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.