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There are times when you want the feel and comfort of a piece of cake without the guilt of indulgence. Contrary to popular belief, I more than occasionally eat heathily – You can’t bake as often as I do without having a selection of ‘healthier’ recipes in the repertoire.
This Apple & Walnut Cake manages to be tasty enough to eat on its own and interesting enough that even the kids enjoy it. They never guess that it is healthier than some other cakes. Containing vegetable oil instead of butter, this cake is not as high in saturated fats as most cakes, therefore being a better treat for people watching their cholesterol levels. The oats too, have been linked to lowering cholesterol. Over time, I’ve managed to reduce the sugar content – I use Pink Lady apples so they are not too tangy and just 100g of soft brown sugar. You may even find that you can reduce the amount of sugar you like in the cake even more than me. The crunch of the pecans and the spice from the cinnamon keep this cake interesting – There’s no need for any topping or icing. Its definitely a sit down with a good book and a brew type of cake.
I’ve talked before about my love of using oats in my baking – cakes, breads, crumbles, biscuits all benefit from substituting flour with some oats. Quaker Oats are challenging bloggers to come up with creative recipes using oats. I struggled to do just one – I put oats in nigh on everything!
Apple & Walnut Oat Loaf
Ingredients:
- 60g Oats (equivalent of 2 Quaker Oats packets.
- 260g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 100g Light Soft Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 150ml Vegetable Oil
- 3 Pink Lady apples – Grated & juice squeezed out.
- 60g Chopped Walnuts
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 2lb loaf tin.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and sugar.
- Whisk together the eggs and the oil and add to the dry mixture. Mix together until just combined.
- Add in the grated & squeezed grated apples and walnuts and mix.
- Pour into the prepared loaf tin and flatten down the surface.
- Cook in the oven for 30 mins.
- Reduce the heat to 160C and cover the loaf with tinned foil. Continue to bake for a further 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Best eaten within 24 hours – Suitable for freezing.
- Oats contain a form of soluble fibre called beta glucan, which has been shown to lower blood cholesterol. High levels of blood cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease.
- The recommended daily intake of fibre has recently been increased from 24g to 30g per day. The UK has a traditionally low fibre intake compared with other countries – Oats are high in fibre content and can contribute towards this daily suggested intake.
- Oats are 100% wholegrain – Dietary guidelines suggest we should be achieving an intake of 48g of wholegrain per day.
I’m happy to be hosting a quick competition to win a 3 month supply of Quaker Oats plus a 3 month fruit & veg delivery from Abel & Cole. To enter, simply leave a comment telling me about one of your recipes that includes oats. The competition closes on Friday 27th November after which time, I will chose my favourite from the entries. Please see Terms & Conditions for more details.
This blog post was commissioned by Quaker Oats and Foodies100 as part of the Quaker Oats #FeelingFibrant campaign. I was compensated for the cost of ingredients and my time.
This giveaway can be found over at The Prize Finder
Edit: Competition now ended – The winner was Pauline Dring with her marvellous Golden Slices. Pauline has been informed and hopefully her prize will be on its way soon.Thank you so much to everyone who shared their recipe ideas!
Your apple and walnut loaf looks delicious and would be lovely I think in a packed lunch.
I’ve added 2 tablespoons of oats to a breakfast smoothie before with great success.
Thank you Julie – I’ve never thought of adding oats to smoothies. Great suggestion.
Oaty pancakes are a fab and quick breakfast! Mix oats, natural yoghurt, egg together and add any fruit or flavouring you’d like. Fry in batches and serve with fresh fruit! Best to leave the oats overnight in the yoghurt if you can x
Oaty pancakes sound great – I’ll definitely be giving those a try.
That recipe looks gorgeous i must give it a try. My favourite has got to be flapjacks but i like a twist on the theme- morello cherry or lemon meringue ones are both pretty delicious 🙂
Mmm Morella Cherry flapjacks sounds just divine!
I use oats to make Anzac cookies, I sometimes add to a crumble topping which a huge pinch of cinnamon
Great suggestions – thank you! Haven’t made Anzac cookies for ages.
My kids love making carrot oat balls – grated carrot, loads of oats, cinnamon and enough peanut butter to hold it together. They love scooping it all into the bowl, mixing it all up and rolling them into (usually rather wonky-shaped) balls then sprinkle them with coconut. They’re a sugar-free, healthy and filling snack or treat – with a bit of veg.
Oh wow, these sounds a fantastic snack and so much fun!
I use oats as a coating to make chicken nuggets and fishfingers, the kids love them …
I love oaty crumb coatings too – Once you’ve tried them, you would never go back to normal fishfingers or nuggets.
Oaty pear and almond crumble: 6 ripe dessert pears, cored and thinly sliced – lay these in your dish with a drizzle of maple syrup. Topping – 2oz oats, 2oz ground almonds, 2oz marg or butter, 2oz brown sugar – whizz in food processor and sprinkle on top. cook at gas 4 / 180C till golden brown.
This sounds incredible – love a change from normal apple crumble.
Well normally my oat recipe is flapjacks but since bonfire night its been parkin it a lovely treacle oaty golden syrup sponge and lasts for up to 2 weeks and gets better with age lol. It’s a must try x
Oh I’d forgotten about how amazing parkin is with oats included. Thank you.
I love oaty cookies, though my favourite use of oats is still porridge – I can never get enough of the stuff. 🙂
Well it is certainly very healthy Jessica!
I’m a MASSIVE flapjack fan!
So versatile aren’t they? great for using up bags of dried fruit.
Oat and date flapjack it is so gooey my daughter loves it x
Dates are brilliant for adding texture and chewiness to a recipe. Thank you for entering.
Ciaran and I love to make flap jacks with oats. We love the honey flavour.
Love the sound of them – Thank you Jane.
I love adding oats to crumble toppings to give extra crunch to it, whilst my girls love making oat and raisin cookies and flapjacks – oat-tastic!
Mmm love oat & raisin cookies!
I love the sound of the apple and walnut oat load. I add oats to everything as they’re lactogenic and I’m breastfeeding, but flapjacks are my favourite at the moment
I’d say flapjacks are also really handy and quick to make when you’ve got a baby around too.
This might be a bit predictable but flapjacks. Love a proper homemade cake.
Homemade cannot be beaten! Thank you Julie
Your apple and walnut looks fab! I love to have a slice of apple bread or banana bread for breakfast with a warm cup of tea 🙂
Sounds like a perfect way to start the day!
I love oats with all their added health benefits. I use them in so many ways. I love banana and chia seed porridge made with almond milk and with a teaspoon of coconut oil stirred through. Oats are a component in my annual Burn’s Night vegan Haggis recipe. But my favourite oaty recipe is my Jumble Cake …a jammy crumble mix made using blitzed up seeds, nuts and oats, lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger and bound with coconut oil and maple syrup, layered with a fruity plum jam and baked in the oven. It’s decadent and delicious but packed with good things! Your loaf looks fab!
My favourite oats recipe has got to be Flapjack! You can add nearly whatever you like to them to make them healthy and nutritious! Dairy free, gluten free, sugar free!
coconut oil, oats, honey, coconut, nuts, raisins and flavoured with cinnamon.
You could even used mashed banana, or add chocolate chips! Even fussy kids would find a combo they like to eat, and they are easy to make so the kids can help too.
I love making oat and raisin cookies for an after school treat 🙂
Ooh they would go down very well in our house! My life is about making after school snacks.
I love sultana flapjacks
Who doesn’t?! Thank you for your entry
fantastic giveaway
🙂
We are huge flpjack fans and make them weekely. We also have porridge at least once a week 🙂
This prize sounds like it would be ideal for you then!
i love to put oats on top of my apple crumble to make it nice and crunchy lol
Love that idea too. Thank you.
I love porridge in the morning but also make oat cookies.
What a healthy start to the day! Oat cookies are delicious.
Oats are really nice with white fish. You can flour and egg the fish fillet, and then cover in the rolled oats – stick in the fridge to chill. Then when you come to cook, put some oil in a pan and fry for a few minutes both sides until brown and crispy. Different but very tasty!
Wow I bet these would add a really different texture to fish – Must try that suggestion. Thank you.
Christmas ginger cookies – golden syrup, ginger, mulling wine spice etc. So crumbly and tasty!
Oh goodness me, they sound good!
I use oats to make my yummy Plum and Cinnamon Oat Bakes – my signature bake!
That does sound like a good signature bake – I love that you have one!
I make a veggie crumble using oats in the topping… it’s a nice warming dish that makes a change from casseroles and is a great way to use up any veggies that are in the fridge.
Loving the sound of your veg crumble – Thank you
Sounds delish! a lovely healthier cake. I like oats in my slow cooker mango and pumpkin seed oat bars, great for a healthy snack!
Wow those bars sound fantastic Lucy!
I add oats to a basic chilli con carne as it bulks the meat out so is great value
Now that is a new one – I’d never thought of adding to chilli. Thank you for the suggestion.
Oatcakes, so delicious and nutritious. I like them with cheese spread.
I like to make a gluten and dairy free cheesecake when lots of people come round. This consists of a base made from Quaker oats, dates, dessicated coconut, grated carrot and broken walnuts, processed together and pressed into a springform tin and chilled. Then a cream made of soaked cashew and agave nectar, and coconut oil with the addition of vanilla, is put on top of it and half frozen. Then it is cut into small squates and kept frozen. When needed, I defrost squares it for one or two hours and dust with cinnamon. Yum!! Don’t need food intolerances or allergies to enjoy it either. It isa healthy alternative to usual cake.
I use them on top of a casserole to make a veg crumble type dish
Love the idea of using them in a savoury dish – thank you
Golden syrup and date flapjacks you can use much less sweetening if you use dates as they are already naturally sweet.
I use oats to make a delicious apricot crumble
Haven’t had apricot crumble for yonks – thanks for the reminder.
My wife makes some lovely biscuits called Crunchies from a recipe in an old Be-ro booklet. Consists of rolled oats and golden syrup!
They sound great – as does your wife!
Your loaf looks amazing. I bet it would go perfectly with a cup of tea.
There are few recipes that don’t go down well with a cup of tea! Thank you.
I love oats mixed into a crumble mixture. It seems to make it a bit more substantial (which is good as the topping is my favourite part of a crumble haha!).
I struggle to eat a crumble topping now that doesn’t contain oats. Makes the texture so much more interesting.
My ultimate favourite is the flapjack. Full of lots of oaty goodness! Dip it in chocolate for the chocoholics 😉 for the perfect balance of flavours. xx
Oh wow, now they are an indulgent type of flapjack!
I’ve been working on perfecting my banana oat Flapjack. Starting with a wet mix of coconut oil, peanut butter and honey for sweetness, you add this to mashed bananas, a heap of oats and flax seeds to create an energy dense, delicious and nutritious anytime snack!
I love overnight oats for breakfast: layer oats, frozen fruits and yogurt and leave overnight in the fridge. Stir then eat!
A really simple recipe is to make cookies using oats and ripe bananas (the riper the better). Mix, form into cookies, and bake. I add cinnamon for more flavor. Healthy and delicious!
Cookies are so versatile aren’t they? I’m a sucker for any recipe that uses up over ripe fruit.
I add a handful of oats to the crumble mixture which adds texture and flavour.
Oaty flatjacks
Vanilla, Oat and Prune cookies, they are so moorish they never last very long in our house and they are so quick and easy to make.This is just one of many recipees that I use oats in, they are just so versatile.
I love banana peanut butter overnight oats with milk, and a tsp of maple syrup!
Mmm I’m wishing I had left some oats soaking overnight now. Tempted by most thing maple!
Veggie Crumble – I use the oats on top.
banana and oatmeal muffins with chopped walnuts in.extremely tasty and good for you as well
Oh, gosh! You’ve made me really, really want to eat a cake after looking at that yummy loaf!
My favourite way to use oats in a pudding is to use it in a crumble topping:
2TB oats, 2TB wholemeal flour, 2TB dessicated coconut, 2TB sugar and 2TB butter rubbed in until the mixture is crumbly then sprinkle over thinly sliced fruit with 2TB water in the bottom of the baking dish.
It’s such an easy recipe that I use it to teach little ones how to cook.
What a lovely skill to be able to pass onto little ones. I bet they will pass that recipe down to their children and their children’s children in future.
I love to make flapjacks with loads of oats
I make Millionaire Flapjacks with oats!
How sumptuous that sounds – Lovely suggestion.
Love making chocolate chip flapjacks
They sound great – thank you
What I make most with oats are Banana and Oat bites – mini oat and banana cookies to use up overripe bananas that are so easy and quick to make and a real hit with the children.
I bet they do go down well with the children – they sound great.
I love putting oats in my crumble topping it adds texture and taste
Certainly does! Thanks for your entry.
I have a lovely recipe for a face mask which uses oats 🙂
Brilliant suggestion – Would be tempted to eat the face mask afterwards!
I love flapjacks….with chocolate chips!! yummy!
Ooh chocolate chips in flapjacks – you have just made flapjacks step up a level!
Traditional American Chocolate Chip Cookies! Perfect with milk.
My 13yo would love these dipped into a vat of milk!
Trying to lose weight so we have been having flapjack but made with honey instead of treacle and adding anything from nuts, apricots, bananas & sultanas, tasty & less calories x x
I love adding oats, chopped walnuts and mixed spice to the topping for a rhubarb crumble
The cherry flapjacks sound lovely
I use porridge oats in Flap jacks and as a crumble topping 🙂
Banana-peanut oat bars
Living in Yorkshire, it has to be Yorkshire Parkin. My friend gave me the best recipe 🙂
I make flapjacks and use oats in my crumble mix very healthy for you
I love to get the kids involved and we do this special make your own layered pudding in little glasses. I usually put out oats, yoghurt, raspberries, blueberries, crushed biscuits, a few chocolate chips or whatever we have that week and they create their own puddings! Its great because neither of them would eat oats usually but in our special pudding they do everytime!
I make ‘Golden Slices’
Combine 10oz grated carrots, 8oz oats, chopped chives, parsley and 4oz grated cheese. Add melted butter plus a beaten egg. Season with ground black pepper. Mix all together and press down into a baking tray, about 3/4″ in depth. Bake on 180 degrees C for about 25 minutes. Leave to cool in tin and cut into thin slices. They are delicious warm or cold. Warm with baked beans goes down a treat with children.
I didn’t actually make this recipe up myself. My Mother -in -law gave me the recipe from a local church cookbook publication about 25 years ago.
I like to have banana & coconut porridge when it’s cold in the morning. Rather than cooking the oats in a pan or in the microwave, I put the oats in a bowl with a mashed banana & 2 tbsp coconut milk powder (available from any Indian / Asian food store), then cover with boiling water and give it a stir to make sure the coconut milk powder is all mixed. This cooks itself while I am emptying the dishwasher & making tea, at which point it has cooled to the perfect temperature, so I just dive in.
We love to use them in cookies x
I always add oats to my rumble mix on my foraged/ windfall crumbles – super filling and crunchy 🙂
In October, I saved all my pumpkin seeds and used them to make some oaty pumpkin seed biscuits. They were so delicious that we powered through a batch of about 40 in under a week!
I make flapjacks with oats, sugar, treacle with the addition of chopped up fresh plums when they are in season and absolute delight to eat and also good for you with the addition of fruit.
Honey oatcakes
I use oats to make apple and blackberry crumble
My sister gave me her chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses oat flour. As I can’t find them in the shops here, I blitz rolled oats in the food processor and use them instead.
Flapjacks with almonds and blackberries.
I used to really like making flapjacks as a kid so maybe should try again! 🙂
Mixed berry flapjacks are delicious, and better still the children love them too – win win! 🙂 x
Blueberry flapjacks 🙂
fruit flapjacks
Pear and almond crumble – chopped dessert pears in the base, topped with a crumble made of oats, ground almonds, butter and brown sugar.
on a health kick at the moment, tried this breakfast and its amazing 🙂
http://deliciouslyella.com/overnight-chia-oats-with-coconut-yoghurt/