Awesome chocolate cake

We did this cake for my son's 3rd birthday and it is the best dairy free chocolate cake I have had!!

Ingredients

Cake
250 gms of dark chocolate
225 gms of dairy free spread (I used Olivani)
6 large eggs separated
260gms caster sugar
75gms ground almonds
50 gms flour (sifted)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Icing
1 1/2 cups of icing sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp melted dairy free spread
1 tsp vanilla extract
warm water for mixing

Method
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.  Grease a 25 cm cake tin - line the bottom with baking paper and the sides with strips of tinfoil.
2. Melt the chocolate and dairy free spread together gently over a low heat and reserve.
3. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar together until thick, pale and creamy.  Fold in the chocolate mixture.  Fold in the ground almonds, flour and baking powder.
4. Whisk egg whites until they hold soft peaks but are not dry or grainy.  Add a spoonful or two of whites to the chocolate mix to loosen it, then gently fold in remaining egg whites, vanilla and salt and pour into cake tin.
5. Bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean but still moist.  Allow the cake to cool in the tin, turn out and remove the paper and foil.
6. Put the icing sugar, cocoa, dairy free spread, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Add water, little by little beating well so you have a spreadable paste.  Spread all over the cake and allow to set.

Roasted tomato, pine nut and spinach pasta

Ingredients
500gms cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, halved and finely sliced
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
350gm dried pasta (pappardelle, linguine or fettucine)
1/2 cup small fresh basil leaves
100 gms baby spinach leaves
Salt

Method
1. Preheat oven to 220 celsius.  Place tomatoes, onions and pine nuts in a roasting pan.  Sprinkle with oil, garlic and sugar.  Season with salt to taste.  Gently toss to combine.  Roast, tossing once, for 8-10 minutes until tomatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile cook pasta according to packet directions.
3. Drain pasta and put in roasting pan with tomato mixture.  Add spinach, season with salt if desired.  Toss until spinach wilts.  Add basil and serve.

Optional:  we added some proscuitto and bacon would be nice as well.

Source: Sanitarium nutrition service.

More pantry basics

I have found a couple more pantry basics that I thought might be useful!

We put some thai coriander on the bagel crisp layered with a sundried tomato. Delicious!

Gingerbread men

Ingredients

• 125g dairy free spread (Olivani), at room temperature
• 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
• 1 egg, separated
• 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 1 tbs ground ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Plain flour, to dust
• 150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
• 8-10 drops red liquid food colouring (if desired)
• 8-10 drops green liquid food colouring (if desired)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Get two baking trays ready.

2. Use an electric beater to beat the dairy-free spread and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

3. Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Divide icing among 3 bowls (if desired). Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined. Add green colouring to remaining bowl and stir until combined. Place in plastic bags with a seal and place in the fridge.

4. Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper (baking paper should be cut to be same size as baking tray) and roll out until about 4mm thick. Peel off 1 sheet and place baking paper with dough on baking tray. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes and remove excess dough.

5. Repeat for the second tray.

6. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.

7. Cut a small hole in a corner of each icing bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate.

Lamb mince patties

Ingredients

Lamb mince 1kg
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon dry chilli flakes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 egg

Method
Mix and form into six patties.
Fry in a frying pan with some oil until cooked through.

Lemon tart

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
100 grams dairy free spread* (cold, cut into ½“ pieces)
1 egg yolk
* I used Olivani and it worked well - it needs to have 60% fat.

Filling 
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup of cornflour
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 cup of lemon juice
3/4 cup of water
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dairy free spread (Olivani worked well)

Directions

Crust
1. Sift together flour and sugar. Cut dairy free spread into flour & sugar (I used the blender to combine).
2. Stir in yolk and quickly gather mixture together with hands and press into greased flan pan.
3. Bake at 425° F for 12-14 minutes or so, until golden brown.
4. Transfer crust to rack to cool. Remove flan rim once cake is cooled ( at least 30 minutes).

Filling
1. Blend cornflour, sugar, lemon rind, and juice together until smooth.
2. Add water.
3. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in yolks and spread.
5. Put filling on crust and put in fridge for an hour to set.

(Inspired by the Edmonds cookbook and the strawberry custard tart)

Strawberry custard tart

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
100 grams dairy free spread* (cold, cut into ½“ pieces)
1 egg yolk

* I used Olivani and it worked well - it needs to have 60% fat.

Filling 

1 cup oat milk (refer pantry basics for product)
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour

Topping
Strawberries, hulled and cut in half (enough to fill the flan in single layer)
Jam (heat and sieve out seeds)

Directions

Crust

1. Sift together flour and sugar. Cut dairy free spread into flour & sugar (I used the blender to do this).
2. Stir in yolk and quickly gather mixture together with hands and press into greased flan pan.
3. Bake at 425° F for 12-14 minutes or so, until golden brown.
4. Transfer crust to rack to cool. Remove flan rim once cake is cooled ( at least 30 minutes).

Filling 

1. In small saucepan, bring milk almost to a boil and set aside.
2. Combine yolks, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and beat until it makes ribbons (3-4 minutes). Beat in flour.
3. Add milk slowly, beating constantly.
4. Pour custard back into pot and bring to boil stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes (5 minutes for a large flan), until very thick.
5. Pour custard into cooled tart shell.
6. Place strawberry halves, cut side down working from center out or outer rim toward center. Paint with a glaze of melted currant jelly and chill until serving time.

(Inspired by www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/fruit/recipe.html?dishid=9487)