0 Tumbleberry and yogurt iced lollies

Need to cool down, these gorgeous summertime treats are a doddle to whip up and are much better for you than the icy treats you buy from the shop. Made with fresh berries, some sugar and a little yogurt they have just the right amount of fruity tang to creaminess ratio to deliver a very satisfying ice lolly.

For many months I have been searching for the perfect iced lolly mold, ideally my perfect one would be metal where you can use wooden sticks, just like the one I remember from the 1970's from the little corner shop that made vimto lollies in summer. So far I have managed to buy a plastic one where the plastic handles snapped one by one and then a supposedly metal one which turned out to be plastic with a steel finish (and yes I did complain to the manufacturer - who frankly wasn't very forthcoming). So the search continues......

To make tumbleberry and yogurt lollies you need

• 500ml mixed berries (can be frozen and defrosted)
• 200-250g sugar (varies depending on mix of fruit you use)
• 75ml of yogurt (I used a Greek yogurt)
• Icing sugar
• Ice lolly mold and sticks

To make the mixture

• Start by making a over sweetened compote, using the berries, the sugar and just a drop of water to get the juices going in the pan. Once the berries are softened and the sugar dissolved, switch off the heat. 
• Cool a little and then sieve to remove pips and seeds and any tough skins.
• Cool and then taste for sweetness, what you are trying to achieve is just a bit too sweet before freezing. If you need to add more sugar then use icing sugar as this dissolves without heating.
• Once you are happy with the level of sweetness, mix in the yogurt.
• Pour into molds and insert lolly sticks
• Freeze for at least 12 hours

Ta dah Tumble berry and yogurt iced lollies, on a hot sunny day you will be popular.

Detail: Tumbleberry and yogurt iced lollies

0 Banana and blueberry loaf

As regular readers will know I hate waste, so another variation on Banana loaf was required to use up a couple of spotty bananas from the fruit bowl. I always buy organic fairtrade bananas as they taste so much nicer and more intensely banana than the ordinary type, combined in this recipe with one of my favourite superfruits blueberry, the resultant loaf is very moreish. Its a another cup recipe and is very easy, just line your tin and mash your bananas, other than that its an all recipe.

Ingredients

• Plain flour - 2 cups
• 1tsp baking powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup soft butter or quality margarine ( I like to use butter as the flavour is better in this recipe)
• 1 cup caster sugar (you could use granulated)
• 2 eggs - free range
• Vanilla paste - 1 tsp ish
• 2 ripe bananas - mashed
• 1 cup of blueberries

You'll need a 2lb loaf tin, lined

Method

• Just place all ingredients (except for the blueberries) in a large bowl and beat until you have a smooth mixture, I use my Kitchenaid mixer !
• Then gently fold in the blueberries and pour into your prepared loaf tin
• Bake in a preheated oven at 170c for approx 50 minutes, until cooked when tested with a skewer
• Cool in the tin initially and then on a wire rack
• Keeps well in airtight tin and would also freeze as well

Detail: Banana and blueberry loaf

0 Almond, amaretto and blueberry torte

This bake is inspired by the great Jo Wheatley - winner of the Great British bake off in 2011, I love making her raspberry and almond torte as featured in her book and also on the daily mail website here, I suggest if you are interested in baking you buy a copy as it contains some great no nonsense family recipes.

My variation on a theme is to pimp the cake by adding booze, in this case amaretto (thats inspired by a book Flavour Thesaurus - but thats another post) and to use blueberries rather than raspberries, obviously blueberries when cooked are more moist so the resultant cake is  slightly different in texture than Jo's version,  but very delicious all the same.

Ingredients - these were my additions and substitutions to the original recipe

• 2 tbsp amaretto
• 1/2 punnet blueberries
  
                               

Jo is regularly on twitter and facebook and seems to be one of life's genuinely nice people despite what life throws at you, I tend to find most bakers are like that as when you bake you really are putting you heart and sole out there on a plate.

So buy her book , its fantastic . I purchased my copy and in respect for Jo, I am not publishing the recipe, just linking to where it is available in the publish domain.



Detail: Almond, amaretto and blueberry torte