The Tastes Too Good To Be True Cake!

Last weekend I wanted to come up with a cake that was both vegan and diabetic friendly. I actually ended up with something that was fat free too! Whilst it smelled nice in the oven I was worried that it wouldn't be the most exciting cake in the world. Well, what a surprise this turned out to be. It was just lovely. I went for the orange liqueur option and I would recommend that you search out medjool dates rather than regular ones as it's worth the few extra pennies for the delicious toffeeness they give the cake. By the way I only learned recently that sticky toffee pudding is made with dates, I never knew!

Tastes Too Good To Be True Cake


Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp baking soda 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 1/4 cups water 
1 cups dates chopped 
1 cup raisins 
1 tsp cinanamon 
1 tsp ground ginger 
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 carrots grated 
1/3 cup orange juice or orange liqueur

How to make it

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Combine the water, dates, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
Place the shredded carrots in a large bowl and pour the hot water mixture over them, and allow to cool completely.
Add the orange juice concentrate to the carrot mixture and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Coffee and Walnut Muffins

Coffee and walnuts are a classic combination that we often see in a cake but work just as well in a muffin.

Coffee and Walnut Muffins

Makes 12

1 ½ cups of plain flour

¾ cup of caster sugar

2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of cinammon

½ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of soya milk

1 teaspoon of cider vinegar

4 teaspoons of instant coffee (regular or decaf) dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water

½ cup of sunflower oil

1 cup of chopped walnuts

Pre-heat the oven to 375F/ 180C/ Gas 4

Put the soya milk in a small bowl, stir in the cider vinegar and leave to one side. Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water in a cup and leave to one side.

In a large bowl sieve the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, cinammon and salt and mix well.

In another bowl whisk together the soy milk mixture with the dissolved coffee and the sunflower oil.

Add the liquid mix to the dry ingredients. Stir lightly whilst folding in the chopped walnuts until just mixed.

Distribute the batter to the muffin wrappers and bake for 18-20 mins until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pear and Almond Muffins

Pear and Almond Muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 cup of soya milk

1 teaspoon of cider vinegar

1 ¾ cups of plain flour

2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

¾ cup of caster sugar

½ cup of sunflower oil

2 teaspoons of almond extract

1 cup of pear diced into little cubes (about 2-3 pears)

1 cup of flaked almonds

Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400 F / Gas 6

Add the vinegar to the milk in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.

In a separate bowl sieve the flour, baking pwder, sugar and salt and stir well.

Make a well in the middle and then pour in the milk mixture, oil and almond extract and give it a few stirs.

As it starts to combine fold in the pear and almonds. Stir until it just comes together, don't over mix.

Divide the batter into the muffin cases.

Bake for 20-22 mins until a toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe by Caroline Turner

Chocorangas!

Call out Chocorangas! and your mouth will automatically form into a smile. Rich and tangy these biscuits will make you happy.

Chocorangas!

Ingredients

Makes 12-16

1/2 cup of vegan margarine (we recommend Vitalite)

1/2 cup of icing sugar

Couple of drops of vanilla extract

1 and ¼ cups of plain flour

¼ cup of cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/8 teaspoon of salt

½ cup of chocolate chips

zest of an orange

1 teaspooon of orange extract

Preheat the oven to 350f/ 180C.

Grease and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Beat the margarine until creamy. Add the vanilla + orange extracts and the icing sugar and beat again.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda.

Fold this mixture into the margarine mix in two batches. Add a bit more flour if too sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips and orange zest.

Roll out on a floured board into an oblong. Cut into fingers the size of traditional shortbread fingers and prick all over with a fork.

Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Recipe by Caroline Turner

Lavender Shorties

Mmm. this is the perfect biscuit for summer and afternoon teas in the garden. If you can get it use Vitalite (stocked by the Co-Op) as I find that this gives the most buttery taste out of all the vegan margarine I've tried. I bought the lavender from Amazon via the Cotswold Lavender Company for £3.99 (inc postage) and only used a little bit of the jar for this recipe. Make sure you use culinary lavender and not the stuff used to make lavender bags. If you like this recipe make sure to check out our Earl Grey Shortbread recipe too!

Lavender Shorties

Ingredients

Makes around 22 two inch biscuits

1/2 cup of vegan sunflower margarine (recommend Vitalite)

1/2 cup of icing sugar

Couple of drops of vanilla extract

1 cup + 2 tablespoons of plain flour

1/8 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 tablesppon of culinary lavender

Caster sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350f/ 180C.

Grease and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Using an electric whisk beat the margarine until creamy. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat again.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir in the lavender.

Fold this mixture into the margarine mix in two batches. Add a bit more flour if too sticky.

Roll out on a floured board. cut out with your favourite cookie cutters. Sprinkle with caster sugar.

Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 12-14 minutes until they start to turn golden.

Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Recipe by Caroline Turner

Alcoholic Ginger Beer Bread

After making the Chocolate Stout and Cranberry Tea Bread I had the idea to try a similar thing but with alcoholic ginger beer. It's taken me a while to track some down that is vegan friendly. Crabbies is available everywhere but according to the excellent resource that is Barnivore they use isinglass in the fining process. Fentimans have just brought out their version which is vegan friendly and in the style I was after - ie. sweet and more soft drink than beer tasting.

Alcoholic Ginger Beer Bread

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of plain flour

3/4 cup of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 teaspoons of powdered ginger

12 fl oz of alcoholic ginger beer

1 cup of dark chocolate chopped into chunks (approx 100g)

Pre-heat the oven to 350F / 180C / Gas Mark 4.

Grease and flour a 1 lb loaf tin.

Sieve the flour, sugar, ginger and baking powder and mix together.

Pour in the ginger beer and stir well until combined, then fold in the chocolate chunks.

Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes 
Let it cool in the tin on a cooling rack before eating.


Serve this spread with marmalade or chocolate spread!

Recipe by Caroline Turner

Use it up Banana Bread

Here's a quick, easy recipe for using those bananas that are on the turn and the last of a jar of marmalade. It's also gluten free and freezes well. If you like this then check out our recipe for Pirate Bread too.

Use It Up Banana Bread

Ingredients
1 cup of Dove's Farm Gluten Free Flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of caster sugar
1/2 cup of sunflower oil
1/2 cup of soya milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of mashed banana (about 1 1/2 bananas)
1/3 cup of marmalade

Pre-heat the oven to 160C / 325F / Gas 3

Grease and flour a loaf tin
Sieve together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xantham gum, salt and sugar and stir together.
Mix in the oil, soya milk and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the mashed banana and the marmalade.
Fill the baking tin and bake for around 30 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe by Caroline Turner