As this gorgeous country of ours gracefully enters Autumn, I'm craving more and more hot mugs of cacao, herbal teas, warming spices and grounding food.

This special and unique recipe is full of just those things, from hormone balancing Peruvian Maca Root powder, to a generous helping of medicinal ginger, cloves, cinnamon and other healing spices, to one of New Zealand's most underrated superfoods - the humble, delicious Kumara (sweet potato)!

Delightfully dense, deeply flavoursome and topped with a creamy cashew nut vanilla icing, this cake is so full of goodness it's outrageous! It's gluten, refined sugar free and 100% vegan. The perfect guilt-free afternoon tea cake, it goes beautifully with a chai masala tea or earl grey. Enjoy!

I am such a sucker for banana loaf. Some of the best things in life reside in this recipe: banana, coconut, cinnamon, walnuts, nutmeg...and none of the questionable things, like refined sugar or gluten. It's the perfect way to use up old bananas, and coconut flour gives the loaf a dense, coconutty flavour. Nothing makes me happier than a slice of this on a sunny afternoon with a spiced chai latte and some good company! Heavenly!

The recipe is GAPS and Paleo-friendly, and can be made with or without dairy, simply substitute butter for coconut oil.