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 :)

I'm back...

I don't really care how long the gap has been or how many people actually read this blog, but I realized a few weeks ago, I like doing it.  I really like writing about the food I make and eat with my friends and family and I love sharing recipes and photos to go along with them.

So even if no one reads this, I'm going to try and keep it updated anyway.  Because a few nights ago I was going through all the recipes I've posted thus far and realized what a good resource this is.  The recipes I posted two years ago are the recipes I still want to make now, especially after losing 85 lbs.  I think dieting put a real damper on recording recipes here because I only ate desserts every once in a while.  I felt guilty for posting a high-calorie, high fat recipe when I was dieting because that's not what I ate every day.  Now I eat a cookie or baked good (almost) every day, and I bake 3-5 times a week rather than 1.  Granted the cookies are smaller and the cakes might include more whole wheat flour and less butter now, but they still taste delicious and deserve to be shared.

Anyway, this summer was absolutely fantastic. But the end of August and the beginning of September were a bit rough - two baby showers in the span of one week for my sister-in-law, I got pretty sick right after that and couldn't sleep for days let alone eat normal food.  But things are back to normal now.  It's fall, it's not too hot to turn on the oven, and I have plenty of new recipes to share. Or just record for my own future use :)

Starting where I left off, this is part of what I made for brunch back on Mother's Day 2010.  These were absolutely delicious and I highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a lightened-up sticky bun.  I have one of Cooking Light's cinnamon roll recipes bookmarked the next time I feel like making a morning sweet roll like this, but if you're into the sticky bun, try these.  I added a bit more salt to the dough (undersalted yeast doughs should be addressed in every baking book... salt is soooo important for the flavor in yeast doughs) and switched out the figs for dates because my mom and I adore dates.  Feel free to use any dried fruit/nut combination you'd like - dried cherries are probably my favorite dried fruit at the moment so I'm imagining those with some pecans, dried blueberries with hazelnuts, dried apricots with sliced almonds, etc. The possibilities are endless :)

Date-Walnut Sticky Buns
Adapted from Cooking Light

Dough:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast (I use active dry)
2/3 cup warm water (100 degrees)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
7.9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing on rolled dough

Sticky topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup finely chopped, pitted dates
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the dough, dissolve the granulated sugar and yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the melted butter.

Combine 6.75 ounces of the flour (about 1 1/2 cups), salt and nutmeg in a bowl, stirring with a whisk while adding the yeast mixture and forming a sticky dough.  Knead dough either by hand or in a mixer until elastic, about 5 minutes and add the rest of the flour about a tablespoon at a time.  Place the dough in an oil or cooking spray-coated bowl, turning so the entire ball of dough is lightly coated and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.  (I always use my oven for this, it has a bread proofing setting but even if you put it in a turned off oven, it's probably still warmer and more draft-free than a countertop.)

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, syrup, and milk in a small saucepan and bring this mixture to a boil.  Remove the pan from heat and add in the dates.  Sprinkle the nuts evenly on the bottom of a cooking spray-coated 9x13 inch baking pan.  Spread the date mixture over the nuts as evenly as you possibly can, I used a small offset spatula for this and it helped. It might not seem like there's enough to go around, but I promise there is.

Combine the other 1/4 cup of brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Punch down your dough (I should talk about this term some time... you never want to PUNCH the dough down, more like fold it over itself so most of the air bubbles go out of it) and let it chill out for 5 minutes to rest.  Roll the dough out to a 12x10 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface and brush with the 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Sprinkle the dough with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and roll up tightly starting with the long end.  Cut the dough into about 1-inch slices, creating 12 rolls.  Place the rolls cut-side up in the baking pan and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until the rolls touch each other and have doubled in size, about 15-20 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool the buns on a wire rack for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter and eating, still warm from the oven :)

Blueberry Coffee Cake.

It occurred to me today that this is the last (not even full) week in April and I'd only posted a couple recipes here so far this month but I have been baking!  Laziness, I guess.  But this blueberry coffee cake is too good not to share.  It's Saturday afternoon, I just wanted to make something springy for Sunday brunch and I had some blueberries in the freezer.  These days especially, I really think the world is making things easier for dieters.  It might take a little more research and a few more clicks on Google, but you can find a low calorie recipe for anything, I promise.  Whether or not they taste good is another story - and this does.  This was so delicious!

I followed the recipe exactly as it appears except I cut it into 16 squares instead of 12, which means the calories went down from 210 per piece to 160.

Even if you aren't dieting, I highly suggest this recipe.  It tastes just as good as any full fat, sour cream, cream cheese, butter-laden coffee cake - but it's so much better for you.

Blueberry Coffee Cake, adapted from Ellie Krieger
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I increased this from 1/2 teaspoon... I love cinnamon)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray an 8'' or 9'' square baking pan with cooking spray.

Sift or whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a small bowl until well combined.  In another small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, canola oil and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one is added, and then add in the vanilla.  Next, add in the dry ingredients and the yogurt alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Finally, fold in the blueberries gently.

Spread half the batter into the bottom of the greased pan.  Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar/walnut mixture.  Spread the rest of the batter on top of the nuts and then sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar/walnuts on top.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or tea :)

Simple Spice Biscotti.

I always read before going to sleep at night.  It's a nice way to wind down at the end of a day and lately, I've been going through my old issues of Cook's Illustrated magazine.  I found this one in a Holiday Baking issue and I immediately wanted to make it - no butter, no oil - just flour, spices, eggs.  Could biscotti be this easy and taste good?  I trust Cook's Illustrated and so in less than an hour, I had these wonderfully spicy and flavorful cookies for dipping in coffee, tea and milk :)

I used cinnamon, ginger and cloves in these.  The original also called for some ground white or black pepper - I say use whatever spices make you happy and go for it.  Feel free to add raisins or dried cranberries as well as nuts.  This is a great base recipe for biscotti.

Cook's Illustrated Best Biscotti with Spices
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar and vanilla together until it becomes lighter yellow in color.  Sprinkle the dry ingredients over and fold in just until the dough comes together.

Divide the dough into 2 parts and shape each half into a 13'' long by 2'' wide rectangle.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the tops of the logs begin to crack.

Take the sheet out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.  Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

After 10 minutes, transfer the logs to a cutting board and slice into 1/2'' thick slices diagonally. Place on the baking sheet, cut side up, and bake for 15 more minutes, flipping the biscotti over halfway though.

Let cool and enjoy :)