Honey chocolate cheesecake



Honey chocolate cheesecake

Honey chocolate cheesecake

Cheesecake is a great way of producing something gorgeous without too much sugar. Apart from the base which has sugar from the shop-bought biscuits, this recipe does not need anything more than some honey.

Ingredients:

175g gluten free digestive biscuits

35g dark chocolate

50g dairy free margarine

400g lactose free soft cheese

75g honey

2 eggs

20g cocoa powder

75g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease the base and side of a 8 inch loose-bottomed cake tin and pop into the oven. This helps to ensure the cheesecake does not stick to the side.

Pop the biscuits into a processor and blend until you get a fine mix. Melt the chocolate and margarine together in a microwave for 90 seconds and mix to combine. Add the crushed biscuits to the melted chocolate and margarine and mix to combine. Pour into the prepared tin and using the back of a spoon or your hands, press evenly over the base. Pop the tin back into the fridge. 

Prepare the cheesecake mix, by blending the cheese, honey and eggs together. Melt the chocolate in a microwave and leave to cool a bit before adding to the rest of the mixture together with the cocoa powder. Do not over beat. 

Pour into the tin and pop into the oven for about 40 minutes. Do not worry if a crack forms in the cheesecake as this is normal and adds to its uniqueness. Leave in the oven for an hour with the oven door ajar. Once the tin is cool you can either leave in the fridge overnight to enjoy the next day with some coffee or if you cannot wait, pop into the fridge for a couple of hours before carefully taking out and having a slice.

Honey chocolate brownies



Honey Chocolate Brownie



Honey chocolate brownies

On the eve of a sugar-free stint, I had a few bars of dark chocolate which I wanted to use up, lest there was any temptation during the fast. Since I did not have much time and only a few eggs I decided to make something quick and easy, yet delicious. But also something that did not need sugar. The brownie was my first choice since the honey adds to the rich taste and moistness that I associate with brownies. I am not a huge fan of the cake-like brownie. A brownie should not be dry.

Ingredients:

220g dark chocolate

150g dairy free margarine

3 eggs

100g gluten free self-raising flour

170g honey

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 20cm by 30cm baking tray with greased baking paper or wrapping foil.

In a large non-metallic bowl, add the dark chocolate and margarine and pop into the microwave for about two and a half minutes to melt together. Mix to combine and leave to one side to cool.

Beat in the eggs and honey to the cooled chocolate mixture. Next add the flour and fold to combine. Pour into the baking tray and pop into the oven for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into squares. These brownies keep for about a week so make a good lunchbox treat.



Decadent but with honey!

Star Anise and Honey Rice Pudding Cake

Star Anise and Honey Rice Pudding Cake!

Star Anise and Honey Rice Pudding Cake

The dilemmas of sugar-free baking are complex. What to make for a birthday treat when the special person ought not to have too much sugar? Add the complexity of the fact that sugar alternatives are also to be avoided since they are after all like sugar. If I was blessed with ripe and sweet fruit the dilemma would be less fraught. So, for Mrs NMFS's birthday, one of the cakes I made was this rice pudding cake which ticked all of the books. I was slightly worried as I wanted something that was like a cake and my fear was something runny like rice pudding. The addition of the breadcrumbs though added an edge and solidity which gave me some comfort.

Ingredients

2 slices gluten free brown bread

3tbsp dairy free margarine

300g pudding rice

1300ml rice milk

2 star anise

grated zest of 2 lemons

salt

6 tbsp honey

2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 180C. Rub the base and sides of a 10 inch loose-bottomed cake tin with some margarine. Pop the bread into a food processor and blend until you have fine breadcrumbs. Use just over a half of the breadcrumbs to coat the base and sides of the tin. Pop into the fridge whilst you prepare the cake.  

Melt 1 tablespoon of margarine in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Then add the pudding rice and stir until glistening and coated. Add the milk and star anise and leave to simmer over a low heat for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the rice catching to the bottom of the pan. The rice should not be too watery but should be satisfyingly firm. Leave to cool.

Add the lemon zest, salt, honey and eggs to the rice pudding and mix to combine. Carefully pour into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the top of the rice pudding and dot small knobs of the margarine evenly on top. 

Pop into the oven for 45 minutes. Leave to cool overnight in the fridge before removing the cake onto a serving plate. You can decorate with your choice of fruit. Berries are my personal favourite.  The pudding should taste creamy with a subtle sweetness which should satisfy the sugar avoiders out there!



Rice pudding but a cake!

Golden brown - fit for a birthday