What Can I Bake in Under an Hour?

When you fancy a quick fix for your sweet tooth, it can be easier, healthier and better for your budget to rustle up something delicious at home. Before you pop to the shops for your go-to favourite sweet snack, take a look through this list of slimming-friendly baked goodies. We’ve made sure none of the impressive Sweet Treats on this list take longer than an hour to make!

Quick, simple and mostly batch cook-friendly, there’s really no excuse not to try at least one (or all!) of these recipes.

This post contains affiliate links. Find out what this means.

Biscoff Lava Cakes (20 minutes)

Our heavenly Biscoff Lava Cakes are so delightful, you won’t believe they’re ready in 20 minutes (or even faster, if you prepare our 12-minute microwave version!). Using a clever combination of mostly store cupboard ingredients, we’ve created an easy-to-make answer to your Biscoff cravings.

There’s nothing more satisfying than bursting through their fluffy, light sponge top with your spoon! The trick is to remove them from the oven while the Biscoff centres are still warm and oozy. 

When you’re feeling extra-fancy, you can always ramp up the indulgence with a glug of Custard or a swirl of low-fat aerosol cream.

If you’re as obsessed with Biscoff as we are, we’ve got more slimming-friendly things to make with Biscoff you can try here.

Biscoff flavoured or not, lava cakes are a surefire speedy, crowd-pleasing option. Why not mix things up a bit with our Chocolate Lava Cakes or Lemon Lava Cakes?

Double Choc Chip Cookies (22 minutes)

Being caught with your hand in the cookie jar isn’t such a bad thing when it comes to our Double Choc Chip Cookies, especially when they’re 40 calories each! The ultimate cuppa companion, we love keeping them handy in the fridge for when we pop the kettle on.

By using a short list of nifty, lower calorie ingredients, our biccies are slimming friendly even with a moreish chocolate chip filling. No faffing about here; we’ve kept things simple by making sure these dunkable cookies go from oven to plate in under 15 minutes. 

In the unlikely event of leftovers, there’s no need to worry about food waste – they’re freezer-friendly too!

Peach and Blueberry Tart (25 minutes)

Craving a fruity dessert option? Look no further than our Peach and Blueberry Tart. One of those treats that feels too simple to be true, this easy bake takes no more than 20 minutes to turn golden in the oven.

We’ve layered thinly-sliced peaches and blueberries over a light puff pastry base, giving every mouthful an irresistible crunch. You can’t have peaches without cream, so we’ve sweetened the deal with an apricot jam and cream cheese spread that brings everything together. 

There’s so much warming, fruity flavour involved, it’s no wonder it tastes good hot or cold!

Chocolate Orange Brownies (26 minutes)

Everybody loves chocolate brownies! An afternoon pick-me-up that never fails, our Chocolate Orange Brownies keep things interesting with a surprising zesty twist. We’ve used reduced-fat spread and sweetener to prepare the brownie batter for these splendid squares, and no one can ever taste the difference!

To keep our brownies bursting with orange-infused zestiness, we’ve combined melted chocolate orange segments with an orange-flavoured Choc Shot from Sweet Freedom. Because it’s a sugar-free syrup, it adds to the flavour of our little cakes without piling in too many calories.

Make sure to undercook your brownies just a tiny bit so that when they’re sliced, they’ll have that rich, gooey-in-the-middle goodness you’re there for in the first place.

Fruity Flapjack Pizza (35 minutes)

We love personalising our Fruity Flapjack Pizza. While we’ve gone for sliced mango, strawberries and blueberries, there’s nothing to stop you getting creative with different fruity topping combinations (just be sure to adjust calories accordingly, if you’re counting!). 

The genius is in the crunchy, flapjack base. Using a thrifty combination of rolled porridge oats and reduced-fat spread, our oven-friendly base tastes every bit as good as a buttery, bakery-bought version.

We’ve baked our pizza in a loose-bottomed flan tin; it makes removing the base so much easier – no one wants a crumbly catastrophe!

Once the base is ready for decorating, spoon over the sweetened cream cheese and top with the most fun, flamboyant fruits you have…

Lemon Sponge Traybake (35 minutes)

We can’t say no to our tangy Lemon Sponge Traybake, especially when it’s as light as 77 calories per square. By topping a light, sweet sponge with an irresistibly tart lemon curd topping, every bite packs the perfect punch.

To give our lemon squares sweetness without taking you off track, we’ve used a white granulated sweetener with the same texture and weight as sugar. It comes handy time and time again for slimming-friendly baking!

For an added burst of citrus, we’ve added luxurious little lemon wedges on top of each square. It makes this gorgeously simple bake look so impressive as part of an afternoon tea spread!

Sweet Tacos (38 minutes)

These oh-so-crunchy Sweet Tacos are really fun and different! We’ve coated each shell with a layer of cinnamony sweetener before baking them to crisp perfection. 

To keep the calories lower than you’d think, we’ve prepared our very own creamy ice cream filling by blending bananas with an ultra-chocolatey cocoa powder. It wouldn’t be a fiesta without lots of fun decorations, so we’ve topped our tacos with sliced strawberries, raspberries and a flourish of colourful hundreds and thousands. 

They’re perfectly on theme for dessert on a Mexican-inspired family Fakeaway night!

Nutella Baked Oats (40 minutes)

For breakfast or dessert, our Nutella Baked Oats deliver a hearty bowl of comfort in 40 minutes. It’s likely that you already have all the ingredients you need to put this one together. Combine them, sit back and relax while your oven does the heavy-lifting for you – how’s that for a fuss-free treat?

Since there’s no such thing as too much Nutella, there’s nothing to stop you adding extra to a serving jug for a mega indulgent drizzle on top.

A swirl of low-fat aerosol cream or a dollop of sweetened, whipped quark goes down a treat too! 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (40 minutes)

We couldn’t resist putting a Pinch of Nom twist on classic carrot cake. A cupcake of champions, you can’t beat Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting when you’re after a flavoursome, mid-afternoon snack. 

Spoon an even-sized dollop of slimming-friendly cake mix into a muffin tray, and let the oven work its magic. You’ll know when they’re ready for decorating by poking a skewer through each one. Once your skewer comes out clean, that’s your cue to get creative!

We’ve topped ours with a silky, vanilla cream cheese frosting that perfectly complements our carrot-infused, porridge-oat sponge.

To make them extra fun for a special occasion, top each cake with an adorable edible carrot. We can’t handle how cute they look!

From gooey-in-the-middle chocolate brownies to fruity tarts, you can bake something for everyone’s sweet tastes in under an hour. What are you waiting for?

Ready, set, bake! 

Which of our showstopping sweet treats will you be rustling up in a hurry? Don’t forget to share your pictures over in our Facebook group (we love to see them!) – it’s the go-to place for swapping recipe ideas and slimming motivation, or just for a friendly chat.

You’ll always find amazing photos shared by our lovely community in our Pinch of Nom Gallery. See what everyone else is making and swap your hints and tips. Don’t miss our random Pinch of Nom swag giveaways – we might choose you at random to take home some extra-special goodies.