BLUEBERRY, ALMOND & MAPLE CAKES: Baking with Less Guilt

If you want to indulge but still reduce the unhealthiness of baked goods...
...these glorious little cakes are for you.  

Lovely little cakes, tweaked to make them healthier 

The cakes, a cross between cupcakes and muffins, are moist and close crumbed, the sweetness delicate and uncloying. The berries add a pop of natural sweetness.  They can be served at a leisurely brunch or afternoon tea.

They were adapted from the excellent bakers' textbook, Essentials of Baking*  by Williams-Sonoma.

67 made several adjustments to reduce sugar:

• 1/4 of the total flour was replaced by wholemeal flour to add fibre and slow down absorption of sugars and carbs
• heart-friendly ground almonds replaced cornmeal, maintaining texture and adding sweetness
• the amount of sugar could therefore be reduced 
• the amount of butter was halved and supplemented with light vegetable oil, reducing saturated fat
• a maple syrup glaze was drizzled over the cakes,instead of covering them, reducing sugar
• the size of the cakes was reduced for Portion Control

The changes increased the healthy quotient without sacrificing taste and texture.


Cost: £3.50 ish
Serves:  12 or up to 24

Ingred:
   5 oz/155 g plain flour (67 used spelt flours)
   2.5 oz/75 gms wholemeal flour
   2.5 oz/75 gm ground almonds
   2 tsp baking powder
   1/2 tsp baking soda
   1/4 tsp salt
   4-5 oz/125-155 gm soft brown sugar
   2 large eggs, well beaten
   250 ml milk, preferably naturally soured
   1 tsp vanilla extract
   1.5 oz/45gm melted butter + 1.5 oz/45gm sunflower oil OR
   3 oz/90gm melted butter 

   100 gm fresh blueberries 

Maple Glaze: 2 tbsp sifted icing sugar mixed with 2 tsp maple syrup and a scant 1/4 tsp water.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400f/200c/180 fan/gas 5
2. Line muffin tins with paper liners (either 12 standard, or 6 standard and 12 small, or 24 small).
3. Mix dry ingred in a bowl; make a well in the centre
4. In another container, mix beaten eggs, milk and vanilla extract (using a handheld mixer or whisk) 
5. Pour liquid ingred into the dry; beat until just combined.  All the dry ingredients should be incorporated but try not to overbeat. 
6. Fill chosen muffin tins 2/3 full.  
7. Sprinkle berries with flour (stops them sinking to the bottom).  Push a couple of berries below the surface of each cake and sprinkle 3-4 on top 
8. Bake 20 min (for regular size) or about 15 mins (for small) until a lovely golden colour.  A cocktail stick poked in the centre should come out clean and dry. 
9. Drizzle 1/4 tsp maple glaze over each cake; you only want a taste to satisfy without going overboard on sugar

Comments:

'Cakes went down very well; big thumbs up.' Family, 3 adults m kids
'Very nice; didn't notice sugar was reduced.' Psychologist

'Scrummy!' Lawyer

'Even a day old, they were moist & fantastic, sweet & lovely.' Political administrator 

Tips:

• Any berry will be fine but 67 used blueberries for their high levels of antioxidants and heart-friendly qualities.  Some nutritionists believe that if you add only one berry to your diet, it should be blueberries.
• Ground almonds, which help give the cakes their texture, are not cheap, usually costing £1+ for 100 gms.  If maple syrup is out of your budget -- 100% pure will cost about £3 a bottle in supermarkets -- runny honey will do.   
• A 50-50 mix of ground almonds and white spelt flour gave a slightly denser result but was still delicious.  

*(Oxmoore House, around £40),

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This recipe has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.