Cinnamon-Lime Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce.

I originally set out to make a pie this weekend and then remembered I had more than half of a quart of half-and-half leftover from making my sister's cheesecake ice cream last weekend.  I browsed a few cookbooks before deciding on a panna cotta from David Lebovitz's Ripe For Dessert.

Panna cotta is a lovely summer desert.  Served chilled, it's a refreshing and lighter alternative to richer and sweeter custards or puddings (although I can't say I prefer it, creme brulee will always be a favorite ;)  I used blueberries as the accompanying sauce because they were what I had the most of and what the original recipe also calls for, but feel free to substitute any fruit you want.

The only other change I made to this recipe was using lime zest in place of the lemon.  It was what I had in the fridge but I don't regret it - I think it helped to make the panna cotta taste even more summery :)

Cinnamon-Lime Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce
Adapted from Ripe For Dessert
1 1/3 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 2 limes
2 cinnamon sticks
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
2/3 cup buttermilk

In a small saucepan, warm the half-and-half, sugar, zest and cinnamon sticks over medium heat until it begins to steam.  Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan and let steep for a half an hour to an hour.

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it soften for about 5 minutes.  Rewarm the half-and-half mixture if necessary, then pour it through a strainer into the gelatin, whisking until it's smooth, and stir in the buttermilk.

Lightly grease or oil 8 4-ounce ramekins and divide the panna cotta mixture among them.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until firm.

Blueberry Sauce
2 pints blueberries, picked over and rinsed with cold water
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sugar

In a small saucepan, stir the blueberries, lime juice and sugar over medium heat, until most of the blueberries start to pop and release their juices.  Cook until it boils and thickens slightly, then refrigerate.

Cheesecake Ice Cream with Gluten Free Graham Crackers.

A few years ago, after I graduated from culinary school, one of my gifts was an ice cream maker.  I can't say I use it very often, maybe a few times per summer, but after making this ice cream I was reminded how amazingly easy and delicious homemade ice cream is.

I made a cheesecake ice cream for my sister's birthday a couple of years back.  She requested it again this year, but I decided to try a new recipe this time around.  There wasn't anything wrong with the first recipe, but this one just seemed like it could be cheesecakier, I'm not sure why.  Good news?  It was!

Graham crackers are cheesecake's perfect partner, so I made a gluten free version since we were expecting celiac guests.  They came out beautifully tender and crisp, but not very sweet.  If you're using them for something like crumbling over ice cream or crushing them for a crust, I would say use the recipe as-is, otherwise add some brown or granulated sugar to the dry ingredients.

Cheesecake Ice Cream
Adapted from A Chica Bakes
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream together the softened cream cheese sugar, and lemon zest.  In another bowl, whisk the sour cream, half-and-half, salt and vanilla together until smooth, then gradually add this to the cream cheese mixture.  (Alternatively, you can just whizz everything together in a food processor.  I didn't want to get it dirty @_@)  Chill the ice cream base until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight, then churn in an ice cream maker until thick and creamy.

Gluten Free Graham Crackers
Adapted from Gluten Free Girl and The Chef
2.5 ounces sorghum flour
2.5 ounces millet flour
2.5 ounces tapioca flour
2.5 ounces rice flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3.5 ounces cold butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces honey
3 to 6 tablespoons cold water

In a large bowl, weigh out all of the dry ingredients and whisk well to combine.  Cut in the butter with 2 knives, a pastry cutter, or a fork until the mixture resembles sand.  Stir together the honey and water, then add it to the dry ingredients, stirring until the dough just starts to come together.  Knead it a few times, then wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll the dough out to about 1/4" thick, then score diamonds or other shapes with a knife and use the tines of a fork to poke holes in the shapes, if desired.  Refrigerate the dough until cold, then transfer the shapes to the baking sheet and bake until light golden brown on the outside, 12 to 20 minutes, depending on how thick or thin you cut the dough.

Chocolate Filled Gluten Free Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting.

Today is my grandma's birthday and we're having a celebration later so what better to bring than cupcakes? 

Originally I planned on icing half of the cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and half with chocolate buttercream but while searching for chocolate frosting recipes, I came across one that looked more like a "custard" (there were no eggs in the recipe) and the idea dawned on me to fill the cupcakes!  I needed a filling for the mini cake I made for my grandma so I used a cooked frosting recipe I found to fill the cupcakes as well.

My grandmother is an amazing gardener - she has the greenest thumb of anyone I've ever met - so I tried to incorporate a flower theme, hence the strange piping on the cupcakes!  They were intended to look something like hydrangeas, only with smaller petals because I couldn't find my Wilton 1M tip.  Let's just say I've convinced myself to be happy with them anyway :D

If it helps, everything can be made in stages.  The filling can me made well ahead of time and indeed needs to chill before you use it.  I made the cupcakes first, froze them, buttercream second, filling third, but as long as everything is ready when you go to assemble, it doesn't matter what order you make them in.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe, makes 24 standard-size cupcakes
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Recipe, makes 18 standard-size cupcakes

Chocolate Filling
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch.  Add the boiling water and salt, then cook over high heat until it comes to a boil and thickens.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla extract.  Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.

Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 lbs. confectioner's sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until it's smooth, then add the sugar gradually.  Beat in the salt and vanilla, then mix on high speed until everything is very creamy and spreadable.

To fill the cupcakes, cut out cones from the top of them and remove the triangular part of the cone.  Using about a teaspoon per cupcake, fill them and then replace the tops before icing with buttercream.

 

Happy birthday, Grandma :)

Gluten Free Lemon Pie Bars.

Something about lemon bars has always screamed warm weather to me - the lemon's yellowness and the scent of them being zested and juiced is complete summery dessert perfection!  Crisp, buttery and tender crust; cold, silky smooth and just-tart-enough lemon curd on top, I urge you to bring these along to any party this summer.

I did something a little different here by using a lemon meringue pie filling recipe for the top of the bars because I wanted them set or "gel" more than normal lemon bars and it worked really well!  These are much easier to cut and serve than other recipes I've used in the past.  I decided not to use the whites for a meringue topping, only because I knew these had to last more than a day or two in the refrigerator and I worried about the meringue beading and slipping on top of the filling, but if anyone tries it, please let me know how it works out!

Happy Summer! :) 

Gluten Free Lemon Pie Bars

Crust:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9x13" glass or metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, salt and powdered sugar, then cut in the butter until it starts to form into a ball of dough.  Using slightly wet or greased hands or an offset spatula, spread the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan.  Bake until golden brown around the corners and edges and lightly golden brown in the middle, about 25 to 35 minutes.  Let cool completely before filling.

Lemon Filling:
Recipe doubled and slightly adapted from Anna Olson's Another Cup of Sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups water
1/2 cup cornstarch
10 large egg yolks
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large heavy saucepan, whisk the sugar, water and cornstarch together and mix well.  Whisk in the egg yolks and salt, then cook over medium-low heat until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and becomes glossy and thicker, another 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the zest, lemon juice and butter and whisk until the butter has melted completely.  Pour into the baked crust and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to a day before cutting into squares and serving.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies... finally!

I've been searching for a great gluten free sugar cookie for at least 3 years now - since my brother and sister-in-law got engaged.  I attempted to make engagement cookies in wedding cookie shapes, conjoined heart shapes, even little tiny hearts.  I could get them off of the baking sheets if I was incredibly careful but decorating was an entirely different story - they crumbled to bits and pieces at the merest sight of wet icing.  Quite disappointing, to say the least! 

I've literally dreamt about making gluten free Easter cookies now for about a month.  I'm not saying this recipe is perfect, but it certainly works.  I don't get along well with tapioca starch for some reason (I've always felt it leaves a slightly metallic aftertaste), but for now, this will do nicely.

My requirements while researching a gluten free sugar cookie recipe were pretty slim:  it had to call for separate gluten free flours, rather than a mix, and I had to have all the flours in my house.  We spend a lot of money buying gluten free flours and I couldn't justify going out and buying 2 or 3 more just for this purpose.  The only other requirement was that the recipe had to include a picture on the blog or site I found it from so I knew their structure was up to handling and decorating.  Luckily, I found this one at one of the best gluten free blogs out there - The Baking Beauties. 

They could be a little thicker and hold their shape better while baking, but I'm not complaining.  They're tender, buttery and delicious and if you're looking for a great gluten free sugar cookie, try this one!

  
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
From The Baking Beauties
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, vanilla and milk, then mix again until fully combined.

In a small bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, starches, gelatin, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum, then add this to the creamed mixture, making sure everything is well mixed.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or up to 3 days.

When you're ready to cut out the cookies, take the dough out of the fridge to soften for about 10-15 minutes and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough on a rice flour-dusted surface (or on wax paper) to about 1/2" thick and cut out desired shapes, placing them on the baking sheet.  Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 8-12 minutes, depending on how thick your cookies are.  Let them cool completely before icing and freeze up to a month in an airtight container.

Decorate your heart away with royal icing or a simple confectioner's sugar frosting :)  I realize the dots on mine give them a chicken pox-look but I swear they look more appetizing in person!  Inspiration for the egg-chicks came from the lovely and talented Glorious Treats.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Today is my brother Andy's birthday!!!  We had a celebration for him over the weekend and he requested carrot cake again this year and I used the gluten free carrot cake recipe from last year, with a few minor changes as well as my go-to cream cheese frosting.  This is one recipe I feel like I have nailed down for good - I prefer this carrot cake over one with wheat flour any day and I urge you to try it this spring.  It would make a perfect dessert for Easter Sunday or any warm-weather occasion popping up on your calendar!

I took the recipe I found last year and decreased the amount of oil and sugar and I can honestly say neither was missed.  I also didn't add any coconut this year, just because I didn't have any on hand, but do feel free to add in 1 cup of it.  This amount of batter does make a bit much for 2 layers of cake, so you can make about 8 extra cupcakes with it, or just cut the recipe in half if you'd prefer.  But I promise you none of it will go to waste.  I love this cake and I hope any celiacs and non-celiacs out there will love it too!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 1/3 cups potato starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
4 or 5 large carrots, grated

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and grease 2 8" or 9" cake pans as well as a cupcake pan (or line with baking papers.)

In medium bowl, combine the oil, sugars, eggs and water.  In a larger bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, potato starch, baking soda and baking powder, spices, salt and xanthan gum until everything is well mixed.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, adding in the walnuts, raisins and carrots and combine well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 15 (cupcakes) minutes to 45 (cake layers) minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool completely on wire racks before icing.

Go-to Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch of kosher salt
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the butter, cream cheese and salt together in a mixing bowl until very well mixed.  Add the sugar and combine, stir in the vanilla extract, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for a few minutes, until very light and fluffy. 

Go-To Gluten Free Chocolate Cake.

 I used to really dislike gluten free recipes that called for a pre-made mixture of flours rather than the flours separately.  In general, I still prefer to use separate flours because I think they give gluten free baked goods a better texture.  Recently though, going through Bette Hagman's Deliciously Gluten Free, I thought of what a waste it was to have this book and never use any of the recipes because so many of them called for mixes.  So I got out a mixing bowl and put together Bette's Featherlight Mix for gluten free baked goods.

Although I haven't tried any recipes from the book using this mix yet, I plan on it, and it works wonders in cake recipes that call for a generic gluten free flour mix, like this chocolate cake.  I used it on my birthday a few weeks ago and yesterday to make little chocolate cakes for some adorable guests we had for Sunday dinner. 

A small complaint:  it seems like every gluten free website has their own set of mixes, which is unfortunate, because I'm not going to make a mix for every gluten free website I go to.  I realize everyone does what works for them, and that's fine.  For now, this is the one I'll use when it comes to cakes and pastries that call for a gluten free mix instead of separate flours.

Featherlight Mix
In a large bowl, whisk together until very well combined:
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon potato starch

Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Adapted fromFood.com
1 1/2 cups Featherlight Mix (or other gluten free flour mix)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
5 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9" layer cake pan (or 8x8" or 9x9" square pan) with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum together.  Stir in the oil, vinegar, extract and egg and whisk or stir with a spoon until everything is very well combined and there are no lumps.  Spoon into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or until the cake springs back slightly when pressed with a finger.

Let cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

Gluten Free Italian Herb Cheese Bread.

Among all the sweets I've been making this holiday season, there came a need for something savory to go with the pot roast we were having for Sunday dinner.  "Salad?" my mom asked.  I said "Nah, how about biscuits, bread?"  It was too late in the day to be pulling out the yeast, but I knew a quick bread would be perfect.  This is along the same lines as a beer bread, the savory version of zucchini or banana bread and it is gooood.  I rarely make savory quick breads, but it might be time to start making more.

Gluten Free Italian Herb Cheese Bread
Adapted from The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen by Donna Klein

2 cups tapioca flour
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup gluten free shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/3 cup skim milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. F and lightly spray a 9x5'' loaf pan with cooking spray or oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and soda, herbs, salt and cheese until everything is well-combined.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, water and olive oil together.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring very well.  (No need to worry about overmixing here!) 

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the top and edges are golden brown.  Let cool slightly, then slice and serve.  Any leftover bread can be wrapped well and frozen.

Is it really November 26th?

I hope everyone who reads this blog had a great Thanksgiving!  I definitely did - lots of amazing food ate with my immediate family, sister-in-law and adorable nephew.  (All gluten free, too.  We've been doing that gluten free holiday thing for a few years now, not to brag or anything :D) 

I've been a lazy daisy as far as photographing baked goods go.  The dessert recipes for Thanksgiving are going to be linked to here, and the pictures I took were just snapshots taken throughout the day, during the meal preparations.  They're certainly nothing compared to a lot of food bloggers, but they're something and the recording of recipes is what matters here anyway, even though the food setups for pictures frustrate me enough to stop posting for almost 3 weeks.  What do you do when you live somewhere the sun only makes an appearance 2 days out of 7?  It's not ideal for food photography.

Anyway, firstly I made Ellie Krieger's Pumpkin Flan and it tasted absolutely wonderful, pumpkin pie without the crust, which was what I wanted.  Perhaps I'm just jaded and lazy but I'm done with gluten free pie crusts unless someone can find me a fool-proof recipe.  They're just not worth the time and effort.  (I can't find one that's easy to roll out, I always end up piecing together the crust in the pan, so what's the point of taking the time to roll it out at all?  Plus the metallic tapioca starch taste always puts me off...)  I didn't take any pictures of this because when I inverted it onto the platter, the caramel didn't really drip down any sides since the sides were so thin (I made it in one 8-inch cake pan rather than 8 small ramekins), it just pooled in the middle and didn't look so great.  But it did taste amazing and that's what matters.  The only changes I made to this recipe were to increase the amount of spices and bake it in a large cake pan.  Served with cinnamon whipped cream on the side.

Then the chocolate cream pie - if I didn't make this, I'm fairly certain my sister would have a fit.  I enjoy it as well but I was dreading the crust.  I remembered I had some leftover gluten free vanilla cookie crumbs in the freezer and added just a couple tablespoons of melted butter and pressed those into a 9-inch pie plate and baked at 350 until the edges were golden.  This could not have worked more perfectly and I plan on doing this every time I need to make a gluten free pie, quite honestly.  Normally I use a very high-fat recipe in Lisa Yockelson's book Chocolate Chocolate, but this year I was looking for something lighter, something that wouldn't leave my stomach feeling like a brick after eating it, so of course I went to Cooking Light.  This recipe came out so nicely, so creamy, so chocolaty.  And no one knew it was "light." Success?  Success.  Only difference was that I used real whipped cream instead of the meringue.  I figured just a light slather of real cream would be just as caloric as an 8-egg white and 1 cup-sugar meringue topping.  Yes it might be poor reasoning, but it is Thanksgiving after all :)

Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Cake.

I haven't done a lot of gluten free baking lately since Rachel just had a lovely baby boy a few weeks ago, my nephew Oliver:

 

 

But luckily this past weekend we got to see him in his adorable dragon costume for Halloween:

For this special occasion, I made a gluten free pumpkin spice cake.  I made it last year and it's a wonderful keeping cake since pumpkin baked goods seem to stay fresh and moist for days.  I added chopped and toasted pecans this time but last year I added dried cranberries as well as an orange glaze.  Feel free to add anything you'd like: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, etc.  I didn't fancy this one up with a glaze, but perhaps a nice dusting of powdered sugar would also do if you're looking for a way to make it not so plain.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Cake
Adapted from 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup whole bean flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (or apple juice, apple cider, milk)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans

Grease a 9x13'' glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the juice, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin and mix well.  Stir in the dry ingredients and the pecans until everything is well combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. in the mean time.

After the batter has rested, bake the cake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool completely before cutting or glazing.

An Anniversary Celebration.

Last Sunday, September 19th, my parents celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary.  I asked my mom what kind of cake she wanted and she said "Hmm, how about black forest?" Black forest cake it is!  I hope they do something big next year for number 30 :)

From the same book as the gluten free vanilla cake, this is my go-to gluten free chocolate cake.  It's absolutely chocolaty and delicious.  You can switch sugars here, brown for granulated, if you'd like.  I usually use all brown sugar because it tastes fudgier that way, but feel free to use either one.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Adapted from 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt
3/4 cup whole bean flour (garbanzo or chickpea is fine)
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly spray or grease 2 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients (whole bean flour through cocoa powder) to make sure everything is thoroughly combined and there are no lumps.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.  Stir in the vanilla extract.  Add in the dry ingredients and the sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes before baking.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.  Let cool completely before filling and frosting.  As with the gluten free vanilla cake, this cake freezes very well. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap first and store for up to 3 months.

To make this cake "black forest" I just split one layer in half and filled it with good cherry jam, iced the top of it with whipped cream and decorated it with some maraschino cherries.  It's too bad this wasn't requested during cherry season as I'd obviously prefer to use fresh, but I do think this was a festive cake nonetheless :)

Chocolate Mousse.

I had been baking cupcakes and cakes all summer, some for money, some for family, and by the time late August rolled around I just wanted to make something different, easy, yet impressive.  In comes chocolate mousse.  Mousse is always elegant - maybe because of its decadent taste and texture - people always assume it's incredibly difficult to make.  It isn't and it's too bad more people don't make it as much as other desserts!  In a way it's easier than a cake or cookies because you don't have to bake it.

There is some cooking involved, since there are raw eggs here, and lots of whisking.  You can use a handheld electric mixer for the first parts of the recipe but I will say I used a whisk and I thought of it this way: if I whisk by hand instead of using a mixer, I can justify eating this mousse... We all make eating excuses like that, but you do burn more calories whisking by hand than by using an electric handheld mixer, right?  I'd like to think so.

This recipe says it makes 2 1/2 cups or serves 8 generously but I doubled it to serve 20 people with at least 3 or 4 glasses extra.  I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips for the chocolate called for because I was making it for so many people and I have to say I loved it and I won't be snobbish and say to seek out only high quality 66% bittersweet bars or anything like that (although the book does ask for this).  I say use what you have - it will still be delicious.

Dark-Chocolate Mousse 
Adapted from Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, chilled

In the top of a double broiler or in a heat-proof bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until pale yellow and thick, the sugar should begin to dissolve and a ribbon should fall back in the bowl when the whisk is lifted.  This could take anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes depending on if you're whisking by hand or using a handheld mixer.

Stir in the water.  Place over simmering water and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture is very thick and registers 160 degrees F.  and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, salt and vanilla.  Stir until the chocolate is melted and then continue to stir until the mixture is cool to the touch.

In a separate bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream until it forms soft peaks and gently fold it into the chocolate mixture.  Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until cold.  Alternatively, spoon the freshly-made mousse into glasses or bowls first and then chill.

I served the mousse with some gluten free shortbread cookies and a dollop more of whipped heavy cream just because I had extra and I felt like gilding the lily.  Here's the recipe for the shortbread, although the mousse really didn't need any accompaniment to be honest!  These cookies are quite fragile and you need to be careful when taking them off the cookie sheets.  The broken ones make great crusts for cheesecake though!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Shortbread
Adapted from 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt
2/3 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup butter, very soft

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients besides the butter until well-mixed.  Add the soft butter and mix until a dough forms.  Pinch into 1-inch balls and place on the parchment-lined baking sheets.  You can flatten these with the tines of a fork dipped in sugar or I used the bottom of a glass dipped in cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden brown on the bottom edges.  Transfer the sheets of parchment to a cooling rack to cool completely and then take the cookies off the paper carefully.

Gluten Free Baby Shower.

In late August, we threw my sister-in-law Rachel a baby shower on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  The next two posts will be recipes of the food I made - gluten free pizza dough and chocolate mousse with gluten free cinnamon shortbread.

It seems like a lot of gluten free baked goods come in boxes and bags these days because those who need to avoid wheat find it easier or more convenient, just like the people who buy regular cake and brownie mixes.  I hate to be so snobbish, but I always prefer making things from scratch and I can't stand mixes.  They don't allow you to control anything!  I'd much rather figure out a real recipe and perfect it.  So upon first search for "gluten free pizza crust/dough" you get a lot of links and sites for mixes to buy.  Once you start getting into the recipes, many had reviews such as "gummy, not fluffy at all..." etc, etc.  Then I visited one of the tried-and-true recipe websites, Epicurious.  Lucky for me, I found a gluten free pie dough recipe that had (mostly) rave reviews.  We had all the gluten free flours in the gluten free pantry so I decided to use this one.

It. is. amazing.  I know the comparison for gluten free stuff is always "does it taste like the real thing?!" and this one really does, it might be even better.  The thing anyone baking gluten free yeast breads should remember is that the doughs will always be more sticky and wet than regular bread dough.  It's just the way gluten free bread works, don't add more flour or it WILL be tough and gluey.  I found the best way to work with this dough was to use wet fingers and a greased offset spatula to spread it on the parchment paper.

Anyway, if you're looking for an amazing gluten free pie crust recipe, THIS IS IT.  Top it with anything, I swear you'll love it.  I roasted eggplants, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, mushrooms and red peppers a few days before the shower and then spread pesto and the veggies over the par-baked dough and topped with mozzarella cheese (I also did a pesto/tomato/mozzarella as well as pesto/chicken/roasted veg/mozzarella).  A note on quantities:  I doubled this recipe and made it twice to get four rectangular-sized pizzas that I cut into 8 generous pieces each (I had to serve about 20 people, every piece of the 32 pieces were gone at the end of the shower...)  If you're just serving a few people, this recipe as-is should be fine.

Gluten Free Pizza Dough
Adapted from Epicurious
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup chickpea/garbanzo bean flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (or 1 package)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flours, xanthan gum and salt.

Heat the milk and 1/4 cup of water in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop until it reaches 100 degrees F.  Stir in the yeast and sugar.  Add this to the flour mixture along with the egg whites and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Using the paddle attachment, beat until the dough is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes on medium.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and throw in a baking sheet as well.  The baking sheet needs to be really hot so that when you put the pizza dough on, the bottom will start cooking immediately, therefore it doesn't get soggy or underbaked.

Scrape the dough onto either one large piece of parchment or two smaller pieces (depending on if you want one large pizza or two smaller ones) and form into a rectangle, circles, or any shape you can manage, using wet hands and a greased spatula.  The end formation should be about 1/4 inch thick.  Drizzle the dough with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 20 minutes or until the doughs look puffier and slightly risen.

Transfer the pieces of parchment with the dough on them to the hot baking sheet.  Place into the oven and bake until the bottom is crisp and the dough is set, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size.  The crust is now parbaked and can be cooled completely and frozen for up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.  Otherwise, use your toppings of choice and put back in the oven until the cheese is melty and golden brown or the toppings are warmed through.

Gluten Free Birthday Cake.

For those who don't know, I bake a lot of gluten free things because my sister-in-law Rachel is gluten intolerant.  She and my brother, Andy, come over nearly every Sunday and it's always nice to be able to offer them something gluten free for dessert and I love experimenting with gluten free baking.  Anyway, she's about to pop any day now with a baby boy:

This cake wasn't made for her birthday, but it was for my mom's birthday and when Andy and Rachel come over we like to do everything gluten free.  This is my go-to gluten free vanilla cake and hopefully anyone else who bakes gluten free will take notice - it's SUCH a great, foolproof recipe.  I do believe I even forgot the xanthan gum when I made this batter into cupcakes for one of Rachel's baby showers but it still came out delicious as always.  The mascarpone cream and fresh fruit were there to dress things up a bit, (plus my mom loves fresh fruit) but this cake, frosted with good old buttercream frosting, is perfect for any gluten free occasion.

I generally double this recipe so I can get 2 8 or 9-inch layer cakes or 24 cupcakes, but in this case I just split one 8-inch layer in half and filled it with fruit and cream.  It was big enough to serve at least 8 or 9 people generously.  (and as Nigella Lawson says, "...how else would you want to feed them?")

Gluten Free Vanilla Cake 
Adapted from 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt
2/3 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8 or 9-inch cake pan, square or round.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the dry ingredients (white rice flour through salt) and set aside.

Combine the cider vinegar and milk and let the milk sit for a few minutes while you cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Stir in the vanilla extract.  Add the dry ingredients and the soured milk alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix well and scrape the bowl with a large spatula, making sure everything is well combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and let sit for 15-30 minutes before baking.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, although check on the cake at 20 minutes, as I find this cake is often done before a half an hour is up and certainly check at the 15 minute mark if you use this for cupcakes.  Let cool completely before filling or frosting.  This cake also freezes well, just wrap it in plastic wrap twice and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.


Mascarpone Cream:
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, cold
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on your taste
Vanilla extract

Using the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese and heavy cream until it forms soft peaks.  Stir in just enough sugar to slightly sweeten the cream and add a splash of vanilla.

Use on any vanilla cake or cupcakes, although I'm sure it would be great with chocolate as well.  What isn't? :)

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Cheesecake.

I made this sucker for the 4th of July and it was gooood.  (That weekend was quite a whirlwind due to a family reunion and a birthday as well as the holiday so I did a lot of baking and quite frankly don't remember how many things I baked, but there was at least a sweet potato pound cake, tiramisu and cupcakes in the mix...) I also made a chocolate mayonnaise cake with Duke's Mayonnaise (a present from my North Carolina buds) but I must say, it was gone before I could get any pictures.  For anyone skeptical about mayonnaise in cake, it's just oil and eggs!  People at the party I took it to made faces when I told them what it was, but then when they put a forkful in their mouths, everyone said it was the best chocolate cake they'd tasted. I hope to make the cake again soon, that way it can have its own post like it deserves.

Moving on to the main star here, though - this cheesecake is gluten free, it's easy and it's delicious.  The crust is made out of gluten free brownies, the filling made out of rich cream cheese and melted bittersweet chocolate.  I added the whipped cream and raspberries on top, but they were just for show.  This cheesecake would do just fine on its own, no matter what the situation, for people who have to eat gluten free or not.

(This recipe is adapted from a book I go to more than any other when I need to bake gluten free, I highly recommend it to any Celiac or anyone who bakes or cooks for people with Celiac's.  The recipe is originally accompanied by a raspberry coulis, hence my inspiration with fresh raspberries on top here.)

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Cheesecake
Recipe adapted from 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt

Fudgy Brownies for the crust:
1/3 cup chickpea flour (original recipe calls for yellow pea flour, never seen it)
2 tablespoons potato starch
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8x8 square pan.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl, whisking to make sure all the flours aren't clumpy. 

In a large microwavable safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth and shiny.  Add the vanilla extract and beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly combined.  Dump in the dry ingredients and stir well to eliminate any lumps.

Spread in the prepared pan and let sit for 15-30 minutes.  Bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes or until when a toothpick is inserted in the middle, a bit of crumb is sticking to it.  Let cool completely, then crumble and set aside.

Cheesecake:
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons sorghum flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
8 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate, cooled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly spray a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.  Press the brownie crumbs in the bottom and up the sides of the pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.  In a large bowl using an electric mixer or handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until very smooth.  Slowly and the sugar and sorghum flour and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.  Add the vanilla, salt and yogurt or sour cream, and finally, fold in the chocolate.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled brownie crust.  Bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes in the hot oven and then reduce the temperature to 250 degrees F. and continue to bake for another 35 to 40 minutes or until the center is just set.  Let cool at least 30 minutes before refrigerating at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.

Garnish as you'd like, and serve in thin slices with strong coffee.  Yum :)

Gluten Free Carrot Cake.

Spring has finally arrived! The past 3 or 4 days here in Buffalo have been absolutely beautiful. 70 degrees, sunny, the daffodils are starting to bloom and the trees have little tiny green buds on them. Trudging through winters in Buffalo makes people here appreciate spring even more I think. Easter is a pretty big holiday here - not just because we have a high population of Polish people and Italians, but because it also represents the end of winter and the beginning of spring. (Granted we've had snow on Easter, but not for a few years.)

This year Easter also falls on my brother's birthday. He gave me complete creative baking freedom this year and I was thrilled. I've been working on another baking order for later in April that includes carrot cake cupcakes and I thought - perfect! Carrot cake on Easter. I called him last week to ask him if this was alright with him and the conversation went something like this:

Beth: "So before I actually started planning on this, how does carrot cake sound for your birthday?"
Andy: "Carrot cake? With cream cheese frosting?"
Beth: "Uh, yeah! Is that okay?"
Andy: "YES please that sounds delicious!"

Before I started looking around for gluten free carrot cake recipes, I had no idea so many people were in love with carrot cake. But how can you blame them? Warm spice cake with flecks of carrot, coconut, chunky nuts and sweet raisins. Not to mention the perfect cream cheese frosting to go on top. It's still not my favorite - after all, it's not chocolate - but it certainly is a great cake to make when you'd like people to have an option besides vanilla or chocolate.

Notes on this particular recipe: I doubled these ingredients to make 2 8" layer cakes and added walnuts, coconut and raisins as well as nutmeg and ginger. You could also make 2 9" layers I'm sure, but I was cautious and took some batter out of both pans, afraid it would overflow in the oven and I'm glad I did. So in the end, I made 2 8" layers and 9 standard sized cupcakes from this recipe.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake
1 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 1/3 cups potato starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons water
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups grated carrots (I used about 6, I think it depends on the size of your carrots)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and spray 2 8 or 9" round baking pans with cooking spray.

Combine the oil, sugars and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and spices. Add the dry ingredients and water to the oil mixture and stir until everything is mixed well. Add in the nuts, coconut, raisins and carrots and mix until everything is incorporated into the batter.

Divide the batter into baking pans and bake anywhere from 25 (cupcakes) to 50 (layers) minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cakes are well set on the top. Let cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy and well-combined. Add the salt and vanilla and mix again. Start adding the sugar a cup at a time, letting the cream cheese and butter absorb the sugar before adding more and scraping down the sides of the bowl. (Note: I like to refrigerate cream cheese frosting and use it straight from the fridge, otherwise it's a complete mess.)

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter and spring of 2010 :)

Espresso Meringue Cookies.

Meringues are one of the simplest and cutest cookies one can bake - they're also gluten free, low in fat (fat free unless you add nuts or chocolate), and relatively low calorie as long as you keep them small. I somehow always end up with bags full of egg whites in the freezer. I guess from making a household favorite, crème brûlée, as well as homemade ice creams and custards.

Sundays at my house call for something gluten free, sweet, and fun to photograph. These fit the bill. This is a modified version of a recipe from Tish Boyle's book The Good Cookie - which every baker should own. My copy is covered in grease and the binding is about ready to go. But that's how I like my cookbooks - well-used :) If you want regular meringues, just omit the espresso powder. I adore piping anything, so I always use a bag to pipe meringues fitted with a large star tip. But a teaspoon or tablespoon would work just fine as well.


















Espresso Meringue Cookies
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Start whisking on medium low speed until they are frothy and white. Add the espresso powder and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and whisk until the whites hold stiff peaks. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pipe or spoon the meringues onto the cookie sheets and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until dry to the touch. Let cool, then drizzle with chocolate or dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy :)