DIRECTIONS

• 1. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Set it aside.
• 2. Beat the butter/margarine with the caster sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add the yellow food color and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add in the flour, mixing until just combined. Finally fold in the vanilla essence.
• 3. Pour the batter (it will be a thick batter) into a greased and lined 7x11 pan. (You can use any pan you like, but I chose to use a big pan so as to get a thin layer cake, that way the strips are nice and evenly baked).
• 4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• 5. Turn the cake out and let it cool. Then, using a sharp knife, cut it down the middle, then into thin strips.
• 6. Place the strips on a baking sheet, and put the sheet back into the oven. Bake at 150 C for 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake the other side for another 15 minutes. If they need more time in the oven, turn down the heat a little bit and let them bake for slightly longer until they are golden brown and crisp on all sides.
• 7. Remove on to a wire-rack and let them cool. Store in an airtight container.
• 8. If they still don't feel as crispy as you would want, AFTER they have cooled completely, turn the oven on and let it heat to 180 C. Then turn it off and put the rusks on a baking sheet and put it back into the oven. Close the oven door and let them stay in there for about half an hour with the oven off.