Pistachio Cake...

Believe it or not, some people don't like chocolate cake (I fondly refer to them as freaks)... So as much as I'd love to constantly post recipes for various chocolate treats, I think it's important that GLBTK caters for everyone. With that in mind, if you haven't already would you please wander over to Facebook to 'Like' and 'Share' the page... the more people following, the more people who will realise that eating clean, unprocessed food doesn't have to be boring, bland, time consuming or expensive...

I've baked pistachio cakes before, usually with chocolate ganache (which is awesome!), but in my opinion this cake is fantastic because of its simplicity. Sometimes even I lack the patience for carefully decorating a cake once it's cooled!

For the cake: 

• 5 eggs, separated 
• zest of 1 large orange
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125ml walnut oil
• 125g ground almonds
• 200g unsalted pistachio nuts, ground to fine powder
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Line an 8" round cake tin with baking parchment & preheat oven to 150d (fan). 

Start by whisking the egg yolks, zest, honey & vanilla together until pale, frothy & doubled in volume. Stir in the walnut oil gently. 

Fold in ground almonds, ground pistachios & baking powder gently. 

Whisk egg whites to form stiff, opaque peaks. 

Fold egg whites into the egg yolk mixture gently. Do this in stages to prevent over-mixing. 

Pour into prepared cake tin & bake for 20 minutes until well risen, golden & firm to touch. 

Remove from tin. 

For the topping: 

• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 50g pistachio nuts, chopped

Warm the honey & orange zest together. Brush over the top of the warm cake. 

Sprinkle generously with chopped pistachio nuts. 

Set the cake aside to cool before serving. 

Mikado Cake...

I posted a recipe recently for Mikado biscuits... they were incredible!

Since they were so popular, I decided to bake a cake based on a Mikado! How does coconut sponge, berry jam, marshmallowy icing & toasted coconut sound? Amazing right?! I can't take credit for this idea... I think it was Donal Skehan who I first saw baking a a Mikado cake.... Of course my version has no grains or refined sugar so I'm bound to say it's so much better!!

For the cake: 

• 8 eggs, separated 
• 80g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125g ground almonds 
• 80g dessicated coconut
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line 2 8" sandwich tins with parchment paper. 

Start by whisking eggs yolks, butter, honey & vanilla 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, divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes until cake is springy to touch, well rise & pale golden. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. 

For the berry jam: 

• 150g frozen berries of your choice
• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add the ingredients 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. 

For the marshmallow icing: 

• 3 egg whites
• 2 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 sachet Gelatin powder
• 50g frozen raspberries
• 3 tbsp water

Place raspberries & water into the microwave for 20 seconds at a time. Stir and mash in between each 20 second burst until the raspberries are softened, broken up and the mixture is steaming.

Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the hot raspberry mixture and set aside to dissolve. It's really important to pour the gelatin onto the liquid and not the other way around or you'll end up with a hard lump. Also make sure the liquid is steaming hot (not boiling) before adding the gelatin or it won't dissolve fully.

Next add the egg whites, honey & vanilla to a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water.

Whisk the mixture constantly until it forms stiff glossy peaks. (If you don't whisk constantly, you'll end up with scrambled egg whites). This should take about 5 minutes.

At this stage, your gelatin should have dissolved, cooled and will be ready to use. It's important that both the gelatin mix & the egg white mixture are approx the same temperature, otherwise the gelatin will set too quickly and form strings... The egg white mixture will be warm, just make sure the gelatin has cooled sufficiently.. 

Add the gelatin mixture to the egg white gradually, whisking constantly. I recommend pouring the gelatin in a slow, steady stream. Once fully combined, you can stop whisking.

To assemble the cake: 

• 50g toasted dessicated coconut

Sandwich the cakes together with 3/4 of the cooled, homemade jam. 

Spread a generous coating of the marshmallow icing over the top and sides of the cake. 

Spoon the remaining 'jam' onto the top of the cake before piping rosettes of marshmallow around the edge of the cake. 

Coat the outside of the cake with toasted coconut. 

Store in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Mud Cake

Easter commands chocolate, so true to form, GLBTK is here to help you keep on track by sharing delicious recipes for healthier treats... 

This mud cake really delivers... It tastes like Ferrero Rocher chocolates, and for all you Nutella fans, this will really hit the spot! It's incredible... chocolatey, rich & fudgy with a sweet chocolate icing... You'll never believe this cake isn't full of sugar or grains...

I chose to use mainly ground hazelnuts in this cake instead of my usual 'flour' of choice almond flour. I'm pretty sure you can't buy ground hazelnuts in Ireland (feel free to correct me), so you'll need to grind them yourself. Don't let this put you off though, it's really simple and quick. It just requires you tossing the hazelnuts into a food processor/blender and pulsing them until you have a fine ground powder. Don't worry if there are slightly larger lumps of hazelnuts.... it will simply give the cake an amazing texture.

For the cake: 

• 3 eggs
• 275ml buttermilk
• 60g coconut oil, melted
• 60ml walnut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Irish honey
• 150g ground hazelnuts
• 80g ground almonds 
• 100g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp GF baking powder
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 160d (fan). Grease and line 2 8" round sandwich tins. 

Start by whisking eggs, buttermilk, oils, vanilla and honey together until well combined. 

Add all the dry ingredients.

Mix well to ensure there are no lumps in the mixture. 

Divide between the lined tins. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and firm. (Nut flours have tendency to burn faster than wheat flour, so keep an eye on the cakes. If the cake is browning too quickly, place a sheet of parchment paper over the cake to protect it. 

Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tins. Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper on a wire rack and allow to cool fully. 

While the cake is cooling, you can make a start on the icing. This icing is INCREDIBLE! Trust me... I've made a lot of chocolate icing, and this tastes as chocolatey and fudgy as any of the traditional icings I've had. Sorry for the lack of photos of the icing, it was very experimental and didn't expect it to be as amazing! No doubt I'll be making it again, so will update this post then :) 

For the icing: 

• 200g cooked sweet potato 
• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 15g coconut oil 
• coconut milk/full fat cows milk

Peel, chop & boil the sweet potato until softened. 

Add the warm sweet potato, cocoa, vanilla and coconut oil to a food processor and pulse until smooth. 

You may need to add some coconut milk/cows milk to thin out the icing if you find it's too thick. 

Spread an even layer of icing over the base of the cake.

Sandwich the layers together and top the cake with the remaining icing. 

At this point, you can decorate the cake with hazelnuts and it will look incredible.... or like me, you just have to go one step further!! 

This chocolate ganache is really quick and easy to make, and makes the cake a little bit extra special. 

• 50g dark chocolate (85% cocoa solids)
• 30g coconut oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the ingredients over a low heat, stirring constantly. 

Set aside to cool and thicken slightly. 

Pour over the cake and allow to drizzle down the sides of the cake. 

Decorate with whole hazelnuts. 

Strawberry Swiss Roll...

For someone who has almost zero tolerance or patience, I'm unbelievably patient when it comes to baking and cooking. I'll spend hours baking & decorating cakes without even noticing the time pass. It's my thing...baking focusses my mind, makes me happy and helps me to relax. 

As much as I love spending 4 hours making a cake, I'm not sure all of you do! That's why I try to keep most of my recipes quick and simple so that anyone can make them. Most importantly really, I try to make sure that all the ingredients are readily available in your local supermarket.... adding specialist ingredients to recipes usually requires trips to specialist shops, and often a lot of extra expense. 

This Strawberry Swiss Roll is quick and easy to bake, and as always is a million times better for your health than the traditional version...

There's no need to be worried about rolling the cake, it's actually really easy. If it cracks a little, don't worry about it, it will still taste awesome.... or just cover any cracks with fresh strawberries or homemade chocolate sauce! 

For the Swiss Roll: 

• 6 eggs, separated
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat fan oven to 160d. Line a Swiss Roll tin with non stick baking parchment. 

Separate the eggs. 

Add the honey and vanilla to the egg yolks. Whisk until doubled in volume and pale in colour. 

In a clean, 100% grease free bowl, whisk the egg whites until holding stiff peaks & opaque. 

Fold the ground almonds and baking powder into the egg yolk mixture. 

Lastly, using a large spoon fold in the egg whites (1/4 at a time), until well mixed in. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes until well risen and the cake springs back to a light touch. 

Now... listen... you need a large sheet or parchment paper on a heatproof counter top. Turn the cake out onto the parchment. Don't mess around and try to do it slowly or carefully... just do it!!! Turn it over quickly and it'll be perfect.... do it slowly and it'll 100% break. 

You need to remove the parchment that's stuck to the cake from the tin. Don't try and pull it off like a plaster... it's a delicate sponge cake, you'll break it! Start at one of the corners and peel the parchment in pieces. Tear small pieces at a time. Be patient! Pulling it all off at once will end badly. 

Done that? Good job! Now... you're going to lift the edge of the parchment (closest to you, at the narrow end of the cake, and you're going to firmly roll the cake while it's still hot. Again... this is no time to mess around with being gentle... just do it! It won't break if you're firm with it.... 

Once rolled, set aside to cool. 

While the cake is cooling, make your jam...It's really easy to make & you won't miss the bags of sugar that are in store bought jams... 

For the jam: 

• 250g bag of frozen strawberries 
• 1 tbsp honey

Simmer the strawberries and honey over a low heat until defrosted & thickened like jam (Similar to the raspberry jam here)

Once the cake is cooled, unroll it gently. 

Spread an even layer of your cooled strawberry jam over the cake. 

Simply re-roll the cake. It's really easy this time as the cake has cooled and will remember its shape! 

It's a pretty impressive looking & really delicious cake but best of all... it's so simple to bake! Hope you enjoy it :) 

Cinnamon & Apple Cake

I always try to use seasonal fruit & vegetables in my cooking... Cook what's in season and you'll never have to go far for your ingredients. We're so lucky to have access to amazing quality fresh food in Ireland, I always try to keep my ingredients as local as possible. 

I grew up in the country, and we had a fantastic orchard that provided us with the most delicious apples in the autumn. Seriously, they were the juiciest, sweetest apples you could find...For that reason, I always associate baking with apples with autumn time...Everything from apple tarts to crumbles to cakes.. 

You'll have noticed that the weather has been pretty horrendous over the past while, so you'd be forgiven for thinking we were still in the throes of winter... If you're in need of something a little special & comforting, look no further than this Cinnamon & Apple Cake... It's sweet and spicy and so unbelievably moist & tasty... 

For the cake:

• 5 eggs
• 4 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g coconut oil, melted
• 50g walnut oil
• 250g almond flour
• 75g unsweetened dessicated coconut
• 2 medium cooking apples, peeled & grated coarsely
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50g walnuts, roughly chopped

Grease & line a 9" round cake tin with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 160d. 

Start by adding eggs, vanilla, and honey to a large bowl and whisking until tripled in volume.

In a separate bowl, add all the remaining ingredients. Mix well until combined. 

Next, add the whisked egg mixture to the remaining ingredients gradually, folding gently after each addition to retain the air in the cake... 

Pour mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-55 minutes. If after 30 minutes or so you notice the cake is browning a little too much, you can cover the tin loosely with a sheet of tin foil to prevent burning. Almond flour has a tendency to burn a lot easier & faster than traditional wheat flours because of its fat content. 

Once the cake is cooked, leave to rest in the tin for 5 minutes before removing and allowing to cool on a wire rack... 

This cake is absolutely gorgeous served warm, straight from the oven... you could serve with a little Greek yoghurt and it would be amazing... 

Or... you could allow it to cool & finish off with this simple Cinnamon Cream Cheese icing... 

For the icing:

• 200g cream cheese (I use mascarpone since it's one of the least processed of the cream cheeses)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat well until just combined & smooth. 

Spread a generous layer of icing over the top of the cake & decorate with some chopped walnuts. 

This cake is amazing using pears & pecan nuts too...

Remember, if you make any of my recipes let me know & take pics! I LOVE seeing them... and I'll give you a shout out on Facebook!! You'll be #famous!! :)