Strawberry Banana Popsicle Ice lollies

This is not cake?

I know. But you need these in your life. This recipe will break the internet, hopefully. These are super simple to make and taste heavenly in this heat-wave we seem to be having in the UK at the moment.

Do you have strawberries? A banana? A few dates, maybe? Good. You could probably even skip the dates if they're too fancy, but don't skip the ice lolly/ popsicle moulds. You will need those.

Please note that I said: "heat-wave". So we will be back to cake with cold weather in no time, right?

Good old English Weather.

Strawberry Banana Popsicle Ice lollies
1 ripe banana

7 strawberries

2 Tbsp of coconut milk (I used tinned)

2 Tbsp of water

3 dates

an ice lolly mould (with 4-5 sections)

Makes about 5 ice lollies/ Popsicles

Peel the banana, hull and cut the strawberries into quarters. Remove any stones from the dates and add all the ingredients to a blender or similar Nutribullet type device. Blend to a smooth consistency and pour neatly into your moulds. Freeze for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight.

Bee's Notes: We use the term ice-lolly more frequently than popsicle, here in the UK. But I believe they are the same thing. And I also bought a bargain mould from Robert Dyas, it did the job at only £1.99. But next time, I should fill the mould all the way to the top with the mixture, to avoid that gap between the lolly and the stick. Or these mini icepop ones were cute.

Mini Very Berry Victoria Sponge cake

After all this tart baking, I decided I needed some cake. But not just any cake, mind you. And I didn't fancy doing a big lahh-dee-dahh cake either. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, I just wanted some cake. Then it hit me. Like a bat out of hell, I saw what I was looking for! Thanks to SupergoldenBakes this recipe hit the spot! Not only was it individually sized and just enough for one person to eat a whole cake themselves without really eating a ‘whole cake', but I got to bake it with an ingredient I'd never used before in a cake ...and with a method unorthodox to my little baking mind!! Oh, it's too much, can't take the excitement!! Instead of mixing with butter, we use cream; and instead of baking in your round cake tin we use a tin can! No?! Say what!? All you need to know is…
it works. End of story.

P.S: This cake was so fab’, the other half loved it! Remember, I told you about him, he hardly eats my type of cakes and biscuits, but scoffed two of them! So that's quite a big deal for me. It must be Christmas.

Kiwi Strawberry Banana Tart

        

         

Today everything seemed like hard work. It's Sunday and I got stuck in a house-work rut. One chore led to another. And before I knew it I'd spent my whole morning and afternoon doing house-work. Even just going to the next room to use my computer is feeling like an effort for me, as I lay on my bed writing this post from my iPhone.

Maybe it's just 'lazy-itis' today.
However I did make the time to photograph today's creation. The final product tasted delightful, the fruit was sweet and the custard was light. My friends put in a 'special request' for this one to be made again.

This creation was more of a lesson for me. I made my own pastry here. And I can't deny I did find it a wee bit of an effort today. I've always made my own, but whilst battling with the evil dough, a small voice popped in to my head: "maybe using shop-bought pastry instead of making my own isn't so bad?" Gasp! Oh gosh, who said that?! Now, such an idea is a bit controversial coming from some one who is meant to be "baking" in every sense of the word! I know, I know. Seriously, after the way I feel today, if you try this recipe and decide to forgo the pastry-making part and use shop-bought stuff instead, I completely understand!

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

  

Very pleased this week. One of my posts have made it onto Foodgawker. Peanut Butter cookies is my first ever, and has made their criteria to be featured on their site! I haven't even added a token glass of milk in the background or tied my cookies up in string, either! (So many other cookies tied in string/ ribbon pics out there on the net). I call it 'cookie-bondage'. And let's be honest now, 'cookie-bondage' is not good for rapid cookie consumption. (E.g: see Cookie Monster).

Anyway, lets not digress. You came here for Strawberry tart and yesterday was tart day for me. I actually saw this recipe on Tutti Dolci and it inspired me to create my own. I have adapted it slightly, to have shortcrust pastry and being in the UK, I'm not too familiar with using US cup measurements. Yet. I am debating whether or not to feature more US cup measurements or continue to use grams and ounces if it's okay for my US visitors? The tart was lovely to say the least and it made such a pretty picture. The fresher and sweeter your strawberries, the better. And the honey coating on the top makes this tart taste even more special.