Apple, Parsnip and Ginger Beer Cake

This is both a birthday cake to myself and a blog anniversary cake albeit a slightly late one. Thanks to everyone who has visited this site and taken the time to post comments (not that being a lurker is a bad thing- I am a natural lurker myself).

I am hoping that as my commuting time is about to halve that I will soon be back to blogging again on a regular basis. For the time being though here is a lovely cake that is adapted from Harry Eastwood's Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache. It is gluten free, dairy free and virtually fat free but serve it to guests and they will never guess. This is what I class as a pudding cake in that it can also be used as a dessert with soya custard or cream. The original recipe calls for cider but I switched this for ginger beer as it is something that I definitely associate with summer days plus almost everybody in my family is a bit of a ginger fiend. Although this picture makes the cake look elegant it also managed to carry off the animal shaped candles I had later in the day!

Gluten Free Christmas Pudding

My other half is a big fan of Christmas pudding and after two years in Singapore with not a pudding in sight, not that you want to eat something so heavy in the hot weather, I thought it was time to rectify the issue for this coming Christmas. Traditionally Christmas pudding and mincemeat is made on the last Sunday before advent so that there is time to feed the pudding and allow the flavors to develop. As next Sunday is Stir Up Sunday I thought I would post this potentially gluten and dairy free and vegetarian recipe so that anyone who wants to can have a go at making it. Just don't forget to get everyone in the family have a go stirring the pudding and making a wish as is traditional. The recipe I have used is a Rachel Allen recipe that I have amended slightly. As with all Christmas puddings this is time intensive but apart from making sure the pudding doesn't boil dry then it easy and doesn't need you to watch it constantly. Serve with brandy 'butter'.

Pinenut and Almond Cookies

These little cookies are sweet morsels with a crusty outside and soft and moist centre. This recipe is kind of a mix between an Italian style pinenut macaroon and Claudia Roden's Maronchinos from her 'The Book of Jewish Food '. I liked the sound of both recipes so combined the elements of each that I liked, the texture of the maronchinos and pinenut topping of the macaroon. They turned out yummy and would be great to serve with coffee. They are quite sweet and rich so you only need one or two to be satisfied which is why this recipe only makes around 15. They are best served the day they are made as they can lose their crunch after a day or two.

Cauliflower, Almond & Saffron Soup

I have had a cauliflower sitting in the fridge for over week now and I have been at a loss as to what to do with it until today when I needed a warming lunch. I added some ground almonds as I was worried that the soup might be a little thin and unsatisfying without any dairy or potatoes. The nuts add a nice richness and make this a really filling soup. I thought of adding some safffron after reading an interesting recipe for a cauliflower and saffron pasta sauce from Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, (a book which I really love and which has some great recipes in by the way). So next time you are wanting something different to do with cauliflower try this rich and velvety soup. 

Raspberry & Almond Sponge Cake and other ideas for using up almond meal

This recipe is otherwise known as- what to do with all the almond meal that you have left over after making almond milk. This recipe is supposedly from a country living magazine but I cannot find the official recipe. This recipe was made for my mum by the owner of Huntinghall when my parents stayed in their eco-friendly self catering cottages and the recipe has since been passed around. If you ever need somewhere to stay in Northumberland you couldn't pick a better place. 

This recipe makes a kind of fluffy gluten free victoria sponge cake. The recipe is for a 20cm cake but I decided to make miniature versions. Unfortunately as you can see from the photos these did not turn out so well as they refused to come out of the muffin tins cleanly. I would recommend making this in a greased and lined cake tin instead or in individual muffin/cupcake cases.  I almost didn't post these cakes as they were decidedly unphotogenic but as they taste pretty good I thought I should show some love to they little uglies. As Eeyore says "Weeds are flowers too once you get to know them." The cake has a bad habit of sinking a little in the middle. If this happens don't despair just fill the dip with fresh fruit and no one will be any the wiser! If you want to make a larger cake for entertaining, double the ingredients, split between two 20cm cake tins and use the filling between the two cakes.

What else have I been using my almond meal for? Here are some ideas, some my own and some which I have found and linked to. The almond meal freezes well in sealed freezer bags and can be defrosted before use so there is no panic on using it up. If you are not freezing make sure to keep sealed and labeled in the refrigerator.  You can add a spoonful to smoothies, add to banana bread and cakes, use as a topping for baked pasta dishes instead of breadcrumbs, use in a gluten free bakewell tart, as a body or face scrub,  add it to curries such as this korma recipe, make into cereal or pancakes or use when making pesto. Hopefully this gives you some ideas as to what to do with all the fluffy goodness that get left after making almond milk.