Date, cocoa and seed bars

Date, cocoa and seed bars

These bars are delicious and a favourite of my husbands, they are so easy to make and a good little energy snack with no refined cane sugar. Perfect for when you want something sweet. You can put whatever nuts and seeds in you like, same with the spices too. I just love chocolate and orange together with a little cardamon, Yum!

Date, cocoa and seed bars

270g dates

4 T or 40g coconut oil

4 T dutch good quality cocoa ( you could probably use cacao powder too)

1-2 T maple syrup or honey 

1/2 tsp ground cardamon or cinnamon

zest one orange - optional

3-4 T ground linseed

1/4 tsp flaky salt

100g sunflower seeds

50g pumpkin seeds

30g linseed

50g coconut flakes

Almonds and hazelnuts are also nice - just substitute some of the seeds out - use no more than 250g total

Roast the sunflower, pumpkin and coconut until  lightly browned and well roast any nuts you are using. Cool. Chop the nuts roughly if using.

Place top 8 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until the dates are a paste.

Transfer into a bowl. Add toasted seeds and linseeds

Mix well until all ingredients are combined

Press into a lined tin, it holds it shape well so press to whatever thickness you like. You could roll into balls too and into cocoa if you wish.

Makes about 20 bars

Would freeze well if they last that long!

Buttermilk and Date scones

I had some buttermilk left in my fridge from making the Salted Caramel Almond Cake so here is a perfect way to use it up. This recipe makes 12 large scones.

12 scones may be a lot when there is only two of you...The best thing about scones is that rather than cooking a whole batch you can freeze the uncooked scones to bake at a later date. I just clear the ice trays from the top rack, lay out some baking paper and place the remaining scones on the paper in the freezer. Leave them overnight and then when they are frozen you can wrap them in cling film or place them in ziplock bags.

When you happen to feel like a freshly baked scone you can just leave them at room temperature for 5 minutes, pop them in the oven and cook them for an extra five minutes and boom! Freshly baked scones straight from your freezer!  It has seriously changed my life.

Buttermilk and Date Scones
300g dates, chopped in half
680g flour
1 T baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
100g white sugar or coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp flaky salt
255g unsalted very cold butter
375ml buttermilk plus extra for topping

Topping
2 T extra buttermilk
raw sugar or coconut sugar for sprinkling

First, chop your dates in half and cover with boiling water and leave for 10 or so minutes to soften.

While the dates are softening, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the sugar and the salt and stir to combine. Cut the butter into small dice or grate the butter into the bowl. I usually use the tips of my fingers to rub in the butter but you could use a pasty cutter or two knives or even do it gently in the food processor or a stand mixer. You want to end up with a coarse mixture with visible pea sized lumps of butter.

Strain the dates well and add the dates and buttermilk to your dry mixture.
If you were using a stand mixer here I would gently 3/4 incorporate the wet mix and then tip it on the bench and continue by hand. If you used a food processor I would now tip it in to a large bowl and do the next part by hand. What ever you do you want to gently mix the wet ingredients in and not over work them, if the mix seems a little dry add a  touch more buttermilk.

Quickly and gently shape your dough into a 30cm by 12cm rectangle, Brush the top with the extra buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Cut the dough into triangles and transfer the amount you want to cook onto a prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes until the tops are lightly brown.
Serve still warm with good amounts of butter

Makes 12

Salted caramel almond cake

Salted caramel almond cake

I originally saw this recipe online here and saved it as I thought it looked so delicious. I have only slightly adapted it, changing the cooking method and adding salt. I would definitely make again and might change the cake a bit to make it chocolate or add some orange zest into it as I think that would be nice.

For the cake: 
75 ml buttermilk
75g unsalted butter
3 eggs
150g caster sugar 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
150g plain flour 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For the topping: 
150g flaked almonds 
125g butter 
125g light brown sugar 
50ml milk 
1/2 tsp sea salt 
1/2 tsp vanilla 
Extra good quality flaky salt to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 160 degrees

Grease a 9" or 22cm round tin (preferably with a removable bottom) and line the bottom and sides with baking paper. 

Roast the sliced almonds  in a oven tray for 5-10 minutes until they're a light golden brown, then set aside.

Melt the butter for the cake in a saucepan and leave to cool.
Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together on medium-high for 5 minutes or until the mixture is a yellowy-cream colour and very thick. While it whisks, sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together. 
When the eggs are thick remove the bowl from the stand and sieve 1/2 the  flour mixture into the egg mix, folding it in gently and alternating with the buttermilk. When the flour is nearly mixed in, gently fold in the cooled melted butter  Be gentle but thorough, scraping down to the bottom and making sure to get out the little pockets of flour. You don't want to remove all the air you created at the start.

Carefully pour the batter into the tin. Bake for 22-30 minutes until golden and set - a skewer or small knife should be able to be removed cleanly.
Meanwhile start making the topping. Place the butter, sugar, milk, salt into the saucepan and stir as the butter melts. Keep on a low heat until your cake is nearly done. When your cake is out quickly turn up the heat to high and let the mix bubble and thicken slightly. Pour in the toasted almonds and cook for a further 2 minutes

Turn the oven up to 200 degrees and onto grill. Move the over rack up a notch so that the top of the cake will be closer to the grill. Make sure there isn't any baking paper sticking out to high as it will burn.

Pour the almond caramel mixture on to the cake and working quickly spread the  nutty caramel out evenly and place it under the grill. Don't walk away! Watch the topping carefully, you want a bubbly and golden caramel topping. I think I had mine under the grill for 2-3 minutes.

Carefully remove the cake from the oven and place on a rack to cool. At this point you can sprinkle on extra flaky salt which I would definitely recommend! After 30 minutes loosen the sides of the tin with a knife if necessary and remove the ring. You cake wait a bit longer to do this if you aren't worried about it coming out

When the cake had cooled to room temperature transfer it on to a serving plate. My bet is that it won't last long!

The first time I made this cake I made the recipe by three and it filled a 12' round tin nicely and only took 30 minutes to cook. It had a great ratio of caramelly almond deliciousness to cake.

Easy Peasy Crusty Bread!

Home made bread is just the best!!! The smell and the taste of warm bread cannot be beaten. We try and make our own bread as often as possible. Every now and then our lives get too busy and we get too lazy and we have to buy a loaf. Every time we buy a loaf we are disappointed and quickly remember how much better home made bread is. Also, it always slightly grosses me out how much longer shop bread lasts compared to homemade bread. It really must be full of some pretty nasty preservatives.
This recipe is so easy. I make it using a dough hook with my mixer but apparently you can you use a food processor as well.

Ingredients

18g of fresh yeast (a must!)

1/2 tablespoon of salt

1/2 tablespoon of white sugar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

700g of flour - we usually use wholemeal but any flour will do

extra olive oil

sea salt flakes

Break the yeast up into crumbly little bits and place in a bowl with 500mls of lukewarm water.

Whisk the mixture until the yeast has dissolved.

Add the salt, sugar and olive oil and mix.

Leave for about 30minutes or until the watery mixture starts to bubble.

Add the flour and place in the mixer or food processor.

Mix dough for 12minutes.

Turn of the machine and let the dough rest for 5minutes.

Mix dough again for 5minutes.

Remove dough, place in a bowl, cover with gladwrap and leave to rise for approximately 30minutes.

Turn the oven on at 230 degrees. 

On a floured surface briefly kneed and shape the dough into a round or loaf or whatever shape you like. 

Place a little bit of olive oil in your hands and rub it all over the dough so that all of the dough is covered and therefore sealed.

Place dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in a warm spot and allow to rise again for 20-30minutes (or until the oven is warm enough).

Drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and place it in the oven.

Bake for 30minutes.

Allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

I recently had my birthday and Jen always spoils me - generally with a cookbook. This birthday I was spoilt yet again with a beautiful cook book released by an American Bakery called Tartine.

This book has some delicious recipes and according to Jen they are foolproof! I can now confirm that the recipes are foolproof!!! I have NEVER been able to make cookies and using a recipe from this book I mastered cookies! Yesterdays choice of cookie was a chocolate-oatmeal-walnut cookies - and they were delicious.
Most of the recipe is done using a stand mixer. The mixture also has lots of chunky bits making a very textured and tasty cookie. Yum!

The recipe made a large stack of 24 giant cookies!

And the best way to enjoy a cookie - in true American style with a glass of milk.

Flourless Orange Cake with Syrup

The thing that I hate the most is wasting quality produce. So every weekend I go through the fruit bowl and pick out all the fruit that is nearing its 'time to go in the compost' date. I then google for a cake recipe that has the fruit I have picked out in the recipe. This way we have a cake to eat with lunch for the week and we don't waste any fruit. This is how the above orange cake came to be in our cake tin, and, boy was it a good one.
Usually my partner juices any left over oranges so that we have fresh OJ in the fridge. However, when I saw this recipe I wrestled the oranges off him.
We usually always have Navel Oranges in the house. We find that, one, they usually have the best flavour and juiciness, and, two, the local oranges tend to be all navel and we try to buy all local produce. Its good for the environment, good for the local economy and produce tends to be tastier as it is fresher. However, you could use any type of orange, mandarin, tangelo, etc.
I have given you two syrup recipes to choose from. In the photo above I have used the orange syrup but I have previously made a killer orange cake using the spiced coriander syrup which is delicious!! So use what ever one you feel like. I know the coriander syrup seems weird but definitely give it a go sometime - you will be pleasantly surprised.

FLOURLESS ORANGE CAKE

2 Oranges

3 Eggs

1cup sugar

3cups almond meal

1t baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 170C. Grease and line a cake tin.

Place oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to the boil and boil for 15mins.

Drain the water and repeat the process again.

Once the oranges have been twice boiled drain them and chop the whole orange roughly. Remove any seeds. Then place the whole orange (pith and all) into a food processor. Blitz until a smooth puree is formed.

Meanwhile beat eggs and sugar together until pale yellow and thick.

Fold almond meal, baking powder and orange puree into the egg/sugar mixture.

Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 1hour.

Once cooked let sit for 15mins then carefully using a skewer poke holes in the top. Then pour either one of the following syrups over top and allow it to soak in.

Serve with organic natural yoghurt.

ORANGE SYRUP

1 orange

3/4 cup sugar

Zest the orange and place zest in a small saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and boil for 5mins. Drain.

Juice the orange. 

Place the juice, sugar and boiled zest into a saucepan.

Cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has thickened slightly.

SPICED CORIANDER SYRUP

2t coriander seeds

100g sugar

100ml water

2t lemon juice

Toast and grind up the coriander seeds.

Add ground coriander to saucepan with the rest of the ingredients.

Simmer until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has thickened slightly.