Natural Bakes

Contents

1. Gluten free chocolate cookies

2. Apple and walnut bread
3. Choco Q truffles
4. Gluten free banana bread
5. Gluten free chickpea chocolate cake
6. Sugar free mincemeat (alcohol version)
7. Alcohol free quick sweet mince
8. Gluten free mince pies
9. Natural xmas mince puddings
10. Kids natural energy bar
11. Almond cake
12. Chocolate orange scrumptious cake
13. Light lemon fairy cakes

Gluten free chocolate cookies

makes 12

Ingredients

30g coconut flour
50g coconut oil
15g organic cocoa/cacoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar or stevia
2 tbsp nut butter
pinch of sea salt

optional: tbsp of dark chocolate chips



Mix all ingredients together, until the mixture is smooth. Layer a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Shape the mixture into balls, then press lightly down into rounds on the baking tray. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes at 180 degrees C/350F/gas mark  Store these pale treats in an airtight container and consume within 5 days.

Apple and walnut bread
serves 8

Ingredients

100g wholewheat/white self raising flour

50g ground almonds

100g apple sauce

35g walnuts

2 tbsp coconut oil

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1-2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix well - all dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Line a small loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven at 180 degrees C/350F/gas mark 4 for 45 minutes.

Serve alone or with a scrape of butter - lovely warm, but will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Choco Q truffles
makes 18

Ingredients

125g quinoa 

10-15 dried apricots

20g cashew nuts

30g ground almonds

25g cocoa/ cacao powder

optional: 1 tbsp of honey/rice malt syrup

extra cocoa and optional icing sugar for coating

Boil quinoa (as per instructions) for 12 minutes, Blitz cashews with apricots in a blender, then add all the ingredients in a processor. Mix in the processor until throughly blended. Roll into balls - roll in cocoa powder (and chopped nuts/dates/coconut if wanted) and keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Gluten free banana bread

serves 8

Ingredients

3 bananas - mashed

25g coconut flour

100g gluten free plain flour or almond flour

4 medium eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp honey/liquid stevia

pinch of sea salt

options: 1. For a grain free bread swap GF flour for almond flour.

              2. If you are unable to eat eggs, swap for unsweetened apple sauce.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a grease proof paper lined small loaf tin. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 45 minutes. 143 calories per serving.

Enjoy x

Gluten free chickpea chocolate cake
serves 12

Ingredients

250g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces
400g (1 and a half tins) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

handful of dates, stoned

4 eggs

75g caster sugar

1 tsp stevia

half a tsp vanilla extract

half a tsp gluten free baking powder

Heat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm round cake tin, line with parchment and then grease again. Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Combine the beans, dates and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar, stevia and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract, blend until smooth. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

A very good high protein alternative to flourless chocolate cake. Give it a try!

Sugar free mincemeat
makes approx 900g

Ingredients

3 large red eating apples

225g raisins

225g sultanas

225g currants

120g dates

60g blanched almonds

140ml brandy or sherry

Quarter the apples, remove the cores and chop the apple flesh. Place in a food processor or liquidiser, along with the nuts and the brandy or sherry. Process until roughly chopped. Mix the date mixture into the apple and dried fruit mixture, stirring well to blend thoroughly. Divide between 2-3 clean glass jars, then cover and allow to stand for up to 3 weeks before using.

Quick no added sugar sweet mince

Ingredients

2 large or 4 small apples

150g sultanas/raisins

100g cranberries

1 tbsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of vanilla extract 
1 tsp of ginger or mixed spice
2 oranges - juice and grate some zest.

Place all of the ingredients in a pan and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.

Gluten free mince pies

Makes 11 (baked in a shallow bun tin)

Ingredients

pastry

90g Butter

200g Gluten free plain white flour

1 or 2 tbsp of water

crumble topping

100g ground almonds

25g butter

• Rub butter into the gluten free flour until it resembles breadcrumbs/crumble, and add 1 tbsp of icing sugar.
• Add 1 or 2 tbsp of water and stir with a blunt knife. Gather together with your hands. If you have time wrap in cling film and chill in a fridge for 30 minutes (I did not do this and the pastry was slightly crumbly due to the lack of gluten- however with a little manipulation they were fine).
• Roll out the pastry and cut out circles - grease the bun tin with butter and place the circles into the holes. Spoon your sweet mince filling into each circle.
• To make the topping, rub 25g of butter into 100g of ground almonds. Then sprinkle the crumble on top of the filling. Bake in a preheated oven (180 degrees celsius) for 15-20 minutes.

Natural xmas mince puddings

Makes 8-10 

bake in a muffin tin - see image above with stars on top

Ingredients

300g ground almonds

300g medjool dates 

3 tbsp of water

• Blend the ingredients together for 1-2 minutes. Gather together into a ball.
• Grease muffin tin with butter or coconut oil
• Roll out the pastry and cut out circles, press them very gently into the muffin tin holes - place in the preheated oven (180 degrees celsius) for 6 minutes.
• Take out of the oven and spoon the sweet mince filling into the pastry cases. Cut out shapes to place on the top. Place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Kids natural energy bar
makes 12-16

Ingredients 
 180g oats
20g poppy/pumpkin seeds
100g honey/rice malt syrup
50g butter/olive oil
20g unsweetened coconut
50g mixed dried fruit
optional: tsp of cinnamon

1. Melt the honey and butter/oil together on a low heat in a saucepan.

2. Then add all of the rest of the ingredients into the pan, stirring well

with a wooden spoon.

3. Place the mixture into a baking tin and press down with a spoon.

4. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

5. Cut into pieces and leave to cool and harden before removing.

Almond cake

serves 8

Ingredients

200g ground almonds

85g butter plus extra for greasing the baking tin

4 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

70g sugar/honey

1 tsp of vanilla extract/vanilla pod seeds

optional: lemon/orange zest, tsp of cinnamon

Cacoa and date yoghurt

2 tbsp of greek yoghurt

1/2 tsp cacoa/cocoa powder

1 medjool date chopped finely

• whisk eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, butter and sugar (or melted honey and butter)
• fold in the ground almonds with a metal spoon.
• pour the mixture into a greased tin.
• bake in a preheated oven (180/200 degrees celsius) for 25-30 minutes
• Serve and enjoy! Lovely with berries and or yoghurt

Chocolate orange scrumptious cake!

serves 8-12

Ingredients

100g coconut oil or butter

100g dark chocolate (preferably above 75% dark chocolate)

30g raw cacoa/organic cocoa powder

50g organic raw honey

50g coconut/almond milk

1/2 orange zest (grate) - optional freshly squeezed orange

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ceylan cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

3 eggs 

• Melt coconut oil and dark chocolate in a microwave and mix until smooth.
• Whisk eggs to add in plenty of air.
• Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into the greased (butter/coconut oil) cake tin (small to medium sized square or circle cake tin).
• Bake for 10-15 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius.

light lemon fairy cakes

serves 12 muffin cases (more in cake cases!)

Ingredients

4 eggs separated (whites in separate bowl)

40g sugar or 15g stevia

tsp vanilla extract

dash of coconut milk

pinch/1g of gf xanthan gum

40g rice flour

(not gluten free: you can use 40g plain flour without adding xanthan)

optional 1 tsp of poppy seeds and 1 tsp of grated lemon zest

• Use an electric whisk to whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are forming.
• Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and coconut/almond/dairy milk in a separate bowl. Then fold in the flour and xanthan.
• Next fold half of the egg whites gently into the mixture, then add the rest folding gently (it does not have to be completely combined).
• Then add the poppy seeds and lemon zest if required (lemon zest adds a lovely lemony flavour).
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 8-10 minutes until golden brown on top. Let them cool for at least 30 minutes before consuming, they will come out of the cake cases easier when cooled.