#WorldBakingDay – Everythingless Fruit Cake

I love baking, so when I saw that Sunday 17th May was #WorldBakingDay I couldn’t resist finding something to make that would fit with my current gluten free, chocolate free, dairy free diet!  Thankfully I have a recipe that’s been tried and tested – The Everythingless Fruit Cake!  This is a recipe my Mum introduced me to when she first went gluten free and its basically like a gluten free version of malt loaf.

It is another incredibly simple recipe to make, now I’ll admit I’ve been baking for as long as I could reach the surface, however the removal of butter and sugar means that this recipe is just a case of mixing everything together and then baking.  We were away visiting family on Friday and Saturday and I had a class for the marketing diploma I’m working on today so it needed to be something I could make quickly before sitting down for my weekly fix of Outlander (we’re on episode 15 from series one)

I’ve just sat down with my first slice to write this and I’d forgotten just how good it is before I bit into it, the dates go like toffee and the orange flavour – just wow!  So here’s the recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Everythingless Fruit Cake

Soaking time – 1.5 hours
Mixing time – 10 mins
Cooking time – 1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients
8ozs/200g dates
½ pt/250ml warm water
1 lb/450g mixed dried fruit (I mixed sultanas, cranberries and a handful of glace cherries)
6ozs flour eg. Rice flour (I used doves organic)
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp orange juice/ juice of 2 decent size oranges
Grated rind of one orange

Method

– Soak the dates in the warm water and once you have grated the rind from the orange, juice the two oranges and place the dried fruit in a bowl with juice and the rind.
– Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C or gas mark 4.
– Once the dates have soaked up a lot of the water blitz with a stick blender or in a food processor
– Then add the flour, baking powder and the dried fruit and mix together until completely combined
– Pour into a greased (and if necessary lined) loaf tin and place in the preheated oven for 1 hour 15mins.  The mixture will still be slightly gooey because of the dates but the cake should hold together.

I have to confess that my favourite way to eat this cake is warmed with butter (I’ve not given that up as it doesn’t seem to bother me and I don’t like the alternatives) but its great warm or cold and another relatively guilt free sweet treat!

Delightful Date Bites

I have a terrible sweet tooth, I can pick all day at biscuits and chocolate, I look at the wrapper or the remaining crumbs and realise that I haven’t even tasted it, let alone had chance to enjoy it.  I know that when I’m sat at a desk seven hours a day this is not a good habit and definitely not good for my weight!

Delightful Date Bites

 

I found a recipe a couple of weeks ago on pinterest (one of my favourite places to waste an hour) and it was recommended as a healthy snack or a protein bite before exercise, after further searching I found some others and this is a combination of all the ones I found.  It has dates to sweeten it and lots of lovely healthy nuts and seeds, its also gluten and dairy free and vegan!  It doesn’t take any baking at all, it couldn’t be easier!

healthy ingredients

I actually can’t get over how much I like these now I’ve made them, its the kind of thing I’d laugh at my mum for calling a treat!  The best thing is that I don’t have to feel even vaguely guilty about eating them, I just grab them out of the freezer and enjoy!

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So here’s my version of the recipes I’ve looked at 🙂

They take no more than 15 minutes to make and then once they’ve set in the freezer you can nibble away!
Makes approximately 12 large Delightful Date Bites

• 250g pitted dates
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup oats
• 2 tablespoons Chia Seeds
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup extra coconut flakes for coating

How to make them –

– Place dates and water in a small pan over a low heat until soft, then blend until smooth using a stick blender or by placing in a food processor.

– Move the dates into a bowl and fold in the rest of the ingredients, (leaving out the extra coconut flakes) until mixed, if you find it needs more moisture then add a little more water and you can add more oats if its a bit soggy.

– You can then shape the mixture to about the size of a golf ball, roll them in the remaining coconut flakes and place on a tray. (you also use chopped almonds or more sesame seeds, really whatever you fancy!)

– Pop the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes to set and enjoy Delightful Date Bites straight out of the freezer before exercise for a protein boost or just a quick bite. (I put mine in a tupperware and because of the coconut they don’t stick to each other at all!)

 

I had to resist adding anything to sweeten them like glacé cherries or some maple syrup, but it honestly doesn’t need it!  I’ve also seen some recipes which combine in cocoa too, but again they’re perfect as they are.  I’m going to keep trying different options over the next few weeks and see what I come up with – my next ones might end up with peanut butter in as I’m kinda obsessed with it at the moment!

Enjoy!