Mich Turner is the founder of Little Venice Cake Company and she is described as the ‘Queen of Couture Cakes’. She’s baked for a host of celebrities and famous faces from the Queen to David Beckham. She has also produced a number of highly successful books.
Her latest book Have Your Cake and Eat It came out on 9th March and I was sent a copy to review. The ethos behind the book is that you can still have cakes and sweet treats, but there are some things you can do to make them healthier, without compromising on flavour.
Have Your Cake and Eat It has a host of recipes covering muffins, biscuits and the layer cakes that Mich Turner is famous for. The recipes are key coded to detail which are gluten free, dairy free, egg free and lower fat or high in fibre.
There are lots of tempting things I wanted to make from this book, but I settled upon a childhood favourite, Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. When I was little, we made this cake with water icing and hundreds and thousands. This version is much classier with the smoothest most delicious cream cheese frosting I’ve ever had, I topped mine with dried orange slices because I couldn’t get any fresh cranberries or redcurrants as recommended.
As Mich Turner explains in Have Your Cake and Eat It, this isn’t about demonising sugar, or banning any ingredients, it’s all about moderation and little things you can do to have your treat without feeling guilty.
The cake I have chosen is noted for the fact that molasses has no fat or cholesterol and is a good source of calcium and iron. The cake is dairy free and the cream cheese frosting topping is lighter than buttercream and only has a small amount on the top rather than in layers between.
I really highly recommend this book, there is lots that I will be baking from it and the recipes are still special enough to use for celebration cakes as well as lots of ideas for everyday baking and lunchbox treats.
I don’t know if you’ve ever had a problem with lumpy cream cheese frosting? Well I have on lots of occasions, this recipe has the best method, where the butter and sugar are rubbed together and then the cream cheese is beaten in. So no more lumps of butter in your frosting, give it a go and you’ll see what I mean!
Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ***The Cake***
- Groundnut Oil for greasing
- 170 ml Boiling Water
- 1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 150 g Molasses
- 170 g Golden Caster Sugar
- 240 g Plain Flour
- 2 Tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- Pinch of Ground Cloves
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 80 ml Sunflower Oil
- 2 Large Eggs
- ***Cream Cheese Frosting***
- 37 g Unsalted Butter softened
- 225 g Icing Sugar sifted
- 85 g Full Fat Cream Cheese
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150C/170C Fan//Gas 3. Grease and line the base of a 23cm (9 inch) springform or loose bottom cake tin.
- In a large heatproof bowl, blend the boiling water with the bicarbonate of soda. Add the molasses and sugar and whisk well until all the sugars dissolve, set aside.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour and all the remaining dry ingredients.
- Stir the oil and eggs into the molasses mixture. Tip the flour into the molasses mixture and stir with a balloon whisk until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 mins or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Transfer the cake to a wire rack and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the tin before removing the ring. Then leave the cake to cool completely.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, rub the butter into the icing sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the chilled cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla bean extract and beat again.
- To serve, place the cake on a plate and spread the cream cheese frosting over the top with a palette knife. Decorate with dried orange slices, or frosted cranberries.
- Store for up to 3 days uncovered in the fridge, but serve at room temperature. Not suitable for freezing.
I have been supplied with two copies of Have Your Cake and Eat It by Mich Turner (photography by Peter Cassidy) to give away to my readers, so to be in with a chance, enter using the form below.
Mich Turner – Have Your Cake & Eat It Giveaway
Thanks for reading.
Angela
Jodie Dodd
I really like the fact that bakers are coming up with healthier ways to enjoy bakery in a guilt-free way. Love the cream cheese frosting tip. Every year at Thanksgiving I make a pumpkin cake and double the cream cheese frosting since it’s one of my favorites and I’m not a huge pumpkin fan. 🙂 I’ll definitely give this tip a try this year, although I always have more of a problem with the cream cheese. I never leave it out long enough to soften.
Ben Robb
use a smaller plate so the piece of cake looks bigger!
Natalie Crossan
using beetroot for sweetness x
Charmian Filewood
Using beetroot in a chocolate cake
Jade Rogers
Me and the little ones are cake addicts, so baking as healthy as possible is a must!
Great ideas 😊
Karen louise wright
Would love to try these recipes never thought bout making cakes healthier x
karen watt
Love making bananaloaf
kelly morgan
I use low fat alternatives instead
Kim Neville
I have used some grated carrot disguised in chocolate cake before
Karen Painter
I use whole wheat flour and replace at least half of the fat with either mashed banana or plain yogurt.
natalee gosiewski
hey i love my carrot cake its healthy with carrots surely
David Woollin
Only eat half the cake and not a full one
louise lumsden
I’ve never tried to make a cake healthier before !
Chris Fletcher
I love courgette and lime cake – adding those sneaky veg really does wonders!
Rebecca Howells (@PeanutHog)
Make them sugar free
Sheri Darby
I try and choose recipes that don’t have too much sugar
Lauren Old
I like using avocado to make a chocolate cake
Allan Wilson
Discovered that you can bake with Olive Oil rather than dairy so use that method for healthier.
Mary H
Sneaking vegtables in cake is really tasty. Beetroot makes a really dense chocolate cake.
Lorna Ledger
Using veggies as substitutes and nectars as sugars 🙂 xx
Rebecca Beesley
this cake looks so good! i love trying out alternatives to sugar like palmyra jaggery and coconut nectar. Also find that adding yogurt to some cakes and reducing the fat content can work.
Tracey Parker
I use courgette and vegetable oil in my chocolate cake.
Stevie
I’ve never really tried to bake a heathlier cake before. Food for thought!
Helen
I believe in everything in moderation. So, although I look for cakes that don’t have too much sugar, I just don’t have too much too often. That way cake is still a treat!
Richard Eldred Hawes
I substitute half the butter with vegetable oil and use half wholemeal flour
Sheena Batey
I substitute Creme Fresh for real cream if I can.
carole nott
Not sure I have ever really tried to make a cake healthier but i would welcome some tips
Solange
Applesauce is your friend. This old lunchbox favourite makes a great substitute for sugar or fat when baking a cake.
Andrea Fletcher
Try to cut down a little bit on the sugar.
Michaela Smith
I’ve started making sugar free cakes such as a pumpkin spice one which is just as delicious but healthier 🙂
lucy higgins
I like to use brown rice flour to make it gluten free
Harline parkin
Where you can use honey instead of sugar
Annabel Greaves
Reduce sugar and add more fruit
Suzanne
Reduce cream and incorporate more fruit, whilst still keeping cake the treat it should be.
iain maciver
keep the sugar down
laura stewart
i cut down the sugar
jane @ littlesugarsnaps
I love this cake. All of those ingredients sound heavenly and I think those dried orange slices go particularly well with the gingerbread cake. My husband has high cholesterol so finding a few healthier alternatives would be a sensible move for me.
Basak Gardner
I want that book!! Please :))
Kat Lucas
I use applesauce instead of oils
Sugar et al.
Such a lovely cake. Love the sound of the book and the recipes.
Debs
Love this Angela. It looks like a lovely book. But that cake…😍
Andrea Upton
I try to cut down on sugar a bit if I can
Snowdrop
I always use half the sugar recommended. This recipe looks delicious.
laura banks
i dont really try and make mine healthy i really should though
Aileen RUSSELL
Will give this cake a try.
Tracy Nixon
I add carrot, beetroot and other veg to my cakes – keeps them more moist for longer as well as aking them healthier 🙂
Claire
This looks lovely. I will definitely be trying this😀
Tracey Peach
I’ve never tried to make cake a little bit healthier though I know I should! 🙂 x