Recipe List
Roast Pineapple, Coconut and Kaffir Lime Sorbet
Beetroot, Cardamom and Blackcurrant Frozen Yogurt
Geranium Leaf Frozen Yogurt with Berry Ripple
Fig and Leaf Ice Cream with Fresh Figs
Macaroon and Passion Fruit Curd Tart
Cinnamon, Apple and Walnut Cake
Blood Orange and Olive Oil Cake with Almonds
Carrot and Lemon Polenta Drizzle Cake
Date, Cocoa and Pecan Biscuits
Chocolate-muscovado Layer Cake
Kumquat, Cardamom and Pistachio Syrup Cake
Pears in Black Mulberry and Red Wine Sauce
Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Walnut-sesame Brittle
Cashew, Date and Vanilla Freezer Cakes
Salted Chocolate and Almond Truffles
TO CLARIFY MY OPINION ON the subject of pudding: the wholesome nature of the recipes in this chapter should not imply that I take a hard-line stance against the odd, or regular, bit of flat-out indulgence, or that I don’t have a deep love for ice cream and pretty much all things sweet… Everything in moderation and so on. I, and many others besides, have written reams of immoderate sweet recipes for special occasions and I hope to write more in the future, but, in order to provide a solution to modern-day cookery conundrums, I had to keep this chapter of last courses in line with the premise of the others.
The nature of my cooking revolves around whole foods, a plethora of vegetables and unprocessed ingredients, whether sweet or savoury, so it would be pretty odd for me to present a chapter of white sugar-laden and refined flour-rich puddings in the final furlong, even if I do make my own exceptions to the rule every now and then. Cooking with unrefined sugars (they still count as sugars, mind; more on that later…) and wholegrain flours doesn’t just add trace minerals and fibre, it also brings character and flavour, both traits I value greatly in a recipe.
Allergies and sensitivities appear to be more widespread than ever, and everybody involved in the world of professional cookery has to take notice. Gone are the days, I hope, of dismissing restaurant customers as fussy if they volunteer an allergy, and home cooks have to follow suit when cooking for friends and family. Sufferers will be used to preparing and choosing their food accordingly, but, as with the rest of the recipes in this book, I want to give you choices and solve potential pudding problems.
You might be cooking for a group where only one person is dairy-intolerant. Instead of making an entirely separate pudding – creating more work for yourself and perhaps making that diner feel segregated – I have developed sweet recipes using familiar and wholesome ingredients (you’ll find no fillers or gums here) and easy methods that are without common allergens such as dairy, gluten or wheat, but are no less delicious for that.
By focusing largely on cake and ice creams or frozen yogurts (who wouldn’t want either for pudding?), I hope I have given you choices for vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free and dairy-free diets, as well as a few more general wholesome options. Where relevant, I have given hints on tweaking recipes to suit. For example, butter, a natural ingredient I love to cook with, can be swapped for coconut oil in soft-but-solid form. Choose unrefined or extra virgin versions if you like the coconut taste, or refined if you don’t.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, spelt is a strain of wheat and any flour made from it contains all the gluten that implies. However, compared to our over-processed modern wheat flours, spelt is higher in protein and B-vitamins and is widely thought to be better tolerated by modern humans than wheat is. I enjoy its soft, sweet flavour, but concede that, for those who are sceptical about food sensitivities, the equivalent wholegrain wheat flour (by which I mean not stripped or mass-produced) will be comparable, so do directly substitute as you wish. Rye, though not a wheat flour, still contains gluten, but I love the way it combines with a judicious amount of sugar to add toasted flavour notes and a short, pleasingly sandy texture in baked goods. You could try using gluten-free buckwheat flour as a direct or partial replacement for rye. Nuts have proved useful in all forms in this chapter, often replacing flour completely, adding welcome fats, crunch or bolster in the process.
It has been in vogue for a while now to flag up recipes as ‘refined sugar-free’ as a selling point, and I absolutely agree that honey, maple syrup, raw cane sugar, molasses, coconut sugar and the like have merits over white sugar, not least in their amazing range of flavours. They are also relatively unprocessed, depending on what you buy, and contain beneficial minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron. In the case of agave nectar, honey and maple syrup, you will need about one-third less by volume to attain the same sweetness levels as white sugar, and cooking with less sugar can only be a good thing. Add fibre to the mix, in the form of dried dates or other sweet dried fruits, for example, and you can be sure the body will break those sugars down more slowly than the refined equivalent.
But, and here’s the rub: unrefined sugar is still sugar. Or, to put it another way, refined sugar-free does not mean sugar-free! I would suggest that using a little less sugar in your puddings where possible – and choosing unrefined and interesting whole ingredients to replace some of those empty calories from refined sugar with real and natural flavours – is a far more sensible approach. I have certainly done my best to keep sugar levels in these recipes as low as possible without compromising taste, hopefully giving those other flavours the space to shine through.
Beyond that, if you eat a colourful array of fresh and thoughtfully cooked vegetables and salads combined with wholegrains, a treat here and there is to be enjoyed wholeheartedly, rather than agonised over and wrangled into something it isn’t.
Roasting the pineapple has a two-fold effect: firstly, it renders even mediocre pineapples fragrant and sweet, and secondly, the oven’s heat stops the fruit’s bromelain enzyme causing a soapy taste when it is mixed with coconut milk. Serve this refreshing sorbet in scoops or, if you don’t have a machine and can’t face the regular whipping, freeze it in lolly moulds without churning.
SERVES 6 / MAKES 1 LITRE
– 1 large ripe pineapple
– 120g soft palm sugar (the kind in a tub, not a block)
– 400g can of coconut milk
– 4 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves, bruised
– juice of 1 large lime
– pinch of fine salt
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Snap the green top from the pineapple, sit the fruit in a roasting tin and cook, skin and all, for 1 hour, until tender. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Put the palm sugar in a saucepan with 50ml of water and 50ml of the coconut milk. Bring to the boil very slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, simmer for 2 minutes. Add the bruised kaffir lime leaves and remove from the heat. Let cool completely (this will take at least 20 minutes), remove the lime leaves, then stir in the lime juice and salt.
Meanwhile, cut the skin away from the roast pineapple, removing any eyes in the process, and roughly chop the flesh, discarding the central core. Blitz the chopped pineapple, with any of its juice, and remaining coconut milk in an upright blender (or with a hand-held version) until completely smooth. Add the lime syrup and blitz again to combine. To make the sorbet really smooth, pass it through a fine sieve.
Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the blade stops. Then transfer to a freezable container, cover and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
To make without a machine, pour the mixture into a shallow, wide freezable container and freeze for 1 hour, until the mixture freezes in a border around the edge. Break up the ice crystals with a whisk and return to the freezer. Repeat this whisking every 30 minutes, until evenly set and too thick to whip. This should take about 3 hours in total. Cover and freeze undisturbed for 4 hours, or overnight.
Soften in the fridge for 15–20 minutes before scooping and serving.
A luxurious vegan ice cream made with only two ingredients, if you use bought, natural marzipan that is. If you want to make your own, blitz 250g ground almonds with 75g Medjool dates and ½ tsp almond extract in a food processor to make a paste. Toast the home-made marzipan for a little longer, and strain the mixture after blending with the coconut milk to make a smoother base.
SERVES 4—6 / MAKES 800ML
– 320g natural marzipan (bought or home-made, see recipe introduction)
– 800ml coconut milk
– cherries, to serve
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Tear the marzipan into small pieces and spread out on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking parchment. Bake for 5–10 minutes, until turning golden in places. Bought marzipan will brown in about 5 minutes and home-made takes about 12, so keep watch. Tip into a blender with the coconut milk and blitz until silky-smooth. Chill for 2 hours.
Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the blade stops. Then transfer to a freezable container, cover and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
To make without a machine, pour the mixture into a shallow, wide freezable container and freeze for 1 hour, until the mixture freezes in a border around the edge. Break up the ice crystals with a whisk and return to the freezer. Repeat this whisking every 30 minutes, until evenly set and too thick to whip. This should take about 3 hours in total. Cover and freeze undisturbed for 4 hours, or overnight.
Soften the ice cream in the fridge for 15–20 minutes before scooping. Serve with fresh cherries or, when they aren’t in season, frozen or canned cherries simmered in a covered pan for 15 minutes with a splash of water and a little maple syrup, to taste.
With its blackcurrant tang, earthy beet backnotes and cardamom fragrance, this is more of an exotic sorbet, really, than a frozen yogurt. It does need the silky heft of full-fat yogurt to make it smooth and scoopable. Low-fat versions just won’t work here.
SERVES 3—4 / MAKES 500ML
– 300g full-fat Greek yogurt
– 4 green cardamom pods
– 150g (about 3 small) purple beetroots
– 150g blackcurrants, fresh or frozen
– 90ml maple syrup
– pinch of fine salt
– juice of ½ lemon
Line a sieve with a single layer of muslin or kitchen paper. Empty the yogurt in and leave to drain over a bowl or the sink for 30 minutes.
Give the cardamom pods a good bash with a jar or rolling pin and shake out the dark seeds. Scrub and coarsely grate the beetroots.
Put the grated beetroots, blackcurrants, maple syrup, salt and cardamom seeds in a saucepan with 60ml of water. Heat through for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until the currants begin to pop. Let cool, then tip into a blender with the strained yogurt and lemon juice and blitz until smooth (or blitz everything in the saucepan with a hand-held blender). Pass through a sieve for a smoother result, pushing and scraping the purée with a spatula, or leave as is if you don’t mind a little texture.
Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the blade stops. Then transfer to a freezable container, cover and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
To make without a machine, pour the mixture into a shallow, wide freezable container and freeze for 1 hour, until the mixture freezes in a border around the edge. Break up the ice crystals with a whisk and return to the freezer. Repeat this whisking every 30 minutes, until evenly set and too thick to whip. This should take about 3 hours in total. Cover and freeze undisturbed for 4 hours, or overnight.
Soften in the fridge for 15–20 minutes before scooping.
Blame it on romance or nostalgia, but I can’t resist the lure of scented leaves or petals to fragrance syrups and custards. I have made this with geranium leaves and without; both versions are outstanding so don’t worry if you can’t get hold of any, they just add a hint of Turkish delight. The berry ripple is tart, to contrast with the soft and velveteen yogurt, but you may wish to up the honey by a tablespoon or two.
SERVES 4—5 / MAKES 600ML
– 1kg full-fat natural yogurt
– 6 lemon- or rose-scented geranium leaves
– 190g acacia or other mild floral honey
– juice of 1 large lemon
– small pinch of fine salt
– 300g blackberries or black mulberries
Line a large sieve with muslin and set over a large bowl. Spoon in the yogurt and chill overnight, or for at least 8 hours. If you don’t want to do this, simply use 500g thick Greek yogurt and miss out the straining step.
Holding them over a small saucepan, snip the geranium leaves into pieces with scissors. Add 160g of the honey to the pan with all but 1 tsp of the lemon juice and the salt. Bring to the boil slowly, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until reduced by half. Cool for 10 minutes, then strain into a jug through a sieve to remove the leaves. Cool completely.
To make the blackberry ripple, put the berries in a saucepan with the remaining 30g of honey. Heat through gently over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10–15 minutes, until the berries burst, look ‘sauce-y’ and reduce down to thicken slightly. Stir in the reserved 1 tsp of lemon juice and set aside to cool. Chill until needed.
These three steps can all be done, or started in the case of the yogurt straining, the night before, or even a couple of days before freezing. When ready to churn, combine the strained yogurt and honey syrup thoroughly.
Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the blade stops. Or, to make without a machine, pour the mixture into a shallow, wide freezable container and freeze for 1 hour, until the mixture freezes in a border around the edge. Break up the ice crystals with a whisk and return to the freezer. Repeat this whisking every 30 minutes, until evenly set and too thick to whip. This should take about 3 hours in total. Either way, at this stage, ripple in the chilled berry mixture, cover and freeze undisturbed for 4 hours or overnight.
Soften in the fridge for 15–20 minutes before scooping.
Make this intriguing ‘ice cream’ – strictly a misnomer as it contains none of the usual dairy or eggs – when trayfuls of plump figs are selling cheap, and offer more fresh figs on the side. You should have a good chance of finding a few fig leaves then, too, but don’t worry if they prove elusive. If you are curious, they impart a grown-up and intriguing taste, reminiscent of coconut, vanilla and roasted nuts.
SERVES 4 / MAKES 600ML
– 400g can of full-fat coconut milk
– 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornflour
– 4 large fig leaves
– 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
– 100g blossom honey
– ¼ tsp fine salt
– 4 ripe figs, plus plenty more ripe figs, to serve
– 1 tbsp lemon juice
In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp of the coconut milk with the arrowroot or cornflour to make a paste.
Wash, dry and crumple the fig leaves to bruise slightly. Put them in a saucepan with the remaining coconut milk and split vanilla pod. Slowly bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes or up to a few hours for a stronger fragrance. Strain, pressing down on the leaves to extract all their flavour. Return the infused coconut milk to the pan, add the honey and salt and heat through gently. Stir in the flour paste and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer gently for 1 minute until slightly thickened, then remove from the heat, cover the surface with cling film and allow to cool. Chill overnight if you have time.
Chop the 4 figs and blitz them with the chilled custard and the lemon juice in a blender. The mixture will turn a pale purplish pink.
Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the blade stops.
To make without a machine, pour the mixture into a shallow, wide freezable container and freeze for 1 hour, until the mixture freezes in a border around the edge. Break up the ice crystals with a whisk and return to the freezer. Repeat this whisking every 30 minutes, until evenly set and too thick to whip. This should take about 3 hours in total.
Either way, spoon the soft ice cream into an airtight freezable container and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight, until firm. Let soften in the fridge for about 15 minutes before serving with ripe, torn figs.
I happened upon a good method when saving a curd I’d cooked too quickly: blending it on a high speed introduces air, changing the consistency from dense and buttery to mousse-y and light. This tart sets and cuts like a dream in its macaroon shell. Do choose shrivelled passion fruits; the taut, unripe fruits will be sharp as they haven’t had time to develop their soft, muscat fragrance as they wrinkle up.
SERVES 8
For the macaroon tart case
– coconut oil, for the tin
– 1 egg white
– ¼ tsp cream of tartar
– 3 tbsp raw cane sugar
– 1 tbsp ground almonds
– ½ tsp vanilla extract
– ¼ tsp fine salt
– 120g unsweetened desiccated coconut
– finely grated zest of 1 lime
For the curd
– 2 large, ripe passion fruits, plus more if needed
– juice of 1 lime, plus more if needed
– 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
– 4 tbsp raw cane sugar
– 75g unsalted butter
– ripe tropical fruit, to serve
To make the macaroon tart case, preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3½. Lightly oil a 20cm tart tin with a removable base.
With a balloon whisk, whip the egg white and cream of tartar in a large, clean mixing bowl until the mixture forms soft peaks. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until stiff and shiny. Fold in the remaining macaroon ingredients to make a sticky mixture. Being very firm, press the mixture evenly over the base and sides of the tin to make a tart case. Wet your hands if it sticks and do use quite a bit of pressure when spreading out.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, until pale golden, but do keep an eye if your oven runs hot because coconut catches easily. Let cool.
To make the curd, halve and scoop the filling from the passion fruits with a spoon and add to a jug with the lime juice. There should be 100ml in total, if not, add more passion fruit or lime juice. Add the eggs, egg yolk and sugar and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Don’t be alarmed at the caramel colour! It will change…
Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir continuously with a wooden spoon for 8 minutes, until thick, then remove from the heat and pour straight into a blender. Add the butter and blend at high speed until pale and thick with flecks of black throughout. Pour into the tart case and chill for at least 2 hours to set the curd. Carefully remove the tart from its tin and serve in slices with lots of ripe tropical fruit.
A little rye flour combines so well with wholegrain spelt flour or plain flour, the former adding nutty flavour in the absence of any dairy, the latter keeping the structure solid and the crumb tender. A bundt or tube-shaped cake tin is pretty much essential here; as the apples are plentiful and juice-filled, they make it hard for a standard round cake to bake through properly without drying out at the edges.
SERVES 8—10
– 190ml mild rapeseed oil, plus more for the tin
– 200g wholegrain spelt flour, plus more for the tin
– 4 eating apples
– 225g raw cane sugar
– 2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 50g rye flour
– 2¼ tsp baking powder
– ¾ tsp fine salt
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 3 eggs, lightly beaten
– juice of ½ lemon
– 100g walnut pieces
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3½. Oil a 23cm bundt or tube-shaped cake tin with a little rapeseed oil and dust very lightly with flour, tapping the excess away.
Slice the ‘cheeks’ off each apple around the core and lay the cheeks down on a chopping board, flat-sides down. Slice thinly, skin and all, to make a pile of flattened half-moon shapes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with 25g of the sugar and the ground cinnamon.
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and salt together using a balloon whisk to aerate the ingredients. Measure the oil into a jug and stir in the remaining sugar, the vanilla extract, eggs and lemon juice. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with the walnuts, and mix well. Spoon half this batter into the prepared tin and top with half the apple slices. Repeat the layers once more, finishing with the last of the apples and arranging them neatly.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes until risen, firm and pulling away from the sides of the tin. Check after 40 minutes and, if the cake looks to be browning too quickly, lay a square of foil over it to protect the top. A skewer inserted into the thickest part should come out with no trace of wet batter on it.
Let cool in the tin before turning out and slicing.
This is definitely a pudding cake, mousse-like and free of both dairy and gluten. Don’t be put off if you’re not a marmalade fan, for the citrus here is full-bodied rather than bitter, and also tempered by grassy olive oil.
Later in the year, use regular oranges, add a tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary leaves and serve the cake with raspberries.
SERVES 6—8
– 2 medium or 3 small, unwaxed blood oranges, plus more sliced blood oranges to serve
– 100ml fruity extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the tin
– 175g raw cane sugar
– 4 eggs, lightly beaten
– 175g ground almonds
– 2 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
Wash the oranges and put them in a saucepan. Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes or so, until completely soft. Remove the oranges from the water with a slotted spoon and leave to cool.
Cut the oranges in half through their middles, discard any pips and put the skin and pulp in a food processor. Blitz to a purée and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Lightly oil a 20cm springform cake tin and line it with non-stick baking parchment. Whisk the 100ml of olive oil, the sugar and eggs together for 3–4 minutes, using electric beaters, until light and fluffy. Fold in the ground almonds and baking powder with a large metal spoon. Fold through the puréed oranges until thoroughly mixed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until golden, well-risen and no longer wobbly when the tin is jiggled.
Leave to cool in the tin until completely cold. Turn out and serve slices with more blood orange slices or segments.
A handsome, dairy- and gluten-free cake, though you’d never think it without being told. I’ve called it a drizzle, but to be honest the texture has little in common with a delicate lemon cake; it is robust, yet not heavy, and brimming with caramel flavour from the dates and cane sugar. This is excellent with sweet pudding wine, or as a tea cake.
SERVES 8—10
– 150ml fruity olive oil, plus more for the tin
– 200g ground almonds
– 100g polenta
– 1½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
– ½ tsp fine salt
– 150g raw cane sugar
– 60g dates, pitted and chopped
– 3 eggs
– 100g carrots, finely grated
– finely grated zest and juice of 2 small unwaxed lemons
– 100g unrefined icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Oil a 20cm springform cake tin and line it with non-stick baking parchment.
Using a balloon whisk to introduce a bit of air, thoroughly combine the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
In a second bowl, vigorously whisk the olive oil and sugar together until lighter in texture and paler in colour. Add the dates to the bowl, then go back in with the whisk, whipping in each egg individually and breaking the dates down a little in the process. Fold in the ground almond mixture, followed by the grated carrots and lemon zest.
Pour into the tin. Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, until golden, risen and firm. You want it to be well cooked (any dates on the base of the tin will caramelise beautifully), so cover the top with a loose square of foil if it appears to be turning too dark too quickly.
Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice with the icing sugar. Pierce the surface of the just-cooked cake repeatedly with a skewer and pour the icing over. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out, icing side up, to serve.
These wheat-free (but not gluten-free) rye flour biscuits are reminiscent of the muscovado and pecan freezer biscuits my grandmother used to make… crossed with a shortbread of sorts. They’re higgledy-piggledy and not too sweet. Swap in solid coconut oil and use dark vegan chocolate to make them vegan-friendly. The well-wrapped cylinder of dough freezes well for up to three months.
MAKES 24
– 225g pecan nuts
– 190g rye flour, plus more to dust
– 1 scant tsp baking powder
– 1 tbsp cocoa powder
– ¼ tsp fine salt
– 190g unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 60g raw cane sugar
– 3 tbsp maple syrup
– 100g dates, pitted and chopped
– 100g milk or dark chocolate, finely chopped
Roughly chop 50g of the pecan nuts and aside. Put the remaining 175g of pecan nuts in a food processor and blitz until finely ground (keep an eye; you don’t want them to turn to an oily paste).
Beat together the ground pecans, rye flour, baking powder, cocoa, salt, butter, sugar and maple syrup in a bowl. Fold in the dates and the chopped pecans. Form into a fat (5–6cm diameter) log with rye-floured hands. Roll up in baking parchment, twist the ends and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3½ and line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.
Slice 1cm-thick biscuits from the cylinder and space out on the baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes, until slightly risen and dry looking. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack with a spatula or palette knife to cool completely.
Lay a sheet of baking parchment underneath the wire rack. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water), then transfer to a plastic food bag. Snip a small corner off and drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the biscuits in a fine stream. Let cool for at least 20 minutes in a cool place to set the chocolate, then keep in an airtight tin for up to a week.
A vegan chocolate cake fit for a celebration. I’ve found vegan cakes tricksy and liable to sink when baked in large tins, so have opted for a triple layer extravaganza, made in smaller tins. Admittedly, Coyo makes an expensive cake filling, but it’s easy, practical and a perfect foil for the rich sponge. If dairy is an option and you’d rather spend less, go for whipped cream, slightly sweetened and spiked with vanilla.
SERVES 12—16
– 200ml sunflower oil, plus more for the tins
– 2 × 400g tubs of Coyo vanilla yogurt
– 455g dark muscovado sugar
– 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
– 1 tbsp vanilla extract
– 3 tbsp chia seeds
– 2 tbsp strong espresso coffee
– 450g white spelt flour
– 6 tbsp cocoa powder
– 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
– ½ tsp fine salt
– 200g halved cherries or sliced strawberries, plus more to decorate (optional)
– 1 tbsp unrefined icing sugar, to dust
– edible flowers or foliage, to decorate (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Lightly oil 3 × 15cm-diameter cake tins with removable bases. Line the bases with baking parchment.
Start with the filling. Empty the Coyo into a sieve lined with a layer of muslin or a clean J-cloth and set over a bowl. Set aside in a cool place to strain, stirring now and then. It should take 1–2 hours to thicken enough to hold its shape when stirred. Remember the cakes are heavy and it will need to stand up to their weight! Stir in 1 tsp of the muscovado and chill.
Combine the oil, vinegar, vanilla, chia seeds, coffee and 450ml of water in a large bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the chia seeds to swell. Spoon the mixture into a blender and blitz on a high speed until smooth. Combine the flour, remaining muscovado sugar, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. Beat in the oil mixture to make a smooth batter, then divide between the prepared tins.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until well risen. Do not over-bake. They should be firm, and a skewer inserted in the middles should come out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out on to wire racks to cool completely.
Choose the prettiest and most evenly domed sponge to be the top. Sit one of the other cakes upside down on a cake stand, serving plate or platter. Spread with half the filling, leaving a 1cm border at the edges to allow for spreading. Scatter with half the cherries or strawberries, if using. Top with a second upside-down cake and repeat the Coyo layer and optional fruit. Sit the favourite cake on top, the right way up. Press down a little so the filling layers bulge out slightly. Take a palette knife and, holding it as close to vertical as possible, swoosh around the outside, flush with the cake, spreading the filling to fill any gaps. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and leave plain, or decorate with fresh, edible flowers, such as honeysuckle, or extra cherries or strawberries, if you like.
A gluten-, flour- and dairy-free gateau with a fallen mousse texture and a mere whisper of cardamom. Expect some slumping as it cools; this is entirely normal and you won’t see it anyway as a layer of jewelled kumquat slices hides any wrinkles. If they aren’t in season, or are ridiculously priced, douse the cake with honey and lemon juice instead and pile it high with sweet, ripe berries.
SERVES 8
– 175g blossom honey
– 250g kumquats
– 2 pinches of fine salt
– finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
– 100g almonds (skins on)
– 5 green cardamom pods
– flavourless oil, for the tin
– 100g unsalted and shelled pistachios
– 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
– 125g raw cane sugar
– 1 tbsp rice flour
– 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
– 4 eggs, separated
Put the honey in a saucepan with the kumquats, a pinch of salt and 75ml of water. Heat gently and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces to a syrup and the kumquats turn translucent. Stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Let cool.
Put the almonds in a bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Set aside for 20 minutes, then drain thoroughly and dry gently in a tea towel.
Bruise the cardamom pods hard enough to split them and shake their black seeds into a mortar and pestle. Crush to a rough powder.
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3½. Oil a 20cm square or 23cm round cake tin. Line the base and sides with non-stick baking parchment.
Put the drained almonds in a food processor and blitz until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the lemon zest, crushed cardamom, pistachios, vanilla, sugar and second pinch of salt. Blitz until the mixture looks like sand. Tip into a mixing bowl and stir in the rice flour, baking powder and egg yolks, mixing well with a spatula to make a stiff paste.
Whisk the egg whites in a separate, clean mixing bowl until they form stiff peaks. Fold a spoonful of egg whites into the cake batter to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whites in 2 batches, retaining as much air in them as possible. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 35–40 minutes, until the cake is golden and risen. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Check after 25 minutes and loosely cover the top with foil if it appears to be browning too quickly.
Spoon the kumquats and syrup over the hot cake in the tin and let cool. Cut into squares and serve as is, or with cream or coconut yogurt.
This intensely chocolate-y, slightly slumped cake is loosely based on Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake. My version is rich with beetroot – and you can really taste it, so this isn’t a cake for beetroot naysayers – and a little more frugal in sugar, and enjoys a hit of coffee to set the flavours off. It is best, I think, a day or two after baking, served with raspberries and cream or yogurt.
SERVES 10
– 225g unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for the tin
– 100g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids, chopped
– 190g wholemeal spelt flour
– 2 tbsp cocoa powder
– 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
– ½ tsp fine salt
– 250g raw cane sugar
– 2 eggs
– 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
– 160g raw beetroot, grated
– 150ml hot black coffee or hot water
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Line the base and sides of a 23 × 12cm loaf tin with non-stick baking parchment, using a little butter to keep it in place, as needed.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water (do not allow the bowl to touch the water), stir and set aside to cool (but not re-set).
Whisk the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl to aerate.
In a second bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes, until very light and fluffy. It will be hard work at first. Beat in the eggs individually, followed by the cooled chocolate and the vanilla. Fold in the grated beetroot.
Fold in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by a good pour of coffee or hot water. Keep adding the flour and coffee/water alternately, folding them in to make a loose batter.
Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/gas mark 3½ and bake for 20 minutes more. Leave to cool completely in the tin, whereupon it will sink slightly. Serve the slices plain or, my preference, with berries and cream or yogurt. It will keep well in an airtight container for a few days.
I found this buttery gluten-free sponge for coconut lovers easier to make as individually sized cakes. They often bake with craggy, flat tops, so turning them upside down, then coating the domed sponge with a quick coconut frosting and a hat of toasted coconut flakes solves any aesthetic failings. Substitute firm coconut oil for the dairy butter, if you wish.
MAKES 8
– 400g can of coconut milk
– 60g coconut flour
– 190g unsalted butter, soft, plus more for the tin
– 125g coconut sugar or raw cane sugar
– 4 eggs
– 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– large pinch of fine salt
– finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
– 175g ground almonds
– 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
– 150g raspberries
– 3 tbsp unrefined icing sugar
– 25g toasted coconut flakes
At least 2 hours before you want to make the cakes, chill the coconut milk can thoroughly, being careful not to disturb it too much. Open carefully and spoon out the set, thick coconut cream on top, leaving the thin milk behind. Chill the cream and measure out 150ml of the milk (you won’t need the rest here; pour it into a bowl and save it to add to a curry). Combine the 150ml of coconut milk with the coconut flour and set aside for 5 minutes; the flour will swell right up to form a spongy paste.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Butter 8 indents of a large, 12-hole muffin tin. (If your muffin tin has slightly smaller holes, this recipe will make 10 or even 12 cakes.)
Beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs individually, as you continue to beat. Beat in the desiccated coconut, vanilla, salt and lemon zest. Stir in the coconut milk-and-flour mixture, ground almonds and baking powder to make a thick batter. Fold in the raspberries and divide between the muffin holes. Bake for 25 minutes or so, until risen, firm and golden brown. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out and cooling on a wire rack.
Whisk the solidified coconut cream in a mixing bowl with the icing sugar until light and fluffy. Put the toasted coconut flakes in a shallow bowl. Smoosh a generous dab of the coconut cream over the curved base of each cake (which will now become the top) and dip straight into the coconut flakes to coat.
Honeyed baked pears combine so well with both rosemary and almonds in these quick tarts. If speed is a priority, use bought all-butter puff pastry, rolled out thinly. Or, to make the tarts gluten-free, use Gluten-free Pastry (see here). The frangipane keeps its shape pretty well on baking so won’t spread, even without the slight puff from the outer edges of the flaky pastry to hold it in place.
MAKES 8
– 1 quantity Wholegrain Flaky Puff (see here)
– a little flour of your choice, to dust
– 75g slightly salted butter, very soft
– 75g raw sugar
– 1 egg
– 75g ground almonds
– 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary, plus 8 small sprigs of rosemary
– 4 small, ripe pears
– 8 tsp honey
Roll the pastry out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking parchment, until 3–4mm thick. Peel off the top paper layer. Stamp or cut 8 × 12cm-ish rounds out (dipping the knife or cutter into a little flour will stop it sticking) and space out on a large baking sheet, lined with the top sheet of paper from the pastry rolling. Chill for up to 24 hours, until needed.
To make the frangipane, beat the soft butter with the sugar in a mixing bowl until very light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, followed by the ground almonds and chopped rosemary. This can also be done ahead of time: cover and chill the frangipane for up to 3 days, until needed.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Halve the pears, scooping out their cores with a teaspoon or melon baller. Holding each pear by the stalk end, make 4–5 cuts from near the stalk right down through the base, so that you can fan it out into slices from the base, but keep the slices together at the top.
Spread one-eighth of the frangipane out over each tart with a palette knife, keeping a 2cm border clear. Fan a pear half out on each tart and brush lightly with honey. Bake for 20 minutes, then top each pear half with a rosemary sprig and return to the oven for 5 minutes more, until the pears are tender and the pastry and frangipane are burnished and golden.
I include this not because it contains any vegan pyrotechnics or mastery, but because a perfectly poached pear, cloaked in red wine and mulberry juice, is a marvellous thing and really needs no other accompaniment.
SERVES 4
– 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped out
– 1 bottle of good, fruity red wine
– 120g light muscovado sugar
– 400g black mulberries or blackberries, fresh or frozen
– 6 firm pears, peeled but kept whole
Put the vanilla pod and seeds in a large saucepan with the wine, sugar and mulberries or blackberries.
Cut a sliver from the base of each pear so that they sit upright. Poach the pears, covered, for 20–30 minutes, turning every now and then to make sure they are covered in the wine. They should be tender to the point of a knife, but not on the point of collapse.
Take the pears from the pan with a slotted spoon, setting them aside in a shallow bowl. Simmer the liquid in the pan to reduce it by half, rendering it syrupy and rich. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing to release all the juice from the berries. Serve each pear cloaked in the sauce; they need nothing more, though you can offer cream or ice cream if you like.
This is based on Hervé This’s ingenious method of making a chocolate mousse with little more than chocolate and water. When you take dairy and eggs out of a mousse, you are left with an incredible, uncluttered flavour. I have added maple syrup to sweeten it slightly and vanilla because it pairs so well, but you could use date or rice syrup and a little espresso, chilli or cardamom instead.
SERVES 4
– 200g dark chocolate, chopped
– pinch of sea salt
– 2 tbsp maple or date syrup
– 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped out, or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
– ½ batch Walnut-sesame Crunch (see here)
Put the chocolate, salt and maple or date syrup in a saucepan with 175ml of water. Set over a low heat and warm the mixture through, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has just melted.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla seeds or paste. Pour into a bowl, using a spatula to scrape every last drop out of the pan, and start to whip with a balloon whisk. Keep whisking and whisking until the chocolate just thickens and looks shiny, like a ganache. Stop before you think it looks like a mousse as it will continue to set, but if you take it too far it isn’t a disaster: a dry and thick mousse is rather delicious and, in any case, you can re-melt it over a gentle heat with 1 tsp of water and start all over again with the whisking. Divide between 4 small-ish serving glasses or cups.
Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, smash the Walnut-sesame Crunch down to make a rough rubble. Scatter a little over each mousse to add texture.
Similar creations are often called ‘cheesecakes’ but, given their vegan status, these rich gluten-free creations are better thought of as chilled nut butter cups. I really think they need a generous adornment of some sort, as all those nuts are a bit much on their own. Add a good puddle of blueberry compote as I have suggested, or pitted cherries with melted dark chocolate, if you prefer.
MAKES 10
– 225g cashews
– 60g Medjool dates, pitted
– 150g whole almonds
– 2 pinches of sea salt
– 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
– 75ml melted coconut oil
– 100ml coconut milk
– 100ml maple syrup
– juice of 1 large lemon
– 75g almond butter
– 450g blueberries
Cover the cashews with plenty of cool water and leave for 4–6 hours, or, if you are short of time, cover with just-boiled water and leave for 1 hour.
To make the bases, blitz the dates and whole almonds in a food processor with a pinch of salt. Cut 10 strips of non-stick baking parchment and sit them across 10 holes of a large muffin tin, or similar-sized cups or moulds if a muffin tin won’t fit in your freezer. They will act as tabs, enabling you to pick the set cakes up. Divide the date mixture between the muffin tin holes or moulds, pressing it down firmly to form the bases.
Drain the cashews thoroughly and put in a blender. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod (keep the pod) and add the melted coconut oil, coconut milk, 70ml of the maple syrup, the remaining pinch of salt, lemon juice and almond butter. Blend on a high speed until completely and utterly smooth, stopping now and then to scrape the mixture down the sides as needed. Divide between the lined muffin tin holes, or whatever you are using, and smooth the tops with a spatula. Make sure the paper tabs are standing up. Freeze for a minimum of 3 hours to set completely.
Put the blueberries in a saucepan with the empty vanilla pod, remaining maple syrup and a splash of water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently, stirring often, until the berries burst and begin to turn jammy. Set aside to cool, then remove the vanilla pod.
Pull the set cakes out of their moulds using the paper tabs and let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes or so. Serve with the blueberry compote spooned over generously.
This (incidentally) vegan mixture makes a rich and intense truffle, balanced with a good kick of salt.
MAKES ABOUT 36
For the truffles
– 50g coconut oil
– 20g coconut sugar or maple sugar
– 200g white almond butter
– 200g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids, chopped into small pieces
– 2 large pinches of sea salt flakes, scrunched up in your fingers
– 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped out, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
To coat
– cocoa powder
– unsweetened desiccated coconut
– shelled and unsalted almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios and so on, finely chopped
Heat the coconut oil and sugar together in a saucepan set over a low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the oil has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the almond butter, chocolate, a pinch of scrunched sea salt and all the vanilla seeds or paste. Continue to stir gently until the chocolate is two-thirds melted. Remove from the heat and continue to stir intermittently until smooth and shiny.
To make square truffles, pour the mixture into a 20cm square brownie tin, lined with non-stick baking parchment. To make scoopable truffles, you can use a tin as above or a shallow bowl, about 20cm in diameter. Either way, set the truffle mix aside to cool, then scatter with the remaining scrunched sea salt. Chill for 2 hours, until set solid.
Tip the coating ingredients you want to use into shallow bowls; the amount you’ll need will depend on how many different coatings you use in a batch, but make sure the bases of the bowls are covered generously to get an even covering.
To make square truffles, turn the mixture out on to a cool work surface and slice into small squares (the mixture is rich) then roll each gently in a coating. To scoop out curls, leave the mixture at room temperature for 15 minutes or so (this is a bit trial and error as weather and kitchen temperature vary so much) then scrape the surface with a teaspoon to scoop into curls and rough spirals. Roll each gently in a coating and keep cool or, if they feel soft, return them to the fridge to set the mixture up.
The coated truffles will last for 2 weeks or so if they are kept chilled in a sealed container. Or freeze them for a good month, defrosting in the fridge overnight when you need them.
