Chocolate Chunk Biscuits GF

These are really good and easy to whip up.  If you wanted them to be nut free just use 1 cup on sunflower seed butter.  We made our own almond butter using raw almonds and blending in the Thermomix.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter 
1/2 cup Almond butter
⅓ cup raw honey
1 egg, whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 to 1 cup Chocolate chunks (use a dark chocolate bar roughly cut up or dark chocolate chips)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 180 C
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out a dollop of cookie mix and pour onto baking sheet. Space out so cookies do not form together when they bake.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, be careful not to overcook these.
Put on cooler rack.
Enjoy!

These last well in an airtight jar. They were still great day 3.

Carrot Cake

Photo from Taste

This is a real easy carrot cake to whip up.  As it does not have nuts it makes it a more cost effective recipe and kid friendly as well (my girls would eat this but not carrot cakes with nuts in them).

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup oil
1 cup grated carrot

INSTRUCTIONS
Sift dry ingredients, add rest of ingredients, mix well
Beat 2 mins with electric beater or in your cake mixer.
Bake 35 mins 180°

To make it extra yummy ice with cream cheese icing

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake - Annabel Langbein

Photo from Annabel Langbein's website

If you are after a quick and super easy cake this is a great recipe and is super yummy. Easy for the kids to whip up. In our house this is our go to recipe, even hubby can whip up one of these. We also use this recipe to make chocolate muffins, they come out light and freeze well.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups self-raising flour [or 3 cups plain flour, 4 tsp baking powder or 5 tsp if making muffins]
1 1/2 cups sugar [300 gm]
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda, sifted
200 g butter, softened
1 cup milk or unsweetened yoghurt
3 large eggs
1 cup boiling hot coffee [1 tsp instant coffee to 1 cup boiling water]

To ice:
1 recipe Chocolate Ganache
fresh raspberries

INSTRUCTIONSHeat oven to 160°C. Grease the sides and line the base of a 30cm round cake tin or 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.
Place all ingredients except Chocolate Ganache and raspberries in a bowl or food processor and mix or blitz until the ingredients are combined and the butter is fully incorporated. 

Pour mixture into prepared tin or tins and smooth top. Option Press frozen blueberries into mixture. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin. If not using at once, the cake will keep for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge. You can also freeze it un-iced.
When you are ready to ice the cake, slather chilled Chocolate Ganache over the top. Top with fresh raspberries and serve.

Variation:
To make chocolate muffins, preheat oven to 160°C and line 24 muffin pans with paper cases. Prepare cake batter according to the instructions for The Ultimate Chocolate Cake (see above). Spoon mixture into the paper cases, filling about two thirds full. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

#Savvy Tips

# Makes one big cake or two ring cakes or ring tin cake and 6 muffins or 24 muffins.

# Make ahead of time and freeze, this cake or muffins freeze really well, keep on hand in the freezer for unexpected guests or for those weeks when you are short of options for school lunches. Homemade cake is such a better additive free option that processed biscuits.

# Other flour options 1/2 cup almond flour, 1 cup wholemeal, 1 1/2 white flour

Adapted from Annabel Langbein recipe