(Healthy) Cakes & Dessert

Pumpkin Cupcakes

It's pumpkin time!!!

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

- 200 g flour

- 1 butternut squash or a small pumpkin

- 80 g agave syrup (or maple syrup or honey)

- 1 or 2 tbs nutmeg and cinnamon

- 2 eggs

- 50 ground nuts

- 1 tbs baking powder

- 1 tbs vanilla extract

- 2 tbs rice oil

- 1 tbs baking soda.

For the toppings:

- 80 g chocolate (good quality)

- 3/4 glass of milk

- some flour (or corn starch)

- 8 figs.

Slice the pumpkin and bake it for 15 minutes at 200 C. In the meantime, toss the flour in a large bowl with the baking powder,baking soda, nuts, spices, vanilla and oil, stir until combined then set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the syrup and mix with the mashed pumpkin. Pour the content into the other bowl and mix gently. Spoon the mixture into 9-10 cupcake cases and bake 20-25 minutes at 180 C. 

While the cupcakes are making you can start making the toppings. For the chocolate one, pour half glass of milk into a saucepan and simmer with a couple tbs of sifted flour until thickens then add the chocolate and stir until it melts. For the figs topping: chop the figs and cook for a few minutes in a saucepan with a tbs of agave syrup then blend it to obtain a nice fig puree. 

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the toppings then set aside or in the fridge.

Apple & Fig Rustic Cake 

Ingredients:

- 200 g plain flour (I used the gluten free one)

- 50 g agave syrup (or maple syrup or 

- 1 egg

- 10 dates

- 8 figs

- 4 apples

- cinnamon

- ground nuts

- baking powder.

Preheat the oven at 200 C. Chop the apple and dates them  with a couple tbs of water, sparkle some cinnamon, 2 tbs of syrup and stir then cook for 15 minutes. In a bowl, toss the flour and mix with the egg, syrup and the nuts. Mix altogether until combined and finally add the baking powder. Spoon half of this mixture evenly into a cake pan then add the apples and the fig slices then pour the other half of the batter. Top with apple and fig slices.

Pear & Dates Cake

Ingredients:

- 50 g buckwheat flour
- 100 g plain flour (I used the gluten-free one)

- 5/6 tbs honey

- 1 mashed avocado 

- oatmeal milk

- 1 egg

- baking powder.

For the filling:

- handful of pitted/chopped dates

- 7/8 pears (chopped)

- cinnamon

- ground/flaked almonds.

Preheat the oven at 180/200 C. Put the chopped pear and dates into a saucepan with a couple tbs of water, add the cinnamon and leave it simmering for 20 minutes. In a bowl, beat the egg with the avocado and honey then add the flour. If the mixture is too dense, add some milk. Pour half of the mixture in a tin, make sure that it is well spread. Take half of the pears compote and pour it in the middle of it, cover with the other half of the flour mixture. Spread some almond on top and bake for 40 minutes. You can blend the other half of the pear  & dates compote and serve it on the side as a delicious moist cream. This cake will spread delicious autumn flavours all over your kitchen.

Gooey Chocolate messy Pudding (no butter)

Sometimes you just need comfort food..so here it comes chocolate! I tried to do my very first pudding and, since I always modify the original recipes, it might take a few other attempts to make it looking nicer BUT I can assure you that it tastes delicious!! If you're curious and want to make it, these are the ingredients that I used (for 4 moulds):

- 300 g good quality chocolate (70% cocoa)

- 80 g rice flour

- half avocado

- 3 eggs

- 70 g caster sugar

- ground almonds

- rice oil (or sunflower margarine).

Melt 150 g of chocolate, then pour it into a small square mould or ice-cube moulds and place it in the freezer until solid. Melt the other 150 g in a pan over boiling water, in the meantime separate the egg white and the yolks and whisk the white with the sugar until firm. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, mash avocado, yolks and ground almonds. Add the cooled melted chocolate to this mixture and stir. Afterwards, fold in the egg white mixture. Grease the baking moulds with either oil or margarine and spoon the mixture into them and push in a piece/cube of frozen chocolate into each of them. Bake at 200 C for 25-30 minutes and serve when still hot.

Blueberry & Banana Muffins

Yummy! Perfect as a sweet snack or with a coffee for breakfast, blueberry muffins are easy to do and delicious. 
Ingredients:
- 200 g spelt flour
- baking powder
- 1 egg
- 200 g blueberries
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 milk (I used the coconut one)
- 50 g caster sugar 
- 5 tbs honey.

Preheat the oven at 180C. Mix the flour and the egg together in a bowl, add the milk if it's too dry. Gradually add the sugar and the baking powder. In another bowl, blend the avocado and the banana together. Pour this mixture into the other bowl and stir gently until it's smooth. Put aside some of the blueberries that you will use to decorate your muffins and add the other ones to the mixture, stir and then spoon it into the muffin-size cases. Cook for 25-30 minutes.

Avocado Brownies

Have you ever tried to substitute butter with avocado? This is exactly what I did to make a delicious brownies.

Ingredients:
- 1 and a half big avocados or 2 small avocados

- 200 g dark chocolate 

- 150 g sugar (you can also use 100 g of sugar and some honey)

- 100 g flour

- 2 eggs

- pistachios (as many as you like).

Melt the chocolate and blend all the ingredients together, then put the brownies in the oven for 30 min at 180 C. At this point your kitchen will be submerged by a delicious smell of chocolate but I would advise you to take out the brownies from the oven and let it rest for an hour. It is even more yummy when it's cold. For a more elegant touch you can serve it on melted dark chocolate and pistachios granola. 

Apple Crumble

Given that in the UK has already finished (actually it never started this year) and today is quite cold I was craving something warm that smelled of cinnamon so I decided to make this Apple Crumble, obviously my own way!

Ingredients for 4 moulds:

- 5 apples

- lemon juice

- cinnamon

- 50 g caster sugar

- 4 tbs honey

- 70 g spelt flour

- 30 g oatmeal

- 1 small avocado.

I know that the crust should be made with butter but I really don't like so I always try to substitute it with avocado. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Start chopping the apples and put them in a saucepan with a 2 tbs of lemon juice and a couple of spoon of caster sugar, cover the pan and low heat for 10 minutes. In the meantime place the flour, sugar, oatmeal, honey and the mash avocado in a bowl and mix with your fingertips until the mixture looks like a moist breadcrumbs. Turn off the hob and add some cinnamon to the apple, stir gently. Take 3 or 4 spoons of apples out of the saucepan and blend it until you have a smooth cream that you'll pour again into the saucepan, stir again to obtain a nice and moist apple mixture. Then pour the apple mixture into the moulds and cover it with the crumbles. Bake for 25 minutes. 

Carrot Cake

I think that cooking is creativity, and for me it represents a way to relax (being productive and creative at the same time) after work or to keep me busy when is raining cats and dogs and you can't do nothing but stay at home also during summer evenings (this summer is awful in the UK😭)... but always look at the bright side!If you have flour, eggs, sugar and a ton of carrots in your fridge there is only one thing you... carrot cake! So here is my personal version of it that it's quite different from the classical recipe so you might not be enthusiastic by the lack of butter and a lot of sugar but if you'll give it a try you could find it tasty or even delicious :)

Ingredients:

- 130 g spelt flour

- 100 g not refined cane sugar

- 40 g icing sugar

- 1 kg carrots 

- 3 eggs

- baking powder

- almond flakes

- lemon 

- vanilla syrup

- cinnamon 

- nutmeg.

In a bowl, beat the eggs together with the sugar. Gradually add the flour and mix again. Then add the carrots, the lemon zest, 2 spoons of cinnamon, vanilla and the grated nutmeg, mix gently until you have a smooth mixture. Finally, add the baking powder and bake for 30-35 minutes at 180 degrees. For the final touch you can do a light topping made of one egg white, beat it until stiff and add 40 g of icing sugar. Spread it on top of the cake once it has cooled down and sprinkle the almond flakes. Tell me what you think of it :) Hope you'll like it!