By Melissa Corkhill
29th November 2016
Amber Rose believes that cakes, bakes and puddings shouldn’t be made with refined white flour and white sugar, and instead has developed recipes using fruit and honey to give sweetness and ancient flours such as buckwheat, spelt and rye to give a delicious depth of flavour.
carrot cake with crumble topping
• 2 cups spelt flour • 1/3 cup oat bran • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 2/3 cups grated carrots • 2/3 cup honey • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 large egg • 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
FOR TOPPING • 1/3 cup spelt flour • 1 tablespoon brown sugar • 4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed • pinch salt • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed • 1/4 cup rolled oats • 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 25cm spring-form cake tin. 2. Sift together the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. 3. Combine the yogurt, honey, egg, melted butter, and vanilla together in a separate bowl. 4. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. 5. Fold in the carrots and chopped apricots. 6. Spread batter evenly into the spring-form tin. 7. In a separate bowl, add the 1/3 spelt flour, brown sugar, salt, flaxseed, oats, and chopped pistachios. 8. Cut in the cold butter or rub butter and nut mixture together between your finger tips until it resembles a coarse meal. 9. Evenly distribute the topping on top of the cake batter. Press down gently. 10. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. 11. Let cool before removing from the spring-form pan. Whip the cream with an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Serve the cake with a bowl of whipped cream.
peach and pine nut cake
When I was young, we grew many varieties of peach at home and I would climb up the trees and steal them just before they were ripe, which got me into such trouble. A great peach has the ability to stop me in my tracks as I get lost in the juicy, sweet, heavenly flesh. It is definitely one of my favourite fruits, especially when it has been freshly picked, warm and sweet from the sun.
SERVES 10–12
• 175g unsalted butter, softened • 160g white spelt flour, sifted • 3 large free-range eggs • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 175g maple syrup • 80g Greek-style natural yogurt • 2 tablespoons finely grated unwaxed lemon zest • 80g pine nuts • 3 peaches, halved, stoned and sliced
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 25cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until pale and fluffy with an electric hand mixer. Add 2–3 tablespoons of the flour and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Continue to beat until you have a light, fluffy mixture (if it looks as if it’s curdling, add another tablespoon of flour). Add the remaining flour, the baking powder, maple syrup, yogurt, lemon zest and 50g of the pine nuts. Gently fold in until thoroughly combined.
3. Scrape into the prepared tin, level the top with the back of a spoon or a palette knife and place the peach slices over the mixture. Scatter with the remaining pine nuts and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. A slice is lovely on its own or with crème fraîche.
berry and hazelnut cakes
• 115g hazelnuts • 225g spelt flour • 2tsp baking powder • 260g butter, softened • 4 eggs • 130g honey • 130g maple syrup • The finely grated zest of 1 lemon • 2 cups of mixed blueberries, cherries and raspberries, frozen
1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC. Start by toasting the hazelnuts in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Once they are changing colour and releasing a lovely nutty aroma, remove from the oven and leave to cool for a minute or two before rubbing off most of the skins. Whizz the nuts in a food processor into a fine meal.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat in all the other ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. Scrape the mixture into the prepared rectangular tin, level. Sprinkle frozen berries over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and risen and when a skewer is inserted into the centre, it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for five minutes before carefully taking it out of the tin and then placing on a cooling rack.
spiced fairy cakes
After years of trying to avoid the usual chocolate overload at Easter, I came up with these. But they are great for any festive or celebratory occasion. I wanted to create something that anybody can make, combining traditional spices with beautiful flowers. You can colour the icing by squishing berries into it or using a bit of berry juice.
Serves 12 • 125g white spelt flour, sifted • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice • 125g unsalted butter, softened • 2 large free-range eggs • 125g maple syrup • Finely grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed orange • 30g seedless raisins, roughly chopped • 2–3 tablespoons milk
FOR THE ICING • 300g cream cheese • Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon and a squeeze of the juice • 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey) • Edible spring flowers, fresh or crystallised, to decorate
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 12-hole fairy cake tray with paper cases.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together into a bowl. Cream the butter for about 4 minutes using an electric hand mixer until very pale and fluffy, add a heaped tablespoon of the flour mix and whisk to incorporate.
3. Add an egg and whisk for a further minute, then add another heaped 1–2 tablespoons of the flour mix and whisk again before cracking in the second egg. Continue whisking until you have a light, fluffy mixture (if it looks as if it’s curdling, add another tablespoon of the flour mix).
4. Add the rest of the dry ingredients, the maple syrup, orange zest and raisins. Gently and lightly fold everything together until thoroughly combined, adding a little milk at the end – just enough to give you a soft dropping consistency.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cases, trying to fill the cases evenly, and bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes. The cakes are ready if they spring back to the touch when lightly pressed in the centre. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6. To make the icing, mix the cream cheese, lemon zest and maple syrup until smooth and creamy, adding a little squeeze of lemon juice at the end. Spoon a little icing on top of each of the cooled cakes and spread with a small palette knife or use the back of a teaspoon. Decorate with the flowers.
orange blossom and pistachio cake
This wonderful cake was inspired by a trip to Morocco, after wandering through the markets and heading back to our riad with a bag of limes, a small basket of orange blossoms and a desire for something sweet. A slice of this cake is perfect for afternoon tea, alongside a cup of orange blossom tea.
SERVES 10–12
• 225g white spelt flour, sifted • 2 teaspoons baking powder • Pinch of salt • 80g ground almonds • 100g pistachios, toasted and chopped • 2 large free-range eggs • 250g honey • 250ml Greek-style natural yogurt • 150ml cold-pressed olive oil • Grated zest of ½ lemon • Grated zest of 1 lime
FOR THE SYRUP • 100g honey • Juice of 1 unwaxed lime • About 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
TO SERVE (optional) • Unrefined icing sugar, rose petals or orange blossoms • 250g Greek-style natural yogurt • 2 teaspoons orange blossom water • 2 tablespoons honey • Handful of pistachios, chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin.
2. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, ground almonds and pistachios into a large bowl, then mix to combine. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the eggs, honey, yogurt, olive oil and lemon and lime zest. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and gently pour in the wet ingredients, carefully beating until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top with the back of a spoon or a palette knife and bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the fragrant syrup. Boil 150ml water and the honey in a small saucepan for about 5–6 minutes, or until reduced by half. Add the lime juice and boil for a further minute, then add the orange blossom water to your taste. Use a skewer or cake tester to make holes all over the top of the warm cake (still in its tin) and gently pour over the scented honey syrup. Once all the liquid has been absorbed and the cake is completely cool, remove from the tin and decorate with a little sifted icing sugar, rose petals or orange blossoms, if you have any. Serve on its own or with Greek-style natural yogurt with the orange blossom water and honey stirred through it and decorated with chopped pistachios.
more inspiration
Find more healthy sweet treats in Amber’s book, Love Bake Nourish (£18.99 Kyle Books)
