Baking - My Wholefood Romance

Wholefood Baking, Jude Blereau Style.

April 18, 2013 By Meg With 51 comments

That Jude, she’s done it again! What? An essential masterpiece of baking, written with love and fantastically photographed and styled. It is an absolute joy to read for the novice and seasoned baker alike. Not only is this gorgeous book packed with amazing recipes, it caters for specific dietary needs (gluten free, dairy free, egg free), and spills forth a thoughtful, detailed and educational section on explaining the different ingredients, tools and equipment for the kitchen, and a beautiful piece on the instinct and technique of baking. LOVE. Strawberry Mousse Tart; Vanilla and Almond Cake with Rose Almond Cream and Raspberry Jam; Sweet and Sour Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Cake; Blackberry and Cacao Nib Panna Cotta Trifle; Carrot, Pistachio and Amaranth Cake; Banana and Coconut Bread with Passionfruit Icing; Cornmeal, Spelt, Parmesan and Cheddar Crackers. I could go on forever – it’s ridiculous! It is actually RIDICULOUS how amazing these recipes look, and I love that I know that Jude has put so much love and soul into putting them all together.

Can I get a round of virtual applause for Jude?

Jude has been kind enough to give My Wholefood Romance a copy to give away. I have had in my possession for two whole days this amazing book. All I want to do is rip into it and lovingly start to ‘season’ the pages with delicious mess. But, I have been handling it very carefully, not opening up the pages too much – it’s very hard!! But I am so happy to have the pleasure of giving it away. So, how to decide. I thought, given I am about to start a new series on transforming your pantry step-by-step into a wholefood loving pantry, that I would base it around this.

I would love to hear what element of …

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Blackberry hazelnut fudge cake with surprise black beans.

March 4, 2013 By Meg With 6 comments

Little sticky fingers! I can’t really blame her though, this little treat of a cake is the perfect treat for those special times. Like today. Monday. That’s special right? Take heart in the fact that it is dairy and gluten free, can be vegan if you like, and has lots of nutty and fruity goodness. And….black beans! How exciting is that! A sneaky little addition of a lovely amount of protein and fibre to help balance out the blood sugar spikes, and some extra magnesium and B vitamins on the side.

This cake also uses coconut sugar, which manages to maintain quite a decent nutritional profile when compared to other sweeteners, including vitamin C, zinc and magnesium. It is also quite low GI (35), and is sustainable.

Other than that, this post is a little bit of pure wholefood indulgence. This cake is the perfect blend of fudge and cakey for me, and is amazing served chilled from the fridge.

Blackberry hazelnut fudge cake

Adapted, barely, from Golubka

2 small oranges
2/3 cup coconut sugar
3 tbs chia seeds
1/2 tbs pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup good quality dark chocolate/dairy free/carob etc
1 cup cooked black beans
2 tbs tahini
1/2 tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 cup brown rice flour or oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
blackberries and passion fruit to decorate

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees F.

Pop the hazelnuts on a baking tray, roast for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool. Once they are cool, rub with a clean tea towel to remove the skins, and blitz them up in a food processor – keep them slightly chunky. Set aside.

Next, add the peeled oranges, 1/3 cup of the coconut sugar, chia seeds

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A sexy vegan fig & rhubarb birthday cake with vanilla almond cream.

February 5, 2013 By Meg With 12 comments

One year ago today I wrote my first blog entry for My Wholefood Romance! So, I thought it was only fitting to make a cake. I have chosen a fabulous recipe from wholefood icon Jude Blereau, and only made tiny changes, mainly because I didn’t have the ingredients! May I say, this is probably the best cake I have ever made. I know it’s hot today Melbourne, but run, don’t walk, to buy the ingredients and make this cake – STAT! You’re welcome.

In other hot news, stay tuned for the up and coming post featuring an interview with said wholefood icon. Jude generously shares her views and thoughts on a number of topics, including kids nutrition, eating well on the run, and her journey to where she is now. I can’t wait!

So, back to cake. Figs are in season here, so I had to use them! They have such an air of ‘special occasion’ to me, and are lusciously high in calcium, iron, magnesium, and B vitamins – what’s not to love! And let’s face it, figs are sexy!

The rhubarb got a guernsey thanks to my gorgeous Grandad who gave me a bunch from his garden on our last visit. It’s a perfect fit for this cake. The figs and the almond cream are a party in your mouth, and the rhubarb provides enough gentle tartness to compliment the sweet.

This is not a quickie. It is a loving process that will take you over an hour, but what a beautiful way to spend time. One of the reasons I love to cook is that it relaxes me, and sets me back on the straight and narrow if I have had a crazy day. It’s a time for grounding and creating, pretty cheap therapy really!

Sexy

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I heart sesame seeds, and a stunning vegan & grain free sesame orange blossom cake.

October 11, 2012 By Meg With 2 comments

Sesame seeds are fabulous! Chocked with calcium and magnesium, they are also plentiful in manganese, iron, zinc, selenium and tryptophan. They strengthen the liver and kidneys, and act as a general tonic to the entire body. Not bad considering their size!

Sesame seeds can be white or black, and you can buy them hulled or unhulled. Unhulled is the way to go as the husk contains a lot of the minerals and co factors necessary for their absorption. Grind them up before eating to get access to their treasures. To further help with the digestibility and nutritional value, soak them for a few hours (or overnight) and lightly pan roast them before grinding.

If you want to take it to the next level – why not sprout them! After soaking, rinse, drain and spread out your little gems on a piece of muslin/fine sieve/other sprouting surface. They should not take long to sprout. Rinse and drain every few hours. As soon as you see a little tail poking out, you are ready to rock! They will keep in the fridge for a couple of days like this. Use them liberally in everything! On salads, vegetables, stir frys, sandwiches, baking, on eggs, anything!

So now for cake. I came across this recipe from here, but wanted to make a gluten free version, and thought why not go the whole hog and do a grain free version. I was pretty happy with the results! So were numerous others!!