I’m running behind!

This post was supposed to be up yesterday…so you’ll have to wait for my Silent Sunday for a bit later in the day!

mmmm...swirls of peanut butter on coconut apple cake

It’s been a chaotic weekend with my first public ‘Pole Performance’ at a ladies night event… it was a great experience as I’ve never performed a routine in front of crowd before (only my students), it was also a new experience using a microphone…I was aware that I was speaking a little too quickly, I tend to speak quickly anyway so probably more so when nervous… I. really. Should. Learn. To. Slow. Down! In case of interest, this is my new venture: www.polestyle.co.uk

…this is how I keep fit! Yes I know I performed at a ladies night so ‘sassiness’ was more the order of the day, but in reality my pole work is very much of the fitness and strength variety, it was simply a good opportunity to get people to throw away their inhibitions and give it a try.

Ok, back to food. So now you know why I’ve been late in the posting, that does not mean however that I have not been experimenting these last few days. Indeed I have lots of batches of foodie photos all waiting to be edited and written up.

Here is one to get you going, this was breakfast yesterday (the spelt version) and last weekend the coconut and buckwheat versions)…not all consumed by me I might add!

I enjoy this lightly sweetened as a breakfast ‘bake’, but you could by all means increase the sweetness and enjoy it as a dessert ‘cake’…. Add some cashew cream or a blob of nut butter for super indulgence (of the healthy kind!)

Or even go a little crazy and add some choc chunks- melty choc chunks work everytime!

See notes below the recipe re uses of different types of flour.

I’ll leave you with lots of photos…I’m off to the gym to choreograph a pole routine for my new classes!

the coconut version

the spelt version

Recipe: Nutty apple bake

Serves approx. 3 (1 small loaf sized)

Ingredients

1 cup GF flour mix (I used ½ buckwheat, ¼ tapioca, ¼ ground almonds) or spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup apple sauce

2 tbs coconut oil

3 tbs agave plus ¼ tsp stevia to taste (use more agave or any unrefined granulated sweetener such as coconut sugar for extra dessert type sweetness)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Approx.1/4 cup milk’ to mix (use more for coconut floor- see note)

1 apple cut into small chunks- set aside

½ cup coarsely chopped nuts of choice- set aside

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add wet ingredients. Mix together well.

Spoon the batter into a smallish loaf tin (mine was approx. 8x15cm) layering as you go with the reserved apple and nuts. Follow the formation: layer of batter, layer of apple/nuts, layer of batter, layer of apple/nuts. Press down lightly to pack the layers and secure the apple//nuts in the top layer.

Bake at 180C for approx. 20 mins until cooked through when tested with a toothpick.

Notes: I initially tried this using part coconut flour ( ½ coconut flour, ¼ tapioca, ¼ buckwheat) but it produced a much drier more crumbly cake (thought still good with a dollop of nut butter!) so I avoiding the coconut in my subsequent attempts and stuck with my regular GF mix as noted or for those who are not GF, wholemeal spelt flour is also great. The photos show the coconut and spelt versions*

layering up the coconut flour version- the coconut flour batter is a lot drier than the other batter mixes and is pressed with the fongers instead of being spooned into place.

* for further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.