Healthy Berry Bramble Cake Food

PAT'S BRAMBLEBERRY

Steps:

• Make the simple syrup: Combine the honey, ginger and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the honey dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 30 minutes to cool. Strain, and set aside.
• For the drink: Muddle the blackberries, lime juice and mint leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add the whiskey and 2 ounces (1/4 cup) simple syrup to the cocktail shaker (save the remaining simple syrup for another use). Add ice and shake to combine.
• Strain the mixture into a glass filled with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with additional blackberries and mint sprigs.

HEALTHY BERRY BRAMBLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celcius and grease a 2lb loaf tin.
• Mix the splenda and applesauce together in a large bowl until combined. Beat in the egg, egg white and vanilla.
• Sift in flour and baking powder and mix well. Finally fold in the raspberries.
• Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan and bake for approx 35 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

BERRY CRUMBLE TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a rectangular baking tin (approximately 26cm x 20cm/10½in x 8in).
• In a saucepan combine the fruit with 50ml/2fl oz water. Bring the fruit just to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl combine the caster sugar with the cornflour. Stir into the fruit and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and jammy. Set aside to cool.
• For the crumble topping, add the flour to a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no large lumps of butter are left. Stir in the sugar and set aside.
• For the cake, in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in the ground almonds until thoroughly combined.
• In another bowl beat together the sugar with the melted butter, eggs, yoghurt and milk mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir into the flour mixture just to combine. Don't overmix it, but watch out for big lumps of unmixed flour.
• Spoon two-thirds of the mixture into the lined tin, gently spreading out evenly to the corners. Spoon the cooled fruit mixture evenly over the top.
• Using a teaspoon, dot the remaining cake batter evenly on top of the fruit. This will not cover the entire cake, but make little hillocks with gaps in between.
• Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top, filling in all the gaps to cover the fruit.
• Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden-brown. Allow to cool for ten minutes in the tin, then transfer the cake in its paper to a cooling rack. This is cake is beautiful eaten while still warm, with a dollop of crème fraîche or yoghurt - but is equally nice the next day with a cup of coffee.

BLACKBERRY & APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a 22cm round loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Beat the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy. Gradually pour in and beat the eggs, a little at a time, until you have used two-thirds, adding flour if it curdles. Fold in the remaining egg, the ground almonds and finally the flour, and combine everything gently.
• Add two-thirds of the apples to the cake mixture and all the blackberries. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out evenly. Scatter the remaining apples over the surface of the cake. For the topping, sprinkle over the cinnamon, demerara sugar and butter. Bake for 50-55 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and scatter on the toasted hazelnuts. When the cake is cool, dust lightly with icing sugar. Serve in slices.

BLACKBERRY & APPLE LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C. Butter and line the bottom of a 1.7 litre loaf tin (see tip below). In a large bowl, rub the flour, butter and muscovado sugar together with your fingers to make fine crumbs. Measure out 5 level tbsp of this mixture into a small bowl for the topping, and mix in to it the cinnamon and demerara sugar. Set aside.
• Coarsely grate the apple down to the core and mix in with the eggs and the zest. Stir the baking powder into the rubbed-in mixture in the large bowl, then quickly and lightly stir in the egg mixture until it drops lightly from the spoon. Don't overmix.
• Gently fold in three quarters of the berries with a metal spoon, trying not to break them up. Spoon into the tin and level. Scatter the rest of the berries on top. Sprinkle over the topping and bake for 1¼ -1 hour 20 minutes. Check after 50 minutes and cover loosely with foil if it is browning too much. When done the cake will feel firm, but test with a skewer.
• Leave in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out, then cool on a wire rack. Peel off the paper before cutting. Will keep wrapped in foil or in a tin for up to 2 days.