Crochet Cake

With another Infant Massage Course starting tomorrow it is time to get baking!! So I thought I would share, and make, an old favourite to take the pressure off a bit as the wrist is coming along but still not 100%.  This cake got its name after I continually made it for a series of crochet ‘catch-ups’ we were having. It was a great option for the GF (Gluten Free) and RSF (Refined Sugar Free) amongst the group.  It is in fact a very simple and delicious gluten free, diary free and sugar free cake which, if served warm, can also be used as a yummy dessert. 

I hope that you enjoy it as much as everyone else does. It it has sparked a big discussion between themselves though as the original recipe had eggs in it.  Are eggs, produced by happy hens, which occur regardless of what we do (a bit like fruit on a tree) allowable on a vegan menu? The Vegan said no and the Meat Eater said yes.  I think that debate will go on for a bit!! In the mean time this vegan has decided to err on the side of caution and I have made this version with some Organ Egg Replacer 🙂

The cake does end up quite ‘moist’ and can sometimes seem uncooked in the middle. I think the vegan version with egg replacer even more so. Leaving it in the oven a little longer can help with this. Thankfully though there is nothing in it that can cause any tummy upsets but if you prefer your cake firmer then think of this as a pudding dish. It has to be said that personally I’m happy with however my sweet stuff comes so gobble it either way 🙂 Give it a go and see what you think.

Crochet Cake – aka diary free, gluten free, sugar free delight

1.5 Cups dates

1.5 Cups of boiling water

1/2 Cup Oil (Sunflower is good as little taste

2 egg replacer (I used 4 tsp Organ Egg replacer to 2 Tb cold water for this one) or 2 eggs for non Vegan version

2 ripe bananas – mashed

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp GF baking powder (2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda, 1 part arrowroot if you want to make your ow)

1 Cup rice flour

1/2 Cup desiccated coconut

• Soak dates in the boiling water for 10-15 mins (in a large bowl) before mashing into a smooth thick paste.  If this is still a bit watery you can heat it slightly.
• Mix in oil to the date paste and stir until blended.
• Add egg replacement and bananas to date/olive oil mixture and mix until blended fully.
• Add all the remaining dry ingredients and mix until everything is blended.
• Line a cake tin with baking paper and pour in the mixture.
• Bake at 180C for 50-60 mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Near the end of baking you may want to cover the cake with tin foil to allow it to keep cooking without the top getting too dark. It does take a while to get it fully baked.
• Enjoy warm with yogurt/whipped cream or allow to cool fully on a rack to enjoy later.

Hope this finds you enjoying lots of natural sweetness in your life and sunshine to warm your days.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Foodie?

Lately a few people have called me a ‘foodie’, in the nicest possible way of course, however this is definitely not how I see myself.  It made me wonder then what a ‘foodie really is, what boxes do you need to tick off to become part of this group or to have this label in life?

The sugar free, gluten free, dairy free Christmas cake I made so that I could pig out on cake!

To me a ‘foodie’ is someone who cooks a lovely meal even if it is only for them where as I would happily munch on cereal or just have boiled rice every meal if my family allowed. A ‘foodie’ is a person who reads the recipes word for word in a magazine and wonders where they can source the ingredients while I quickly glance at the photo and wonder who could make it for me.

A ‘foodie’ is a person who has amazing kitchen gadgets that cook, grind, mix, and just about everything in between while I only use my big mixer (not even sure what it is called) for making face cream. A ‘foodie’ is someone who buys cookbooks and loves getting cookbooks for presents whereas I would much rather have a book on health. A ‘foodie’ is someone who adds a touch of ginger to their kombucha while I remain astounded that I actually make kombucha at all!

My kombucha, which I am so proud of for actually making.

A ‘foodie’ is someone who has their evening meals thought out and organized with a smile while I linger in the dread of knowing that each afternoon I will have to produce something edible for my family, which is probably why I have encouraged herself to start cooking meals already!

All of the things above sum up what a real ‘foodie’ is to me and I am surrounded by enough of these lovely people to know that I am not one of them. Into health I may be and if that involves food then well….. I guess I can cope with that.  Maybe there should be some term for a half hearted person interested in making food, when they feel the urge 🙂 In my eyes I am as far as there is to go from a true ‘foodie’, maybe others see me a little differently though and to them I say ‘thanks’. 🙂

Hope this finds you discovering great parts of life you never knew you where part of.

Arohanui

Y