After the festive period, you are probably feeling like everyone else when it comes to wanting to cut down on the amount of food we have had! This doesn’t mean that you have to stop eating what you want to however, as this low fat carrot cake recipe demonstrates!
Here at British Bakeware, we want to help fill your head with easy low fat recipes that are just as delicious as all of the food you had over Christmas! This low fat carrot cake is a simple recipe, and can be cooked in under 45 minutes! The cake is deliciously moist and the low fat cream cheese topping will complement the sweet taste of the carrots perfectly! So why not try this if you are looking to be a bit healthier this January, and keep an eye out for more easy low fat recipes in the coming weeks!
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 60g granulated sugar
- 50ml olive oil
- 130g of plain flour
- 10g baking powder
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground all spice
- 3 grated large carrots
- 100g raisins or sultanas
- 2 tsp of lemon juice
- A pinch of salt
For the Cream Cheese Topping
- 200g of mascarpone cheese
- 20g of unsalted butter
- 30g of icing sugar
- The rind of 1 lemon
Instructions:
Step 1-Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius. Add the 2 large eggs, the granulated sugar and the olive oil to a mixing bowl and beat together.
Step 2-Once the above ingredients have been mixed together, sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and all spice in to the mixing bowl and mix together well
Step 3-To the mixing bowl, add the grated carrots, raisins (or sultanas if you have chosen them), the lemon juice and salt before mixing together again.
Step 4-Once you are satisfied that the ingredients are well mixed, transfer the mixture to a cake tin and bake in your oven for around 30 to 40 minutes. You know the cake is done when you can place a skewer in the middle and it comes out completely dry. Leave for 5 minutes before removing it from the cake tin to cool.
Step 5-To start the cream cheese topping, put the mascarpone cheese, unsalted butter, icing sugar and lemon rind in to a bowl and beat until the mixture is smooth! Spread the cream cheese topping over the cake and place in the fridge for at least 5 hours or so before serving.
Source:BBC Good Food
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These quick quesadillas are a fantastic idea for your party this New Year’s Eve, they take virtually no time at all to prepare and cook, and your party guests will love the flavours from the pineapple salsa and guacamole!
After a busy Christmas with a lot of complicated food, we can imagine that you want to keep the food simple for New Year’s Eve without losing any of the flavour of the food. Well these quick quesadillas are a fantastic dish to serve your guests! The recipe is courtesy of Jamie Oliver, so you know it is going to be fantastic! The sweet finish of the pineapple is backed up with the heat from the chilli, and this is excellently complimented by the creamy taste of the cheese in the quesadillas themselves. So have a go at this fantastic recipe and your guests won’t be disappointed!
Ingredients:
- 250g cottage cheese
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 finely chopped yellow pepper
- 1 finely chopped red pepper
- 1 red chilli
- Half a bunch of fresh coriander
- 120g cheddar cheese
- 4 large flour tortillas
For the Pineapple Salsa
- 227g tinned pineapple rings, chopped
- Olive Oil
- Half a Lime
- Half a teaspoon of black mustard seeds
- Half a red chilli
For the Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados (halved and stoned)
- Half a bunch of fresh coriander
- Half a red onion, grated
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
Instructions:
Step 1-Start with your pineapple salsa. Set your hob or hotplate to a medium-high heat and add a dash of oil, the mustard seeds and the chilli. Once the smell starts to release, add the pineapple and the juice and some black pepper. Cook until this solution turns thicker and starts to bind and become sticky. Squeeze the juice of the lime in and set aside in a dish to serve later.
Step 2-The next part to do is the guacamole. Take the already halved and stoned avocados and scrape the flesh of both avocados in to a mixing bowl. Add in the grated red onion, lime juice, chilli and coriander. Add as much salt and black pepper as you want, then add the tomatoes. Mix it together well either using an electric blender or just your hands.
Step 3-Add the lime juice and salt and pepper in to the cottage cheese and stir together. To make the quesadillas, mix the cheddar cheese in with the coriander, peppers and chilli and spread across two of the flour tortillas, and then add the other two tortillas on top.
Step 4-Cook in your oven or grill for 3 minutes or so on either side of the quesadilla until they turn a delicious golden brown colour and the cheese melts.
Step 5-That’s it, simply cut up and serve with the pineapple salsa and guacamole. Enjoy!
Source: Jamie Oliver
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Here at British Bakeware, we love New York cheesecake, and this mini New York cheesecakes recipe was too good to ignore thanks to the good people at BBC Good Food!
New York cheesecake is a favourite in the dessert world, and this recipe is a perfect party food for you to serve on New Year’s Eve if you are having a party! The vanilla undertones of this cheesecake will melt in your mouth, and if you top it off with lemon curd, the contrast of flavour will make the perfect bite size treat!
Photo by Megan Chromik (view original here)
Ingredients:
- 250g ginger snap biscuits
- 100g butter
- 250g ricotta
- 250g cream cheese
- 200g soured cream
- 3 large eggs
- 250g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 lemon, finely grated rind and the juice
- 150ml double cream
- 2-4 tbsp lemon curd or raspberries for decoration
Instructions:
Step 1-Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celcius/140 degrees for a fan oven/gas mark 6. Line the base of a shallow cake tin with baking paper.
Step 2-Blend the ginger biscuits in a food processor until they are in fine pieces. Melt the butter on the hob and stir it in to the ginger biscuits until it is well mixed together. Empty the ginger biscuit and butter mixture in to the tin and spread out across the base until it is compressed.
Step 3-Rinse the food processor bowl and use it to mix together the lemon rind and juice, the soured cream, cream cheese, ricotta, eggs, caster sugar, cornflour and vanilla extract. Blend all the ingredients until it becomes smooth.
Step 4-Pour the mixture on top of the biscuit base and bake in the oven for around 40 minutes until it starts to set. One this is the case, take it out of the oven to allow it time to cool.
Step 5-Whisk the double cream until it is soft and spread over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight to allow it to set properly.
Step 5-When you want to serve the New York cheesecake, remove it from the tin before removing the baking paper. If you are serving this for your New Year’s Eve party, cut the cake in to 48 squares, or however many you think you will need. If you have chosen lemon curd as the topping, put the lemon curd in to a piping bag and pipe a bit of lemon curd on to each piece of this delicious New York Cheesecake. If you have chosen the raspberries as a topping, place one on top of each piece. Or you can serve it as it is with no topping, it is completely up to you!
Source: BBC Good Food
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These Lamb and Feta Burgers are extremely simple to make, but your guests will love the fantastic flavours from the mince, feta cheese and the accompanying mint yoghurt dip.
If you want to do something different to the conventional Beef burger, these lamb and feta burgers are right up your street. A simple yet scrumptious recipe, these burgers are guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s’ face when you serve them at your New Year’s Eve party! The succulent taste of the lamb will be backed up by a slight kick from the chilli and couple with the taste of the feta cheese, you’ll have to be disciplined when it comes to not eating too many!
Ingredients:
- 500g of lamb mince
- 2 tsp of ground coriander
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 red chilli
- Chopped parsley, about a handful
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- 100g feta cheese
- 1 tbsp of sunflower oil
- 200ml of natural yoghurt
- Small bunch of mint leaves, chopped
Instructions:
Step 1-Start by making the mint yoghurt dip. Simply mix together the yoghurt and finely chopped mint leaves in a bowl and season to your own taste. Put aside until you are ready to serve it.
Step 2-Take a large mixing bowl and add the 500g of lamb mince along with a good measure of Worcestershire sauce, the egg (which should have been beaten before adding), spices, chilli and herbs. Again, add as much salt and black pepper as you like before mixing it all together with your hands.
Step 3-Once well mixed, start making the burgers. There should be enough for around 16 burgers from this list of ingredients. Take the 100g of feta cheese and cut in to cubes, before adding a cube of cheese to the middle of each burger.
Step 4-Turn your oven on to a temperature of 200 degrees celcius/180 degrees in fan oven/gas mark 6 and heat some oil in a frying pan. Add the burgers to the frying pan to seal them for no more than 2 minutes until they start to brown. Then, transfer them to a baking tray and cook through for no longer than 10 minutes or so until they are piping hot in the middle
Step 5-Serve on a large plate or bowl with the mint yoghurt dip on the side. Place alongside the rest of your delicious New Year’s party food and let your guests get stuck in!
Source: BBC Good Food
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After all the food you would have consumed over Christmas, we wouldn’t blame you if you were struggling for ideas in terms of what to serve your guests if you are having a New Year’s Eve party. Do you go for something heavy that is relatively easy to prepare, or do you try a lot of smaller things which will take longer to prepare. Some of you may be going out to a party at a restaurant, bar or family/friends’ houses, so you won’t have to worry about what to prepare.
However if you are hosting your own party and would like some ideas for nibbles and canapés, we are here to help, as everyone in the British Bakeware office has come together and given their favourite new years eve party food for festive occasions! After an hour (or three) of debating on what should be included, we came up with 3 dishes that we think perfectly define festive party food.
So keep an eye out for the posts on Monday and Tuesday where we will be giving you some inspiration in terms of what to serve your party guests this New Year’s Eve!
