Baked 'coconut cream' cheesecakes

More coconut cream concoctions...this stuff is totally amazing, please don’t roll you eyes at me as I go off on one again!  Try it first...please (if only to shut me up!!)

Ok, so now we've tried it as a creamy whipped topping, as a thick mouse, in a cream egg and as a chilled cheesecake. So how about cooking it?

Yes, you can bake this stuff too!!

My initial reason for doing this was to see whether I could make a light and not too thick mix and then bake it instead of freezing it and still be able to take it out of a pudding mold (i.e muffin case). Without baking these little beauties there would have been no way that I would have been able to remove them...that would have been an absolute mess!

It worked perfectly since the short baking time seals the edges and allows them to pull away from the muffin case or whatever silicone mold you use. Since the edges pull away I would suggest that you would also be fine with metal cake pans- just edge round using a knife to lever them out.

You can add any mix-ins you choose, I tried out a few options but creativity is virtually endless.  I would suggest serving these cheesecakes hot, just for a change and to make the most of the ‘just baked’ feel.

Oh, before I go....here is one more coconut cream idea... a chocolate cookie cream sandwich that I posted over here at the Real Food Source. I based the recipe on my popular chocolate quinoa cookies.

Recipe: Baked coconut cream cheesecakes

Makes 3-4 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

2/3 cup soy yoghurt (other yoghurts would probably work well)

3 tbs fine coconut flour

Stevia or syrup of choice to taste

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping mix-in options

2 tsp cocoa powder

Crushed frozen raspberries (frozen are easier to handle to create a mottled not blended look)

Blueberries (frozen are best to avoid burning during baking

Base: I used a variant of my breakfast cookie oat base without the choc chunks, or you could use a smoosh bar style base. Or go for no base at all!

Method

Combine all cheesecake ingredients in a small bowl and stir together well to from a thick paste. Add mix ins as necessary.

Press chosen base mix (if using) in the bottom of mini muffins or cupcake tins (use silicone for ease of removal) and then top with the cheesecake mix  and toppings. Bake for 5-10 mins at 180ºC just until the edges have baked and sealed and the mixture is heated through, no need to be golden. The baking will seal the edges and make for an easy removal.

Serve hot or cold.

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.

'Green Smoothie' peppermint cheesecake

I wasn't planning to post a recipe today (well actually I was since yesterdays post was supposed to be today but my fingers got clumsy and hit 'publish' and not 'schedule'...oops!)

But that's ok cos I accidentally came up with a little gem of a recipe that relates to yesterday's recipe and is oh so green I had to share it in the final run up to St Patricks Day!

P.S...I apologies now for the overuse of the word 'exciting' and the number of !!!! and ... you'll see in this post.

This receipt is indulgent whist being ridiculously healthy... I mean totally ridiculously healthy- so much healthier than you'd imagine when tasting a bite! Even my mum was wide eyed at how good it was and she won't go near my green smoothies! :-)

Just quickly scroll down now and take a look at the ingredients list!

I have been playing around with coconut flour and yoghurt combos a lot these last few days....such a revelation of simplicity and so versatile. I was almost dancing around the kitchen when I took this cheesecake out of the freezer, allowed it to thaw out and dove in...the texture is amazing- so soft and creamy!!

I am so excited to have created a vegan cheesecake that doesn't rely on tofu or cashews! Whoop whoop!

I have a few more experiments along these lines to bring your way soon, all equally exciting (in my opinion) but this will have to keep you going for now. Just promise me this....next time you make a green smoothie, reserve a little bit to make this!! I made a mini cheesecake as I wasn't sure if it was going to be a success or disaster, but you could easily make 3 or 4 times the amount and make a regular sized cheesecake. It really is good enough for dessert I promise (although it might freak out your dinner guests!) You can also cheat and use extra sweetener if you need to.

Right...gotta go, so much to do and so little time. All the taste testing I've been talking about that has largely sabotaged my '6 pack challenge' these last few weeks is soon to be coming to an exciting conclusion! Phew- there really is only so many dried fruits and nuts a girl can consume, so it's a good thing I had this little beauty and a big glass of the Super Green smoothie to hand for my post-work out lunch today!

Recipe: 'Green Smoothie' peppermint cheesecake

Serves 2 (or one hungry person!)

Ingredients:

3 tbs leftover green smoothie (I used this recipe)
1 tbs fine coconut flour
3 tbs vegan yoghurt (I used soy) Note: for non vegans this does also work with regular plain yoghurt
1 tbs white chia seeds (plus more for topping if desired)
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
4 drops pure stevia (or to taste)

Cheesecake base: I used some leftover 'smoosh bar' style mix from one of my testing samples. Basically its a mixture of dates, almonds and raw cacao nibs. You can use any raw crust mixture.

Method:

Mix everything together very well to form a smooth thick paste with no lumps of flour.

Press the cheese cake base into the bottom of a large silicone muffin case or a mini pie dish with removal base/sides (approx 8cm wide). Note: it may be hard to remove the cheesecake otherwise.

Spoon the cheesecake mix on top of the crust and firmly smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon. add chia seeds (or other decoration) is desired- or you can add these at the time of serving.

Freeze the cheese cake for a minimum of one hour. To serve remove from the case whilst still solid (it should peel away easily). Allow to defrost on a serving plate at room temperature for at least 30 mins.

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.

‘Muffin top’ banana blondie

This was originally dreamed up as a single serve recipe...and as much as I could have eaten it all to myself, I felt it was better suited two and so shared it with my mum. If you choose to eat it all yourself...I wont judge! It is the weekend after all ;-)

I love single serve recipes as they are quick, require few ingredients and are great for experiments as if things don’t turn out quite the way you expected you haven’t got a whole pan of cake to dispose of! Luckily that was not necessary in this instance.

This little recipe is a coming together of my mug cakes and my blondies. I also tried to strip back the ingredients to the bare minimum to keep it quick and easy.  Chickpeas feature...that was always going to be the case...you know me by now! This little blondie was just like a giant muffin top in shape and texture hence the title of the post, yummy!

I baked this in the oven and it had a deliciously light (blondie like) texture and a golden top. I haven’t tried it in the microwave but since my mug cakes are typically microwave versions I see no reason why this wouldn’t work, obviously without the golden oven baked top so they may not have quite the same 'muffin top-ness'. 

Recipe: Quick banana blondie (for two)

Ingredients:

1 banana (1/3 sliced, 2/3 mashed)
1/4 cup chickpeas
1 tbs coconut oil- melted
2 tbs agave
1/4 cup flour- I used white spelt (but you could use GF mix of choice)
scant 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 tsp (or more) cinnamon
Maple syrup to serve (optional indulgence)

Method:

Blend together the mashed banana and chickpeas with the oil and agave until well blended. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix through.

Spoon the blondie into a 'dollop' on a small lined baking sheet or alternatively use a small pie dish. arrange the remaining banana slices on the top. Decorate with a few choc chunks or nuts if desired.

Bake for approx. 10-12 minutes until golden on top. Note: You could microwave this blondie for 90 seconds, but the texture may not be so light or the top golden.

 

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.

Chestnut sponge pudding

Ahhh...apologies for the delay in posting. I really wanted to get a post up each day during my '12 days of Christmas', but the recent events with my stolen laptop have meant that I've struggled to get onto a computer with all the software I need to edit the photos. Alas, I failed in my task...but I still have so many Christmassy recipes I want to fit in so I am determined to complete my challenge but it will simply mean that in the next few days there will probably have to be multiple posts on some days (hence why I'm writing and posting this at 1:30am!)....not that I ever heard anyone complain about too much cake!

Ok, relax and breathe, back to cake....

I was in a huge chestnut mode a week or so ago, as i'd been to the supermarket and stocked up on these ready prepared chestnuts (I feel I should prepare my own from scratch too just so I don't feel like i'm completely cheating this year!) 

So then of course I wanted to set about making lots of things with them, particular since this chestnut roast had gone down so well. I first tried making a batch of chestnut scones using this pumpkin recipe as a guide but changing the flours to make it gluten free. It was not much of a success, the flour combo just wasn't doing anything for the consistency or the rise of the scone, i'm pretty sure that if i'd used spelt it would have been fine, scone making is one aspect of my gluten free baking that I have to get right since this is the second attempt in the last few weeks that has gone in the bin! 

So onto trial number two....a mug cake. This little mug cake actually turned into a gem of a dessert in its own right, simply because it seemed too grown up to be a regular mug cake. I actually gave this one two attempts each with different flours. I tried buckwheat (my go to gluten free flour) for the first attempt but I wasn't totally convinced- the flavour seemed to overpower the chestnuts a little, so then a I had another go using ground oats (make sure they are GF if dealing with sensitives) and this sponge was perfect, light and fluffy but still delicate and moist. 

I'm sure other flours would also work just be careful to opt for a mild flavour. It had a lovely subtle chestnut flavour and paired so well with a creamy vanilla sauce. The sauce was a last moment act of spontaneity since I had some of this yoghurt to use up. To make a healthier cream to the one I used (which contained some sugar) you could opt for this cashew custard which would think would be awesome!

Recipe: Chestnut sponge pudding

serves 1-2

Ingredients:

3tbs ground oats (oat flour)

1tbs rapadura

1/4 tsp each baking power and baking soda

1/4 cup chestnut pure

1/4 tsp cinnamon

approx. 2 tbs soy milk (or other) if needed

1tbs chopped chestnuts mixed through batter (optional)

1tbs chopped nuts on chestnuts reserved for top

1/3 yoghurt/custard/cream to serve

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix to form a soft spoonable batter. 

Using a silicone egg poach, a silicone muffin case or a small lightly greased microwaveable domed dish, add the reserved nuts to the bottom of the dish and then spoon the batter on top. Cook in the microwave for 60 seconds until just cooked (if the top is still sticky cook for a further 20-30 seconds). You could oven bake this but the result might not be quite so moist, if you decide to oven bake try 10-15 minutes at 180C (note I haven't tried this method).

To create an indulgent dessert pour vegan vanilla yoghurt, cream or custard into the bottom of a small serving dish and then turn the sponge out into the dish so that the cream surrounds it and the nuts are now on top. Drizzle with maple syrup and dust with cinnamon if desired.

You could double or triple this recipe to make multiple individual cupcake sized servings.

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.

Red velvet carob cake

This was another one of my carob experiments, and yes it is also another single serving mini cake. It also happens to be an opportunity to test out a few other more unusual ingredients- namely teff flour and red palm oil.  I haven’t had much experience of either, but after reading lots of good stuff about their nutritional value I was keen to give them a try.

I will warn you now, red palm oil is bright orangey-red and it stains if you get in anywhere you don’t want it to be….wear an apron…you have been warned!

Red palm oil is strong in flavour when compared to the coconut oil I more typically use, the natural red pigment is due to the unrefined nature of the oil and the oil itself is full of vitamins and antioxidants, most significantly vitamin E , betacarotenes and co-enzyme Q10.

This recipe uses the dominant flavours of the carob and raspberry to carry the red  palm oil so that it does not dominate the sweet cake with its slightly savoury taste, you won’t notice it in this recipe. I would advise using strong flavours in conjunction with red palm oil, unless you are opting for a savoury dish where you want the natural flavour of the palm oil to come through.

By the way, you can quite easily sub the red palm oil for coconut oil in this recipe, and the teff flour for another GF grain, it should still work just fine!  The ‘red velvet’ title was generated by the use of the red palm oil along with raspberries, however the photos give the impression of a much more ‘brown’ chocolatey cake…oh well the thought was there.  

Either way, I promise you this little light and fruity dessert with a chocolately twang is worth it, and with just a couple of minutes of your time...how could you resist?  I used my silicone egg poach again…I’m having so much fun playing with it, and also added a ‘surprise’ sweet berry centre, but again that’s optional.  

I also got a little bit more carried away and with few small tweaks to the recipe I made red velvet carob pancakes…you can find the recipe for those in my guest post here! P.s I had some help to eat the pancakes…I’m not quite that greedy.

Recipe: Red velvet carob cake for one

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 tbs teff flour

2 tsp carob

½ tsp baking powder

Tiny pinch salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs pureed raspberries (I used frozen)

1 tbs red palm oil

1 tsp agave syrup

Up to 2 tbs soy milk/juice

2 tsp sugar free jam- optional for centre and for glaze

Method

Mix together well in a small bowl. In another greased/lined small microwaveable dish (or use a silicone egg poach!) spoon half of the mixture, add a dollop of jam to the centre and then spoon the remaining batter on the top.

Microwave for 1 minute at full power. Test gently with the tip of your finger and if the sponge springs back you’re done!

Serve with a little extra sugar free jam and vegan cream or yoghurt of desired.

 ...and for the pancake version..... find me here!

This recipe has been linked with Allergy Free Wednesdays.

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 orange and ginger cake

You know how much I love a super simple two-minute cake, right?

Well, can you imagine how excited I was a week or so ago whilst wandering through the bakeware section of the supermarket, when these caught my eye….

That’s right, they are silicone ‘pods’ for poaching eggs… ah, but I don’t eat eggs. Confused?

…can you see where my thoughts are going yet?

They are the perfect way to create a perfectly domed single serving ‘mug cake’ that can easily be removed for serving on a little dish.  So much prettier than eating straight out of a mug (though nothing wrong with that either!), and so much simpler than trying the line a mug with clingfilm (as I did with my carrot cake) so that the cake can be removed.

Go on treat yourself!

I’ve already tried a few flavour combo’s out…and I have another recipe for another time, but for now how about a bit of sticky orange and ginger cake?

The magic ingredient in this cake is sugar free orange and ginger jam (you could easily use sugar free marmalade and add your own ginger). I use these ‘jams’ for all sorts of things… and they come in loads of flavours (I’d just run out of my blueberry). Great as a glaze, or as a juicy surprise centre like in these coconut tarts. They are sweetened with fruit only.

So onto the recipe itself, I have used white spelt flour but you could easily sub a GF mix (my usual one is equal measures of ground almonds, buckwheat flour and tapioca starch). Some of the jam is mixed through the batter or used as a surprise melty centre and the rest is melted over the top of the freshly cooked cake as a glaze. You will need very  little extra sweetener (if any) so go sparingly!

This sweet and citrusy dessert was the perfect pick me up for my Friday afternoon…and I certainly needed it after I’d given blood in the morning and then without heeding the nurses order of ‘rest and no strenuous activity’ for the rest of the day…I spent it on my feet for 5 hours in the kitchen, and as you know that is often a very strenuous activity. Ooops!

Resting with some cake now. All is better in the world.

Recipe: Sticky orange and ginger cake

Serves 1 (or double up for a sharing portion!)

Ingredients

3 tbs white spelt flour (or GF mix)

½ tsp baking powder

Tiny pinch salt

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tbs melted coconut oil

1 tsp orange jam (for centre or mixed through) plus extra for glaze

1 tsp agave syrup (if needed to taste)

Up to 2tbs  orange juice

Method

Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix well.  You can either add the jam to the mixture or reserve it to add as a melty centre.

In another greased/lined small microwaveable dish (or use a silicone egg poach!) spoon half of the mixture, add a dollop of jam to the centre (if preferred) and then spoon the remaining batter on the top.

Microwave for 40 seconds on full power. Test with a finger and if the sponge springs back you’re done. Cook for another 20 seconds if necessary.

Serve cake on a plate and spread a little more jam to glaze whilst the sponge is still hot. Decorate with mango or orange pieces, soy yoghurt/cream and a dusting of ginger.

(look at the gooooey melty centre peeping out at you....!)

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.

Mint choc brownie

Happy St. Patricks Day…wherever you may be celebrating!

I thought I’d do my bit by going down the green themed route with a mint choc brownie. I still had some lovely thick cashew cream in the fridge so though it would work perfectly with my little single serve brownie… a couple of drops (literally) of food colouring, plus a tiny bit of agave is all it took. If I’d had some spirulina I would have given that a go for an alternative way of making ‘green’.

I had another chaotic day of cooking and baking to prepare my various snacks for the week plus snacks for others too. So, a little single serving dessert was the perfect fit after a plate of veggies and dip for lunch.

I made this gluten free by using buckwheat and ground almonds but other GF flour combos or spelt (if not GF) would work here also. I had a couple of attempts at this as I felt the first ‘brownie’ was more cake-like that I’d have liked so I increased the yoghurt to two tablespoons and the result was much more gooey and brownie-like.

To be honest, I wasn’t the hugest fan of this cake…and for ages I couldn’t figure out why!

Then I realised… I’m simply not a big lover of mint and chocolate when it comes to cakes (or ice-cream for that matter!) hence why I’ve never created a mint choc combo on my blog before. Give me a little bit of choc orange and I’m well away…now that combo you do see a lot of… here, here and here for starters. But hey, it was ok and I’m sure many of you will give out the mint choc love on my behalf…. but that’s all good as I’m pleased I still gave the green salute.

Cheers!

Recipe: Mint choc brownie

One brownie

Ingredients

2 tbs buckwheat flour

1 tbs ground almonds

1 tbs cocoa powder

1 tbs ground chia/flax

2 tsp agave

A pinch of baking soda

A pinch of salt

2 tbs soy yoghurt (or regular yoghurt for non vegan)

½ tsp peppermint extract

cacoa nibs for decoration- optional

Method

Mix everything together in a small bowl. Spoon into a ramekin lined with plastic wrap so that it can be removed (or simple eat it out of the remekin). Cook in the microwave for approx. 40 seconds depending upon your microwave setting, check after 30 seconds to see if the top feels done.

Serve with a dollop of cream/yoghurt or cashew cream (the cashew cream shown here is much much thicker than in the link as I added much less water) as I did here.  I flavoured the cream with couple of drops of peppermintextract along with the green food colouring.

 First attempt- more cake like

 Second attempt- more gooey!

 

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.

Single serve carrot cake

I’ve enjoyed making my ‘2 minute breakfast cookies’ so much recently, more for dessert than breakfast! I’ve tried out lots more flavour combinations so I will be sharing those with you soon, but today I fancied a single serving more of the mug cake variety.

Using this gluten free raspberry cheesecake mug cake recipe as a basis I set about making a super nutritious ‘fill me up’ type dessert with some added oats for oomph. To make smaller portions you could divide the mixture into two small ramekins to serve two.

Instead of serving it straight from a bowl or mug I decided to line the ramekin with lightly oiled clingfilm so that once cooked I could easily lift it out and peel away the clingfilm to serve. It worked pretty well although if I’d waiting a couple of minutes for it to cool and firm up slightly it probably would have been even easier….me impatient…never!

Using orange juice instead of soy milk really helps to bring out the flavour of the carrot, and the ground almonds really help add to the moistness of the crumb, you could probably get away without the added oil since the texture was in no way dry. You could serve it with a dollop of nut butter or a creamy cheesy style frosting. Here I served mine with a thick cashew cream made with much less water than usual.

Single serving 'microwave' cakes are great as a time saver and also as an ingredient saver particularly when being a bit adventurous or experimental and you don’t want to make a whole batch of cake to find it tastes awful! Today this ‘5 minute cake’ really did the trick and meant that I could have a 10 minute time-out before rushing off the do the next thing on my list…so much to do today…busy busy busy, I will reveal all very soon!

Recipe: single serve carrot cake

Serves 1!

Ingredients

2 tbs GF flour mix

1tbs ground almonds

1 tbs oats

1 tbs rapadura

Tiny pinch salt

¼  tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp mild flavoured oil (coconut or rapeseed)

1 small carrot grated- approx. 3tbs

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp cinnamon

2-3 tbs orange juice

Nuts to sprinkle on top- optional

Method

Add all the ingredients to a small bowl adding orange juice last just enough to achieve a medium thick batter. Mix well so there are no lumps or dry patches of unmixed flour.

Pour into a mug or large ramekin (line it with clingfilm if you want to be able to take it out to serve). Note the mixture should only fill no more than just over half the height of the mug/ramekin. Sprinkle nuts over the top if you like. 

Cook on full power (900W) in microwave for 1 min. check with a cocktail stick until stick comes out almost clean. Cook for 20 seconds more if necessary (up to two times) until 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.