchi or granadilla flavoured (80-100g)
2 tbsp hot water
1 cup cream (cold; Tip 3)

METHOD

CRUST 
1. Crush the biscuits until fine, then add the butter and salt and mix until well combined.
2. Press the biscuits onto the bottom and sides of a springform cake tin (21-23cm) or any dish of your choice. Refrigerate until needed.

CHEESECAKE
1. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add the castor sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until well combined.
3. Place the litchis in a food processor or anything that can puree the litchis. Blend until smooth.
4. Dissolve the packet of jelly in the hot water. Add this jelly mixture to the litchi puree.
5. Fold the litchi puree into your cheesecake mixture.
6. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the cream until medium peaks form. 
7. Gently fold the cream into the cheesecake mixture until well combined.
8. Pour the cheesecake mixture into your prepared cake tin, cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge.
9. Refrigerate overnight until set. You can add granadilla pulp, chopped litchis or any toppings you will enjoy onto your cheesecake.
TIPS
1. If your mixture isn’t wet enough to stick together, add some more butter. 
2. You can use fresh or tinned litchis. Just remove the pits and shells when using fresh ones.
3. If your cream isn’t cold enough, it won’t stiffen when you whisk it. Make sure to use refrigerated cream. Always be careful to not overwhip your cream, it’s a matter of seconds.