Lime Drizzle Cake...

If you like simple tray bake recipes, you're going to love this Lime Drizzle Cake. Fans of coconut & lime are in for a real treat with this light lime & coconut sponge topped with a tangy syrup. The dessicated coconut makes this recipe extra special... the cake has a slight bite from the coconut, and the addition of coconut to the lime drizzle leaves the topping crunchy... 

For the cake: 

• 4 eggs, separated 
• 40g butter, melted
• 3 tsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest & juice of 1 unwaxed lime
• 60g ground almonds 
• 40g dessicated coconut
• 1 1/2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 150d (fan). Line a 7" square baking tin with baking parchment. 

Start by whisking eggs yolks, butter, honey, vanilla  & lime until frothy and doubled in volume.

Add ground almonds, dessicated coconut & GF baking powder and fold in gently. 

Next whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. 

Finally, fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture gradually. Adding them in 3 stages will make them a lot easier to incorporate into the mixture. 

Once well combined, place the mixture in the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes until cake is springy to touch, well risen & pale golden. 

For the lime drizzle:

• 1 tbsp lime zest
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tbsp unsweetened dessicated coconut

Add all the ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil until reduced and thickened to a syrupy consistency. 

Drizzle over the hot cake. 

Set aside to cool before cutting into squares. 

Macaroon Slice...

I'm pretty much unable to resist a challenge, so when a friend asked me to 'health-ify' these Macaroon Slices, I set to work straight away! I'm firmly of the opinion that there are very few commercially produced treats that can't be made healthier at home... Feel free to make some suggestions and I'll get to work! 

This recipe requires a little patience since it is made up of 3 layers.... they're all really simple though so you can't go wrong! 

For the base:

• 120g ground almonds
• 50g dessicated coconut
• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 50g butter, melted

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line an 8" square baking tin with greaseproof paper. 

Add all the ingredients together and mix well until you have a firm dough. 

Press the dough into base of lined tin. 

Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. 

For the raspberry jam filling:

• 150g frozen raspberries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Add the raspberries and lemon juice to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and allow to simmer over a low heat for approx 5 minutes to allow the jam to thicken. 

Spread an even layer of jam over the cooled base.

For the macaroon topping:

• 3 eggs
• 4 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 150g dessicated coconut
• 100g butter, melted

Whisk the eggs & honey together until pale and trebled in volume. 

Fold in the butter, coconut & cinnamon. Stir until just combined. 

Spread over the jam filling. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm and golden. 

Set aside to cool before cutting into squares.