If the only muffin top you've seen lately
is the one hanging over your jeans, we've got a suggestion: ditch the white
flour. You see, white flour is like the shell of a nut - it's had all the good
stuff (in other words, the wheat germ and bran) taken out of it. And it's this
stuff that is choc-full of fiber and vitamin E, essential for getting your skin
glowing and your digestion working overtime. The bloat-free bakes on the
following pages ditch refined, white flour in favor of natural, health-boosting
flours such as spelt, ground almonds and buckwheat. What's more, they're
crammed with super-fruits, nuts and natural sugars. "My philosophy is that
sweet treats should nourish your body rather than depleting its
resources," says Amber. "After all, why should you feel guilty for
eating something luxurious?" We'll eat to that. Pass the cake knife, then.
For Perfect-Skin
Lemony hazelnut & blueberry cake
Lemony
hazelnut & blueberry cake
Serves: 5
Cals: 479
Sat fat:
14.9g
Ready in: 40
mins
We're calling this one the 'facial cake'.
Why? Thanks to the hazelnuts and blueberries, it's loaded with vitamin E and
antioxidants, champions for glowing, free-radical fighting skin.
130g
soft unsalted butter
·
60g hazelnuts
·
130g soft unsalted butter
·
110g white spelt flour
·
1 teaspoon baking powder
·
2 large free-range eggs
·
65g honey (or golden caster sugar)
·
65g maple syrup
·
Finely grated zest of 1/2 large un-waxed lemon
Maple
syrup
For the filling
·
175g fat-free Fromage frays
·
1 tablespoon honey ½ tablespoon sugar-free
blueberry jam
·
Handful of blueberries
·
Violas to decorate (optional)
1.
You know the drill. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Grease and flour two 20cm loose bottomed sandwich tins.
2.
Toast your hazelnuts in the oven for 5-7
minutes; check after 5, nobody likes their nuts frazzled. Once they are
changing color and releasing their delicious smell, remove them from the oven
and leave to cool for two minutes before rubbing off most of the skins. Whizz
the nuts in a food processor into a fine meal.
3.
Now sift the flour and baking powder into a
large bowl and beat in all the other ingredients using an electric hand mixer.
Be careful not to over mix, you want a light cake. Scrape the cake mixture into
tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and risen. Insert a
skewer or knife into the centers and see if it comes out clean. Leave them to
cool for 5 minutes before taking them out of their tins.
4.
When they have cooled, you can get on with
making the honey filling. Lightly whip the from age frays until thick, drizzle
in the honey and whisk again until incorporated, then marble the jam carefully
through it. Try not to lick the bowl.
5.
Trim the tops of your cakes so you have a flat
surface to decorate. Place on your cake plate, spoon over most of the marbled
honey filling, and put the second cake on top. Spread the remaining filling on
top of the second cake, then sprinkle the blueberries over and scatter with
beautiful violas. Too pretty to eat...
For Heart Health
Flour-free orange, almond &
pistachio cake
Flour-free
orange, almond & pistachio cake
Serves: 8
Cals: 321
Sat Fat:
2.3g
Ready in:
120 mins
A daily portion of almonds will cut
cholesterol levels by 30%, found a recent study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association. That's as much as taking statins. Not bad. Better
have another slice then.
·
2 un-waxed oranges
·
3 large free-range eggs
·
215g light runny honey
·
250g ground almonds
·
100g pistachios, finely ground
·
1 teaspoon baking powder
light
runny honey
No peeling required. Put the whole oranges
in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to
a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Smells far better than an Air Wick. Next preheat
the oven to 170°C. Grease and flour a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
Remove the pan from the heat, drain, then
put the whole oranges in a blender and pulse until they are quite smooth. Place
the orange pulp, eggs, honey, ground almonds, ground pistachios and baking
powder in a large bowl and beat until combined.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in
the oven for 1 hour or until the skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven,
leave to cool and turn out.
Enjoy with a dollop of Greek-style natural
yoghurt, drizzled with a little honey. Dig in. Bliss out.
