When it comes to Christmas baking, I'm always experimenting, creating glorious cakes, breads and biscuits with a healthy twist. I tend to use much less sugar than traditional versions but make sure the result is equally delicious.
This year I'm sharing with you my ultimate Christmas cake recipe, a beautiful, classic hummingbird cake iced with vanilla frosting and topped with passionfruit and mango. It's studded through with fresh pineapple and nuts and I use spelt fl our in place of the traditional white. Spelt is lower in gluten, making it great for those with wheat sensitivities.
The frosting is made from strained cultured yoghurt called labna, which marries perfectly with the tropical fruit fl avours. I make my own labna by placing the yoghurt in a strainer lined with a piece of muslin. Put this in the fridge and allow the whey to drain for at least 24 hours, and up to 48 hours for a firmer cream. Discard the whey, then add a generous drizzle of maple syrup and a spoon of vanilla bean paste to the labna, which creates a delicious frosting. You can use cream cheese as a quick alternative to the labna, while those on totally gluten-free eating plans can substitute the spelt fl our with 400g of almond meal.
FROSTED HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
Serves 4
This is a delicious cake to make for the Christmas table.
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 organic eggs
• 180g raw honey
• 125ml extra virgin olive oil or macadamia nut oil
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 240g wholemeal spelt flour
• 100g desiccated coconut
• 250g fresh pineapple, finely diced
• 100g pecan nuts or macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• passionfruit and/or mango to garnish
Yoghurt frosting
• 500g strained Greek-style yoghurt (labna)
• 6 tbsp organic maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
Place the labna, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl and mix until combined and creamy. Set aside in the fridge. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Combine banana, eggs, honey, olive oil, orange zest, vanilla and baking soda in a bowl. Add the fl our and coconut and mix until combined. Fold in pineapple and nuts.
Divide the batter between 2 x 20cm lined baking tins. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the tins from the oven and allow to cool. Use the yoghurt frosting to sandwich the layers of the cake. Ice with the frosting and top with passionfruit and/or mango.
Hero ingredient: pineapple. Pineapples are such a sunny fruit! Th ey are packed with B-group vitamins, including thiamine (B1) and B6, vital for energy metabolism and nerve function. Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain, renowned for aiding protein digestion. Try some lightly grilled with fresh lime and coconut palm sugar and serve with a drizzle of coconut cream.