Chocolate Orange Star Cake

I made this pretty star cake for a special little lady's birthday party and everyone - kids and adults - loved it. Even the crumbs stuck to the knife were gone;) Sadly, even though it was made from two cakes, it wasn't enough to honour all the requests for second servings.

For a winner party cake I almost always go for my favourite combination of chocolate and orange. I've made this recipe several times before and it never failed to impress.

Crunchy Banana Chocolate Bites (no added sugar)

Crunchy ~ Nutty ~ Fruity ~ Simple ~ Decadent ~ Addictive ~ Satisfying

These treats are insanely delicious - you wouldn't expect that from a combination of such simple ingredients, but these bites are the real deal. They were a mega hit at a dinner gathering I made them for. Kids loved them too!

If you're a crunch or chocolate addict, you can have as many of these bites as you want - there is no added sugar here, no nasty fats either.

Purple Cabbage Wraps (Cabbage Cheela)

It's been a lot of fun experimenting with new colours for these gluten-free wraps lately. I wasn't sure whether using purple cabbage would turn them purple or blue. My aim was for blue, so I went ahead and tried.

Purple (or better known red) cabbage can turn blue when cooked, but there is also a way to preserve its beautiful purple colour. Funny enough, I learnt that after making the wraps, via Wikipedia and a post revealing the science behind making an all natural red velvet cake using beets. The secret is the acidity. When the pH of the batter is more acidic, the colour doesn't change.

Somali Ambabur (Cambaabur)

Ambabur is another gem from Africa's well-preserved culinary treasure. A spiced version of the Anjero, these Somali fermented crêpes (or pancakes) are nothing short of sensational. They are incredibly aromatic, light, soft and spongy, perfect with curries or stews.

This was the first time I'd ever used fennel seeds in cooking. I was so excited with how the batter smelled, I just couldn't stop myself sniffing it. The intoxicating aroma of the cooked ambabur is the result of mixing fennel, cumin and nigella seeds with turmeric, garlic and onion, and a two-hour fermentation time.

Palak Cheela (Instant Palak Dosa, Spinach Wraps)

After enjoying the yellow Carrot Wraps and the crimson Beet Wraps, the third successful colour and flavour experiment was the green spinach wraps. I had my worries that the spinach taste would be too strong, but I was wrong. The taste is mild and wonderfully balanced by the other ingredients.

I made these the same day I made the beet wraps, different batters, same cooking method. I wanted to use fresh spinach, but my blender wouldn't have turned it into the smooth paste I needed, so I opted instead for a quick steaming. I will detail below how I prepared the batter, for the cooking method please see my previous post for beet wraps. The important thing to keep in mind is to use medium-low heat in order to prevent browning and to keep the wraps moist and pliable.