In Partnership with Royal Baking Powder.
If you haven’t met Yaya yet, you’re about to fall in love. She’s a former nanny-turned-rusk-entrepreneur who rose to internet fame almost by accident. After 16 years of caring for nine children and baking rusks to keep busy between naptimes, she shared her story online, and it took off. Within seven weeks, she had over 10,000 Instagram followers, and her rusks sold out in just 33 minutes. But Yaya’s real magic has always been offline, as she turns everyday ingredients into little acts of comfort, bakes with heart, and shares what she has.
This Mandela Day, Yaya found the perfect way to give back using the one thing that has always brought people together in her world, her baking. She prepared 67 bags of her famous muesli rusks, one for every year of Madiba’s service, and hand-delivered them to a local nursing home and orphanage.
“It wasn’t a marketing stunt, it was just something I wanted to do, to give a bit of what I know to the people who need it”, she says.
The Secret’s in the rise
Yaya’s rusks have become something of a legend, they are golden, chunky, and full of nostalgic flavour thanks to a mix of cereals, seeds, and raisins. If you had to ask her about the real star of the show, she would say it is Royal Baking Powder. It’s the ingredient she swears by, giving her rusks the perfect crumb and helping each batch rise just right.
For many South African home bakers, Royal Baking Powder is a pantry essential, the kind of dependable staple that brings comfort and consistency to any recipe. In Yaya’s hands, it turns simple ingredients into something memorable. Whether you’re baking your own or ordering hers, the results are the same; real, delicious comfort.
Yaya’s Famous Muesli Rusks
Makes: 3–4 dozen rusks
What you’ll need:
- 4 cups self-raising flour
- 1 tablespoon Royal Baking Powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 250g butter (melted)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup All Bran flakes
- 1 cup Corn Flakes
- 1 cup Rice Krispies
- ½ cup nibbed peanuts or sunflower seeds
- ½ cup raisins
How to make them:
Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a large baking tray or loaf tins.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, Royal Baking Powder, and sugar.
Add All Bran, Corn Flakes, Rice Crispies, raisins, and seeds.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the mixture into your tins and bake for 35–40 minutes until golden.
Let it cool slightly, then slice into thick fingers.
Return to a low oven (100°C) and dry out for 3–4 hours until crisp.
For first-time and home bakers alike
If you’re new to baking, Yaya’s rusks are the perfect place to start. No fancy gadgets, no complicated steps – just a humble, hearty recipe that fills the kitchen with warm, familiar aromas.
And if baking a batch this big feels like too much? That’s okay too. Bake a few, share a few, or skip the oven entirely and order a bag (or three) from Yaya herself. They’re made with the same care, minus the dishes.
