Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Cake

Happy September!

After some technical difficulties I’m finally able to post this lemon poppyseed loaf cake recipe, I know it’s time to get out all the fall spices but I just really had to share this one!!! I love lemon flavor in baked goods and this cake is just super delicious!

Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Cake

• 2 cups white spelt flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup plain unsweetened yoghurt, (I used plant based)
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• Zest of 2 large lemons
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds

– Line a 30 cm loaf pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

– In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds, mix well.

– In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the oil, honey, yoghurt, vanilla, lemon juice and zest.

– Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix together until well combined.

– Fill into prepared loaf pan.

– Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.

– Optional but really tasty: Glaze the still hot cake with a lemon and honey, or lemon and icing sugar glaze.

– Let cool completely before cutting. The lemon flavor will be even more intense the following day.

Enjoy!

Ursula

xo

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Maple Nut Tart

We love using maple syrup as sweetener in baked goods. The combination of mixed nuts and maple syrup is especially delicious! If you like pecan pie, you will love this Maple Nut Tart!

Maple Nut Tart

Flaky Pastry

• 2 cups white spelt flour
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ice-cold water

Maple Nut Filling

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mixed coarsely chopped nuts

For the Pastry:

– In a medium bowl, combine flour, honey, salt and baking powder. Add the butter and mix with your hands until crumbly. Add water, a little at a time, mix only until well combined. Press dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the Maple Nut Filling:

– In a bowl whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, coconut sugar, melted butter and vanilla until well blended. Add the mixed nuts.

– Line the bottom of a 11-inch tart pan with parchment paper, butter the sides. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to fit into your tart pan.

– Pour the maple nut filling into pastry.

– Bake in preheated 375 F oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and filling is set.

– Let cool before removing from tart pan.

Enjoy!

Ursula

Vegan Cinnamon Pecan Babka

There is something so comforting about the smell of baked nuts and cinnamon, fresh out of the oven!

We made this babka with ingredients we already had at home, it turned out so delicious! Perfect for a wintry afternoon treat, especially during lockdown.

Vegan Cinnamon Pecan Babka

Ingredients:

• 300 g white spelt flour
• 1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
• 60 ml olive oil or coconut oil
• 120 ml plant based milk, I used unsweetened cashew milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp honey

Filling:

• 150 g ground pecans
• 4 tbsp coconut sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 – 6 tbsp plant based milk, I used unsweetened cashew milk
• 3 tbsp apricot or apple jelly

-Line a 35 cm loaf pan with parchment paper.

-Combine spelt flour, salt and instant quick yeast. In a small saucepan or in the microwave, combine the milk, oil and honey, heat it up over low heat, do not let it come to a boil, it only has to be lukewarm.

-Add the milk, honey and oil mix to the dry ingredients, mix well and knead dough on a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth ball of dough.

-Lightly grease a large bowl with a bit of olive oil, place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, for about an hour.

-In the meantime, mix all ingredients, except jelly, for the filling, adding enough milk to make a moist mixture.

-On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle, spread the jelly on top, then spread the filling evenly on top.

-Tightly roll up the dough to form a long log, cut in half lengthwise, then lay them side by side. Weave the pieces back and forth over each other, like braiding but with only two strands.

-Tuck into the prepared baking form, cover and let rise for another hour.

-Bake in preheated 350F oven for 45 minutes or until deep golden brown.

-Optional: glaze the still hot babka with a simple icing, using icing sugar and lemon juice.

Happy Weekend!

Enjoy!

Ursula

xo

Chocolate Coconut Cake

There is just something about pairing chocolate with coconut-either you love it or not, we happen to really like it.

I have this recipe written down in my about grade 5 handwriting, my mom glued the paper into her old baking book which she handed down to me many years ago.

I made this cake for Valentine’s day and it was such a delicious treat!

 

Chocolate Coconut Cake

• 100 g dark chocolate
• 140 g coconut sugar
• 140 g butter
• 4 eggs
• 50 g shredded unsweetened coconut
• 50 g ground almonds
• 1 tbsp spelt flour
• pinch of salt

-Preheat oven to 325 F.

– Melt the chocolate with the butter. Whisk the eggs with the sugar then add the chocolate and butter. Add the coconut, almonds, salt and flour, stir until well combined.

– Fill into prepared cake pan of your choice, lined with parchment paper or well buttered and floured.

– Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.

-Let cool completely.

-Dust with cocoa powder and shredded coconut or with a chocolate icing.

-I simply melted some dark chocolate with some cream and a bit of honey.

–The original recipe calls for regular sugar and white flour–

Thank you so much reading my post, I hope you’ll give this recipe a try!

Enjoy!

Ursula 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coconut Cookies

We love everything Coconut and I have been having this idea for making coconut cookies for a while now. And finally I took the time to make some. It turned out really yummy, coco-nutty…they are gluten free and refined sugar free. A yummy, sweet treat that’s easy and quick to make!!

Coconut Cookies

Yields: 20 big cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, soft
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 3 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 pinch salt

-line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F/180C

-whisk the butter with the eggs until creamy, add the maple syrup and vanilla, whisk until well combined. Stir in the coconut, oat flour and salt.

-Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown.

(I use quick oats and grind them into flour using my coffee bean grinder.)

Happy July!

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

Follow me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

Carrot Cake Cookies

Hello everyone, I wish you all a Happy Easter and a wonderful weekend!

These carrot cake cookies are super yummy, with a touch of maple syrup, cinnamon and cloves.

 

Carrot Cake Cookies 

Yields: 25 large cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups butter melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup ground almonds
• 2 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt

-Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F.

-Whisk together the butter and maple syrup, add eggs one at a time, add spices and salt.

-Mix in the carrots, then add the flour, baking soda and ground almonds. Stir until well combined.

-Drop by spoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving some space between cookies. The cookies will spread a bit.

-Sprinkle with some coconut sugar if desired.

-Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

(These pretty Easter eggs were made by my late grandmother who was a very talented crafter!)

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maple Pecan Cinnamon Swirls

It’s another snowy, ice rain kind of day here in Ontario. I sure hope Winter will not stick around for too much longer ;))

In Switzerland you will find a pastry called Nusschnecken, a cinnamon bun style pastry filled with ground hazelnuts or almonds and are pretty flat compared to a traditional cinnamon bun. I think this is the first time I’ve tried copying the shape and I really liked how it turned out. Filled with ground pecans, maple syrup, orange zest and a touch of cinnamon-so good!

 

 

Maple Pecan Cinnamon Swirls

Ingredients:

• 400 g white spelt flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp quick instant yeast
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 80 g butter, melted (+ 80 g melted butter for brushing dough)
• 250 ml warm milk

Filling:

• 300 g ground pecans
• 5 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 organic orange, zest only
• 200 ml milk

-For dough: In a large mixing bowl or your standard mixer, combine flour, salt and yeast, add melted butter, honey and warm milk. Knead to form a soft dough. Cover and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or double in size.

-For filling: Mix all ingredients together, set aside.

-Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

-On a floured surface roll dough out thinly into a large rectangle. Brush with the melted butter, ( leave some for brushing the swirls before baking). Spread the filling evenly onto dough. Starting from the longer side, roll dough up tightly. Cut into 2 cm thin swirls/buns. Lay onto prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between. Brush with remaining melted butter, let rise another 15 minutes. Bake in preheated 350F/180C oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

-I brushed the warm swirls with a maple butter and orange icing. You can use a regular icing if desired (icing sugar and orange juice).

-Makes about 25 swirls.

-Ground hazelnuts, almonds, or walnuts can be used instead of pecans.

 

Have a wonderful week!

Ursula

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Cookies

Happy Halloween!

I hope you are all having a fun and not too scary Halloween! Thinking back of those times when my kids were still little and impatiently waiting for this day to come. Such cute memories of my daughter mostly dressing up as a little princess, my son trying out different characters from cowboy to Star Wars Darth Vader 🙂

I’ve made these delicious, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin cookies, all dressed up for Halloween, these are the perfect fall or holiday cookie, with a lovely pumpkin and spice flavor. Can be enjoyed with or without icing. I used maple butter as an icing.

 

 

Pumpkin Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, soft
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups white spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

-Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt, set aside.

-Cream together the butter, egg and maple syrup. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla, beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls, flatten slightly.

-Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven or until lightly browned. Let cool completely. Drizzle with maple butter or icing.

Tip: -Use 3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice. – Substitute spelt flour with whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour.

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maple Walnut Croissants

On a wintry day like today, all you like to do is cozy up under a fuzzy blanket and sip on a hot tea and take a bite into one of these oh so delicious filled croissants! Yes it is actually snowing again since yesterday and I prefer watching the snowflakes from my cozy and warm spot inside. At least we had some sunny breaks this afternoon but otherwise I am officially ready for spring, it is April after all:)

Vegan sweet yeast dough made with spelt flour and filled with walnuts and maple syrup.

We call these “Nussgipfeli” in Switzerland

The recipe is adapted from my Almond Croissants recipe. Usually I would use ground nuts but I used finely chopped walnuts in this recipe, I really liked the texture!

I love walnuts! They are a great source of protein, iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and most of all are rich in Omega-3 fats and antioxidants.

 

Maple Walnut Croissants

Yields: 8

Sweet yeast dough:

• 300 g white spelt flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp instant quick yeast
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup cashew milk or other plant milk

-In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, yeast and maple syrup.

-In a small saucepan warm/melt the coconut oil with the milk.

-Add warm milk to the flour mix and combine well. If dough is to dry add some more milk. On a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and shiny dough forms. Place back into bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel, let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Maple Walnut Filling:

• 150 g finely chopped walnuts
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cashew milk or other plant milk

-Mix all ingredients together. The filling should be moist, but not wet.

Extra:

• 3 tbsp apricot jam or jelly, or use another fruit

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C (convection setting). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

-On a floured surface roll dough out into a circle.

-Cut into 8 wedges, then spread thinly with the jam.

-Divide filling equally.

-Roll dough up starting on the outside.

-Place on prepared baking sheet and let rise for another 15 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

-Brush hot croissants with maple syrup for some shine!

 

Happy baking!

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Ursula

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Blueberry Cookies

Happy weekend everyone! Today was the first day of March Break for my kids. Nothing interesting happening so far, just relaxing a bit at home. It is still snowing and cold, just a little jealous of those heading somewhere south;)

Having some kind of snack around while the kids are at at home this week is always a good idea. I was craving something with lemon flavor and why not add some blueberries. These cookies are so delicious, soft, lemony…

Sweetened with honey and I used white spelt flour.

 

Lemon Blueberry Cookies 

Yields: 34 large cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsalted butter, soft
• 4 eggs
• 2 organic lemons, zest and juice
• 2 x 3/4 cups honey
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 cups white spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh

-In a large bowl mix together the butter, eggs, lemon juice and zest, honey and vanilla extract.

-Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix well. Gently fold in the frozen or fresh blueberries. Let dough chill in refrigerator for 1 hour or longer.

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

-Using a tablespoon, place rounded balls of dough, leaving some space in between cookies, on prepared cookie sheets.

-Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Tip: This recipe makes a lot of cookies, you can easily divide it by two. Also feel free to make smaller sized cookies. I brushed the baked cookies with a mix of lemon juice and honey.

 

 

Happy March Break!

Enjoy!

Ursula