Superfood Sunday: Cacao

Superfood Sunday is an idea that I came up with a month or two back, and has still stuck as one that I should put into action. The aim of Superfood Sunday is to educate people on various super foods and the nutritional benefits they offer. There are so many super foods available to us, but the problem is most of us don't know where to start. So every two or three weeks, I will be posting a different one and a short description or an "about section" shall we say.

My first superfood is cacao. And although cacao can be easily confused with cocoa powder, most commonly used for traditional baking, they are very different. Cacao is the raw unprocessed form of chocolate and is grown on small trees called "Theobrama cacao" and is native to Mexico, Central, and South America. After being harvested with care, the seeds from the trees undergo a natural fermentation and drying process. After the drying process is finished, raw cacao beans are the result.

Cacao has a much bitter flavour than cocoa and comes in lots of different forms: Cacao powder, cacao nibs, and cacao butter. All of which can be applied to a vegetarian/vegan/raw diet. As well as being a powerful antioxidant for the body, the benefits are endless. Some of which include

• Lower blood pressure and improved circulation
• Promoted cardiovascular health
• Neutraliser for free radicals
• Improved digestion
• Enhanced physical and mental wellbeing
• Antidepressant

I must admit, of all the super foods, cacao is probably my favourite of them all. As soon as I've had it I feel happier and healthier. Try it in my warming hot chocolate recipe made with all natural ingredients. It might surprise you!

What superfood/s would you like to see next? Comment below or tweet me with the hashtag Superfood Sunday :)

Emily X

Warming hot chocolate with 100% natural ingredients

This week has been incredibly busy, and I think I had forgotten what it was like to have a schedule so full with things to do and remember. So for days like this it's just nice to take the time to sit down in the evening with a cup of hot chocolate and watch a Christmassy film in my cosy new pyjamas and doggy slippers knowing what I'm drinking is going to nourish and warm me from the inside out. 

This hot chocolate is so easy and so much better for you than the tubs of hot chocolate powder from the supermarkets. While they are more convenient, they are usually hidden with lots of sugar and nasty things that you don't want to be putting into your body. And trust me, this one tastes a lot better!

There are lots of different ingredient combinations that you can use to make this hot chocolate, but for now I'll show you the most basic way to do it. 

Ingredients:

Serves 1

-To serve two just double the quantities

1 cup of alpro unsweetened almond milk (or any other good brand)

2 tbsp cocao powder (regular cocoa powder will work too) To find out more about cacao and its nutritional properties click here

Squeeze of agave nectar and/or a sprinkle of coconut sugar (can be found at Holland & Barretts)

Half a cinnamon stick (optional)

To Make:

1. Heat a small saucepan up on a low to medium heat and pour in the almond milk. 
2. Once that is heated through, add the cocao powder and agave or coconut sugar and mix all together until it has all dissolved. 
3. Turn off the heat and pour into your favourite mug. Sprinkle a little coconut sugar on top and add your cinnamon stick. 

Enjoy!

Emily X

Simple Fruit Cake with Apricot Jam and Pecans

To start off my Christmas series this year I thought I'd make something I'd never done before, but something that would fit in nicely and wasn't too fancy either. This cake was the first on my list to blog about as it needs to be made a month or two beforehand to soak up the alcohol and mature ready for Christmas. I decided to bake this cake because although it is a Christmas classic our family have never actually made it and eaten it at Christmas before and I have always liked to give it a try, and I can't think of a reason why I wouldn't like it. There are lots of ways to make a fruit cake but since its my first (surprisingly so) I'm going to stick to the traditional recipe. If you are fond of icing or marzipan on your Christmas cakes then you can make some and decorate the top, and finish it off with a nice Christmassy flower like holly, or add some mini ornaments. Be as creative as you like! But for mine I'll just be using some apricot jam and some pecans, yum!

To Make

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas2 and line a 20cm/8inch round cake tin with baking parchment.

Weigh out your ingredients and cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with the back of a wooden spoon. To do this I used my new favourite blue baking bowl from Lakeland. These kind of bowls are ideal for baking as they are strong and sturdy and able to hold plenty of ingredients. Great for this kind of cake. If it still rocks about a bit, place a damp tea towel underneath.

Once thats done, add the eggs one at a time and mix in. It'll look a bit odd after this step but don't worry as once the flour is in it will all come together as it is supposed to.

Grab a sieve and sift in the flour, spices, and salt. You can adjust the amount of spice according to your personal preference, but remember to keep in mind that cinnamon can be sometimes overpowering if too much is used. Then fold in until fully combined. If your mixture seems to be a bit too floury, add a teaspoon of water.

Next, add in your dried fruit, mixed peel, glace cherries, ground almonds, black treacle, and vanilla essence and stir all together. If you have some marmalade that would go in nicely too.

Take a big spoon and transfer the mixture to the cake tin spreading evenly and making a slight hollow in the centre so the cake stays flat on top.

Bake in the oven for an hour and a half and then keep coming back and checking on it until your instincts tell you its ready. It will all depend on your oven and how powerful it is. Mine is very powerful so I cooked it for about two hours before I took it out. Another way to check if its cooked through properly is to test with a skewer. Poke a hole through the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean you can take it out. Place on a wire rack and let it cool for at least half an hour before decorating.

To feed it with some brandy or sherry, poke some holes in the cake with a knife or skewer and pour a teaspoon into each one then wrap up in tin foil and repeat every week or two in the lead up to Christmas.

To Decorate

Apricot Jam & Pecans
In a small pan, load two tablespoons of your apricot jam and heat it up on a low heat. When the jam has melted, coat a pastry brush with the jam and run over your cake until it is fully covered. Then take your pecans and place them around the outside of your cake, spacing them apart evenly. You can do this just on the outside or continue all the way into the centre.

Ingredients

For the cake:
200g/7oz Unsalted butter, softened
200g/7oz Dark brown sugar
4 Free range eggs
225g/8oz Plain Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
800g/1 3/4lb Mixed dried fruit
100g/3 1/2oz Mixed Peel
150g/5oz Glace cherries
100g/ 3 1/2oz Ground almonds
2 tbsp Black Treacle
1 tsp Vanilla essence
Good quality brandy or sherry
Baking parchment for tin

To decorate:
2 tbsp Apricot jam
Pecans

Enjoy!
Emily X