Red Velvet Cupcakes with quark icing (Only 1.5 syns each)

Red velvet is sooo in right now, so why on earth would we want to be left out of the scene? I adapted a typical slimming world cupcake recipe to make these delights. Enjoy a couple with friends, as a treat to yourself, or even bring these to a group tasting to delight the masses! 

Makes 8

Ingredients:

For the icing:

• 150g tub of quark
• 1 tbsp Vanilla essence
• 20g Sweetener
• Raspberries to garnish

For the cupcake:

• 2 tbsp Red food colouring
• 2 tsp cocoa (2 syns)
• 50G self raising flour (9 syns)
• 3 eggs
• 20G Sweetener
• 1 tbsp Vanilla essence
• 1 Muller light (I went for vanilla and dark choc)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Separate eggs and leave the whites aside. Mix the egg yolks, vanilla essence, red colouring, muller light and sweetener in a bowl.
3. Sieve the flour and cocoa into the egg mixture and mix well
4. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold into the mix
5. Spray a muffin tray with frylight and spoon the mixture evenly into the tray.
6. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes
7. Meanwhile,, make the icing by mixing the quark, sweetener and vanilla essence.
8. Take the cupcakes out of the oven and allow to cool.
9. Using a spoon or piping bag, add a dollop of the icing on top of each cupcake. For variety, slice a few cupcakes down the middle and fill with extra icing.
10. Pop a raspberry on top of each.
 

Low Syn Classic Cocktails (All 5 syns or under)

Cocktail season is well underway (woohoo!) There is just one issue with this. Cocktails usually equate to an absolute ton of sugar. If you make them yourself its another story! So why not rally up your mates, whack on a barbeque and rustle up some of these babies!

The recipes below are a twist on the classics.  Using some clever swaps along the way, we capture the essence of our favourites without breaking the syn bank.

Mojito - 5 syns

Ingredients:

• 35ML Rum
• tsp Sweetener
• Fresh mint leaves
• Lime wedges
• Soda Water
• Ice (preferably crushed)

Method:

1. Muddle the mint leaves, lime wedges and sweetener in a glass
2. Pour in the rum and soda water.
3. Stir with a spoon
4. Add a sprig of mint and a lime wedge.

Cape Cod - 3 syns

Ingredients:

• Vodka (25ml=3 syns)
• 100mls light cranberry juice (0.5 syns)
• 2 Lime Wedges
   

Method:

1. Squeeze a wedge of lime into the glass of crushed ice.
2. Swill the ice around the glass a bit to distribute the lime juice
3. Pour in the vodka and cranberry juice.
4. Add a lime wedge to serve.

Caiprinha - 5 syns

Ingredients:

• 50ml Cachaca (Brazilian white rum) 5 syns
• 1 teaspoon or sachet of sweetener
• 2 qtrs of Lime
• rushed ice
• fun little flags (optional)

Method: 

Muddle lime and Sweetener in the glass. Add Cachaca and ice. Stir and serve.

Tequila sunrise - 4.5 syns

Ingredients:

• 35ml Tequila (4 syns)
• 20ml of no added sugar orange squash, undiluted
• 125ml ocean spray blueberry juice drink (0.5 syns)
• Orange Slice to Garnish (optional)
• Ice cubes

Method:

1. Pour Tequila and blueberry juice into a glass.
2. Add the ice cubes
3. Pour orange squash on top of the ice
4. Garnish with orange slice
5. Stir before drinking.

Espresso Martini - 5 syns

Ingredients

• 25ml vodka (3 syns)
• 2 drops of vanilla essence
• 1 shot of chilled espresso coffee
• 1  level tablespoon of single cream (1.5 syns)
• Splash of milk (0.5 syns)
• Garnish: Whole coffee beans

Method

Note: You need a cocktail shaker and espresso maker/french press for this one but its worth it! 
Pour vodka, vanilla essence, espresso, cream and milk into the shaker and shake very well. (This gives it the lovely foamy head!). Garnish with 3 whole coffee beans.

Well there you are, five spins on the classics. I'd love to hear how you get on making these! Let me know in the comments, or if you have other suggestions!