Banana and Pecan Nut Loaf

Whether it's for breakfast, brunch or a few leftover slices for lunch, this banana loaf is always a winner. Best eaten on its own while still warm and crispy. For ultimate decadence spread a thick layer of almond/macadamia nut butter and enjoy.

Ingredients

• 100g cake flour
• 100g almond flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt 
• 4 medium ripe bananas
• 20g unsalted butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla paste/extract
• 50-100g pecans 

Method

*pre-heat oven to 180 degree celsius*

1. Combine sieved cake flour, bicarb of soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, using a fork, mash the bananas until they resemble a chunky paste.
3. Add the almond flour to the mashed banana and mix.
4. Whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together and add to the banana until combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring gently until all ingredients are just combined. 
6. Chop the pecan nuts and stir into batter. I like to keep them quite chunky to fully enjoy the roasted flavor once baked.
7. Pour the batter into a greased medium size loaf pan and bake for about 65 minutes until golden brown  and crispy.
8. If the top gets too dark, cover in foil or turn down to 160 degrees Celsius.

*Storage tip: wrap the leftover loaf in cling wrap for up to 3 days and store in the fridge especially during summer months.

Happy baking B x

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Ingredients make 1 large pizza, provided it is rolled out thinly enough.

Equipment needed:

• Blender/food processor
• Rolling pin
• Baking paper
• Kitchen cloth 

For the Base:

• Medium head of cauliflower (+- 500g)
• +- handful of grated mozzarella (quantity and type of cheese based on personal  preference)
• +- 30g of grated parmesan (quantity and type of cheese based on personal preference)
• Salt
• Oregano (optional)
• 1 egg

*    Turn your oven to its hottest setting (+-220c)

1. Break the head of cauliflower up into smaller pieces and put in blender/food processor until it's chopped up and of relatively fine texture.
2. Place in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 8 minutes.
3. Stir the cauliflower and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. Form the "dough" into a large ball place onto the middle of a kitchen cloth.
5. Wrap the dough up in the cloth and and squeeze the water out over the sink. There should be a substantial amount of water being pressed out. Do this for a good 2 minutes. 
6. Remove the dough from the cloth and add the cheese.
7. Stir in the salt and oregano.
8. Add the egg.
9. place onto a large sheet of baking paper.
10. Place a fresh kitchen cloth over the dough and start rolling it out with a rolling pin - this will help remove any excess moisture still left in the dough.
11. Lift the baking sheet and tilt the base onto a baking tray with holes, the air flow will help make the base crispy.
12. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
13. Remove from oven and add toppings. (Some mozzarella, feta, onion, chorizo is a really great combo)
14. Tomato paste is optional but not necessary.
15. Turn oven onto the grill setting and bake for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and brown and toppings are cooked to preference. 
16. Serve immediately.

      Serving suggestion: Add some fresh avo,cherry tomatoes and garlic to the cooked pizza.

Happy baking B x

Baked Cheesecake

Everyone loves a good cheesecake. So I thought I'd share my yummy recipe. Adapted from a recipe I found on google, I think I have finally managed to bake the perfect cheesecake: creamy and light with a thin chocolaty base!

    Serves 8-10

Total time: 4 hours +

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 200g chocolate digestives (one packet)
• 50g caster sugar
• +-75g unsalted butter 

For the filling:

Ingredients for filling

• 1kg smooth creamed cottage cheese 
• 200g caster sugar 
• 45g sifted flour
• 5 large eggs - at room temperature
• 125ml cream 
• 5ml vanilla paste/extract 

My first suggestion would be to cut out a round disc of baking paper and place this inside your spring form cake tin. Even though I thoroughly grease the inside of the cake tin with spray&cook, the base tends to stick to the bottom of the tin. Placing baking paper into the bottom of the tin solves this problem easily. Don't forget to grease the sides of the tin! 

Lining the tin with baking paper

Blend the biscuits and sugar in a blender or food processor until crumbly. I use a blender on the "chop" function and it works just as well. 

Blending the biscuits and sugar

Melt the butter in a microwaveable bowl until soft. Add the crumbled biscuits and sugar to the butter and mix by hand. Press the mixture into the prepared cake tin, making sure the base is fully covered.  

The base

Place the cake tin in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set. 

  

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Beat the cottage cheese, sugar and flour in a mixer until combined.

Add the eggs one by one, then the cream and finally the vanilla paste.

Pour the mixture onto the the biscuit base. Some of the melted butter may leak from the tin, so to save yourself some unnecessary cleaning up, place the baking tin on a baking tray.

Pop the tray into the oven and bake for 15 minutes on 180C. Then turn the temperature down to 120C and bake for a further 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

Let the cake cool in the tin for at least 1 hour before popping it into the fridge to chill. The cake is best served the next day when it has been in the fridge over night. 

Some variation: 

Add  150g  Nutella  after the cream and eggs have been beat in. Add more Nutella if preferred.

OR

Add 150g smooth peanut butter 

OR

For a heavenly lemon cheesecake, replace chocolate digestives with plain ones, and add the juice of half a medium lemon and the zest of the whole lemon. 

Happy baking B x