Cake – Page 8 – The Food Wife

(BLW) Sugar-free Blueberry Muffins

30th January 201930th January 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

Recently, trying to get the Food Baby to eat any fruit has been quite a mission. Quite a change from just a few weeks ago. In fact, his recent teething has sometimes made him not want to eat anything much. These however went down very well, he devoured three in about 10 minutes and I was comforted to think he’d had both banana and blueberries.

All the sweetness here comes from the fruit, with no added sugar (although if you are making these for yourself then you may well want to add some; try 50g in step 1). There is some nice texture from the addition of oats and if you want to make these dairy free, simply use a suitable milk replacement.

Ingredients:
1 large ripe banana, mashed with a fork
50g rolled oats
125g self-raising flour
60g blueberries, dusted in a little flour
120ml milk
60ml vegetable oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Step 1: Combine the banana, oats and flour in a bowl. Add the blueberries.

Step 2: Separately mix together the wet ingredients and then fold gently into the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Spread equally between a 12-hole muffin tin, lined with cases.

Step 4: Bake at 200c for 20 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Whilst still warm these will stick to the cases, but should peel off cleanly once cool.

Once cool, store in an airtight container for a couple of days (or pop in the freezer).

New Year Rocky Road

1st January 20191st January 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 30 pieces

Iâ€™ve posted a recipe for rocky road before, and called it my ultimate rocky road. It is seriously good but this new year I went down a different path. Inspired by a strangely moreish delicacy of chocolate covered gummy bears I discovered in New York five years ago, this rocky road features a layer of gummy bears that make a more fruity, chewy hit in each piece.

These were taste-tested at a party between Christmas and New Year (hence their name) and went down very well, at least I assume they did as every piece disappeared!

Ingredients:
200g dark chocolate, melted
200g milk chocolate, melted
100g white chocolate, melted
100g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
100g gummy bears
100g maltesers
100g munchies
50g mini marshmallows
10 rich tea biscuits, roughly crushed

Step 1: Have your three molten chocolates in separate bowls.

Step 2: Melt together the butter and syrup (I did this in the microwave, but you could do this on the hob) and then split between the dark and milk chocolate and stir until smooth.

Step 3: Line a shallow baking tray (such as a brownie pan or swiss roll tray) with greaseproof paper.

Step 4: Spread the gummy bears across the lined tray. Pour half the dark and half the milk chocolates over the gummy bears.

Step 5: In a bowl combine the crushed biscuits, maltesers, munchies and marshmallows with the remaining dark and milk chocolate. Pour over the gummy bears and chocolate and spread out until even.

Step 6: Use a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate over everything and allow to set (in a cool room or fridge) and then slice into squares (this is best done when not fully set).

I keep these in the fridge, wrapped either in tin foil or in an air tight container.

Chocolate Orange Tiffin

20th September 201820th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes approximately 15 slices

This is a no-bake refrigerator cake, which has a fruity crumbly base and a rich chocolate top. Each piece is decorated with a segment of chocolate orange which gives the cake itâ€™s dominant flavour, I also added some chocolate honeycomb sprinkles, but these arenâ€™t obligatory.

You can use either digestive or rich tea biscuits (I used rich tea as I prefer them) and you can use your favourite dried fruit (I went for a mix or berries, cherries and sultanas).

I used a square cake pan, lined with greaseproof paper to set these in the fridge but itâ€™s worth slicing these into pieces before they are fully set, otherwise itâ€™ll be tricky to cut through the chocolate top.

Ingredients:
100g butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
2 tsp cocoa powder
200g crushed biscuits (digestive or rich tea)
100g dried fruit
200g dark chocolate
Milk chocolate orange, broken into segments
Honeycomb chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Step 1: Place a heavy-bottomed pan on a low heat and melt together the butter, syrup and cocoa.

Step 2: Stir in the crushed biscuits (you want a mix of finely crushed to a powder and some more chunky bits) and dried fruit and then press into a lined square tin. Cover and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to firm up.

Step 3: Melt the dark chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (ensure the base of the bowl does not come into contact with the water).

Step 4: Remove the biscuit base from the fridge and carefully spread the molten chocolate over the top to make an even layer.

Step 5: Gently press the chocolate orange segments into the chocolate (my tin used 15 segments – 5×3). If using, next lightly sprinkle the chocolate honeycomb over the top. Cover and return to the fridge for another 20 minutes.

Step 6: Remove the tin again and carefully slice the tiffin so there is one segment of chocolate orange per piece. Re-cover and return to the fridge until fully set.

BLW Apple and Sultana Muffins

15th September 201815th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

These are so yummy for little tummys. They are packed with fruit and gently spiced with cinnamon, and the perfect size for little hands. Cooking apples are much more tart than a normal eating apple and so the sultanas and dried apple help to sweeten the cakes. Iâ€™ve also added a little maple syrup. If you were going to make these as a regular â€˜grown-upâ€™ muffin you could omit the maple syrup and replace with 100g of caster sugar (the result will be a much sweeter product).

For the apple purÃ©e, make a large batch which you can then use for a variety of things: we enjoyed it on top of some American-style fluffy pancakes for a weekend breakfast; or try it stirred through yogurt as a dessert. Itâ€™s also pretty good as an apple sauce with roast pork!

To make the purÃ©e simply core a load of cooking apples, and roughly chop into pieces about one inch in size (leave the skin on). Place in a baking tin and bake in a preheated oven (180c) for 30-40 minutes until the flesh is soft and bursting. Scrape into a food processor and blitz, skins and all, into a smooth, thick purÃ©e. Store in the fridge – it will last a few days like this – or freeze.

Once made, the cakes will be good for a couple of days, but I like to leave a couple out and then freeze them in pairs; they donâ€™t take long to defrost and are a convenient snack or pudding.

Ingredients:
200g self-raising flour
1 tbsp maple syrup
25g sultanas
25g dried apple, cut into small pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon
120ml full fat milk (or milk alternative for dairy-free)
60ml oil
1 egg, beaten

Step 2: In a jug, mix the milk, oil and egg.

Step 3: Add the liquid to the drier ingredients and gently mix. Do not over mix it.

Step 4: Fill a muffin tray with 12 cases. Put a dessert spoon of mixture in to each case. Then spread any remaining mixture equally between the cases.

Step 5: Bake in a preheated oven (200c) for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

BLW Carrot and Coconut Sugar-Free Muffins

29th August 20182nd September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

These little cakes have extra texture from the carrot, coconut and oats. They are sweetened naturally by the banana, and the fruit and vegetables help contribute to your little oneâ€™s healthy diet.

When peeled from their paper cases these are the perfect size for little hands to hold and so make a great snack.

These take only a gentle stir so can be made quickly and easily and can be frozen once baked.

Ingredients:
1 large banana, mashed with a fork
1 medium-large carrot, peeled and grated
25g desiccated coconut
50g oats
100g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
120ml full fat milk
60ml oil
1 egg, beaten

Step 1: Lightly combine the banana, carrot, coconut, oats, flour, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl.

Step 2: In a jug, mix the milk, oil and egg.

Step 3: Add the liquid to the drier ingredients and gently mix. Do not over mix it.

Step 4: Fill a muffin tray with 12 cases. Put a dessert spoon of mixture into each case. Then spread any remaining mixture equally between the cases.

Step 5: Bake in a preheated oven (200c) for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.