About the recipe
This is one of my favourite recipes from this book and always goes down a treat with my family; the chocolate and cherry combo is a firm winner. These cakes don’t have a lot of sugar in them – just the jam, which is combined with the cherries, making them a really great option for a party or even as a snack.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 18 mini cakes
(Photography by Haarala Hamilton 2022)
What you will need
- 200g frozen cherries, defrosted, plus a handful for decorating, finely chopped (reserve the cherry juice from the defrosted fruit for later)
- 2 tbsp cherry jam (or another fruit jam)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- 80g unsalted butter, at room temperature, or dairy-free spread
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten, or 1 flaxseed egg (see page 109)
- 50g ground almonds
- 100g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
To decorate
- 100g crème fraîche or dairy-free alternative
- A few chunks of dark chocolate, grated
Method
1.Preheat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan. Line a mini cupcake or muffin tin with 18 cases.
2.Add most of the cherries and jam to a food processor and blitz until blended to a purée.
3.In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water and stir until it forms a paste.
4.Add the butter or spread, egg and cocoa powder paste to the food processor and blitz until combined with the cherry purée. Then add the almonds, flour and baking powder and give it a pulse to mix together.
5.Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until cooked through and fluffy looking. Use a skewer to check the middle – it should come out clean.
6.Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
7.Top with a teaspoon of crème fraîche, the reserved finely chopped cherries, a drizzle of the reserved juice and a sprinkle of dark chocolate to finish. You can store these in the fridge and enjoy for up to 2 days
The book launch
About the Author
Charlotte Stirling-Reed is a leading nutritionist based in the UK. She has a first class degree in Human Biology and Nutrition (BSc), a Masters (MSc) in Nutrition and Public Health, and is Registered with the Association for Nutrition. Founder of her successful consultancy practice - SR Nutrition - Charlotte works with a variety of clients including global brands and celebrities. Charlotte is the nutritionist who worked with Joe Wicks on his Wean in 15 book and has a strong social media platform with nearly 200k followers on Instagram (@SR_Nutrition). Charlotte started her career working for the NHS and has since spent many years working with families.
