cakes – Jen Credicott

Banana Ice Cream

May 28, 2015August 12, 2020 Jen Dietitian

20150528_114415 It’s that time of year again where ice cream is everywhere. There’s nothing better than enjoying a cooling ice cream after a long day in a hot office, and now you can do it without the added sugar!

This recipe is SUPER SIMPLE! It has just one essential ingredient.

I’ve known about this idea for a while, but never tried it. I tried it last week and now I’ll permanently have bananas in my freezer, and when you taste this you’ll find out why! It actually tastes like creamy, ice cream. Suitable for just about anybody; those watching their weight, those with lactose intolerance, vegans, children, even babies! Plus you can vary it and make it “more gourmet” by adding in different things.

Healthy, cheap, tasty and sooo easy to make!

You’ll need a banana and a food processor.

(This recipe works best with ripe, sweet and soft bananas…the ones that are starting to go a little black in your fruit bowl!)

METHOD
1. Peel the banana, slice into coins and freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag (a couple of hours should be enough but overnight is best).

2. Pop the banana slices into a food processor and blend.

3. First, they’ll appear crumb-like (see picture >>). Use a soft spatula to scrape the bits off that are stuck to the sides and keep going!

4. Once your bananas are becoming smoother, you can add in other ingredients if you want (see below for ideas).

5. Keep blending until your bananas (and extras) resemble a smooth, creamy texture…like ice cream!

6. You can enjoy it immediately, or you can put it into an airtight container and put it back in the freezer until it becomes more solid.

Additional flavourings (some not suitable for babies <12 months age):
– Walnuts (or other nuts)
– Peanut butter
– Frozen berries
– Honey
– Chocolate chips
– Nutella
– Crumbed biscuits (speculoos or ginger nuts!)
– 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon or ginger

Do let me know what you think and if you try adding in different things!

Recipes

Bara Brith

May 13, 2015August 12, 2020 Jen Dietitian

I made this for the European bread festival at Schuman last weekend, and it was very popular. Lots of people asked where they could buy it, and upon being told I’d made it, I promised them I would put it my blog. (It didn’t even last long enough for me to take a picture!)

Bara Brith is Welsh ‘speckled bread’. It’s not really bread at all, more like a fruit cake, but one that is very special to me, given my Welsh heritage. I don’t often post cake recipes on here, but I love baking! This recipes is low in fats, but it does contain quite a bit of sugar from both the muscavado and the dried fruit.

You need to start making this the night before, as ideally the fruit needs to soak in the tea over night.

Ingredients
350g self raising flour
150g muscovado sugar (or any brown sugar)
1 egg
300ml tea (you can mix it up here, but I normally use Welsh – or English – breakfast)
450g dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, cranberries and mixed peel work well)
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest

Method
1. Tip the dried fruit into a large bowl (it will expand), and pour the tea over it. Cover and leave it to soak overnight.
2. Preheat your oven to 160’c and grease a loaf tin lightly with butter.
3. Grate the orange to get the zest, then cut in half and squeeze to get some juice. Sieve it to ensure there’s no pips!
4. Mix together the sugar, egg, honey, orange juice and zest.
5. Add this mixture to the bowl containing the fruit and mix well.
6. Gradually sieve in the flour and mixed spice, stirring in as you go.
7. The consistency of the mixture should be thick and drop slowly off the back of a spoon. If it’s too thick, slowly add a little milk until you reach the desired consistency.
8. Pour the mixture into the greased tin, and place into the oven. It will need around 1.5-2 hours. The top should look golden, and be firm to the touch in the middle.
9. Allow to cool, before slicing into 12-14 slices and enjoying with a nice cup of tea.

This is the one picture I do have…

IMG_20150508_231258

Nutritional info (based on the above recipe yielding 14 slices):
CALORIES: 230kcal
TOTAL FAT: 0.6g
SATURATED FAT: 0.1g
PROTEIN: 3.4g
TOTAL CARBOHYDRATE: 57g
SUGARS: 30g

Recipes

Chickpea & raisin cookies

April 4, 2015August 12, 2020 Jen Dietitian

Here’s another chickpea recipe for you to try out! If you missed my chickpea chocolate brownie recipe, click here to take a look.

I’m having lots of fun trying out chickpea recipes! These cookies are nutty, sweet and more filling than your standard cookie. They’re also flour-less so suitable for those intolerant to gluten. When they’ve cooled they’re more of a cake texture than crunchy, but still, the perfect accompaniment to your afternoon cup of tea. Crunch from the nuts and sweet raisins, plus the protein will make you feel fuller so one will hit the spot!

Ingredients:
240g chickpeas
40g powdered almonds
100g raisins
80g chopped almonds
1 egg
80g sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220’c and line a flat baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Add all of the ingredients except the raisins and chopped almonds to a food processor and blend for a couple of minutes, until you have a smooth mixture.
3. Add the almonds and raisins to the mixture and ‘pulse’ the food processor a couple of times to mix them in.
4. Dollop a small ball of the dough onto the greaseproof paper and press flat into a cookie shape. Repeat until you have used up all the mixture (I made 18 from the above ingredients).
5. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the edges are starting to get crispy. Let cool and enjoy 🙂

Store in an airtight container!

The nutritional information below is per cookie:
CALORIES: 100kcal
TOTAL FAT: 4.4g
SATURATED FAT: 0.3g
PROTEIN: 3.2g

Recipes

Chickpea Brownies

April 1, 2015August 12, 2020 Jen Dietitian

These gooey, delicious mouthfuls of chocolate indulgence are the perfect bake for the Easter holidays! Chuck all the ingredients into a food processor, throw in the oven and…voila!!

Honestly…don’t let the chickpeas put you off. They taste fantastic! Plus, they’re suitable for those with coeliac disease as they are gluten free!

The fact that they contain more protein than your standard chocolate brownie should help with satiety! The perfect sweet treat for a little bit of what you fancy!

Ingredients:
300g chickpeas
2 eggs
40g cocoa powder
80g sugar*
1 tsp coconut oil (melted)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
20mls espresso coffee (optional)**
100g dark chocolate chips

*You can replace with sweetener if desired
**Another suggestion from a blog reader is to include marmalade in the mixture to give it an orangey taste…yum!

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180’c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. I used a bar of dark chocolate (at least 70%) and put it through the food processor to make chocolate chips. It’s a good idea to leave some bigger chunks as this adds to the gooey texture of the brownies. Tip this into a bowl for the moment.
3. Place the chickpeas, coconut oil, coffee and eggs into the food processor. Blend for a minute or so.
4. Mix together the dry ingredients (cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt). Add this to the chickpea mixture in the food processor and continue to blend….well!
5. Once you have a smooth mixture, stir in your chocolate chips.
6. Now pour the mixture into the lined tray. You’ll need to flatten it a little as the bake won’t change shape much, so ensure it looks how you want it to.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the top is firm to the touch and the surface has begun to crack. A toothpick should also come out (relatively) clean.
8. Let the bake cool completely before cutting into 12 pieces. Dust with icing sugar, and serve 🙂

The nutritional information below is per brownie:
CALORIES: 134kcal
TOTAL FAT: 4.8g
SATURATED FAT: 2.5g
PROTEIN: 4.25g

I love receiving pictures of you making my recipes:

Recipes

Almond & cranberry rock cakes

January 24, 2015January 23, 2015 Jen Dietitian

Sometimes you just need SOMETHING to go with that cup of tea, and SOMETIMES a piece of fruit just isn’t going to cut it 😉

These cute little rock cakes are perfect for those moment. They’re made with ground almonds which makes them high in protein and they don’t contain any butter which means they’re lower in saturated fat than your standard rock cake recipe.

If you fancy doing some baking today, give these a go!

Ingredients

100g ground almonds
80g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
50g dried cranberries
30g sugar
2 eggs
Honey (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220’c.
2. Sieve the flour, and add it into a bowl containing the ground almonds, baking powder and ginger.
3. Add in the cranberries and the sugar and give it a good ol’ mix!
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the 2 eggs.
5. Add the eggs to the other ingredients and stir well until you have a sticky consistency.
6. Plop little dollops of the mixture onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper (mixture should make 12).
7. If desired, you can add a little drizzle of honey to the top of each cake. It adds a little sweetness and helps the cake crisp up a bit.
8. Pop into the oven and cook for around 30 minutes until the cakes are golden in colour.

The nutritional data below is per portion based on the above yielding 12 rock cakes.
CALORIES: 100kcal
TOTAL FAT: 5g
SATURATED FAT: 0.5g
PROTEIN: 3.5g