Fruit and nut slice...no bake!

It’s all about the ‘smoosh bars’ at the moment! With all the recent recipe testing I have an abundance of dried fruits and nuts.

Also my dad recently went all the way and purchased a Thermomix after seeing how much I use mine for everything from nut flours and butters to soup. Though his is an old style one he bought second hand, I wanted to put it through it’s paces to see how it fared against mine….a little blitzing of some fruit and nuts was the perfect test.

Instead of forming the mix into balls or bars, I figured I would keep it as a loaf stored in the fridge, so that he could simply slice off a slither when the desire struck. The flavours and textures work beautifully and give this loaf a really authentic 'fruit and nut' loaf feel. Keep the seeds and nuts fairly chunky whilst maintaining a fairly sticky mix, you can also press a few extra into the top.  Add a few more oats or dates as needed to get the right consistency to form a loaf.

Obviously it’s a lot denser than your regular cakey loaf so a little goes a long way. It’s very moreish so I will warn you now… you may well find yourself slicing of a little slither and then a little more! If you’d prefer individual balls or bars then go right ahead, the choice is yours.

Recipe: No-bake fruit and nut slice

Makes a shallow 20x10cm loaf

Ingredients:

300g dates (or sub some raisins)

70g oats

70g cashews (or other nuts or mixture of choice)

20g flax

70g pumpkin seeds

1 tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Process the cashews, oats , flax seed and spices until just coarse (not to fine). Remove from processor.

Process the dates  to form a paste, this can still containas few chunky bits if necessary.

Add all ingredients and pulse to mix through well whilst keeling a chunky consistency.

The mixture should be sticky but manageable- add a tsp or so of water if too dry and extra oatmeal if too sticky.

Spoon the mixture into a lined loaf pan (or similar sized tin) and press down (I use the back of a rolling on) until well packed. Chill in the free before slicing to serve.

Check out my other no bake treats here!

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.

Christmas chestnut roast

The chestnut and cranberry roast was my substitute for the Christmas turkey at my work Christmas party, it was like nut loaf and stuffing balls all wrapped up in one dish!

I baked the roast in a round cake pan and cut wedges, just to visually change things up a bit, but you could bake in a loaf pan or form balls if you preferred. For for extra crispy roasted edges, use the 'double bake' technique detailed here in my regular nut roast.

This is a great seasonal dish and is so simple to throw together... particularly if you cheat a little like I did and buy pre-cooked chestnuts (shhh, I was pushed for time!). I added a few dried cranberries for an extra flavour boost but they are not essential.  I used my regular nut roast as a guide, knowing that the versatile recipe would be likely to lend itself to such variations.

Recipe: Christmas chestnut roast

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely chopped cooked chestnuts (I briefly pulsed in a food processor)
1/2 cup chopped cashews/pinenuts
approx. 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion- diced
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 carrots- grated
1 medium parsnip- grated
1 cup white beans- mashed
1 cup cooked quinoa (or cooked rice or oats*)
2 heaped tbs tapioca flour
1/4 cup fresh herbs (parsley/thyme/rosemary)
1/2 tsp mixed spice/nutmeg
2 tbs soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
water (if needed- I never need it)

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Grind nuts and set aside. Sauté vegetables in olive oil for 5 mins until soft. 

Mix all ingredients in large bowl adding sautéed vegetables to it. Mix and mash together well and add a little water only if needed to achieve a sticky (but not wet) consistency. Add more oats (or another carbohydrate of choice) if mixture is too wet. 

Press mixture firmly into a greased 9" cake pan or equivalent loaf tin. Bake for approx. 45 minutes until golden.

(Apologies these last couple of photos are a bit dark and blue, the light was fading at the time of the shoot and when usually I would have quickly tweaked the colour and brightness in Photoshop I am lacking in my tool set until I get a new laptop....managing as best I can for the time being!)

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.

The classic nut roast

Roast dinner...the most important and iconic meal in Britain (or would that be fish and chips?) I love a good roast, I also love the associated traditions, the fact that everyone sits down together as a family around the table, reaching across to dish up their meal from the various bowls of potatoes, vegetable, and in my case....nut roast! A good old vegetable nut roast means I can still share the Sunday dinner tradition with the meat eaters in my family, the added bonus is that they get to share my dish too and have even more variety to add to their plate!

I have played around with various nut loaf recipes over the course of time. There are so many out there to choose from in any case so you'd never been stuck for choice or ideas.  I have tried recipes that are very much nut based and then on the other hand veggie loaves with no nuts at all. My Sunday staple lies somewhere in the middle (too many nuts can get very expensive after all!) 

One resource I found really useful when I was newly vegan and less confident in the kitchen was the Vegan Lunch Box Magical Loaf Studio which is a simple recipe calculator or sorts which allows for so many veggie loaf options.  

So, this is a lovely basic nut roast, that can be easily adapted for any beans/veggies/nuts you have to hand. Note, I have allowed for various substitutions in the recipe. I usually use oats (as I always have them to hand), but you could substitute rice, quinoa or wholemeal breadcrumbs if you prefer or have oat senstivities. These loaves also freeze really well and are so versatile...perfect roughly crumbled to top a big bowl of salad or cut into chunks and rolled into a wrap with spinach leaves and a squirt of sauce.

Lastly…one great little serving tip for you (not shown in these photos). I often make a batch of nut roast loaves in mini loaf pans in advance and freeze them once cooked and cooled. An hour or so before serving I allow them to defrost a little, just enough to slice neatly into 2cm thick slices and then I re-bake them to give a double crispy finish around the edges. The 'slicing whilst frozen' trick works really well as sometime nut loaf can be prone to crumbling if sliced whilst fresh hot from the oven, Though it was freshly served in the photos below and hasn't crumbled much at all.

Recipe: The classic veggie nut roast

Inspired by ‘the magical loaf studio’ by Jennifer McCann for the Vegan lunch box blog.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped nuts

1 tbs olive oil

One onion diced

One large garlic clove minced

1 large carrot grated

1 medium courgette grated

1 cup cooked white beans

1 cup dry oats *(or cooked rice or quinoa or dry wholemeal breadcrumbs- non GF)

2 heaped tbs flax (or chia, tapioca or potato flour)

¼ cup fresh parsley (or other herbs)

½ tsp mix of other seasonings

2 tbs soy sauce (tamari for GF)

Salt and pepper to taste

Up to ¼ cup vegetable stock if needed (I never need it)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Grind any seeds and set aside. Sauté vegetables in olive oil for 5 mins until soft. 

Mix all ingredients in large bowl adding sautéed vegetables to it. Mix and mash together well and add stock only if needed to achieve a sticky (but not wet) consistency. Add more oats (or another carbohydrate of choice) if mixture is too wet. 

Press mixture firmly into a greased and lined 20cm loaf pan (or two smaller pans as i often do to get more crispy edges!). Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour until cooked through. Let sit for 10 mins before turning out of tin.

* 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.

Sticky Jamaican ginger cake

A few weeks ago you may remember I put out a call on my Facebook Page for a challenge ‘which of your favourite snacks would you like to see healthanized’.

First up was this turtle cheesecake. My first attempt at a vegan cheesecake…and a resounding success. So much so that I got in a bit of a cheesecake frenzy!

The second special request was a ginger cake. Not just any ginger cake but the sticky Jamaican Ginger cake you can buy here in the UK made by McVities…I used to eat this warm and smothered in custard. It was a good shout and so last weekend I set about creating my own version. Not just keen to be healthy, this version also wanted to be gluten free.

Success!

The texture of the sponge was spot on, helped further by the sticky glaze on the top.  I cut the oil and sugar content right down but you’d never know it. I like this best served slightly warm…it would also make a great accompaniment to this cashew custard. Make sure you don’t overcook the cake to retain its dense rich moistness. It will still be a great if cooked a little longer but the sponge will be a little dryer making it less true to the sticky Jamaican ginger cake concept.

I used  this recipe  as my initial source of inspiration, tweaking the ingredients and quantities in accordance with my gut instinct on ‘healthanizing’….i’m getting pretty good at that game now!

Do you have a favourite 'copycat' dessert?

Recipe: Sticky ginger cake

Makes 1 loaf (approx. 21cm tin)

Ingredients

350g wholemeal spelt* or GF flour* ( I used 200g buckwheat, 100g ground almonds and 50g tapioca flour)

1 tbs ground chia/flax

100g rapadura/coconut sugar and 1/3 tsp stevia

1 heaped tbs ground ginger

1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 handful of dates or figs (approx. 1/3 cup)

50g melted coconut oil (or other mild oil)

50g apple puree

60g molasses

220ml boiling water

For glaze:

Approx. 5 dates

1-2 tbs mollasses

4 tbs boiling water

1 tbs agave

(note: if dates have been pre-soaked to make for easier blending reduce the water by 1-2 tbs)

Method

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Blend wet ingredients in food processor until very smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir together until well mixed.

Spoon/pour mixture into a parchment lined medium loaf tin (or bundt tin if preferred) and smooth the top.

Bake in oven at 180C for approx. 25-30 mins until only just done (toothpick inserted will have a slight residue).

Whilst still hot in the loaf tin, prick holes in the top of the loaf with a toothpick. Blend the glaze ingredients to form a sticky paste and using a knife or pastry brush (I used a silicone pastry brush) generously coat the top surface.

Once partially cool, remove from the loaf tin and brush the sides with a little of the remaining glaze if desired.  Allow to cool fully before serving.

Note: the dense, moist and sticky texture of the loaf improves the next day.

* 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.

Coconut cakes…with a twist!

I have so much coconut!!

I ordered a 25kg sack load of organic coconut flakes some months back as it was such a good deal at that size…however I am trying to get through it before it begins to dry out.

I use a lot of desiccated coconut flakes for making coconut butter…it’s so cost effective that way, however there is a limit to how much coconut one person can eat! So recently I’ve been using lots of extra coconut in my granola bars, in my smoosh bars, and of course in this chocolate slice and in this coconut ice too. You may see a few more coconut inspired treats coming along in the next few weeks!

So, today I thought a coconut cake was in order. This cake also uses coconut flour which I also have in my regular baking supplies (just not in such vast quantities), it’s something I actually don’t use that often, often forgetting it’s there or simply using the coconut flakes instead.

It’s a really great but strange flour. Great because it has a delicate flavour and texture, is gluten free and high in fibre. But strange in that it is very ‘drying’ and absorbs liquid so you’ll find that the proportions of liquid in a recipe and the consistency of the batter are different to the norm. Don’t let that put you off- it’s fun to try new things!

This cake has a really delicate crumb, and is light and moist probably helped by the extra coconut and banana. I kept the sweetness fairly low so that it did not overpower and took on more of a ‘teabread’ type sweetness with the raspberry preserve adding an extra sweet kick. Feel free to increase the agave or add some stevia if you like. The coconut-raspberry combo was inspired by these tarts…oh they were so good and so I just had to get the combo going again. The coconut ‘bombe’ also worked really well with the warm gooey raspberry centre.

 coconut 'bombe'

coconut cake with raspberry drizzle

Recipe: coconut cake with raspberry delight

1 x 21cm loaf tin (or smaller tin plus one small microwave cake see below)

Ingredients

1/3 cup each coconut flour, tapioca starch, buckwheat flour

¼ cup dessicated coconut flakes (plus more for topping)

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

1 small banana- mashed

1 tsp ground chia mixed with 2 tbs water

1/3 cup orange juice (or pineapple juice/non-dairy milk)

3 tbs agave syrup (more to taste)

1 tsp rum extract

Sugar free raspberry jam- for glaze

Method (for loaf)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add wet ingredients. Mix together gently but well. Note the coconut flour is very ‘drying’ so the batter will not be as runny as normal cake batter. It will probably be very light and airy.

Spoon the batter into a loaf tin (or a smaller loaf tin plus small round microwavable bowl-see below). Smooth the top of the batter and cover with a fairly generous layer of desiccated coconut flakes, gently press them into the batter 180C for approx. 30 mins until the top is golden and toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes away clean. Note- I loosely covered the loaf with tin foil after being in the oven for 10 minutes to ensure to coconut flakes did not burn.

Allow to cool slightly in the loaf tin before lifting out. Drizzle with raspberry jam whilst still warm and allow to cool fully before serving.

Method (for mini ‘bombe’)

serves 2

Keep aside approx. ½ cup of cake batter. Lightly oil a small microwavable round bowl (approx. 10 cm diameter rim). Sprinkle 1tbs of desiccated coconut flakes in the bottom and then carefully top this will ¼ cup cake batter. Spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the bowl. Dollop 1 generous tsp of raspberry jam into the centre of the batter before covering with the remaining  ¼ cup of batter. Smooth evenly ensuring all the jam is fully covered.

Cook in the microwave for 90 seconds. Lightly touch centre to check if cooked and if still wet cook for another 30-60 seconds as necessary.

 
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.

Gingerbread loaf

My second Daring Bakers Challenge reveal has arrived. 

This months challenge...Quickbread. 

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lis stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavour profiles.

You can see the challenge details here.

It was a very versatile challenge in which we had to come up with a recipe for a loaf, muffin or popover (i’d never even heard of that word before!) that didn't use yeast but instead used baking powder/soda as the raising agent. I fancied making a loaf, and as much as I love a good old banana bread (and was very tempted), that is something i’ve made many times before and my veganised banana plantain loaf was even one of the first recipes on my blog.

So, I had another think and a riffle through my folder of scribbles, notes, cutout, printouts of various recipes from all over.  I came across a gingerbread loaf that I had already written a few notes against with ideas for veganising.  I went a little further than this to bump up the healthy factor and used grated pureed carrot to sub most of the oil. The result was amazing, not at all dry but also not at all gummy as i’d sometimes found previously when just using agave nectar as the sweetener. It wasn’t too sweet and was a cross between a cake and a delicate bread with its fine texture.

I baked the ‘mixture in three mini loaf tins so I could vary the toppings. The other reason for this was to reduce the risk of any issue with the loaf browning on the top before being cooked in the middle. Judging by the texture of the loaf I think this may not have been an issue anyway, but I would still suggest using mini loaf tins or alternatively a shallower cake pan if you have them.  

For the tops I kept one loaf plain, decorated the second with chunks of crystalized ginger prior to baking (ok I accept that does have a little refined sugar), and covered the third in a thin sticky layer of chopped up crystalized ginger and agave syrup once baked but whilst the top was still warm.....all three options were delicious!

I served the loaf warm with a dollop of soy youghurt.

Recipe: Gingerbread Loaf

Makes 3 mini loaves (or 1 large)

Ingredients-

1 ½ cups wholemeal spelt flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

1 tbs ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch salt

1 tbs ground flax/chia and 2 tbs hot water

2 tbs molasses

½ cup agave syrup and ¼ tsp stevia

1 tbs freshly grated ginger

1 tsp oil (I used rapeseed)

2 carrots grated/pureed

1 cup soy milk

Chopped crystallized ginger for top- optional

Method

Mix together the wet ingredients. Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to the wet. Mix through lightly and then pour batter in to three mini greased/lined loaf tins (approx. 15cm length).

Sprinkle finely chopped crystallised ginger over the top of the loaf if desired.

Bake at 180C for approx. 30 mins. Check with a skewer to see when done.

Note: I used 3 mini loaf tins to eliminate any potential issue of undercooking/gumminess in the centre. In the past when I have used larger loaf tins the centre has not cooked before the top begins to brown.  This cake crumb was very light and so may not present any problem with a larger pan.

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.

Maple walnut cake with parsnip

I really struggled to know what to call this cake….. maple syrup and date cake, date and walnut cake, parsnip and maple cake..

….or maple syrup, date, walnut and parsnip cake. Sounds like a ridiculous mouthful! But really that is what it should be called as each if of those ingredients really make this cake what it is! In  the end I decided not to focus on the parsnip so much as I worried people might find it odd, but believe me it works so well in this cake, a subtle taste but it’s definitely there with its earthy sweetness shining through.

This is the second time I’ve made this cake, but the first time I’ve added the walnuts as a crunchy layer on the top instead of mixed through.  It works superbly and I much prefer it this way. With a little more maple syrup drizzled over the topping takes on a chewy crispness once baked.

I also made this cake in a shallow square tin, as opposed to a loaf tin. I find that this cake is very moist which is lovely, but in a deeper loaf tin the centre does have the tendency to be a little too gummy. I would advise a shallow round or square tin to achieve a more consistent but dense crumb.

The snow is still on the ground here in the UK and this makes the perfect comforting cake for a wintry morning. Oh how I wish I could settle down with a nice steaming mug of camomile tea and a nice wedge of cake.....

Mmmmm....crunchy maple walnut topping!

Recipe: maple walnut cake with parsnip

Ingredients

1/3 cup apple sauce

2tsp vanilla

½ cup maple syrup and a pinch stevia

1/3  cup soy milk

1/3 cup orange juice (plus zest- optional)

½ cup coconut oil

1 ¾ cups spelt flour (approx. 200g)

1tsp salt

2tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

2tsp cinnamon

1tsp mixed spice

1 1/2 cups finely grated parsnip (approx. 150g)

½ cup finely grated apple

½ cup finely chopped dates

½-1 cup chopped walnuts (for topping)

Extra maple syrup as desired (for drizzling over)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Blend together wet ingredients in food processor then mix in melted coconut oil. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl (except dates/parsnip/apple) then add wet mixture and stir until thick. Fold in the remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into  an 8’ round of square cake tin. Bake for approx. 30 minutes until lightly toasted and a skewer comes away clean. You may need to keep a close eye on the nuts during the final few minutes to watch they don’t burn (use foil over the top if this looks like it could be a problem and the centre is not cooked).

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.

Carrot cake

Well I know I said my my sticky toffee pudding was a final indulgence after the overload of Christmas naughtiness…well, maybe that was a tiny fib, but I do have an excuse for this cake… and it’s a good one!

For Christmas as a bit of a novelty gift, I made my very own ‘Including Cake vouchers’ to give each of my family so that they could trade them in for a tray of sweet treats of their choosing.

My sister is going back to university this weekend after her holiday’s back at home and so decided to trade her voucher in so she had a little treat to take back with her. So you see, this cake is not for me at all!

She opted for a good old classic carrot cake…super healthy style!

I’ve made a few variations of carrot cake before, but as yet they have not appeared on my blog. The recipe I use makes for quite a dense sponge best suited to mini loaf pans (as I have used here) or muffin/cupcake tins.  When I previously made it using a regular sized loaf tin I felt it was a little gummy in the centre, don’t get me wrong it still tasted really good but would be best suited to a smaller pan so the centre maintains a cakier crumb. I've also used spelt flour here but I would imagine that my typical 30/30/30 combo of ground almonds, buckwheat flour and tapioca starch would work well as a GF sub (note- this hasnlt ben tested in this recipe)

I haven’t frosted these loaves as they really don’t need it, but you may want to add some frosting if you are opting for cupcakes.  I haven’t included a frosting recipe here as I have yet to create a ‘white’ frosting that I really love. My previous investigations lead me down the route of blending firm tofu, coconut butter, orange zest and agave syrup- but although this does create a viable healthy frosting, I simply felt it needed a little more work…feel free to experiment!

I promise I do have some soups coming up very soon! Soups are great for all seasons, all times or day and for wherever you happen to be. They are the perfect healthy winter comfort food and what could be better than that?  (ok, well maybe a little bit of cake for dessert!)

I also have some granola style bar investigations underway. I want to create the perfect healthy snack bars for all situations… a slow release energy bar, an quick release energy hit, a high protein snack. This has been inspired in part by one of my colleagues who asked my to create him a healthy sugar free energy bar. Not one to turn down a challenge…investigations are well underway…I’ll keep you posted!

Recipe: carrot cake

Ingredients

1/3 cup apple sauce (or soy yoghurt)

1/3 cup crushed pineapple

2 tsp vanilla

½ cup agave and a pinch stevia

¼ cup soy milk

¼ cup orange juice

½ cup coconut oil

2 cups spelt flour

1tsp salt

2tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

2tsp cinnamon

1tsp mixed spice

2 cups grated carrot

½ cup chopped nuts

½ cup chopped dates or raisins (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Blend together wet the ingredients in a food processor then mix in melted coconut oil. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl (except nut/dates/carrots) then add wet mixture and stir until thick. Fold in grated carrot, chopped nuts and dates last. Pour mixture into 3 mini loaf tins or  12 cupcake /muffins pans. Bake for approx. 20-30 minutes depending on pan sizes used. Check to see when a toothpick comes away clean.

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.

‘Twelve Days’ day 9: Mincemeat fruit loaf

I’m on a bit of a mincemeat kick!

Yes, I know I could freeze part of the batch I made a few days ago but I wanted to make it into as many things as possible right now!...plus I can always make more if I need to as it’s so simple.

I’ve never been a fan of traditional fruit cake as it’s so dense and rich and I’m not a lover of candied peel.  However I do like the idea of a fruit cake as a semi-sweet filling mid afternoon snack served warm with some vegan butter or yoghurt.  So as with all things… I set about creating my own version. This loaf is a lot lighter than a traditional loaf cake and I used a food processor to blend the mincemeat into the mixture so that the pieces were much smaller with a delicate crumb to the cake, (great for people who proclaim not to like fruit cake because of the bits!) but instead of blending you could simply fold the mincemeat through by hand if you would prefer to retain more of a texture to the fruit.

The basis of this recipe was inspired by this cake as it had a lovely light delicate sponge, although I have ended up modifying it quite a lot.

I can barely believe we’ve reached ‘Day 9’ already…..this time next week Christmas day will be upon us! 

Ok- now I’m starting to get really excited…the final countdown has begun and there are still 3 more recipes to squeeze in this week…. 

So, put you Christmas tunes on, get your tinsel out and dance around the room like a crazy person. It’s Christmas so anything goes…plus after all that dancing you’ll need a rest and refuel with a little piece of cake!

Recipe: Mincemeat fruit loaf

Ingredients 

150g wholemeal spelt flour

50g almond meal

50g potato starch

1tsp flax seed mixed with 1tbs hot water

3tsp baking powder 

1tbs bicarbonate of soda

2tsp cinnamon

70g rapadura

¼ tsp stevia

100ml melted coconut butter

50ml soy yoghurt

100ml orange juice (more if needed)

1tsp vanilla extract

200g mincemeat (ideally homemade)

Whole blanched almonds for decoration

Fills one 8 inch loaf tin

Method

Blend all liquids in food processor and melt coconut oil separately then mix in. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl then pour into the wet ingredients and beat well to get a very smooth mixture. Add the mincemeat last and either blend in or fold in by hand. Add a little more orange juice if necessary to ensure a smooth batter.

Pour into greased and lined  8” loaf tin. Place/scatter a handful of blanched almonds over the top of the loaf. Bake for approx. 40 mins at 180C. If the top of the loaf begins to brown before the centre is fully cooked, lightly cover with foil for the last few minutes of baking time.

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.

‘Twelve Days’ day 5: Stollen

Marzipan...marzipan...marzipan...!

When I was younger I didn't like the traditional Christmassy dried fruit extravaganza- Christmas cake, mince pies and Christmas pudding were all out for me as I was simply not a fan of raisins and currants.  My dad on the other hand loves the cake but doesn't like marzipan and so every Christmas as soon as the Christmas cake made its appearance from the tin I would make a beeline for his plate ready to 'help out' with the layer of marzipan and icing as it was peeled away from the top of his cake!

These days things are different. I like the fruit too!

But... I don't want to ignore the marzipan either so in the spirit of trying new things I thought I would put together a couple of marzipan recipes to get you going.

Obviously this could be no ordinary marzipan, it had to be a refined sugar free healthy marzipan!

So, first up is today’s recipe...Stollen.

Stollen is a traditional German spiced loaf and strangely enough I have never actually eaten it before. I was keen to make my own healthy version this year with a generous layer of marzipan running through its centre. The fruit I used was also a bit of a twist on tradition allowing for my personal favourites- dried apricot, sultanas and cranberries, they also add a lovely colour to the loaf but feel free to vary these fruits as you wish.

The stollen takes a while to make- but most of this is rising time (approx. 3 hours rising time in total) so as long as you plan ahead you can get on with other things, the actual method itself is pretty simple and the ‘active’ time spent is probably only 20-30 minutes.

The recipes for both the stollen and the marzipan are below. The marzipan recipe makes more than is needed for the cake...so there will be left overs for  the ‘Day 6’ little treats.... oh just wait until you see them, I'm excited just thinking about them!

Recipe: Stollen

Ingredients

75g each of three dried fruits- I used sultanas, cranberries and apricots (chop up the apricots)

75g ground almonds

Zest of one lemon

½ tsp each of nutmeg and cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract (or an extra tsp vanilla)

-----------------

375g mix of wholemeal and white flours as preferred (I used 175g wholemeal and 200g white spelt)

1 sachet dried yeast (7g)

50g rapadura

1 tbs ground flax and 2 tbs hot water (mixed together and set aside for 5 minutes to gel)

70g coconut oil

150ml warm soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)

-----------------

200g marzipan- see below for homemade version

Icing sugar for final dusting- optional

Method

Mix together the fruits, nuts, spices and extracts in a medium bowl. Once well mixed cover and set aside.

In another bowl (I used my Thermomix) mix together the flours, yeast, rapadura, flax mixture, coconut oil and soy milk. Mix to form dough and knead well (I used the TM dough setting for approx. 5 minutes) by hand for approx. 10 mins to ensure it binds together well. Place dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film, leave to rise in a warm place for approx.. 90 minutes until it is roughly double in size.

Once risen, knead the fruit mix into the dough making sure it is well mixed through. If the dough becomes very sticky add a little more flour (I added another 25g). Cover and leave to rise for another 30  minutes.

Whilst you are waiting for the dough to rise make the marzipan following the recipe below. Shape 2/3 of the marzipan into a log roughly 25cm long. Set aside the rest of the marzipan for ‘Day 6’  treats (or just roll into balls for nibbles).

Once the dough risen for the second time, knead briefly and roll out in a rectangle approx. 15mm thick. Place the marzipan log towards one edge running lengthways along the dough making sure it is slightly shorter than the length of the dough. Roll up the dough around the marzipan tucking into the ends as you go.

Place the stolen roll on a parchment lined baking sheet with the seam side down. Cover and leave to rise for approx. 1 more hour (we are nearly there I promise!!)

Preheat oven to 180C and bake stolen for approx. 40 minutes. If the surface strats to brown to early, loosely cover with tinfoil, test with a skewer when to check when done. Dust with icing sugar to serve if preferred.

Recipe: Marzipan

Ingredients

100g ground almonds

100g white coloured ‘healthy flour’ e.g spelt or other GF flour (I used a combination of buckwheat and tapioca flour)

100g coconut butter

50g agave (tiny pinch stevia)

1 tsp almond extract (more if needed to taste)

Method

Blitz all ingredients in food processor until a sticky powdery ‘dough’. Press the dough into a small shallow tin to then slice into cubes, press into shaped silicone moulds or roll into balls etc. Leave to chill in fridge. If you are making Stollen use approx. 2/3 of the mixture to form a log for the centre of the stolen loaf.

Note: you will probably find the dough feels oily as you mould it, this is just the oils from the coconut in the warmth of your hands. When cool the marzipan will not be oily.

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.