It was one of those days, that the sweet tooth was kicking in with full force and I succumbed. So as not to feel too guilty about the sugar fix, I decided to use whole grain flours like oat flour and almond flour, and natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey or Medjool dates. It really does make a difference in how you feel when you indulge with healthier fixes.
I baked two recipes at the same time because my philosophy is “do it while the mood strikes!” One recipe is chocolate and the other one was to use up some over ripened fruit.
Fudgey Mocha Pudding Cake
I didn’t have any Loon Song oat flour so I just took Loon Song oats and pulverized them in the food processor. I didn’t get them as fine as the flour but the pudding had a nutty texture at the end. Follow the recipe because it works. The cake should look underdone when it comes out of the oven—the sides of the cake will be bubbly with chocolate sauce and the top of the cake will be firm in some places and gooey in others. The cake is a “melt in your mouth chocolate explosion!”
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 1/2 cups oat flour
3/4 cup plus 1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
3/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup almond milk or coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups hot coffee or boiled water
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line with parchment paper an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flaxseed and 3 Tbsp water together. Set aside
3. In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, 1/3 cup of the cocoa powder, and the chocolate chips, salt and baking powder.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed mixture, almond milk, oil, and vanilla.
5. Pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top evenly with a spoon.
7. In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/3 cup sugar with the 2 Tbsp cocoa powder. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking dish.
8. Slowly pour the hot coffee over the batter, ensuring that the coffee completely covers the mixture. The cake will look like a disaster, but this is normal.
9. Bake for 27 to 33 minutes, uncovered, until the cake is semi-firm on top but bubbly and gooey around the edges.
10. Let the cake cool for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in. You can serve the cake with ice cream or yogurt.
Apple Crumble
The recipe just calls for apples, but I had a small bag fresh cranberries that were getting mushy, couple of pears with brown spots and about one heaping cup of frozen mango that had seen better days. I added it all in with the 5 soft apples.
FOR THE APPLE
FILLING:
6 to 7 heaping cups peeled and chopped baking apples (about 6 to 7 apples)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup coconut sugar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp Chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup thinly sliced almonds
1/3 cup almond meal
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 11 by 9-inch baking dish.
2. Place the chopped apples and if using other fruit in a large bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss until combined. Stir in the sugar, chia seeds, and cinnamon. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared pan.
3. In a large bowl stir together the oats, almonds, almond meal or flour, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and salt until mixed.
4. Sprinkle the oat mixture all over the apple mixture in an even layer.
5. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the apples are just fork tender. Remove. Cool for 10 minutes then serve with ice cream or yogurt.
