Warm Black Forest Gateau Brownies

Despite my previous healthy recipes, I do love a naughty treat. These gooey milk chocolate and cherry brownies are perfect warmed with some single cream or yoghurt. I’ve found a lot of people (including kids) who find the usual brownie too bitter. This recipe is perfect for everyone including them. 

This recipe makes one circular 7cm brownie. To be honest, I only make this small quantity because I know I’ll devour all the brownie I bake :D The recipe is easily tripled or even quadrupled – just keep an eye on the brownie whilst baking, and when it is only slightly wobbly when shaken, it’s ready.

Makes one 7cm circular brownie (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 66g unsalted butter
• 150g milk chocolate
• 1 egg
• 40g brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 25-50g frozen cherries

To serve:

• 100ml single cream or yoghurt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4. Grease and line the base of a 7cm round springform cake tin, or place a greased chef’s ring on a baking tray.

2. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the chocolate. Leave to cool for a few minutes.

3. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Once the brown sugar has dissolved, add the flour, cocoa powder, chocolate/butter, and fold in.

Stir in the frozen cherries.

4. Pour into the cake tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the brownie wobbles slightly in the middle, and has a crisp top.

5. Serve warm with cream/yoghurt.

Spiced Sweet Potato Cake With a Deliciously Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting

This week I had a go at baking a healthier version of a vegetable cake. Sweet potato may seem like an odd choice, but it works just as well as carrot to make cakes beautifully moist. Thanks to the Hemsley sisters for inspiration – their latest book has a fantastic carrot cake recipe, which I’ve loosely based this recipe on. The cake is refined sugar, gluten and dairy-free, and tastes amazing!

 This recipe makes one small cake, about 9cm in diameter. If you want to make a whole cake, triple the ingredients – this will fill a 20cm cake tin. The topping is light and creamy, and reminds me of cream cheese frosting. It's high in protein, very low in fat, and has no refined sugars. The perfect frosting :)

The cake will keep for about a week in an airtight container.

Makes one 9cm cake (serves 2)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 80g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
• ½ tbsp coconut oil, melted
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp agave syrup
• 100g (1/2 cup) peeled and grated sweet potato 
• 50g (1/4 cup) raisins or sultanas 

For the topping:

• 125g (1/2 cup and 1 1/2 tbsp) quark
• 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder (I use Myprotein Whey)
• 1 tsp agave syrup
• 2-3 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/ 355f/ gas mark 4. Grease the base and sides of the 9cm cake tin (or use a chef’s ring on a baking tray).

2. Pour all of the cake ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl, and beat until all of the ground almonds have been incorporated into the mixture, and the sweet potato and raisins/sultanas are evenly spread through the batter.

3. Place the batter into the cake tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top has browned, and is firm to the touch. Leave to cool.

4. Make the frosting. In a medium mixing bowl beat together the quark, protein powder, cinnamon and agave syrup. Add a small amount of the orange juice and beat again – you want the frosting to be spreadable but not drip down the cake. If it's too stiff, add more orange juice. If it becomes too loose, add a little more protein powder.

5. Once the cake has cooled, spread over the frosting.

6. Enjoy!

Mango, Berry and Coconut Custard Tart

Here's my latest invention - a take on the classic creme patisserie (a kind of custard that doesn't need to be baked in the oven to set), with a nod to health conscious people (only a small nod mind...) Encased in a brown sugary shortcrust pastry is a berry compote layer, topped with a thick layer of coconut custard and mango jelly. Supremely yum, and looks pretty special too.
I made mine in a 20cm cake tin, but if you wanted, you could use a loose bottomed tart tin instead - if you do this, HALVE the amount of custard and jelly used, or you'll end up with a lot left over. Or use pour the extra custard into glasses, top with the remainder of the jelly, and you'll have a super creamy dessert :D

Makes one 20cm deep tart

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 140g (2/3 cup) butter, chilled and diced (or use Stork/margarine - this affects the taste a little but is easier to work with)
• 250g (2 cups cups) plain flour
• 100g (1/2 cup) light soft brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk

For the berry compote:

• 250g (2 cups) frozen mixed berries
• 30g (2tbsp) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp water

For the custard:

• 8 egg yolks
• 120g (1 1/4 cups) light soft brown sugar
• 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
• 4 tsp cornflour
• 560ml coconut milk

For the mango jelly:

• 300g (2 1/3 cups) frozen mango (or equivalent of fresh, peeled mango), defrosted
• 2 leaves of gelatine

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/355f/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 20cm springform cake tin.

2. Make the pastry. Rub the butter and flour together between your fingertips, until the mixture is a fine breadcrumb texture. Stir in the brown sugar (making sure there are no big lumps of sugar in the dough).

3. Add the egg and milk, and bring the dough together into a ball. This is easiest to do with your hands, and be careful not to overwork the pastry - as soon as it sticks together, don't mix it anymore. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.

4. Roll out the dough between two sheets of clingfilm, to a circle about 30cm in diameter (make it as thin as possible - about 1/2cm maximum) - if you find that the pastry is cracking a lot, don't worry. Place the dough in the cake tin, and patch up any holes with excess pastry. The dough should cover the base and go up the sides of the cake tin.

5. Prick the base of the dough all over with a fork. Place a layer of baking parchment on top of the dough, and fill with baking beans/flour. Bake for 20 minutes.

6. Remove the baking parchment (with the beans/flour), and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the top of the sides is golden brown, and the base is firm to the touch. Take out of the oven and leave to cool fully.

7. Whilst the tart case is baking, make the berry compote. In a medium saucepan add the frozen berries, sugar and water. Cover the pan, then cook on a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the berries have softened. Keep an eye on the water levels, adding a little water if required.

8. Blend the berry compote, and set aside to cool.

9. Once cooled, set aside 1 tablespoon, then pour the rest of the berry compote onto the base of the tart. Smooth over evenly.

10. Make the coconut creme patisserie. Heat the coconut milk in a large saucepan until bubbles are appearing on the top of the milk.

11. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks together with the brown sugar, cornflour and plain flour - just until the mixture is smooth. Place the bowl on a tea towel (this helps the bowl to keep still for the next step). Whilst whisking the egg mixture, gently pour in the coconut milk. Keep whisking until all of the coconut milk has been added.

12. Pour the mixture back into the pan, then continuously stir using a wooden spoon/spatula whilst heating (on a low-medium heat). It will only take a few minutes to thicken, so don't stop mixing. Once it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, and the custard drops off the spoon (rather than pouring), take off the heat. Don't worry if you see some lumps - whisk well and they'll disappear! Pour into the tart case.

13. Make the mango jelly. Place the two leaves of gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes, until they are soft. 

14. Blitz the mango in a food processor until smooth, then heat until simmering.

15. Squeeze out any excess water from the gelatine, then add to the hot mango puree, and whisk. It will dissolve very quickly.

16. Pour onto the tart. Drizzle over the reserved berry compote. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.

17. Enjoy!