Author Archives: The Cooking spoon

Almond flour chocolate Cake

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This easy Almond Flour Chocolate Cake is such a showstopper! It’s incredibly easy, super tender and moist, made with almond flour and topped with the most delicious chocolate buttercream. I consider this a healthy cake because it is low carb and sugar free as well. Almonds are full of healthy fats, high in protein and have a good amount of fibre. Reason enough to get baking!

I have made this cake in a small tin so that you can bake it, just because you feel like a good dessert or because you want chocolate cake. No one’s birthday, no questions asked.

The almond flour provides a light, fluffy texture that will make you want to use it in all your baking.  I have used liquid stevia from the brand Good Good which I love.

Of course there’s also a thick layer of chocolate frosting,  otherwise what’s the point, (at least in my book). Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1.5 c almond flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 2 tsp. liquid stevia extract
  • 1/2 c. plain yoghurt (I used dairy free)
  • 1/3 c. neutral oil
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 3/4 c. soft butter
  • 1/2 c. cream ch
  • 1/4 c. cocoa
  • 1/2 -1 tsp. liquid stevia
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 -2 tbsp. milk of choice

Pre heat oven at 180 C/350 F.
Line two 8″/20 cm cake tins with parchment paper,  spray with oil and dust with cocoa powder. Tap off excess.

Instructions

Start by sifting all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
In an other bowl,  beat eggs and add yogurt, oil, vanilla and stevia.  Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
Pour into two tins and bake for 23 to 25 min. Test with wooden skewer by inserting into the center of the cake.  When skewer is dry, the cakes are done. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.

While the cakes are baking,  whip up the frosting by creaming together the butter and cream cheese until soft and smooth, add milk, stevia and vanilla and mix. Add the cocoa,  a few tablespoons at a time until fully incorporated.

Once the cakes are completely cooled,  frost the cake. You can serve straight away or first chill the cake for a few hours.  This will make cutting easier.
The cake will keep for 4 days in the fridge.

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Watermelon, Chicken, bacon and Feta Salad, Tahini ranch dressing

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Beautiful nutritious Salads is what summer is all about.  They are easy,  healthy and delicious and can serve as a meal or as a side. Fresh ingredients like, Watermelon, crispy greens, chicken, bacon and feta all join forces with fresh basil and mint for a quick and easy salad that’ll be sure to delight your family and friends.
Also, this happens to be the perfect food to take with you on a picnic, potluck or beach day.
Having a good list of go-to-salads will make your life so much easier this Summer. 
Some of my favorites salads for Summer are Quinoa Salad, Halloumi Peach salad, Greek salad, Elotes and pineapple salad, Peach Basil Shrimp Salad with Sweet Chili Vinaigrette and Bbq Honey Chicken Tenders Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing.
This watermelon, chicken,  bacon, and feta salad is what dreams are made of. The tahini ranch dressing may come as a surprise but there’s sweetness and nuttiness with a touch of “zing” from the lemon juice, so delicious.

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the Salad

  • 3 cups market greens
  • 1 cup diced watermelon
  • 1 cup chopped cucumber
  • 1 thinly sliced onion
  • 1-2 avocados sliced
  • ½ cup feta
  • Handful chopped pistachios
  • Fresh basil and mint
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For the tahini ranch

  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 shallot finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the vegetable oil with the seasoning. Place the chicken in a large zip top plastic bag and add the marinade, give the chicken a little massage and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for about an hour.

Heat a large skillet, remove the chicken from the marinade and cook the chicken for 6 minutes on each side depending on thickness,  until it is cooked thru. Remove the chicken from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes on a plate. Slice the chicken and set aside. Whisk the ingredients for the tahini ranch together.

On a large platter arrange the salad greens, top with the avocado,  cucumber,  watermelon,  feta, bacon, onion and chicken. Sprinkle with herbs and pistachios. Serve with tahini ranch.

Enjoy!

 

Roasted red bell pepper jam

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Get ready for the new sauce of Summer ’22.
The perfect sauce for Mexican Corn Jalapeño Burger, Jamaican Jerk Chicken Kebabs, Beef burger filled with Onions and Crispy Bacon, Madras Salmon Burger, etc etc… basically all kinds of hamburgers, grilled meats, salmon, fish and sandwiches.
The jam is sweet, a little tangy because there is a little vinegar in there, and a hint of spice in the form of chili flakes. You can adjust that to your liking of course, but for us, 1/2 teaspoon is enough. This sauce will keep for about two weeks in the refrigerator,  you can also process the jars (canning) for a longer shelve life, but do consult a canning website or source for that procedure.
This roasted red bell pepper sauce takes five minutes to make and is so easy. I used a jar of roasted peppers like I did in my 5 minute Romesco Sauce, cheats version because, why not? Sometimes it’s okay to take a shortcut.

Makes 1 jar

INGREDIENTS:


1 jar of fire roasted red peppers, drained
80 grams of special jam sugar/gelling sugar
1/4 cup plain vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon table salt

INSTRUCTIONS:


Place all the ingredients in a blender.
Puree until smooth and transfer to a large pot.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until bubbly and slightly thickened.
Pour into sterile jar, let cool a bit with the lid off, for an hour or so.
Then close with a lid and keep in the refrigerator. Like I said earlier,  it’s good on everything.


Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pops

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We are very excited about these Chocolate Pudding pops, and I already know that they will be on repeat the whole Summer. What an easy recipe, so creamy and chocolatey, and smooth. With that perfect snap when you bite into them, yum! I love the fact that you can control the amount of sugar or sweetener you use, making this a healthier choice and the perfect cold treat without the guilt trip. You could skip all the sugar and add only stevia, although I love how rice syrup adds a certain chewiness to the pops, just like it does to my gluten-free chocolate brownies. Syrup also prevents crystallization and keeps the chocolate pudding pop creamy.  Next time I’ll be making creamy vanilla white chocolate pops, so stay tuned.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 a bag of chocolate pudding mix (28 grs)
175 ml. milk (I used barista Oat milk)
75 gr creamy almond butter
30 ml. / 2 tbsp. Rice syrup or maple syrup
200 gr dark chocolate* see note below 
15 ml. / 1 tbsp. Natural oil
A handful of mini chocolate chips
Ice cream molds

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the pudding mix with 75 ml of the milk in a jug and stir until everything is dissolved.
Bring the remaining 100 ml of milk to a simmer in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Once the milk has reached a simmer, lower the heat and add the pudding mixture  to the saucepan,  stirring constantly for about two minutes. 
Remove from heat, add the almond butter and syrup and stir to dissolve and combine.
Let cool a little then fill ice cream molds halfway,  divide some chocolate chips over the pudding and top with the remaining mixture. Insert the sticks and cover the molds.
Place in the freezer for at least 6-8 hours.
Melt the chocolate and oil in a microwave safe bowl, in the microwave at 30 second intervals until melted. Pour chocolate into a tall glass, so you can dip the whole chocolate pudding pop into the chocolate.
Remove the chocolate pudding pops from the freezer and take them out of the molds.
Dip each chocolate pudding pop into the melted chocolate and then hold in an upright position for 30 seconds until the chocolate sets. Place each pop on a parchment lined board or plate and put back in the freezer until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

More yummy desserts?

*There will be chocolate left over, but you need the initial 200 grams so you can immerse the entire pop in one go. Leftover chocolate can be poured into a plastic container and kept in the refrigerator or freezer for another time.