Besan flour, banana and choc chip loaf - gluten free

Well we are still in banana cake mode here as I  hate to see them go to waste and the fruit bowl every week seems to contain at least one unloved spotty specimen. I like to ring the changes when it comes to recipes, so this recipe is another gluten free one featured bananas.

I wanted to experiment with cake making using besan flour, naturally gluten free, this earthy high protein high fibre flour is made from chickpeas and some times lentils or other beans. This flour is much more cost effective when compared with other gluten free flours and I am pleased to say produces a very tasty bake too, no hint of  lentil or chickpea at all.

Its moist and decadent and the loaf has just the right amount of sweetness and the chocolate chips provide just the right amount of chocolately flavours in every bite.

What you need

• 2 large very ripe bananas- mashed
• 3/4 cup of Thick live yogurt
• 1 egg - free range
• 1/2 cup light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/3 cup coconut oil - melted
• 1 1/2 cups besan flour (different brands have different mixes, mine was chickpea and lentil, some are just chickpea) - above all check gluten free if required most are
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 pkt of dark chocolate chips

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c and prepare your loaf tin, either oil spray or base line a 2lb loaf tin
• In your mixer blend the bananas, yogurt and egg, until well combined and the mixture is creamy.
• Seive the besan flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and cinnamon on to the wet mixture, incorporate using a wire ballon whisk to retain the air in the mixture.
• Stir in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into your prepared tin, smooth the top
• Place in the oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes until well risen and golden. Test with a skewer to ensure done.
• Cool initially in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove to cool fully on a wire rack.
• Store in an airtight tin
• Freezes well when double wrapped

                                       

We are linking up to Love Cake this month, created and hosted at JibberJabberUk, the theme this month being in the words of the lovely Toyah "Its a Mystery !" as besan flour isn't usually used in cake baking.

                                                           

And recipe of the week , over on A Mummy Too

Yuletide Gingerbread - dairy and gluten free

Who doesn't like sticky gingerbread, the prefect accompainment to present wrapping and one sure fire way of putting in the festive mood. 

This gingerbread is the sticky cakey kind and not the crunchy gingerbread man type of gingerbread, again not a beauty and a recipe that practically always sinks slightly in the middle but it has a beautiful spicy warmth with just the right amount of cloves. Easily made dairy and gluten free if required so its a recipe for all. 

A tip for you - lightly oil the container you measure the treacle in otherwise it will make a very sticky mess.

What you need

• 50g soft brown sugar
• 50g granulated sugar
• 120g quality vegetable margarine (dairy free) - I use Pure
• 1 large free range egg
• 150ml treacle
• 300g Self raising flour ( I have made this gluten free and it works fine, you may need to a little more water)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 heaped tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 heaped tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 60ml of warm water

2lb loaf tin - oil sprayed and lined

What you do

• Prepare the baking tin
• Preheat the oven to 175c
• Cream the sugars and margarine in a mixer , until well mixed, fluffy and lighter in colour
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixer
• Mix quickly until you have a smooth mixture
• Scoop into the prepared tin and place in the pre heated oven
• Bake for 50 - 55 minutes
• Cool initially in the tin
• Remove from tin to a wire rack to cool fully
• Wrap and store in an airtight tin, if you can leave it for a few days its starts to go delightfully sticky.
• Delicious served with a cup of tea 

We are linking up to Love Cake over on JibberJabberUk , theme this month is "Festive Fun"

                                                        

Simply Eggcellent - with Dom at Belleau Kitchen, theme this month "Anything Goes"

                                                           

And finally Recipe of the Week with A Mummy Too.

                                                           

Pear, ginger and cardamon loaf

This is a perfect recipe for this time of year, slight spicing adds a warming note to this delicious bake, great served with a steaming mug of tea after a wild and windy walk, but also great as a pudding cake served with custard.

This loaf cake isn't going to win any prizes in the beauty stakes but is definitely a prize winner in the flavour stakes, I just love the moist fruity pear chunks and the crunch of the flaked almonds. It does have the habit of swallowing the pears and almonds into the cake but I still love it, its frugal too as it a good recipe to use up pears that are starting to become overripe. I am using British Conference pears here which have a great flavour, they aren't in season very long so make good use of them while you can.

So go on embrace the season and create a beautiful warm spicy fug in your kitchen as a perfect antidote to the weather outside, the Danish have a word for it Hygge, give it a try......

What you need

• 175g softened butter or quality vegetable margarine
• 1 tsp ground cardamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 175g light brown sugar
• 3 conference pears - peeled, cored and cut into 1/8ths
• 2 free eggs 
• 175g self raising flour (gluten free works fine)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp flaked almonds
• 2lb loaf tin - lined

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in your stand mixer
• Add the flour and baking powder, spices,  and eggs to the bowl, mix until you a smooth mixture
• Place half the mixture into your prepared tin, roughly level with a palette knife, place roughly half of the pears (chopped into little cubes) in a layer on the cake mixture
• Top the pears with the rest of the cake mixture and places the rest of the pear slices on the top, sprinkle with flaked almonds
• Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden and cooked through.
• Cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes or so, perfect warm on its on or with cream or custard. Cold its great with a cup of tea.
• If you like serve cold with a dredging of icing sugar

We are linking up to Recipe of the Week over on AMummyToo 

                                                                 

And to Casa Costello's Bake of the Week 

                                                          

JibberjabberUk - Love Cake linky whose theme this month is Best of British

                                           

And two of my favourites Credit Crunch Munch from Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food for All, hosted this month by Elizabeths Kitchen and No Waste Food Challenge from Elizabeths Kitchen, hosted this month by Its not Easy being Greedy.


                                             




                                                             

Banana and honey loaf cake - gluten free and no artificial sugars

Here at Lancashire Food we don't like to waste food and also where possible create recipes which not only taste good but do you good. This recipe ticks all the boxes for us, using ripe bananas for the majority of the sweetness for this cake and just a touch of honey its free from artificial sugars and being full of all things that are good for you it a "super" bake.  A great debate currently ranges in the food community about the amount of sugar in our diets and home cooking and baking gives you the control to adjust the amount of sugar added to your recipes. We like that, we use buckwheat flour here for its nutritional value but a basic plain gluten free flour would also work.

Please don't expect this to taste exactly like a normal banana loaf as it doesn't, but it still has some sweetness and as we are using honey you can adjust the sweetness level to your taste, I would suggest starting at 1/2 cup and reducing down from there as your taste buds acclimatise to less sweetness.

A couple of months ago we started hosting a local beekeepers hive in our garden and hopefully very shortly we might just (fingers crossed) get to taste some honey from our bees, its a fascinating process and has been very interesting watching the development of a new hive with all its trails and tribulations. In just a short couple of months we have had issues with wasps ( nasty things that attack hives ), the birth of a new queen and the balancing act of when to collect the honey. I have been stung twice once by a bee (yes a honey bee) and also by a wasp ( very painful and much worse than a bee sting).

So hopefully next time I bake this loaf we might be using our own honey .........

What you need

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour (check gluten free if necessary as not all are)
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamon
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs - free range
• 1/4 cup - coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of milk (any type nut, cows, goat)
• 1 tsp cider or wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup of local honey
• 3 ripe bananas

2lb loaf tin, oiled and base lined.
If you don't have all the spices to hand sweet mixed spice or lebuken spice can be substituted

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Mash the banana roughly in the bowl of your mixer
• Add all other ingredients
• Mix thoroughly and pour into prepared tin
• Place in the oven and bake for approx 45 minutes
• Cool in tin
• Delicious served slavered with butter

We are linking up to Bake of the Week over on Casa Costello

                                                             

Also to Recipe of the Week with Emily over on A Mummy Too

                                                            

Love Cake - Back to Basics over on Jibberjabber, as this is good basic banana loaf recipe at heart.

                                   

Simply Eggcellent - Theme being Cakes this month over with Dom at Belleau Kitchen (Happy Birthday !) which celebrates all thing egg.

                                                               

Credit Crunch Munch over at Fuss Free Flavours as once again we are using up manky bananas. A blog challenged created by Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food for all.

                                                 

And finally No Waste Food Challenge blog hop over at Foodie Quine this month. This challenge was created by Elizabeths Kitchen Diary.

                                                             

Kiwi fruit cupcakes

I have never made Kiwi cupcakes before despite this being a fruit I often enjoy eating, I like the combination of juicy fruity almost opal fruit flavour and bright green flesh. They are however not a fruit that immediately springs to mind when you fancy baking.

I think kiwi fruit are cute, like little furry creatures that live in the fruit bowl and there are numerous ways of accessing the bright green flesh, my preferred method being slicing and I have made kiwi fruit jam in the past with great success.

For this recipe you can dress with butter cream and a kiwi slice or just leave plain and sprinkle with demerara sugar for some crunch. Its an easy tasty bake which works with gluten free flour as well as normal wheat flour.

What you need

• 2 large kiwi fruits or 4 small kiwi fruits, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 cups of plain flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg - free range
• 1 cup skimmed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup coconut oil - melted
• Demerara sugar - for sprinkling
• Buttercream (optional)
• Slices of Kiwi for decoration
• Large muffin cake cases

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 200c /180c fan
• Line the cupcake tin with the case cakes
• Beat the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla together in a large bowl, I used my mixer. 
• Sieve the flour,baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and salt into the bowl and mix together quickly
• Fold in the chopped kiwi fruit
• Spoon the mixture into the cake cases - this mixtures makes approximately 12 large muffins / cupcakes.
• Sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar if using
• Pop into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or so until well risen, golden and cooked through when tested with a cocktail stick
• Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack
• When fully cool, decorate with buttercream if you wish

I'm entering this post to this months Alphabakes hosted by The More than the occasional baker , the letter this month being K - for Kiwi fruit in this case.

                                                       

 And to Bake of the Week hosted by Casa Costello

                                                            

And also to Treat petite over at Cakeyboi, the theme this month being "Anything Goes"


                                            

Love Cake Jibberjabber - the theme this month is Back to School - Something new. As I said earlier in the post I haven't baked with Kiwi fruit previously.

                                     

Date sweetened gluten free brownies

These are amazing, trust me they are, purely fruit sweetened, naturally gluten free and very easy to make ( well as long as you have a decent food processor). I first spotted this recipe when it was shared by Jamie Oliver on Facebook, intrigued I popped over to the website only to find that the recipe originated from Elana Amsterdam  of Elana's pantry, one of my favourite American bloggers.

                   

In the last couple of weeks since discovering this recipe I must have made them at least half a dozen times, whipped up in about 45 minutes start to finish they are great and make a fabulous addition to any lunch box. I have now taken to bulk buying dates so I always have the ingredients in so I can whip up a batch if the mood so takes me, the recipe is rich in fibre, antioxidants and low in fat too.

I also a little bit addicted to using coconut oil in baking and this recipe being paleo in origin uses this ingredient too, you can't taste it but it seems to make your bakes more bouncy, its pricy but well worth the investment. Also please ensure you use a good quality dark chocolate so that you get the best antioxidant boost possible from your bake.

What you need

• 200g Dark chocolate (a good % of cocoa solids), broken up into squares
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g dates (whole stoned or chopped)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil - melted
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

A square cake tin, lined approximately 8" by 8"

What you do 

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Blitz the chocolate and bicarbonate of soda in your food processor until its the texture of coarse sand
• Next add the dates and continue to blitz until you are back to the coarse sand texture
• Add the eggs, coconut oil and vanilla to the procesor and pulse until incorporated
• Tip into your preprepared tin and smooth level in the tin
• Bake for 30 -35 minutes until risen and cooked through
• Cool initially in the tin and then on a wire rack
• Store in an airtight tin

I am entering this post in JibberJabberUK Love Cake campaign as this month's theme is "Giving Up" so as this brownie has no flour, no artifical sugar and is low fat its an appropraite entry.

                                               

And also We Should Cocoa created by Choclette and hosted this month by I'd much rather bake than..., the  theme this month being Coconut, well this recipe includes chocolate and coconut oil so I hope it qualifies.