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Something light for Tea

Forestwood

You may have heard me espousing the benefits of almonds and walnuts in recipes such as salads, or the Almond and Walnut Muffin recipe, I have previously posted, but what about  the benefits of incorporating cinnamon in our diet?

I have to confess to being quite a fan of the cinnamon, especially in the crumble toppings you might find on a apple rhubarb dessert or a gourmet muffin. Combining cinnamon with almonds and walnuts, which are a fantastic source of Vitamin E and Magnesium, was a way of creating a light, and more importantly, HEALTHY cake recipe that if cut into bite-sized servings, is only a teeny bit decadent. Altogether a Perfect combination for a healthy morning or afternoon tea. Find the Recipe below.

cinnamon walnut streusel cake
Cinnamon Nut Streusel Cake

What are the Health Benefits of Cinnamon?

Cinnamon is astonishingly good for you. Would you believe that a mere teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and quite a lot of vitamins C, K, and manganese?

[Source:cinnamonnutrition.com/index

In traditional medicine, cinnamon has been used for its mild anti-inflammatory effects, and to treat digestive ailments such as indigestion, gas and bloating, and diarrhea. As little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control.  Improving insulin tolerance can help in weight control as well as decreasing the risk for heart disease.  Read More here.

Streuselkuchen

Cinnamon Nut Streusel Cake

Ingredients

Base:

  • 3/4 Cup Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup (55grams) soft Butter
  • 1/2 Cups Milk
  • 1egg
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Top Layer:

  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoon Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons (or more), of Cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons soft Butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts – I used a combination of walnuts and flaked almonds

Method

Base:

  1. Preheat Oven 175 ° C and Grease or line a 9″ x 12″  or 20 x 30 cm slice tray
  2. Cream butter and sugar in mixer
  3. Add remaining base ingredients and mix well
  4. Spread out evenly in the tray.

Streusel Topping:

  1. Mix Streusel topping ingredients together
  2. Spread about 1/4 of the Streusel topping onto the base layer and lightly swirl through with a skewer or knife.
  3. Spread the rest of the Streusel topping thinly over the top of the base.
  4. Bake for 20 – 35 minutes or till cooked through, when pierced with a skewer
  5. Allow Cake to cool and cut into small squares to serve.

Tantalizing Tuesdays

Something healthy and delicious to savour about

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

38 thoughts on “Something light for Tea”

    1. oh yes were do use metric down here. I was trained in both however, for some tray sizes I still think in imperial measures. I’ll update the post to include metric!!

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      2. We tend to use cups for flour and sugar and weight for butter so we are hybrids her in Australia!! I meant to put the metric size in for the pan though!

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      3. I have updated the post with some metric measures. Some things are easier measured with cups or spoons due to the small amounts used.

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  2. We read about the benefits of cinamon some time ago and now use it in lots of things, including sprinkling it on our morning yogurt. Your cake looks delicious with just enough healthy things added to leave a clear conscience if one is able to stick to that all important, bite sized piece. Me….. no such self discipline!

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    1. Oh come on Chris, I think you could maybe start with two bite sized pieces and gradually cut them both a little smaller each time!! I hope you enjoy it if you do make it.

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    1. Oh thank you so much for taking the time too make such a lovely comment. Could you incorporate a small amount into a cake mix? Which means you may get the benefits of cinnamon without tasting it within the overall cake.

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  5. I love cinnamon and sprinkle a little bit into the grounds before I make my morning coffee. I don’t bake much anymore as only me eating and I certainly don’t need a whole cake but that one looks yummy. I put cinnamon in the mix of eggs, milk and vanilla when I make a batch of french toast for company. It goes in anything I can possibly put it in. Always looking for the best cinnamon and vanilla I can find. You are so right about the benefits. I bought a cinnamon roll at the farmers market yesterday for my daughter and I as a treat. That way it’s just one. 😉 Have a lovely week.

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    1. They are great ideas on other ways to incorporate a daily dose of cinnamon, Marlene! I wish I could still drink coffee, as I think cinnamon would go perfectly well with that. And the French toast sounds divine. Vanilla is also a lovely accompaniment to cinnamon. The aroma is delicious! All this talk of these foods make me feel like mixing vanilla and cinnamon into a low fat glass of coconut/cow’s milk or smoothie and having for morning tea.

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      1. I have put both in yogurt. Coffee is made with half decaf, half reg and very weak these days. I can drink tea the rest of the day but need that little bit of coffee first thing at 5:30 a.m. 🙂 It is hard on the stomach. My sister says it’s colored water. 😉 French toast is only for company. 😉

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      2. I always needed my coffee fix around 10am. Even when I switched to decaf however my energy levels improved so much when I gave up coffee altogether. That was probably 20 years ago!! Haven’t looked back and niw the aroma of coffee isn’t even appalling like it used to be.

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  7. Mmmm, I could go a slice of that cake with my cuppa right about now. Looks delicious, may have to try your recipe out during the week for an after school snack for the kids ( and myself, Lol) Thanks Amanda. X

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    1. It is great for kids. A sneaky way of getting some vitamins and fibre into them while still tasting sweet. It was snavelled up rather fast in our house, if that is any guideline to what your kids might think?

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      1. You can layer it up with jam as an alternative at Step 2, Purple pumpernickel. You could also use stewed rhubarb, apple or fruit jam and then top with the usual streusel topping.

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      4. Yummy! Younger Daughter and I loved the cakey texture with the nutty crumbly on top. We had ours with a dollop of low-fat Greek yogurt. Older daughter didn’t appreciate the cakeyness as much – she was expecting something crustier. Husband polished his piece off with vanilla ice cream.

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      5. A nice combination, cake plus yoghurt or icecream. It is a soft cake, so understand the older daughter preferring something crustier, like the crunchy topping of Baked Apple crumble! Thanks for the valuable feedback. So glad you liked it!

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  9. Nicculent made me smile. 🙂 🙂 I’m not much of a fan of cinnamon, or walnuts either, but I do love almonds. Funny how our taste buds differ. It does sound delicious, though.

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    1. Yes, Jo! Our tastes do differ, but I see no reason why you couldn’t use almonds alone in this recipe and drop the cinnamon, just using the brown sugar, almonds and flour etc for the topping. It would be harder to detect the cinnamon in the cake as it diffuses throughout the mix. Thanks for stopping by. I have a couple of recipes using almond meal, do you like that taste in baked goods? And what about almond milk?

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      1. I’ve not tried either almond meal or almond milk (unless it’s been in bought goods and I haven’t realised). I’m not a very imaginative cook, Amanda, and very lazy in the kitchen. 🙂 🙂

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      4. Nastrovya!!! Is all you need when visiting Poland! I have forgotten the basic phrases I learnt when I was there. I am a bit jealous. Wish I was heading over ther too.

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  10. Pingback: Something light for Tea — Something to Ponder About – TeaSleepandRepeat

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