dark chocolate and sun-dried cherry cakes with milk chocolate raspberry cream cheese topping (gluten free)…and a side of spinach

First up can I just say that alongside all these sweet treats I have eaten a lot of spinach this week. Here’s a photo of a saag paneer to prove it (which was a pretty good combination of paneer cheese fried with chilli, turmeric and cumin, mixed into cooked chopped spinach with a couple of spoons of plain yogurt, lemon zest and juice and topped with fresh coriander (OK in truth topped with the last salvageable leaves from an almost dead coriander plant – just can’t seem to grow it).

Now shall we go back to talking about chocolate cake?

(Makes 12 small cakes)

Ingredients

1/2 cup sun dried cherries

50g dark chocolate (I used whittakers dark ghana)

50g butter

1/4 cup of raw sugar

1/2 cup full fat plain yourt

2 eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup tapioca flour

3/4 cup ground almonds

1tsp baking powder

Topping

Approximately 30g milk chocolate

1/2 cup frozen raspberries (defrosted)

2 large spoons of cream cheese (I used zany zues)

Method 

This was a Friday free-style baking with the small folk effort. So it was a bit of an operation, there were lots of different bowls to lick, things to scoop, and general mischief to get into. I happen to like pottering around in the ktichen in this manner but it’s not for everyone. Enthusiastic one and three year olds can be hilarious cooking companions … or they can be a complete nightmare. Today they were in the former category (most of the time).

Melt the dark chocolate and butter over water – add the cherries to the melting mix.

Meanwhile whisk the eggs and the sugar and then beat in the yogurt (this is a great job for the kids)

Blend the cherry chocolate mix to a smooth paste.

Add the baking powder, tapioca flour, ground almonds to the eggs / sugar / yogurt mix and sieve in the cocoa powder. Beat it together and then stir in the chocolate paste.

Spoon into cupcake cases and bake at 180 for around 20 minutes until the cakes spring back and a knife comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

For the (optional but exceedingly good) topping…

Melt the chocolate over water. While it’s still hot beat the cream cheese into it. Push the raspberries through a sieve to extract their juice and stir this into the chocolate cream cheese mix. Pipe or smear onto the cakes.

amidst the chaos of the day, dark chocolate, almond, ginger and pear cakes

Melt a few rows of dark, dark chocolate with some chunks of fresh ripe pear, a little grate of fresh ginger and 50g of butter. While it’s melting whisk 4 eggs with 1/2 cup raw organic sugar, 2 cups ground almonds, 1/2 cup of cocoa and 1 tsp of baking powder. Pour in the chocolate etc and beat it all together. Bake in muffin cases for about 15 minutes in a 180 oven.

Just because the kids are poorly, and work is frantic, and visitors have gone home, and sleep is hard to come by, doesn’t mean you need to go without your pud.

free-style friday baking ; chocolate and raspberry cake (gluten free)

I often find myself amongst the minority. I find politics interesting, I find watching sport dull. I vote Green. I don’t like cats. I don’t even like kittens. I enjoy free-style baking with the kids.

It’s not like I’d put it up there on my wish list of things to do in an afternoon alongside a few quiet hours browsing a bookshop alone, but when we’re all at home with nothing pressing to do, I’m pretty keen to let them get in amongst the mixing bowls.

To make an easy gluten free cake I’ve found a mix of 3 or 4 eggs with 1/2 cup sugar / 70g butter / 2 cups of ‘flour’ (mix of ground almonds / rice flour / puffed amaranth ) is a good base and then you can freestyle a bit.

This cake is a simple chocolate and raspberry. Get the kids whisking up some eggs (I used 4) with 1/2 cup raw sugar. Melt a couple rows of dark chocolate over some hot water with around 70g butter. Add a cup of ground almonds, cup of brown rice flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup cocoa to the eggs. Add a couple of spoons of full fat natural yogurt. Pour in the melted chocolate / butter. Add a cup of frozen raspberries. Bake for about 30 mins.

There are several highlights for the kids in making a cake like this. Whisking ; always a winner. Scooping yogurt. Licking the yogurt spoon. Sneaking frozen raspberries. Scraping the chocolate off the melting plate. Yes they make a mess, but they make a mess regardless,  and with baking  there’s a chocolate cake fresh out of the oven at the end of it all.

rhubarb, gooseberry, apple and strawberry crumble with almond, date and seed topping (sugar free and grain free)

In the days before the small people came on the scene then there were more options in the evenings. A lot more options, movies, wine-bars, beer gardens, comedy, impromptu trips to Paris on the Eurostar, even (and I can hardly bring myself to write the word because I feel like such an oldster saying it these days) ‘clubbing’. I used to take that stuff for granted. These days, things are a little different. But, there’s still dessert.

Yesterday I attempted a grain-free / sugar free crumble. I was kind of surprised – it was perfectly sweet enough and actually rather lovely. For the fruit I used chopped rhubarb, apple, gooseberries and strawberries (straight from the freezer.. my thinking was that adding a few strawberries would sweeten it enough to skip the usual spoon of sugar I would add to the fruit). I also put a little water in with fruit.

For the topping I just rubbed a little (maybe 30g) chopped butter with some chopped dates, ground almonds (maybe a cup , maybe two.. things were rather vague yesterday) a spoonful of ground seeds (sunflower, chia, flax, sesame, pumpkin.. I have these in the fridge anyway – they weren’t essential, you could leave them out or just something else). The chopped dates gave the topping sweetness and crunch. Baked it for quite a while ..maybe almost an hour around 160 (sorry, failed to time it again.. )

Please note, the ramekin is just for the photo – my bowl was way bigger than this…. with some yogurt (ice-cream would also have been good)… and if it really just sounds a little too wholesome then you can secretly poke a chunk of dark chocolate into the midst of it while it’s hot and the chocolate will melt into a little puddle in the middle.. it’s not exactly as exciting as an impromptu trip to Paris, but it’s a pretty good end to the day.

This post is an entry for Sweet NZ , hosted this month by www.timeforalittlesomething.com 

blueberry and puffed amaranth slice (gluten free)

Super quick, super fluffy and puffy and rather more-ish. Whisk 4 eggs (hence why they are so fluffy and puffy) with 1/2 cup of sugar (I used raw organic granulated) add 1/2 cup yogurt (or a couple of spoons) 1/2 cup puffed amaranth, 1 cup ground almonds, 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 cup frozen blueberries. Bake it until it smells good and passes the clean knife test (I think about 25 minutes – will I ever remember to time these things properly?).

I think some lemon zest would have been good in here too but the kiddies are not so crazy about it in baking. I can feel some other combinations coming up too… raspberry / chocolate… pear and ginger..

blueberry, prune, almond and amaranth chocolate muffins (gluten free)

The puffed amaranth in these muffins makes them rather light and fluffy, especially given they are gluten free. With the added advantage being amaranth is the nutritional heavy-weight of the grain family.

Start by stewing half a cup of prunes and half a cup of blueberries in a little water. Over the top melt about 70g of dark chocolate and 50g of butter. While it’s melting whisk 4 eggs with half a cup of raw sugar. Whisking is fun for kids…. sometimes a touch messy, but fun. Add 1 cup ground almonds, 1/2 cup puffed amaranth, half cup brown rice flour, 1 tsp of baking powder and a couple of spoons of cocoa powder (optional). At some point you’ll need to switch the whisk for a wooden spoon.

Blend the chocolate, butter, prunes and blueberries together into a thick paste and then beat this into the rest of the mix. Spoon into muffin cases. Made 12 regular size muffins – baked at 180 for about 15mins.

While I wasn’t looking B managed to eat 3 of these within a few moments of arriving home from school. I guess it’s Friday, it’s the first week of term, and they taste pretty good..

apple, plum and blackberry crumble with gluten free ground almond and pumpkin seed topping

Does everyone have a pile of food memories for the people they love, or is it just me who thinks too often in terms of food?

I was thinking of my late Granddad today, and then became seized by a compulsion to make crumble. I used apples, plums and a cup full of blackberries from the freezer. For the topping; rubbed some butter  (maybe 30g) with a mix of ground almonds, brown rice flour and roughly ground pumpkin seeds. (just over a cup of dry ingredients in total).. a couple of spoons of sugar – mostly mixed into the topping with a little sprinkled into the fruit.

The pumpkin seeds work really well. A triumph of gluten free inspiration.

prune, chia, pumpkin and flaxseed brownies (gluten free)

Don’t be put off by the healthy sounding title. These may be packed with super-seeds but they taste like really good chocolate brownies. You can trust me on that because I am something of an expert on brownies and chocolate cake in general. So are my kids. It’s always a good indicator how something tastes when they all want seconds, and then they fight over who’s second slice is the biggest.

I eat ground pumpkin and flaxseeds every day as part of my super-seed breakfast, but the kids mainly get seeds when I add them to baking… more justification (as if I need it) to keep a steady supply of fresh stuff coming out of the oven.

Start by stewing half a cup of pitted prunes in a little water. Over the top melt around 60 – 70g dark chocolate, 50g butter and 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. The chia seeds will hydrate as the butter / chocolate melts. When it’s all molten blend the prunes with the chocolate mix (or just mash it together if you don’t mind lumps).

Whisk 3 eggs with 1/2 cup raw organic sugar (or any other type .. I blow with the wind when it comes to sugar and this is what I have in the cupboard at the moment).  Add about half a cup of ground pumpkin / flaxseeds. I use an old coffee grinder.. and if you’re reading this thinking ‘what a hassle to grind up seeds’, then rest assured, it’s really not. It will take about 10 seconds and these are nutritional gods, so it will be worth it.

Beat in about a cup and a half of ground almonds, and a couple of spoons of cocoa powder. (You can switch some ground almonds for rice flour if you want and skip the cocoa powder if you’re less of a chocofreak – you’re aiming for about 2 cups dry stuff, including the ground seeds, per 3 eggs).

Add the chocolate / prune mix and pour it into a greased square cake tin. It will take about 30 mins to bake. You can ice it, if you’re an icing kind of person. I used a few squares of melted milk chocolate mixed with a spoonful of greek yogurt. Obviously it would be healthier to omit this step but you know, these are brownies made with super-seeds, they can carry a little icing and still stand proud.

This post is linking up with http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com slightly indulgent Tuesdays

dark chocolate and cardamon cakes

Much excitement in the house today as the hungry travelers are arriving later. They have been eating some pretty outrageous things (like deep fried spiders) but there will be none of that nonsense here.

About 70g dark chocolate melted over water with 50g of butter. Meanwhile whisked 4 eggs with 1/2 cup organic granulated sugar (usually use soft brown but run out after a baking frenzy over the stormy weekend). Just over 1/2 teaspoon of cardamon powder, 2 cups ground almonds and then whisked in the chocolate. When you whisk in the chocolate it looks quite lovely – like this.

little chocolate almond and chia seed cakes (gluten free)

Had one of those manic days and nothing sweet to treat myself with once the kids were in bed so quickly put some of these little cakes in the oven while the dinner was cooking. A little more chocolate than usual and even less sugar (mainly because I was a little heavy handed breaking off the chocolate chunks – I think used 12 tonight) the low sugar was because there was just a little bit left in a packet and was feeling so exhausted I couldn’t be bothered to open a new pack.. and who said baking measurements need to be exact .. not in this house!

Melted 12 sqs dark chocolate and 50g butter over water, added 1/2 cup chia seeds to the melted butter and chocolate,  whisked 4 eggs with 1/3rd cup soft brown sugar, added  cups ground almonds – mixed the whole lot up – made 10 muffin sized cakes. Baked for about 10 – 15 mins.

Just eaten one with greek yogurt and berries.