Cherry and Almond Tray Bake

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in current crazes and recently there has been no bigger craze, in certain circles, than that of health food.
When it comes to health food I'm always in two minds - on the one hand I am unashamedly greedy and wholeheartedly believe that life is too short to consistently say no to dessert; though I am also in the mindset that it is definitely possible to create delicious foods that are good for you. Now this is where the problem has arisen recently - as so many have jumped onto the health food bandwagon, so much of what is being created does not actually taste any good. 

Creating tasty health foods is a challenge. I for one, have had more than my fair share of failures when it comes to trying out new recipes, ingredients and techniques and more times than I'd like to admit have bought items at ridiculous prices, only to throw them away as the taste simply has not been there. It is so easy to be swept away in adhering to strict guidelines as to what can and cannot be used that often the taste itself gets forgotten. It's taken me a while, but I've realised that by using fresh, wholesome ingredients and tailoring recipes to your own dietary needs; be it intolerance's, allergies or ethical considerations, there are always ways to make things that please your insides as well as your taste buds!
We shouldn't be stressing over the use of a bit of sugar or chocolate - it's meant to be a treat - no matter what does (or doesn't) go into it, making it yourself is always better than buying from the shops. And remember, even if it doesn't turn out perfect, the enjoyment of creating something and bringing friends and family together should more than make up for it.

As Julia Child's said - "Fat gives things flavour." 
So don't be afraid of it!(Let's just try and stick to the good kind - coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids which can help lower cholesterol and speed up metabolism!)

Anyway, onto the recipe for my Cherry and Almond Tray Bake which tastes amazing as well as being naturally gluten/wheat free and containing all the goodness of almonds and cherries. If you are vegan the eggs could be replaced with flax or other egg substitutes but the end result may differ slightly. As it's coming to the end of the cherry season, if you can't get any good ones or, (heaven forbid) you just don't like cherries, any berries or small stone fruit will work.

PS - excuse the terrible photos - late night baking isn't quite so easy now it's starting to get dark earlier!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups ground almonds
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 - 1/3 cup unrefined cane sugar (I only used 1/4)
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste
10-12 fresh cherries, stoned and halved

To Make:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F. 
• Grease and line one small baking tray or line a muffin tin with 5-8 large cases.
• Combine almond meal, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. 
• In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla then mix into the dry ingredients. 
• Mix batter until smooth and pour into your prepared baking tray.
• Scatter the cherry halves all over.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown on top. 
• Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool further. 
• Store airtight for up to 2-3 days, though best eaten fresh and warm from the oven!