Banana bread breakfast 'cupcake​'

This is a very last minute post.... by that I mean, the idea for this banana bread breakfast cupcake came to me whilst I was walking back from my gym class and within 10 minutes of getting home I had made this little gem and was happily sitting down to a yummy post gym brunch munch. 

Within the hour the photos had been edited, text written (erm...as I speak) and here we go. Why the rush?  Well apparently it's National Cupcake Week, and whilst usually these foodie 'events' totally pass me by I actually became aware of this a couple of days ago and the idea popped into my cake for a twist on the 'cupcake' format itself, I love banana bread and it's always a crowd pleaser, so why not make a single serve banana bread cupcake!  I've managed to sneak this in before the week was out- winner!! It's still a cup cake of sorts ok...maybe just not in quite the usual sense.

This is a perfect two-minute breakfast treat and I used a collection of very healthy breakfasty ingredients.... oats, seeds, banana, berries, fruit juice.... everything you might have for breakfast, just smooshed up in a mug (cup)!

It's sugar free if you use stevia as I haven't even used any of my beloved dates in this creation! Plus if you use gluten free oat flour it's gluten feee (other GF flours may also work here). You could add extra spices or different fruits to add your own twist. I also dolloped a blob of soy yogurt and a tiny blob of sugar free jam on top to make it more like dessert. Cheeky! 

So there you have it... a moist, dense and cakey banana bread breakfast cupcake with toppings! 

For all my other single serve recipes...you'll find them here! 

This is also a classic 'Bressert' recipe... Bressert? A cross between breakfast and dessert. It's my favourite combo and I have a whole heap of bressert recipes here too!

Enjoy :-)   P.s tag me if you make it- i'd love to see!

Recipe: Banana Bread Breakfast Cupcake

Ingredients: 

• 1 small banana- mashed

• 3 tbs oat flour

• 3 tbs LSA (ground linseed, sunflower seed, almond) you could just sub ground almonds here.

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 3 tbs fruit juice of choice

• 4 drops pure stevia liquid (or 1-2 tsp syrup of choice to taste)

• handful of berries- for topping

• optional: spices, yoghurt, drizzle, toppings...

Method: 

Mash the banana in a small bowl and add all remaining ingredients to it. Mix well to form a smooth thick batter and spoon into a microwaveable cup or mug. Lightly press the berries into the top last.

Microwave on high for 1 minute, the top should be firm to touch but it should be soft, moist and cakey at the bottom. Add extra toppings if desired and serve directly in the cup. 

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Bakewell oat-tart

So on Sunday it was Mother’s Day here in the UK. You may have noticed I gave you a little sneak preview as to the subject of today’s post….

Mmmmm, raspberries and almonds! I figured this was a very underused combo on my blog but I love bakewell tart so I can’t believe I haven’t attempted a healthy version before now. Plenty of time for all that, but this little oatcake certainly did the trick, and yes this is another single serving cake of the microwave variety. Oh how I do love them!

Perfect for mother’s day breakfast.

The original idea for this cake came via this recipe, when I was doing some ‘oatmeal’ research, and it simply looked too good to not to try out. I made a few tweaks to the ingredients, and the quantities simply because I wanted to make more of a single serving (though I’ll definitely be making a larger batch from now on!) I then also took the leap of faith and use the microwave to turn it into a super quick breakfast/brunch/dessert, and also because I resent having to turn the oven on for a single cake! 

It worked really well in a muffin case in a silicon muffin pan, as you can then simply peel away the paper case once cooked (you may well not even need the paper cake case). To me these had the lovely dense texture of oatmeal without the creaminess of a bowl of cooked oats (I love that too but I know some people don’t). It's really a kind of porridge cake but that doesn't sound as good as it tastes! Having not tried the oven version I was not able to compare the methods, I imagine the oven version would maybe have more of a crust on the top and simply taste more ‘baked’ so if that’s your preference go for it!

I tried this recipe on the Saturday (in preparation for Mother’s Day) and ate the first ‘cake ‘plain and then the second with a dollop of super thick melted cashew cream, oh yeah…I’d recommend going for the topping!  By Sunday I’d run out of topping…so I served them with soy yoghurt for our mid-morning brunch which was still yummy!

Recipe:  Bakewell oat-tart

Makes 2 cakes

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup oats
• 1 tbs agave
• ¼ cup apple puree
• ¼ cup soy milk (or any milk alternative)
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp ground chia or flax
• Handful of fresh or frozen raspberries (I use frozen as they don’t ‘bleed’ so much)
• Flaked almonds for decoration (add some extra to mixture if desired)

Method:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, adding the raspberries last so the mixture doesn’t turn totally pink, unless that’s what you are aiming for!

Spoon into two silicone cupcake/muffin cases (or anything suitable for microwaving) and cook on full power for 2 minutes, though I would advise checking after 90 seconds to see if they are ready to your desired consistency since microwaves are all different.

Valentines choc-orange cupcakes with healthy 'fudge' topping!

I love all the blood orange ideas that are making their way into a few recipes at the moment, the perfectly healthy and natural way of bringing a little bit of pink into your life… what a coincidence that Valentines Day is just around the corner!

So, I wanted to create a little bit of pink and chocolatey indulgence of my own. I couldn’t track down any fresh blood oranges in my part of the world so I had to make do with some fresh blood orange juice instead. All the liquid in this recipe comes from the juice, and being such a vibrant pink colour I had hoped the batter would also be a gorgeous pink shade….hmmm not so much! So at this point I have to admit that I had to supplement this with about 5 drops of red food dye.  The batter was a real rich fuchsia colour at this point, although once cooked the colour was much more subtle.

The cupcake sponge is lovely and light, based on this original recipe but substituting the liquids. I love the combination of chocolate and orange in any form. To emphasise the pink theme without having to resort to playful sugary toppings etc, I sprinkled the tops of the cupcakes and the serving plate with pomegranate seeds. Beautiful…and so much better for you than sugar!

This recipe also showcases my newest healthy chocolate frosting!

Can you guess what it contains…

…yep, more beans!

I love this recipe as it simply another step on from my black bean fudge. You can make both the fudge and the frosting in a matter of minutes without having to wash anything up in between. My perfect kind of recipe! The key is to really blend it well.

If you’re a little bit beaned out, you could use this frosting as an alternative, its also quick and simple to make!

Recipe: Valentines choc-orange cupcakes

Frosting ingredients:

• 200g prepared

• fudge mixture

• 80g soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)

• 2 tsp agave (or more to taste)

This makes enough to frost approx. 12 cupcakes.

Method:

Simply add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until really smooth. Adjust the ‘milk’ to achieve the desired consistency.

Cupcakes ingredients:

• 200g white spelt flour (or GF flour mix)

• 75g potato starch

• 1tsp flax seed mixed with 1tbs hot water

• 3tsp baking powder

• 1tbs bicarbonate of soda

• 50g agave syrup

• 70g rapadura

• ¼ tsp stevia

• 100ml melted coconut oil

• 50ml soy yoghurt

• 300ml blood orange juice (the pinker the better)

• 2tsp vanilla extract

• 5 drops natural red food colour

Method:

Blend all liquids in food processor and melt coconut oil separately then mix in. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl then pour into the wet ingredients and beat well to get a smooth mixture. Pour into lined cupcake pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180C. Turn half way through to ensure an even rise. A toothpick will come away clean when cooked.