Cake + Cake + Loaf = YUM

The 29th of June was my 22nd birthday and i decided to bake two cakes to celebrate! 

Cake #1:

Irish Mocha Cake:

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/one_bowl_chocolate_cake.html

Makes: 12 servings

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour - (I sifted together 1 Tbsp cornflour with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and a 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp of plain flour twice to make my version of home-made pastry flour).
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar or equivalent sweetner of your choice
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk (1/2 Tbsp vinegar/lemon topped until half cup with trim milk)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten - or egg replacer equivalent (I used Orgrans egg replacer, you could use a flaxseed/chia "egg")
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil/avocado oil
• 2 Tbsp Irish cream Sugar Free Torani syrup
• 1/2 cup hot strong black coffee - I used Robert Harris Irish plunger blend

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Coat a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with a circle of wax paper. (I used a silicone mould which I greased and floured).
2. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, sugar, egg, oil and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add hot coffee and beat to blend. (The batter will be quite thin.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake the cake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan, peel off the wax paper and let cool completely.
4. Ice with avocado icing - link below...

NUTRITION

Per serving: 139 calories; 3 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 18 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrates; 2 gprotein; 2 g fiber; 212 mg sodium; 60 mg potassium.

Avocado icing

Cake #2:

Tropical Cheesecake:

• Base
• cooking oil spray - to grease the tin
• 5 Arnotts Gingernut biscuits
• 1 cup oat flour/almond flour
• 1/4 cup Unrefined organic cold-pressed coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 
  
• Filling
• 1250g reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 125g light cottage cheese
• 1 egg + 3 egg whites (or two whole equivalent in egg replacer)
• 400g plain low-fat unsweetened yoghurt - I used passionfruit yogurt
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1/8 cup pureed tropical fruit

Topping

Large container of Dole tropical fruit pureed - minus the 1/8 cup used in the mix above

2 tsp cornflour

Toasted coconut

Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a 20cm springform pan with oil. Place biscuits and oats in a food processor bowl and process until finely crushed. Add oil and process until combined.

Step 2Press biscuit mixture in the base of prepared pan. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill. Then cook for 10 mins. Allow to cool before pouring on the mixture.

Step 3Process cream cheese and cottage cheese until soft. Add eggs and process to combine. Stir in yoghurt, icing sugar and flour. Pour over prepared base.

Step 4Place pan on an oven tray and bake for about 1 hour, or until just set. Turn oven off and cool cake in oven with door slightly ajar.

Simmer puree with cornflour in saucepan over medium heat until it thickens - cool

Toast around 1/4 cup of desiccated coconut in a dry pan until golden brown.

Spread puree over cooked cheesecake, sprinkle with the toasted coconut and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

I have also recently tried this awesome loaf given to me by my dad. The recipe is originally from the Women's Weekly but I have healthified it! It is so yummy...light & fluffy, yet moist!

Date and Walnut Loaf:

1 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped 
1 tsp baking soda 
1 cup boiling-hot black tea
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed or coconut sugar for low GI
1 egg, lightly beaten  - or egg replacer substitute
1 tbsp melted coconut oil (refined) 
1 tsp vanilla essence 
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted  - I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup plain flour mixed with 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp of baking soda sifted together
½ cup walnut pieces

1. Place dates in a bowl. Sprinkle with baking soda and cover with hot tea. Set aside for 1 hour for dates to soften and cool.

2. Heat oven to 160C. Grease and line a standard loaf tin with baking paper.

3. Stir brown sugar, egg, butter and vanilla into the cooled date mixture. Stir in sifted flour and walnuts to just combine. Spoon mixture into prepared loaf tin.

4. Bake for 1 hour or until loaf tests cooked when a skewer inserted comes out clean.