Skip to Content

South-African Koeksisters

South-African Koeksisters are Syrup drenched, deep fried, decadent sweet treats !

South-African Koeksisters - Syrup drenched, decadent sweet treats !

South-African Koeksisters are syrup drenched, deep-fried dough sweet treats and loved by young and old. If you live in South-Africa you will know exactly what these little gems are and if you have ever visited the country and have not had a Koeksister, you missed out big time !

I have to admit that I have never made my own traditional Koeksisters (see NOTE below), let’s just call it pure laziness.

That is now when I still cooked and baked without any help from the hubby. Whom as you might know is the main cook/chef/baker in the house since my shoulders started acting up.

BUT, a couple of weeks ago my daughter’s fiance’s granny baked a batch and they brought us a packet – what a treat ! Not store-bought as I usually just grab a packet or three at the supermarket, but real homemade, freshly baked Koeksisters.

Koeksisters - Syrup drenched, decadent sweet treats !
Photo Credit : Vincent Viljoen

There is quite a bit of work into making these South-African Koeksisters. Therefore I will suggest you make the full recipe which yields around 4 – 6 dozen of these decadent treats.

You can twist/roll them into any size you wish but the sizes given in the directions are the most popular.

When I was little, I used to watch my own granny make these and even then I knew the most important part is — HOT fried dough, dumped quickly into the ICE-COLD syrup is key to the success of a perfect Koeksister.

~~ Quick PIN Link ~~

Over the years I have seen Koeksisters being called Koesisters as well (with the 2nd K dropped) but it is the same thing. Although some people calls Cape Malay Koeksisters, Koesisters and not Koeksisters with the 2nd K.

Please just never call them Cake Sisters ! It is pronounced the same as you would say COOKSISTER.

NOTE: I have made two varieties of Koeksisters and you can find the recipes by clicking on the names below :

South-African Koeksisters - Syrup drenched, decadent sweet treats !

South-African Koeksisters

South-African Koeksisters
South-African Koeksisters are Syrup drenched, deep fried, decadent sweet treats !
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: South-African
Author: Linda Nortje
Ingredients
  • 4 cups Sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups Boiling Water
  • 1/2 t Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 t Ground Ginger
  • 2 sticks Cinnamon
  • 1 t Edible Glycerin (optional)
DOUGH:
  • 4 cups Flour
  • 1/2 t Salt
  • 2 TB Baking Powder
  • 2 TB Butter cubed
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 cup Milk
  • Oil for deep-fry
Instructions
  1. Syrup: Dissolve the Sugar in the Water in a large saucepan – add the Cream of Tartar, Ginger and Cinnamon and let boil over high heat for 5 minutes – remove from heat and stir in the Glycerin, if using (Glycerin adds a little more shine to the Koeksisters) – leave syrup to cool completely then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight (the syrup must be ice-cold)
DOUGH:
  1. Sift together the Flour, Salt and Baking Powder in a large mixing bowl – rub Butter into the dry mixture until crumbly
  2. Whisk together the Egg and Milk – add to the Flour mixture and knead until a dough forms (at least 5 minutes) – the dough must be soft but still firm enough to roll out – cover and let stand 2 hours
  3. Roll out the dough on a floured board – 1 cm (1/4 – 1/2 inch) thick – cut into same size strips (you can do long or short strips – 20 cm (8 inch) strips are usually preferable – plaid or simply rolled (see picture below)
  4. Deep-fry in small batches at 190 deg C (375 deg F) 1 – 2 minutes or until light brown – remove using a slotted spoon and quickly drain on paper towel
  5. Place the bowl of chilled syrup over a bowl with ice – this will prevent the syrup from warming too quickly once the dipping starts
  6. Dip each fried hot Koeksister quickly in the ice-cold syrup – remove using a slotted spoon, shake excess syrup off gently and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet to dry a little
Recipe Notes

Recipe Credit: Alida Viljoen

Serve cold – keep leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

LINDA

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Heather (Delicious Not Gorgeous)

Wednesday 22nd of March 2017

i wonder how similar these are to gulab jamun, which are indian syrup soaked doughnuts. i haven't had either, but they both sound delicious!

Julia Jordan

Friday 17th of March 2017

Looks scrumptious!

Lita

Wednesday 15th of March 2017

I'd pick up a package or 2 at the store too! But the recipe is intriguing. Ice cold syrup on hot fried bread must be delicious. My mouth is watering. I'll probably never make these because I should never eat them with diabetes. But the process is so interesting. Thank you for sharing.

Wishes for tasty dishes,Linda

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.