Drop scones (scotch pancakes)

These are like scotch pancakes; yummy! DD enjoyed them stacked up with lemon juice and agave syrup, while DH liked them spread with chocolate icing. I always thought it was women who were chocoholics; but not in this house it would seem...

Drop Scones

Ingredients

• 8oz plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp fructose
• 2 small eggs
• around 1/4 pint milk

Method

• Mix all the dry ingredients together
• Beat in the 2 eggs and enough milk to make a smooth batter
• Drop tablespoons of the mix onto a hot frying pan
• When bubbles appear on the one side, flip them over and cook the other side

We decided these would benefit from some lemon rind and raisins too and they were really nice served warm with butter and strawberry jam.

This is what they look like just before you flip them over:

Sugar free Lemon fairy cakes with chocolate icing

As something a bit lighter to fudgy chocolate Birthday cake last week, I also made lemon fairy cakes and experimented with some icing. I've found it quite hard to make icing in the past without sugar in it.

I think it's safe to say I have surpassed myself this time as DH asked me four times whether I had written this down and could replicate it in the future! He seemed quite sad when he licked the final offering from the bowl!. It doesn't look the prettiest thing in the world, but then neither does anything once it hits your stomach ;)

Lemon fairy cakes with chocolate icing

Ingredients

• 150g butter
• 100g fructose
• 2 large eggs
• 150g plain flour
• 72g rice or cornflour
• 17g baking powder
• grated rind of 2 lemons
• enough milk to make a dropping consistency
• For the icing: 100g soft butter
• 100g set honey
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 200g cream cheese

Method

• Cream the butter and fructose
• Add the eggs and beat well
• Add the flours, baking powder, lemon rind and mix well
• Add enough milk to make a dropping consistency
• Divide the mix into fairy cake cases - makes about 20
• Bake at 180 for 12 minutes (in my fan oven)
• Cool on a rack
• To make the icing: beat all the ingredients together and spread on the cakes

The icing can seem quite runny, but it gradually dries out and becomes firmer. If it's a hot day, put the icing in the 'fridge for a while before attempting to spread on the cakes otherwise it's more like a sauce!

Sugar free chocolate fudge cake recipe

There's been a Birthday girl in the house his week! And she requested chocolate Birthday cake. This couldn't be simpler really; it's just a Victoria sponge with cocoa powder and I made the icing from Holex sugar free chocolate as follows:
Ingredients

• For the cake: 6oz soft butter
• 4 1/2 oz fructose
• 3 beaten eggs
• 6 oz Self Raising flour
• 1 oz cocoa powder
• For the icing: 100gm bar sugar free chocolate
• 100mls double cream
• 2oz butter (optional)
  

Method

• Cream together the fructose and butter until creamy
• Whisk in the beaten eggs until you have a batter-type consistency
• Stir in the flour and cocoa powder and mix well
  
• Put into two round greased tins and bake for 22 minutes (that's in my fan oven) until risen
• Remove from oven, leave to cool for a while and turn onto a cooling rack
• Once the cake is cold make the icing:
• In a bain marie (a bowl over a pan of simmering water to me and you) melt the bar of sugar free chocolate (I find Plamil sugar free is the most successful, but didn't have any in the house so used Holex) with the double cream and add butter to stabilise it if you're worried the chocolate will separate.
• The secret is to let is SLOWLY melt; keep it over a gentle heat and be patient!
• Spread between the layers and over the top
• Make it a day or two in advance and by the time you eat it, it will be deliciously rich and fudgy.