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. 

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 Brownie Roulade...

This is just incredible.... Think of the most delicious fudgy brownie you've ever eaten, now smother it in vanilla cream with fresh berries... This Chocolate Brownie Roulade is BETTER than that!!!

That's an ambitious claim I know... BUT I'm really confident about this one. This isn't a "it's nice...for a healthified cake".... it's just plain delicious, no ifs, buts or maybes.... It's amazing!

Ok so obviously it's not 100% refined sugar free like most of my recipes because of the addition of dark chocolate... but hey, dark chocolate is good for you and like I'm always saying, these treat recipes are just that... they're a treat!! Rest assured this cake is 1000 times better for you than a store bought alternative since it's packed with only the best natural ingredients...

For the roulade: 

• 150g dark chocolate (minimum 81% cocoa solids)
• 6 eggs, separated
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 60g ground almonds
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line a Swiss Roll tin with baking parchment. 

Start by melting the chocolate over a low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks with vanilla & honey until doubled in volume.

Fold in cocoa, ground almonds, baking powder and dark chocolate gently.

Whisk egg whites until they form stiff, opaque peaks.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture gradually. Adding it in 3 parts makes it much easier to combine without knocking out all the air.

Pour the mixture into prepared tin and bake for 18 minutes (it took exactly 18 minutes in my oven, but since oven temps vary significantly, keep an eye on the cake to prevent burning).

You'll know it's baked when it's firm to touch and risen. Set aside to cool on baking parchment.

For the filling: 

• 250ml cream (you can sub half cream cheese & Greek yoghurt if you prefer, or coconut cream if you're dairy free)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g mixed summer berries

Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. 

Fold in vanilla & berries. 

To assemble: 

Once the cake is cooled, cover generously with the filling.

To roll, use the parchment paper to lift the cake (from the long side) and allow it to roll naturally. Just keep lifting the cake and letting it fall away from the parchment and it will form a natural roulade shape.

Don't worry if it cracks a little... You can cover it with a generous drizzle of melted chocolate or a light dusting of cocoa powder & some fresh berries.

Looks awesome right?!

Turmeric Chicken Skewers

Sometimes it's really hard to think of ways to cook chicken so it's not just another boring meal. I try not to think of meals in terms of adult meals/children's meals.. ideally we would all be eating the same good quality foods, but I know it can be tough to get children to eat their veggies..

The eagle eyed amongst you will spot a cake cooling in the background...... It may be Lemon Drizzle Cake.... :) 

Why not put their food on sticks? Let them eat with their fingers... I love casual meals where you just pick up your food and enjoy. Using small chunks of colourful vegetables on skewers won't seem as scary to them and as a big pile of broccoli...

These skewers are great both hot and cold which makes them ideal for a family meal, or leftovers for a packed lunch.

A little bit of advance planning is recommended so you can marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. Overnight is even better :)

For the marinade:

• 1 small green onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 kafir leaves, centre stalks removed
• 1 tbsp tomato purée 
• 1 tbsp coconut cream
• 1 tbsp water
• salt & pepper

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well. 

Chop chicken into chunks and coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 30 minutes...

Soak skewers in water for 10 minutes (this stops the tips burning)

For the skewers: 

• 1 marinated chicken breast
• 5 mushrooms, halved
• 1/2 yellow & red bell pepper

Preheat oven to 180d (fan).

Add the chicken, mushrooms and pepper to soaked bamboo skewers. 

Drizzle with a little melted coconut oil.

Cook for approx 8 minutes, turn the skewers over and cook for a further 8 minutes. 

Serve with a side salad.

Chocolate Stuffed Pancakes...

As if the mere mention of the word 'pancakes' wasn't enough to excite me, I had to go one better this week... Imagine a fluffy pancake with a chocolate filling... Imagine that gooey Nutella flavoured chocolate filling was hidden in a little pocket in the centre of the pancake... Now imagine for a second, you could make them in less than 15 minutes at home, and they were 100% natural... Awesome right?

These buttermilk pancakes are grain & refined sugar free, light & fluffy and taste absolutely incredible... 

For the pancakes:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 3 tbsp buttermilk (or coconut milk if you're DF)
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 tsp raw Irish honey

Filling:

• 2 tsp hazelnut butter
• 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• water*

• coconut oil 

Start by whisking the pancake ingredients together until smooth and frothy. 

Mix the filling together to form a paste. *Depending on the hazelnut butter, you may need to add a little water if it's too stiff.. 

Melt a little coconut oil in a non stick pan. 

Pour batter onto the hot pan, immediately dropping 1/2 tsp of 'Nutella' into the centre of the pancake. Cover this with an extra tablespoon of pancake batter.

Flip pancake when small air bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. 

Try not to eat the pancakes the second you take them off the pan... They are amazing served with strawberry coulis and Greek yoghurt...

Give them a go... I guarantee you'll love them! The filling really adds to them...gooey chocolate hazelnut bliss in the centre of what's already my favourite treat in the world! These are unbelievably good!