Pear Gingerbread Cake

April 6, 2016July 16, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

This delicious, moist cake is perfect for afternoon tea (…. or any time cake is required really!).

See the option within the recipe for the coeliac friendly version.

2 very ripe pears, peeling, cored and diced
125g vegan butter
3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas) OR 1 whole egg
150g maple syrup
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bi carb soda
1.5 tsp GF Baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour (OR 1 1/4 cup GF flour mix and 1/2 cup almond or seed meal)
300ml milk of choice

Whisk together the milk and aquafaba until light and frothy (Speed 4, 15 seconds). Then set aside.

Melt together the Nuttelex and syrup (Speed 2, 100C, approx 2-3 mins or until all melted).

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Add the milk mix to the butter mix, then add the pears and mix gently (Speed 2, 12 seconds). If you are using an egg instead of the aquafaba, add it in at this point.

Add the dry mix gradually to the wet mix and fold together until just combined (Speed 3, 10 seconds at a time, scraping down in between).

Pour mixture (which is quite runny), into a lined/greased tin and place into a preheated moderate oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

Enjoy warm, dusted with icing sugar, or served with a little cream/icecream if your diet allows.

Happy afternoon tea!

Garlic bread

March 8, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

This is a super simple appetizer or addition to dinner – we have even taken it as a snack to picnics.

I use my yoghurt dough recipe – there are both vegan, soy free and GF options.

Most regularly I use a spelt/soy mix.

1 quantity dough (though 1/2 is sufficient for 1 large base)
1-2 tbsp garlic olive oil
1 tsp Himilayan salt
1 tsp fresh, finely chopped, rosemary.

Roll out dough to a pizza shape (thickness depends on how doughy or crispy you like your garlic bread) then brush with oil.

20160213_134004 — My gorgeous little helper 🙂

Sprinkle with salt and rosemary.

Place into a preheated moderate oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Slice into wedges and serve.

I often make a whole quantity of dough, then freeze half uncooked (tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a zip lock bag), for an even quicker bread next time.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Almond Cake

March 3, 2016June 10, 2020 ~ desertcook ~ 4 Comments

You might have already noticed, but chocolate flavoured anything is a fairly firm favourite in our house, for all 6 of us! Just occasionally, it’s nice to change it up a bit though 🙂

In the coming week, my 2 youngest boys and my husband have birthdays. We are having a joint birthday party (along with my Nanna!) and each has requested a cake. I couldn’t imagine taking along 3 chocolate cakes, so decided to have a go at a vanilla flavoured base for George’s “Daddy Raa” (Lion King) cake. It is based on my regular Chocolate Cake (which you should try too!). This is was the result – and it is yummy … thumbs up from everyone!!

See below the recipe for a coeliac friendly version.

1 1/4 cup spelt (I do half wholemeal)
1/2 cup almond meal (use extra flour or seed meal for a nut free option, see note below)
2 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 cup coconut sugar (use white sugar if you want a lighter coloured batter)
100g Nuttelex/vegan butter/tasteless coconut oil
1 cup milk of choice (I use oat/rice/vanilla almond)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chic peas) 1 egg of egg replacement powder OR 1 egg

Mix together the oil, milk and vanilla and heat until melted and well combined.

In the large bowl of your mixer sift together the flour, sugar and baking powder.

Mix the wet mix into the flour mix and beat well so the mixture is light. While the mix is beating, add in the aquafaba.

Pour into a lined cake tin or about 14 regular muffin holes.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven for approx 50 minutes (for the cake) or 25 minutes for the muffins, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack. Ice as desired.

(I make a simple icing from 1 tbsp melted Nuttelex, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, a splash of milk and pure icing sugar).

To adapt for a Thermal cooker:

Place the oil, vanilla and milk in the jug and cook on speed 2 at 100C for 2 1/2 mins, or until the oil is melted.

Add in the sugar, baking powder and mix on speed 4 for 15 seconds.

Add the flours and mix on speed 4 for 30 seconds. Whilst mixing, add the aquafaba through the opening in the top if the lid.

Enjoy 🙂

To make this into a coeliac friendly version make sure you use rice or almond milk and replace the spelt flour with 1 cup of a plain GF flour mix and increase the almond or seed meal to 1 cup.

I make the seed meal by milling 3 tbsp each of flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

This makes a great double batch cake to take to church for supper, or to slice and freeze for lunchboxes too.

Cheeky Monkey Bread – Banana Yoghurt loaf

March 2, 2016February 17, 2018 ~ desertcook ~ 1 Comment

This yummy quick bread is a major hit with all 4 of my little guys at the moment.

It is super simple to make, freezes beautifully and is a great, not too sweet, treat for lunchboxes.

125g soy/coconut/dairy yoghurt
75ml milk of choice
2 tbsp honey/maple syrup
1 large overripe banana
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g Nuttelex/vegan butter/light tasting oil, melted
1.5 tsp GF baking powder
1.5 cup spelt flour, about 1/2 wholemeal (OR 1.25 cups GF flour mix plus 1/4 cup seed/almond meal mix)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Optional extras:

1/3 cup mixed milled seeds (remove 1/3 cup of flour if you use this option)
4 squares dark chocolate

Place all dry items, except the chocolate, together in your food processor (or just a bowl with a whisk) and process until well combined. (Speed 4, 8 seconds).

If using, grate or finely chop the chocolate into the mix and process again until combined (Speed 4, 5 seconds).

Set aside the dry mix.

In your processor/blender/nutribullet/thermal cooker, place the melted butter/oil, aquafaba, honey, vinegar and banana and process until well combined and smooth (Speed 5, 10 seconds).

Pour wet mix into the dry mix and fold through until combined (Use speed 4, 8 seconds, scrape down and repeat)

Pour into lined loaf tin and bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

20180116_154858-1 — Watch out for hungry superheroes!

Freezes and defrosts well.

Enjoy 🙂

Lactation Cookies

February 19, 2016October 9, 2024 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Being a new Mumma can be tough and one of the things that can make it even more tricky is getting breastfeeding right and the worry about supply etc.

I was lucky enough to feed all four of my babies into toddler hood (and beyond!), despite the difficulties of our allergy restricted diet.

To help keep up my milk supply I made sure that I drank heaps of water (about 3L a day) and ate nutritious foods to fuel my body. One of the ways that you can make sure you are getting in some good nutrition is these bikkies. They contain good fat, fibre and brewer’s yeast which has been long reported to improve milk supply.

Do not swap out the Brewer’s yeast for instant dried yeast, or nutritional yeast – they are not the same! You can find Brewer’s yeast in health food shops, on line or in supermarkets that sell home brew kits.

My midwife mother in law told me how they used to tell new mothers to drink a good stout before feeds to boost their supply! Not recommended so much any more 🫣 – but the brewer’s yeast is still great!

**I am not a qualified breastfeeding professional, so if you are struggling with feeding or milk supply, please make sure you call the Breastfeeding Support places in your area or seek help in person from a qualified Lactation Consultant**

See below the recipe for a more gluten intolerant friendly option.

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour/buckwheat flour/rye flour
1/2 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 cup butter/vegan butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal mixed with 2 tbsp water
3 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chic peas) OR 1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
10g brewers yeast
1/2 tsp flaked salt
1 & 1/2 cups rolled oats*
6 medjool dates, pitted

*Replace the oats with 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup rolled quinoa and 1/2 cup puffed rice for a GF option

Using a food processor cream together the butter and sugar (Speed 4, 10 seconds)

Add in the vanilla, cinnamon, salt, yeast and baking powder and mix again to combine (Speed 4, 6 seconds)

Drop the pitted dates one at a time onto spinning blades through the chute at the top, then process until dates are finely chopped (speed 4 whilst adding dates, then up to speed 7 for about 10-15 seconds)

Add in the flax whilst mixing.

Add in the aquafaba OR egg whilst mixing and process until combined.

Add in the flour and process til just combined (Speed 4, 12-15 seconds)

Then add in the oats and process again until mixture is well combined (Speed 4, 15-20 seconds).

Roll spoonfuls of mixture into balls, then press down onto a lined baking tray and baking in a preheated moderate oven for about 15 minutes.

The cookies will still be soft when you remove them. They will harden as they cool. Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring then to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 18-20.

These stay fresh for about a week, but I made double batches and froze mine in zip lock bags for convenient snacks – they defrost quickly when you pull them out of the freezer.

Important note – Brewer’s yeast is not considered to be gluten free, as it is grown on barley so it will depend on your level of sensitivity.

If you’re not breastfeeding – these are still a delicious bikkie! You could leave out the yeast to make shopping easier (or if you have a yeast allergy).

Enjoy …. and maybe you could take a batch to a friend next time a new bub arrives to show them how much you care 🥰

Choc Chip Chick Pea cookies

January 30, 2016April 1, 2017 ~ desertcook ~ 7 Comments

These yummy cookies are a cross between my regular Choc Chip Cookies and my Date, Chick Pea and Sunflower seed butter cookies.

I love that they look like a regular choc chip cookie but have some hidden extra goodness.

40g Nuttelex or other vegan butter
80g Sunflower Seed butter (or nut butter if your diet allows)
120g chic peas (drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup coconut sugar OR Maple Syrup
1 3/4 cups spelt flour (OR 1 1/2 cups GF flour plus 1/4 cup almond meal)
2.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chick peas)
1/3 cup choc chip/chopped chocolate of choice

Place the Nuttelex, seed butter, chic peas, sugar and vanilla into your processor and process until smooth (Speed 4, 15 seconds, scrape down and repeat).

Add in the aquafaba and baking powder and pulse a few times to combine.

Add in the flour and process until it forms a stiff dough (Speed 4 in 10 second intervals).

Add in choc chips and mix until combined.

Roll teaspoons of mix into balls and place on a lines tray. Press down with the back of a fork. Try to stop your little helper eating all of the raw dough 😉

Place in to a preheated moderate oven and bake for about 12 minutes.

Allow to cool on the tray.

Makes about 20 – store in an airtight container for a week.

Enjoy 🙂

Yoghurt Apple Cake

January 23, 2016January 23, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Many (many!) years ago now, I was lucky enough to spend 6 months living in France. So much amazing food that was quite new to this (then) unadventurous Aussie girl’s taste buds! Sadly, not so good for my wasitline, but I have never forgotten those delights!

I recently came across this recipe for a yoghurt cake, which reminded me of my time there – this is my healthier, allergy friendly version.

The cake is light and moist – perfect for afternoon tea, so go on, have juste un petit gout!

See below the recipe for a gluten free-coeliac friendly version

100g coconut sugar
finely grated zest and juice from one lemon
5 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas)
175g soy yoghurt/coconut yoghurt
125g Nuttelex/vegan butter/tasteless coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
275g spelt flour
1.5tsp GF baking powder
1tsp bicarb soda
2 small apples, cored and finely sliced
1 extra tsp of Nuttelex
1 extra tsp coconut sugar.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Grease a tin and layer the apples on the bottom of the tin.

Melt the tsp of Nuttelex and brush over the top of the apples, then sprinkle with the 1 tsp of coconut sugar. Place in the oven for about 5 minutes while you make the next step of the cake.

Into your food processor, place all of the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. (Speed 4, 10 seconds then speed 5, 8 seconds).

Remove the tin from the oven and scoop the cake mix to the top of the apples. Smooth over and return to the oven for about 30 mins or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

Serve warm or allow to cool, dust with GF icing sugar and add an extra dollop of yoghurt if you’d like.

Makes about 12 slices.

I haven’t frozen this one yet, but it lasts well in the fridge until the following day, and I suspect it’s freeze well.

To make a gluten free coeliac friendly version of this cake: replace the spelt flour with 1.5 cups plain GF flour mix and 1/4 cup of almond meal.

Enjoy 🙂

Breakfast Muffins

January 17, 2016November 26, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

In just a couple of short weeks school will be going back. Back to early rising, back to strict bedtimes and (almost) military style routines, back to a mad rush to leave the house with all 4 children fed, washed, clothed, packed and ready by 8am. Gosh, I love holidays!!!

Almost always porridge is the go for breakfast at our place. They all enjoy it and I can make up a big saucepan-full and everyone is happy. But for some reason, on some mornings, the getting ready process just doesn’t work well and we run late (please tell me that this happens to everyone!!).

To help on those occasions, I like to have these muffins in the freezer so I can give them a decent breakfast that they can eat while we’re walking to school. Most muffins are pretty well cakes in disguise but these guys have fruit sugars and lots of fibre and wholegrains to keep their little bodies going.

See below the recipe for a coeliac friendly option

2 medium overripe bananas (I keep some frozen)
4 Gluten-free Weetbix
50g rolled oats
6 large medjool dates, pitted
80g melted tasteless coconut oil, or other light tasting oil
235g milk of choice (we mostly use oat milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
200g spelt flour (I do half wholemeal)
2 tsp GF baking powder
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup frozen blueberries or 2 tbsp Chocolate Drinking mix

Place the oats in the food processor and blitz until fine (Speed 6, 10 seconds).

Add in the weet-bix, flour and baking powder and process well (Speed 5, 10 seconds). Tip out and set aside.

Place the banana, milk and oil in the bowl and begin processing, adding the dates one at a time through the chute at the top. Process until the dates are finely chopped and evenly distributed. (Speed 4 whilst adding the dates, and then up to speed 7 for 10 seconds). This also works really well in a blender or nutribullet.

Add dry mix to wet and process until combined (Speed 4, 12 seconds). I think this is has a lighter result if you fold through by hand though.

I normally separate the mix into 2 at this point as I have 1 child who doesn’t like blueberries (weird!). Fold the blueberries through the mix you do want them in and then scoop mix into a lined muffin tin.

Place into a preheated moderate oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and skewer comes out clean.

Makes 14 muffins. They freeze well and are especially yummy served slightly warm.

To make these coeliac friendly: Use 1 extra weet-bix and 1 tbsp rolled quinoa to replace the oats. To replace the spelt, use 200g GF flour mix. Increase the milk up to 240mls.

If you don’t have or enjoy dates then you could use a few tbsp of maple syrup or even coconut sugar in their place.

They are also particularly yummy if you replace the dates and berries with 2 tablespoons of my chocolate drinking mix (gives them a great nutritional boost too!)

Sometimes I make these and remove the oats and weet-bix with 1 tbsp each of Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds, plus 25g raw almond, 1 tbsp psyllium and 30g rolled quinoa. Milled down and stirred through the flour – this gives an especially good result when you’re using a gluten free flour.

Enjoy 🙂

Light Lemon Cheesecake

January 14, 2016January 14, 2016 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

Recently we had our traditional, school holidays Girls Lunch. And for the first time my lovely almost sister in-law was able to come. Man can she cook … with the beautiful cheesecake she brought along, she seriously raised the standard for dessert!

Since it was school holidays my bigger boys were there and my biggest boy, Will, was particularly enamoured with this cake. When we saw fresh raspberries on sale in the shops the following day he begged me to make him one ‘like Aunty Michelle made’. How could I resist?

Trouble was, that there was almost no safe ingredients in it for us – so we set about experimenting. For the first time I tried something really cool …. replacing pouring cream with whipped aquafaba. Yep, allergy friendly and it just about halved the calories for the dessert – win!! Hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!

350g soy cream cheese (we use Tofutti)
6 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid drained from a can of chick peas), slightly warmer than room temp
pinch of cream of tartar
1/3 cup icing sugar (increase to half a cup if you like sweeter, less tart desserts)
zest 1 lemon, finely grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tsp powdered gelatine
60 mls warm water
350g GF/DF/EF gingernut biscuits (we use the Leda brand)
110g Nuttelex or other vegan butter
200g fresh raspberries
fresh mint to garnish

In your food processor place the gingernuts and process until they are a fine crumb (Speed 6, 8 seconds).

Add in the Nuttelex and pulse multiple time until you have a crumb that resembles wet sand.

Grease your dish and tip the crumb into it. Press down firmly into the tin, making sure that you press the mixture a little way up the side of the dish too. Place in fridge.

Mix together the gelatine and warm water and whisk with a fork until dissolved. Set aside. Then work quickly so the gelatine isn’t sitting for too long.

In the small bowl of your stand mixer, place the aquafaba and the cream of tartar and beat on very high speed until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes). Set aside.

In the large bowl of your mixer place the soy cheese, lemon juice and zest, sugar and beat until smooth, soft and creamy. Add in the gelatine mix and beat again until well incorporated. (Use the blunt blade for 20 seconds on speed 4, the add gelatine and use speed 4 for for a further 8 seconds).

Pour in the beaten aquafaba and fold through until evenly distribute. (Attach butterfly/mixing tool and use speed 3 for about 20 seconds).

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the biscuit base, top with fruit and place in the fridge to set for 2 hours.

Garnish with mint and serve.

Makes about 12 slices.

To make this a vegan dish you just need to replace the gelatine with agar agar, probably 2 tsp … but I haven’t experimented with the liquid quantity required yet (as you need to bring the powder and liquid to the boil and then simmer for a few minutes before using the gel it forms). Please let me know if you do!

Enjoy 🙂

Pumpkin Scones

January 3, 2016June 9, 2024 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

One of my lasting memories of church as a little one was heading out to morning tea after the service, dearly hoping that Rilda was on roster, and devouring her amazing pumpkin scones.

Rilda has gone to be with God now, but we still remember her fondly – I hope this recipe might go some way towards doing justice to her scones 🙂

When I served them up to my husband and kids this morning they were certainly devoured! 2 enthusiastic thumbs up from everyone. I had to hide 4 of the 16 away before there were only crumbs remaining!

1/2 cup cooked and mashed pumpkin (roughly 135g)**
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
50g butter/plant based butter
60g sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas) or 1 egg
2 1/2 cup plain flour (or 2 cups GF flour and 1/2 cup almond meal)
2 1/2 tsp GF baking powder.

Place the milk and vinegar in a bowl and whisk together vigorously until it is quite frothy (Speed 4, 20 seconds). Then set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer (Speed 4, 20 seconds, scrape down)

Add in the egg/aquafaba and mix well (speed 3, 6 seconds).

Add in the pumpkin and stir through until combined (Speed 4, 8 seconds)

Whilst mixing, gently add in the frothy milk mix (Speed 3)

Add in the spices and baking powder and mix briefly, then add in the flour (and almond meal if using) and mix to bring together. (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat).

Tip on to floured surface and bring together – dough is quite sticky.

20160103_100648 — Spelt dough on left and GF on right

Roughly roll out to about 2cm thick and use scone cutter to cut out.

Place on a lined baking tray and put into preheated 200C oven (190C if fan forced) for 12-14 minutes.

20160103_101317 — Spelt on left and GF on right – oops, I rolled the GF ones a little too thin this time!

Scones should rise, be golden brown and sound hollow when sharply tapped on the bottom.

Serve warm or cool with vegan butter.

Spelt

Makes about 18

Enjoy 🙂

**P.S I have taken to making extra when I do roast pumpkin for dinner and I keep aside the 135g I need to make scones for the next day. I think the roasted veg gives an even better flavour!