Friday, 15 July 2011

Champion the cherry this July and show your support for National Cherry Day

Some lovely recipes, courtesy of Splenda, to support British cherries for National Cherry Day tomorrow !

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The nation is encouraged to buy British cherries this 16th July to show its support for the indigenous fruit, that has undergone massive decline in recent years. With British shops favouring imported fresh fruit over local UK supplies, a staggering 90% of British Cherry orchards have been lost in the last 50 years. Without a doubt the home-grown cherry needs your support in 2011 to keep crops flourishing for many Great British summers to come.


The humble cherry has never been more tempting, as SPLENDA® has created a selection of mouth-watering treats, guaranteed to entice. But undoubtedly the real cherry on top, is that these sweet treats are made using SPLENDA® Low Calorie Sweetener - which contains just 10% of the calories of sugar, so no weight-related worries will get in the way of your campaigning this July.



Show your support for a good cause and tuck into incredible treats guilt-free - getting two bites of the cherry some may say!



Using SPLENDA® is a simple way to keep sweetness in your diet without feeling guilty about overindulging. SPLENDA® Granulated measures and sweetens spoon (5g) for spoon like sugar (5g) but has only 10% of the calories per spoon. By simply switching to SPLENDA® Granulated in one cup of tea a day can save almost 7000 calories in one year.



For more information, and cooking and baking tips - please visit http://www.splenda.co.uk/

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MOIST CHERRY CAKE

SERVES 8

Ingredients:

• 250g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 350g fresh cherries
• 8 tablespoons Splenda granulated sweetener
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 150g ground almonds
• 100g self-raising flour


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm loose-base cake tin or springform tin. Grease the paper. Halve and stone the cherries.

2. Using a hand-held electric whisk, whisk together the butter and all but 2 tablespoons of the sweetener until pale, creamy and very soft. Whisk in the egg yolks, almond extract, ground almonds, flour and 1 tablespoon warm water.

3. Whisk the egg whites in a thoroughly clean bowl until they form soft peaks, then whisk in the remaining sweetener. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold a quarter of the egg whites into the almond mixture. Gently fold in the remainder with half the cherries.

4. Turn the mixture into the tin and spread it out in an even layer. Scatter the remaining cherries on top. Bake for about 50 minutes until the cake is risen and firm to the touch. Test by piercing the centre of the cake with a skewer - it should come out fairly clean.

5. Leave to cool in the tin then transfer to a serving plate. The cake can be stored for a couple of days without drying out.

 
Per serving: 460kcal; 9g protein; 40g fat; 18g saturated fat; 17g carbohydrates; 7.3g sugar; 2.1g fibre; 0.09g sodium

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CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

SERVES 8

Ingredients:

• 1.25 kg frozen cherries
• 4 heaped tablespoons SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener
• 5 eggs
• 120g plain flour
• 600ml light single cream
• 200ml skimmed milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 knob of light margarine, for greasing

Method:

1. Defrost the cherries for 1 hour. Drain and pat them dry with a kitchen towel

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C (Gas Mark 3)

3. Beat the SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener and eggs in a bowl until pale. Add the flour, single cream and milk

4. Add the vanilla extract and mix everything together well

5. Grease the baking dish and place the cherries on the base of the dish

6. Pour the batter mixture over the cherries. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes

7. Remove from the oven and serve either lukewarm or cold



Per serving: 340kcal; 10.7g protein; 19g fat; 18g saturated fat; 10.4g carbohydrates; 33.2g sugar; 2.5g fibre; 0.2g sodium

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CHERRY, APRICOT AND CHOCOLATE CHIP FLAPJACKS

MAKES 16

Ingredients

• 175g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 175g golden syrup
• 4 tablespoons Splenda granulated sweetener
• 300g porridge oats
• pinch of salt
• 50g dried cherries, halved
• 75g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
• 40g white chocolate chips
• 40g dark or milk chocolate chips


Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line it with greaseproof paper - by leaving an overhang of paper, the flapjacks will be easier to remove later.

• Melt the butter with the golden syrup in a large saucepan over a gentle heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

• Mix together the sweetener, porridge oats, salt, cherries, apricots and chocolate chips. Add to the saucepan and stir together until thoroughly mixed. Tip into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon.

• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 30 minutes, then remove from the tin and cut into 16 squares. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Keep in an airtight container, or wrap in greaseproof paper.



Per serving: 229kcal; 4g protein; 12g fat; 6.8g saturated fat; 29g carbohydrates; 16.2g sugar; 2.4g fibre; 0.15g sodium

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