I'm still here!

I feel very guilty for neglecting my blog this week, but I've been on a Weight Watchers leader training course which was extremely intense (although wildly enjoyable I must say!!).

The recipe for the blackcurrant and liquorice cakes I'm posting today is what I made for dessert last Shabbos - have to say I was pretty much making it up as I went along (well, adapting anyway...) so I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but they were a huge success and the liquorice flavour was the perfect touch. If you don't have liquorice tea you can still make the cakes, but I have to stress that it added a lot to the final taste!

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons sugar-free blackcurrant jam
3 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 cup plain flour
4 tablespoons ground almonds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup very strong liquorice tea (I use the Higher Living brand teabags)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
1/4 cup melted low fat spread
6 tablespoons splenda

Glaze: 3 tablespoons splenda mixed with 1 tablespoon berry juice (you could use drinking fruit juice for this, but I actually used the juice that appeared in the bowl with the berries I'd defrosted for my breakfast!).

Preheat the oven to 180'c and put 12 fairy cake cases in a baking tray.

Mix jam and boiling water till nicely blended. Mix flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda in a bowl. In a third bowl, beat the egg with the low fat spread and splenda until it thickens slightly. Stir in the jam, tea and dry ingredients, alternating between additions. Mix until full blended. Drop by the tablespoon into the fairy cake cases and bake for approximately 15 minutes (but check after 10). Once cooled, mix up the glaze and spread on each cake with a teaspoon.

Makes 12 little cakes of 2pp each. DISCLAIMER: The cakes were a horrid greyish colour when in raw state but they went a lovely rich brown when cooked so don't panic!