My family and I love baking bread and making chilli. The bread is steamy hot – butter melting, the instant it touches the surface. 

However, this low carb bread did not meet my expectations. I was intrigued to find out if I could bake a healthier version of our traditional bread that was also just as delicious. The answer was no. The best way I can properly describe this seeded, coconut flour bread is dense and heavy. It wasn’t physically heavy, however, it was just as if there were too many ingredients to fit into one loaf of bread. 

My dad describes eating it as melt in the mouth…like eating candy floss but I honestly cannot define the consistency of it. The dough is not a normal, elastic dough; for me it looks more like cake batter – liquidy, lumpy and lifeless. However, it tastes a little more delightful when dipped and eaten with (for example) a good, hot chilli!

Personally, I wouldn’t bake this bread again. However, if you would like to try this interesting recipe out, then please read on!

Ingredients:

150g ground almonds

100g coconut flour (to make at home, read my previous blog post)

1½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Sea salt

75g mixed seeds (e.g poppy seeds, sunflower seeds)

6 large eggs

50g coconut oil, melted

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius. Place the ground almonds in a large mixing bowl, breaking up any lumps as you go. Sift over the coconut flour, baking powder and bicarb of soda, stir through the salt and seeds and make a well in the centre. 

2. Beat in the eggs, coconut oil and lemon juice and transfer to a loaf tin, lined with baking paper. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

3. Allow the bread to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, the transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

If you do make this recipe, then please let me know how it turned out for you 🙂 

Recently, I’ve had some spare time in my days, as I’m sure others have, so I thought I could start blogging again. For the past few months, I’ve had an on and off low carb diet but making deliciously carby treats each week has made it difficult for me to stay on track. Therefore, I’ve decided that my upcoming blogs will mainly be healthier sweet and savoury recipes. 

I’ve been baking brownies with my sisters for as long as I can remember. Our typical brownies are gooey, chocolaty and basically heaven in a slice; however, they are extremely high in sugar and chocolate. So, I decided to try a new recipe to see if I could make just as delicious brownies, only healthier.

I think I have found the perfect recipe to enjoy the chocolatiness of brownies but without feeling guilty for eating 4 pieces – they are at least 4 times healthier! These brownies are supposed to have coconut sugar, however I couldn’t find any, so I just  used light brown sugar. For the low carb affect, you will need coconut flour. However, as with the sugar, I couldn’t find any coconut flour, so I made my own.

To make coconut flour, you will need a blender or a food processor, to achieve that fine, flour texture. Place the coconut into your blender and blend on high speed for around a minute and then grab a spoon to mix the flour. If there are lumps of coconut, break them with a spoon and blend for a couple more minutes. Your aim is to have the coconut fine enough for it to be sifted without leaving large lumps. 

The batter tastes exactly like sugary brownies but with the addition of a few grains of coconut. The smell that rose out of the oven, when they were baking, was heavenly. These brownies are delightfully delicious in every possible way – from the coconut chocolate, to the gooey texture. 

If you would like the recipe, then please email me – lulareilly@gmail.com 

I hope you enjoy this sweet treat as much as I did!

What’s better than eating delicious pudding, whilst watching a film on a Friday night? As you probably know by now, I really enjoy eating sweet desserts and cakes and everything in the baking industry. 

For about the last 3 weeks now, I’ve been trying to eat low carb and low sugar. It’s been a lot easier since I’m homeschooled, so during the week it isn’t a problem. However, I knew that even though I still want to keep my blog going, every week I am baking something unhealthy. So, I’ve decided to still bake and still blog but I’m not just going to be baking from the recipe book “Crumbs” (with all the unhealthy, delicious recipes), I’m also going to be baking some healthier desserts and cakes. Therefore, I can eat it but also it’ll be a bit of a change for the blog.

So to begin, yesterday I made some low carb chocolate mousses. These are individual, so they are good if you have a couple of friends over. They might be low carb and low sugar but they were really good. The thickness and smoothness of it was superb. I’ve never made mousse before but I know what the texture is supposed to be and I think it was almost perfect!

The main ingredient is coconut milk, so when you take the first spoonful of this chocolaty goodness, you are 100% going to taste the coconut – I’m not complaining though because I think coconut and chocolate go really well together. The chocolate mousse did contain dark chocolate. However, if it’s a special occasion and you haven’t had anything sweet all week (even if you had), it makes this dessert rich and delightful. 

You don’t have to be on a diet or trying to eat healthier to make this recipe. I have realised that I really enjoy eating and trying some vegan recipes but that doesn’t mean I am or I have to be vegan. 

This pudding is rich, chocolaty and if I hadn’t known that  it was low sugar and low carb, I wouldn’t have guessed. There was a really even balance of rich chocolateness and sweet creaminess.

It’s cheap, easy and delicious to make and eat, so why not give it a shot!

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk

1 bar dark chocolate – save some for later for topping 

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon sugar substitute (I added 1 tablespoon date syrup and 1 tbsp almonds for the same consistency but you could add stevia or something like that)

4 egg yolks 

How to make it:

1. Heat the coconut until it’s just about to boilIn a blender, add chocolate (chopped into small pieces), cocoa powder and sugar substitute and blend until it’s all mixed well.
2. Add the egg yolks to the blender and blend until everything has been incorporated.
3. Once the coconut milk it hot enough, pour it into the blender and blend as quickly as possible, so the eggs don’t start cooking.
4. Now you should be left with this thick and creamy consistency.
5. Pour the mixture into 4 glasses of choice and chill for at least 2 hours.
6. Once chilled, sprinkle the saved chocolate shavings on top of the mousse and it is ready to serve. Enjoy 🙂

Once I had made these cookies I realised that they were dairy free and then I also found out they were vegan too. Even though they are vegan cookies, they are good! However, they don’t have the same consistency as non-vegan cookies but that doesn’t make them any less delicious.

The hazelnut is good and it goes really well with the dark chocolate but personally, I prefer them without hazelnut. I think it’s just because I’m not the biggest fan of hazelnuts. To me they have a very strong taste. However, next time I’ll just add a little less nut and probably a little more chocolate.

With regard to the actual cookie dough, when it is raw, it tastes just like normal, delicious cookie dough but when it is cooked, it tastes like buttered popcorn. It has a different texture to it but the aftertaste has very buttery-popcorn vibes. I can say that these are very quick to make and it is cool to try something new, even though I’m not a vegan. I would recommend trying these out!

I have never made crème brûlée in my life and I have only tried it once. However, I had an idea of what the consistency should be and what it should look like. It was not as thick as the one I had in the restaurant a couple of years ago but I must admit, it had a lovely flavour.

The bay leaf and the blackcurrants go really well together – they balance each other out. The crème brûlée I made was runnier than I hoped it would be and I think that was because I didn’t chill it long enough because we were all eager to try this dessert.

The most satisfying thing about crème brûlée is cracking the caramelized sugar on top. You get this lovely crunchy caramelized goodness on top of this flavourful, delicious custard-like cream. I love the contrast of the crunchiness against the soft, smooth cream.

I will definitely make this pudding again and next time, I’ll chill the dessert a little longer. Apart from the runny middle, I think I made a pretty good crème brûlée – especially as this was my first time!

If you would like the recipe then please leave a comment or send me an email 🙂

This chocolate fudge cake is the most delicious, moist and flavourful chocolate cake I have ever eaten. I put the cake in the fridge over night to let the chocolate ganache set. I didn’t know if putting the cake in the fridge would make it go all clumpy or if the flavour would disappear hour by hour. I was 100% wrong. Putting this cake in the fridge, gave it an even richer flavour. It was chilled but not freezing and if I make this cake again, I would definitely place it in the fridge the night before. 

 Unlike many other cakes which can become dry and crumbly after two days, this chocolate cake stayed very moist! This is the perfect cake to bake the day before (if you are really busy) and it would be ready to go and even more delicious. To me, this is a win-win situation!

Even though this is definitely a rich cake, filled with chocolate and sweetness, everyone who had a slice loved it. This is the type of cake that you would keep picking at in the cake tin and to be honest, it isn’t very difficult to bake. This cake – chilled in the fridge – is perfect for a hot day…nice and refreshing!

For the cakes:                         

200g dark chocolate

200g butter, cubed and at room temperature

4 large eggs

200ml milk

100g soft dark brown sugar

160g caster sugar

50g cocoa powder

200g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/4 tsp salt

For the ganache:

200g dark chocolate

200ml double cream

100g soft dark brown sugar

pinch of salt

4 tbsp golden syrup (I used date syrup, which tasted very simialr and is just as sweet)

For the cakes:                         

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees fan. Grease and line 2 cake tins and grease with baking paper.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over simmering water in a pan. Take off the heat then stir in the butter until melted. Whisk in the eggs, milk and both types of sugar.In another bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add all this to the wet ingredients, gently whisking in for just as long as it takes to combine. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let the cakes cool for a few minutes in their tins before turning them out onto wire racks to finish cooling to room temperature. Sandwich and ice with the ganache below.

For the ganache:

Finely chop the chocolate and set aside in a large bowl. Heat the cream, sugar and salt in a pan over a low heat until scalding but not boiling. Pour it slowly over the chopped chocolate, let the mixture sit for a minute, then stir to combine. The chocolate should have melted into the cream, leaving a smooth, shiny ganache mixture. Stir in the golden syrup. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before using some to sandwich the cake layers together. Then spread the rest on the top and sides. Enjoy!

I have never made an opera cake. I had no idea how it’s meant to taste or look when you slice through it but I enjoyed the finished result and I would eat it again; however, in my opinion, the coffee isn’t overpowering, which was a disappointment because I thought it would have a strong, proud flavour in my mouth. On the other hand, the flavour combination of the raspberry and the chocolate buttercream is delicious.

The chocolate buttercream is a dream. It is thick and creamy and it is the perfect consistency. To be honest, the layering of the sponge and the jam and buttercream is in the perfect order. The buttercream isn’t extremely rich, so it balances out the rich, chocolaty ganache and then the raspberry jam gives the whole cake a little dash of sweetness.

The bottom layer is soaked in coffee, and then it has a layer of raspberry jam. The second layer is also soaked in coffee and then smothered in chocolate buttercream. Then the third layer is an exact repeat of the first one. Finally, the last and final layer is, once again, coated in coffee and the last of the buttercream. Once you have chilled the opera cake, you’ll drizzle chocolate ganache on top and let the ganache run down the sides.

This cake is very tasty. However, to me, it isa little rich but if you’re a chocolate lover, or you have a sweet tooth, then this will be the perfect cake for you.

If you would like this recipe then please feel free to email me or leave a comment!

I have discovered that I really like cheesecake. It’s different. It’s yummy. It’s awesome. Cheesecake is the best kind of dessert to keep in the fridge and every so often grab a fork and dig in.

This cheesecake is suppose to have blackberries instead of cherries (I was supposed to use raspberries instead  but I couldn’t find them)but I think it would taste delicious with any fruits of the forest fruit. Honestly, it took me time to like the cheesecake’s texture because, to me, it was a little gritty; I think this was from the ricotta cheese.

However, the flavour was outstanding. You have this sweet-sour explosion in your mouth. The sweetness from the cheesecake is lovely and then you get this sour punch in your mouth from the cherries. I’m exaggerating a little, don’t worry. They’re not like toxic waste.

If you absolutely love cheesecake, then  you’ll love this! It’s very simple to make and very delicious to eat.

To start off with, I have never made these before. I have never eaten a tuile before and I certainly didn’t know what to expect. They are incredibly easy because all you have to do is mix everything in one big mixing bowl and then spread them out onto a pre-greased tray and pop them into the oven for around 6 minutes.

However, even though the batter was easy to make, the difficult part was to give them the perfect thickness. If you made them too thin, then they would break whilst shaping them over the rolling pin. But if you made them too thick , then they’ll not have a crispness to them and instead they would become floppy.

I read the instructions and at first I was a bit like “What??? This seems weird”. Once they were in the oven, my eyes were stuck to them! I honestly thought they would be a disaster because the mixture was a little similar to cake batter and when you take cake out of the oven, it’s not crispy at all or even close to being crispy. Saying that however, they have a great crispiness to them. If you have made any kind of tuiles before, please let me know because my problem was that some of them turned out quite good but some were too thin, so they snapped when they were airing over the rolling pin and some were too thick. They stayed crispy but it took them longer to stay in their curved shape.

In the recipe book, it says to use a template to make them look all the same and even but I followed Ruby’s method of doing it free style. I used a spatula and tried my hardest to make them the same as each other but they have all turned out a little different; which I quite like.

 These are great for parties or movie nights because they are easy, simple and delicious. They are a  sweeter version of  crisps/potato chips. If you would like the recipe, please email me! Enjoy 🙂

These bourbons are basically biscuits with a butter-cream filling. Don’t get me wrong, they are very good but – for me at least – they are very rich. Packed with a chocolaty-sugary filling, the biscuit itself is very chocolaty and is richer, more than I expected.

I think I added a little too much cocoa powder to the cream and the biscuit. I’m glad I made them but I think that next time I’ll change the amount of cocoa powder I use. However, the orange in there is wonderful. Overall it is definitely a good combination of flavours.

I have an idea that I think could be divine! Instead of dark chocolate orange bourbons, I’m going to change the filling for a raspberry cream or raspberry jam and try to add less cocoa powder, so it won’t be as rich.

Truthfully, making the biscuit dough was frustrating because you have to allow this crumbly-doughy mess to harden in the fridge. To begin with, I added the correct amount of milk to the flour but once I tried to make it stick together, it just collapsed. The dough was in the fridge for half an hour. I rolled it out but the more I rolled it, the more it fell apart and so I added more milk. Eventually, the dough started coming together! Never the less, I would love to make these bourbons again but next time, I would add a little twist to them.