Bestwaytostart thedaybar none
Tired of eating delicious food yet? Didn’t think so. Fuel the hordes with these tasty, berry-laden treats from Jordan Rondel.
The thought of peanut butter and strawberry jam drizzled over my morning oats is what gets me out of bed, and that’s where the inspiration came from for this recipe. These bars are so moreish you simply won’t be able to stop at one.
Peanut butter & strawberry bars
Base
100g butter, softened
150g soft brown or coconut sugar 300g good quality crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 free range egg
200g spelt or white all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Pinch sea salt
300g good quality strawberry jam
Crumble topping
50g oats
50g spelt orwhite all-purpose flour 25g soft brown or coconut sugar 50g butter
Generous pinch flaky sea salt
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan bake. Line a 22cm x 22cm square tin with baking paper.
First, make the base. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Mix in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stop the mixer once just combined, do not overmix.
Spoon the dough into the prepared tin, spreading it out to the edges. Spread the jam evenly over the top.
Next, make the crumble. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl and use your fingers to rub together until a rough breadcrumb consistency is reached. Scatter the crumble over the jam layer, leaving some slightly bigger chunks.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crumble has turned golden and crunchy. Allow it to cool in its tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Once completely cool, transfer to a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, cut into 12 rectangles (about 7cm x 5cm).
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Makes about 12 bars
Coconut, blackberry and lime marmalade cake (vegan)
I have a fondness formarmalade, particularly lime.
For this vegan cake, the marmalade is included by way of a sticky glaze that is slathered between the layers as well as on top. This cake is entirely vegan, but you wouldn’t know it.
Cake
150g spelt or white all-purpose flour 75g ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄ teaspoon sea salt 4
75g desiccated coconut
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄ cup light olive oil 2
1 cup coconut milk
Juice and zest of 2 limes
200g fresh or frozen blackberries
Lime marmalade glaze 280g lime marmalade 2 tablespoons water
Decorations
Handful fresh blackberries, halved
Preheat the oven to 180C fan bake. Line 2 x 22cm cake tins with baking paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, coconut, and sugar.
Add in the vanilla, oil, milk, and lime zest and juice. Stop your electric mixer once all the ingredients are combined, being careful not to overmix.
Evenly divide the batter between the 2 tins and spread out to the sides.
Evenly dot the blackberries into the batter and press down lightly.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, make the marmalade glaze. In a saucepan overmedium heat, combine the marmalade and water, and heat for about 3minutes then set aside to cool.
Spread half the glaze on one layer of the cooled cake and place the other layer directly on top. Spread the remainder of the glaze over top and then decorate with fresh blackberry halves.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Serves 12