Vegan rich chocolate cupcakes

These are such an easy and quick vegan treat, we’ve been making them in my house whenever there is anything to celebrate… a birthday, starting nursery again, a Tuesday.. you know!

Ingredients

150ml Almond milk

125g gluten free flour of your choice

100g Coconut sugar

75g dairy free butter

4 tbsp cacao powder

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract or powder

Chocolate avocado icing

1 large ripe avocado

1-2 tbsp maple syrup or your liquid sweetener of choice

25g cacao powder

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. I used silicone cupcake moulds, or you can use paper cupcake cups in a cupcake tray.

Mix the lemon juice with the milk and leave for a few minutes to sour.

Then in a large mixing bowl fold your room temperature butter into your coconut sugar until well combined. Add the vanilla extract, and the milk mixture and stir well.

Add in your dry ingredients - the flour, cacao and baking powder. Mix together well.

Spoon your mixture into 12 cupcake moulds, and bake for 15 minutes. check they are cooked through by inserting a tooth pick or thin knife into the middle of the cakes - this should come out clean.

Cool on a wire rack. Decorate with chocolate avocado mousse icing.

Blueberry + Coconut Granola Breakfast Tarts

If like me you’ve been feeling a little bored of your usual porridge breakfasts lately, and those same old oats just aren’t cutting it then you might want to give these a try. Maybe just for a Sunday indulgence, or a special someone’s birthday breakfast that needs some extra love and attention - give these delicious granola breakfast tarts a whizz (literally).

Recipe - makes 2

Granola Crust

1/2 cup - almonds

1/3 cup - oats

1/4 cup - pumpkin seeds

1.5 tbsp - maple syrup

pinch - cinnamon

pinch - salt

Blueberry Coconut Filling

3/4 cup - blueberries

1/4 cup - water

1/2 cup - coconut cream

2 tbsp - maple syrup

1/2 tsp - agar agar

pinch - cinnamon

Extra coconut cream and berries for decoration

Method

Firstly add a strip of baking paper to the bottom of 2 small tart tins to make sure you can pop the tarts out easily once set. For the crust add almonds and pumpkin seeds to a food processor and pulse until roughly broken up. Add rest of dry ingredients and pulse until well mixed, leaving ingredients still chunky, then add the maple syrup and pulse again to bind it together. Once the mix is sticking together well, press into your tart tins to create your granola crusts.

For the filling add blueberries and water to a small saucepan, heat gently for a few minutes and roughly crush berries with a fork helping to release their natural colour and flavouring. Place berries and water into your clean food processor and blitz for a minute until well blended. Pour and press the mixture through a fine sieve to take out any pulp.

Place berry puree, coconut cream, maple syrup and cinnamon into your small saucepan and heat gently until warm through, finally add the agar agar powder and stir in until totally dissolved - bring to the boil then take pan off the heat.

Pour over granola crusts and place into the fridge for 1-2 hours or until set. Decorate with piped coconut cream + berries and serve. I loved having these for a breakfast treat, but lets face it these could be enjoyed at any time of the day!

Beetroot Banana Bliss Balls

These pinky beauties are a delicious take on the bliss ball, energy ball, miracle ball, whatever you like to call them. I designed these for my busy days running around after my baby when I just don’t give myself a second to eat. Banana is my all time fave snack, and I love the earthy flavour of beetroot, so I wanted to incorporate them into a simple but filling energy fix. These aren’t too sweet, they’re just the right amount of earthy + nutty with a light hint of banana.

Ball Recipe

3/4 small banana

1 cup - almonds

3/4 cup - oats

1/2 cup - dates

1 tsp - beetroot powder (my fave brand)

Dusting (optional)

Beetroot powder - 2 tsp (my fave brand)

Coconut sugar - 2 tbsp

Blend all ingredients for the ball in a food processor, if you prefer a fine texture then blend oats first into a finer flour-like consistency, then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined. I left mine a little more coarse by blending all ingredients at the same time. The banana will stick everything together nicely, so scrape down the sides a few times to make sure everything blends well.

Roll into balls between the palms of your hands, deciding how large you’d like to roll yours (how hangry do you tend to get in the day? I made mine large..)

To make coating, blend coconut sugar and beetroot powder together in your food processor and roll balls until covered.

Refrigerate until slightly firm. Makes 6 x large, or 10 x small.

Raw Hot Cross Buns

We created our raw take on the Spring time, Easter classic - the one and only hot cross bun. With its spicy cinnamon flavours with delicious currents, we wanted to recreate the childhood classic with a more health-orientated edge.

Find the recipe in our book Raw Cake here!

Sweet Heart Truffles

One for all you lovers on Valentine's Day. Sweeten up your loved ones (read as : you) with these delicious raspberry chocolate babes. 

Sweet Heart Truffles

Raspberry Cream

2 – 2.5 cups raspberries

2 cups cashews – soaked in warm water 20 mins

½ cup coconut oil – melted

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup coconut milk

Chocolate Sauce

¾ cup Cacao

¾ cup Coconut oil - melted

½ cup Maple syrup or other liquid sweetener such as coconut nectar or rice malt syrup

(We've linked to all the brands that we like to use. We like to use cuisine coconut oil as it is odourless and doesn't take over the taste of the recipe.)

Method

Blend all ingredients together for the raspberry cream in a high-powered blender or food-processor. Depending on how sweet your raspberries are, add in enough to create a lovely full flavour. Blend until smooth.

Spoon mixture into heart shaped moulds (or whichever you have) and place in the freezer. If there is mixture left over, leave in the freezer until firm and use a spoon or melon baller to make into balls and place into the freezer.

In a clean blender or food-processor, place all the ingredients for the chocolate sauce. Pulse or mix gently as this doesn’t need to be mixed for long until it becomes smooth and ready to pour. If overmixed it will become lumpy – if this occurs, add a little warm water and blend until smooth.

When your raspberry hearts are frozen, dip into the chocolate sauce and place on a wire rack to let all the excess drip off. If you like you can use sprinkles to decorate the tops of the truffles, such as fruit powders, chipped nuts, cacao nibs or desiccated coconut.

Place in the fridge to set.

2018, the year of the GOOD PUD

GOOD PUD now available at Planet Organic, Selfridges and Melrose and Morgan.
 
It’s been an exciting start to 2018 for us as we launched our second retail line into Whole Foods Market exlclusively. Both founders Daisy and Leah have been carrying out in-store sampling sessions personally, its been so great to meet you guys and get to witness sold out product lines first hand.

The take away? You guys really do love yourselves some Good Pud!

Keep sharing your Good Pud shots, it really makes our day to know that you love them as much as we do!

Introducing... GOOD PUD

Three delicious, natural, exciting puddings, new from us, the girls at The Hardihood. Like all of the products in our range Good Puds are vegan and free from refined sugar, gluten and dairy, but not taste and (ahem*) good looks.

Inspired by your favourite flavour combinations, we asked 100 people about their best-loved desserts and used their answers to create three innovative yet deliciously familiar formulations. Introducing the Caramel Biscuit Sundae, Chocolate Fudge Pie and Raspberry Blueberry Pudding, made from nuts, real fruit, coconut, dates and brown rice syrup.

We create delicious desserts for those wanting to feel good whilst enjoying the sweeter things in life.

Available exclusively at Whole Foods!

We like, we like to party

We create bespoke menus with customisable cakes in all flavours and sizes. Whether you’re looking to sweeten up your soiree, board meeting or boss… we’ve got you covered. Our free-from, vegan, desserts make catering for everyone’s dietary nuances a doddle. Described as “the future of fashionable dining” by Vogue and “London’s best alternative cake” by The Evening Standard, know that if you’re ordering from us you’re getting the trusted "looks good, tastes good, feels good" guarantee.

Guilt free, conversation starters that look great on the gram… what more are you looking for? 

Check out our shop for inspiration or get in touch for something bespoke : cake@thehardihood.com

Strawberry Flaxseed Smoothie

The art to having strong smoothie game? Keep on changing it up.

This beauty came about upon fancying something familiar and sweet. It includes an old favourite, flaxseed which is a wonderful antioxidant seed that works wonders for our hair and skin. Plus is filled to the brim of some essential nutrients such as omega-3, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium and is a good source of fibre, and helps ease inflammation in the gut.

We love collagen on many levels, but mainly for vitality and vanity. If taken regularly its said to boost energy, heal a leaky gut, make skin younger and plumper, strengthen nails and hair and... the piece de resistance? Reduce the appearance of cellulite - can we get an "Amen!" It's also said to get rid of those pesky winter dry skin patches too. Basically best ever natural beauty supplement.

D3 is a must all year round, but especially during these winter months when sunshine levels are at a low. It reduces depression and fights disease, supporting your immune system to keep you and your bones in tip top condition.

Smoothie For Two

Ingredients

3 cups hazelnut milk (or you can use almond or cashew milk)

6-8 frozen strawberries

1 small banana

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tsp collagen ( not vegan) - love this as it also includes hyaluronic acid + vit c

1/2 tsp liquid D3

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Blend all ingredients together on high until smooth, pour and enjoy.

Beautiful Bundles of Raw Cake

We founded The Hardihood on an inkling in 2014. Without market research or much of a plan we raised a finger to the wind and felt that there could only be more people who, like us, wanted to have their cake and eat it. Tired of trading taste and decadence in favour of wholesome ingredients we concluded that there must be away to make desserts both nutritious and exciting.

Our signature raw dessert squares were the result of this. Square, because we wanted to challenge the connotation of your classic cheesecake in more way’s more than simply not using cheese.

Back in the day before we found a factory who could help us out we’d blend, set, mark and cut around 500 of these little beauties a week. Everything from finding the perfect square, loose bottom, sharp angled tins to using a ruler to measure the size of our squares to the millimetre has been a journey. Trust us, it’s not easy to cut 25cm lines this straight.

Why are we telling you all of this? Because our signature Raw Cake squares are now available to buy in a beautifully bundled up assortment box. Perfect for forgotten birthdays, bosses who need sweetening up, dinner party contributions or an afternoon treat that you won’t be sharing.

Order for same day delivery to London zones 1-2.

The Hardihood x Pride Kitchen

The Hardihood is launching a cozy, candle-lit supper club series in collaboration with SaladPride.

Supper will be prepared by the wonderful David Bez, followed by indulgent raw desserts by The Hardihood. Friends old and new will gather over a shared appreciation for delectable plant-based dishes, enriching conversation and soul-deep nourishment. Join us around the table, in the heart of Covent Garden’s warmly lit Neals Yard, for three foodie-inspired evenings.

Each evening will begin at 7pm and include three course, warming beverages and a cocktail upon arrival.

Thursday 30th November – Into The Izakaya

Inspired by the indulgent side of Japan’s cuisine, this evening’s menu will feature all of our favourite Japanese ‘pub’ food. More unctuous than what you might expect from traditional Japanese menu, think hearty, rich flavours combined with after-hours Tokyo. 

Friday 1st December - Earthy Italian North

Travel deep into the Italian winter with some comforting earthy Italian classics with a northern inspiration, discover new and exciting flavours. Feel the aromas of the Alps and get ready for a walk in the woods. 

Thursday 7th and Friday 8th December – A Festive Feast

Everyone’s favourite festive flavours in abundance. Heart warming cinnamon, sweet roast carrots, scrumptious mince pies and superfood mulled "wine".  Feel yourself sinking into December’s toasty embrace, tis the season to be jolly, after all.

Where: Pride Kitchen, 2 Neal’s Yard, London, WC2H 9DP

Tickets: £40

Time: 7-10:30pm

PB Hot Chocolate

This creamy adaptation of everyone’s winter favorite is like cashmere socks for the soul. Go heavy on the peanut butter for extra frothiness and only share with those you really, really like. A heart opening, hand-warming hug in your favourite mug, think Reese's Pieces on heat.

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup soaked dates

3 tbsp cacao powder

1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter (natural variety)

½ tsp maca

Method

Make sure dates are nice and soft after soaking in hot water (around 3-5 minutes). Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender for a couple of minutes (we use a Vitamix to get this silken smooth). If the chocolate is hot enough, pour straight into your mugs. If you like a little more heat pour into a pan and gently warm through.

Activated Charcoal Cooler

Black food was given ‘food trend of the year’ status in 2017, one to watch, they said. We’ve built a business and written a book on the art of dairy-free cheesecakes (crafted from cashews and coconut oil, no less) so it’s fair to say that we’re au fait to a little novelty nourishment. Activated charcoal however, isn’t a fad. When it was suspected that Leah’s dog had consumed rat poison at a friends BBQ recently, charcoal was the first cure the vet prescribed. A powerful antioxidant, charcoal has been charged with the task of tackling poison for centuries. It works by binding with toxins in the stomach and eliminating them before they’re absorbed. In less dramatic, day to day life we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how charcoal acts an instant energizer, clearing your head of whatever has been causing fogginess; particularly pesticides from food, air pollution and histamines. When life gives you lemons… add charcoal.

Activated Charcoal Cooler

1 tsp activated charcoal powder - click for our favourite brand

1/2 lemon juice

1 inch knob ginger - chopped

sparkling or filtered water

Add all ingredients into a tea pot, and fill to the top with your choice of water. Let the ginger infuse for a couple of minutes and pour.

Book Club : Banana Nice Cream

A Sunday evening indulgence, inspired by the beautifully styled Guilt Free Nice Cream, written by Margie Broached. We first met Margie when our stands were neighbours at Fare Healthy, Borough Market back in 2015. A professional chef, qualified coach and motivational speaker she’s on a mission to get women and bananas (lol) to fall in love with their own skin. We love this book for it’s beautiful styling, it’s matte finish and its dedication to bananas (70 recipes y’all).

Guilt Free Nice Cream is available from Amazon

 

Baked bananas:

3 x bananas

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp coconut sugar

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees C. Split the bananas in half and place onto a baking paper-lined tray. Place the coconut oil and coconut sugar into a saucepan and heat gently until melted together. Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the bananas. Place into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they become golden brown. 

Banana nice cream:

3 x chopped frozen bananas

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Tip: Chop the bananas before freezing them. Your food processor will thank you. Add the frozen banana slices into your food processor, add cinnamon and blend until the mixture becomes smooth, like ice-cream. You might need to scrape down the sides a few times to ensure everything blends evenly.

(You could perhaps add cacao powder, cacao nibs, spirulina, peppermint oil, maca, lucuma, blueberries, pecans, pistachios or hazelnuts - take your pick the possibilities are endless!).

We plated the bananas, added the nice cream on top and drizzled with some raw chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Energy Mylk

No joke, one of the tastiest mylks we’ve ever made. For those moments when it feels like gravity has won (4pm, we’re looking at you) this adaptogen blast has been proven (by us) to shake some life back into those limbs.

Among the superfoods that combat fatigue maca and cacao reign supreme. Maca is said to support the reduction of anxiety as well as symptoms of depression whilst cacao is the heart opening, mood improving aphrodisiac you didn’t know you were looking for, until you found it.

Reishi and cordyceps are medicinal mushrooms with adaptogenic qualities (which means they’ll be whoever your body needs them to be), they’re best consumed little and often, so adding half a teaspoon of each to your daily can make a big difference. We’ve found both to have tangible effects on balancing the hormones.

And cheering you to the finish line, Siberian ginseng. A ‘motivational’ herb (smiles*), that increases focus, productivity and endurance by oxygenating the cells. Good for memory, concentration and mental clarity.

2 cups almond milk (or alt milk)

2 tsp cacao

1 tsp maca

1/2 tsp reishi

1/2 tsp cordyceps

1/2 tsp siberian ginseng

1/4 tsp cinnamon

sweeten to taste ( you can use honey, or if vegan try  coconut syrup, date syrup or maple syrup)

 

 

Still Life Styling

With inspiration taken from our favourite still life paintings, we created this layered Beetroot Berry Pink raw cake. 100% natural and made from nuts, coconut, seeds, fruit and dates and Styled with pomegranates for their spotlessly, polished juiciness and golden berries for their undone beauty. The look is finished with a sprinkling of effortlessly chic, botanical red amaranth leaves.

 Pomegranates: rich in anti-oxidants, with anti-viral properties plus a good source of vitamins A, C + E as well as folic acid

Golden Berries: Peel away delicate leaves for detoxification, kidney optimization, heart health and a boost to the immune system

Finding The Sweet Spot

Last week an old friend who I hadn’t spoken to in years got in touch to ask about sugar addiction. She felt her body could handle no more but was finding it difficult to kick the cravings. We talked for almost an hour about the process of giving up refined sugar, about the parameters of what I consider to be sugar within my own diet and most of all about balance.

My friend is hugely successful in her field and I don’t doubt that she has the world’s best nutritionists at her fingertips. When I asked her why she’d come to me she said it was because she wanted to hear it from someone she knew to be ‘normal’. The advice she was receiving seemed to be extreme; go cold turkey, bananas are triggers, dessert is the devil. The conversation made me realise that maybe there isn’t enough advice out there that comes from a place of balance. It makes sense that for a specialist to be heard they need to be talking about extremes, but this isn’t for everyone.

It’s been 3 years since I gave up refined sugar and the path has been peppered with banoffee pies, brownie sundaes and bottles of Rose. It only occurred to me during this FaceTime half way across the world that I’ve arrived at a place where I simply don’t do refined sugar, I don’t choose it, I don’t crave it, I’m not controlled by it. But I still won’t say never (I can’t not partake in s’mores, for example). Do I eschew all forms of sweetness? Certainly not. I have a cake company after all and that’s not what suits my body or my lifestyle. It’s about taking each piece of advice you find and figuring out how it can work for you.

 

Tips for turning down noisy sugar cravings     

-       If you’re a habitual sugar adder switch white sugar for coconut sugar. It’s not refined so wont spike your blood sugar

-       Baby steps. Don’t cut out fruit until you’ve done a good stint of avoiding the obvious ones like chocolate, biscuits and breakfast cereal. You can tackle this later if you feel like you want to but it’ll be easier to hear what your body needs once the noise of the cookie cravings is turned down.

-       Keep dates around the house for those moments where you really feel like you need that sweet fix. They’re a great sweet alternative. Try to stick to just one or two.

-       Read labels. Don’t buy savoury food that contains sugar. It’s unnecessary.

-       If you really want to indulge it’s much better to do it in the evening when all you have left for the day is to sleep it off. This way you won’t enter into a cycle of cravings and lack of concentration throughout the day

-       If you’re out drinking go for a Bloody Mary, a Gimlet or a Dirty Martini. Savoury cocktails that won’t result in sugar goggles

-       Set rules for yourself like you don’t eat dessert during the week, weekends only.

-       If you’re thinking about going hell for leather on it make sure you do just that. Don’t give up your great new regime for a crappy Greggs donut. Go all out and have something that you’re really going to savour and enjoy so that it’s worth it.

Neom Tranquility Candle

It’s been said before, but we’ll say it again; staying in is the new going out. Smudge the lounge, dissolve into the sofa and queue up back to back Love Island. Your + 1 to the party? This three wick Neom Tranquility candle and its impressive 19 essential oils friends, most noteably lavender, sweet basil and jasmine. Unwind your body and mind, before drifting off into a tranquil sleep, which lets face it, is all we really want. Airplane mode: on. Shop it here

Cinnamon Reishi Miracle Warmer

So long summer, you were sweet but as ever too short. Although it’s only August our British toes haven’t been brave enough to Birkenstock sans socks for weeks, so we feel comfortable declaring silly season officially over. Soon we’ll be shivering at the bus stop, fingers so glacial that even our iPhone’s recoil at our touch. It was during last years descent into street-lit mornings and sleeted strolls to the studio that we began experimenting with hot drinks and cinnamon. We’ve tried it every which way, but when winter comes calling this is the brew guaranteed to get you through.

Cinnamon Reishi Almond Warmer 

1 1/2 cups almond milk - we love this one

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp reishi powder - shop here

2-3 drops american ginseng (or use 1/2 tsp if you have powder)

1/2 cup boiling water

honey to sweeten - optional if you like it sweet like Daisy does :)

Add all ingredients to a jar, pop the lid on and shake. Or you can blend in a NutriBullet.

We love adding medicinal mushroom and adaptogen Reishi for it's stress relieving, detoxification properties, it is immunity boosting, and said to help in the relief of anxiety and depression. It can reduce histamines which means that it can inhibit allergic reactions. Reishi is one of our favourite all-rounders that we make sure to take daily.