Baking wunderkind

From the first time that I stumbled across Zainab and her creations, I was instantly in foodie love.  Apart from her photography skills, this girl can bake!  
Her creations are as delicious as they are beautiful and they inspire me to get my oven mitts out and get to it!

But baked treats aside, I was also intrigued. 
Who is the girl who makes all these elaborate and delightful goodies?
There's was only one way to find out and that was to ask her.
In today's blog post, I interview Zainab, the brains behind the recipes, the eye behind the lens, a true baking wonderkind!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm a 16 year old vegan girl from Sydney, Australia who's in love with baking and photography. I started baking when I was 7-ish and discovered photography soon after I started my food blog (la gallette). I come from a Persian-Iraqi background I can can speak both Persian and Arabic (but not fluently)! I'm your total nerd! Maths is my drug of choice and I'm obsessed with it (weird I know!). I'm quite a shy person but once you get to know me, I'm all sorts of crazy!

What is your eating philosophy?

I believe in eating enjoyable healthy, nutritious foods, feeding your body what it needs but still maintaining a balance. Finding the balance is the key.

When and why did you decide to start eating this way? 

It's actually quite a long story, but I'll try to fast forward it up a bit...

I was never the healthy type. I was overweight when I was about 10 and I decided to go on a diet, the only thing is that I had no idea what I was doing. It was bad, I would eat half an apple a day for a period of 3 months. I was deteriorating, I became nauseous and tired. My body was giving up on me but I lost a total of 25kg. I went from overweight to underweight. I had a hard time with food, I viewed it as the enemy and shortly after I developed a bad relationship with food. I became bulimic and had body-image issues.  Eventually, I recovered and discovered the real meaning of health and healthy eating.

Have you noticed any difference since changing your eating philosophy (if any)?

I've become happier and healthier. Ever since I've opted for a vegan diet, I've noticed a jump in my step!

Have you met any barriers to eating this way, if so, how did you overcome them?

There aren't many barriers but the thing that slowed me down was definitely what others think. Being a vegan, of course caused some negative attention from friends and family but I overcame that.

What is your favourite dish to make?

Ooh, that's hard! But I'm going to have to go with a classic chocolate cake. I can't help myself when it comes to these babes!

What ingredients are a must-have for your fridge/pantry?

I have to have the vegan-baking essentials, like: 
Dates, coconut oil, brown sugar, oats, quinoa, almonds, green tea, bananas, chia seeds, natural peanut butter and a whole lot of fresh fruit and vegetables!

Juices or smoothies? What do you prefer and what combination?

Smoothies, for sure! Banana, pineapple, coconut with a bit of lime zest is my all time favourite. 

Sweet or savoury?

SWEET! Gimme all the sweet stuff in the world!

Can you share a fave recipe with us?

I have way too much favourite recipes, but I’m currently loving these triple coconut drizzle slices, they're really easy to make as well:

Ingredients

Coconut cake:
5 tbsp coconut oil, melted 
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar (or any other natural sugar)
400ml coconut milk
1 cup white spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract

Drizzle:
1 tbsp almond milk
1/2 cup icing sugar
chopped hazelnuts, pistachios and almond

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a square baking tin with grease proof paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until combined and pour into the prepared tin, smoothing the batter all the way out to the sides. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden. Cook before icing and sprinkling with chopped nuts of your choice.

If you could give someone new to this lifestyle a piece of advice, what would it be?

Treat your body with love, don't neglect it, feed it with nutritious fuel and most of all, don't give up! You deserve the best.


So there you have it, the gorgeous girl behind the lens and the oven mitts!
Please head over to Zainab's blog, La Gallette, apart from being a feast for the eyes, there's also a ton of delicious recipes that'll keep you busy.  
You can also find Zainab on Instagram: @lagalette 

Thanks Zainab for being so lovely in sharing your time and your recipes, you are a beautiful soul & I can't wait to try more of your yummies!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

*All images provided by Zainab Alasadi and used with her permission

Anzac Biscuits with Homemade Nutella

My husband loves biscuits, and Anzac biscuits are one of his fave all time biscuit.  So I set out to make some vegan friendly Anzac cookies that still tasted good, with the right amount of crunch.

For those of you who are wondering what Anzac is, it's actually a public holiday for us Aussies, to commemorate and remember those who have died in military operations.

The Anzac biscuit was originally called 'soldier's biscuit' and it came about from family who were wanting to send their loved ones supplies that would last without refrigeration, withstand the travel and also pack a nutrient punch.  Enter the Anzac biscuit.

Here's an old recipe that I found and which I've adjusted to make it vegan.

Anzac Biscuits

Makes 16

Ingredients

2 cups of organic wholegrain oats

1 cup of organic spelt flour

2/3 cup organic panela (you could also use caster sugar)

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

1/3 cup golden syrup

125 g of organic coconut oil

1 tsp bicarb soda

2 TBS hot water

Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celcius.  

Place the oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl and mix well to combine.  Place the golden syrup and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat until melted.  

Combine the bicarb and water together and add to the coconut and golden syrup mixture.  It will bubble, just keep stirring it and then pour it over your oat and flour mixture and mix well to combine.

The mixture will be crumbly and won't stick together completely, don't fret, this is fine!

Place one tablespoon of the mixture onto lined baking trays and flatten to make rounds.  Make sure you leave some room between biscuits for spreading.  

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Take them out and leave to completely cool before you lift them off otherwise they will fall apart.

Be patient, the crunchy biscuit that you end up with will be worth it!

Now you can eat them as is, crumbled over ice cream, or stuffed with some delicious homemade nutella!

Homemade Nutella

Makes approx. 370 mls

Ingredients

150 g of raw hazelnuts

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 TBS raw cacao powder

4 TBS raw coconut nectar (or maple syrup)

1/8 tsp of Himalayan pink salt

1 TBS EV coconut oil

1/2 cup almond milk*

Method

Place the nuts in a food processor and process until they begin to form a paste.  This will take a while, and you will need to scrape down the sides intermittently.  I found that I had to stop and start as the motor was heating up!

Once it's start to form a paste and you can see that the oils are starting to get released, add the coconut oil and continue processing until it starts getting smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process a little bit more, until it's all creamy and spreadable.  You can stop here or do what I did which is added it all to my vitamix and blended it on high for about 30 seconds.
This gives it a really smooth and creamy texture, more than what I got when I did it with just the food processor alone.

Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you start spreading.

The colour of the nutella will darken if left exposed to the light/air.

I keep mine in a glass container with a tight fitting lid.

*I used store bought almond milk because it has a milder flavour than homemade as I didn't want the delicate hazelnut flavour to be over powered but choice is yours.

Hope you enjoy the recipe and please let me know if you try it.

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

chocolate brownies

Here's a plant based version of that delicious chocolate treat that a lot of people love, the chocolate brownie.
I've made this before, but I decided to revise the recipe and try to improve it.  
So here it is, I think it's a good version. It's gluten free, totally plant based, and uses a secret ingredient which you will never guess by tasting it.
It also produces a fudgey and chocolatey treat that you don't feel completely guilty eating.
So, give it a go and let me know what you think.

Chocolate Brownie
Makes 10

Ingredients


1 400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 TBS flaxmeal
6 TBS warm water
3 TBS coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)
3/4 cup raw cacao powder (or good quality cocoa)
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut sugar* (you could also use brown sugar)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
toppings of choice, I used walnuts, flaked almonds & dairy free chocolate chips.

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
Lightly grease a 12 capacity muffin pan & set aside, I only got enough for 10!
Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in a small bowlthen let rest for a few minutes.
After about 5 minutes, add all ingredients except for toppings, to a food processor and puree until really smooth.  You will need to scrape down the sides a couple of times to make sure all ingredients get incorporated.
If the batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of water and pulse again. The batter needs to be thick, think mousse consistency.
Place about 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin tin and smooth the tops.
Sprinkle on your toppings and place in the oven for about 25 minutes, no more!
Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan. 
Be gentle when taking them out as they may still be a little soft. 
I found them to be fudgey which i love, so hope you like it too.
They keep well in an airtight container for up to a few days. Refrigerate to keep longer.
You could also warm them up a little and serve them with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, vegan of course!

*You may need to adjust the sweetness, this amount of coconut sugar was enough for me, but for some it may not be enough. I suggest adding either more coconut sugar, or 1/4 cup more of brown sugar.  You could also try using stevia powder if you're trying to watch your caloric intake, although I don't know how this would make the end texture as I haven't tried it myself.  Another option would be to use brown sugar, and then possible add just a TBS of stevia.  Good luck!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

New Beginnings

It feels like such a long time, even though it's only been just over a month.  I have to say, i've been feeling a little bit less motivated to do the blog, not because I don't enjoy it, it just takes forever to write up all the recipes.  For this reason, I've decided to change the structure a bit.  After this post, I will be posting recipes on a more regular basis.  

This will mean shorter posts but you will get the recipes sooner rather than waiting for me to get my ass into gear.

So much has happened since I last posted.  We sold our little home, we're in the process of moving to another (temporary) little home, which I've nicknamed the smurf house because it's tinie tiny, has blue windows and doors and a little picket fence.  Really reminds me of something out of the smurf village.  If you grew up in the 80's or were are raver at some stage in your life (i am/was both), you will know what I'm talking about.  

I always did want to live in those little mushrooms.....but I digress.  

Ok, so June was full on, but not full on enough to stop making delicious meals!

Here are some recipes that I hope you like.  Some are raw, some are cooked, some are a mixture.  Try what you like, experiment, and let me know how you go.  Been loving everyone's creations of the meals on IG, so awesome.  There's so many recipes so I will post some of the ones that I think people will like.  If you see a recipe on IG that isn't here and you want the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 frozen bananas

1 cup cooked pumpkin 

1/8 tsp ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Method

Blend in high powered blender until ice cream consistency.

I had this for breakfast with some fresh fruit and activated buckinis.

Pumpkin Pie Granola with Goji

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup GF oats (or regular if you're eating gluten)

1 TBS pumpkin puree

1 TBS rice malt syrup

1 TBS maple syrup

1 TBS water

2 TBS goji berries

2 TBS pumpkin seeds

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.  Place the syrups, coconut oil, water, pumpkin puree and cinnamon in a small saucepan and heat until combined and coconut oil is melted.

Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.

Place mixture on a tray lined with baking paper and place in over for about 10 minutes.  Turn oven off and let it cool in the oven.

Serve with your favourite milk or on top of ice cream.

Cherry Ripe Ice Cream

Serves 1

Ingredients

3 frozen bananas

1/4 cup of frozen cherries + a couple extra

1 TBS shredded coconut + 1 tsp

Raw chocolate(recipe here)

Method

Blend the bananas in a blender until it forms ice cream consistency.  Add some of the cherries and pulse.  Do this until you get the desired mixture.  I like to leave a few chunky and be able to see a swirl of colour.

Once done, stir through the coconut.

Top with extra cherries, melted raw chocolate (it will harden like ice magic!) and coconut.

Banana & Strawberry Ice Cream Parfait

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 frozen bananas + 1 extra

1/2 punnet of strawberries + 2 extra 

1/4 cup activated buckinis

cashew cream (recipe here)

goji (optional)

Method

Place bananas and strawberries in blender and process until it looks like ice cream. 

Layer with fresh banana, strawberries and activated buckinis. 

Add some cashew cream on top and a sprinkle of goji or any other little deliciousness you want.

The following recipe calls for horchata.  I fell in love with horchata on my trip to the states last year.  As I love everything cinnamon, this was totally up my alley.

Basically, it's a drink made from almonds and rice, and flavoured with cinnamon.  It's deliciously served cold and is very refreshing.  It originated in Spain but is very popular in Mexico, to the point that it's basically recognised as one of their national drinks.  Apart from tequila that is!

I made my version using brown rice but you can use white rice if that's all you have.  I don't recommend using basmati rice as this is quite strong in flavour.

Horchata

Makes 1 L

Ingredients

2/3 cup brown rice

1 1/4 cup blanched almonds

1 cinnamon stick

4 1/2 cups of water

4 medjool dates, seeds removed

Method

Place all ingredients in a jar and leave in the fridge over night for the flavours to develop.

The next day, place all the contents of the jar in a powerful blender and blend until it's as smooth as it's going to get (there will still be some grit).  Adjust sweetness by adding some more dates if required, or sweetener of choice.

Strain through a milk bag (or clean stocking) and place contents into a container.  Keeps in the fridge with a tight fitting lid for about 3 days.  Serve cold.

Horchata Chia Pudding Parfait with Papaya, Caramel Pears & Cinnamon Buckinis

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup of horchata

3 TBS chia seeds

1/2 cup pear cubes

1/2 cup papaya cubes

1 tsp of mesquite powder

2 TBS activated buckinis

3/4tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Make your chia pudding by mixing the chia seeds and horchata in a jar with a tight fitting lid and placing it in the fridge.  Leave for 30 minutes or overnight if possible.

Place the pear in a bowl, sprinkle wit mesquite powder and stir until all the cubes are coated.  Set aside.

Mix the buckinis and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon and set aside.

One your pudding is set, you can build your parfait.

I put the papaya on the bottom, added 1 TBS of the buckinis, added the chia on top, pears, chia, papaya, more buckinis and the left over cinnamon.

Vanilla Pudding with Spiced Quince

Serves 2 (pudding) 2 cups (quince)

Ingredients

Pudding

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)

3 TBS of maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Spiced Quince

2 medium sized quinces

2 cups of water

1 stick of cinnamon

10 whole cloves

1 star anise

5 pepper corns

1 piece of lemon peel

2 TBS of sweetener of choice (i used coconut sugar)

Method

Pudding

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid, shake it well to combine and leave to set in fridge over night or for at least 30 minutes.

Once ready, blend until smooth and fluffy, adjust sweetness if required.

Spiced Quince

Place spices, lemon and water in a heavy based saucepan.  Bring to a gentle boil.

Add the quince as soon as you peel and cut them into wedges, to prevent from discolouring.  Don't worry about removing the seeds, this is what gives it the red colour you see.

Cook on a soft boil with lid off until they are soft and the liquid has reduced to make a bit of a syrup.  It won't be as syrupy as if you used sugar, but you can take the lid off and reduce it that way.

Stir in the sweetener and adjust to taste.  Place in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  Should keep for about a week or a little bit more.

To make the dessert, just spoon pudding into desire glasses and top with quince wedges and a little bit of the syrup.

Banana Peanut Butter Loaf with Choc Chips

Makes 1 loaf (about 8 slices)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup gluten free oats ground to flour

3 small ripe bananas + 1 extra

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tsp gf baking powder

1/2 cup dairy free choc chips + 1 TBS extra

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a loaf tin with baking paper.  Set aside.

Blend bananas, peanut butter, sugar & baking powder together, than add flour and mix until smooth (or throw it in the blender). Add some water if too thick, I added about 1/2 cup. It was still very thick but it produces a beautiful dense loaf. 

Stir in 1/2 cup of vegan/dairy free choc chips to the batter and put in baking tin. Top with the extra banana and choc chips. 

Bake in moderate oven for 45-50 minutes. I started checking it after 40 mins, remember all ovens are different.

I served mine with some blueberry and chia jam.

Matcha Ice Cream Cookies

Makes 2

Ingredients

Ice Cream

4 frozen bananas

1 tsp matcha green tea powder*(or more to taste)

Cookie

6 dried figs

6 medjool dates

1/3 cup shredded coconut

Method

Process cookie ingredients until it resembles fine crumbs and mixture can hold together. Spread on to a flat surface covered with baking paper. You want it about 1 cm in thickness. If you don't have enough, just make some more.

Place in freezer to harden whilst you make the ice cream.

Place bananas into the blender and process until resembles soft serve. Add powder, adjust to suit taste. Place in a bowl and stick it in the freezer.

Get your cookie base out, cut it into circles using cookie cutters. Top with ice cream, and then another cookie.

Roll them in whatever you want or leave them as is. I rolled them in buckinis for some added crunch.

Ok, enough of the sweetness!! NO never enough!  But seriously, let's get our savoury ON.

Spanish Cauliflower Rice

Serves 2

Ingredients

Rice

500g cauliflower florets

1/3 cup red capsicum diced

1/4 cup coriander chopped

1/3 cup celery diced

1/3 cup zucchini diced

1 tomato diced

4 olives, pitted and sliced

Dressing

Flesh of 1 medium avocado

1 lime juiced

1 TBS fresh basil

1 TBS paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1 garlic clove

Method

Rice

Place cauliflower in food processor and pulse until it resembles rice grains.  Place in large bowl and toss through the rest of the ingredients.

Dressing

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Add to cauliflower mixture, stir through to mix and serve.

I've also been making lots of simple but delicious meals so here are some that take little to no time to prepare.  Just using fresh ingredients and minimal fuss.  No extensive recipes required.

Just grate/chop your fave veggies and serve with quinoa and a tahini/lemon dressing

Cos lettuce wraps filled with mango, kiwi, capsicum and celery

Vietnamese noodle salad:  sliced cucumber, mushrooms, bean sprouts, herbs and other veggies with rice noodles, almonds and a lime/tamari dressing.

simple lunch: rocket with strawbs, capsicum, avocado, zucchini & sundried tomatoes.  Drizzled with coconut vinegar and dates for dessert!

Kale, broccoli & raspberry salad with coconut vinegar and a side of beet, parsnip and sweet potato chips

Lettuce sushi:  iceberg lettuce filled with my mango, enoki, tomato and avocado

Radicchio boats filled with mango, strawbs, spinach, avocado and macadamia nuts

Snake beans with roast pumpkin, kale, crunchy asian slaw and topped with homemade cucumber pickles

There you have it friends, hope you like and please, if you want any more detail regarding how to make any of the above dishes, please contact me.

Now with July here, I'm putting myself through a fitness challenge.  My aim is to build some lean muscle, get strong and increase my stamina.  Have  you set any goals?  If you have, good luck achieving them and remember, where the mind goes, the body will follow.  So, think positive and go out and kick some ass (in the nicest possible way)!

Peas, love and mungbeans

xxb

bake-a-thon, thon thon thon thon!!!

I wanted to post something before the end of the year, but the craziness of the silly season really did not let up!!
So, here's last year's post!

I thought I'd dedicate the last post of 2012 to cakes.  Yes, you know it, those delicious treats made of flour, sugar and what ever ingredients you want to throw at em'.
No secret, I love to bake.  But what I love the most is watching people eat and love the cakes I bake.  Nothing beats it.
Of course, there have been times when my creations have not warranted eating them at all.  
I clearly remember making a chocolate polenta cake a few years ago when I first gave veganism a try (albeit a dismal attempt).  Both my partner and sister politely told me it was nice, but, the dry retching sound could not be mistaken.  However, that did not quell my enthusiasm nor did it kill the little hungry beast in me that requires cake.  And the yummiest of all, vegan cakes :)

So here are two recipes that you can NOT live without.  I repeat, can NOT live without.
If you like making cakes, specially vegan cakes,then the following recipes are for you.
Fail proof, fool proof and best of all, don't contain all the artery clogging ingredients that conventional cakes do.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you would it cake everyday.  Ok, well, every second day then......

First out of the oven is chocolate cake.  Everyone loves chocolate cake.  But it's gotta be chocolatey, it's gotta be moist and it's gotta be finger licking delicious!
I have never had anything but oohs, ahhs, and nom nom noms from this cake.
It also got the seal of approval from my children's school friends and my fussy other half, who LOVES chocolate cake.  
I have also made this for my co-workers and none of them realised it was vegan.  Seriously.  It's that good.
I have posted this recipe before but I'll post it again for all y'all.
You won't need another recipe ever again. Promise.

Chocolate Cake
Serves 16

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP coffee granules
1 cup warm water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Line a cake tin of your choice with baking paper and set aside.  I use square for easier cutting into portions but round is good also.
Mix together flour, sugar, cacao, baking soda and sea salt.  Make sure all the ingredients are incorporated before you add the wet ingredients.
Place coffee granules in cup of water and stir to dissolve, add this, along with the rest of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until you get a smooth batter.
I use my kitchenaid for this and it does a great job.
Place batter into prepared cake tin and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Now this next step is important.  
Let the cake cool in the tin for about 20 minutes, then let it cool completely before cutting or icing.
Yes, it will be hard, you can put it in the fridge if you want to speed things up.
You can cut it straight away but it may crumb and not cut cleanly.  

uh huh, yep, delicious.

I love to eat this cake just as it is, but if you want to dress it up with a chocolate glaze, you can't go past this one.

Chocolate Glaze

Enough for one cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

4 tbsp margarine (i used nuttelex)

2 tbsp soy milk

2 tbsp raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

in a small saucepan, bring sugar, margarine, milk, and cacao to a boil. Stir frequently; then reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir for another minute or so.

Add vanilla, stir, and immediately pour onto cake. Glaze dries really quickly, so spread it immediately and add any sprinkles now. 

If you're going to add fruit, wait until it cools or else they will just slide off.

Again, I recommend you let the icing cool before you cut it otherwise it will be a sticky mess!

You could also make some chocolate avocado mousse and top it with that, or use that in the middle and then glaze on top for a super indulgent double chocolate hit!

All this chocolate is making me loopy, let's balance it out with some vanilla goodness.

Vanilla Cake

Serves 16

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup plain flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup of water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBS apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sunflower oil

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Line a cake tin of your choice with baking paper and set aside.  

Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and sea salt.  Make sure all the ingredients are incorporated before you add the wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until you get a smooth batter.

Place batter into prepared cake tin and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Same rule of cooling applies

Now here is the best part.  Now that you have these cake recipes, you can make WHATEVER flavour your belly desires.  

I added some frozen berries to the top of my vanilla cake and got this:

I also mixed the chocolate and vanilla cake batters and made a marble cake.

And when I wanted to do something a little bit silly, I poured the vanilla batter on top of the chocolate batter and got a chocolate and vanilla pound cake.

And because not all of the vanilla batter fit into the cake pan and was at risk of overflowing, i made some mixed berry muffins with the left over batter.  No wasting here!

 Here are a few more variations to the vanilla cake.

Spiced Pear Cake:  Omit vanilla essence.  Add 1 tsp of cinnamon powder, 1 tsp of allspice, 1/2 tsp of cloves, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.
Instead of water, use apple juice (optional).

Pour batter into prepared cake tin and place some thin pear slices on top.  Sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar.  Bake and cool as normal.

Banana cake:  Omit water, add 1 cup of mashed banana (about 2), use 2/3 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk.  You could also add some 1/3 cup of nuts of your choice and further reduce sugar to 1/2 cup and add some raisins.  I also used a combination of wholemeal and white flour and it still came out moist and delicious.
Bake and cool as normal.  

And here's one of my favourite variations.  So tropicool :)

Upside down pineapple cake

Serves 16

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup fine polenta (corn meal)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup of coconut milk

1/2 cup pineapple juice (from canned pineapple)

1 TBS apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sunflower oil

1 can of pineapple pieces/thins/round (reserve juice)

2 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS non-dairy margarine (I use nuttelex)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.  Line a cake tin of your choice with baking paper and set aside.  I use square for easier cutting into portions but round is good also.

Drain the pineapple pieces or whatever you are using and reserve the juice, you will need it for the wet ingredients and to caramelise pineapple.

Place margarine, brown sugar and 1/8 of a cup of reserved pineapple juice into a pan.  Heat on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and syrup starts to get a little colour.  Add your pineapple and continue to cook for about 4 minutes.  Syrup will be a little thicker.  Pour this on your prepared cake tin and arrange pineapple as you like.

In your mixer, or by hand, mix together flour, sugar,polenta, baking soda and sea salt.  Make sure all the ingredients are incorporated before you add the wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until you get a smooth batter.

Pour batter on top of pineapple and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Now this next step is important.  

Let the cake cool completely in the tin before you inverted, it will crack otherwise.

Serve on it's own, or with a dollop of coconut ice cream (vegan of course).

Are you all caked out! So am I, so here's a recipe for something a little bit different but still on the sweet tip.

Chocolate and Raspberry Custard Tart

Serves 8

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup of mixed raw nuts of your choice (I used almonds and brazil nuts)

6 pitted medjool dates

2 TBS raw cacao powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 TBS shredded coconut

Custard

2 cups of unsweetened almond milk

1 cup of water

6 TBS sugar

4 TBS vanilla custard powder

2 TBS raw cacao powder (or more if you want it extra chocolatey)

1 punnet of fresh raspberries (you can use frozen if you can't get fresh ones, just let them defrost first)

Method

In a food processor, add all your crust ingredients except coconut. Process until it resembles crumbs, not too fine, and the mixture holds together when pressed into a ball.

Place mixture into a shallow pie tin and press down, making sure to cover the bottom and up the sides.  It might be a bit wet and stick to your fingers, that's ok, just spread as best you can and then sprinkle coconut on top, this will make it easier to spread and stop it sticking.  Place in fridge.

In a medium saucepan, add all your custard ingredients and use an electric whisk to mix it together well and there's no custard powder lumps left.  Once mixed, place on medium heat and stir continuously until mixture comes to the boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.  Mixture will become thick and delicious!

Pour custard mixture into prepared base and cover with plastic film.  Place in refrigerator until set.  About 2-3 hours.  Or you can cheat by putting it in the freezer for the first hour or so to speed things along.  Make sure you don't forget or else it will crystallise and be more of a parfait than a custard.

Once set, arrange your raspberries on top and serve.  Yummy yum yum.

There we have it, cakes and sweets for days!

I hope this satisfies your sweet tooh as my next few posts will be completely different.  I'm keeping away from all things naughty and taking on a clean eating challenge for the month of January.  Well and truly into it right now, so have some delicious and nutritious recipes for y'all.

2013 is all about healthy and clean eating.  I'm so excited, hope you are too.  BRING IT!

Peas, love and mung beans

xxb