BUTTER-FREE SPONGE CAKE

 Although I'm tempted to just allow the pictures speak for themselves, I had to just take a moment to try and describe the amazing-ness of this cake, if that's even a word. Loaded up with whipped cream and piles of fruit, this baby is melt-in-your-mouth good. The Rachel Allen recipe skipped butter but instead incorporated whipped egg whites and water, making this the most fluffy, light and moist sponge you'll ever try. Have I convinced you yet?  

INGREDIENTS
CAKE
3 eggs, separated
225g caster sugar
90ml room temp water
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

FILLING & TOPPING
250ml cream, whipped
1 punnet of strawberries
1/2 punnet raspberries
1/4 punnet of blueberries
1 passionfruit

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Butter the sides of the sandwich tins (I used two 7.5 inch diameter sandwich tins) and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

2. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour in the water and whisk for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is firm and creamy. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently with a spatula.

3. In a separate, spotlessly clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold them into the flour mixture very gently, again using a spatula. Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins, smooth the surface and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until just set in the centre.

4. Remove the cakes from the tins by loosening the edges and allow to cool on a wire rack. When completely cooled, smooth about half of the whipped cream across the top of one of the cakes. Cover in fruit and then sandwich the second cake on top, upside down (so that the smoother edge is facing up). Dollop the rest of the cream on top and go to town with the fruit. The more the better!

ALMOND AND CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

I'm a toast lover. Avocado toast, eggs on toast, hummus, you name it. But french toast? That stuff is in a league of it's own. Typically it's made with day old brioche, but when the craving comes, well you gotta work with what you have. Day old fluffy white batch bread from the farmers market does the job pretty darn well. I decided to up the stakes a little and add some extras to the usual recipe, almonds and cinnamon. And damn, it was good.

INGREDIENTS

4 slices of day old bread

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

rind of 1 orange

1/4 cup flaked almonds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

4 knobs of butter

METHOD

1. Heat your oven to 180C and melt a knob of butter on a non-stick pan on a medium heat.

2. Mix the eggs, vanilla, orange rind, cinnamon and sugar together in a wide, shallow dish. Soak a slice of bread in the mixture for about 7 seconds on either side so it is thoroughly soaked, but not so soggy it will fall apart. Sprinkle a good handful of flaked almonds and some cinnamon over one side of the slice of bread and put in the pan, almond side down. While it's cooking, add almonds and cinnamon to the side facing up. 

3. Adjust the heat so that the bread is heating through and not burning and when the bottom side has dried, flip it. Once cooked through pop it into the oven on a greaseproof baking try to keep warm. 

4. Repeat with the rest of your bread, melting a knob of butter on the pan before each slice. Serve hot with maple syrup, fresh fruit and a big ole' cup of joe.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA

Hi, my name is Ari and I'm a granola addict. There, I said it. I could eat granola for breakfast, lunch and dinner so there are more than a few different variations in my kitchen cupboard. Only problem is granola can often be extremely high in sugar, and it keeps us comin' back for more. I wanted to make a healthier version and found the perfect recipe over on Madeleine Shaw's blog, but adapted it slightly to what I had on hand (and added oats, this girl's gotta have her oats). This ticks all the boxes - satisfies those cravings for a good granola, yoghurt, fruit combo in the morning and does the job when I need my chocolate fix in the evenings too. 

Now, someone hide the granola, the cravings are back. 

INGREDIENTS

150g hazelnuts

150g walnuts

150g almonds

50g sunflower seeds

100g oats

1 banana

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp raw cocoa

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

The rind of 1 orange

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 180C. Pop all of the nuts and seeds into a food processor and blitz for 2-3 second bursts. Be careful, you still want them crunchy. Pour onto a lined baking tray and add the oats.

2. Put the banana, ginger, cinnamon, cocoa, coconut oil and honey into the food processor and blitz into a paste. Pour over the nuts and seeds and mix up with a spoon, or get in there with your hands and toss around.

3. Pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until crispy.

4. Add the orange zest once cooled. 

PANCAKE PREP: HOMEMADE NUTELLA

Growing up in an uber healthy household, Pancake Tuesday was always a day to get seriously excited about. One thing I always wished could accompany my pancakes, or crumpets (always Darina Allen's recipe, I couldn't find it online so I copied it out below), was Nutella. Fast forward ten years and I decided to make my own. I found the recipe over on Food 52, altered the chocolate ratio slightly, and it didn't disappoint. I was in two minds whether to go for a healthier, two ingredient Nutella (hazelnuts and dark chocolate), or this recipe which is far from healthy. My inner fat kid clearly made the decision on this one..

NUTELLA INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup hazelnuts, roasted and peeled
40g milk chocolate, chopped
180g dark chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons confectionery sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

NUTELLA METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180° C. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, stirring every 5. When hazelnuts have finished roasting, pour onto a clean tea towel and rub, peeling off the skins. 

2. Blend the skinned hazelnuts in a food processor or blender until they form a thick, smooth paste. This should take approximately 5 minutes. It will be crumbly at first but the crumbs will begin to come together to form a butter. 

3. Add the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and extract. Continue to blend until smooth (approximately 1 to 2 minutes).

4. Melt together chocolates and heavy cream in a double boiler, until a smooth ganache forms. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Once ganache has cooled slightly, add it to the food processor or blender and blend until just combined (around 15 seconds). 

5. Transfer to jars and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. (The nutella will firm up slightly in the fridge, so let it sit out at room temp for approximately 30 minutes to soften the consistency.)

CRUMPETS INGREDIENTS

8 ozs plain white flour

1 oz castor sugar

1/4 teasp salt

1/2 teasp bread soda

1 teasp cream of tartar 

1 oz butter

2 eggs

250 ml milk

METHOD

1. Sieve dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter. 

2. Drop eggs into the centre, add a little of the milk and stir rapidly with a whisk. When half the milk is added, beat until air bubbles rise. Add the remainder of the milk.

3. Drop a good dessertspoonful into a hot pan, and cook until bubbles appear on the top. Flip over and cook until golden on both sides. 

4. Serve immediately with a dollop of homemade nutella, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of berries.

BLUEBERRY JAM

I remember so clearly the summers I spent in West Cork while growing up, and my very favourite thing to do there was go wild blackberry picking. Countless jars of blackberry jam were made by my Mum and ever since, the taste of homemade jam brings those memories of warm, care free summer days rushing back. I'm not sure if I'll manage to get to West Cork this summer, so I decided to change up the tradition slightly with some fresh blueberries from the farmer's market. This being the first time I've made jam myself, I was slightly nervous, but Rachel Allen's method made the process simple and quick. Even better, are the delightful labels I found over at my new favourite blog, Eat Drink Chic. This turned out to be the best jam I've ever tasted and will definitely be making it again soon!

Blueberry Jam
Makes 2 small jars of jam

375g (15oz) blueberries
30ml water
300g (11oz) sugar
3 6 tbsp lemon juice*

Place a saucer in the fridge for testing the jam later. To sterilize the jars, put them through a dishwasher cycle, boil in a pan of water for 5 minutes or place in a preheated oven (150C/300F), for 10 minutes.

Place the blueberries and water in a medium-sized pot on a medium heat. Bring to the boil and mash the blueberries with a potato masher. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir over a high heat for 5 minutes.

Test by placing a small blob on the chilled saucer, leave for 20 seconds and run your finger through the blob. If a skin has formed, the jam is set. Carefully remove the jars from the dishwasher, pan or oven. Pour the jam into the jars immediately, while the jars are still hot, and cover with a lid or jam pot cover.

*The recipe called for 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, but I found it to be too sweet and needing more. In my opinion, 6 was just right.