Late last week I had a much-longed-for catch-up with my cousin Irene. We both had surgery a few years ago and whilst our chats don’t totally revolve around WLS we do touch upon areas of joy, concern and regular everyday life as a bariatric at some point. We have frequently enjoyed a slice of my banana cake during these interludes (Irene loves bananas as can be seen and heard in our ‘Fat Surgeons’ TV appearance where we baked a cake together). To ring the changes I decided to surprise her this time with another bariatric-friendly treat – this time a cake made with apples and blackberries. It was a triumph and was enjoyed by all. You could serve with a little low-fat cream or fat-free yogurt if liked but it isn’t compulsory.
I’ve also had a visitor request to suggest alternatives in my recipes when a food is seasonal or hard to find. With this in mind I would say this cake can be made with pears and a little ground ginger; stoned/pitted cherries and almond extract; or halved and stoned fresh apricots with a little ground mixed spice, instead of the apples, blackberries and cinnamon/vanilla. Sometimes the cooking times will vary – my basic apple one takes about 30-35 minutes but larger fruit may take up to about 45 minutes to cook. If the top starts to brown too much then simply cover with a sheet of foil to continue cooking.
The chosen fruit and its sweetness will also dictate how much sweetener, if any, you will need. I found 2 tbsp just right for this mix of cooking and eating apples with ripe blackberries.
APPLE AND BLACKBERRY CAKE
Ingredients
METRIC/US
100 g plain flour/1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated Splenda sweetener
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
3 tbsp skimmed or low-fat milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
75 g/3 oz low-fat spread or light butter, melted
800 g/13/4 lb assorted baking and cooking apples, peeled and cut into thin slices
200 g/13/4 cups ripe blackberries, hulled
low-fat cooking spray or mist
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/gas mark 6.
2. Mix the flour with the sweetener, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Whisk and add the melted spread or butter.
3. Add the apple slices and blackberries to the batter and fold in gently.
4. Spritz a 23-cm/9-inch loose-bottomed, non-stick cake tin with low-fat cooking spray or mist and add the prepared apple and blackberry mixture. Lightly spritz the top with low-fat spray or mist.
5. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until well-risen, firm and golden.
6. Allow to cool slightly before serving warm or chill to then slice and serve.
SERVES 8
WLS PORTION: 1/2
V suitable for Vegetarians
CALORIES PER PORTION: 145
PROTEIN: 5.2g
CARBOHYDRATE: 18.8g
FAT: 5.7g
Image copyright of BARIATRIC COOKERY (UK) LTD
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