Clean Cakes by Henrietta Inman {book review}

A few years ago baking was all the rage with The Great British Bake Off reigning as king on the BBC, but things are changing as we are more aware, thanks to Jamie Oliver about the amount of sugar and other additives in our food.

Since I started baking at home it is the very rare occasion that I buy store bought cakes and treats, with the exceptions of my girls favorite biscuits here and there. When I bake at home I know exactly what is going into it and I do think it’s important that we start thinking about what it is we are putting into our bodies.

Henrietta Inman, author of Clean Cakes, felt similar when she started to question all the traditional sugary pastries and bakes she was trained to make. She then started her own business using her knowledge from being a pastry chef in many kitchens around London, but with a twist using nothing but natural ingredients. No refined sugar in this book.

This isn’t just a cookbook, but a text book of information on all sorts of alternative ingredients for the key baking ingredients: dairy, sugar, and gluten. Miss Inman teaches us how to stock our larders/shelfs full of all the ingredients we need to make any of her creations at any time.

So, now that we have the knowledge and ingredients we can start baking cakes, bread, cookies/bars, tarts and pies, raw desserts, and patisserie treats - mostly chocolate, including how to make your own chocolate.

After reading the book cover to cover I couldn’t help but bookmark a few recipes to try! It’s always good to try new things and here is a list of those bookmarked recipes:

• Courgette, basil, lime and pistachio cake with avocado lime cream and raspberry jam (picture)
• Baked banana, date, and pecan loaf with spiced caramel sauce (picture)

• Dark chocolate dipped peanut butter and jelly dreams 
• Chai-spiced oatmeal, raisin, sultana, and currant cookies
• Sour cherry and macadamia butterscotch blondies
• Blueberry Galettes
• Gooseberry and almond tart
• Maple Baked Apple Pies
• Tiramisu mousse
• Chocolate, banana, and passionfruit pie with sticky toffee sauce (picture)

• Pristine Black Forest parfait 
• Blueberry lemon mousse cake with scented geranium flowers (cake on cover)
• Homemade chocolate
• Dream coconut ice (picture)

Now all I need to do is stock up my cupboards! However, that doesn’t mean that I have given up on sugary, buttery, flour cakes and bakes for good. It means, for me, that there is alternative and I like living in a world where there is choice. Sometimes I will chose to make a cake with full fat milk, sugars, and plain flour and other times I will chose dairy, sugar, and gluten alternatives and when I do I will turn to this book.

It is truly a beautiful book. I have learned a lot, it really shows how much time and effort Miss Inman must have put into this book. I couldn’t recommend it more; especially to those with food intolerances.

The book is out today! Order your copy online or from your favorite retail seller!

note: I was sent a copy of clean cakes to review from the publishers Jacqui Small LLP; no other compensation was given. All opinions and views are my own. Please see my contact/policy page for further information. I have everything I need to make the blueberry galettes so, hopefully will be making and posting those soon!!

Pumpkin Cake for pumpkin pie haters

When I was a child I hated Thanksgiving dinners, everything except the mash potatoes. Dry turkey with weird jelly sauce and cooked carrots, I abhorred cooked carrots! I could eat them raw, but never cooked.

Then there was the desserts pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and so on. I disliked those too. They were too weird and too nutty.

It’s amazing how our tastes change as we grow up. I can tolerate roasted carrots, if I have too. I have learned to enjoy homemade cranberry sauce, still do not like the caned or jarred stuff.

However I didn't have to wait until I was all “grown up” to fall in love with pumpkin pie. 

When I was about 10 we were at a family friend’s Thanksgiving feast and it was there that I was persuaded to try pumpkin pie again.

I am glad that I did because who knows how long it would have taken me to learn that I love pumpkin pie.

Now this post isn't for pumpkin pie, but for a delicious pumpkin cake for those at your Thanksgiving dinner who, like a younger me, hated pumpkin pie.

It has a nice spongy texture with a comforting spicy flavor. The whipped cream and caramel drizzle I added on top complemented nicely! 

Pumpkin Cake

425g pumpkin puree, canned or fresh

200g soft unsalted butter

300g light muscovado sugar

4 eggs

300g self-rising flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

150g currants

Heat the oven to 180C and line a 8x11 inch (20x28cm) tin with grease proof paper, allow a bit of an over hang so you can get the cake out of the tin.

Cream the butter and sugar together until lighter in color and a bit fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until combined. It doesn't look pretty; add the eggs one at a time. It still doesn't look pretty all curdled like, but keep beating. Mix the flour and spices together and sift into the weird curdled mixture. Beat until just combined. Then fold in the currants. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour (60minutes) or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before taking out of the tin and cutting into squares. Serve with whipped cream and a caramel drizzle! Tastes best when warm out of the oven!

You could add some cinnamon to the whipped cream or instead serve with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream or vanilla if you prefer or even caramel ice cream.... I am getting a bit carried away. I will stop now. Enjoy!

notes: recipe was adapted from Rachel Allen’s book Cake, if your pumpkin pie haters hate pumpkin pie because of the spices then chances are they will hate this cake too, but if it's because of the texture then it's a safe bet they'll love it! For homemade cranberry sauce check out my previous post here!