Scottish self-confessed bakeaholic, Liggy Morgan, has been wowing cake fans since she set up her award-winning cake design company, Liggy’s Cakes which has cake parlours in Edinburgh and Glasgow and plans to expand.
Cakes and sweet treats can often be a great indulgence, so Liggy has come up with four tasty recipes for you to try at home which are low in sugar and beautifully fruity which will help lessen the guilt.
For more information visit www.liggyscakes.co.uk
CARROT AND GOJI BERRY CAKE WITH MARSCAPONE ICING
This healthy take on a teatime favourite is the perfect guilt free treat, giving you all the flavour and spice you would want but with much less sugar. The addition of buckwheat flour gives this cake a lovely nutty taste and the remaining spelt flour can easily be swapped for gluten free flour to give a totally gluten free option if required.
50g dark brown sugar
25ml Vermont maple syrup
2 large eggs
4 medium carrots, grated
120ml vegetable oil
75g buckwheat flour
75g white spelt flour
0.5tsp mixed spice
1tsp cinnamon
0.5tsp baking powder
0.5tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g goji berries
FOR THE FROSTING
250g mascarpone
1tbsp icing sugar
Chopped goji berries and walnuts to finish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, then grease and line an 8in square cake tin. In a large bowl, beat the oil, sugar, maple syrup and eggs together for a couple of minutes.
Add the grated carrot and stir through. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients – flours, spices, baking powder and bicarb of soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in thirds, mixing briefly after each addition.
Finally add the goji berries and stir through before pouring the mixture into the prepared cake tin and baking for 30 minutes or until risen and domed in the centre. Allow to cool totally before icing.
To make the icing, beat the marscapone with the icing sugar which will cause it to go a bit runny. Spread a thick layer on to the top of cake then run a fork over it to leave a ridged effect. To dress, top with the goji berries and chopped nuts.
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
These healthier brownies still have all the chocolatey flavour you would want but with no refined sugar, butter or eggs they are much better for you. Raw cacao powder is a very fashionable ingredient just now being both rich in antioxidants and high in magnesium and iron. Its bitter chocolatey flavour is perfect here – ideal served with a coffee for a guilt free mid-morning pick me up.
150g white spelt flour
50g wholemeal spelt flour
1tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
75g organic cacao (available in health food shops)
100ml maple syrup
100ml fruit syrup
100ml water
120ml milk
150ml strong coffee.
2tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and oil and flour an 8in cake tin. In a large mixing bowl, sift your dry ingredients together and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
In a separate bowl stir together the two syrups with the water and milk before making up the coffee – I used 2 teaspoons of espresso powder dissolved in 150ml of boiling water. Allow the coffee to cool before adding it to the other liquids.
Finally add in the vanilla extract and beat the wet mixture until combined. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture bowl in three parts and beat briefly after each addition until you have a smooth mixture. Pour this into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes before removing from the oven and allowing to cool.
ORANGE AND PISTACHIO MADELEINES
These little delights have had a healthy remake with the sugar in traditional madeleine recipes being substituted for fruit syrup. This is readily available in supermarkets and makes a great alternative when you are trying to cut down your refined sugar intake.
By flavouring with fresh orange zest and slivers of green pistachios, these little cakes are perfect for when you have a cake craving but are trying to be good. You will need a scalloped madeleine tin for this recipe – these can be bought online or often found vintage shops.
1 large egg
50ml of fruit syrup
75g of white flour (I prefer to use spelt flour)
2tsp of baking powder
Zest of 1 orange
20g of shelled pistachios chopped.
75g of unsalted butter melted and cooled
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Take your time to grease and flour your madeleine tin carefully to ensure they come out easily once baked. In a large bowl, beat the egg and fruit syrup together vigorously until paler in colour and foamy.
Next add the baking powder and flour and beat again. Lastly add the orange zest and pistachios before pouring in the melted butter. Mix again until you have runny batter then spoon teaspoonfuls of mixture into the madeleine moulds, being careful not to fill them right to the top.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes before turning out to cool. Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar (optional).
WALNUT COOKIES
These soft and chewy biscuits, studded with raisins and walnuts can be whipped up in no time at all and are a healthier version of the sugar and fat laden varieties you will find in the shops.
75g wholemeal spelt flour
75g plain white spelt flour
1tsp baking powder
90ml vegetable oil
140g dark brown sugar
2 medium eggs
50g oats (I used Quaker rolled oats)
50g raisins
50g walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking sheet with grease proof paper. In a large bowl, sift the wholemeal and plain flour with the baking powder, give this a quick mix and put to one side.
In a separate bowl, mix the vegetable oil, brown sugar and eggs together, add this wet mixture to the dry mixture and beat until combined. Next add in the rolled oats and then finally the raisins and walnuts.
Stir until well mixed. Take tablespoonfuls of the mixture and space well apart on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy warm with a glass of cold milk for a healthy snack.