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Carrot cake recipe
Course: carrot, cakeDifficulty: MediumServings12
servingsPrep time30
minutesCooking time30
minutesTotal time1
hourCarrot cake is a classic cake that is perfect for any occasion, and it’s surprisingly easy to make. If you’re looking for a delicious cake to serve up to your family and friends, give this recipe a try.
Ingredients
1 cup (100 grams) of pecans or walnuts
3/4 pound (340 grams) raw peeled carrots (about 2 1/2 cups grated)
2 cups (260 grams) of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4 grams) of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
4 large eggs (200 grams), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) of granulated white
sugar2 teaspoons (8 grams) of pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml/215 grams) of vegetable, corn, safflower, or canola oil.
1 – 8 ounce can (226 grams) of crushed pineapple, drained (optional)
- Cream Cheese Frosting
7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) confectioners (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted.
1 teaspoon (4 grams) of pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (4 grams) of freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 ounces (340 grams) of full-fat cream cheese, softened
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray, two – 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.
- Place the pecans or walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 6 – 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
- Peel and grate the carrots.
- In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.
- In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat, on high speed, until the batter is thick and light-colored (about 3 – 4 minutes). With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the oil in a steady stream and then beat until combined. Beat in the crushed pineapple. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots and chopped nuts. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans (about 775 grams of batter in each pan) and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean (the cakes will start to pull away from the sides of the pan).
- Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on a wire rack. After 10 minutes invert the cakes onto a wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, re-invert, and then cool completely before frosting.
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice and beat until incorporated. Add the softened cream cheese in four to five additions (scraping the bowl as needed), beating until incorporated and the frosting is nice and smooth.
- To Assemble
- Place one layer of the cake on a cardboard cake board or your serving platter. Spread with about 3/4 cup (150 grams) of the frosting. Gently place the second cake layer onto the frosting and spread the rest of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. If desired, garnish with toasted nuts. The cake can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for about five days. Serve cold or bring to room temperature before serving. Well-wrapped, the cake can also be frozen for about one month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Recipe Video
Notes
- You could bake this cake in a 9 x 13 x 2 inch (23 x 33 x 5 cm) pan. Just increase the baking time to between 30 to 40 minutes.
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Vegan chocolate chips muffins
Course: muffins, veganCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: EasyServings4
servingsPrep time15
minutesCooking time25
minutesTotal time40
minutesIf you are looking for a delicious and healthy dessert, look no further than these vegan chocolate chips muffins! Made with ingredients that we all have at home and vegan chocolate chips, these muffins are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without guilt. Not only are these muffins vegan and gluten-free, but they are also incredibly easy to make.
Ingredients
1 cup of flour (I use all-purpose but you can also use whole wheat, pastry flour, or a gluten-free 1–1 substitute)
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon
1/4 cup
1/2 cup of almond milk
3 tablespoons of nut butter- I used peanut butter this time but have also made these with almond butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 medium banana, mashed
1/2 cup of non-dairy chocolate chips.
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 6 cup muffin tin.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Stir in the milk, nut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and mashed banana. Stir until well combined.
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Evenly spoon the mixture into the 6 muffin cups.
- Top with a few more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let cool slightly and ENJOY!!
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Easter cookies recipe
Servings4
servingsPrep time30
minutesCooking time10
minutesTotal time40
minutesEaster is a special holiday is one of the oldest Christian festivals and it is so special. There’s no better way to celebrate it than with some delicious baked cookies. Whether you’re making them for an Easter party or to surprise your family, Easter cookies are an easy and fun way to make the day extra special.
Ingredients
280 g plain, all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
170 g unsalted butter softened
150 g caster or granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the icing
500 g royal icing sugar, sifted
9 tablespoon room temperature water
Directions
- In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
- In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on a medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and cream together for about 2 more minutes. Add an egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until well combined. Make sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl as and when needed.
- Add the flour mix into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place a sheet of baking paper or a silicone mat on a flat working surface and lightly dust it with flour. Place one-half of the dough onto the baking paper/ silicone mat, and cover it with another sheet of baking paper. Roll the dough between sheets of baking paper to about 5mm thickness. Transfer the rolled dough to the fridge (if stacking one on top of each other, make sure to cover the top one with some baking paper too, so it doesn’t dry out). Chill for at least 1-2 hours or ideally, overnight.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line the baking trays with some baking paper. Remove one of the pre-rolled dough pieces from the fridge. Using your favourite cookie cutters, cut the desired shapes. Re-roll any remaining dough and repeat until you have used all of the dough. Do the same with the second piece of chilled dough.
- Transfer the cookies onto the baking tray and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 10 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. They are ready when the edges are turning lightly brown. Take them out of the oven, and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the royal icing
- In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand-held electric mixer with beaters, place the sugar and water and mix together for about 2 minutes until well combined. When lifting the whisk up of the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 10- 12 seconds (‘draw’ a line with the dripping icing, if it disappears after 10-12 seconds and melts back into the rest of the icing, you are good to go).
- If the icing is too thick, add a bit more water, only about a teaspoon at a time. If the icing is too thin, add a little more sifted royal icing sugar.
- Divide the icing between the bowls and add a few drops of gel food colouring to them. Using a toothpick or a skewer (different toothpick for each colour), mix the icing until you reach the desired colour. Transfer the royal icing into piping bags and snip the very tip of each piping bag.
- Draw the border lines around all of the cookies and allow them to dry for a few minutes. When ready, start to ‘flood’ the cookies with the icing. Try to work top-to-bottom or edges towards the centre motion, rather than doing it in random order. Use a toothpick or a skewer to fill any gaps in the icing. Once you finished filling the cookie with the icing, tap the cookie gently a few times, to spread the icing in an equal layer. Allow the icing to dry completely, before adding another layer or more details to the cookies.
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How to make chickpeas hummus really easy
Servings4
servingsPrep time15
minutesTotal time15
minutesIf you’re looking for a delicious appetizer or dip recipe, you’ve come to the right place! This easy Chickpea Hummus recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and super tasty. It also contains only six essential ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients
700 g jar of chickpeas
½ a clove of garlic
ground cumin
extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
1 lemon
Directions
- Tip 1 x 700g jar of chickpeas (juices and all) into a blender.
- Peel and add ½ a clove of garlic, along with a good pinch of sea salt, black pepper and ground cumin.
- Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of tahini.
- Finely grate in the zest of ½ a lemon zest and squeeze in all the juice, then whiz until super-smooth and silky.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, then decant back into the original jar for storing in the fridge. To serve, I like to make a well in the middle, and kiss it with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of ground cumin.
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Delicious homemade ricotta ravioli recipe
Course: ravioliCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: EasyServings4
servingsPrep time30
minutesCooking time10
minutesTotal time40
minutesAre you looking to impress your family and guests with your cooking skills? Look no further than this delicious homemade ricotta ravioli recipe! This is a simple and fast way to make a delicious Italian dish, perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
20 ounces of fresh ricotta cheese
4 ounces of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Directions
- Lay a clean kitchen towel or a triple layer of lint-free paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread ricotta evenly over surface of towels. Top with a second clean kitchen towel or triple layer of paper towels. Press with hands or a second rimmed baking sheet and let rest 5 minutes. Transfer ricotta to a medium bowl (it should come right off the towels).
- Add Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and lemon juice to ricotta. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, divide dough into 4 even sections. Working one section at a time, with remaining sections tightly wrapped in plastic, roll dough through machine until sheet is just under 1/16 of an inch thick (typically second-to-last setting). Cut sheet in half to create 2 pieces of dough roughly 15 inches long and 5 inches across.
- If using a ravioli mold: Place first sheet of dough over metal base. Gently and evenly press plastic mold down to make depressions in dough. Remove and fill each depression with approximately 1 tablespoon filling. Rap mold once or twice to remove any air bubbles. Place second sheet of dough over surface and pat down. Run rolling pin over dough until ridges beneath become visible. Flip the mold over and gently peel it away. If ravioli remain stuck, rap edge of mold on table. If ravioli do not separate easily, use fluted pasta wheel cutter or kitchen knife to complete perforation. Cover ravioli with towel to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining dough and continue to step 6.
- If working by hand: Fold first sheet along its midline to make a light crease and re-open. Place 6 heaping tablespoons half-inch apart along length of lower half. Moisten upper half with pastry brush dipped in water and fold over, pressing down to remove air bubbles and create a seal around filling. Using fluted pasta wheel cutter or kitchen knife, cut between filling for 6 even squares. Cover ravioli with towel to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining dough.
- At this point, ravioli can be frozen: place ravioli on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and freeze completely. Transfer to a freezer bag, press out as much air as possible, and store in freezer for up to 2 months. Frozen ravioli can be cooked straight from frozen (add 30 seconds to cooking time).
- To cook ravioli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ravioli by submerging in boiling water and cooking for 3 minutes (ravioli should float). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Return ravioli and the cooking liquid to the pot. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and cook on high heat, stirring gently until oil and pasta water emulsify into a creamy sauce, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, drizzling with more extra-virgin olive oil at the table.
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Baked vegan gluten-free churros!
Course: churrosDifficulty: EasyServings4
servingsPrep time20
minutesCooking time15
minutesTotal time35
minutesChurros are often regarded as a classic indulgent treat. For many people with dietary restrictions, like vegans and gluten-free eaters, churros can seem out of reach. But now, you can have this delicious snack without having to worry about unwanted ingredients – thanks to this delicious vegan and gluten-free churros recipe!
Ingredients
60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil
50 g (⅓ cup) coconut sugar
Pinch salt
150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal)
150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
160 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened almond milk
- For the cinnamon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- For the chocolate sauce
40 g (1.4 oz) dark chocolate
6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
- Add the coconut sugar, salt, ground almonds, gluten-free flour and baking powder.
- Add the milk and mix well – I recommend adding the milk a small amount at a time until you get a soft batter that is soft, but still firm enough to pipe into shapes. If you make the batter too wet, you won’t be able to pipe it into shapes.
- However, if the batter does look too wet to pipe, place it in the fridge for an hour and it will firm up. If it looks too dry, add an extra splash of milk.
- Transfer into a piping bag with a closed star tip.
- Pipe the batter into churros measuring around 9 cm (3 ½ inch) in length onto baking trays lined with greased baking paper.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown – be careful not to over-bake!
- Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the churros as soon as they are out of the oven – otherwise it won’t stick to the churros.
- They will still be very soft when they come out the oven, but will firm up as they cool down.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days – can be reheated in a dry frying pan or in the oven.
- For the chocolate sauce
- Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl with the milk.
- Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until melted – make sure not to overheat it as the chocolate will ‘split’ if you heat it too much.
- If the chocolate does split, you can easily fix this by adding boiling hot water to it 1 teaspoon at a time and stirring well until the mixture goes back to normal.
- The chocolate sauce keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. It will firm up as it cools down, but you can gently reheat leftovers over a pan of boiling water to make it liquid again.
Recipe Video
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Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins Gluten-Free
Course: muffins, gluten-free, veganCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: EasyServings4
servingsPrep time20
minutesCooking time15
minutesTotal time35
minutesIf you’re looking for an easy and delicious gluten-free vegan treat, these chocolate chip muffins are for you! Made with wholesome ingredients and completely dairy-free and egg-free, these muffins are guilt-free and delicious.
Ingredients
60 g (¼ cup) any vegetable oil
200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened vegetable milk
1 tablespoon gluten-free apple cider vinegar
8 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal)
150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend
2 heaped teaspoons of gluten-free baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
60 g (⅓ cup) vegan and gluten-free dark chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
- Add the chocolate chips and fold in gently
- Transfer the mixture between muffin cases in a muffin tin
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days
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Vegan and gluten-free blueberry muffins
Course: MuffinsCuisine: EnglishDifficulty: MediumServings4
servingsPrep time20
minutesCooking time20
minutesTotal time40
minutesThis quick and easy vegan and gluten-free blueberry muffin recipe is perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes, or an afternoon snack. Not only are they delicious, but they’re also full of healthy ingredients like ground flax, coconut oil, almond flour, and blueberries.
Ingredients
60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil
200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal)
150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend
2 heaped teaspoons of baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
100 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
- Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
- Add the fresh blueberries and fold in gently, to make sure you don’t crush them.
- Transfer the mixture between muffin cases in a muffin tin.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Recipe Video
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Gluten free cookies recipe
Servings4
servingsPrep time20
minutesCooking time15
minutesTotal time35
minutesAre you looking for a delicious gluten-free cookie recipe? Look no further! This easy-to-follow recipe will have you enjoying delicious gluten-free cookies without all of the hassles.
Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Add in the melted coconut oil and mix until combined.
- Add the eggs and maple syrup and mix until combined.
- Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!
