Fruity Chocolate Florentines

After a break from posting recipes,   I'm back with a little treat for you just in time for Christmas.   These fruity chocolate florentines are amazingly quick and easy to make and are particularly good served chilled from the fridge - or even straight out of the freezer!  

Florentines are traditionally full of sugar and cream so, in my recipe, I've reduced the sugar, cut out all the dairy products and added maple syrup, dairy-free dark chocolate and plenty of naturally sweet fruits and nuts.   As it's Christmas, I've added dried cranberries and some naturally red glace cherries but you can use any combination you like!

  

Ingredients          Makes about 15

55g dairy free margarine

27g light brown muscovado sugar

1 tbsp natural maple syrup

140g mixed dried fruits, cranberries, glace cherries, mixed peel

40g mixed nuts e.g. almonds, brazil nuts, pecan

25g plain white flour

100g dairy free dark chocolate

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas Mark 3

Prepare two baking trays by greasing with a little margarine or use non-stick baking liners. 

Start by placing the margarine, sugar and maple syrup in a saucepan and melting them over a low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.   Remove the pan from the heat. 

Roughly chop the dried fruit and nuts, then add them to the pan with the flour.  Stir well.  

Drop small spoonfuls of the florentine mixture onto the baking sheets allowing plenty of space between them.  They do spread out during baking so, if you don't leave enough room, you'll have one very large florentine instead of about 15 smaller ones!  

Place in the oven and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes until they are golden brown.

Leave for about 3 minutes to harden slightly before loosening carefully with a knife or spatula. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  

If your florentines have merged together whilst baking, they can still be rescued!  As soon as you take them out of the oven, separate them carefully with a knife or scissors and ease them into a circular shape. 

Break up the chocolate into pieces and place in a small bowl.  Microwave until completely melted, stirring frequently to avoid overcooking.

  

(Alternatively, place the bowl over a small pan filled with a couple of inches of just boiled water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water) 

When the chocolate is glossy and smooth, spread a thin layer over the back (i.e. flat side) of each florentine, using a knife or pastry brush.  If you like, you can make a zigzag pattern using a fork whilst the chocolate is setting.

  Have  a wonderful festive season and see you in the New Year!

Dairyfree Fruit and Ginger Chocolates

Finding dairyfree chocolate in the shops is relatively easy.  There are plenty of dark chocolate bars around that contain no dairy (just check the ingredients on the wrapper) but finding a box of chocolates is another matter.   Whilst there is more choice available online these days, they can often be expensive so I generally do what I've always done and make my own!

I've made all sorts of homemade chocolates over the years but these are probably the ones I've made most often!  Full of lovely dried fruit and stem ginger that has been steeped in brandy, they are truly luscious and make an extra special gift at Christmas or any time of year.

Any dark chocolate bar will do as long as it's dairyfree and the same goes for the digestives.  This recipe makes a lot so don't be put off by the quantities.  You could easily make three boxes like the one above from this list of ingredients.  

Ingredients

150g ready to eat dried apricots

150g ready to eat prunes

3 large balls of stem ginger

2 tbsp syrup from jar of stem ginger

125ml brandy

175g digestive biscuits (dairyfree)

275g dark chocolate (dairyfree)

110g dairyfree margarine (Pure)

Method

Chop up the apricots and prunes (or snip into pieces with a pair of scissors) and place in a large saucepan.  Chop the stem ginger finely and add to the pan with 2 tbsp of syrup from the jar and the brandy.

Place over a medium heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring every now and then.  Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to stand for about 30 minutes to allow the fruit to soak up the brandy syrup.

Line an oblong baking tin (approx 25cm x 18m x 3cm) with cling film.

Place the biscuits in a large plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.

Break up the chocolate into pieces and put in a large bowl with the dairyfree margarine.    Place the bowl over a pan filled with a couple of inches of just boiled water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water.   Stir over a very low heat until the margarine and chocolate have melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Add the biscuit crumbs and soaked fruit to the bowl of melted chocolate and mix well together.    Spoon into the tin, pressing the mixture into the corners and tapping the tin to allow the mixture to settle. 

Level the surface neatly with a knife.   

Leave to cool, then cover with clingfilm and chill for at least six hours or overnight.

Turn the mixture out onto a clean chopping board and remove the clingfilm.  Cut into squares.

  
If you like, place in petit four cases and present them in a small box, covered with cling film.

 

Store in the fridge until needed. They'll keep for several weeks ....  if they last that long!  

Chocolate Pear Cake

Here's a lovely dairy-free and egg-free dessert that I've been making regularly for at least fifteen years but it's still a favourite in our house!

Because I'm more conscious of my sugar intake these days, I don't eat a lot of puddings, especially not straight after a main course.  However, I do love a good dessert especially when we have friends round for a meal. Having a whole evening to savour each other's company as well as the food is a real joy so I never rush to clear away the plates and dishes after each course!  Usually everyone's happily chatting away and anyway, it gives us time to let the food digest and make room for what's to come!

This Chocolate Pear Cake takes very little effort to make. In fact the only difficult part is remembering to buy your pears the week before so they're not rock hard!  Any variety of pears will do, such as conference or rocha.  It looks really impressive and tastes delicious too, especially served with a spoonful of Swedish Glace non-dairy vanilla or chocolate icecream.  

It can be made well in advance and kept in the fridge for a few days.   


Ingredients               Serves 6

Topping:

25g dairy free margarine (e.g. Pure)
25g light brown raw cane sugar
3 or 4 pears 
1 heaped tbsp roasted chopped hazelnuts

Cake:
75g dairy free margarine
85g unrefined golden castor sugar
100g self-raising flour
25g cocoa (e.g.Green & Black's)
half tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp soya milk

Method

First grease and line an 8" sandwich tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.  

Then make the topping by melting the margarine and sugar together in a bowl in the microwave or alternatively in a small pan. 

Mix with a wooden spoon until blended then spread over the base of your lined tin.

Peel and quarter the pears. Cut each quarter lengthways into three.  Then arrange them neatly in a wheel design around the edge of the tin, overlapping the pieces. 

Spoon most of the chopped nuts into the centre. 

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4

Whisk the margarine and sugar together for about a minute until light and creamy. 

Sieve the flour and cocoa together and gradually add to the mix, blending well until the ingredients are incorporated but don't overmix. Finally add the coffee and enough milk to make a fairly stiff cake mix.

Now transfer the cake mixture to the tin.  To avoid disrupting the pears, spoon the mixture a little at a time until most of the pears are covered.  

Then with a knife or your fingers, gently press the cake mixture down and carefully level the top.

Bake for 30 minutes until the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin.   Leave to cool in the tin on a cooling rack.  

When it's cold, cover and place in the fridge.  

When you're ready to serve,  take a knife and run it around the edge of the tin.  Then place your serving plate on top and carefully tip it over so the cake drops out.  If it doesn't come out straight away, hold the cake tin and the plate firmly together in your hands and give it a gentle shake.

Remove the parchment paper and add a few extra chopped nuts in the centre.