Banana, date and rum loaf cake - wheat-free, sugar-free and fat-free!

Our new year's resolution is to try to get healthy. We've started going to the gym (I know, I can hardly believe it myself) and watching the calorie counter on the cycling machines tell you that you've sweated for 10 minutes and only burned about five crisps is slightly soul-destroying, not least as it's made me feel guilty about eating cake.  One of the greatest pleasures in life!  So I have to find a way to make guilt-free cakes. This is my first attempt - it is a fat-free, sugar-free and wheat-free cake - and amazingly, it still tastes delicious!  Made with puréed dates, dried apricots and mashed banana, it's lovely and sweet without the need to add any extra sugar.  Instead of flour it uses a bit of cornmeal (or you could try polenta) to bind it together, and is full of pecans, dried cranberries and sultanas, and finished off with a good glug of dark rum (we all need a little naughtiness...).  As good as any fruit cake, and no guilt attached!

Sticky ginger loaf cake

This is a vegan recipe – no eggs, butter or milk – instead it’s full of treacle, sunflower oil, dark muscovado sugar, dates and crystallised ginger, producing a rich, sticky, heavenly cake. It takes only a few minutes to make as everything is blended together in one go in a food processor. Another great wintery recipe to enjoy in front of the fire with a movie on a snowy day!

Spiced toffee apple cake

Continuing my recent bonfire night baking theme, this is an adapted version of a BBC Good Food recipe for spiced toffee apple cake. The cake is made from a base of date purée, then before baking is topped with rows of sliced red apples. Once it comes out of the oven, you sprinkle it with icing sugar and then drizzle a toffee sauce over the top.  Serve cut into squares like brownies!