Under the Blue Gum tree

This month, Choclette over at Chocolate Log Blog has set us quite a task for the We Should Cocoa challenge. It being January and typically the month of calorie cutbacks, Choclette has asked us to come up with a chocolate dish that is sugar-free (artificial as well as natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup are allowed).

I figured I could kill two birds with one stone and combine this challenge with another; this month’s Bloggers Scream For Ice Cream hosted by Kavey Eats. The theme for January’s BSFIC is to create a frozen dessert containing any dried fruit or nuts we might have left over from Christmas. With this in mind, I decided to create a pineapple and coconut frozen yoghurt with a chocolate ripple, low in fat and free from cane sugar.

South Africa does the best dried fruit. It tastes like nothing I ever ate in the UK. These beautiful dried pineapple rings I bought back from my Christmas holiday in St Lucia where I had the most amazing pineapple I have ever tasted. You know how pineapple is generally quite sharp and acidic? Well these St Lucia pineapples were just juicy and super sweet.

I combined my lovely pineapple rings with some coconut flakes soaked in pineapple juice and a chocolate sauce made from sugar-free chocolate mixed with a little cocoa and honey. The base was a sugar-free, fat-free natural yoghurt so certainly no guilt there.

I was a little skeptical as to how this dish would turn out as me and healthy foods don’t have a natural affinity. Whilst I can’t claim it is the best frozen dessert I have ever made, it wasn’t bad at all. The lack of fat does mean the frozen yoghurt isn’t the smoothest but if you are looking for a low fat, low sugar dessert then you could do a lot worse than giving this recipe a whirl. (The recipe makes much more chocolate sauce than you need for the ripple but you can reheat it and serve it alongside.)

Pineapple, coconut and chocolate ripple frozen yoghurt

• 50g dried pineapple
• 15g dried coconut flakes
• 250ml unsweetened pineapple juice
• 500ml fat-free, sugar-free natural yoghurt
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 100g sugar free dark or milk chocolate
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• a little milk

1.  Place the pineapple, coconut and juice in a small pan and bring to the boil. Cook for about 3 minutes until the pineapple starts to soften. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

2.  Drain the pineapple and coconut and tip into a food processor with the yoghurt and 2 tbsp of the honey. Whizz to a chunky puree then churn in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

3.  Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a microwave or bain marie. I found the sugar-free chocolate VERY delicate. If it seizes when melting, don’t worry. Add a splash of milk and stir vigorously and it should be recoverable. Add the cocoa and remaining 1 tbsp honey. Stir over a gentle heat. Add a little milk if necessary to make a thick but pourable sauce.

4.  Layer the frozen yoghurt in a tupperware, alternating each layer with a swirl of chocolate sauce. Finish with a drizzle of sauce, using a skewer to create a ripple effect. Freeze until firm.