Looking for healthy, tasty food that the whole family will enjoy is important. Using a traditional cake recipe of white flour, sugar, margarine and eggs or even a ready prepared mix alongside sugary toppings isn’t the most nutritious option. Finding healthier alternatives is always possible by just making a few simple swaps.
MIX:
Traditionally the mix contains white flour, which converts to sugar very quickly in the body. This can affect behaviour, concentration and weight. There are many alternative options available including wholegrain flours, which are much slower at converting to sugar. Other suitable baking options include almond, oats, buckwheat or coconut flour.
SWEETENER:
Cake recipes almost always contain a sweetener. Traditionally this would be refined sugar, which has undergone a high degree of processing and can have a dramatic effect on blood sugar levels. All sweeteners have an impact on the body and thinking about balance is important. Natural sweeteners undergo little processing and tend to also include other nutrients so can have some nutritional value. These include ripe bananas, dates, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses or honey. Other sweet options include sweet freedom which is a natural sweetener made from fruit and carob or stevia. You can also find recipes which contain vegetables which also have a natural sweetness. Common options include carrots, beetroot and sweet potato.
FATS:
Many recipes include margarine for baking. Margarine undergoes a huge amount of processing to be created and often contains unhealthy trans fats, which can be damaging to our bodies. With this in mind butter or coconut oil are more natural choices and are also stable at high temperatures.
TOP:
Toppings for cakes can often be loaded in sugar so opt for healthier choices. If you want to shake icing sugar across the top try erythritol, which is a sweetener made from alcohol that is poorly absorbed by the body and tooth friendly. Using a good quality, 70%+ dark chocolate is also a ‘healthier’ option than sugary sprinkles. Simply topping with some whipped cream or cream cheese mixed with maple syrup, grated lemon, choc shot or maple syrup also works well and looks good piped onto cupcakes. Natural food extracts are also readily available and mixed with erythritol and butter/cream cheese/coconut cream/creamed coconut are fairly healthy coloured icings. Cakes especially cupcakes or muffins also looks good topped with fresh fruit such as strawberries, bananas, lemon slices or orange segments. For sprinkling you can include cinnamon, blended choc chips, desiccated coconut, cocoa/carob/cacao, rose petals, lavender, chopped nuts or seeds.
There are many other options and alternatives available today. For all my recipes I avoid all the ‘nasties’ and look for healthier options.
Please SHARE any fantastic recipes you might have.
