Recipe For Success: Author Susan Jane White Shares Her Recipe for Sticky Cinnamon and Prune Cakes

One thing that we’ve noticed over the years is that food plays such an important role our in lives and not just for fuel but for entertaining and providing us with fond memories too.

We’ve chatted to some of Ireland’s well-known faces to discover their favourite dishes and meals, be it from their childhood or simply something they like to rustle up at home.

Susan Jane White is a nutritional cook and the author of The Extra Virgin Cookbook. Her book is a number one bestseller and features recipes for sugar-free, dairy-free and wheat-free eating. Here she shares her favourite recipe for sticky cinnamon and prune cakes.

“I make these twice a week to stop me eating biscuits or Tayto!” says Susan Jane.

Sticky Cinnamon and Prune Cakes

Unless you were born before 1945, a prune cupcake sounds as appealing as a jug of turnip juice. But balk not. My friend the prune has more antioxidants than a blueberry. Prunes are a lot cheaper too. Add to this the nutritional superpowers of flaxseed, apples, bananas, pecans, olive oil, carrots, cinnamon and rye, and you’ve got yourself a love bomb. Just what your body needs to survive a morning in the office.

Makes 9-12 muffins:

• 8 squishy prunes, destoned and chopped
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts
• 6 tablespoons freshly pressed apple juice
• 4 tablespoons honey, barley malt extract or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons milled flaxseed (linseed)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 1/4 cups rye flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. Line a muffin tray with 9-12 paper cases.
2. In a large bowl, mix the prunes, banana, pecans, apple juice, sweetener, flaxseed and oil together. Stir through the grated carrots and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, introduce the rye flour to the baking powder and cinnamon. Make sure the baking powder doesn’t stick in one place. Make a well in the centre of the flour and scoop the wet prune mixture into it. Mix thoroughly. I always find singing loudly helps. Spoon into your prepared muffin tray, but don’t fill them too high or they won’t cook in the centre.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes (or half that time if using a smaller fairy cake tray). Remove from the oven and watch hungry nostrils dance.
5. These muffins benefit from cooling down for 20 minutes to solidify and rest. Very difficult to resist looting, so remove self from kitchen and find distraction elsewhere.