Toffee pumpkin squares

These dense and rich toffee squares are a seasonal variation of this original sticky toffee pudding recipe. However this time with a few tweaks to include pumpkin instead of sweet potato, and instead of serving these warm with a pouring sauce, I would serve these cold simply with their sticky topping….this is a ‘messy fingers’ situation!  Of course you could also serve these squares warm if you preferred.

In my original recipe I used spelt flour, but here I used my typical GF flour combo, you’d never know the difference. I’d encourage you to try with your own favourite flour mix since the relative ratio of flour is not particularly high so you should be able to substitute other ‘flours’ without compromising the taste or texture. If you want a more cakey texture increase the baking soda, and likewise if you want a really dense crumb you could omit the baking soda altogether.

I made these squares for a friend to take to a work event a week or so ago, gluten free was a specific requirement. I made 36 little cakes in all including these almond raspberry chocolate torte slices (as seen in the photo) and also these double banana blondies (still in the oven at the time the photo was taken!)….all the choices were at the request of my friend (good choices!)  I was up late into the night trying to get them finished for him to take to work the following morning, but it was all worth it when such a positive report rolled in the next day!

Recipe: Toffee pumpkin squares

Makes 16 small squares

Ingredients

1 cup cooked pureed sweet pumpkin

¼ cup soy yoghurt

1/3 cup coconut butter- melted

1/3 cup dates- softened

½ cup mashed/pureed chickpeas

3 tbs brown rice syrup (or maple syrup) plus ¼ tsp stevia

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup spelt or GF flour (I used 1/3 cup each of almond meal, buckwheat flour, tapioca flour)

2 tbs cacao powder (or cocoa powder)

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

A pinch salt

For sticky toffee top:

¼ cup softened blended dates

3 tbs brown rice syrup

Method

Blend the wet ingredients in food processor until very smooth. Pour into a bowl, add dry ingredients and mix together until well mixed. Spoon mixture into a parchment lined 8x8 baking tin and smooth the top. Bake in oven at 180C for approx. 8 minutes.

Whilst the cake is in the oven blitz the dates to form a paste and add the syrup.

Remove the pudding from the oven after 8 minutes and use a toothpick to make holes all over the top of the cake- approx. 100 holes. Spoon the toffee sauce over the top and smooth over allowing it to seep into the holes (much of the sauce will remain on top as a sticky layer).

Return to the oven for a final 5 minutes cooking time. Once cooked, allow to cool before slicing into squares.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Double whammy banana cake

The past few days have flown by in a whirlwind!

As well as recovering from a compressed nerve in my spine (which totally obliterated any form of cooking opportunity for most of last week), I needed to somehow bake a big batch of various cakes for a stall I had planned at the Love Architecture event at the architectural company where I work…. It was touch and go whether I would recover in time.

As it happens the pain killers I’d be prescribed finally kicked in and I was up to the challenge.

So what did I bake?

I wanted a varied selection to satisfy all tastes. Yes, there had to be a lot of chocolate involved but also lots of other treats for the not-so-chocolate lovers!

I settled for chocolate orange and gingerbread smoosh bars…my favourites!  Toffee blondies which were closely based on my sticky toffee pudding recipe, raspberry almond chocolate torte, plus a peppermint cream variation on that theme…and last but not least (at the request of my colleagues) banana cake.

I have made banana bread for the blog here before (way back in the early days) but until now I hadn’t attempted a gluten free version.  I called this new version ‘double whammy’ because I used both fresh bananas and dried chewy chunks for extra depth of flavour and texture. If you can’t find dried bananas (they need to be the chewy natural dried ones not the crisp banana chips covered in sugar!) then you can just sub extra dates of you wish or simply omit altogether. My usual gluten free flour combo also worked really well, everyone said that they would never have known it was GF which makes it a huge success! I baked the banana cake in 4 small loaf tins (approx 15cm long), but a larger loaf tin (note: I haven’t tested this so baking times will need to be modified) or muffin tins would also be fine.

The cakes sold really well and the few that remained I brought home to freeze as treats for me, so all is good! I also had some business cards designed and printed, hence why you may have noticed a few changes around here with a new colour theme and a new logo! I'd love to hear your thought's and feedback! I didn't know what my title on the business cards should be...so decided upon 'Cakemaster', quite fitting I think, ha ha!

Recipe: Double whammy banana cake

Makes approx. 4 mini loaves

4 ripe bananas- well mashed

1 cup cooked chickpeas

½ cup coconut butter- melted

3 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup agave plus ½ tsp stevia

2 cups GF flour (1 cup buckwheat, ½ cup ground almonds, ½ cup tapioca flour)

½ cup dried bananas- chopped

¼ cup dates- chopped (optional)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon/mixed spice

Soy milk (or other liquid) as necessary (I used approx ¼ cup)

Method

Mix together wet ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix lightly but well with spoon. Add a little soy milk last as necessary to achieve desired consistency (not too stiff).

Once combined, pour the mixture into 4 small/2 medium greased and lined loaf tin or muffin cases and bake at 180C for approx. 20-30 minutes depending on pan size. Test with a toothpick to ensure the centre is cooked. If the top begins to brown before the centre is cooked through lightly cover the pan with tin foil.

 
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Double choc cookie dough balls and batter

Some months ago, at around the time I first discovered the ‘magical powers’ of chickpeas, I made a cookie dough dip, and subsequently some half-baked cookie dough balls.

These were both pretty yummy...but... this week I had another thought and knew I could do even better!

Enter the super (super) healthy double choc chip cookie dough dip and half baked balls!

Even healthier? How?

Chickpeas and sweet potato!

My blondie and sticky toffee pudding recipes both use a combination of chickpeas and sweet potato as their bases and judging by the amount of times I have made both these recipes...and eaten spoonfuls of the mixture before adding the dry ingredients...it would indicate that this batter is in need of a little recognition all of its own!

The batter can easily be transformed into half baked balls with the addition of a few extra dry ingredients so feel free to whip up a few of each. You will note that the recipe is now ‘double chocolate’. Apart from giving it an even more indulgent twist, the sweet potato turns the batter quite an orangey colour which doesn’t so much give the impression of cookie dough, but with the addition of a little cocoa powder it all becomes so much more!

I baked my balls for around 8-10 minutes and they still have a soft cakey centre. I think they would probably have even more of a half-baked feel to them with a shorter baking period. So I would suggest you take one out after 5-6 minutes and cut through it so see if the centre is how you like it, if not leave them in a few extra minutes. Just be sure not to overbake, otherwise you’ll have regular cookie balls- though I guess that is not necessarily a bad thing either.

One more note, the cookie ball batter with the flour added is still fairly sticky and needed to be dolloped onto the baking sheet although I then lightly used my palms to form a more rounded ball. You could of course add more flour (or less sweet potato) to the mix to make a firmer dough that could be scooped/rolled but I would imagine the centre would not be so soft- if you try this you could add a big choc chunk to the centre so that it goes all melty when heated (Ooooo that’s an idea!).

Makes 2 ½ cups batter or approx. 12-16 balls (depending on size)

Ingredients- batter

1 cup cooked sweet potato

¼ cup coconut butter- melted

¼ cup peanut butter

½ cup agave plus ½ tsp stevia

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup chickpeas

3 tbs cocoa powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

¼- ½ cup dark choc chunks

Ingredients- half baked balls:

Add all above ingredients plus:

¼ tsp baking powder

2 cups flour (spelt or GF) I used 1 cup ground oats, ½ cup tapioca, ½ cup ground almonds

Add extra choc chunks if desired

Method

Blend together all ingredients (except choc chunks) until a smooth batter is formed. Add the choc chunks last and lightly mix through.

For the cookie dough batter it should be soft and easily spoonable- served into a medium bowl.

For the balls the dough should be fairly stiff. Spoon dollops on to a greased baking sheet and lightly roll in your hands to get a smooth shaped dollop. Bake for 5-10 mins at 180C. The outside should be cooked and the centres soft.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Scones- back to basics with a difference!

I like a challenge, the chance to do something a little different, the chance to explore a common theme with a little of my own imagination thrown in. I also enjoy seeing how others respond to an idea…

…for example if you were asked to make scones (aka American biscuits)  what would you come up with?

Sweet, savoury, a circle of wedges, round scones cut with a cutter, fruity scones, chocolate scones, scones served with jam and cream for afternoon tea, scones served as a side with a casserole or broth…the list goes on!

I have recently joined the Daring Bakers and this was my first monthly challenge….scones! The challenges are set on the 1^st of every month with a publishing date of the 27^th of every month. It’s been very interesting to check out the results of the other bakers and to see just how different the outcomes can be.

For me the basic scone recipe presents simply the principle, one which I can then tweak to create a healthy vegan adaptation.  I opted for sweet scones as would be traditionally served with jam and cream (or in my case sugar free jam and a dollop of soy yoghurt). This is the type of scone with which I am most familiar; I remember days gone by cuddling up on the sofa with a warm wedge of light and fluffy baked scone slathered in jam and squirty cream!

I haven’t had too much experience with baking healthy vegan scones (or any scones for that matter), other than the first batch I ever made- my Halloween pumpkin scones which were a resounding success! This gave me a little confidence boost and I was keen to get cracking!

Traditional scones, whether sweet or savoury, consist primarily of plain flour, butter and milk. I adapted the basic recipe to incorporate spelt flour, almond milk and coconut oil and I’m pleased with the overall result…a good base for many flavour combinations.  I had three attempts at this challenge, tweaking as I went and reducing the liquid slightly and adding a little baking soda along with the baking powder, and adding a little dried fruit.  The original Daring Bakers January recipe challenge can be found here.

So, question time...Do you call them ‘biscuits’ or ‘scones’? Do you prefer sweet or savoury? What’s your favourite flavour combination?

Recipe: Scones with walnut and cranberry

Makes approx. 6 wedges or circles (I made one batch of each)

Ingredients

1 cup mix of white and wholemeal spelt flours

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Tiny pinch of salt

2 tables coconut oil (not melted)

Slightly over 1/3 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice) plus extra for glaze

2 tsp agave syrup

¼ cup mix of chopped cranberries and dates (optional)

Method

Mix/sift dry ingredients well to maximise air in the mixture. 

Rub through the coconut oil with fingers to achieve a breadcrumb like consistency, then mix through the dried fruit if using. 

Mix agave into the milk and add liquid to the dry ingredients. Use hands to create a soft dough ball that should be slightly sticky but manageable.

On a floured surface, knead dough into a circle approx. 2cm thick and either cut into 6 wedges or circles using a cutter. Brush a little ‘milk’ over the tops to glaze.

Lay close together on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 210C for 8-10 minutes until tops are golden. You may need to rotate halfway through to ensure an even rise.

Blog-checking lines: Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host.. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Sticky toffee pudding

Happy New Year to you all!

It has been a crazy few days and I have barely had the chance to sit down with my laptop and write my notes up. Now the holidays are over and I’m back at work, I realise so many of my Christmas plans to relax and read books fell by the wayside.

The holidays always feel like such a long stretch of time ‘off’, but once you have factored in catching up with friends and family…along with the fact I gave myself the big task of totally redecorating my bedroom, does time ‘off’ actually exist?  Not that I’m complaining, I love to be busy…but maybe I should just be a little more realistic about much I can actually fit in!

Any way back to food….

I (probably like everyone else) have succumbed to the sugar and naughtiness overload this holiday, despite my best intentions of self- control! I’m now craving healthy food so these next few weeks are most likely to feature more savoury snacks, I also fancy getting back into soup mode. But more on all that another time.

For now…one last indulgence I just couldn’t resist!  The great British classic- sticky toffee pudding!

I love this dessert and have been waiting to explore my own healthy vegan version for a few weeks now- but have only just found the time to do so in amongst the madness of Christmas and New Year.

The recipe is very closely based on my amazing blondie recipe, just a bit more datey, syrupy and gooey!  Since my blondies were super healthy, this pudding is also super healthy by default. Ok, the syrup topping maybe isn’t so much…but there certain limits in creating a healthy syrup and this is still healthy in comparison. The pudding itself is still very sticky and moist without the extra syrup, so it could be served straight with a little soy yoghurt if you are feeling a little more virtuous- it’s your call!

For those of you who’ve never had sticky toffee pudding, the so called ‘pudding’ is more like a dense moist cake. It is typically formed and served using a miniture singular dome shaped pudding mould, but here I have used the more practical blondie slice format and simply stacked two squares on top of one another.  The typical sauce would also be thinner and more ‘caramelly’ and although it is quite possible to make a vegan version this way, they typically involve lots and lots of refined sugar which I really wanted to avoid. Therefore my syrup is a thicker date syrup that I think really works well with the pudding. Also, I went down the route of using the GF subs optionally noted in the original blondie recipe.

Having just read this back to myself and uploaded the photos…I really want another piece right now!

Recipe: Sticky toffee pudding

Ingredients

1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato

¼ cup soy yoghurt

1/3 cup coconut butter- melted

1/3 cup dates- softened

½ cup mashed chickpeas

3 tbs brown rice syrup (or maple syrup) plus ¼ tsp stevia

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup white spelt flour (or GF subs below)

2 tbs cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

A pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

NB: GF flour substitute- 1/3 cup each of almond meal, buckwheat flour, tapioca flour

(makes one 8” pan or approx. 8 servings of two squares)

For ‘toffee’sauce:

1 cup softened dates

1/3 cup brown rice syrup and a pinch of stevia to taste

½ cup soy yoghurt

¼ cup water

(makes just over 1 cup)

Method

Blend the wet ingredients in food processor until very smooth. Pour into a bowl, add dry ingredients and blend together until well mixed. Spoon mixture into a parchment lined 8x8 baking tin and smooth the  top. Bake in oven at 180C for approx. 10 minutes. Note- GF timings may be slightly shorter.

Whilst the pudding is in the oven blitz together the sauce ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a small sauce pan and heat for approx. 5 mins stirring continuously until bubbling. The mixture should form a thick sauce. If you would prefer a runnier syrup add a little more water.

Remove the pudding from the oven after 10 minutes and use a toothpick to make holes all over the top of the cake- approx. 100 holes. Spoon/pour approx. 1/3 of the sauce over the top and smooth over allowing to seep into the holes (much of the sauce will remain on top as a sticky layer).

Return to the oven for a final 5 minutes cooking time. Once cooked, allow to cool for a couple of minutes before slicing into squares. Serve whilst still hot with some of the extra sauce poured over the top as desired. Serve with soy yoghurt or ice cream.

The pudding and sauce will store well in the fridge for a couple of days. Best served hot.

  
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

‘Super healthy- super decadent’ chocolate brownie torte

Following on from yesterday's little teaser.....

....This is a brownie recipe that has come about through reading many other blogs and online vegan recipes and combining what I consider to be all the ‘best bits’ to create a healthy brownie of my own. This was one of the first ‘healthy cake recipes’ I ever created and it has undergone various refinements over time to maximise the balance between yummy and healthy. I don’t know why it’s taken me until now to get it up on the blog- you saw a little sneaky teaser way back here at the beginning (ok so maybe it wasn’t so long ago but if feels ages to me!!)

It contains a lot of fruit and veg… maybe it can even count as one of your ‘five a day’…. now wouldn’t that be amazing!

I have called this brownie a ‘brownie torte’ because to me the classic non-vegan brownies that use eggs (and all sorts of other things) tend to have a very characteristic delicate dry flaky top, I’m probably not explaining that very well…hmmm.  The vegan brownie recipes I’ve tried and tested seem to have a denser more moist consistency and don’t have that flaky topping. That’s not to say they are in any way inferior but I wanted to simply make a distinction so as not to evoke any pre-expectations.  Also, as I like to serve my brownies warm with a decadent soft and fudgey centre, as opposed to a more cake like bite the ‘Brownie Torte’ title seemed so much more appropriate. It is typically the amount of ‘flour’ (either spelt of GF) used and the cooking time that dictates the ‘cakeyness vs torteyness’ and this has been noted below.

The inclusion of the balsamic vinegar, prune puree and cinnamon all help to bring out the best of the chocolate flavour. The can be omitted/substituted if necessary  (i.e sub the prune for more apple puree or soy yoghurt).

This recipe also uses beans. The 'bean' theme in healthy baking seems to have become quite popular.  I also used beans in this amazing blondie recipe. The general idea is to use black beans for chocolatey cakes and white beans for lighter coloured cakes.

Note- brownies also taste better the next day once the flavours have had a chance to fully infuse and the texture becomes more ‘fudgey’ (not sure why this is!). They also freeze well...so make a big batch!

P.S these pics were taken at the 'veg patch lunch' at work during the summer- hence the warm glow (I could do with a bit of that sunshine now!) On this occassion I also frosted the top with some cocoa and agave nectar, but its perfectly fine without.

Recipe: Chocolate brownie torte

Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

1tsp ground flax seed mixed with 1tsp hot water and 1tsp balsamic vinegar

¾ cup silken tofu (150g)

¼ cup tinned prunes with juice

¼ cup apple puree

½ cup agave syrup and ¼  tsp stevia (more agave or maple syrup to taste if needed)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup drained black beans

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour or for GF sub see below* (use up to 1 ½ cups to get a more cakey brownie)

¼ tsp baking powder (use ½ tsp to make more cakey)

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

¼ chopped walnuts (or mixed nuts) optional

¼ cup dark chocolate chunks or cacoa nibs

Method

Mix the ground flax seeds with hot water and vinegar and set aside for 1 min. Blend all wet ingredients (including flax mix) and cocoa powder in food processor until very smooth. Mix all remaining dry ingredients (apart from nuts and chocolate chips) in a bowl and combine well. Pour wet mixture into dry and mix well. Add nuts and chocolate chips last and fold through. Pour batter into 8x8’ square baking tin lined with parchment paper. Bake for approx. 15 mins at 180C (bake for approx. 20 mins if you are going for a cakey brownie). Cool and cut into squares. Best stored in the fridge and heated for a few seconds in the microwave before serving!

Note: This mixture makes enough for a small 8x8’ pan at approx. 15mm thick. I have also made 1 ½ times this quantity and poured into a 9’ round cake tin cooked for 20 mins to get a slightly thicker slice and cut into wedges- when decorated with fruit and vegan cream this is a crazily decadent and rich desert!

* the spelt flour can be subbed with a mix of ½ cup almond meal and ½ gluten free flours- I use a mix of buckwheat and tapioca flour. I have tested this out and it tasted just as good as the spelt version!

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Coconut tarts with apple and raspberry

Things are looking up!

On Sunday, following a few days of re-adjustment once all my kitchen equipment and baking boxes had found new homes, I started to feel more at ease. I began to look forward to baking again and I moreover I needed to cook up some snacks to keep me going throughout the coming week. 

So, I had to go for it. An afternoon of baking in a new environment and with a new perspective…  and it felt good.  I’d even go so far as to say it was a resounding success!

First up I tried a ‘safe’ recipe with few ingredients and minimal mess to test the waters… more on that in a later post (clue- it contained ginger!)

Second up, these apple and raspberry coconut tarts… indeed they are as good as they sound. Since I was feeling adventurous and surprisingly confident by that point I decided to go all out and put together a crazy gluten free pastry base to boot.  Feel free to use your own ‘tried and tested’ pastry recipe if you prefer (GF or not), but I felt this version turned out surprising well- see additional notes below. The ingredients and method might appear long winded- but please do not let this put you off, each step is pretty simple and there is really not too much to it. It will be worth it!

Do I really need say any more or does this picture speak for itself….mmmmm, crisp coconut flakes, sweet moist coconut buttery apple topping and drippy raspberry centres all wrapped up in a crisp pastry shell.

Recipe: Apple and raspberry coconut tarts

Makes 12 tarts

Ingredients

Pastry base:

130g GF flour mix

30g ground almonds

¼ tsp xantham gum

80g coconut butter

40g banana puree (approx. ½ mashed banana)

½ tsp cinnamon

Filling:

1tsp sugar free raspberry  jam per tart case

1 apple grated

1tsp lemon juice

2 tbs agave

50g coconut butter (partially melted)

40g unsweetened desiccated coconut

1/3 tsp stevia (or to taste)

Topping:

1tbs ground flax plus 2 tbs hot water

Approx. ½ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

Method

Prepare GF pastry base (as above or use own recipe) but combining all ingredients together and forming a ball of dough. Cover in cling film and let rest whilst you prep the remaining ingredients.

Mix the grated apple with the lemon juice and set aside. Mix the partially melted coconut butter with the agave, stevia and desiccated coconut then add the apple mixture.

Either roll the pastry and use a cutter to cut circles to lay in each tart case, or if the pastry is a little too crumbly (as in this case) put of sections of dough and press into each tart case with fingers tips ensuring the pastry is not too thick. Note- it is impotant that the pastry is pretty thin as otherwise it will dominate the tart and be too tough.

Mix the ground flax with hot water and allow to sit for a few minutes until gloopy.

Fill each tart with a tsp of jam and then top this with a ‘disc’ of apple/coconut mixture- I pulled off a piece the size of a walnut and then flattened this in my hands.

Lastly, using a pastry brush, cover the top surface of the tart with the flax mixture and sprinkle over a generous layer of desiccated coconut so that it sticks to the wet flax.

Bake at 180C for approx. 15 minutes until the top begins to turn golden.

 First- add 1 tsp of jam per tart

 Second- lay the apple/coconut 'pattie' over the jam 

(note I ran short of topping hence the lonely jam tart!)

before adding the coconut sprinkles over the top.

Note: My pastry base was completely experimental, but I felt it worked quite well with a subtle sweetness of banana and coconut. I haven’t created a GF pastry before so have little experience to go on. It wasn’t at all flaking but neither was it too tough the next day (however it got tougher in the following couple of days so maybe still needs torefinement!) It had the characteristic of a more robust pastry shell with a substantial ‘bite’ as opposed to melt-in-your-mouth, so make sure you keep the pastry case very thin. I quite liked the robustness it gave it but I understand some people may prefer a more delicate flakier pastry. Any neutral pastry base would work well here so feel free to mix it up a bit and use your own pastry recipe.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Raspberry cheesecake ‘rame-cake’

It was a busy morning for me. First stop swimming followed by pilates.

I enjoy swimming as it is one of the only times I am able to truly switch off, maybe it’s the rhythmical pace gliding up and down the lane or maybe it’s the submersion and notion of feeling ‘in your own little bubble’. It is also the time when I often feel most creative, my mind is quiet and thoughts come flooding in….

…. It can also been the most frustrating time to be creative, inspired thoughts in the middle of a pool with no capacity to write anything down is, well, rather annoying at times!

After my swim and a quick sauna, the pilates session is a nice compliment to round off the morning’s activities. I’m a bit of a pilates newbie but I’m finding I actually quite enjoy it. My usual activities involve more hard core cardio or flinging myself about- i.e around a squash court or a pole… (I teach pole dance classes), I was recently advised to take up pilates as I have had problems with my hips due to the fact my joints are hypermobile, and actually I think it may be helping. It also gives me an opportunity to sloooow down, something which I am notoriously very bad at! Thus, my Friday mornings have become a time to revive my mind and set me up for a productive weekend.

Once home I was in need of food and lots of it.…. The mug cakes were calling!!

The recipe for my first ever chocolate mug cake post was based on one large mug or two ramekins. Whilst that’s great for sharing (or if you are in need of a major cake hit!), I often simply want a little treat just for me, and a mug is too much. So here I have reworked the recipe amounts to create a ‘single serving ramekin’ aka the ‘rame-cake’ and believe me this is more than enough to hit the spot!

In putting together this recipe I was also keen to experiment with a GF version... um, so then one 'ramecake' became two... shhhh!  I have noted my GF alterations below, and in my opinion this version was perfectly yummy with barely a hint of any grainyness so typical with GF flours.  I did notice a slight difference in texture as I sampled each cake one after the other, but had this not been the case then I don't think I would have 'noticed' I was eating a GF sponge. 

 Recipe: Raspberry cheesecake ‘rame-cake’

Ingredients:

2 tbs white spelt flour (see GF version below)

1 tsp rapadura and a few grains of stevia (or an extra tsp of rapadura as it is easy to overdo the stevia for such a small amount)

Tiny pinch salt

¼ tsp baking powder (increase to a heaped 1/4 tsp for GF)

2 tbs soy milk (add 1 extra tsp for GF)

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp yoghurt

Few drops vanilla extract

Small handful of frozen raspberries broken up (I use frozen as they are easier to break, don’t colour the batter and are available all year round)

1 tsp vegan cream cheese, 1tsp soy milk, tiny amount of agave (or any liquid sweetener) to make the ‘cheesecake’ (omit this if you just want a fruity sponge!)

Method

Mix the ‘cheesecake’ ingredients- cream cheese, soy milk and agave together and set aside. Place coconut oil, vanilla and soy milk up in a small bowl and melt together until the coconut is melted. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and keep mixing until there are no lumps or dry patches of unmixed flour. Lightly mix through the raspberry pieces and spoon the batter into a ramekin or mini bowl. Top the batter with the ‘cheesecake’ mix and mix in slightly with a toothpick if desired. Cook on full power (based on 900W) in microwave for 30 seconds. Check with a cocktail stick until stick comes out almost clean. Cook for up 20 seconds more if necessary until cooked.

For the GF version I used GF flours to the equivalent of 2 tbs.  I used 1 tbs of Doves Farm GF mix (this is a UK brand consisting of rice, potato, tapicoca and buckwheat flours) plus 2 tsp almond meal.  I think the addition of nut meal really helps to prevent the sponge from becoming grainy or dry. I imagine any type of GF flour mix would be quite flexible for those that have their favourite combos.  Also note the slight increase to baking powder as I found that with a level 1/4 tsp the cake did not rise to the same degree as the spelt version so was a little more dense. I also added slightly more soy milk as in my experience GF flours are dryer.


Please let me know how you get on and any changes you make!

 P.S The pics are of the spelt version.

Cinnamon rolls

Hello! I’m feeling quite excited today as this last week I seem to have reached a bit of a turning point and people are beginning to ‘come and see’ what I’m getting up to!

I guess all new bloggers go through that stage of simply ‘talking to themselves’ and I wasn’t sure how long that would go on for or even if anyone would ever stop by and leave a little comment…but phew it looks like you’ve saved me from the madness (of talking to oneself!)

It’s makes me smile inside when I see someone has taken the time to have a little look… though at the moment I think that’s probably curiosity more than anything as I have yet to build up my archives! But hey, in time I will get there and I just hope you stick along for the ride and maybe drag a few others along with you!

I know I’ve mentioned in previous posts and in my ‘why including cake’ page what this thing is all about for me. I guess you could say quite literally I want to have my cake and eat it! It is very important to me that the food I make is as healthy as possible (when compared with its regular counterpart). All my recipes are vegan and minimise refined sugars, not all my recipes are currently gluten free but I am working towards that goal as I feel that even for those without gluten intolerances a diet lower in gluten would be beneficial to us all.

The recipe I have posted today is unfortunately not GF (it uses spelt flour), however I did a little research and found this recipe for a gluten free version that may offer some insight as to how my recipe could be adapted, I’m eager to try it out myself when I get the chance-  but in the meantime if anyone does try or has made their own in the past please be sure to let me know!

Recipe: Cinnamon rolls

Ingredients


Dough
3 tbs water plus  1 tbs ground flax
4 ½ cups flour (mix of wholemeal and white spelt) see also GF link above
2 ½ (1 sachet) teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup  warm water
¼ cup agave and ¼ tsp stevia
½ cup coconut butter- melted
1 teaspoon salt

Filling
½ cup rapadura and ½ tsp molasses
½ cup coconut butter melted
2 tbs maple syrup
2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup walnuts chopped
¼ cup dates chopped
­

Method

In a small bowl mix the water and the flax and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the spelt flours and the yeast. In another medium mixing bowl add the water, agave, stevia, coconut butter and salt and whisk until well incorporated. Add the (now gummy) flax mixture to the bowl containing the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to roughly combine. If the mixture is too sticky to handle add more flour- but only a little.

Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and knead to dough for 5 to 10 minutes. The dough should be firm and smooth. Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover and place in a warm place for about 1 hour. After 1 hour has passed, knead the dough for about 30 seconds and let it rest for 10 more minutes.

Whilst the dough rests, in a small bowl, whisk together the rapadura, molasses, melted coconut butter, maple syrup and cinnamon. Set aside. Roll the dough into a flat 16 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the surface. Add a sprinkling of walnuts and dates also. Carefully roll up the dough lengthwise so it's 16 inches long. Cut it into 1 ½ inch sections with a sharp knife. Place the rolls close together, cut side up in a lightly greased 9x13 glass or ceramic baking dish. This will ensure that the rolls don't unravel during baking. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and dates over them. Cover let the buns rise for one more hour.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 200C or until the tops are golden brown, rotating the dish halfway through. Drizzle a little more maple syrup to serve if you fancy.

Chocolate swirled blondies…that go with a bang!

Today I am very happy! It sometimes easy to underestimate how others may respond to a recipe, I worry that my tastes are different and that just because I enjoy my cakes- other people who are used to ‘normal’ cakes may not.

However, this time it can most definitely be said that these Blondies achieve top marks in the taste test!

The basic idea of including sweet potato came from a recipe in the highly regarded ‘Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar’, however I wanted to take healthy to greater heights!  This was a risk and I knew it! The plan was to make some cakes to take along to my friend’s fireworks party, so I knew I’d need to pull out all the stops to get it right.

There sat my plate of Blondies in amongst all the other non-vegan, non-healthy delicacies that had brought to the party....and by the end of the night… they had all disappeared! No one had guessed the secret ingredients and what’s more one of the guests at the party was diabetic and was so pleased upon realising he could eat my cake without any worry!

This first batch was made using spelt flour, but I figured since the amount of flour was already fairly low (as I’d subbed part of the flour for the chickpeas) it should be fairly simple to make a gluten free version.  I was on a role and so this morning I couldn’t resist making another batch for myself- this time with my favourite GF combo.

The result… I think I like the GF blondies even better!!

Recipe: Chocolate marbled blondies

makes 16 squares

Ingredients

1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato

¼ cup soy yoghurt

3 tbs water

1/3 cup coconut butter

¼ cup agave plus ½ tsp stevia

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup white spelt flour (or GF subs below)

½ cup mashed chickpeas

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

A pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

NB: GF flour substitute- 1/3 cup each of almond meal, buckwheat flour, tapioca flour

Method

Blend wet ingredients in food processor until very smooth. Pour into a bowl, add dry ingredients (except choc chips) and blend together well mixed. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon mixture into a parchment lined 8x8 baking tin and smooth the top. Bake in oven at 180C for approx. 15 mins. Note- GF timings may be slightly shorter- check with a toothpick and remove when almost cooked. Allow to cool fully before slicing into squares.

Note- if the mixture is still slightly warm (from the sweet potato not being totally cool) the choc chips will melt slightly giving the batter a ‘marbled' effect. This was a happy accident which I actually love, but if you want to chocolate chunks to stay solid and the batter to remain ‘blonde’ than allow the potato to cool fully before mixing.