Search Results for: cake

Healthy Chocolate Birthday Cake

September 4, 2018 · 12 Comments

This recipe is the our easy, go-to, never-fail birthday cake base. We have been making it for years and everyone always loves it.

Making a birthday cake can sometimes feel daunting but trust me, this is so, so easy! My kids make it all the time themselves without any worries.

Birthday cakes are so expensive these days and the weird additives in them makes a homemade one much more appealing! You don’t have to get fancy with toppings (unless you want to!)

Just some thick cream (so you don’t have to whip it) and some strawberries is all you need.

Quick, easy and so good! Best of all, it’s made with love.

What more could you want for your birthday?

Healthy Chocolate Birthday Cake

Vital Stats: nut-free, vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free options

Okay, so this is what you need:

3/4 cup self-raising flour (for gluten free, I use the self-raising Orgran brand)
1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup rapadura or coconut sugar
1 cup or 200g organic natural yoghurt (for dairy-free, use coconut yoghurt)
2 organic eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a round cake tin with toxin-free baking paper.

Sift together the flour, cacao and bicarb. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together.

Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour batter into the cake tin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Hot tips:

This recipe is easy to double and bake in a lamington tin if you need to feed a crowd. It also freezes really well, so make it in advance if you are pressed for time.

This cake is not very sweet because that’s how we like our cakes! If you want it to be a bit sweeter, add 1/4 cup more sugar or don’t even worry if you are going to add a sweet icing.

We just usually top it with double cream (choose one without additives) and fresh fruit but if you need a healthy icing, check out these ideas.

Let me know if you make my Healthy Chocolate Birthday Cake! I love hearing from you. 🙂

Cheese and Spinach Rice Cakes

January 29, 2018 · 4 Comments

You know when you find something yummy and cook it so many times that everybody ends up hating it?

Yeah, that.

These rice cakes were on high rotation in my kitchen about five years ago until there was a protest! But they have made a reappearance and everyone is enjoying them again. I just have to pace myself now and not make them too often!

They are delicious hot or cold and make a very budget-friendly dinner with some salad or are great for lunch boxes too.

Whip them up when you have some leftover rice so it doesn’t go to waste. You can also throw in any leftover cooked vegetables or meat.

Cheese and Spinach Rice Cakes

Vital Stats: gluten free, nut free, vegetarian

This is what you need:

4 cups cooked brown rice

2 green shallots, finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

1 cup finely shredded baby spinach

100g tasty cheese, grated

50g parmesan cheese, grated

2 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1 small garlic clove, crushed

Herbamare (or salt) and pepper to taste

This is how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 180ºC and line a 12 cup muffin tray with some non-toxic muffin papers.

Whisk together the eggs and cream in a large bowl.

Add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Scoop into the muffin papers and press down slightly.

Sprinkle with more cheese if you like.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm and golden brown.

TIPS:

I have used the If You Care baking paper and cups for years now – nothing ever sticks and they are compostable and non-toxic.

Add whatever you like to the basic egg, rice and cream mixture. Some things that are also tasty in these rice cakes are: feta, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, zucchini, char-grilled capsicum, chives, mushrooms and salami.

I always soak rice before I cook it, just to make it easier to digest and kinder on our tummies.

Use pure cream that doesn’t have any artificial fillers or thickeners.

My Chicken and Spinach Fritters are also brilliant cold in lunch boxes.

If you make my Cheese and Spinach Rice Cakes, let me know what the family thinks and upload a photo to my socials.

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

July 28, 2014 · 20 Comments

I have been hankering for something delicious and lemony!

Combined with some yoghurt that needed to be used and inspired by this recipe, I baked a lemon yoghurt cake.

It is dense, moist and very zingy. I really like it and so did the kids!

If you are familiar with orange almond cake, the texture is a bit similar even though it’s made differently.

If you can’t get fine polenta, just process regular polenta a little first in the food processor so your cake isn’t too ‘crunchy’!

If you are dairy free, you can try it with coconut yoghurt and coconut oil, but I can’t make any guarantees.

As usual, I love feedback, so let me know if you make it and how you go. Send me a photo on Facebook!

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

Vital Stats: Gluten free, Refined sugar free

Okay, so this is what you need:

1 1/2 cups organic almonds (or almond meal)

1/2 cup fine organic polenta

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda

3 organic eggs

Juice and zest of one organic lemon

3/4 cup organic coconut or rapadura sugar

125g organic butter, cubed and softened

3/4 cup organic greek yoghurt

Okay, this is how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 170° celsius and line a round, deep cake tin with non-toxic baking paper.

Thermomix:

Whack the almonds in thermy and blitz speed 7 for 10-15 seconds to make almond meal.

Throw in the rest of your ingredients and mix, speed 5 for 20-30 seconds until all ingredients are well combined and the batter looks smooth.

Fling into the cake tin and into the oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Cool on a wire rack and use a serrated knife to cut. It can be eaten slightly warm.

Non-thermomix:

Use almond meal and process all ingredients in a food processor until combined.

HOT TIP: This is delicious served with cream, custard or more yoghurt. If you can’t get fine polenta, give it a whizz in the thermomix or food processor before you start.

Want more lemon recipes ??

10 Zesty Lemon Recipes

Carrot Cake (but it’s a slice)

March 10, 2014 · 40 Comments

I had a heap of organic baby carrots in my crisper, so I thought it would be a perfect time to make a carrot cake. Except it sort of turned into a slice! It’s so much easier to pack into lunch boxes when cake is cooked in a slice tin.

This recipe at the Paleo Mom inspired me to use tapioca flour with the coconut flour instead of just coconut flour like I usually do. I must say I do like the texture and mouth feel it gives. So if you are not keen on coconut flour, try it with the tapioca. Our co-op gets an organic tapioca flour from Organic Road.

I hope you love it.

Carrot Cake (but it’s a slice)

Vital Stats: Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Thermomix

Okay, so this is what you need:

150g (1 cup) organic carrot

5 organic eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tspns organic cinnamon

1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey/rice malt syrup)

1/4 cup organic sultanas

1/4 cup organic walnuts (optional, leave out if you need nut free)

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Put the oven on medium – 180ºc.

Peel your carrots, roughly chop and whack into the thermomix.

Blitz on speed 5 for 4 seconds.

Scrape down and add in all the other ingredients except the sultanas and walnuts.

Whizz on speed 5 for five seconds. Scrape down. Add the sultanas and walnuts.

Mix on reverse, speed 4 for 5 seconds.

Whack it all into a baking paper lined slice tray.

Bung it in the oven 25-30 minutes or until cooked.

Cool on a wire rack and slice into squares to serve.

You might like to try some of these icing recipes or just spread with a nice smear of organic butter.

If you don’t have a thermomix: Grate the carrots, whisk the eggs and then mix all ingredients together gently in a large bowl.

HOT TIP: You may like to double the maple syrup. My kids thought it wasn’t sweet enough, but I thought it was!

10 Healthy Pancake Recipes

March 4, 2014 · 13 Comments

As a salute to Shrove Tuesday, I have rounded up the most amazing pancake recipes for you today! Enjoy these healthy alternatives from foodie bloggers.

Green Pancakes. So good! Made with spinach – the kids will never know.

Sunday Morning Pancakes from Alisha at Naughty Naturopath Mum. Grain free and dairy free.

Quick and Easy Pancakes – Three Ways from Quirky Cooking. There are options for every allergy here!

Powerhouse Coconut Pancakes by Alexx Stuart. Grain free, gluten free and nut free.

Spelt and Buckwheat Pancakes by Brenda Janschek. Wheat free and nutrient rich.

Chocolate Coconut Pancakes from Iwa at Additive Free Bites.

Oat and Apple Pancakes from Jude Blereau at Whole Food Cooking.

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes with Salted Caramel Walnuts by Meg at My Wholefood Romance.

Banana Bread Pancakes from Sarah at My New Roots.

Vegan Savoury Chickpea Pancakes from Angela at Oh She Glows.

Do you have an awesome pancake recipes? Share it with us!

Rich Chocolate Cake

August 21, 2013 · 22 Comments

I was so proud of my girl (age 12) for making this cake all by herself. She found a recipe, adapted it, thermified it, Aussified it, cooked it, iced and decorated it when I was out one day. I came home to chocolate cake heaven.

When I tasted it, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was! So moist, so chocolately! Then I found out the recipe had ….(wait for it)……10 eggs!!

Okaaaaaay. A special occasion cake or a cake for people with lots of chooks. But when I mentioned it on Facebook, you were all keen for the recipe, so here it is. Inspired by this one at Elena’s Pantry.

The Natural New Age Girl’s Rich Chocolate Cake.

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, nut free, vegetarian, naturally sweetened

Okay, so this is what you need:

10 organic, free range eggs

1 cup virgin, organic coconut oil

1 1/2 cups organic honey (or use maple syrup)

3/4 cup organic coconut flour

1/4 cup organic cacao powder

1 teaspoon pink himalayan salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 160° celsius.

In your thermomix (speed7, 20 seconds) or food processor or by hand, whizz the eggs, oil (melted), honey and vanilla essence.

Using a sifter over the top of the thermomix or bowl, whack in the dry ingredients.

Mix together (thermomix reverse speed 5, 30 seconds) until well combined.

Pour into a large, deep, round cake tin, about 23cm diameter. I always line them with the If You Care baking paper.

Bake for 60-80 minutes or until the middle is firm.

You can also cook in two cake tins and reduce cooking time to about 40 minutes.

Leave in the pan to cool.

Icing:

My clever girl used a tub of cream cheese (don’t get the low fat ones, they have yucky fillers), honey and cacao powder. In quantities ’till it tasted good’ she tells me! Check out my other healthy icing ideas.

Decorate with fresh strawberries and enjoy!

Do your kids bake cakes?

Raw Chocolate Banana Mousse Cake

May 24, 2013 · 116 Comments

Like Chocolate for Women. 53 Shades of Chocolate.

Are they not the best book titles ever ? These ladies are geniuses I tell you.

Well hold onto your undies, because I am giving away both books and sharing some chocolate love with you.

Wayhay!!

Many thanks to the lovely Kim Morrison for sharing. I can’t tell you how much this lady inspires me.

From when I first read Like Chocolate for Women (many years ago now), to signing on as her affiliate partner and watching her fabulous life unfold on my Facebook feed, this lady encourages me to do better every single day. Now, let me tell you about both books before we get onto the recipe.

♥ Like Chocolate for Women is the ultimate self-care bible. Written by Kim and the gorgeous Fleur Whelligan, this book takes you on a journey of self- love. From beautiful aromatherapy rituals to healthy recipes to learning how to drop the guilt and pamper yourself, these ladies have it all covered. It feels like two best friends guiding you gently to a better life. I refer to it often and my copy is looking well-loved now. You can get it online from Kim here.

♥ 53 Shades of Chocolate is a chocolate lover’s dream come true. 53 healthy chocolate recipes! What is not to love? This book is available for immediate download and it’s cheaper than a box of chocolates! Written by Kim with the gorgeous Cyndi O’Meara (nutritionist at Changing Habits), it starts at breakfast and goes through to drinks, slices, cakes, desserts, biscuits and dips. It includes raw, gluten-free, dairy-free and thermomix-friendly recipes. You can get it online from Kim here.

Okay, now that I have told you how good they are, you can test it out yourself with this amazing recipe. It seems wrong that something so good can be healthy, but that is where the genius factor comes in!

Raw Chocolate Banana Mousse Cake

by Kim Morrison and Cyndi O’Meara from 53 Shades of Chocolate.

Okay, so this is what you need:

Base:

1 cup soaked almonds (soak for 2 hours in water, then drain)

½ cup pitted dates

1 Tbsp Changing Habits Coconut Oil

¼ tsp Himalayan (or sea) salt

Middle Layer:

4-5 bananas

4-5 tablespoons Changing Habits Coconut Oil

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

2 tsp vanilla essence or 1 vanilla pod, scraped

Top Layer:

2 avocados

2 bananas

¼ tsp Himalayan (or sea) salt

3 Tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp raw honey

2 cacao wafers

Okay so this is how you do it:

1. Place all base ingredients into TM on speed 10 for 5 seconds.

2. In a spring form round tin, press the mix into the base firmly and evenly.

3. Wipe out the TM and add all the ingredients for the middle layer. Blend on speed 8 for 10 seconds until smooth.

4. Pour this mixture into cake tin and spread evenly. Place tin in freezer to set the layer.

6. Meanwhile add the top layer ingredients into the TM and blend on speed 8 for 10 seconds until smooth.

7. Add this mixture to the tin and smooth to create a nice clean and even surface.

8. Garnish with some fresh fruit or berries.

9. Pop back into the freezer and leave to set for a couple of hours. This will make it easier to slice and serve.

If you don’t have a thermomix, your food processor and blender can be used in place of the thermomix.

Giveaway:

** This giveaway has now closed. The winner is Sandra. Congratulations!!**

If you would like to win a copy of Like Chocolate for Women and 53 Shades of Chocolate all you need to do is:

♥ Be a blog subscriber (add your email to the top right hand box)

♥ Visit Kim’s online shop here and have a browse

♥ Leave a comment on this blog post, telling me what other product from Like Chocolate for Women catches your eye

Terms:

This giveaway runs from now until Wednesday the 29th of May at midnight (AEST). The winner will be drawn using random.org, emailed and announced on this blog post from those meeting the entry requirements. Sorry, only available to those with an Australian address.

Good luck everyone!

Enjoy the cake and please let me know if you try it and what you think.

Anyone else a chocolate tragic like me?

In case you didn’t realize, this post contains links to my awesome affiliates! 🙂

The cupcake of death.

March 25, 2013 · 83 Comments

Okay, so ‘the cupcake of death’ may be a little sensationalist for a blog title, but that is what I have been calling these little suckers.

This is the story of ‘the cupcake of death’.

When I am not blogging, I also work in a kitchen store. I am the ‘window dresser’ – that’s the title I give myself. I love doing it. Often I use props like apples, lemons and ….. cupcakes.

We sourced these cupcakes from our local Coles supermarket, which is conveniently located near us. They were from the bakery section.

These cupcakes have been in our display window, under hot lights for 8 hours a day, unpackaged.

Guess how long they have been there now?

9 weeks, people, 9 whole weeks!

They are still perfect looking (apart from a little dust) and just a tiny bit hard.

Not one bit of mould to be seen. Not one bit of deterioration.

It scares me.

Now do you see why I call them evil? They are ‘the cupcake of death’.

I brought them home to photograph for you. I had used them for so long in the windows it was time for a change.

The kids thought I had gone bonkers when they saw store-bought cupcakes!

My gorgeous friend Wende actually makes cupcakes as her job running Design-A-Cupcake Party. She uses good old-fashioned butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, milk and eggs. I asked her how long her cupcakes would last without going mouldy.

She says “I once popped 6 cupcakes into a Tupperware container and a week and a half later remembered them. … they were hairy”.

I have had banana muffins, kept in the pantry, riddled with mould within three days.

Real food goes off.

I don’t have the original package anymore to tell you what the ingredients are, but I am betting there is a heck of a lot of preservatives and artifical stuff in there.

So, what’s the moral of my ‘cupcake of death’ story? I think it’s – ‘don’t eat fake food, eat real food.’

What do you think?

Six Healthy Birthday Cakes

March 4, 2013 · 56 Comments

Six Healthy Birthday Cakes

The cake is always the star of a birthday party, especially for kids!

Making a home-made cake means you can control what’s in it, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg and has the special ingredient – mum love! ♥

Check out these six fabulous ideas for healthier birthday cakes. I personally think they are yummier than the sweet, sickly rich cakes.

If you want a bigger cake, double the recipe and stack two on top of each other or bake in a large rectangular pan.

I also have some healthy icing and decoration options for you.

Healthy Chocolate Birthday Cake (aka Sonia’s Chocolate Yoghurt Cake)

Easy Healthy Cake by Georgia at Well Nourished

Strawberry Cake by Tash at Fur Kids and Food.

Chocolate and Beetroot Birthday Cake by Jude Blereau at Whole Food Cooking

Gluten-Free Thyme and Lemon Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting by Kelly Gibney

Grain, dairy and refined sugar free birthday cake by Urban Poser

Fresh Fruit Watermelon Cake by Apron Strings

You might also like to try my Rich Chocolate Cake, Banana Breads, Coconut Hummingbird Cake or the Crio Bru Chocolate Fruit Cake.

Can you tell I love cake?

♥ Healthier Icing

Icing or frosting usually is a heap of icing sugar! Tasty but not so healthy! Here are some other options that still taste great but are a bit healthier.

Gooey Chocolate Icing

Raw Chocolate Glaze

Coconut Cream Whip

Paleo Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Cream cheese with honey

Fresh organic cream

Marscapone cheese mixed with pureed berries and honey to taste

Avoid food colouring if you can – that’s where all the nasty additives hide. Source some natural food colourings like Hoppers just make your own natural food colourings.

To make an easy chocolate icing, add a couple of spoons of raw cacao, Superfoods for Kidz Berry Choc Chunk powder or melted dark chocolate and mix with cream, cream cheese or whipped coconut cream.

♥ Healthier Cake Decorations

Fresh fruit is always a winner. Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

Hoppers make a range of natural sprinkles that are free from artificial colours and flavours

Chopped nuts

Fresh flowers

Bliss balls

Natural Confectionery Company lollies (still sugar but there is no artifical stuff)

Organic Times Gems (a healthier Smartie)

You can also decorate with non-edible items like toys (just take them off before you eat!). A couple of my kid’s favourite cakes have been a dolly varden, a cake with Bob the Builder toy and bulldozer and a cake with a Steve Irwin doll, plastic trees and a few Natural Confectionery Company crocodiles!

Sparklers are not so great as the metal flakes they give off are not safe to ingest. If you want to use birthday candles, beeswax are the safest option.

I would love to hear your ideas and tips for making a healthier birthday cake. You can upload your photos to my Facebook Page, Natural New Age Mum.

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Coconut Hummingbird Cake – Thermomix

February 6, 2013 · 24 Comments

This gorgeous recipe popped up on my Facebook newsfeed before Christmas and I just had to make it. Hummingbird cake is one of my all time favourites and until now, I had never seen a grain-free, gluten-free recipe for it.

This Coconut Hummingbird Cake recipe is the brainchild of the amazing Allison at Frisky Lemon Nutrition. Check out her webpage and facebook. I tweaked it a little and Australiafied and thermomixified it. (They are so real words!)

Allison decorated hers with a lovely cream cheese frosting and pecans, but this was all eaten before I even got the chance to get that far! I think it would be lovely with some coconut cream frosting. It is truly delicious and one of our family’s firm favourites. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Coconut Hummingbird Cake

Vital Stats: Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Okay, this is what you need:

3/4 cup coconut flour

1 tablespoon organic cinnamon (I use Planet Organic brand)

1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon of bicarb soda

10 sulphur-free dates

1 tablespoon organic apple juice concentrate (AJC)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup organic,virgin coconut oil

6 organic eggs

2 ripe organic bananas

1 can of Ceres organic pineapple *

1 cup organic walnuts (or pecans)

3 tablespoons filtered water

Okay, so this is how you do it:

* Set your oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a deep, round cake tin with baking paper.

* Chop the nuts in the thermomix, speed 5 for 2-3 seconds. Set aside.

* Chuck the dates in the thermomix with 3 tablespoons of filtered water. Cook for 2 mins on 100 degrees, speed 1. Whizz on speed 8-9 to make a paste. Cool in the thermy.

* Fling in the AJC, chopped bananas, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, drained and chopped pineapple and whizz on speed 4 until well combined and pineapple is crushed- about 10 to 20 seconds.

* Whack into the thermomix the flour, bicarb soda, nuts and salt. On REVERSE, mix on speed 3 for 20 seconds until thoroughly combined.

* Pour into cake tin. Bung it into the oven and cook for 45 mins to one hour or until set. Cool on a wire cake rack.

For non-thermomix instructions, please refer to Allison’s recipe here. I hope you love this Coconut Hummingbird Cake!!

Are you a fan of hummingbird cake?

*I found these canned Organic Pineapple Chunks in a BPA free can. I keep a couple in the pantry for recipes.