Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache

bmthsue

Full Member
Despite sticking to SW, I still have terrible urges to bake yummy goodies for the family as I find baking very therapeutic! Obviously most recipes are totally loaded with syns and I try to avoid eating the results and give the cakes away as pressies etc (yes, I'm becoming a feeder!). I've just found a book online by Harry Eastwood (she was on How to Cook Yourself Thin on Ch4) and she replaces ingredients with veg. I'm guessing the syn value of these cakes etc will be much reduced (I'm not expecting them to be syn free) compared to a normal recipe, but before I buy the book I just wondered if anyone had tried any of her recipes and if they work. I seem to recall that on the Ch4 programme she made a choc fudge cake using beetroot. Sounds mad but if it works......!
Thanks!
Sue x
 
Oh God- if you learn how to make red velvet cupcakes that are low syn, can you feed me, please? Had them in New York last year and it would be worth travelling there again, just for them

There is a cook yourself thin website with recipes- you may want to have a go at synning some before buying the book

Welcome to Cook Yourself Thin
 
I have this book and cook from it weekly (we have a 'cake of the week' thing going :eek:)

The cakes all certainly work, I have tried 6? ish now (one a week since christmas), however the syns are very variable. There is no butter in the cakes, but she uses rice flour and a lot of ground nuts - both of which can be very high syn if used in quantity. One cupcake was 3 syns each (lowest I found), another was 9syns - neither iced. Her icings are lovely, but high syn.

All in all, not necessarily low syn, but they are all gluten free and the vegetables are an added bonus. Do not make the mistake of thinking of them as fat free - the nuts take care of that :(

PS the choc / beetroot was good, the choc / butternut squash was better... personally I am fond of peach poppyseed / BNS, but at 9 syns a muffin, they come high up the treat list :D
 
I've got it too, and can report many of the same findings as Angie! It's a very pretty book indeed, and it's nice to try different baking stuff.
They are most definitely NOT low syn in the slightest. But they taste lovely and some unusual combinations really work.

I've made the beetroot red velvet cake (nice, perhaps a bit heavy. Huge syns), courgette vanilla cupcakes (cute and light), Christmas cupcakes (like a fruity carrot cake - really lovely) and the scones (a big hit).

I have tried several times to make the snow meringue icing but I can't ever get it quite right!

It's a fun book to bake from though, despite the syns! Have fun :)
 
I have it too (on Hellie's recommendation!!) and I have only baked the mini cupcakes so far. They work out at 2.5syns each (50 cals), all cal content is listed in the back of the books. I do not take out the veg cals as a free food allowance! I do ice them though, although I agree that the icing is an indulgence, it is a lovely one :)

It's a lovely book to read too.
 
My Sister has had this book for ages and finally made her first cupcakes from there today. BUT I think she has picked the highest syn recipe in the whole thing, lol! She has left me one to try (Strawberries and cream cupcakes) but I just had a look at the calories and it works out to 15.5 syns for just the one cake :eek: Obviously that includes the strawberry on top and the courgette in the actual cake, but they can't make much difference syn wise. And I doubt that the low sugar jam she used would effect it much either. I was dying to try one, but really don't think I want to part with so many syns :eek:

I'm very excited about this book and would love to have a go at most of the recipes. But, the syns :cry:
 
This sounds like such a fun book! And I can so sympathise with you--I too have become a feeder! Luckily (or unluckily, I'm not that sure for me, S really doesn't have a sweet tooth and so I'd only really be making them for the girls and as they're children...well you know, I'd only eat the flippin' cakes before they get to them :8855: But when I have a good excuse, I make cupcakes for whoever else I can. I made an amazing batch of Black Forest Cupcakes at the end of the semester for my creative nonfiction class, they went down a storm :D --complete with cherry and cream cheese filling, and a chocolate frosting topped with more cherries and fresh cream. I didn't even dare to syn them, just gave them all away :8855:
 
Some of the (muffin size) cupcakes, or slices of 'big' layer cakes come in around 7syns a piece - I think these are very reasonable. I sometimes change or not bother with the icing, but the toppings aren't hard to adapt :)

edit: just realised that I had already posted to this thread - apologies. However, as an update, I am still baking once a week from this book (now mid May) so my NYR is still going strong :)
 
Some of the (muffin size) cupcakes, or slices of 'big' layer cakes come in around 7syns a piece - I think these are very reasonable. I sometimes change or not bother with the icing, but the toppings aren't hard to adapt :)

edit: just realised that I had already posted to this thread - apologies. However, as an update, I am still baking once a week from this book (now mid May) so my NYR is still going strong :)

Do you just work the syn value out using the 20 cals per syn 'rule'? Using the info at the back of the book? I couldn't not make the icing, lol!
 
No, I calculate the syns in each ingredient, add them together so obtaining a syn value for the batch, then divide by the portions - means I can adjust the ingredients / icings and still get accurate syns.
 
I've just been looking at this book on amazon and it looks fab! I love making cakes with grated vegetables, so I'm considering getting it. But before I do, just wondered if anyone else has any thoughts on it (great to read those already posted!) :)

Thanks!
 
Does anyone know the syns for the heartache chocolate cake (made with aubergines!), its the recipe thats on the amazon preview so I might have a go at making it :)

Thanks!
 
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