Blueberry Chiffon Cake with Blueberry Chia Jam

I definitely did not want to mess up my mom's birthday cake like how I messed up mine but still wanted to be ambitious and try something I haven't done. A blueberry chiffon cake was the answer with its light and fluffy texture and fruity and lightly sweetened flavors! I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Blueberry Chiffon Cake
recipe adapted from Ten Thousand Taste Buds
makes one 7" chiffon cake

100g blueberries
30g (1/8 cup) sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

4 yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
50mL vegetable oil
80g cake flour
2/3 tsp baking powder
4 whites
1/10 tsp cream of tartar
60g (1/4 cup) sugar

1. Preheat oven to 320F.
2. In small saucepan on low, cook blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for about 8 mins until berries burst and mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Beat yolks till fluffy and creamy.
4. Add cooled blueberry compote. Mix
5. Whisk in oil and vanilla extract.
6. Sift in cake flour and baking powder. Whisk until no more lumps. Set aside.
7. In a grease-free bowl, beat whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Continue beating, slowly adding sugar and increasing speed in increments. Beat till stiff peaks form.
8. Gently fold whites into yolk/flour mixture in thirds. Fold just until no more white streaks.
7. Pour batter into chiffon pan. Lightly tap on counter and run skewers through to get rid of any large bubbles.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and invert to cool.

Blueberry Chia Jam

1 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp chia seed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey

1. Place blueberries, chia seeds, lemon juice, and honey in small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring mixture to a low boil, stirring frequently and lightly mashing the blueberries.
3. Keep stirring until mixture thickens.
4. Remove from heat and pour into an air tight container.
5. Leave to cool then place in fridge to store.

Now comes the fun part of assembling after the cake and jam are ready.

Banana Bread Granola

My baking routine has been disrupted or paused for a little while now ever since my diet was turned upside down during our trip in New Orleans late February. 

A simple Greek yogurt banana bread and a unique banana bread granola are slowly easing me back into the game. 

With no oil and refined sugar, the banana bread was a little dense for my liking. But these banana bread granola thooooo.. These are great in my yogurt parfait and even just as a snack on their own. 

I love how the sweetness mask the not so pleasant Greek yogurt flavor (:

Banana Bread Granola
recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker
makes about 7 cups

240g old fashioned rolled oats
95g walnuts
40g pecans
25g sunflower seeds
38g coconut chips, unsweetened
1 Tbsp (10g) organic coconut palm sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon, ground
1 Tbsp flax seeds, ground
1 tsp chia seeds 

52g coconut oil, melted
100g maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium ripe banana, mashed  (~1/2 cup)

1. DRY: In large bowl, combine oats, nuts, seeds, coconut chips, sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon.
2. WET: In pot over low heat, combine oil, syrup, and vanilla and warm till liquid state.
3. WHISK: Whisk mashed banana into wet ingredients.
4. COMBINE: Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix until evenly combined.
5. BAKE: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then spread granola mixture out in an even layer. Bake at 350F, gently stirring at 15 minutes, until the granola is golden-brown and dry, 30 minutes.
6. COOL: Let cool completely and transfer to jar to store. 

Dry ingredients.

All ready to combine together.

Last minute idea to throw in my leftover coconut chips.

Spread out to an even thickness layer.

Mix them up a bit to release the heat once they are done baking.

Good chunky size!

Yogurt parfait.

Granola > Greek yogurt.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5

Banana flavor was mild. Good amount of sweetness. Lovely toasty-ness from the nuts.

Texture: 4.5 stars out of 5

Not as crispy as my last granola, but nothing a little longer bake time can't fix.

Honey Almond Cacao Nib Granola Bar [no bake]

Four days later and with about 3 bars left of my first homemade granola bar, I made them again. This time- Honey Almond Cacao Nib! These bars are customize-able in infinity ways to suit you. I love how they are packed with fiber and protein and kept me away from snacking on junks.

For the most part, these granola bar are healthy.. but what?!?!? 20-22g of sugar PER BAR?!?!?! They don't taste excessively sweet at all.

In order to stay healthy, the American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons, or about 25 grams, of added sugars per day for women, and nine teaspoons, or about 36 grams, for men.

I guess the high sugar content can be somewhat overlooked because these bars stopped my cravings for more sweets. I was satiated and sweetly contented. My goal is to eventually get to a bar that is around 8g of sugar. That way, I can eat more than 1 a day.. 

Granola Bar

recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

makes one 8x8 pan (about 12 bars)

Base:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, roasted

1 cup packed medjool dates, pitted (10 pieces)

1/4 cup honey

Variables:
18g coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup raw almond pieces, roasted

1/4 cup cacao nibs

1/4 cup coconut flakes, roasted

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Toast oats, almonds and coconut chips.

Chia seeds and cacao nibs.

Honey and cinnamon.

Pulse the pitted dates.

Sticky soft dough ball like.

Combine everything in a bowl.

Mix mix mix thoroughly.

For written step by step, click here.

LET's COMPARE.

Left: last time; Right: this time.

This is the same general recipe as last time EXCEPT

• 10 pieces of dates vs 13 pieces last time
• 1 cup is roughly 8-9 dates, but mine are on the small side
• honey in place of maple syrup
• 18g melted coconut oil in place of peanut butter
• almonds in place of pecans
• cacao nibs in place of pumpkin seeds
• extra 1/2tsp of cinnamon 

The number of dates is slightly decreased and peanut butter is omitted all together. This bought the sugar down from 22g to 20g per bar. The result of all the changes in the liquid portion made the bar a bit more crumbly and less sticky. I prefer this change.

Last time: gooey and sticky

This time: noticeably less sticky, held together nicely.

Next time,

• Decrease to 8 pieces of dates
• Omit honey and put back 1/4 cup nut butter
• Try a bake version for crunchy texture

Taste: 5 stars out of 5

Sweetness is just right to taste but would like to bring it down to 8g on the nutritional. 

Texture: 5 stars out of 5

Great balance of chewy and crunchy.

Peanut Butter Pecan Pumpkin Seed Granola Bar [no bake]

MY FIRST GRANOLA BAR.

& they are #momapproved.

Simple, no bake and packed with wholesome ingredients!

Eat them for breakfast, mid morning snack, afternoon snack, or anytime throughout the day when your snacking addiction kicks in. 

I must first confess that I was never a fan of granola bar.
(I am ok with the KIND bars.)

But, I better restate that now.. 

Homemade granola bars are THE BEST!

&Look at the two store bought granola bars and their ingredient list below..

Yes, homemade is the one and only way to go with granola bars.

Long ingredient list o_o

Peanut Butter Pecan Pumpkin Seeds Granola Bar

recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

makes one 8x8 pan (about 12 bars)

Base:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, roasted

1 cup packed medjool dates, pitted (~13 pieces)

1/4 cup maple syrup

Variables:
1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter
1/2 cup raw pecan pieces, roasted

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted 

1/4 cup coconut flakes, roasted

2 tbsp chia seeds

Drain the dates.

Maple syrup and peanut butter.

Mix mix mix.

Press press press.

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain and a dough- like ball forms.

*I pitted and chopped my dates, soaked them briefly in hot water and drained before processing.

**Next time, I would wash and drain them whole first.
2. Toast oats/nuts at 350F for 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Toss occasionally.

*I added the coconut flakes in for the last 5 minutes.
3. Place oats/nuts/seeds and dates in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Warm maple syrup and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.

5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.

7. Remove bars from pan and chop into bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge/freezer. 

This is a super versatile recipe, and there are limitless flavor and texture combinations to play with.

Here are some other things I already have in my pantry that i can't wait to add into my next granola bar:

• almonds (whole and sliced)
• cacao nibs
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• matcha powder
• applesauce
• bananas
• coconut oil
• white sesame seeds
• black sesame paste

I would also love baking them to see how that changes the texture. These no bake were on the moist side and were sticky to touch. 

Taste: 5 stars out of 5

Absolutely tasty and satisfying for the sweet tooth.

Texture: 5 stars out of 5

Good balance of crunchy and chewy.

Re-purpose the parchment paper that lined the pan to store these bars!

#nobakenovember