Recipes

Recipe List

Sue's date flapjack

Tim's banana trail cake

Phil's flapjack

Anne's molasses muesli bar

Anne's mincemeat recipe

Anne's carrot cake

Sue's date flapjack

This has been voted one of the best cycling snacks, well it has by me!

Recipe for Sue's Date Flapjack

6oz block margarine
3oz plain flour
1 desert spoon syrup
¼ tsp bicarb
6oz sugar
½ tsp vanilla
4oz rolled oats
6oz chopped dates
3 oz coconut
3 tbsp natural orange juice (ordinary carton juice isOK)

Heat dates gently with juice and bicarb to soften. In large pan melt margarine + syrup. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, put half the mixture into a greased tin 10” x 6” and press down. Then spread the date mixture over this and top with the remaining mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes. Gas mark 4 -180⁰C

Best eaten whilst enjoying the view at the top of a long climb -

Enjoy! 

Tim's banana trail cake

You are welcome to try this very easy recipe for great trail food which contains NO sugar:

Ingredients:
450g (1lb) ripe bananas, mashed
50g (2oz) chopped nuts
100ml (4fl oz) sunflower (or Olive) oil
100g (4oz) raisins/sultanas
75g(3oz) rolled oats
150g (5oz) wholewheat flour
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) almond essence
pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. This should be a soft, moist consistency. Spoon in to a loaf tin with a liner, or a non-stick loaf tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes before turning out on to a wire tray.
3. For a 10" bread tin, I increase all ingredient quantities by 50%
4. Chopped apple can also be added for variety. I use 1/3rd apple and 2/3rds banana

Tim

Phil's flapjack 

175g light brown sugar
150g butter
3-4 tablespoons of syrup (more if you like it softer)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g plain flour
200g porridge oats

I chopped some dates and added them as an optional extra.
(I have tried this recipe with some chocolate chips, they melt but still tasty -Neil)

Heat oven to 180c or 160c fan.  Gas 4
Melt the sugar, butter, syrup and bicarb in pan.

Add flour oats and spread into a brownie tin and bake for 20-30mins until golden.

Cut into 12 pieces.

Nutrition:
per serving 279 Kcals, protein 4.5g, carbs 41.4g, fat 11.6g, sat fat 6.8g, Fibre 2.3g, salt 0.52

Very tasty, I think better than Wilfs!!


Enjoy

Anne's Molasses Muesli bar 

This is a great cycling snack and does not require any cooking.  Just a cold-press of lots of yummy and energy-giving ingredients.  No sugar either.  Makes about 500g.

1 cup (200g) dates (or prunes or apricots, or a mixture of all 3)

1/4 cup (84g or ~2 heaped tblspoons) peanut butter

1/4 cup (84 g or ~2 heaped tblspoons) molasses (or honey)

1 cup chopped nuts

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (or muesli or a mixture of both)

optional additions:  toasted sunflower seeds, coconut, more dried fruit)

Process the dates/prunes/apricots in a food processor for about 1 minute until the mixture  rolls together into a ball like dough.

(Optionally) toast the oats/muesli and chopped nuts in a hot dry frying pan or the oven for 5-10 minutes (but don't burn it!).

Place oats/muesli, nuts and date mixture into a large mixing bowl.

Warm the peanut butter and molasses/honey in a pan on low heat (or m'wave gently on low power) until it becomes runny and mixes together easily.

Add to the mixing bowl with any other ingredients.

Mix it all together very well.

Transfer to a baking dish (20cm/8" square) lined with grease-proof paper.  Press down firmly until flattened.  Cover and put in the fridge for a few hours.  Then cut into bars.  Freezes well.

Anne's Mincemeat recipe

This is based on a Delia recipe and makes about 3lb of mincemeat.  It contains apple which may ferment if kept a long time but this is prevented if you gently cook the mincemeat before storage so that the suet coats all the ingredients and seals in the juices.  That stage is optional if you are going to use the mincemeat in a few weeks and keep it in the fridge in the meantime.

250g Bramley apple - cored and chopped or grated with skin left on

125g (half packet) vegetable suet

600g dried fruit, eg. 200g raisins, 200g currants, 200g chopped prunes/apricots/cranberries/sultanas

100g dark brown sugar (optional)

1 large orange - zest and juice

1 lemon - zest and juice

50g chopped nuts or ground almonds (optional)

2 heaped tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 tbsp brandy (added after cooking and cooling, if doing that stage)

Add everything together in a large bowl and stir to mix it all very thoroughly.  Cover and keep overnight in a cool place to allow all the flavours to mingle. If cooking, cover with foil and place in a cool oven (120C / Gas 1/4) for 3 hours.  it will come out swimming in fat but don't worry because it will coagulate and coat all the ingredients as it cools.  Stir occasionally while it cools.  When completely cold, stir in the brandy and pack into sterilised jars.  Store in cool dark place.  Keeps for a year.

Anne's Carrot Cake

This is based on a James Martin recipe but with variations.  It does not contain sugar but is sweet enough with the combination of dried fruit.  You can vary the composition of fruit and nuts as you like.  I use a 23cm/9" flexible, shallow cake tin and cut the cake into about 15 pieces before freezing it.   I don't bother with icing and all that nonsense!  It is tasty enough without it and makes excellent cycling fuel.

200g carrots, peeled and grated

2 large eggs

150ml olive or veg oil

200g wholemeal s/r flour (I use 50g wholemeal or rye and 150g white s/r flour)

1tbsp ground mixed spice (I tend to add 1/2 tsp of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves as well because I like the spices)

1 tsp bicarb soda

80g chopped nuts (eg. pecans/walnuts/cashews or a mixture)

grated zest of a lemon and all its juice

150g dried fruit (I use about 50g apricots and prunes, chopped up; 100g raisins and currants)

Heat oven to 190C/325F.  Prepare cake tin if it needs greasing.

Using a hand whisk or blender, whisk eggs and oil together for 3-4 mins until smooth and frothy. Sift in the flour, spices and bicarb soda and tip in any bits left in sieve.  Fold together gently then add in remaining ingredients (carrots, lemon juice and zest, dried fruit and nuts).  Mix together.

Transfer into cake tin and spread evenly.  Bake in centre of oven for 35-40mins until firm and springy to the touch and skewer comes out cleanly.  Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.