Tag Archives: treats

Easy Easter Biscuits

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I thought it might be fun to do a little Easter baking! These are fun super easy, spicy Easter and spring biccies that are great fun to make, and eat! You can leave the spices out if you prefer of course or add any flavouring you like! Something fun to do with the kids too 🙂 The icing is flavoured with either lemon, fresh raspberry or fresh blueberries.

I use low fat spread and “half spoon” sugar – but you can use normal butter/spread and any sugar you like! 🙂

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For the biscuits you need:

300g plain flour

140g Sugar (if using “half spoon” sugar then just 70g)

180g Dairy free spread

Optional spices: 2 tsp Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, 1/2 tsp Cloves

For decoration:

Sugar and cinnamon

Currants

Icing sugar

Lemon juice, raspberries and blueberries

Sugar balls etc

Preheat the oven to 175 C.

Put the spread and sugar in a bowl and cream together. Combine the flour and spices if using and mix really well. Once it forms a dough, wrap it in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge for 20 mins if you have time (you can also save it in the fridge for use later that week or you can freeze it for months if you need).

Remove and roll out. Use whatever shaped cutters you like to it your biscuit shapes and transfer to a baking tray.

If you are using currants for bunny eyes and noses then add those now. Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon. Place in the oven and cook for 8 – 12 mins or until golden. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Once cool you can ice the biscuits. Mix up your icing powder with lemon juice or fresh mashed raspberries or blueberries and then spread on the biscuits (or just water if you prefer). Add sugar decorations if you like. Allow to set and then eat!

Enjoy! 🙂

xx

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Autumn Fruits Cinnamon Cake

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I just can’t resist all the yummy autumn fruits so decided to combine them all in this Autumn fruits cinnamon cake. It’s lovely and moist (and because of all the fruit it’s rather crumbly) and another great cake for a Sunday afternoon, with a cuppa!

It serves about 8-10 with approx 234 – 290 cals per slice.

You will need:

450g of autumn fruits (I used plums, apples and pears) plus some to decorate

85g Sugar (I used half spoon)

170g dairy free spread

255g self raising flour

2 large eggs (Or egg replacer if you prefer)

2 tbsp milk (any will do – I used soya)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 170C and grease and line a 25cm round loose-bottomed cake tin.

Put the sugar and spread in a bowl and cream until light and fluffy.

Add one egg and whisk it into the batter, then add half the flour and whisk again. Repeat with the other egg and the remainder of the flour.

Then add the cinnamon and milk to slacken the batter a little.

Core and dice the fruit (I didn’t bother peeling the pears and apples but you can if you want to). Add to the mix and fold them in.

Spoon in to the cake tin, spread evenly and then line the top of the cake with finely sliced segments of all the fruit. Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon.

Bake in the oven for 45-60 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.  Once it’s ready, remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 10 mins then on a wire rack.

Slice and enjoy with a cuppa!

🙂

Xx

Plum and Pear Cake

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I had a last handful of my Nannie’s homegrown plums left and some more my friend’s pears so thought I’d try one last bake!

This is a really nice, moist sponge type of cake – perfect with a cup of tea on a Sunday afternoon! It’s delicious whilst still warm, but actually gets better the next day so is something you can easily make in advance. It’s a large cake and can comfortably serve 10-12 slices. I used half spoon sugar and a light spread to reduce the calories a bit so each slice was around 300 cals.

(If you want to make it egg free then egg replacer works well with this recipe 🙂 )

You will need:

300g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

225g Sugar (I used half spoon)

225g margarine or butter (I used a light non dairy spread)

4 large eggs

4-5 plums

1-2 small pears

Juice of half a lemon

cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top

 

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together bowl.

In another bowl cream the margarine and sugar until fluffy and light in color.

Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl to ensure it’s mixed well.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Spoon batter into a greased or lined 25cm spring form pan.

Cut the plums in halves and the pears in quarters (unless large then cut smaller). Arrange the plums and pears, skin side up as much as possible , all over the batter. Push them down in to the batter until partially covered.

Sprinkle the top with lemon juice, then cinnamon and finally a sprinkling of sugar.

Pop in the centre of the ovens for approximately 45-50 minutes or until cake is golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for ten mins then remove and cool on a rack.

Lightly dust with icing sugar before serving and then enjoy with a nice cup of tea!

Enjoy! 🙂

Xxx

Pear and Plum Jammy Slice

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This is a really sticky, yummy afternoon treat and a perfect way to use up any late plums and seasonal pears.

I recently lost my beloved Nannie. She loved baking and was a legend in the kitchen! We harvested the last plums from her plum tree last week and I made a final batch of jam. I had a few plums left over, and some pears from a lovely friend, so decided to put all three together and create something Nannie would have approved of! This slice isn’t elegant, and it isn’t pretty, but it’s damn tasty!

I used half spoon sugar and a light spread to save some calories but you can use normal sugar and any spread / butter you like. It serves around 12 and is only around 204 cals per slice!

You will need:

160g Plain flour

64g Ground almonds

50g sugar (I used half spoon)

170g Dairy free spread

1 large egg

2 tbsp water

1.5 tsp Baking powder

Approx 200g Plum jam

1 – 2 pears (I used a conference pears)

2-3 plums

Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease and line a small baking tin (mine was approx 7 x 10 inches).

Add the flour, almonds, sugar and baking powder to a large bowl.

Mix well and add the spread. You can either use a processor or a fork to mix it in until it resembles bread crumbs. I used a fork so it’s quite lumpy breadcrumbs but that doesn’t matter!

Add the egg and water and mix well. It will form a sticky dough.

Spread it in the baking tin.

Spread the jam over the top – be generous with the jam!

Slice the pears and plums and lay them on the jam.

Pop in the oven and cook for at least 25 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool a bit before you slice.

Enjoy! 🙂 Xx

Plum and Cinnamon Loaf

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I got given a massive haul of Victoria Plums from a kind friend, some of which I used to make some jam, and with the rest I thought I’d do a little baking!

As we head in to late summer and thoughts turn to autumn I thought I’d go for some autumnal flavours – plum and cinnamon! This makes one loaf which serves 8-10, at around 205 cals a slice!

You will need:

140g self-raising flour (any type you like)

140g dairy-free spread (I used a light version to save some calories)

140 sugar (or 70g half spoon sugar for less cals)

2 large eggs and one egg yolk, beaten

200g plums

1 heaped tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 170 C.

Put the spread and sugar and beat lightly until fluffy. Add in the beaten egg a little at a time and beat well in between each bit.

Mix the flour and cinnamon and then add in to the wet mixture, fold it in.

Chop all bout approx 2-3 plums in to small pieces. Slice the 2-3 plums in to wedges (to decorate the top). Add the chopped plums and mix well.

Pour in to a loaf tin. Arrange the plum wedges on the top and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and sugar.

Put in the oven and bake for 50-60 mins. It’s done when a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 mins, then remove. Slice and serve!

Enjoy! 🙂

Xx

Blackberry and cinnamon N’ice cream

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A perfect pud for hot summer days and goes great with my blackberry and apple cinnamon crumble!

You will need:

3 bananas (chopped and then frozen)

Handful of blackberries

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Chop the bananas in to slices and freeze.

Place the frozen bananas in to a high speed blender and start to blend. I find it works best if you start with short pulses and stop regularly to scrape the banana back down. Once it starts to become creamy throw the blackberries and cinnamon in and whizz that up.

Serve immediately or pop in a tupperware and freeze for later use! Perfect with crumble!

Enjoy xx

Redcurrant and Blackcurrant Yoghurt Cake

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We were lucky enough to get our hands on some fresh red and blackcurrants this week so I thought I’d put them to good use in this summery cake! You could use other summer fruits but the currants are lovely and tart and that really adds another dimension to this cake. Frozen red and blackcurrants could also be used!

I wanted to keep this lighter on the calories so opted for 0% Greek yoghurt (or dairy free yoghurt) and ‘half spoon’ sugar, and I also used wholemeal flour – which gave it a really nice wholemeal scone-like density and nuttiness but you can use any plain flour you like.  This is a larger, thinner cake and an 1/8th (which is a generous slice) comes in at approx 284 calories!

You will need:

300g redcurrants and blackcurrants

125g dairy-free margarine (or soft butter)

200g caster sugar (or 100g ‘half spoon’ sugar’

250g 0% plain Greek yoghurt (or non dairy yoghurt)

3 medium eggs

300g flour (I used wholemeal spelt flour)

1 tsp baking powder

Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 190 C and grease or line a 26cm cake tin.

Put the margarine and sugar in a bowl and cream together. Add the lemon zest and then mix in each egg one by one. Add the yoghurt and mix well.

Mix the flour and baking powder together and sieve in to the wet mixture and combine. If using wholemeal flour the mixture will be quite thick. Spoon half of it in to the pan.

Add a layer of redcurrant and blackcurrants and then carefully cover with the remaining cake mix.

 

Bake for approx 25 – 30 mins, until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 mins or so, then remove and cool on a rack. Enjoy warm or cold.

Rhubarb and Cinnamon Cake – Dairy and Gluten free

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After very kindly being given some freshly grown rhubarb (thank you Des and Lisa 🙂 ) I thought I would try to do something different with it, rather than the classic crumble and came up with this little beauty! This is a moist but light cake and the tartness of the rhubarb goes so well with the warmth of the cinnamon. I choose to poach the rhubarb lightly first as I find it ensures it is non-stringy and deliciously soft.

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You will need:

Approx 350g Rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces

3 tbsp Apple juice and 1 tbsp Coconut sugar (for poaching)

1 1/4 cups of Gluten free self-raising flour (or you can make your own using plain gluten free or spelt flour plus 1 3/4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt)

1/2 cup Ground Almonds

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/3 cup of Golden caster sugar (or other unrefined fine sugar)

1/3 cup Coconut sugar (or other unrefined sugar)

3/4 cup Almond (or light Olive) oil

Up to 1 1/4 cup of Almond milk or Soya milk (or any other non-dairy milk)

2 tbsp Cider vinegar

2 heaped tsp ground Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 160 C.

First you need to poach the rhubarb. Pop it in to a roasting tin (so it’s only one layer thick) and add the apple juice and 1 tbsp sugar. Cover with foil and bake for approx 15 mins (or until the rhubarb is a little soft – the time will vary depending on how thick your stalks are). Remove from oven, strain and set aside (keeping the juice – we need that later). Leave the oven on but increase it to 170 C.

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Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon and ground almonds in to a bowl and mix together.

Pour the juice from the poached rhubarb into a measuring jug (if there isn’t much don’t worry – use it anyway) and then add enough milk to give 1 1/4 cups in total of liquid. Add the vinegar and stir. Then add the bicarbonate of soda and mix (it will fizz!). Add this to the dry ingredients, and then add the oil. Stir it well and finally fold in the rhubarb.

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Pour in to a tin (I used a 20 x 20 cm tin) lined with greaseproof paper and pop in the oven for 35 – 45 mins (or until a skewer comes out clean). Allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then place on a wire rack. Cut and serve! 🙂

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Caramel Buckwheat Crispy Squares – Dairy and Gluten free

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When I was at school I used to take a Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Marshmallow square with me every day for my breaktime snack. Does anyone else remember them? I was addicted! All gooey and sweet… and delicious…but so full of rubbish…..

So I thought I’d recreate a healthier version of them! So I’ve had a play and come up with  Caramel Buckwheat Crispy Squares. Super easy to make and really scrummy! You could use any puffs you like – buckwheat, spelt, quinoa, rice…. These are better than the originals I think and not half as bad for you 🙂

You will need:

10 -12 medjool dates

2 tbsp Cashew or almond butter

1 – 2 tbsp warm Water

1 – 2 cups of Buckwheat (or any) puffs

Optional Chocolate for decoration:

1/2 cup Coconut oil (melted)

1/3 cup Cacao/cocoa powder

1/4 cup Coconut syrup

Start by making your caramel. Pit and chop the dates and pop them in to your blender together with the nut butter. Add a little of the water and blitz. You want to nice smooth caramel which is thick enough to hold the puffs together, so you may need to add a little more water but not too much. I have to say, watching the caramel in the blender is very pleasing… look….

Once you have a smooth but sticky caramel remove it from the blender. You will probably have more caramel than you need but that’s ok as you can use it for some other yummy treats like my apple cinnamon smoothie or homemade toffee poppets.

Put your puffs in a bowl and add a few spoonfuls of caramel. Stir it through and keep adding caramel until you have a sticky mess! Line a tupperware pot or tray with some baking paper and press the caramel puff mess in to the tray and push down well.

Pop in the freezer for at least an hour to set. It won’t set firm – it will be all sticky and chewy 🙂

Once set remove from the freezer, slice and serve!

If you want to decorate with raw chocolate then combine the coconut oil, cacao powder and coconut syrup and whisk with a fork. Drizzle the chocolate over the bars and then pop back in the freezer briefly to set. Enjoy!

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Homemade Toffee Poppets! Raw, dairy-free Chocolate Caramel Balls!

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When I was little my grandma (Nannie 🙂 ) would come to pick me up on a Friday night from school and as a treat she’d take me across the road from our house to the newsagents to buy some sweets. I could have whatever I wanted… More often than not I went for a packet of Poppets – either mint, or the toffee ones (also known as Toffets). For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure – they were a little cardboard box full of nuggets of chocolate covered mint fondant or chewy caramel. I always associate them with those friday night treats and my Nannie and so they hold a special place in my heart 🙂

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I’ve been having a bit of a caramel craving lately so I thought I’d better try to recreate those yummy little balls of goodness. (I’ll have a go at mint ones too at some point 🙂 ). As well as plain ones I also thought I’d try adding some coconut and nuts to the outside – you could coat yours in anything you like!

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You will need:

For the centres:

10 – 12 Medjool dates

3 tbsp Almond butter or Cashew butter if you don’t want the almond taste

(water as required)

For the chocolate:

1/2 cup Coconut oil (melted)

1/3 cup Cacao/cocoa powder

1/4 cup Coconut syrup

Desiccated coconut/chopped roasted nuts to decorate if desired

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Pop the dates and almond/cashew butter in a processor and pulse until blended and smooth. Add water if you want a softer texture. Take small spoonfuls and roll into balls with your hand – this is easier if you can chill it in the fridge for a while first. Pop the balls in the freezer for as long as you can wait!

To make the chocolate combine the coconut oil, cacao powder and coconut syrup and whisk with a fork.

Take the balls out the freezer and pop in to the chocolate to coat. Use a fork to move them around until coated and then pop on some greaseproof paper to set. Once set a little bit turn so the bottoms don’t stick.

IMG_2738 If you want to coat them in coconut or nuts then as soon as you’ve coated in them in chocolate roll in the coconut/nuts and then place on the greaseproof paper.

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Then place in the freezer until ready to eat! All I need to do now is recreate the little cardboard box!

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