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. 

Mint Chocolate Fudge Cake...

If you're having friends or family around for dinner this weekend, make this cake. Don't tell them it's refined sugar and grain free. Just tell them you've made Mint Chocolate Fudge Cake.... watch them hoover it up! All elegance and table manners goes out the window when you get near a cake that tastes this good....

I try to keep my recipes as simple & as quick to make as possible. This cake is really easy... it will take a little more of your time since you've to wait for it to cool before icing, but it's worth it. 

For the cake: 

• 300g butter (ok it's a lot, but it's a big cake... and I'm not saying eat it every day!)
• 8 tbsp Irish honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 100g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 8 eggs
• 125g ground almonds 
• 2 tsp Gluten free baking powder
• 4 mint leaves, finely chopped

Line two 8" round cake tins with baking parchment. 

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). 

Start by melting the butter, honey, vanilla, peppermint & cocoa together in a heatproof bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Finally, fold in the ground almonds, baking powder and mint leaves.

Divide equally between the lined cake tins. 

Bake for 25 minutes at which point the cakes should be firm to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean.

 Remove from the tins and set aside to cool on a wire rack. 

For the peppermint icing:

• 200g mascarpone 
• 100g coconut cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 tbsp Irish honey

Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl & beat well until smooth.

To assemble:

Sandwich the cake together with a generous layer of peppermint icing.

Cover the top and sides evenly with the remaining icing.

Next..... and only cos I just can't help myself..... Chocolate!

For the ganache: 

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt all the ingredients together in a heat proof bowl. 

Pour the chocolate over the top of the cake...don't worry if it flows down the sides!

Garnish with fresh berries & a sprig of mint. 

Raspberry & Almond Crunch Cake

As much as I love chocolate cakes, it's always good to have a recipe for lighter cakes. I love this recipe for Raspberry and Almond Crunch Cake since it's really quick to make, and can be enjoyed straight from the oven.... no waiting around or having to make it look pretty with icing. 

For the crunchy topping: 

• 35g unsweetened dessicated coconut
• 25g ground almonds
• 15g flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp Keen almond butter
• 1 tsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil

Mix all the ingredients together until well combined and forming a crumbly topping. 

Set aside until needed.

For the cake:

• 6 eggs, separated
• 75g butter, melted
• 2 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 90g ground almonds
• 25g unsweetened dessicated coconut
• 2 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 60g raspberries, fresh or frozen is fine

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). 

Whisk egg yolks with melted butter, 1 tbsp of the honey, vanilla and lemon juice/zest until doubled in size and pale in colour. 

Fold in ground almonds, dessicated coconut and baking powder. 

In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until opaque and forming stiff peaks. Add 1 tbsp of honey and whisk until combined. 

Fold beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture gradually. Adding 1/3  of the whites at a time makes it a lot easier to fold into the mixture. 

Finally stir the raspberries into the mixture, and pour into 8 inch square cake tin.

Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the cake.

Bake for 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake. If you find after 15 mins that the cake is browning too quickly, lower the temperature to 150d (fan), and place a sheet of baking paper loosely over the cake to prevent burning. 

Once baked, you can serve warm, or allow to cool. I recommend warm, but it tastes great either way. 

Berry Crumble Cake...

I know what you're thinking... she's so unbelievably selfless spending all this time baking to help us get through Christmas with some healthy treats... you're right! I am! But... thankfully since you'd never tell the difference between these recipes and their sugar-laden alternatives, I'm never short of people I can off-load food on!

The kettle is always being boiled over the festive period... people dropping in unannounced and it's nice to be able to offer them something home baked with their tea. The problem arises when you offer them Christmas cake or Mince Pies, but you don't eat one! They're going to think you're trying to poison them...

Oh wait... sugar actually is poison, so since you're a nice person and you'd like your friends & family to live long and healthy lives, make this sugar & grain free Berry Crumble Cake... :)

For the cake:

• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• zest of 1 large orange
• 45g coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 85g almond flour

For the crumble:

• 50g almond flour
• 40g flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp Keen almond butter

75g frozen berries

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line a 9 inch round tin with greaseproof paper. 

To make the crumble topping:

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and rub together with your fingers to combine. 

Set aside until needed.

To make the cake

Start by separating the eggs. To the egg whites, add 1 tbsp of honey. 

In the other bowl, whisk yolks, 1 tbsp honey, baking soda, zest, oil & vanilla until well mixed.

Whisk egg whites until they form stiff glossy peaks. 

Next add in 1/3 of the egg whites. Once you have fully incorporated the egg whites, you can add 1/3 of the almond flour. Repeat until everything has been added. Remember to fold in the egg whites & almond flour slowly to avoid knocking out all the air. 

To assemble:

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly. 

Top with frozen berries (press them gently into the cake mixture). I used blackberries & raspberries. 

Finally sprinkle the crumble topping on the cake. Don't worry that not all the fruit is covered... this makes it look really nice when the cake is baked. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check on the cake after 20 minutes, if it seems like it's browning too much then place a sheet of tin foil over the cake and continue to bake until a skewer comes out clean. 

When baked, allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes & then either serve warm, or remove from the tin & leave to cool completely on a wire rack. 

This is a really nice cake. It's light and fruity but the crumble topping makes it extra special... Obviously there are a lot of nuts in this cake, so like all the cake/cookie recipes I post here, they're for treats only... I'd far prefer to treat myself to a piece of cake that contains no grains, sugar or dairy rather than a heavy slice of traditional fruit cake...

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