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baking

buckwheat & flax banana slice (gf)

May 16, 2012
baking, cake, cakes & sweet things, desserts, gluten free
8 Comments

Today was a truly wonderful day! I got my results back from an essay that I really struggled with and somehow ended up with a high distinction. I could barely believe it and was blown away all afternoon. I am proud as punch, as I worked so hard on it. Although I’m finding university tough (especially the bit where I’m a broke student), getting a result like this makes me feel as though it’s all worth it.

I had a fairly chilled afternoon and decided to bake this loaf, as I had some bananas and leftover buckwheat to use up. It’s tasty and not too sweet, which is just the way I like my cakes. Feel free to use a loaf tin if you don’t want a slice. Additionally, you could turn this into some yummy cupcakes. I was going to add raspberries and forgot all about it – someone give that a go! Pretty sure this is gluten free too. Please let me know if I’ve gotten that wrong!

Makes 8 large slices.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raw caster sugar

1/4 cup macadamia oil (you could use coconut oil or olive oil)

2 mashed bananas

1/3 cup low fat yoghurt

1 organic free-range egg

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Mix all of your dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.

Add the dry to the wet batch and mix through evenly. Place in a greased/lined baking tin and cook for 50 minutes.

Enjoy warm with honey on the top!

berry & banana chia pancakes (gf)

May 13, 2012
baking, breakfast, gluten free
12 Comments

Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday. These fibre-filled berry pancakes were a great breakfast to start the day with. Berries are unbelievably expensive at the moment so I thawed out some frozen berries and used them. This batter makes around 12 smaller sized pancakes.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 banana, mashed

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup rice milk

2.5 tsp gf baking powder

4 tbs chia seeds

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup raspberries

(extra berries to serve)

 

METHOD

Mix flour, baking powder, chia seeds and cinnamon together.

Pour in the rice milk and banana mash and mix well.

Fold the berries in gently.

Put a lightly oil pan on medium heat and pour large tablespoons of the batter in. Cook for about 1-2 mins each side, flipping halfway through. They will be a lovely medium brown colour when done.

Enjoy topped with honey and more berries!

 

(Inspired by Blueberry Hill)

banana & oat muffins

May 4, 2012
baking, breakfast, cake, cakes & sweet things, desserts
4 Comments

A quick hello from me! Still keeping busy, still cranking out a heap of uni work.  I had a bit of a stress attack this morning and decided to calm myself with some baking. A very good call – I put these muffins together, bought a coffee, ate 2 while I sipped away and my mood seems to have improved drastically! These bad boys were a bit of an experiment and I think a rather successful one.  If you’re living in Australia, I recommend using Barambah Organic Yoghurt. It is seriously the most beautiful, creamy yoghurt I think I’ve ever had. Ive been hooked on it for ages.

This recipe will make 15 smaller sized muffins.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup oat flour (just blend some rolled oats until fine)

1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup organic low fat yoghurt

1/2 cup low fat A2 milk

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup macadamia oil

2 large bananas, mashed well

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup mix of raisins & chopped walnuts

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 205 degrees celcius.

Mix the milk, yoghurt and rolled oats and set aside for 10 mins.

Add the oat flour, flaxseed meal, buckwheat flour , sugar, spices, baking powder and soda and mix well.

Add the banana, egg and oil in and combine well. Then add your nuts and raisins and fold until evenly distributed.

Pop in muffin cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Best served warm!

 

(Inspired by Honest Fare)

buckwheat, date & chia muffins

March 5, 2012
baking, breakfast, cakes & sweet things, gluten free
2 Comments

One day until I start ‘big school’. I’m experiencing all sorts of feelings at the moment but I won’t bore you with them right now and it’s probably best I have a break from my thoughts! I wanted to share this gorgeous recipe. I’ve been feeling far better since eliminating wheat from my diet. I’ve had slip ups and when eating out, it’s really hard to stick it out. The small changes have been positive though. I have been curious about buckwheat flour for some time and was excited to find this recipe.  The date paste idea is fantastic; I plan to use it in other recipes that call for sugar.  I was tempted to throw some fresh pineapple into these muffins but I think I’ll try that next time.

Makes 9 cupcake sized muffins.

 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup fresh dates, chopped

1 cup milk (non-dairy or dairy is fine)

1 tsp baking soda

2 free-range eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped
3 tbs chia seeds
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a muffin tray.Place chopped dates, milk and baking soda in a small pot. Bring to boil, then let simmer for another couple of minutes. Take off the heat. Let cool a little. Then blend to a paste in a food processor.Beat the eggs. Whisk in vanilla and olive oil. Stir in the date paste until well combined. Finally add buckwheat flour and chia seeds, and mix until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared muffin tin. Top each with some chopped almonds.Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely on wire rack.

oat & raisin cookies (gf)

February 6, 2012
baking, cakes & sweet things
2 Comments

I know this goes against the majority of people who suffer from the Monday Blues but I really love Mondays! A fresh week to play with and lots to look forward to. I guess every day can be looked at like that though…

These delicious cookies can be adjusted to suit a gluten free diet by using gluten free oats and if you don’t have raisins on hand, I would imagine they would work perfectly with other dried fruits, nuts and seeds. The original recipe that I used was for a chewy cookie but I left mine in a little longer because I like them crunchy! Take them out earlier if you don’t want crunch!

Makes about 20 cookies.

 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 free-range egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (use gf oats if you’re on a GF diet)
3/4 cup raisins

 
METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C.

In a large bowl, beat together the, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir this into the wet ingredients. Mix in the oats and raisins.

Chill batter in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Line two trays with baking paper. Take 1 tbs of the batter in your hand, roll it up and place on sheet. Continue step until the rest of the batter is gone, making sure the cookies are 2 inches apart from each other.

Bake for roughly 12 minutes, or until golden at the edges but somewhat soft on the top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

(Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen)

the best chocolate brownies (gf)

February 5, 2012
baking, cake, cakes & sweet things, desserts
3 Comments

I am so tired today. I think I’ve had around 3 hours sleep and for some reason, I never seem to be able to sleep in past 7am, even if it’s a Sunday and I’m sleepy. Blast! Anyhow, It’s a beautiful sunny day today and if you live in Australia, you’d know that it’s been quite miserable and that Summer has very much felt like a rainy winter, for the most part. So I’m going to take advantage of the sunshine and get outside today. I am off to watch some cricket. I’m not a fan but I thought it sounded like a good opportunity to laze around, watch someone I dig do something they love, read a book and eat some food in the sun. Hard to say no to that and I’m looking forward to it.

I’ll be bringing some of these brownies with me. I made them last night and they are perfect! Moist, with somewhat of a crunchy top and rich in flavour.

This recipe gets you a big square, which I cut into about 12 or so pieces.

 

INGREDIENTS

200g unsalted butter, chopped

200g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup gluten-free plain all-purpose flour

2 tbs cocoa powder

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a cake pan with non-stick baking paper.

Heat butter, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Set aside to cool slightly

Add eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture. Mix well. Sift flour and cocoa over chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.

Pour brownie mixture into pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set. Ensure it is not burning around the edges. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Slice and serve!


wholemeal spelt carrot cake

February 4, 2012
baking, cake, cakes & sweet things, desserts
2 Comments

I was in the mood to experiment recently and I was craving carrot cake. I looked at a range of  recipes for inspiration and then got going on my own. I felt really proud of this one and can’t wait to give it a go again. It’s my idea of what a carrot cake should be like. If you want to jazz it up a bit, feel free to throw some walnuts in and make some icing. I personally thought it was perfectly fine by itself!

Serves 10.

 

INGREDIENTS

olive oil, to grease

3 small carrots, grated

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour

2 tsp gluten free baking powder

1/2 cup plain all-purpose gluten free flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup honey

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease a 20cm round cake pan lightly with oil, and line with non-stick baking paper.

Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon into a large bowl.

Put the brown sugar, oil, honey, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl. Mix until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir gently until just combined. Stir in the grated carrot.

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 1 hour. Set aside for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

olive bread

February 1, 2012
baking, pasta
4 Comments

This bread is a great side for a casserole or pasta dish. It is completely fuss free and beats any store bought olive bread I have tried. I would love to try this with spelt flour and see how it turns out. Until then, this one will have to do!

Serves 8 as a side.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups bread and pizza plain flour

2 teaspoons instant dried yeast

1 cup warm water

1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

2 teaspoons low-fat milk

 

METHOD

Sift 2 cups flour into a large bowl. Stir in yeast. Make a well in the centre. Add water. Mix well to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, gradually adding remaining flour, or until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan-forced. Grease a large baking tray.

Place olives on a plate. Pat dry with paper towel to absorb any liquid. Using your fist, punch dough down. Turn out onto a floured surface. Add olives. Knead until combined. Shape dough into a 20cm round. Place on prepared tray. Brush with milk. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and hollow when tapped on top. Stand on tray for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

(Adapted slightly from Taste)

flourless chocolate cake (gf)

January 31, 2012
baking, cake, cakes & sweet things, desserts
Leave a Comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made this chocolate cake on Friday, to celebrate my friend getting a promotion at work. I expected that it wouldn’t turn out too well without the flour but I was quite surprised. Everything about it was perfect. I left the icing off my slice but the feedback from my guests was that the icing was great. The only tricky bit about this cake is separating the eggs but if you’ve done it before, it’s a breeze. A perfect dessert cake and still lovely to enjoy the next day with milk.

This makes around 10 slices.

 

INGREDIENTS

200g good quality dark chocolate, broken into squares

150g unsalted butter, chopped

6 organic free range eggs, separated

2/3 cup raw caster sugar

1 1/2 cups almond meal

Icing

150g good quality dark chocolate, chopped roughly

2/3 low fat cream

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease a round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.

Combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until thick and creamy. Add chocolate mixture. Beat to combine. Add almond meal. Beat to combine.

Place eggwhites in a bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Stir one-third of eggwhites into chocolate mixture. Gently fold remaining eggwhite through chocolate mixture

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs clinging. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

 

ICING

Place chocolate and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes or until smooth. Spread over top and side of cake. Stand for 10 minutes or until icing has set. Serve with cream.

wholemeal spelt & seed bread

January 16, 2012
baking
2 Comments

I have been craving the bread I usually  get from the organic grocer near my home but they haven’t had it in stock for a while, so I thought I’d bake my own. This recipe is yeast free and is oh so simple to make. It took around 5 minutes to throw together!

This makes one medium sized loaf.

 

INGREDIENTS

280 g wholemeal spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs flaxseed meal
4 tbs mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds
250ml filtered water
1 tbs natural yoghurt
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200°C and line a tray with baking paper.
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Stir.
Add olive oil, seeds and mineral water. Mix gently.
Add yoghurt and mix again. The dough should be fairly sticky and wet but not too wet.
Move onto a baking tray  and form into a loaf. Sprinkle with seeds.
Bake for 40-50 minutes and place on a wire rack to cool.
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