Mini Black Forest Cherry Cakes by Charlotte Stirling-Reed

To celebrate her children, Raffy and Ada’s birthdays, Charlotte Stirling-Reed, the Baby & Child Nutritionist has given us a top secret recipe from her new book ‘How To Feed Your Toddler’, which doesn’t hit shop shelves until the end of September. 

"This is one of my favourite recipes in my new book – ‘How To Feed Your Toddler’-  and always goes down a treat with my family; the chocolate and cherry combo is a firm winner. These cakes don't have a lot of sugar in them - just the jam, which is combined with the cherries, making them a really great option for a party or even as a snack.  If your little one isn’t a cherry fan, just swap out the cherries for other fruits like strawberries or raspberries."

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Makes 18 mini cakes

Ingredients:

• 200g frozen cherries, defrosted, plus a handful for decorating, finely chopped (reserve the cherry juice from the defrosted fruit for later)
• 2 tbsp cherry jam (or another fruit jam)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp boiling water
• 80g unsalted butter, at room temperature, or dairy-free spread
• 1 large free-range egg, beaten or 1 flaxseed egg
• 50g ground almonds
• 100g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking poder

To decorate:

• 100g creme fraiche or dairy-free alternative
• A few chunks of dark chocolate, grated

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200'C/180'C fan. Line a mini cupcake or muffin tin with 18 cases.
2. Add most of the cherries and jam to a food processor and blitz until blended to a puree.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water and stir until it forms a paste.
4. Add the butter or spread, egg and cocoa powder paste to the food processor and blitz until combined with the cherry puree. Then add the almonds, flour and baking powder and give it a pulse to mix together.
5. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through and fluffy looking. Use a skewer to check the middle - it should come out clean.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
7. Top with a teaspoon if creme fraiche, the reserved finely chopped cherries, a drizzle of the reserved finely chopped cherries, a drizzle of the reserved juice and a sprinkle of dark chocolate to finish. You can store these in the fridge and enjoy for up to 2 days.

For more healthy food ideas and recipes from Charlotte, visit www.srnutrition.co.uk