Mille Crepe Cake with Lemon Curd

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lemon curdI came across this gorgeous looking cake when Daniel and I were in New York. My friend and her husband, who live in NYC, told us there is a famous bakery called “Lady M” in Crown plaza we might want to check out. So we did since we wanted to try out all the famous cafes, restaurants and burger places around town. First time when we went there on the way to the Central Park, it was a little early they were closed. We made our way back there again on the very last day in NY and finally bought two kinds of mille crepe cakes – original and strawberry. We and my friend’s couple all shared these cakes and red wine until late, chattering, giggling, laughing, thinking we wished to stay another week there. Anyways that is a memory of the crepe cake I have.

I tried to replicate it when I came back and made it for Daniel’s weekend breakfast. Of course, with my healthy spin on it! I spread vanilla yogurt between the crepes and garnished with strawberries on top. Well, that was a success. It was nicely sweet, light and fluffy like clouds. This time, I used a home-made lemon curd between the layers, perfect for a lemon season. You need to start with making a lemon curd so that it completely cools down before you build the cake. You want it to be like custard, not too thin otherwise the cake will slide and collapse. It takes a bit of time making a curd and crepes (I was standing next to the stove almost all morning) and setting time, but it is worth it. Have fun crepe-ing 🙂

crepe cakeIngredients

For lemon curd
2 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
zest and juice from one lemon
20g butter

Whisk eggs and maple syrup and add lemon zest and juice. Heat butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. As the butter melts, add the egg mixture in and keep stirring for 5-8 minutes over low heat until it gets thick. Make sure you don’t boil the mixture and constantly stir with a wooden spoon. Take it off the heat and set aside.

For crepe batter
250g self-raising flour
1 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp rose water
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. If the batter is too thick, add a bit of more milk. It should be a thin crepe batter consistency. Set aside for about 30 minutes. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick pan or crepe pan and ladle the batter into the middle of the pan. Swirl the pan around so that the batter spreads really thin. Cook over low-medium heat for a minute or two each side until cooked. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

To assemble the cake, build it on your serving plate. Simply spread lemon curd evenly on the crepe with a spatula. Layer the next crepe on top and repeat the step. Dust coconut flour for garnish (optional). Place in the fridge for a few hours to set.

Posted in: Dessert, My recipes

GF Apple Tahini Loaf

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apple tahini loafTahini is a paste made of sesame seeds. It is high in vitamins A, E, F and T, as well as B vitamins, biotin, and choline. Tahini is also 20 percent complete protein – higher than most nuts, great for vegetarians and vegans. Tahini is also high in minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron, and phosphorus, and is an excellent source of calcium. I like using it in salad dressing, hummus, power balls and spreads. I’m sure you all know the slices of apple and nut butter is a good flavour combination as well as a great snack between meals. I added a table spoon of tahini in the loaf batter and used another table spoon to drizzle over the cake. It tastes beautiful and also adds more nutrition to this guilt-free cake. You can also add some chopped dates or walnut in this recipe if you like.

Ingredients

1 Granny Smith apple
3 eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp unhulled tahini paste
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla bean powder
a pinch of salt

Gently beat eggs, melted coconut oil, 1 tbsp of tahini paste and maple syrup in a large bowl. Add all dry ingredients into a bowl and combine well with a spatula. Pour the half of the mixture into a prepared loaf tin, put the layer of sliced or grated apples, then pour the rest of the mixture over the apples, and top with more apples on top. Bake in the preheated oven (180) for 45 minutes until cooked. Take it out of the oven and cool down in a tin for 10 minutes. Mix 1 tbsp of tahini with yogurt in a small bowl. Drizzle over the cake and sprinkle cinnamon before serve.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Vegetarian

Raw Lemon Bar

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raw lemon barI’m a lemon lover and cannot live without it. I add into my water, tea, salad dressing, baking, soup, dips, what else? Believe or not, I’ve never had a lemon bar or key lime pie before maybe because it is hard to find a gluten-free version at the cafe and I was never really interested in it. Here I am, making this raw lemon bar even if I don’t even know how the conventional one tastes like. But let me tell you, mine tastes amazing! Daniel had a taste and couldn’t guess it is actually a raw dessert. He was surprised when I told him the filling is made of cashews and there is spirulina in the crust (he hates the green powder). I love the smooth cheesy texture and a zingy sweet lemon taste of the filling, and very subtle spirulina goodness hidden in the crust. It is seriously hard not to go for the second 🙂 Here are some facts about my love lemons.

Lemons are acidic to the taste, but are alkaline-forming in the body. In fact they are one of the most alkaline-forming foods; this makes them great for balancing a highly acidic condition in the body. It is also a wonderful stimulant to the liver and is a dissolvent of uric acid and other poisons. That is why the warm lemon water in the morning is good and detoxifying. Lemons contain vitamin C, citric acid, flavonoids, B vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorux, potassium and fibre. Vitamin C in lemons helps to neutralise free radicals which cause aging and disease.

raw lemon bar1Ingredients

For crust
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of Medjool dates
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp spirulina (optional)
a pinch of Himalayan salt

For filling
1 cup of raw cashews, soaked at least 6 hours
1 tsp of zest and juice from one lemon
1 cup of thick Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1 tsp of vanilla bean powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp of gelatin powder or agar agar
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Starting with the crust, all the crust ingredients in your food processor and blend until combined. Pour into a prepared container or baking tin, lined with a glad-wrap. Press firmly with the back of your spoon or your fingers. Put it in the fridge while making the filling. Put all the filling ingredients in a clean food processor and blend until it gets thick and creamy. Taste and adjust the sweetness. Take the crust out of the fridge and pour the filling mixture on the crust. Spread evenly with a spatula, cover and place in a freezer to set. Take the cheesecake out about 10 minutes before serve and cut into a desired portion. Keep the leftovers in the freezer.

Posted in: Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Pink Peppercorns in Desserts

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Pink peppercorns have slightly spicy, sweet, fruity and floral taste. Adding these little jewels into your dish can create a beautiful complexity and extra hint of warmth, especially desserts like chocolate, ice cream and popcorn. It is so fragile and delicate, so you need to crush with a knife or spice grinder, not a pepper mill. I like having them on cheese, with chocolate, crushing onto poached eggs or mixing into a vinaigrette. I felt like something sweet tonight but not too heavy. So this cantaloup with pink peppercorn maple syrup was perfect to satisfy my sweet tooth, yum! Remember melons straight after meal can disturb your digestion, so have this dessert at least 30 minutes after dinner. Of course, if you can wait 🙂 Second recipe is chocolate muffins with pink peppercorns.
Pink PeppercornIngredients (adapted from Bon Appetit)

sliced cantaloupe (rock melon)
1/2 cup of maple syrup
a squeeze of lemon
1/2 tsp of vanilla bean powder
1 tsp of pink peppercorns
a pinch of sea salt

Simply warm up the maple syrup, vanilla and pink peppercorns in a saucepan. Drizzle on the slices of cantaloupe and sprinkle a good quality sea salt to serve.
Chocolate MuffinIngredients

1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp of melted coconut oil
1 tbsp of cacao powder
1/2 tsp of vanilla bean powder
1/2 tsp of baking powder
a pinch of salt
pink peppercorns to garnish

Combine all wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Stir well to combine and spoon the mixture into a muffin tray. Sprinkle pink peppercorns on top. Bake in the preheated oven (180) for 20-25 minutes until cooked.

 

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, My recipes, Snack

GF Apple Harvest Loaf

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apple loafI’m a big fan of Granny Smith apple because it is tart, tangy, crisp and crunchy. They are a great snack with low calories and high fibre, which keeps you satisfied and stabilises blood sugar level between meals. So do not peel your apples! They are also rich in vitamin C and high in the flavonoids cyanidin and epicatechin, which are powerful antioxidants. Want beautiful teeth? Bite into these little guys. The extreme tartness of Granny Smith apples helps with more salivation than a sweeter type of apple. High levels of saliva decrease bacteria in your mouth that attack teeth and cause cavities. They are a great additions to your green salads and sandwiches as well as a healthy dessert. I made a spiced apple loaf today with cinnamon and nutmeg. It smells amazing! It is not really a sweet cake so feel free to add more sweeteners if you like. Happy baking x

Ingredients

1 granny smith apple, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
4 eggs
a squeeze of lemon
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Boil apple, maple syrup, lemon juice and salt in a pot and simmer for 10 minute or until apple is tender. Take it off the heat and set aside to cool. Gently mix all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled apple mixture into a bowl and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 40-50 minutes or until cooked. Cover with foil if the top gets too brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool before serve.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian