Peach Very Berry Cake

This cake is more fruit than cake, and that's OK. Simple to whip together and great for breakfast with a hot brew, or dessert.
2 ripe peaches, peeled and diced
4 cups fresh berries (I mixed black, blue and raspberries)

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:
1-1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

1-2 Tbsp coarse or granulated sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix together the butter and sugar in an electric mixer.

Add the eggs, yogurt and vanilla and blend well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Slowly add them to the wet ingredients in the mixer, and mix only enough to just combine. Now gently fold in the fruit.

Butter a 10 to 11-inch cake pan and pour the fruit batter into the pie pan.

Top with coarse or granulated sugar.Bake for about 45 minutes, until well browned and cake is cooked through.

Makes one 10-inch cake.

Cook's Note:  You can use whatever fruit you like.  Just adjust the sugar to match the sweetness of the fruit you add.  Here i used mixed berries and sweet fresh peaches.

Red Lentil Blue Cornbread

Many people have been telling me of the benefits they have experienced by eliminating gluten from their diet.  If you are not suffering from Celiac disease, apparently you may still derive benefit from eliminating gluten, especially regarding troubles relating to joint and muscle pain, and from exhaustion.  I have been told that even 1-2 weeks off gluten can make a huge difference.  If you are troubled by these problems, it may be worth a try.

Leaving gluten behind can mean walking away from some favorites like pasta, pizza and cakes.  But there are some good gluten-free alternatives, so don't despair.  Here is a version of cornbread, one of my favorite cake-type dishes.  It uses buckwheat, which is gluten free.  It also uses blue cornmeal, for fun - you could use regular yellow cornmeal as well.  If you are not going gluten-free, you could certainly use wheat flour to replace the buckwheat flour and get a wonderful blue cornbread.
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
kernels from one fresh ear of corn
1 small can diced green chilies, drained
2 Tbsp split red lentils (optional)
2 Tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds

Dry ingredients:
1 cup blue corn meal
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 cup almond milk, or cow’s milk
1/2 stick butter, melted

Must be done in advance: If using the red lentils, soak them in a bowl of water, in the refrigerator, overnight. Drain well.

Preheat oven to 425F. In a small pan, sauté the onion, corn, sage and red chili pepper flakes. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion and corn have softened and begin to caramelize.

Add the green chilies and mix well.

Meanwhile, oil a 9-inch springform pan or a cake pan. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Stir the sautéed veggies into the wet ingredients. Then fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Tip the mixture into the baking pan and top with the pumpkin seeds.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is nicely browned, and a test knife poked into the center, comes out dry. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes and then remove from springform pan, if using. Slice and serve.

Makes one 9-inch cornbread pie.

Cook's Note:  The red lentils just add a nice protein complement and a bit of crunch to the cornbread, especially of interest for vegetarians or vegans.  They are not a key component of the dish and are definitely optional.

Gateau au Fraises - Strawberry Cake

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp granulated Castor sugar
Scant 1 lb strawberries, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously butter a 9-inch cake pan (I use a spring-form pan). Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, blend together the sugar and butter for 2-3 minutes, until smooth (I use a Kitchen Aid blender for this). Add the egg and blend to incorporate. Add the milk and vanilla just to mix. Slowly pour in the dry ingredients as you mix with the blender, and mix just until smooth – about minute. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out evenly. Top with the strawberries, evenly, laid out. Sprinkle with the Castor sugar (use regular sugar if you only have that).Bake at 350 for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 and bake for another 60 minutes or so, until the cake and fruit are set. Remove from oven and cool in pan about 15-20 minutes. When cool enough, remove cake from pan and place on platter for serving. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Or you can do the same thing with raspberries.

Healthy Muffins – an Oxymoron?

These are outrageously delicious – and at least they have some redeeming qualities…

Banana Bran Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Muffins
Dry:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup wheat bran
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
¾ cup white chocolate morsels

Wet:
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 Tbsp molasses
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold just to mix. Spoon into muffin tins sprayed with oil. Bake 23-25 minutes.

Apple Bran Carrot Muffins
Dry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup wheat bran
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp salt
½ cup shredded coconut

Wet:
1 cup apple sauce
1 cup finely grated carrots (about 2 carrots)
1 cup milk (or apple cider, or a mix of the two)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 Tbsp molasses

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold just to mix. Spoon into muffin tins sprayed with oil. Bake 23-25 minutes.