Simple For Recipe

Monday, 16 December 2019

Chocolate Pear Cake

Chocolate and pears make an excellent combination in this irresistibly moist, rich and indulgent cake. It's mildly sweetened with a mix of coconut sugar and erythritol. A perfect cake to entertain or end a satisfying dinner.

45 g Unsweetened cocoa powder, lightly alkalized
5 g Espresso powder
10 g Baking powder
150 g Refined spelt flour
80 g Ground hazelnut
150 g Butter, slightly softened
50 g Coconut sugar
100 g Erythritol granules
Pinch of sea salt
3 Large eggs, room-temperature
1 tsp Vanilla extract
100 ml Whipping cream, room-temperature
5 Small ripe pears, peeled

Grease and line a 10-inch / 26cm springform pan with parchment paper. Sift the cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and spelt flour into a mixing bowl. Stir in ground hazelnut. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Cream the softened butter, coconut sugar and erythritol granules together for 5 minutes with a pinch of salt, then beat in the eggs one by one and vanilla extract.
Add in half of the flour mixture, roughly stir to combine. Pour in whipping cream and mix briefly. Now stir in the rest of the flour mixture until combined and smooth.
Scrape the batter into the cake tin and level the surface. Peel the pears and place them in the batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Check the cake with a skewer. If it comes out clean it is ready, if not give it a few more minutes in the oven.
Drizzle with melted chocolate and garnish with the sprinkles if desired.

Labels: cakes, Chocolate, Coffee and Tea, Fruit, Nuts and Seeds, Spelt

Sunday, 30 September 2018

Overnight Green Tea Spelt Loaf with Streusel

I am a tea drinker and always try to incorporate tea, either black or green, oolong is my favourite though, into my baked goods whenever possible. This overnight spelt loaf, lightly sweetened with coconut sugar, is soft and tender with a buttery crumble topping--perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea snack.

Dough	Streusel
250 g White spelt flour 100 g Whole spelt flour 1/2 tbsp Green tea powder 2 tbsp Coconut sugar 1/2 tsp Sea salt 3 g Dried yeast 200 ml Liquid green tea, lukewarm 1 Small egg 50 g Butter, softened	50 g White spelt flour 30 g Coconut sugar Pinch of salt 40 g Unsalted butter, chopped

Place all the dough ingredients in a mixer and mix everything until you have a smooth, stiff dough. Cover and leave it at room-temperature to rest for 2 hours.
Gently knead down the dough and shape into a loaf to fit a standard-size loaf pan lined with baking paper. Cover and leave overnight to rise in the fridge.
The loaf will have risen slightly after 8-10 hours. Take it out of the fridge and put it somewhere warm to carry on rising until it reaches the rim of the pan, 1 to 3 hours.
Place all the streusel ingredients in a bowl and rub everything together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place the streusel on the top of bread.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Bake the loaf for about 40 minutes until nicely golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before turn it out to cool completely.

Labels: bread, Breakfast, Coffee and Tea, Spelt

Wednesday, 14 February 2018

Coconut Green Tea Tart - Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free

Similar to a bakewell tart but made with desiccated coconut flakes instead of almonds, this easy to make tart is delicious right out of the oven or cold. The wholegrain crust is made with a mix of whole spelt flour, green tea leaves and sesame seeds and has a mild sweet flavour and just the right consistency.

Coconut Oil Crust with Green Tea Leaves	Coconut Cherry Filling, adopted from here
240 g Spelt pastry flour 10 g Green tea leaves 30 g White sesame seeds 1/3 tsp Salt 2 tbsp Erythritol granules 100 g Coconut oil, lightly softened 4-6 tbsp Ice water	2 Eggs, large 100 g Erythritol granules 1 tsp Vanilla essence 50 g Spelt pastry flour Pinch of salt 65 g Desiccated coconut 50 g Dried cherries

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F. In a large mixing bowl, add in the spelt flour, green tea leaves, sesame seeds, salt, and erythritol granules. Whisk to combine.
Add in the lightly softened coconut oil and rub the coconut oil into the flour-tea-mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water a couple of tablespoons at a time, and mix just until dough begins to come together.
Turn dough out onto a work surface and divide into two portions. Wrap one portion in a plastic wrap and store in the freezer for later use. Form another portion of dough into a flattened disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour or until firm.
Roll the pastry dough between two sheets of baking paper until the dough is about 2mm thick and large enough to fit a 22cm tart pan. Remove the sheet of dough from the baking paper and gently lift and coax the dough into the pan. Lightly press the dough into the bottom and side of the pan. Chill for 30 minutes and line the crust with baking paper and fill with enough dried beans to cover the bottom and side of the crust.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until any visible dough is slightly cooked. Remove the beans and baking paper. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 180C/350F.
To make filling, whisk eggs, erythritol granules, and vanilla essence until combined. Fold in spelt flour, pinch of salt and coconut flakes.
Sprinkle the dried cherries into the tart shell and cover with the coconut filling. Smooth the surface and bake for 30 minutes, or until set and golden brown. Cool to room temperature.

February 16. is the first day of the New Year in Chinese calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year. This year falls on Friday, February 16th 2018, beginning a year of the Dog. Those born in the Year of the Dog (1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006) are said to be very kind and loyal to friends. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you good health, good luck and much happiness throughout the year. - 狗年大吉, 恭祝健康、幸运，新年快乐!

Labels: Coffee and Tea, Desserts, Nuts and Seeds, Pastries and Pies, Spelt