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. 

Jaffa Cake Cake...

This is a good one! You want to make this... it's amazing! I've got this friend who adores Jaffa Cakes... I made this cake with him in mind and I'll definitely be baking one specially for him.

It's basically a giant Jaffa Cake.... moist orange cake, topped with orange jelly and chocolate.... perfect if you're looking for a cake to bake for friends. It's a bit WOW, and they'll never believe that it's not loaded with sugar... best of all... it's really simple to make! 

For the cake:

• 2 large oranges
• 6 eggs
• 5 tbsp raw organic honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 275g ground almonds
• 2 tsp gluten free baking powder

Start by placing the oranges into a large saucepan. Cover with water & bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours. 

Once you have boiled the oranges, drain the water and allow them to cool. I chopped them into chunks as they'll cook a lot faster than the whole oranges. 

Preheat oven to 170d (fan). Line a 9 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper. 

When the oranges are fully cooled, using a stick blender/food processor, purée the oranges until smooth & set aside. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla & honey together until pale & frothy. 

Next fold in the cooled orange purée slowly. 

Finally add the ground almonds & baking powder. Stir gently until just combined. 

Pour the mixture into prepared tin & bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. (Ground almonds can burn quite easily as it cooks so if you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly, place a sheet of tin foil over the top of the cake to protect it.) 

You can check to make sure the cake is baked by sliding a skewer into the centre.... if it comes out with no cake batter on it, then it's ready. If not, place it back in the oven for another couple of minutes... different ovens vary so just use 1 hour as a guide :) 

Allow the cake to cool & firm up in the tin for 5 minutes. You can then remove it and allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the Jaffa topping: 

• juice of 3 large oranges
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 100ml water 
• 2 sachets of powdered gelatin (12g sachet x 2) 

Line an 8" round tin with cling film. 

Mix the first 5 ingredients together and heat to just before boiling point. 

Remove approx 150ml of the hot liquid and place in a separate shallow bowl. 

Sprinkle the 2 sachets of gelatin over the hot liquid & set aside to dissolve for 5 minutes. Once fully dissolved, stir gently to ensure there are no lumps remaining. 

Pour the gelatin mixture back into the remaining liquid gradually, whisking constantly to prevent the gelatin forming lumps or strings in the mixture.  

Once fully combined, pour into the prepared tin & place in the fridge until set.

To assemble: 

• 125g dark chocolate (minimum 81% cocoa solids)

I sliced the cake in half horizontally & iced with my Chocolate Sweet Potato icing . 

This is totally optional (and probably a little OTT!). The cake would be amazing even if you just follow the next couple of steps.. 

Simply invert the Jaffa jelly disc onto the centre of the cake. 

Melt 125g dark chocolate and spread evenly over the top of the jelly. 

Don't worry about the chocolate flowing down the sides of the cake... 

Allow the chocolate to set before serving. Store this cake in the fridge. 

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!! :) 

Flourless Orange Cake

I use everything as an excuse to cook lately...I always enjoyed it, but I'm really enjoying challenging myself to produce healthy, awesome tasting food...

Flourless cakes are amazing... they're quite dense & moist, and are usually made of chocolate. I'd be thinking about making an orange version for quite a while so since yesterday was dull & dark out, what better way to cheer people up than with a Flourless Orange Cake with Chocolate Ganache...

Don't be fooled by the name 'flourless'.... it's only flourless since it lacks wheat flour, it still contains almond flour so if you've a problem with nuts, this cake isn't for you...

For the cake:

• 2 large oranges
• 6 eggs
• 5 tbsp raw organic honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 275g almond flour
• 2 tsp gluten free baking powder

Start by placing the oranges into a large saucepan. Cover with water & bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours. 

Once you have boiled the oranges, drain the water and allow them to cool. I chopped them into chunks as they'll cook a lot faster than the whole oranges. 

Preheat oven to 170d (fan). Line a 9 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper. 

When the oranges are fully cooled, using a stick blender/food processor, purée the oranges until smooth & set aside. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla & honey together until pale & frothy. 

Next fold in the cooled orange purée slowly. 

Finally add the almond flour & baking powder. Stir gently until just combined. 

Pour the mixture into prepared tin & bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. (Almond flour can burn quite easily as it cooks so if you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly, place a sheet of tin foil over the top of the cake to protect it.) 

You can check to make sure the cake is baked by sliding a skewer into the centre.... if it comes out with no cake batter on it, then it's ready. If not, place it back in the oven for another couple of minutes... different ovens vary so just use 1 hour as a guide :) 

Allow the cake to cool & firm up in the tin for 5 minutes. You can then remove it and allow to cool on a wire rack.

This cake is fabulous as it is... but there's very little that can't be improved by adding a little chocolate! If you're in a rush, you can simply dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder... or you can finish it off with some chocolate ganache.... 

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt together in the microwave... short bursts at a time (15 seconds)... and stir in between. You're just looking for a smooth glossy chocolate sauce kind of consistency. 

The ganache will set slightly when it cools on the cake. 

Pour over the cake & allow it to drizzle down the sides.....