Johannesburg, 22 September 2026 – There’s something about a South African braai that turns an ordinary afternoon into an occasion. The fire is going, the food is slowly making its way onto the grid, someone has taken charge of the tongs and conversations stretch well beyond the dinner table. By the time the sun starts to set, the braai has become less about the food and more about being together, the dessert and the drinks.
While Heritage Day comes with plenty of time-honoured traditions, there’s always room to put your own spin on the celebration. This year, Jacobs is bringing coffee into sundowner territory with a simple, easy to make Espresso walnut dessert, paired with a chilled Jacobs Ice Presso Classic or Latte range – the perfect match for the laid-back ritual of a Heritage Day braai.
Whether you’re hosting the family, spending the day with friends or simply enjoying a relaxed braai at home, a Jacobs Roast and Ground coffee infused dessert is an easy way to turn an already special gathering into something memorable and sweet.
Recipe Spotlight: Espresso walnut cupcakes
Ingredients
- Makes approximately 24 cupcakes
- 200g of flour, additional flour is needed to coat the walnuts
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 200g of sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100g soft butter
- 3 eggs
- 150ml of milk
- 1 cup of brewed, and cooled Jacobs roast and ground coffee
- 100g walnuts
- For the topping
- 200g of powdered sugar
- 100g soft butter
- 1tsp of vanilla extract
Methods and steps
- Preheat the oven to 180° C. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.
- Add sugar, salt and butter. Mix everything to a crumbly mixture. Mix the eggs with the milk in a second bowl.
- Pour the egg milk mixture and half of the coffee into the crumbly mixture while stirring. Stir until a smooth dough has formed.
- Chop the nuts roughly and mix in a bowl with some flour, then fold under the dough.
- Line the muffin trays with paper cups and fill them up to half the height with dough.
- Bake in a hot oven for 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes spring back to the touch of a finger.
- Remove and allow to cool completely.
- For the icing, mix the icing sugar, butter, vanilla extract and the remaining coffee until creamy. Add the icing on to the cupcakes.
- Put half a walnut on each cupcake for decoration.
Your sundowner sign-off
For those looking for that refreshing sign off after the braai, you can try the Jacobs Ice Presso Classic or Latte ranges, the perfect companion for the ultimate spring and summer seasons. Best enjoyed from the can or decanted into a glass, with some ice and garnish.
The result is a sweet ending and a chilled coffee sundowner that brings together two things South Africans know how to enjoy: a good braai and good company.
Heritage is best served together
Heritage Day is ultimately about celebrating the things that bring us together, from family recipes and braai traditions to the stories shared around the fire. And while every household may have its own way of doing things, there’s always space for a new tradition to join the table.
So, this Heritage Day, light the fire, gather your people and make room for a different kind of sundowner.
