Blueberry almond cake

This recipe came about one day when my husband came back with 2 kg of Blueberries! We do get through a lot each week usually but not that many..... I knew I would have to use quite a few up in recipes over the next week and as I was baking a cake that day I thought I would add a few blueberries instead of my usual almond cake favourites. The result was wonderful and so easy too.

Ingredients

150g butter, softened

125g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp almond essence

75g gluten free self raising flour ( I use Doves Farm or I think it amy be called Freee foods now!)
75g ground almonds

175g Blueberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170c/gas mark 3

2. Grease a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin (having the loose bottom makes it much easier to remove the cake without damaging the pretty top) and line the bottom with baking parchment.

3. Put butter and caster sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk or with a freestanding mixer with the paddle blade, until creamed together and pale and fluffy.

4. Break in one egg and whisk well adding a spoonful of flour if it starts to curdle.

5. Crack in the second egg and a spoonful flour and whisk again.

6. Add the ground almonds, almond extract and whisk until blended . Then add in the flour and give it a final mix.

7. The mix is quite stiff but spoon into the tin and spread it out as best you can.

8. Scatter with the blueberries and then pop into the oven and bake for about 45-50 mins. I always check after 45 mins by inserting a skewer into the middle to see if it comes out clean.

9. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

10. Carefully turn out of the tin. Slide off the bottom of the tin onto serving plate and drizzle with icing if desired, can top it with extra fresh blueberries as I have done although not necessary.

11. Works really well as a cake or as a pudding with cream. Either way its delicious. 

Gluten free chocolate secret muffins

I call these chocolate secret muffins because they contain courgettes and if I had told the children they did before they tasted them they probably would have given them a wide berth!!! As it was they absolutely loved them and so they now know that they have vegetable matter in them but the name has stuck.........These are gluten free but as with most of my recipes it is very easy to switch back, just switch in self raising regular flour for the gluten free flour.

Ingredients

250g self raising gluten free flour (I use doves farm)

375g caster sugar

65g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

350ml vegetable oil ( I use grapeseed oil)

340g finely grated courgette

120g chopped chocolate

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c / gas mark 4

2. Line your muffin tin with muffin cases.

3. I use a mixer with a paddle attachment for this but you can use a bowl and a hand mixer or whichever process you prefer for mixing cakes.

4. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa powder. 

5. In a separate bowl beat the eggs in with the oil

6. With the mixer running add the oil and egg mix into the dry ingredients and beat until well blended, then mix in the courgettes and again beat really well so they are well distributed throughout the mix.

7. Add in the chopped chocolate and again beat.

8. Spoon the mix into the muffin cases so they are 3/4 full, you should get at least 15 out of this although it depends on how deep your cases are so you may get less or more. 

9. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 mins. I always test mine after 15 mins as have an aga so they can bake quicker. They are baked as soon as a sharp knife or skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. 

10. Place on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy either slightly warm or cool and store in an air tight tin. 

Gluten free chocolate and pistachio shortbread

Recipe

175g butter

75g caster sugar

150g rice flour

100g ground almonds 

75g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

25g chopped pistachios

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4

2.Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, (I use a free standing mixer with the paddle attachment but you use whichever method you prefer)

3. Add the rice flour, ground almonds and mix until combined, then add in the chopped pistachios and chopped chocolate.

4. Shape into a cylindrical log roughly 5cm in diameter and wrap up in greaseproof paper ( It will be a little sticky but don't worry it will firm up) 

5. Place in the fridge for about an hour. You can skip this part but the dough will need to be rolled into balls and flattened into discs as is a sticky mix at this stage. I do also sometimes leave the dough overnight and make them the next day even. 

6. After about an hour unwrap and slice into round discs that are about 1cm thickness, don't worry if it crumbles slightly just squidge it together and shape into a round disc again, you can use some rice flour if a little sticky still) place them on several baking sheets that have been lined with baking parchment spacing far enough apart to allow for spreading.

7. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until golden. (you may need to rotate the trays half way through depending on your oven)

8. Once cooked leave on the baking sheets to firm up before moving to a wire rack to cool.

9. Store in an airtight container 

Variation;

1.You can half dip these or drizzle them in melted chocolate and sprinkle with more chopped pistachios for an extra special treat. 

2. You could leave out the pistachios and just add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

3. You could swap the pistachios and chocolate for anything you desire

Snicker slice

Ingredients

150g mixed nuts (can be any combination or you can use one variety, I use whatever I have to hand)

150g dates pitted

1 dessert spoonful coconut oil

4 tblsp good quality peanut butter

2 tblsp Maple syrup

1/2 tsp sea salt

200g chocolate ( Plain, milk or both and marble it! Or vegan)

Method

1. Line a cake tin that is 18cm square with baking parchment 

2. Blend the nuts in a blender or a food processor and then whizz in the dates and coconut oil and blend  together until smooth. 

3. Spread the mix out in the tin and then really press down into the cake tin with the back a spoon, making sure its right up to the edges. 

4. Blend the peanut butter, maple syrup and salt together either in a food processor with a blade or in a blender. 

5. Cover the nutty base with the peanut and syrup mix. 

6. Place in the freezer to firm up for between half an hour and an hour.

7. Remove from the freezer and melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave and pour over the chocolate.

8. Place in the fridge to set, when the chocolate is set remove the tin from the freezer,  and cut into squares with a very sharp knife. Store in the fridge to keep it firm. Enjoy.

Gluten free carrot cake

Recipe

This is a shallow cake and so if you want a double layered cake then double the quantity and use two tins. Personally I like this just the way it is. I have included several frostings if you love a frosting or if you are making it for a special occasion but it is just as delicious left plain, in fact that is how we like to eat it, add a dollop of cream too if you like! 

150g soft light brown sugar or golden caster sugar

1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 egg whites, whisked to stiff peaks

125g gluten free self raising flour ( I use Doves Farm) or regular self raising flour 

1 tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

150 ml grapeseed oil or sunflower oil

75g ground almonds

250g finely grated carrot

75g chopped pecans
75g sultanas (optional)
extra pecans, chopped, grated lemon peel or edible flowers to decorate

Icing 
Buttercream for those that dislike cream cheese
100g butter
200g icing sugar, sifted
1tblsp water or lemon juice (if you want a slight flavour to your icing)

or
Sweet cream cheese frosting- this should cover the top and sides

100g cream cheese

25g softened butter

150g-175g icing sugar

grated zest of unwaxed lemon or orange
or
Less sweet frosting- just for the top 
170g cream cheese
65g butter
35g icing sugar
Grated zest of lemon (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4

2. Put the egg whites in a scrupulously clean bowl and whisk until stiff peak stage.
3. Put the sugar, 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk and oil in a mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until well mixed or you can use a hand held whisk.

4. Gradually add the flour a spoonful at a time then add the spices, salt, ground almonds and chopped nuts. Finally add the grated carrot and sultanas if using. Mix really well. 

5. With a metal spoon gradually fold in the whisked egg whites trying not to remove too much air as you do.
6. Spoon into a 20 cm round tin that is greased and lined with baking parchment.

7. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Checking by inserting a skewer and if it comes out clean then remove from the oven and set aside for 10  minutes before turning out carefully onto a wire rack to cool.

8. To make the icing, decide which one you would like to use and then either start by beating the softened butter and adding the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until it is really well mixed. Then add the water or lemon juice and beat really well or if you are using the cream cheese frosting then same method, beat the cream cheese and butter together and add the icing sugar a tblsp at a time and then add the zest of the lemon or orange.

9. Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate either with chopped nuts, edible flowers or grated zest of lemon.

Almond and chocolate bites

Recipe

140g marzipan

25g ground almonds

20g coconut oil

125g plain chocolate

15g pistachios, chopped finely

This should make about 20 small discs or balls. You can just use plain marzipan if you don't want to mess around too much. I just find this is slightly less sweet.

Method

1. Mix the marzipan, ground almonds and coconut oil together in a mixer, food processor or by hand. ( I use a mixer with the pale attachment) 

2. Form into either balls or roll out into a ball and then flatten into a round disc. To do this I use greaseproof paper and squeegee each one into a ball then very slightly flatten with a rolling pin then cut into a disc using a very small cutter that is 4cm in diameter.

3. Keep going until all the mix is used up. Should get about 20 from this mix. 

4. Place on a greaseproof sheet on a baking sheet and refrigerate while you melt the chocolate in a bowl, set over a pan of simmering water.

5. Coat each one carefully in the chocolate by dipping and turning. I use a fork and a spoon and then set on the baking sheet, sprinkle each one with the pistachios and place back in the fridge to set.

Elderflower gin

Recipe

1 litre gin

25 fresh elderflower heads that are just open (best picked on a dry day in the morning.) Do not collect any that are browning. Make sure you only collect the heads and snip off as much of the stalk as you can.

2 lemons

5 tblsp caster sugar 

Method

1. Take a large jar, I use a large preserve jar. Sterilise it and pour in the gin

2. Add the sugar to the gin.

3. Remove the peel from the lemons with a potato peeler and add to the jar.

4. Shake any insect life from the flower heads (don't worry if any get in as they will all get filtered out) Snip off as much of the stalk a you can and add to the gin. Make sure the flowers are squished under the surface of the gin. Some at the top will brown but don't worry it won't affect the flavour.

5. Seal and pop somewhere cool, give it a shake to dissolve the sugar every day and leave for about a week.

6. At the end of the week pour the gin through a clean double muslin or tea towel (I boil mine to make sure its scrupulously clean) This filters out not only the elderflowers but any tiny insect life. I do sometimes pour through several times to get a nice clear gin.

7. Bottle in a sterilised bottle and enjoy with mixer of your choice.