LEMON MINT ANGEL CAKES: VEGAN, indulgence, butter-free, fresh fruit; wallet friendly

Sensational lemon mini-cakes perfect for a (long awaited) spring...

Think they look boring?  Just take a bite and prepare to be blown away!

These gorgeous little mini-angel food cakes are inspired by the beautiful Italian-American chef Giada De Laurentis.

The ingredients for her Lemon Mint Cake are hers; the presentation and a few alterations are 67goingon50's.

67 needed small hand-held treats for political volunteers canvassing in hilly Hampstead.  

But the Blogger was wary of turning a delicate cake into cupcakes.  There was no need to worry.  The results were great:  the interioir was as tender and fluffy as could be expected (in fact, to die for!) with a top unexpectedly deliciously crackly.  

Think they look a bit boring?  Take a bite.

The lemon mint flavours are strong and punchy; 67's glaze - applied with a brush as soon as the cakes come out of the oven - penetrates the interior exquisitely.

The recipe is easy to follow but has a few steps.  A bright tweenager could make them, or act as sous chef. 

Trust 67; the recipe is more than worth it.

And they are not going to cost the earth, in money or fuel.

Cost: £2.75 (5/23)

Makes: 24 mini-cakes; 12 normal cupcakes

Ingreds:

Three eggs whites (yolks will be used later) 
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

(further) 1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks

Eight medium mint leaves, veins removed & finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

One cup sifted all-purpose flour 

Glaze:

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2-3/4 cup icing sugar

Equipment:

2x12 hole mini muffin/cupcake moulds or tins, holes 3/4 inch/2cm deep (67 used silicone moulds)

small cupcake liners

Method:

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE APRICOT & NUT BARS: indulgence; high fibre

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Perfect for leftover fruit and nuts from Christmas...

A bit crumbly but rich, fruity, nutty & chocolatey 

from leftover Christmas fruit 'n nuts

'Very very nice and pleasingly versatile.'

Clearing out cupboards as spring approaches is great for creating new recipes.

No one can afford to throw away perfectly decent food these days, and dried fruit and nuts leftover from Christmas easily morph into mouthweatering traybakes or cookies.  Or both.   

Double Chocolate Apricot and Nut Bars are an indulgence but are also high fibre and healthier.  And they taste really really fabulous.

You can easily substitute other dried fruit/s for apricots -- glace cherries, apricots, prunes, dates and sultanas -- and the choice of nuts is yours. 67 used a combo of brazil and hazelnuts but several types of nut or a single nut is fine.  

Depending on the size of your tin, there might be enough dough left over for cookies as well as bars.

Cost:  depends on the cupboard but from scratch, about £5
Makes: 20-32 fingers

Ingreds:

115gm/4.05oz toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped nuts (any or all of hazel, brazil, almonds, walnuts, pistachio)

180g/6.3oz oats (if jumbo, coarsely whizz in processer) 

120g/4.2 oz plain white flour +30g/1 oz unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

167g/5.8oz soft butter

EITHER 215gm/7.5oz light brown sugar (OR TO REDUCE SWEETNESS  175g/generous 6 oz light brown sugar plus 40g ground almonds)

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla      

1 c white chocolate chips (dark chocolate is fine but 67 prefers the creaminess & contrasting colour )

3/4 cup dried apricots,  in good sized chunks (ie each apricot in 4-6  pieces) 

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

          Optional topping: drizzle of melted dark or white Chocolate   

Method: 

LUXURY PISTACHIO VALENTINE'S DAY CHEESECAKE: make-ahead, no bake, dairy-free option, lower sugar; slightly lower fat, easy, make ahead, incl Budget version

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67 never considered Pistachio and Cheesecake a natural pairing but the now retired deli, Chamomile* used to offer a completely irresistable one.

67goingon50's Luxury Pistachio Cheesecake
(the photo doesn't reflect the green of the original)

Pistachios have suddenly become a 'culinary thing'.  Not long ago, a jar of pistachio paste (smooth or crunchy) was hard to find, available only in big jars and with luxury prices.  

In 2025, that's changed; you see 150gm/5oz jars in many places -- health food shops, high-end supermarkets; there's even a kosher version - and all at non-exhorbitant but not frugal prices.

Which is wonderful because this creamy pistachio cheesecake is a knock-out, a kind of out-of-this-world delight that tantalizes the taste buds.

It also looks beautiful; a pale green richly creamy fillling, studded with bright green nuts, slathered over a generous crumb crust.  

If you want something outstanding for a special occasion that doesn't take a lot of effort, this cheesecake is it.  It is also lower in sugar and fat, and a bit healthier than most cheesecakes.  It is pretty rich, though, and small portions are recommended.

The crust and the filling are pretty simple and, made hours before needed, reduces stress ahead of the event.  

Luxury Pistachio Cheesecake is not, sadly, for the financially stressed but more budget-friendly versions with chocolate-hazelnut spread (home-made low-sugar/preservative OR store-bought) are in Tips, below. 

Cost: about £6-7'ish (7/23)

Makes:  8/12 portions

Ingredients: 

13-15 digestive biscuits, bashed with a rolling pin in a heavy plastic bag, or whizzed in a food processor until crumbly, but not too finely blitzed 

90 g unsalted dairy or plant butter, melted

300g/10.5oz full fat cream cheese or vegan cream cheese at room temperature 

1 tsp vanilla

2-4 tbsp icing sugar (to taste: 67 used 3tbsp)

200ml thick Greek yoghurt, dairy or plant (instructions for thickening plant yoghurt are here, bottom of page)

470ml dairy or plant double cream

100g-175g/3.5-6.1oz crunchy pistachio butter, depending on taste (see alternatives, Tips)

Garnish:

handful toasted pistachios, chopped med fine

Method:

(NEW) SEEDED CHEAT'S LOW-FAT TORTILLA CHIPS, Almost Instant, high-fibre, Easy-Peasy

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 Almost as easy as buying a packet but much better for you...

Freshly oven baked tortilla chips with a mix of Zatar seasoning and Smoked Patrika
'Fab replacement for bagged crisps/tortillas; really crispy, more-ish & satisfying.'  

If you watch your weight and cholesterol, cravings for a bag of commercially produced potato crisps (chips, in American parlance) or tortillas.  If it's once in a while, giving in is easy.  

But after getting used to - and enjoying - a regime of home-made treats where salt and fat are controlled, and preservatives and additives ruthlessly cut (such as roasted spiced chickpeas and stovetop popcorn) commercial chips & tortillas no longer appeal.

So the discovery of some wholewheat and plain flour tortilla/wraps with linseed and poppy seeds* was a chance to experiment. 

The tortilla wraps were, after all, relatively healthy: high in fibre and with some Vitamin D, good for natural immunity. 

But in the same way that thinly sliced baguettes make great crostini canapés, so chopped up tortillas make great crispy crunchy tortillas when flash fried or - for the cholesterol phobic - baked.

The baked ones have an almost cracker like texture, but thinner and better.  The fried ones were just like my old favourites from Whole Foods - ultra crispy and a real treat - but the layer of oil, however thin, was guilt-inducing.  

I know which ones I like best but like the good girl (!) I try to be, will stick to the oven-baked version unless it's a very special occasion.

Both recipes are below.

Cost: £1'ish plus cost of seasoning

Makes: equiv. one large bag crisps but 2 wraps make a generous portion for 1

Ingreds:

wholemeal seeded wraps

olive or vegetable oil

salt & pepper

Garnishes:

• Zatar seasoning(Middle Eastern style blend) of sesame seeds, sumac, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, salt
• smoked paprika
• 67's Middle Eastern Spice Mix

Method:

TWO-TONE CHOCOLATE ORANGE PUDDING: lower-fat, no-bake, no-added sugar, easy peasy indulgence, alcohol opt

Easy-peasy delicately flavoured pudding slips down like a dream...

updated 7/23;updated 4/21

Subtle layers of dreamy creamy two-tone chocolateness
'Very smooth & tasty' Taster 

As if being a no-bake dessert isn't enough reason to delight in this recipe, the two-toned double chocolate pudding is creamy, smooth, light but satisfying. 

It's lower in fat than normal, has no added sugar but orange adds a sophistication to the layers of velvety dark and pearly white chocolate puddings.   

And all from the same base!

The pudding is rather rich and small portions will more than satisfy.

Cost: £5 (7/23)

Makes: 5-6 x 110ml half-cup portions; recipe halves easily

Ingreds:

200gm/7.05oz cream cheese, fat-reduced, room temperature

100gm/3.5oz fat-free thick Greek yoghurt

300gm/11oz whipping cream (or double cream if no cholesterol worries)

1/3 tsp orange essence (near the vanilla in the baking area and lots cheaper)

50-100gm/1.7-3.5oz dark baking chocolate*, melted, slightly cooled (67 used 50gm but 75gm would intensify the chocolate flavour)

50gm/1.7oz white baking chocolate, melted, slightly cooled

finely grated zest of orange

Garnish: grated dark chocolate (see variations in Tips, below)

Method:

SWEET PASTRY DESSERT BISCUITS: easy special occasion indulgence

Delicate, thin and crispy - pretty little biscuits to accompany creamy desserts & fruit salads...

Sweet Pastry Cookies:
 'gorgeous little things but dangerous; one is never going to be enough!' 

These delightful crispy dessert cookies are the best accompaniment ever for mousses, ice cream and fruit salad.

They are actually made of sweet pastry from one of the best pastry recipes 67 has ever made -- or ever eaten - Candace Brown's Special Occasion Sweet Pastry from Great British Bake Off.  

Candice Brown (now running a country pub) made pie crust a a doddle for anyone frightened of pastry.  The pastry is made like cake: butter and sugar are creamed, eggs are added and then flour. 

The result?  Melt-in-the mouth pastry/biscuits not unlike the delicate sandy French sable.   

This recipe is saved for special occasions -- it's very rich with four egg yolks.  (Freeze the egg whites for meringues or make Grandad's Healthy Chocolate Raspberry Brandy Mousse).  67 made it slightly less unhealthy, replacing some white sugar with brown and some white flour with wholemeal - neither of which affected the delightful texture.

 

 

Sweet Pastry Biscuits

Cost: £1.75
Makes: 35'ish biscuits

Ingred:
   100gm/3 1/2oz unsalted soft butter
     75gm/2 1/2oz white sugar
     25gm/scant 1oz soft brown sugar

  4 egg yolks

  125gm/4 1/2 oz white flour
    59gm/1 3/4oz wholemeal flour
    25gm/scant 1oz ground almonds
    zest 1 lemon

Equipment: 2 baking sheets lined with silicone mats or greaseproof paper stuck down at the corners with some of the dough 

Method:

GIANT CHOCOLATE GINGER COOKIE: slightly healthier indulgence, easy

Man-sized Giant Chocolate Ginger Cookie: perfect indulgence for Fathers' Day...

For some reason, ginger in sweets is a man-magnet; combined with chocolate in an uber-sized biscuit?  'Beautiful! Very special.' Tasters

Ginger biscuits coated in chocolate are a much prized treat in upmarket delis.  Here's another variation that will go down well -- a home-made huge dark chocolate biscuit with ginger inside and out.  It could become a regular Fathers' Day delight. 

It'll be fun bringing it to the table, serving it in wedges rather than the usual biscuit shapes.

A doddle to make, this indulgence does have sugar and butter and lots of chocolate, making it a truly awesome - if not very healthy - treat.  

Cost: £2.50 (2020)

Makes: one 9inch/23cm cookie, enough for 20'ish small portions

Ingreds

   180gm/6.4oz plain flour

     31gm/1.2oz cocoa

      1/2 tsp baking soda

      1/4 tsp salt

 

   113gm/4oz butter, soft

      90gm/3.2oz light brown sugar

      65gm/2.3 granulated sugar

   1 large egg

   1 tsp vanilla

   75gm/2.6oz dark chocolate chips OR baking chocolate, chopped medium-fine plus

   20gm/0.75oz shredded unsweetened dried coconut

   OR 100gm/3.5oz chocolate

 

   1/4 cup finely diced crystallised ginger

Icing: 

   2-3 tablespoons ginger syrup

   1/3-1/2 cup icing sugar

   OR 50gm/1.75oz melted white chocolate

   1/4 cup finely diced crystallised ginger 

 

Method:

FESTIVE PLUM PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE CAKE: dairy free, lower sugar, Indulgence, egg-free

Unique Plum Crumble served as sophisticated cake, festively spiced...

Plum Crumble Cake (option for bars/squares)
' the most luxuriously lovely crumble ever made. Just sumptuous.'

first posted Nov 201

This 67goingon50 crumble cake is very festive, very delicious, very Wow!

A rich layer of crumble consisting of wholemeal flour, oatmeal and coconut encases the fruit both above and below in crisp buttery, almost pastry-like layers.  

The fruit is a comforting mix of tart plum and sweet pineapple (both at reasonable prices in supermarkets) -- with, if you like, a few handfuls of juicy blackberries.  The addition of a little optional alcohol adds sophistication.  

The whole cake is beautifully, unexpectedly shot through with warm spices. 

Not difficult to make, it'll please a crowd.  


Cost: £4.50'ish (1/22)

Feeds: 8 for cake; 9 for squares; 18 for bars (recipe halves nicely)

Ingred: 

  
  113gm/4oz unsalted dairy or plant butter (67 uses Timor)

   150gm/5.3oz plain white flour
   37gm/1.3oz EITHER wholemeal flour or oatmeal (or sugar-free Ultra Granola with nuts and seeds)
   85gm/3oz dried unsweetened coconut
   100gm/3.5oz sugar
   1/2 tsp baking soda
   1/2 tsp baking powder
   1/4 tsp salt

   290gm/10.2oz plums, pits removed, in med dice (cut each half into 6 wedges and cut across the centre)
   90gm/3.1oz pineapple in small chunks, pref fresh but tinned in juice, drained will also be fine
   juice & zest of an orange
   splash of brandy or orange liqueur (opt)

   1/2 tsp dried cardamom or pulverised seeds from 5-7 cardamom pods
   3/4 tsp cinnamon
   1/4 tsp allspice
   
   1/2 tsp vanilla  
  
   3 tbsp sugar (67 used 4 generous tbsp of molasses sugar; it was fine)
   2 tbsp cornstarch (67 was out of cornstarch and used rice flour instead which was fine; you could also use ground almonds)

   
  a few halved blackberries (opt)

Method:

1. If plums are ripe, add orange zest & juice, and alcohol, if using.  
2. If plums are hard, put them in a wide frying pan over med heat with orange zest & juice, and alcohol if using; bring to the boil; turn heat right down; simmer 1-2 mins (or more if necessary) until fruit has softened but still holds its shape.  A fork should pierce with fruit with a little resistance.  

   

   Soften hard fruit in minutes on the hob
   
   

3. Stir spices and vanilla into plums.  Cool.  Cover till needed.  This can be done a day in advance. 
4. Prepare tin.  Line the bottom and butter the sides of an 8x8inch/20x20cm circular tin.  
5. Preheat oven to 350f/180c/170fan/gas4
6. Pour coconut into a dry pan and place in oven 5 mins or until beginning to brown; cool slightly
7. Measure other dry ingreds into a med bowl; add coconut; stir with a whisk to completely combine 
8. Melt butter gently in a saucepan; cool; stir it into dried ingreds with a fork to form crumbs
9. Remove a scant cup of the mix, set aside; pour the rest into the baking pan; press down with the back of a measuring cup to form a level base
10. Dry pineapple chunks with a paper towel; mix them with plums and sugar.  Taste, more sugar may be necessary depending on plums.  Stir through  cornstarch; pour over base, spread to edges
11. Scatter over blackberries if using
12. Cover with rest of crumble mix 
13. Bake in centre the oven 25mins or until deeply browned
14. Cool slightly; cut in wedges and serve warm with ice cream or whipping cream        

Comments:
 'The crumble was the most luxuriously lovely crumble ever made. Just sumptuous.' Political Agent

'I loved this not-your-usual run-of-the-mill crumble.  The fruit was nicely spicy and the crumble unusually rich.'  Retired writer 

                                                                                
Tips:

• Other fruits can be used - apple & blueberries; pear & blackberries
• Make this in a rectangular or square pan and cut into bars for a snack or lunchbox
• Alcohol for the fruit is optional but probably best suited for the cake rather than the bars/squares.

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.  

SPICED PLUM & PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE CAKE/BARS, lower sugar, Indulgence, egg-free

Unique Plum Crumble: serve as a sophisticated cake or in bars/squares for lunchboxes...

Plum Crumble Cake (option for bars/squares)
' the most luxuriously lovely crumble ever made. Just sumptuous.'

This 67goingon50 recipe started out as American-style crumble bars for an indulgent snack or lunchbox treat.  Crumble Bars encase the fruit both above and below in crisp buttery layers.  They are fabulous and popular with 67's tasters.  

But 67 realised that the same recipe can also serve - with the addition of a little alcohol - as a sophisticated after-dinner cake.   

Trust me, whichever version you choose, there will be no regrets.  The crumble is rich and more-ish; the wholemeal/oatmeal and coconut components enhance its buttery, almost pastry like texture.  

The fruit layer is a comforting mix of tart plum and sweet pineapple (both only 65p in one of our favourite supermarkets*) -- with, if you like, a few handfuls of juicy blackberries.  It's beautifully, unexpectedly shot through with warm spices.   

Very autumnal.  Very delicious.  Very 'Wow!'.

The Plum & Pineapple Crumble isn't one of the healthy options -- too much butter for that.  But sugar is kept to a minimum and there's plenty of gut-friendly fibre.   

Alcohol for the fruit is optional but probably best suited for the cake rather than the bars/squares.


Cost: £3.50

Feeds: 8 for cake; 9 for squares; 18 for bars (recipe halves nicely)

Ingred: 

  
  113gm/4oz unsalted butter 

   150gm/5.3oz plain white flour
   37gm/1.3oz EITHER wholemeal flour or oatmeal (or sugar-free Ultra Granola with nuts and seeds)
   85gm/3oz dried unsweetened coconut
   100gm/3.5oz sugar
   1/2 tsp baking soda
   1/2 tsp baking powder
   1/4 tsp salt

   290gm/10.2oz plums, pits removed, in med dice (cut each half into 6 wedges and cut across the centre)
   90gm/3.1oz pineapple in small chunks, pref fresh but tinned in juice, drained will also be fine
   juice & zest of an orange
   splash of brandy or orange liqueur (opt)

   1/2 tsp dried cardamom or pulverised seeds from 5-7 cardamom pods
   3/4 tsp cinnamon
   1/4 tsp allspice
   
   1/2 tsp vanilla  
  
   3 tbsp sugar (67 used 4 generous tbsp of molasses sugar; it was fine)
   2 tbsp cornstarch (67 was out of cornstarch and used rice flour instead which was fine; you could also use ground almonds)

   
  a few halved blackberries (opt)

Method:

1. If plums are ripe, add orange zest & juice, and alcohol, if using.  
2. If plums are hard, put them in a wide frying pan over med heat with orange zest & juice, and alcohol if using; bring to the boil; turn heat right down; simmer 1-2 mins (or more if necessary) until fruit has softened but still holds its shape.  A fork should pierce with fruit with a little resistance.  

   

   Soften hard fruit in minutes on the hob

3. Stir spices and vanilla into plums.  Cool.  Cover till needed.  This can be done a day in advance. 
4. Preheat oven to 350f/180c/170fan/gas4
5. Prepare tin. (a) Crumble cake: Line the bottom and butter the sides of an 8x8inch/20x20cm circular tin.  (b) Bars: Line square or rectangular tin with greaseproof paper, leaving a large overhang. 
6. Pour coconut into a dry pan and place in oven 5 mins or until beginning to brown; cool slightly
7. Measure other dry ingreds into a med bowl; add coconut; stir with a whisk to completely combine 
8. Melt butter gently in a saucepan; cool; stir it into dried ingreds with a fork to form crumbs
9. Remove a scant cup of the mix, set aside; pour the rest into the baking pan; press down with the back of a measuring cup to form a level base
10. Dry pineapple chunks with a paper towel; mix them with plums and sugar.  Taste, more sugar may be necessary depending on plums.  Stir through  cornstarch; pour over base, spread to edges
11. Scatter over blackberries if using
12. Cover with rest of crumble mix 
13. Bake in centre the oven 25mins or until deeply browned
14. Cake: Cool slightly; cut in wedges and serve with ice cream or cream       Bars:  Cool; remove from tin by lifting greaseproof paper and slice into bars or squares

Comments:
 'The crumble was the most luxuriously lovely crumble ever made. Just sumptuous.' Political Agent

'I loved this not-your-usual run-of-the-mill crumble.  The fruit was nicely spicy and the crumble unusually rich.'  Retired writer 

*M&S

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.