Healthy, delicious ingredients – like dates, sweet vegetables and maple syrup – add layers of rich flavour to almost any dessert. The win: cakes, tarts, puddings, and doughnuts that are seriously decadent, without the extra sugar.
Healthy, delicious ingredients – like dates, sweet vegetables and maple syrup – add layers of rich flavour to almost any dessert. The win: cakes, tarts, puddings, and doughnuts that are seriously decadent, without the extra sugar.
THE NEW LAYER CAKE
Crepes made with rye flour for extra flavour as well as texture are piled high and frosted, and then topped with fresh figs to create a gorgeous, good-for-you pastry.
PREP TIP
To make the crepes twice as fast, use two non- stick skillets.
RICH FROSTING
Mix jam with labneh, a Middle Eastern- style yogurt that’s almost as thick as cream cheese. Buy it or make your own by placing plain Greek yogurt in a strainer set over a bowl and refrigerating it for a day.
MIX AND MATCH Switch up the fillings and toppings for a different dessert every time. Whatever fruit is in season works – or go for one of these delectable ideas.
● Chocolate hazelnut butter for the filling, and sliced banana on top.
● Alternate mascarpone with lemon curd between the layers.
● Chocolate ganache for the filling; chocolate glaze as the topper.
● Apple butter between the layers. Finish with apple slices.
● Alternate almond butter with jam for the filling. Top with fresh raspberries.
DOUGHNUTS TO DIE FOR
These beauties are baked instead of fried and made with almond and wholewheat flour in place of white, so enjoy them for breakfast or dessert – or both! Their sweetness comes from dates and bananas, and the multicoloured toppings contain no-sugar-added fruit juice.
1/ Rainbow glaze
Start with ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar and stir in ½ teaspoon fruit juice. Slowly add more juice until you get the colour and consistency you want. you can experiment with different fruit and even veggie juices, but these are good to start with.
Pink: pomegranate juice
Light orange: orange juice
Lavender: blueberry juice
2/ The dip and drizzle
To evenly coat doughnuts, mix glaze in small bowl. place each doughnut in bowl, smooth side down, spin, then lift out and set on rack. to drizzle, place doughnuts on rack, smooth side up, and pour glaze into resealable plastic bag. Snip small hole in corner, and squiggle lines on doughnuts.
3/ One final flourish
Sprinkle doughnuts with a tasty topping (shown here) before glaze sets.
RICE PUDDING REINVENTED
Barley and carrots combine for a sweet and complex flavour, and a hearty, satisfying texture. Creative topping combos take it to the next level.
ADD MORE LOVE A mix of fruits, nuts, and seeds makes your dessert even dreamier. Anything goes, but here are some nice combinations to play with:
Slivered almonds, pomegranate seeds, raspberries
Sliced mango, toasted coconut, black sesame seeds
● Plum wedges, walnuts, dried cherries
● Cacao nibs, toasted chopped hazelnuts, sliced banana
● Peanuts, dried cranberries, chopped strawberries
● Diced pear, toasted pecans, chia seeds
FINISH IT OFF These add just the right notes to tie all the flavours together.
● A dusting of matcha
● Torn mint or basil leaves
● A drizzle of tahini
● Grated citrus zest
● A dollop of whipped cream
TRICKED-OUT TART
This extravagance is actually simple to make. Just overlap glazed slices of fruit and sweet vegetables (like pears, beets, and sweet potatoes), chopped walnuts, and dried plums on a sheet of puff pastry, and then pop it in the oven.
Delicious swops
Use whatever produce looks especially tasty. Try apple in place of pear, parsnip for beet, and butternut squash instead of sweet potato.
A la mode it!
Vanilla ice cream is always a winner, but rum and raisin, salted caramel, butter pecan, dulce de leche, and pistachio are sublime.
Pureed
Blend roasted veggies and stir into cake, brownie or muffin batter. add to cream or yogurt for a panna cotta, or bake as a custard pie filling.
Canned
When you’re short on time, canned pumpkin and sweet potatoes can’t be beat. Use them in pies, muffins, quick breads, cheesecake, blondies, and cookies.
Simmered
Cook cut root veggies, sweet potatoes, celery root or cherry tomatoes in water. add a touch of raw honey, pure maple syrup, cider or no-sugar-added fruit juice to infuse them with sweetness. They can then be folded into a cake or muffin batter, and baked into a cobbler, a crisp, or a crumble. Or they can be spooned over ice cream.
Roasted
Chunks or slices of beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, winter squash, and fennel caramelise when coated with olive oil and roasted in a hot oven. give them a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to really bring out their natural sweetness. Or combine them with apples or pears as a pie or tart filling, bake them into a bread pudding, or layer them to make a parfait.
Grated raw
Switch up your favourite carrot cake recipe by swopping in parsnips. Use yellow squash instead of zucchini in a quick bread. Or sub grated butternut squash for rice in a milky pudding.
Yes, vegetables make sense for dessert, too. The right picks can transform puddings, pies, and cakes with their naturally rich, deep flavour. They also add vitamins and minerals.
PHOTOS CHARLES MASTERS
FOOD STYLING JAMIE KIMM
PROP STYLING SARAH CAVE/EH MANAGEMENT
