Decadent turmeric chocolate mousse

Decadent turmeric chocolate mousse

Feb 10, 2025 | Anna's Best Recipes, Desserts & drinks

This is decadent, fruity, crunchy and juicy with a mere hint of spiciness.  I’ve been meaning to make this for years, ever since I clipped the recipe by Fadime Tiakaya from a newspaper. Because eating masses of sugar gets in the way of me feeling good and staying well I’ve replaced most of it with healthier alternatives.  If you don’t tell, people will have NO idea that this is a lot better for them than the usual sugary dump from desserts that causes massive inflammation. There is a little “normal” sugar from the 80% chocolate.

Shopping tip: Source standard and icing erythritol (Dr Coys Stevia Erylite or NKD living are reliable brands) or (any brand) xylitol from health stores or www.pureandnatural.ie   To get a finer, “icing” erythritol or xylitol without buying a seperate product, pop it in your food processor or spice grinder.

Serves 4-6

For the syrup:
30ml water
45g xylitol
Peel of 1 orange, organic if possible, thinly sliced and chopped
10g fresh turmeric (fresh ginger will do, peeled and very finely chopped

For the mousse:
175g dark chocolate (80-85% cocoa)
5g fresh turmeric, grated
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
3 large eggs, separated
3 level tbsp xylitol
1 tbs icing erythritol or icing xylitol (make your own by ginding fine in a spice grinder or blender)
175g double cream

To serve:
Cherries (stoned, fresh) OR slices of mandarin orange (I use tinned in juice)

1 For the syrup, put the water and 45g xylitol in a small pan and bring to the boil until the xylitol dissolves completely. On a low heat, add the orange peels and turmeric, let it boil for about 5 minutes, then set aside.
2 Put a heatproof bowl over a pan with simmering water in it, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Break the 175g chocolate into the bowl, add your fresh and ground turmeric, as well as the cayenne pepper, and let it all melt together.
3 Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the 3 level tbs xylitol until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with the icing xylitol/erythritol until it’s stiff.
4 Turn the heat down under the chocolate, add the egg yolks and quickly whisk until combined and the mix has a thick consistency, then add the double cream and continue to whisk.
5 Next, add the syrup and whisk to combine. Take off the heat and fold in the egg whites, then pour into individual serving bowls. Let it rest in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, add your cherries and serve.

Why this is better for you:
Spices have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect on your body and brain.  Turmeric and ginger have thousands of scientific research papers on their therapeutic effects published in scientific journals.  Sugar is highly-processed cane or beet that’s lost its nutrients (chromium, zinc, vitamin B3) which were there to help you detoxify the sugar.  Cocoa, in high grade chocolate of at least 80%, is also anti-inflammatory.  So yes, now and again this dessert is a lovely treat.  Remember though that even 80% chocolate has SOME sugar added so don’t overdo it.  Sugar, not saturated fat, is the enemy of your health and your waistline.  Reduce the sugar but not the taste.  Hope you enjoy this. 

Leftover chicken/turkey and broccoli curry

Leftover chicken/turkey and broccoli curry

Nov 21, 2024 | Anna's Best Recipes, Main courses

Leftover chicken/turkey and broccoli curry

1 large onion peeled and sliced finely
250 g leftover cooked chicken off the bone, shredded
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 heaped tsp (teaspoon) each of ground coriander + cumin
2 heaped tsp garam masala
Optional chilli powder 1/2 level teaspoon for heat
If you don’t have those spices, 4 tsp gluten-free curry powder will do
1 level dessertspoon virgin coconut oil or ghee
150-200g tenderstem broccoli, cut in 4cm lengths
150g (1 mug to brim) frozen peas
100ml chicken stock or water
100ml (nearly ½ a big can) full fat coconut milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional: fresh coriander leaves to garnish

1. Steam-fry onions: put them with the oil and 1 dsp water into a heavy bottomed saucepan, cover with lid or plate.  Cook on medium heat till soft and translucent (around 12 mins).  You don’t want them to brown.  Browned food is damaging to our health.
2. Add the crushed garlic, spices and stir around for a minute.
3. Add tomatoes, coconut milk and chicken stock/water to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring regularly till the mixture is a bit thickened. Season to taste.
4. Add chicken, broccoli, put the lid on and cook for a further 5 minutes until the broccoli has changed colour and the chicken is heated through.  While you’re waiting for this, pour some hot water over your frozen peas in a strainer to thaw them quickly.  Add to the pot a couple of minutes before the end so they’re still an appetizing bright green when you come to eat. 
5. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves if you have them. 

Serve with:
Low carb (lower carbohydrate = lower sugars): 1 cup cauliflower rice  per person
Medium carb (if you do not want to drop weight) brown basmati rice (measure 1/4 mug per person dry weight and cook in twice its volume of boiling water from the kettle).

Variations and swaps:
Instead of the coconut milk use 30g creamed coconut from a block you can buy in Asian shops.  Chop it up before adding to the pan with the tomatoes so it doesn’t take ages to melt!.  This is very economical cos you just use what you need and keep the rest in the fridge for another time.

Why this is good for you
We’ve all gone a bit fat phobic, culturally.  But it is high carbohydrate diets (lots of grains like wheat rice or pasta,  potatoes and sugar or fruit juices) that pile on the weight. And cause inflammation in your arteries i.e. heart disease.  Refined or heated nut/seed oils are another big driver.  So sticking with healthier oils like ghee, coconut milk and olive oil and limiting your carb intake keeps you healthier.  Herbs and spices and powerhouses for your health.  They are natural anti-inflammatories and alter your gut micro-biome (the micro organisms in our gut we need for health).  Alter it in favour of the good guys that regulate weight, blood pressure and every single metric of health, including preventing digestive disorders and diabetes.

Salmon curry with mustard seeds

Salmon curry with mustard seeds

Jan 27, 2024 | Anna's Best Recipes, Main courses

This salmon cooked in sauce is DELICIOUS.  If you want make the cook-in sauce in advance to save faff if you’re having people around.  The original recipe by Madhur Jaffrey involves marinating the salmon but I skip that and it still turns out fab.  I love this served with a generous amount of broccoli/tenderstem.  If you dont want to lose weight add some more carbs by measuring ¼ cup brown basmati rice per person and cooking that with a generous pinch of turmeric (added health benefits plus lovely colour!). 

Tip: Buy your individual spices in Asian shops.  If you have a coffee grinder try grinding some of your own spices – you’ll really notice the flavour explosion.  Always keep ground spices airtight in a dark place to preserve aroma.

For 2
300g skinless salmon fillets/2 x 150g skinless darnes

For the sauce:
1 tsp whole mustard seeds
1 level tsp mustard powder
1 dsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
1/2  tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp tsp curry powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
150g tomatoes, coarsely grated or chopped small, with their juice
1 tbs extra virgin olive or coconut oil
½ tsp whole fennel seeds
10 fresh curry leaves or 6 bay leaves or fresh coriander
To serve:
2 cups broccoli florets/tenderstem broccoli per person
Low carb:  cauliflower rice
Medium carb: brown basmati rice (measure 1/4 cup per person before cooking)

 If you’re using brown rice with this, first of all:
Put on the kettle, rinse rice in a sieve under cold running water (to remove toxic arsenic which accumulates on the surface of the grains).  Cook rice in twice its volume of boiling water e.g. For 2 people ½ cup rice 1 cup boiling water.  Add generous pinch turmeric, cover with a lid, simmer till done. 

1. Cut salmon into matchbox-sized pieces or (if you don’t mind waiting longer for it to cook) leave 2 darnes whole.
2. Now make the sauce. Put the ground mustard, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, curry powder, cayenne, tomatoes, curry leaves or bay leaves, generous pinch salt and 100ml water in a bowl and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a wide, shallow pan (a deep frying pan is ideal) over a medium-high heat.
4. Add mustard seeds.  As soon as they begin to pop add fennel seeds.
5. Pour in the spice-tomato mixture and 80-100ml more water, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes.  At this point sauce can be cooled and refrigerated until you are ready to cook the fish.  It will keep a couple of days. 
6. To cook the fish, reheat sauce in wide shallow pan and lay the fish in it spooning some of the sauce over the fish to coat it all over.
7. Cover pan with a lid or plate and cook for 5-10 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.  Around 5 mins for matchbox sized pieces, around 10 for whole darnes.

Why this is good for you:
Cooking with herbs and spices liberates a powerhouse of antioxidant anti-inflammatory processes in your body.  Herbs are antioxidant.  They also make your body produce more of its own antioxidants.  They also (provided they’re properly kept airtight in a dark place) make your gut a VERY unfriendly place for bad bugs.  This allows friendly bacteria more space to grow, promoting more vigorous physical and mental function.  Whats not to like.  And of course we all know by now that omega 3 fats from oily fish are anti-inflammatory, promote good mental and heart health and even make the cancer cells we all produce more easily destroyed by your immune system. 

One-ingredient buckwheat sourdough bread (GF)

One-ingredient buckwheat sourdough bread (GF)

Jan 11, 2024 | Anna's Best Recipes, Breads, crackers, pancakes & wraps

I’ve never made sourdough bread before.  I’ve always thought minding a sourdough “starter” or “mother” seems like a big faff and I’m a more lackadaisical cook.  I never found a good recipe – until now.  Ever since I had to go gluten-free the one bread I really missed was good brown sourdough (usually rye).  Huge gratitude to Sarah Cobacho for posting this online.  Thank you SO much, Sarah!

This recipe uses the natural microscopic airborne yeasts and bacteria in the air all around you to start colonising and putting carbon dioxide into the mix.  This is what rises the bread. Yes, true sourdough never, ever contains yeast or bread soda.   The inside of this bread will not be dried out like normal bread but will retain moisture, just like a regular rye sourdough.  Only this is gluten-free!

500 g hulled buckwheat kernels (Please note: It is important to use HULLED and whole BUCKWHEAT. You will not get good results with flour, unhulled (black), or roasted buckwheat.)
200 ml water
¼ tsp Himalayan or Atlantic sea salt
2 tsp poppy or sesame seeds (optional)
2 lb loaf tin and silicon/greaseproof paper to line
A little olive oil to grease the tin (optional)

1.Rinse the 500g of hulled buckwheat kernels under cold water until the water runs clear. This ensures that any dust or impurities are removed.

2.Transfer the rinsed buckwheat to a large bowl. Cover the kernels with cold water, ensuring they are fully submerged. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let it sit overnight. This soaking process initiates the fermentation which is key to this gluten-free buckwheat bread.

3.The next day, drain (do not rinse) and transfer to a blender with 200ml water and salt. Blend, starting at low speed and slowly increasing.

4.Pour the blended buckwheat mixture back into the bowl. Cover it again and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. This resting period allows the fermentation to continue, developing the unique flavor of the loaf.

5.When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180C. While the oven is heating, prepare a loaf pan by lining it with baking paper.  I like to brush paper and tin with a little olive oil for easier removal but its not essential.  Perhaps I am micro-managing the bread!!

6.Pour the fermented buckwheat dough into the prepared loaf pan. If you’d like, sprinkle the top with 2 tsp of poppy and sesame seeds for an added crunch and visual appeal.

7.Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 90 minutes. The bread should be golden brown and firm to the touch.

8.Allow the bread to cool down before slicing. This makes it easier to cut and improves the texture. Now, enjoy your homemade, healthy buckwheat bread!   Keeps 4-5 days in  in an airtight container or else slice and freeze for up to a month.  Prize off a slice or two to pop in the toaster when you feel like it.

Why this is good for you:
Buckwheat is a massive source of a polyphenol called rutin.  Rutin turbo-charges the strength of connective tissue, cartilage, bones, blood vessels and skin.  I would always include either a rutin supplement or foods rich in rutin in any tissue/bone/skin rebuilding programme. Also helps prevent skin sagging (wrinkles!).  Buckwheat also contains potassium, magnesium and calcium for healthy bones. 

Sourdough fermentation makes ALL grains hugely more digestible.  All grains, even gluten-free ones, contain lectins.  Lectins are plant proteins designed to protect the plants babies (seeds) from being digested by predators.  So these lectins disable your digestive proteases (enzymes).  This causes irritation in the gut.  By fermenting the buckwheat you get rid of almost all lectins. 

FAQ

Can I use buckwheat flour instead of hulled buckwheat kernels? For this specific recipe, it’s recommended to use hulled buckwheat kernels rather than buckwheat flour. The process of soaking and fermenting the kernels contributes to the unique texture and flavour of the bread. Using buckwheat flour would not yield the same results.  Personally I’ve never seen un-hulled buckwheat groats (which are black and inedible) for sale.  Hulled are a green/light brown colour and pretty much every health store sells them.

Christmas Pudding Truffles (no-cook!)

Christmas Pudding Truffles (no-cook!)

Nov 27, 2023 | Anna's Best Recipes, Cakes, biscuits & bars, Desserts & drinks

Want to have a few Christmas-with-a-twist treats?  These have those seasonal flavours.  Try them – they’re lovely as well as being super-easy to make.  Thankyou to Parry Marsh, whose recipe this is.  This makes around 22 pieces. 

1 ½ cups (or 190 g) of mixed nuts – chestnuts, pecans & Brazil nuts go well in this
1 tbsp goji berries (*optional)
Grated rind of half a lemon and half an orange, organic if possible
1 scant tsp of mixed spice*
1 tbs runny honey (or if you are not on the special SC Diet, raw agave syrup will also work)
⅔ cup (or 95 g) mixed vine fruit or raisins, organic if possible
4–6 fresh (or Mejool) dates, stones removed

 

  1. In a food processor, process the nuts, goji berries, grated rind, and spice, until the nuts are all broken down into small pieces.
  2. Add honey/syrup, vine fruit/raisins, and process again until the fruit is mostly broken down.
  3. Then, with the food processor running, drop in the dates one at a time, and let each one get processed into the mix. Keep adding them until the mix starts to stick together.
  4. Once it’s nice and sticky, remove from the food processor, then break off portions of the dough and roll them in your hands to form balls – they should be about the size of a chocolate truffle or a small walnut shell.
  5. Eat at once, or chill for a while to firm up. You can even pop them in the freezer and eat them straight from there.
  6. If you want to make these a little chewier, try forming the balls around a couple of raisins, or even pieces of candied peel or crystallized ginger.

*Goji berries are optional but give it a slightly richer flavor and a few chewy bits since they never blend in totally.

**If you don’t have any mixed spice, you can easily make your own: use equal amounts of ground cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and ginger.

 

Why this is better for you:
These yummy treats are packed with protein and healthy fats which stop the natural sugars in the vine fruits and agave from messing with your metabolism.  If you’ve been working with me you know all about balancing your blood sugar and how it turbo-charges immunity, digestive and even mental health and energy production.  If you’re curious as to how too balance your blood sugar check out the courses under “work with me tab” on the home page.  Or send an enquiry about one-to-one coaching towards a healthier, happier you.  Spices are incredibly anti-inflammatory.  Dried grapes (sultanas, raisins, currants etc) feed certain species of healthy bacteria in your gut.   Enough healthy bacteria are needed for every function in your body, from gut and digestive health to a balanced immune system and stable mood.

Gorgeous mild-spiced lentil soup

Gorgeous mild-spiced lentil soup

Sep 28, 2023 | Anna's Best Recipes, Main courses, Sides, starters, soups & snacks

Now Autumn’s here and with it some crazy storms I’ve rediscovered this high protein immune-supporting soup that’s a bowl full of sunshine.  To make it into a complete meal add a cupful of cooked greens per person at the end (a bag of baby spinach would do). If you want to gain weight, add some extra carbs such as wholemeal gluten-free bread or leftover cooked rice (reheat well in the soup). If you eat gluten) some 100% rye or wholemeal sourdough. This soup freezes well too.

For 4
Note: You can save yourself effort chop all veg and spices only roughly if you’re going to blend the soup later on.
1 very large onion or 2 medium chopped onions
2 large sticks celery, sliced
2 large carrots (about 300g), sliced
2 heaped tbs (tablespoons) finely grated fresh ginger
1-2 rounded tbs ghee or virgin coconut oil (if you have an inflamed gut, ghee is best).
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Heaped teaspoon turmeric powder
Heaped teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 level tsp ground cardamom powder if you have it
500ml carton of passata (sieved tomatoes) or a 400g can chopped tomatoes
750ml filtered water or leftover vegetable cooking water (e.g. from steaming veg)
250g (mug and a quarter) dried red lentils
1 heaped tsp health store additive-free vegetable stock powder (for the SC Diet use Dr Coys Organic Vegetable Bouillon) 
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with lid on a medium heat for a minute. Add ghee/oil, onion, celery, carrots, ginger and a small splash of water, cover with a lid and sweat for 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, turmeric and cardamom if you have it, stir for a minute before adding passata/tinned tomatoes and water.
3.Give everything a stir then add the lentils so they sit on top (otherwise during cooking they stick to the bottom). If the lentils are not entirely submerged in liquid, add a bit more water or stock.
4. Boil for 15-20 mins for 20 mins/until lentils and veg are soft.  Only stir the lentils gently at the very top if they are stuck together, otherwise leave them alone.
5. Mix the veg stock powder into a little water and add to the soup AFTER the  the lentils are soft (otherwise salt makes the lentils touch).
4. If you want a smooth soup now give it a whizz with a stick blender.

5 reasons this is good for you:
Lentils and onions contain prebiotic fibre. This feeds friendly bacteria you need for healthy digestive system and immunity.
Turmeric, ginger, garlic, coconut oil, cardamom and coriander reduce numbers of disease-causing bacteria/viruses in your gut.
Processed cooked tomatoes are the richest source of antioxidant lycopene to help ALL of you
Ghee contains butyric acid, a metabolite produced by friendly bowel bacteria to keep your gut and immune system tip-top.
Lentils are a rich and easy-to-digest source of protein which is essential for antibody production to protect against infection.



Gretl’s gingerbread cookies biscuits (SC Diet)

Gretl’s gingerbread cookies biscuits (SC Diet)

Dec 8, 2022 | Anna's Best Recipes, Cakes, biscuits & bars

Naturally gluten-free and grain-free, I really like these.  This recipe is from Raman Prasad’s Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook.  The SC diet can be magical for getting people with inflammatory bowel conditions into remission while they start to work on the underlying causes.  But the recipes in it are pretty tasty for anyone and much less damaging for the gut.

Makes 40-50 cookies.

  • 112g (8 tbs) melted butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp water
  • 80g (1/4 cup) honey
  • 1 level tsp ground allspice
  • 2 rounded tsp ground ginger
  • 1 level tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
  • 1 heaped tbs peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 rounded tsp bread soda (also called baking soda/bicarbonate)
  • 330g (3 cups) almond flour/ground almonds

1. Preheat oven to 180C (165C fan).  Grease 2 baking sheets.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until the dough is dry enough and not stick to work with.  Add more almond flour/ground almonds I needed.
3. On the baking sheet, form 4-5 cm circular mounds with the dough and press down to flatten into a cookie shape.
4. Bake 10-15 mins until the edged turn golden.

Why this is better for you:
These biscuits are naturally grain-free, which is great news for anyone struggling with Crohn’s, colitis or who may be on the SC diet during a IBS/SIBO recovery protocol.  These are also high in protein (almonds) and much lower in sugars (honey) so they don’t cause blood sugar peaks and troughs.  A word of warning though, these are treats, not everyday foods.  This is because nuts, when roasted, no longer contain healthy oils.  So eating too many of these is not good for your metabolism.

Best ever potato salad (Greek style)

Best ever potato salad (Greek style)

Sep 5, 2022 | Anna's Best Recipes, Sides, starters, soups & snacks

This is my all-time favourite potato salad.  A far cry from the claggy, low-grade ones made with health-sabotaging refined oil. Amazingly, cold potatoes have very different health-giving properties from warm or hot.  For the reason why, scroll to the bottom.  Some people like to use waxy potatoes.  Personally I prefer floury ones which partly break up.  Serving size isn’t enormous as you’ll want to save space for masses of low carb veg and some quality protein to keep you fuller longer.

For 4
4 medium size potatoes (about 500g in all), scrubbed (no need to peel) and quartered
1/4 white/red onion, sliced thinly
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Large handful (3 tbs) chopped fresh parsley or dill
Freshly ground black pepper
Generous pinch salt
Liberal amounts of extra virgin olive oil

1. Boil the potatoes till cooked. Drain.
2. In a bowl combine hot potatoes, onion, 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, salt, a few good grinds of black pepper.
3. If you like your onions not to have any “heat” add the lemon juice now.
4. Just before serving add the herbs and if you like, most extra virgin olive oil to taste.

Why this is good for you:
Cooked and cooled potatoes are a rich source of resistant starch.  This magical starch feeds beneficial bacteria in your bowel that aid all aspects of your health.  Resistant disappears if you reheat the potatoes and reappears when they are cold. Cooked, cooled rice is another good source of resistant starch.  Herbs are a great source of antioxidants to calm inflammation and reduce the growth of unhelpful gut bacteria.  Even a dessertspoon of cooked cooled rice or potatoes feeds friendly bacteria.   Large amounts of high carb foods like grains, rice and potatoes are counter-productive as their high sugar levels promote overgrowths of unhelpful bugs.  If you limit starchy carbs to no more than 1/4 your lunch and dinner plate you’ll be doing great!!

Hummus (or houmous?)

Hummus (or houmous?)

Jul 1, 2022 | Anna's Best Recipes, Dressings, rubs, spreads, sauces & more, Sides, starters, soups & snacks

There’s nothing like home-made hummus for flavour.  It’s super-easy to do and if you like it, make a big batch and freeze some for the future.

1 mugful of cooked chickpeas (or haricot, cannellini, butter or broad beans) – keep some of the cooking water if you have cooked your own
OR
400g tin of no added sugar chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1½-3 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ – 1 lemon
1 heaped dessertspoonful tahini (health stores/Asian shops.  Raw tahini such as Carly’s brand is best)
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
1 rounded tsp ground coriander
1 rounded tsp ground cumin
Generous pinch or two of Himalayan/Atlantic Sea Salt
Optional extras (see below)

  1. Blitz everything together in your food processor or mini food processor until mixed. You may need a bit more liquid (lemon juice or olive oil) to get everything mixing well.
  2. Add extra lemon juice/olive oil to taste. If the mix is too thick add a a bit of chickpea cooking water or plain water and blitz again.

Blitz in one or two of the following if you like:

  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, parsley or chives,
  • 3-4 tomatoes you have roasted or cooked under the grill till soft
  • A teaspoon of spicy harissa paste (from ethnic shops) or ½ teasp chilli powder
  • A teaspoon of sun dried tomato paste from the jar
  • A teaspoon of black olive tapenade
  • 2-3 roasted red peppers (available in jars from ethnic shops)

Tip:

Grinding your own cumin or coriander with a spice grinder gives a dramatically more flavoursome spice.  This is because ground spices, when stored, lose some of their health-giving, aromatic oils.  Always store your ground spices in an airtight container in a dark place.

Why this is good for you:
Most shop-bought hummus is made using cheap, refined (toxic) oils instead of the traditional extra virgin olive oil which is a superfood.  It stands to reason that making your own is head and shoulders above anything else in quality and freshness. 

Black forest gateau with a twist

Black forest gateau with a twist

Apr 18, 2022 | Anna's Best Recipes, Cakes, biscuits & bars

This is LOVELY!  Unlike most gluten-free cakes this stays moist and delicious for days.  Just don’t tell anyone that its high protein, gluten-free, almost grain-free and almost totally free of sugar.  I got the original idea from a recipe on www.atastylovestory.com but it contained gluten and was packed with immune-disrupting sugar.  So I adapted this recipe https://www.annacollins.ie/ultra-moist-chocolate-cake/ and the toppings in the other recipe.  A triumph.  And surprisingly easy!

I made the cake this Saturday, served it on Easter Sunday and it was still perfect (from the fridge) on Monday.  Can we wait till Tuesday to polish off the rest.  That’s the question….

Serves 8-10

For the sponges:
1 heaped plus 1 level tbs cocoa powder
1 heaped plus 1 level tbs rice flour
1 rounded tsp baking soda
1 x 400g tin of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 large eggs (or 4 medium)
140g xylitol or erythritol
1 espresso shot black coffee or strong dandelion coffee
½ tsp vanilla extract (if you’re gluten-free, avoid vanilla “essence”).
50ml almond or cow’s milk (or cherry juice)
10ml kirsch
5ml apple cider vinegar (if you are using cherry juice you don’t need this. Acid activates baking soda)
Pinch of Himalayan or Atlantic sea salt
Silicon or greaseproof paper
Butter or light olive oil for greasing the tin
2 x 25cm loose bottomed cake tins.

For the filling:
2 heaped tbs no-added sugar morello cherry jam.  I love St Dalfour (sweetened with fruit juice) or Prunotto sour cherry jam (just 10% sugar instead of the usual 50% in most jams)
1 420g tin cherries in juice or light syrup
300-400ml whipping cream (use double cream if you prefer)
4 drops stevia (or 1 heaped tsp xylitol/erythritol)
½ tsp vanilla extract
30g dark chocolate, at least 80% cocoa solids

To make the sponges:

  1. Preheat oven to 175C (160C fan).
  2. Cut 2 circles of silicon/greaseproof paper the same size as the base of your cake tins.  Grease and line the tins with the paper.  Is the paper is greaseproof rather than silicon, grease the paper too.
  3. Sieve the rice flour, cocoa and baking soda together into a bowl.
  4. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is smooth.  Don’t be alarmed if the mixture is runny.  It’s supposed to be.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake tines and bake18-20 minutes until a needle/knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  6. Set aside to cool completely before removing from the tins.

To assemble the cake:

  1. Drain the cherries, retaining the juice/syrup.  Mix 100ml of it with the kirsch (the rest is good in cocktails).
  2. Put each cooled sponge upside down on a separate plate, including the one you want to serve on.  This makes it easier for the liquid to soak in fully.  Spoon half the syrup/kirsch over the sponges.  Leave to sink in.  Add more if it’s all absorbed but don’t overload it.
  3. Whip cream until thick, then add the stevia/erythritol/xylitol and vanilla extract.  Whisk until voluminous but not too stiff to spread.
  4. Set aside 12 of the drained cherries.
  5. Spread the bottom layer of cake (on the serving plate) with the jam.  Arrange the cherries on top (except the reserved 12).
  6. Spread half the whipped cream in between and over the cherries.  Everything will look rustic.
  7. Carefully slide the top sponge layer into position on top and press down gently.
  8. Use a palette knife to spread the remaining cream on top in big, puffy waves.
  9. Grate the chocolate into curls generously over the top.
  10. Arrange remaining cherries around the edge.  Chill for an hour before serving.

Why this is better for you:
Amazingly, theres very little grain in this cake and its high in protein from the eggs and black beans.  This makes it suitable for moderate carb diets.  Most cakes are sky-high in carbs (flour, sugar) and so are a real stressor on your metabolism.

Yes this cake has got lots of cream but  for over 25 years nutrition science knows that eating cholesterol has nothing to do with heart disease.  It’s the oxidation (damage) done to cholesterol by high carb diets, nutrient deficiencies and metabolic stress that drives heart disease.

This isn’t a cake for every day because fresh, natural vegetables fruit are healthier choices than baked sweet treats.  But sometimes you want CAKE!