sweet things

the perfect cranberry sauce

~ aplotzi ~ 1 Comment

Trust me on this one, this is one of the best recipes for cranberry sauce ever, shop bought cranberry sauce doesn’t even compare to it. I think it’s the star of the show on the Christmas dinner plate and is perfect with cold cuts and sandwiches after Christmas day. For me it kind of makes Christmas food far more delicious. A friend of mine and her children so look forward to my yearly Christmas batch, not only for their Christmas meal but they love it enough to even put it on their toast.
And jars of your own cranberry sauce tied with a red ribbon make great home made Christmas presents for loved ones.

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quick cantaloupe sorbet

~ aplotzi ~ 3 Comments

This delicate pale green sorbet has all the freshness of cantaloupe with its soft melony perfume. It is so summery and delicious that  Leon and Ralph (godson and godfather) think it’s amazing and tastes like the best melon snow. You can replace the vodka or gin with apple juice if you prefer it alcohol free.

Makes 1/2 litre approximately.

Ingredients:
3 cups of ripe cantaloupe or any melon scooped out of the skin, deseeded and chopped into chunks
1/2 cup of sugar or maple syrup
Juice of half a lime
2 tablespoons of vodka or gin which gives it a lovely flavour

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flourless orange and almond cake

~ aplotzi ~ 9 Comments

One of the first times I had this cake was in the restaurant Polpo in Beak Street, London. I was then given their cookbook as a Christmas present a few years ago and it’s one of the easiest cakes to make at home, after you have boiled the oranges the rest of it is done in a blender, so there’s no faffing about with creaming in or sifting. It’s gluten and dairy free, not that you’d notice, plus it’s so delicious I was proposed to by a friend’s husband when he ate a slice. It’s delicious with a dollop of mascarpone and a coffee, as it says in the book. My friends now cook this a lot.

Serves 12.

Ingredients:
2 oranges
100g golden brown sugar
400g caster sugar
6 medium eggs or 5 large
250g ground almonds
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
Zest and juice of an orange
A little bit of icing sugar for dusting

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flourless chocolate cupcakes

~ aplotzi ~ 2 Comments

It’s a challenge to make recipes without certain key ingredients, and I think I’ve cracked it with this one. They have no flour and no dairy. These cakes are for serious chocolate fans who like a dense, dark, brownie-type scenario.
Even though I think they are really delicious, I’m testing them out tonight on one of my toughest taste testers, they are a chocoholic and they love dairy and wheat…I’ll report back on their verdict…
Yes, they loved them. BTW I use the Betty Crocker frosting available in supermarkets which is fantastic, dairy free, super easy and vegan and tastes amazing. Just pipe or spoon it on.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:
80g dark chocolate or half a cup of dark chocolate chips
½ cup of mild olive oil (or butter if you prefer)
¾ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup of golden caster sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of strong black coffee
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
¼ cup of ground almonds

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dairy free peach and coconut muffins

~ aplotzi ~ 6 Comments

I made these for Sunday breakfast for a load of friends. They adored them so much I said I’d put them on the blog. They are not excessively sweet, so you can add more sugar if you want to, but we liked them as is with coffee. Yum-a-Rama.

Makes 12.

Ingredients:
½ cup of desiccated coconut and a few spoonfuls more for decoration
2 or 3 peaches or nectarines peeled and finely diced
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 large egg or egg replacer for one egg
1/3 cup soya milk
½ cup of sugar
1 cup coconut yogurt
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour (I used white spelt)

Icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

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chocolate and pear ice cream

~ aplotzi ~ 6 Comments

My challenge was to make an easy chocolate ice cream that was a proper hit of chocolate, rich and creamy and really healthy. You don’t need an ice cream maker and the ingredients are simple. The pears make the flavour and texture work really well. My friends really like it… and it’s delicious with strawberries or raspberries. Perfect if you want a chocolate fix and still want to fit into your bikini (or speedos). A lovely follower of mine on Instagram called Sue added a smashed up bar of good quality dark chocolate at the end and said it made it deluxe.

Makes 1/2 litre.

Ingredients:
1 big pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ripe pears
3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup soya milk (I use Bonsoy) or coconut milk/cream
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

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quick watermelon sorbet

~ aplotzi ~ 2 Comments

This sorbet tastes like the best watermelon you have ever tasted. It is really easy to make and doesn’t need an ice cream maker. My friends love it and if you love watermelon, you will too. I have taken David Lebovitz’s water melon sorbet recipe and tweaked it so it was quicker and easier to make, so you can spend more time on your sun lounger.

Makes half a litre.

Ingredients:
3 cups approx. of fresh watermelon cut into pieces without the skin or black pips (white pips are okay)
½ cup of maple syrup or sugar
Big pinch of salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1-2 tablespoons vodka (or gin)
About 4 tablespoons of grape juice(might not be needed)

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vanilla cupcakes

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I made a 100 of these cakes for a wedding last summer and they looked stunning and tasted amazing. It took me a few hours and they are really easy and can be made in advance and frozen. Wedding cakes can cost hundreds of pounds while these cakes will only cost you a fraction of that. You can choose which cupcake cases, what colour icing, and what decoration you want, this is just a guide. If you are dairy free or pushed for time I recommend the delicious Betty Crocker vanilla frosting (it’s vegan too) available in supermarkets. Everyone loves a vanilla cupcake.

This recipe makes approx. 12 cupcakes and you can increase the amount in multiples of 12.

Ingredients:
142g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg or if you are vegan substitute the eggs with egg replacer for 1 and half eggs( available in health stores and online)
150g golden caster sugar
1/2 cup of mild olive oil or canola oil
2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla extract
75 g sour cream or a plant based version like Oatly crème fraîche
Cupcake pan for baking and cupcake cases

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Icing
75g butter (at room temperature)
175g cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
450g (approx.) of icing sugar
Decoration of choice, I used gold dragees which are available in supermarkets
Cupcake cases of choice, can be gold or white(I used dark brown)
Wilton 6B French piping nozzle and piping bags

if vegan or dairy free, I use Dr Oetka vanilla frosting as I can’t make a better version and I’ve tried lots of recipes and they never taste as good.

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chocolate avocado mousse

~ aplotzi ~ 4 Comments

You would never know the secret ingredient in this mousse is avocado. The avocados make the mousse really thick and creamy. It’s beyond delicious, takes a few minutes to make and is really healthy. It’s a win win. Perfect for pudding at Valentine’s dinner.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberries for decoration (optional)

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dairy free coconut cupcakes

~ aplotzi ~ 9 Comments

Really delicious coconut cakes that taste fab even though they are dairy free. Ralph thinks they are incredibly delicious, and he knows his cake.

Makes 12.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup light olive oil
2 medium eggs or egg replacer (instructions on box)
2/3 cup of soya milk (I use Bonsoy) or coconut milk
1 cup of caster sugar
2 cups self-raising flour or self-raising gluten free flour
Pinch of salt
Cupcake cases

Icing
1/3 cup desiccated coconut toasted
2 tablespoons lemon juice mixed with 2 tablespoons of water (it might need more)
2 – 3 cups of icing sugar (it depends on the weather)
Coconut chips toasted (optional)

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