Healthy Cake Recipes for Heart Patients - British Heart Fou...

British Heart Foundation

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Healthy Cake Recipes for Heart Patients

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These recipes are from a guy in the USA called Nathan Pritikin - my wife and I have these in one of his cookbooks from the 80s. Basically no eggs, cane sugar or bad fats.

I make the cakes to offer at cardiac rehab. They are great with a bit of jam or honey and a cuppa. You can use wheat flour/bran and skim milk etc or substitute other grains, lactose free milk soy etc depending on any allergies - they all work. The Currant Cake is my fave.

Enjoy.

Apple-Rhubarb Slice

Base: 1 cup wheatgerm, ½ cup shredded coconut, ½ cup flaked almonds, 60g cottage cheese. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Press mixture into a foil lined lamington tin.

Filling: 800g of apple and rhubarb stewed in unsweetened orange juice and drained, stir in 2 teaspoons lemon rind, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Spread this mixture over the base and cover liberally with the flaked almonds.

Cook in a moderate oven for 45mins or until almonds are golden brown. Cool and refrigerate then cut into slices and serve.

Note – a moderate oven is about 180-190 C and drop to 160-170 for fan forced.

Apricot Loaf

Ingredients – 1 cup bran, 1 cup chopped dried apricots, ¾ cup mixed peel, 2 cups skim milk (or soy, rice milk etc for vegan), 1 ½ cups wholemeal S.R. flour.

Mix bran, apricots, mixed peel and milk in a bowl and let stand for 2 hours. Sift the flour. Add small amounts of flour and stir well until all ingredients thoroughly mixed together. Put mixture into a non-stick loaf tin and bake in a moderate oven for about 1 hour.

My note – I put baking paper in the bottom of the loaf tin to make it easier to get out.

Bran Fruit Loaf

Ingredients – 1 cup bran, 1 cup chopped dried apricots, ¾ cup raisins, 1 3/4 cups skim milk (or soy, rice milk etc for vegan), 1 ½ cups wholemeal S.R. flour, extra bran for topping.

Mix bran, apricots, raisins and milk in a bowl and let stand for 2 hours. Sift the flour. Add small amounts of flour and stir well until all ingredients thoroughly mixed together. Lightly grease a non-stick loaf tin (spray olive oil works) and place 2 tbspns bran in the tin and roll around till bottom and walls of the tin are coated. Spoon mixture in and sprinkle more bran on top. Bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour or until cooked (use a skewer to check).

My Note – you can skip the whole bran on the outside thing and just do the same as the Apricot Loaf – cook in a non-stick loaf tin with baking paper in the bottom.

Carrot Loaf

Ingredients – 2 cups wholemeal S.R. flour, 1 tspn bicarb of soda, 1 tspn nutmeg, 1 cup chopped raisins, ½ cup chopped walnuts (omit if taking this to pre-school for the nut intolerant although not as nice without), 1 ½ cups grated carrot, 2 egg whites (or egg substitute), ½ cup non fat yoghurt (or soy), 1 cup skim milk (or soy, rice etc).

Sift flour, bicarb and nutmeg into a bowl. Stir in raisins, walnuts and carrot. Beat together eggs, yoghurt and milk. Pour into other ingredients and beat well. Cook in a slow oven for 1 ½ hours. Store in fridge for 2-3 days before cutting (enables it to bind but I remember just refrigerating it overnight).

Note a slow (or what I like to call a ‘Meg’) oven is around 150-160 C (again drop by about 20 C for fan forced). I will know if Meg reads this by the kicking I get in her next RPM class!

Currant Cake

Ingredients – 1 cup bran, 1 cup currants, ¾ cup sultanas, 2 cups skim milk (or soy, rice milk etc for vegan), ¼ cup chopped walnuts, 1 ½ cups SR flour,. If you can’t find cake flour just use plain wholemeal flour but use 1 ½ cups minus 3 level tablespoons and add 3 tablespoons of baking powder

Mix bran, currants, sultanas and milk in a bowl. Leave to stand for 2 hours. Sift the flour with the baking powder twice (so it is really well mixed) and incorporate with the nuts. Add to the fruit and bran mixture – beat well. Spoon into a non-stick loaf tin and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour.

14 Replies
Serg12 profile image
Serg12

We are coming up for Xmas, sorry to bring it up already but this is best with some maturing time.

Nigella Lawson has a fat free mincemeat recipe in her domestic goddess book. It uses apples instead of fat to provide moisture. Have been making it for years. It keeps for years (whether it lasts that long is another matter). It is infinitely better than any shop bought that I have ever tried.

Calliope153 profile image
Calliope153

By any chance is there a recipe for any variety of short crust pastry in your recipe book? I know BHF has filo pastry recipe but can;t find one for ordinary pastry. I was hoping to ask BHF dietitian but can;t work out how to email her directly!! with Serg12 recipe -mince pies can be made.....

in reply toCalliope153

No pastry recipes in my book but I know there are versions around that use olive oil instead of butter. Be careful of vegan recipes that use vegan margarine as it is high in satfat.

Calliope153 profile image
Calliope153 in reply to

Have just found one using olive oil...... so many included sugar - wielding rolling pin tomorrow........

jobe1968 profile image
jobe1968 in reply toCalliope153

I gave up all pastry. I rather miss it but it’s so energy dense and I am still portly despite weight loss!

Pies Mmmmmmm

Calliope153 profile image
Calliope153 in reply tojobe1968

I haven;t eaten pastry since last December and didn;t make cake until a month ago. There is no justice in dieting - I have lost a lot but my husband who just accompanies me on walks and eats what I do (only vast quantities more) has lost more......

in reply tojobe1968

Oz pies were never that good so I don't miss them!

Plum53 profile image
Plum53

Hi thank you for taking the time to add so many recipes your very kind. Cake is one thing I really like . I enjoyed baking them but have not made any for some time as I will want more that one piece.

Yep - I like a bit of cake with a cake and these hit the spot.

Springray profile image
Springray in reply to

Thank you for sharing. They look so easy to put together! Very useful for the school cake sale too which needs nut-free.

Have you been following a Pritikin diet all those years? He's a true pioneer in Coronary Disease reversal and his programme in the US is emdorsed by Kaiser Permanente as a way to avoid CABG.

You should all post pics of your creations a sort of hearty healthy 😀bake off, make us non bakers jealous, 😋 ❤️char xx

Veeee profile image
Veeee

What is the Pritikin Diet?

Does this way of eating have vegetarian options?

Not promoting low fat dieting but reducing saturated fats which is still number 1 after smoking cessation according to current and long standing recommendations from heart specialists around the world for primary and secondary prevention.

I'm not interested in a debate about causes of heart disease and this isn't forum for it.

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