Ingredients

For the filling (quantitites are enough for 3 -8 cm- tartlets)

120 g fresh blueberries, cleaned
60 g fresh raspberries, cleaned and crushed
the juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
4-5 fresh figs, cleaned and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon muscovado sugar

For the crust

See this recipe.

To complete

unbleached, powdered sugar

Makes 3 tartlets.

Directions

Combine the blueberries, raspberries, lemon juice, agave syrup and vanilla in a bowl and toss. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Add the figs, toss gently and set aside.
Make the tartlet dough as explained in this recipe. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Take the dough (or just some of it) from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour, roll the dough out to the desired thickness (2-4 mm) and cut into squares. Oil some tiny pie pans or molds and sprinkle them with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough squares in the tins, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, trim off any excess round the edges and bake for about 5 minutes. Fill the tarts with the fruit (reserve some for serving), sprinkle some muscovado sugar on top and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes then unmold. Complete with the powdered sugar and serve with some of the left over fruit.

Ingredients

For the filling (quantitites are enough for around 4 baskets)

250 g fresh strawberries, cleaned and cut into cubes
the juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons agave syrup
fresh and cleaned thyme leaves, to taste
1 vanilla pod, scraped
2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 30-35 ml cold, filtered water

For the crust (makes around 12-15 baskets)

270 g semi-whole wheat flour
40 g manitoba flour
120 ml extra virgin olive oil
100-120 ml filtered water
half a teaspoon whole sea salt

To complete

shaved almonds, to taste
crumbled almond paste, to taste
unbleached, powdered sugar
a few fresh thyme sprigs, cleaned

Directions

Combine the strawberries, lemon juice, agave syrup, thyme and vanilla in a bowl and toss. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
To make the crust, chill wheat and manitoba flour, olive oil and water, by placing them in the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start making the dough. Stir the flours and salt together in a large bowl, then add the olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until the oil has been absorbed by the flour. Keep mixing with the fork, as your hands would be too warm, then add the water little by little, just enough to make a good grainy texture. You might not need all the water indicated in the recipe. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and transfer it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Remove the dough (or just some of it) from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour, roll the dough out to the desired thickness (2-4 mm) and cut into squares. Oil some tiny pie pans or molds and sprinkle them with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough squares in the tins, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, trim off any excess round the edges and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes then unmold and set aside until they’re ready to be filled.
While the baskets are cooking, prepare the sauce. take the strawberries out of the fridge and separate them from their juice. Pour the juice in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Add the cornstarch and keep stirring until a caramel-like texture is achieved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To assemble the baskets, fill them with the fresh strawberries and sauce. Complete with the shaved almonds, crumbled almond paste and powdered sugar, top with the thyme sprigs and serve.

You can find the same recipe on www.goosto.com.

Ingredients

100 g 70% Fairtrade dark chocolate, chopped
400 g cooked amaranth
80 g semi-whole wheat flour
a few pinches of Himalayan salt
85 g agave syrup
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
3 large tablespoons natural blackberry preserves (made from fruit, with no added sugar)
unbleached (organic and Fairtrade) powdered sugar, to taste

Makes 8-10 mini-cakes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180° C. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. When the chocolate is completely smooth, add the amaranth and stir well. Fold in the flour and salt then add the agave syrup, olive oil and blackberry preserves. Combine well to reach a soft but thick texture. Transfer the batter into individual ramekins or molds and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cakes will keep moist. Let cool for a little bit and serve the cakes slightly warm, molded or unmolded, with some powdered sugar sprinkled on top. They’re equally good served cold.

Ingredients

For the crust

15 g coconut butter
20-25 g cacao butter
40 g vegan sugarfree cookies, processed into very fine crumbs
a 2-3 cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated or finely chopped
a pinch of whole sea salt

For the creamy filling

120 g labneh/creamy yogurt vegan/veggie cheese (let drain for 20-24 hours about 400 of unflavoured and unsweetened soy yogurt with a few pinches of whole sea salt, all wrapped in a cheesecloth over a strainer)
1 teaspoon ginger juice
50 g cacao butter, to be melted
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
a few pinches of vanilla powder

For the sauce

the juice of 1 pomegranate
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons cold filtered water

To complete

pomegranate kernels
dark chocolate (preferably fairtrade) flakes or curls
powdered brown sugar

Makes 2 mini cakes.

Directions

Let the coconut butter and cacao butter soften at room temperature. Mix crumbs, coconut butter, cacao butter, ginger and salt together and press into ramekins, mini cake or muffin molds. Freeze for 30-40 minutes.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine vegan/veggie cheese, ginger juice, melted cacao butter, rice malt syrup and vanilla powder and process until smooth. Take the molds out of the freezer, fill them with the mixture and put them back in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

To make the pomegranate sauce, pour the juice and rice malt syrup in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil. Keep cooking until the rice malt syrup has melted. Add the cornstarch and cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, first at room temperature then in the fridge.

You can take the cakes out of the freezer 45-50 minutes before serving, or you can transfer them into the fridge until serving time. When you’re ready to serve the mini cakes, spread the pomegranate sauce (which should be completely cold) on top of the cakes. Complete with a few pomegranate kernels, the chocolate flakes and the powdered sugar and serve.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

The mini cakes can be either unmolded and placed on individual serving plates before spreading the sauce on top of them or they can be served (and garnished) in the ramekins/molds.

Ingredients

For the cake

150 g semi-whole wheat flour
150 g millet flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
half a teaspoon cream of tartar
4 Granny Smith apples
160 ml unsweetened and unflavoured almond milk
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
170 g rice malt syrup
a few pinches of vanilla powder

For the rice malt caramel sauce

250 g rice malt syrup
150 ml vegetable cream (I used almond cream)
a pinch of whole sea salt
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons filtered water

Makes 1 cake (20-22 cm). 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180° C. In a bowl, combine wheat flour, millet flour, salt and cream of tartar. Peel, core and thinly slice 2 apples. Line a cake pan (20-22 cm) with parchment paper and arrange the apple slices in a single layer on it on concentric circles, making sure there are no gaps. Peel, core and cut into pieces the remaining apples and put them in the bowl of a mixer, add the almond milk, olive oil, rice malt syrup and vanilla and process until very smooth. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together quickly. Pour the batter on top of the sliced apples and bake for 40-45 minutes.

To make the rice malt caramel sauce, combine the rice malt syrup, vegetable cream, salt, muscovado and vanilla in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down a bit and continue  to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly. Do not overcook. Add cornstarch, cook for a few more minutes, until the sauce thickens further to your preferred sauce consistency. Turn off the heat.
Remove the cake from the oven, let cool slightly for 5-10 minutes, transfer the cake onto a wire rack or a plate, pour the rice malt caramel sauce on top of it and let cool completely before serving.

Ingredients

200 g fair trade dark chocolate (70% cacao)
90 g quinoa flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
115 g rice malt syrup
55 g maple syrup, grade B or C
4 tablespons powdered flax seeds, mixed with 12 tablespoons filtered water
50 g hazelnut butter
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
6 tablespoons almond milk, unflavoured and unsweetened

Makes 30-35 brownies.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170° C. Lightly oil and flour a 20 cm square (stainless steel) baking pan. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie.
Combine the quinoa flour, salt, cinnamon, cream of tartar in a medium bowl and stir. In another bowl, combine the rice malt syrup, maple syrup, flax seeds, hazelnut butter, olive oil, hazelnut oil and almond milk. Fold the wet into the dry ingredients, stir well then add the chocolate as soon as it has melted. Stir again until combined and spread evenly in the baking pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick plunged into the center comes out slightly moist with batter. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then unmold the cake and transfer onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and let cool a bit more before serving.

Ingredients

For the crust

260 g semi-whole wheat flour
40 g whole rice flour
half a teaspoon whole sea salt
100-120 ml filtered water
120 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the filling (to fill 4-6 baskets)

100 g chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
4 tablespoons apricot jam, with no added refined sugar and naturally sweetened with agave syrup or rice malt syrup or dark brown unrefined sugar such as Muscovado
a pinch of whole sea salt
half a teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

For the vanilla cream

200 ml oat milk
50 ml almond cream
seeds from half a vanilla pod
a pinch of whole sea salt
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
2 tablespoons whole rice flour, sifted
1 tablespoon corn starch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

To make the crust, stir the flours and salt together in a large bowl and place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate the water so that it’s perfectly chilled when you start making the dough. Freeze the olive oil in a proper container (the oil should remain in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes, until very creamy). When all the crust ingredients are chilled, add the olive oil to the dry mixture and work with a fork until the oil has been absorbed by the flour. Keep mixing with the fork, as your hands would be too warm, then add the water little by little, just enough to make a good grainy texture. You might not need all the water indicated, but make sure the dough holds together. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and transfer it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Remove the dough (or just some of it) from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour, roll the dough out to the desired thickness (2-4 mm) and cut into squares. Oil some tiny pie pans or muffin tins and sprinkle with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough squares in the tins, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, trim off any excess round the edges and bake for 10-12. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes then unmold and set aside until they’re ready to be filled.

To prepare the filling, combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

To make the vanilla cream, warm up the milk over low heat, add the cream, vanilla, salt and malt syrup and stir until combined. Slowly add the sifted rice flour and simmer for 2-3 minutes while mixing. Stir in the corn starch and cook for another couple of minutes until the cream thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To assemble, fill the baskets with the orange and walnut filling and top with some vanilla cream. The vanilla cream is equally delicious served warm or cold. Garnish with grated orange zest, if desired.

Ingredients

For the cake

200 g semi-whole wheat flour
80 g wholemeal flour
120 g almond flour
40 g unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
50 g muscovado sugar
half a teaspoon vanilla powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
a pinch of whole sea salt
180 g barley malt syrup
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
200 ml almond milk, unsweetened and unflavoured
100 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)

For the chocolate sauce

300 ml almond milk, unsweetened
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
2 teaspoons ginger juice
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
half a teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon filtered cold water

For the chocolate ganache

150 g dark chocolate (70% cacao), broken into pieces
200 g rice malt syrup
50 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)
half a teaspoon fine ground Himalayan salt

To complete

chopped candied ginger (candied with dark brown sugar), to taste
dark chocolate curls (made with a vegetable peeler dragged down one side of the chocolate block from top to bottom), to taste

Makes 16-20 squares.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil and flour a 20 cm square (stainless steel) cake pan, or alternatively, lay down a sheet of parchment paper on your cake pan. In a large bowl, sift together the semi-whole wheat flour, wholemeal flour, almond flour, cacao powder, muscovado, vanilla, cream of tartar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well.
Place the barley malt syrup, extra virgin olive oil, almond milk and almond cream in a bowl and stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is blended. Make sure everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. The centre of the cake should be firm but still a little moist (use a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the almond milk, rice malt syrup, ginger juice, vanilla extract, ginger powder and salt in a saucepan and start cooking over low heat. Add the cacao powder while you keep stirring. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the cornstarch and cook for another minute or until the sauce is slightly thick (don’t stop stirring while it thickens). Let cool for a few minutes but not too long as the sauce will thicken a bit further as it cools.

When the cake has cooled, remove it from the pan and cut into squares. Poke a few holes in the squares, using a fork or stick. Pour some chocolate sauce over them little by little and let it soak in. Set aside for a while, to let cool again and let the sauce make everything moist. In the meantime you can make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a saucepan together with the rice malt syrup, almond cream and Himalayan salt and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has completely melted and everything is combined. Let cool for a bit then pour the ganache over the top of  the cake squares and garnish with the candied ginger and chocolate curls.

Ingredients

100 g quinoa flour
200 g semi-whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
half a teaspoon cardamom powder
200 ml plain (unflavoured) and unsweetened rice milk
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
80 g rice malt syrup
20 ml maple syrup (grade C)
100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces
3 handfuls of dried sour cherries

Makes 10-12 muffins.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C. In a large bowl,  combine the quinoa flour, wheat flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, cardamom powder and stir to blend well. In another bowl combine the milk, olive oil, rice malt syrup, maple syrup and whisk well. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until the ingredients are combined but make sure you don’t over mix the batter. Add the chocolate and cherries and give another stir just to make sure they’re evenly incorporated into the batter. Fill the muffin cups or muffin tray with the batter, using a spoon. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for a couple of minutes, unmold the muffins and place them on a wire rack to let cool.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

If you want to enjoy the bits of melted chocolate, eat the muffins while they’re still warm. Or whenever you fancy one, you can always warm it up. Anyways, they’re equally good cold. 

Ingredients

For the mini loaves

150 g semi-whole wheat flour
50 g chestnut flour
50 g whole rice flour
50 g cornstarch
half a teaspoon powdered cinnamon
a pinch of whole sea salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
100 g rice malt syrup
230 ml oat milk
3 small apples (I used Fuji), peeled and pureed using a food processor

For the hazelnut sauce

6 tablespoons rice malt syrup
5 teaspoons hazelnut butter
a pinch of whole sea salt
5 teaspoons oat milk

Makes 5-6 mini loaves.

Directions

Preheat oven to 170° C. In a large bowl combine the semi-whole wheat flour, chestnut flour, rice flour, oatmeal flour, cinnamon, salt and cream of tartar.
In another bowl pour the oil, rice malt syrup, and milk. Whisk well and add the apple puree. Mix again then fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (preferably using a wooden spatula). Stir gently until the ingredients are combined (add some more oat milk if necessary). Lightly oil the mini loaf pans and sprinkle them with flour. Fill them with the batter, using a spoon. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the loaf pans.

To make the hazelnut sauce, combine the agave, hazelnut butter, salt and milk in a bowl and whisk until perfectly smooth. Refrigerate until shortly before serving (the sauce might get a bit sticky and hard when refrigerated: all you have to do is leave it at room temperature for a while and stir it).

Serve the loaves topped with the hazelnut sauce.

Ingredients

For the cacao butter and coconut cream

50 g cacao butter (I used raw cacao butter)
200 ml coconut milk
6 tablespoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
the zest of half a lemon
2 tablespoons almond butter

For the crust

50 g almond flour
100 g whole rice flakes’ flour
100 g semi-whole wheat flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
a sprinkle of cinnamon
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
50 ml natural mineral or filtered water, at room temperature
50 g agave syrup

For the raspberry sauce

a handful of fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave syrup

To complete

Fresh raspberries, 2-3 handfuls

Makes a 20-22 cm tart.

First, make the cacao and coconut cream. Melt the cacao butter (it melts at approximately 35° C), pour it into the bowl of a mixer, add the coconut milk, the agave, the lemon juice and lemon zest, and the almond butter. Process until perfectly smooth, transfer into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.

When ready to make the crust, preheat the oven to 180° C. Stir the flours, salt, cream of tartar and cinnamon together in a large bowl, then add the olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. Add the water little by little, to make a good grainy texture. You might not need all the water indicated in the recipe, and that’s ok, as long as the dough holds together. Add the agave and work the dough with your hands. Knead until you have a smooth dough. Transfer the ball of dough in a flour-dusted bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

When the dough is ready to be rolled, take it and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour and roll the dough out to the desired thickness (3-4 mm). Oil your cake pan and sprinkle with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough in the pan, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, and transfer the pan into the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until nicely golden (cooking time varies according to the thickness).

To make the raspberry sauce, place all ingredients in the bowl of a mixer, and process until combined. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, discard the seeds and skins and refrigerate until ready to use.

Once the tart has cooled completely and the cream is cold and set, you can fill the tart and top with the raspberries and the sauce. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

150 g semi-wholemeal wheat flour
100 g cornmeal (OGM-free)
50 g almond flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons cream of tartar
150 ml agave syrup
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
150 ml unsweetened, unflavoured soy milk (OGM-free)
1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (organic)
200 g long, light green zucchini, grated
8 zucchini flowers, washed, stems and pistils removed, and cut into 4 parts

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil and flour a 20 cm round (stainless steel) cake pan, or alternatively, lay down a sheet of parchment paper on your cake pan. In a large bowl, sift together the semi-wholemeal wheat flour, cornmeal, almond flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Mix well. Place the agave syrup, oil, soy milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest in a bowl and stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is blended. Stir in the grated zucchini and the zucchini flowers. Make sure everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the centre is firm but still moist (use a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.

Pears and chocolate: a classic combination which is always a winner. When selceting the pears for this cake, make sure they’re firm and under-ripe. If you’re using sweetened dark chocolate, lower the amount of rice malt syrup.  

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour
1 cup whole kamut flour
4 extra firm Bartlett or other firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 tablespoons unsweetened pear juice
5 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
1 bar dark chocolate (100 g)
3 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
9 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 pinch whole sea salt
½ teaspoon powdered, dried ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil a 20 cm round cake pan and sprinkle with some flour. In a large bowl, sift together the kamut flour, almond flour, salt, cocoa powder, corn starch, cream of tartar and ginger. Place the olive oil, rice malt syrup, milk and pear juice in a blender and blend until combined. Melt the dark chocolate bar over very low heat, stirring constantly (dilute it with some rice milk if necessary). Add the liquid ingredients and the melted chocolate to the flour mixture and stir well. Fold in the pear chunks and stir gently until they are incorporated into the batter (which should be rather thick). Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for approximately 1 hour (using a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.