Spiced Snozzcumber Cake (gluten free and lacto/dairy free - or not!)

A seriously delicious and moist cake that no-one will guess the secret ingredient to!

OK, don't worry, you don't have to get hold of 'snozzcumbers' to make this - large courgettes or marrow will do the job! Why 'Snozzcumber Cake'? Well, it was World Book Day and I went to work dressed as the BFG (complete with big ears, cape, dream blower, a bottle of Frobscottle, and of course some 'snozzcumbers' - which were extremely large courgettes) and decided to make a cake from said snozzcumbers to take into work for the rest of the staff to enjoy.

If you like carrot cake, I think you'll love this, as I use similar spicing to that I use in my carrot cakes, but use pecan nuts instead of walnuts, and a maple flavoured cream cheese frosting to complement the flavours. As my daughter has to have a gluten free diet, it is gluten free - but you'd never know as it is so delicious and moist! If you're not on a gluten free diet, feel free to use normal plain flour instead. Either way it will be seriously delicious!

Makes a 9 inch square cake (so up to 16 portions depending on how you want to cut it!). 

Christmas Spiced Honey Roast Almonds (includes Thermomix instructions)

A delicious treat, perfect for serving up to guests with festive drinks, or packing up for Christmas gifts in pretty jars.

Beware, these are incredibly more-ish! And pretty easy to make too, so don't say I didn't warn you!

They do last a few weeks, but I don't think you'll be needing to worry about that - more about not eating them all in one sitting!

You can substitute your favourite nuts if you'd rather not use almonds, just keep an eye on them in the oven. Skin on almonds work particularly well, as the glaze adhers to the crinkly skin of the almond nicely.

Chocolate Pecan Fudge and Cocoa Dusted Truffles

Not quite what you might be expecting...

But if you've never tried anything like this, you may find yourself very pleasantly surprised!

No heating or cooking involved, just combining some raw and natural ingredients to give a delicious and rich result that can make a healthier adult alternative to traditional fudge or truffles, or a tasty treat for the kids! I'm a complete chocoholic, and I could (and may!) happily by-pass conventional chocolate for the cocoa dusted chocolate pecan truffles - I won't be buying any chocolate this week, that's for sure!! And these turned out so well, I can see me experimenting with a few different flavours too...

All you need to make them, is a decent food processor or blender and a tray or dish to put the mix in to chill. (I made mine in my beloved Thermomix and have included speed/timing instructions for Thermomix owners in brackets).