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. 

RHUBARB CRUMBLE

Crumble is a long standing breakfast, lunch, dinner dessert in my house. Name any fruit, chances are someone in my house has made a crumble with it. They're pretty easy to throw together but yield such a delicious result. This time round, I opted for a rhubarb crumble. Tart fruit with a sweet and crunchy topping, all brought together with a scoop of ice cream. Excuse me while I go get seconds.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FRUIT

600g rhubarb

60g sugar

FOR THE CRUMBLE

120g flour

60g butter, softened

25g oats

70g light brown muscovado sugar

30g flaked almonds

30g roughly chopped hazelnuts

METHOD

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Roughly chop up the rhubarb into 2 inch thick pieces. Place the rhubarb and the sugar in a large, lidded pot over a low heat and stew for about ten minutes until the rhubarb chunks are soft. If you might like your rhubarb more tart, add less sugar and taste after the ten minutes. Add as much more as you like. Don't be tempted to leave the rhubarb on the heat for much longer, it will stew further in the oven.

2. Add the flour and chopped up soft butter in a large mixing bowel and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the oats and sugar and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the flaked almonds and hazelnuts to the mixture. These are optional, and you can vary the amount depending on your preference. The more you add, the rougher the texture.

4. Pour the rhubarb into an oven proof dish and cover with an even layer of the crumble mixture. Sprinkle another handful of flaked almonds on top. Bake in the oven for between 25-35 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown. Don't worry if the rhubarb bubbles up the sides of the crumble, perfectly normal. 

5. Serve warm with some homemade vanilla ice cream. And then go back for seconds, obviously.

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.

PEAR AND HONEY MUFFINS

I'm all for eating healthy, but there's no way I'm kicking my cupcake to the curb in favour of some carrot sticks. Hell no. I don't care what the health benefits are, if it's not tasty, I'm not eating it. On the other hand, if you give me something that tastes as good as the real thing, but is a hell of a lot better for me, then I'm a happy girl. That's where these babies come in. I originally saw the recipe on Madeleine Shaw's website, the queen of all things healthy (#gettheglow). Grain free and dairy free, these are just full of good stuff. And damn, they are good.

INGREDIENTS

300g ground almonds

1 tsp baking soda

A pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

50g coconut oil

3 eggs

50g honey

1 vanilla bean or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

3 pears

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC and prepare a cupcake tin with 9-12 cases.

2. Mix the almonds, spices, salt and baking powder in a bowl. 

3. Combine the rest of the ingredients, except the pears, and then slowly add in the dry ingredients.

4. Slice the pears into 1/2 cm strips (remove the seeds and core).

5. Place some of the pear slices into the cases, add some cake batter then add another layer of pear and fill the container with the cake batter.

6. Complete this with the rest of the mix.

7. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown, then remove and allow to cool. Once cooled remove them from the tins and flip them over.

THE CREAM OF THE CROP

My Aunt, Uncle and cousins live in the prettiest square surrounding a communal allotment, which is a completely different world to the surrounding city. They grow everything there from potatoes and pumpkins to raspberries and gooseberries, all of which are just delicious! I snapped these few photos while babysitting the two little ones last week, there truly is nothing better than popping out of the front door to pick some berries for a light summer snack. Yum!

RASPBERRY & BLUEBERRY OAT CRUMPETS

For as long as I can remember, crumpets have been my deliciously indulgent go-to treat for weekend brunch. So when my Mum changed up her signature recipe to a healthier version with oats instead of white flour, I was more than delighted. I made these over the weekend, and with some blueberries and raspberries added into the mix I didn't feel half as guilty eating more than my fair share!

Raspberry & Blueberry Oat Crumpets

makes approx. 15

8 ozs oats

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

raspberries

blueberries

Grind up oats in a food processor until they resemble flour. Sieve dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter. 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.

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. Serve immediately with a dollop of butter and homemade jam.

*I usually drop my blueberries, raspberries or chopped strawberries into the crumpets as soon as they're in the pan, instead of mixing it into the batter, to allow everyone to choose their own quantity of specific berries. Chopped up dark chocolate is another yummy option for a more decadent filling.