Month: October 2017

Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

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So, I finally get the chance to bake out of the new Ottolenghi book, Sweet. I have had the book for quite a while, but these days I really need an excuse to make something high in calories, even it if it is delicious. When I found out it was the birthday of a colleague, that could only mean one thing: I would have to bake a cake, diet or not!

This cake is exceptional. The ground almonds make the texture very moreish and decadent; the blueberries burst with juiciness and the coconut and lemon zest add a complexity to the flavour.

 

Ingredients

180g ground almonds

60g desiccated coconut

250g caster sugar

70g self-raising flour

¼ tsp salt

4 large eggs

200g unsalted butter, melted, then set aside to come to room temperature

1½ tsp vanilla extract

 finely grated zest of 2 lemons

200g fresh blueberries

20g flaked almonds

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Directions

  • Grease and line a 23cm round cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
  • Place the almonds, coconut, sugar, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to aerate and remove the lumps.
  • Place the eggs in a separate medium bowl and whisk lightly. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk again until well combined. Pour this into the dry mix and whisk to combine.
  • Fold in 150g blueberries, then pour the mixture into the tin. Sprinkle the last of the blueberries on top, along with the flaked almonds and bake for 50–55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Keep a close eye on it towards the end of cooking: the relatively large number of eggs in the mix means that it can go from still being a little bit liquid in the centre to being well cooked in just a few minutes.
  • Set aside for 30 minutes before inverting out of the tin, removing the baking parchment and placing the cake the right way up on a serving plate. It can either be served warm with cream or set aside until cool.

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Quinoa, nut, fruit and seed loaf

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

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I don’t go to Selfridges often, but when I do, I always buy a copy of Donna Hay’s Fresh and Light magazine. It’s a beautiful magazine and feels more like a book that a magazine. This quinoa, nut, fruit and seed loaf belongs to the ‘wholesome loaf’ series which consists of four loaves, including Peanut butter and banana loaf and Rhubarb, raspberry and coconut loaf which I will definitely be making.

This loaf makes a really healthy and filling breakfast and also a really tasty afternoon snack, which is why there was only half the loaf left for the picture!

 

Ingredients

40g sunflower seeds

40g pumpkin seeds

115g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

80g brazil nuts, roughly chopped

40g currants (I used dried cherries as I’m not a fan of currants)

75g raisins

180g cooked quinoa* (I used mixed quinoa and bulgur wheat)

60g coconut sugar (brown sugar would do)

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

280g Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

140g spelt flour, sifted

*90g uncooked quinoa makes 180g of cooked quinoa

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Directions

  • Preheat oven to 180C/ fan 160C/Gas Mark 4
  • Place the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts and brazil nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until you can hear the seeds popping. Remove 80g and set aside for the topping. Put the rest in a large bowl.
  • Add all the other ingredients to the large bowl and mix until well combined
  • Put the mixture in a lined loaf tin. Scatter the seeds and nuts set aside earlier on to the top of the loaf and bake in the oven for 70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool slightly in the tin before removing.

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