Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

I am not an expert in gluten free baking but I do know cake. I have worked hard to figure out a way to be able to bake for my clients who are gluten free. Of course my kitchen is not 100% gluten free so I am sharing my recipe with you all so you can still "have your cake and eat it too".

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

3 eggs (room temp)

3/4 cup Rice Flour

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch

1/4 cup Cocoa

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1 cup Sugar

6 oz Canola Oil

3 Tbsp Sour Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 ~ 8" pans.

2. Whip the eggs and sugar on high speed until doubled in volume and light and fluffy (approx 3-5 minutes). Slowly drizzle in the oil. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk together to remove any clumps. 

3. Add the sour cream to the the mixer on low speed. Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined scraping down the side of the bowl.

4. Pour into your prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Banana Cake Recipe

My Mom asked me to make a cake for their small group to celebrate Lynn's birthday. It needed to be gluten free so I decided on a banana cake with caramel buttercream. Here I am only posting the recipe for the cake but it is delicious on it's own, drizzled with caramel sauce or frosted in your favorite cream cheese or buttercream icing. I am not an expert in Gluten Free baking but I do know cake and have come up with a recipe that works. Feel free to substitute you tried and tested gluten free flour blend. 

Gluten Free Banana Cake

3/4 cup Brown Rice Flour

1/3 cup Tapioca Starch

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tbsp Jello Vanilla Pudding Mix

1 cup Brown Sugar

3 Eggs (room temp)

3 oz Canola Oil

2 Ripe Bananas mashed

3 Tbsp Sour Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour 2 8" cake pans. 

2. In mixer whip the eggs, oil and sugar until doubled in volume and light in color (approx 3-5 minutes). In separate bowl sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda and pudding mix. 

3. On low speed add the sour cream to the eggs. Add the dry mix 1/3 at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl in between. Add the mashed bananas and mix just until combined. 

4. Pour batter into prepared cake pans, half in each pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Note: Room temp eggs make a difference on the lightness and fluffiness of the cake. To get room temp eggs fast place them in a bowl and let sit in HOT tap water for about 3 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

I had so much caramel left over that I had to come up with some new ways to use it. Well placing a chunk of it in the middle of a oatmeal cookie was the perfect idea. Everyone loved them!

Oatmeal Cookie

3/4 cup Butter softened

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 Eggs

1 1/2 cup Flour

2 cups Oats

1/2 cup (approx) Peanut Butter Caramel (link for recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350F. 

With hand mixer cream butter and sugar for about 2 minutes. Add baking powder. Add eggs one at a time just until combined. Mix in flour on low speed. Stir in oats by hand. 

Form into one inch balls and place about one inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press thumb into the center of each cookie. Wet your thumb slightly to prevent sticking. 

Place a chunk of peanut butter caramel in the center of each cookie. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Enjoy!

http://secondgenerationcakedesign.blogspot.ca/2014/02/peanut-butter-caramel-recipe.html

Peanut Butter Caramel Recipe

I was in the mood to bake a couple weeks ago and came across the idea of peanut butter caramel. I took my basic caramel sauce recipe I use from Chef Michael Smith and turned it into a peanut butter version. It is a thick and creamy and goes perfect with so many different desserts. I have used it drizzled on apple fritters, in apple crisp and swirled in fudgy brownies so far. Will be making sure I have some of this on hand at all times.

Peanut Butter Caramel

1/2 cup Water

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

Add water to a medium saucepan. Pour sugar in and DO NOT stir. The water will absorb the sugar on it's own. On medium high heat cook sugar until it becomes an amber color. Brush down the sides with water to prevent crystals. DO NOT STIR. Once it starts to brown you may swirl the pan to finish the cooking. Keep a close eye as it goes from no color to color very quickly. 

Meanwhile heat whipping cream in microwave for 30 seconds so it is room temp. Once your sugar has caramel color take off burner and pour in the cream slowly stirring constantly. Add peanut butter. Place back on burner and stir just until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool or serve warm. 

Apple Fritters with Peanut Butter Caramel

I was in the mood to bake the other day and got Peanut Butter Caramel in my head. So I got up and made it! But then the hard decision...what to put it on? I went through all the chocolate options but didn't have all the ingredients on hand for brownies. I then started to think about what else does peanut butter go with? Banana's and apples! I ended up deciding on apple fritters and they were DELICIOUS!

Peanut Butter Caramel

1/2 cup Water

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

Add water to a medium saucepan. Pour sugar in and DO NOT stir. The water will absorb the sugar on it's own. On medium high heat cook sugar until it becomes an amber color. Brush down the sides with water to prevent crystals. DO NOT STIR. Once it starts to brown you may swirl the pan to finish the cooking. Keep a close eye as it goes from no color to color very quickly. 

Meanwhile heat whipping cream in microwave for 30 seconds so it is room temp. Once your sugar has caramel color take off burner and pour in the cream slowly stirring constantly. Add peanut butter. Place back on burner and stir just until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool or serve warm. 

Apple Fritters

1 cup + 2 Tbsp Flour

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Allspice

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

3 Tbsp Melted Butter (or coconut oil)

3/4 cup Buttermilk

Oil to Fry

Heat oil to 375F. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and allspice. Whisk to combine. Add melted butter and buttermilk and stir just until combined. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Using a teaspoon spoon small amount into oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from oil and place on paper towel to absorbed extra grease. Move to a plate and drizzle with the caramel sauce.

ENJOY!

Oreo Cookie Marshmallow Cheesecake

I absolutely love this marshmallow cheesecake recipe! It is so versatile and SO yummy! This time I didn't have to change it up too much to make it an Oreo cheesecake. This flavor was requested by my 3 year old niece for Sunday night dinner. 

Oreo Cookie Cheesecake

Crust

1 1/4 cup Chocolate Cookie Crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

Combine ingredients and press into bottom of a springform pan. Set aside

Filling

6 cups mini marshmallows (about 40 large)

3/4 cup milk

2 pkgs cream cheese

1 tub of cool whip

approx 2 rows of Oreo cookies crushed ( a few more for crumbling on top)

Over medium heat and stirring frequently melt the marshmallows with the milk. Set aside to cool. Whip the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the marshmallow to the cream cheese and whip until combined. Fold in the cool whip holding back approx 1 cup. Fold in the crushed cookies. Pour over crust and spread evenly. Spread the rest of the cool whip on top and top with the extra crushed cookies. Let set in fridge for about half an hour. 

Enjoy

Here is the link to the original Marshmallow Cheesecake Recipe I worked from 

http://www.annadotes.com/2012/12/easy-marshmallow-cheesecake.html

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

Just before Christmas I had found a recipe for marshmallow cheesecake and thought that it would make a nice and easy dessert for Christmas Eve. I had so much baking to do for clients that I needed something that was SUPER easy and this was it. I added crushed candy cane (which just found out that you can buy at Bulk Barn already crushed during the holiday season...bonus) and made a chocolate wafer crust for the base. It was DELICIOUS! So light and really not too sweet. This is a no bake recipe that can be ready in a fraction of the time of a regular cheesecake. It is also much lighter. This time I wanted to switch things up and who doesn't love coffee and chocolate. 

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

Crust

1 1/4 cup Chocolate Wafer Crumbs

1/4 cup Melted Butter

Mix together and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside.

Fudge Layer

100g Dark Chocolate (I used a Lindt 70% bar)

4 tbsp Greek Yogurt 

(I used the caramel greek yogurt but regular or vanilla will do the trick. Full fat sour cream will work as well)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave with 2 tbsp of the yogurt for 20 seconds at a time until it is all melted. Stir in between. Stir in the rest of the yogurt. Spread evenly over the crust. Set aside. 

Cappuccino Cheesecake

1 pkg of Marshmallows (about 40 regular size)

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt 

1/2 cup Milk

2, 8oz packages of Cream Cheese

1 Tub Whipped Cream

1 Tbsp Espresso Powder

*Don't have espresso powder? Substitute 1/4 cup milk for 1/4 cup strong coffee.

In a medium saucepan melt the marshmallows with the yogurt, milk and espresso powder. Stir until all melted and well mixed. In a mixer whisk the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the cooled marshmallow mixture and whisk until combined. Fold in the tub of Whipped Cream. Pour into the crust. Place in fridge until set (about 30 minutes). 

I grated chocolate covered espresso beans over my cheesecake because I happened to have some on hand. You can grate chocolate over or sprinkle with more chocolate wafer crumbs. I had split mine between 2 smaller tart pans because I was bringing one next door to my sisters house and wanted one left here for me. 

ENJOY!

original marshmallow cheesecake recipe link

http://www.annadotes.com/2012/12/easy-marshmallow-cheesecake.html

Carrie's Crunchy Granola

I cater a women's breakfast at my Church about 5 times a year. Every time I make a hot dish and serve it with yogurt, fresh fruit and my now famous granola. I think they would kick me out if I didn't make it. I like to have a stash on hand at home throughout the year as well. This recipe is how I normally make it but you can change things up so many different ways. Use whatever nuts and dried fruit you have on hand. Customize your granola to your individual tastes.

Carrie's Crunchy Granola

3 cups Quick Cooking Oats

1 cup Coconut

1/2 cup Pecans

1/2 cup Almonds (sliced)

1/2 cup All Bran Buds

1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 cup Oil (I usually use canola but coconut oil works really good too)

3 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 cup Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix everything except the cranberries in a large bowl. Spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Stir and bake for another 20 minutes (give or take 5) stirring every 5 minutes. While still warm stir in the cranberries. 

I haven't tried it yet but next time I will be adding 1 cup quinoa to the mix. I have tried this in granola bars before and it should enhance the crunchy and nuttiness of the granola. 

Bacon & Kale Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I was in the mood for a pasta dish the other night so I went through my fridge to see what I could throw together. I pulled out some Kale, there was also some bacon and as I was searching through my many condiment jars I zeroed in on the roasted red peppers. It was actually quite delicious. I brought it with me to work the next day and ate it cold and it was just as good. 

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

1/4 cup Mayo

1 Roasted Red Pepper (finely chopped)

1 tbsp Mustard

1 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce

1 Tbsp Honey

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Smoke Paprika

1 tsp Dill

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Yes it is that easy!

Kale & Bacon Pasta

1 cup dried pasta (I used little shells)

Approximately 5 leaves of Kale

6-8 pieces of Bacon

1. Cook Pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile cook bacon in a pan on the stove. 

2. Remove bacon from pan. Add kale and cook for just a minute. 

3. Drain pasta. Add pasta, kale and bacon to a bowl. Pour on sauce and toss. Serve either warm or cold. 

Carrie's Chelsea Loaf

 I was in the mood to try something new last week. I was watching Anna Olson's Bake and she made Chelsea buns. They looked so good that I got up and made my own version based on the ingredients I had on hand. I am sure Anna's dough recipe is fantastic I have my own that I just love and have worked very hard to perfect. I also didn't have the dried fruit hers called for so I just used the cranberries and apricots I had in the cupboard. I used up all my butter in the filling but I did have coconut oil so I created a coconut oil glaze to top them off. I haven't had the original version but this glaze I believe took them over the top. They were so good I ate way too many that first day.

Chelsea Loaf/Buns

Dough

1 tbsp Dry active yeast
1 cups Warm Milk (I use 2%)
3oz cup Sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Cardamom
2 eggs
1lb 4 oz flour 
3 oz melted butter

1. In mixer bowl combine the yeast, milk and sugar. Let stand until it is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add salt and eggs and begin to mix on low with the dough hook. Reserve a few ounces of flour and mix in the remainder. Mix in the butter. 

2. Knead for a few minutes. Add more flour if needed to reach a firm enough dough to roll. Continue to knead until dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes. Cover and let rest for half an hour. 

Filling & Assembly

3/4 cup Butter softened

3/4 cup Sugar

Orange zest

1/4 cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice (I'm not entirely sure of this measurement as I used 2 tangerine sized oranges. I'm estimating it would be about this much. Pour in enough to give the orange flavor but not make it too runny)

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 cup Dried Apricots (chopped)

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the zest, juice and vanilla and mix until combined. 

2. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into a rectangle, about 20x10. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the entire surface. Sprinkle the dried fruit evenly over the butter layer. Roll the dough from the longer side. Cut the dough in half lengthwise and then in half widthwise. Twist 2 pieces of dough together as tightly as possible, then repeat with the other two pieces of dough, then twist both of these pieces together. (don’t worry even some of the fruit falls out – you can sprinkle it overtop once in the pan). Place the twisted dough into a greased 10-x-5-inch loaf pan. Or you can turn into buns by cutting a dozen evenly sized rolls and placing them in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rest again for half an hour. 

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake buns for about 30 minutes and loaf for about 50 minutes. I do suggest placing a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet under the loaf as it will bubble over and leave a huge mess in your oven. I learned that one the hard way. 

Coconut Oil Glaze

3 Tbsp Water

1/3 cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1. In a small saucepan heat all ingredients over med high heat until sugar dissolves. Brush over hot buns or loaf (yes I said hot buns) and let cool 15 minutes before removing from pan. For loaf wait about 30 minutes before removing from pan. 

Yes there is a LOT of patience that is required to make these but they are WORTH the wait! Best if eaten the day you make them but you can still enjoy a day or two later by microwaving them for about 10-15 seconds to soften. 

Want fresh baked Chelsea buns in the morning? Prepare them but do not bake. Place in fridge over night and in the morning place in cold oven. Set oven to 350F and once oven reaches temperature set timer for the 30 minutes. 

Pumpkin Roll Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Filling and Maple Candied Walnuts

Sunday afternoon we were setting up my Mom's new oasis room. We sent her upstairs with the kids for their nap time and my sister and her husband decorated her new room for her. I had just fell flat on my back on Friday on the ice so I wasn't much help during the heavy lifting part so I started peeking around the pantry to see what I could create for dessert. I found a can of pumpkin and walnuts and in the fridge there was cool whip and some cream cheese. I decided a pumpkin roll cake would be a nice sweet end to a special day. It was a hit. Here is how I made it...

Pumpkin Roll Cake 

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray jelly roll pan, line with parchment and spray again. 

2. In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Set aside

3. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar for about 1 minute. Add pumpkin and whisk until combined. 

4. Fold in the dry mixture and pour into prepared pan. Spread out evenly. Bake for 12 minutes.

5. While it is baking lay out a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with icing sugar. When the cake comes out of the oven run a knife along the edges and turn out onto the towel. Roll the cake in the towel and place on a cooling rack until cool. 

Maple Cream Cheese Filling

1 package cream cheese

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1 cup Icing sugar

 In a large bowl with electric mixer whip the cream cheese. Add the Icing sugar and Maple syrup and whip until smooth. Place in fridge until ready to assemble cake. 

Maple Candied Walnuts

2 cups walnuts

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp allspice

In a nonstick skillet toast the walnuts for a couple minutes. Add the maple syrup and allspice. Stir until every nut is coated. Cook over medium high heat until syrup is reduced (approx 5 minutes). Pour onto a piece of parchment and set aside until ready to assemble cake. 

Cake Assembly

Unroll the cake . Spread the cream cheese filling evenly on the whole cake. Gently roll the cake and place on serving tray seam side down. Spread with whipped cream. We used cool whip because it was in the fridge but would be even better with whipped cream. Would be even better with some cinnamon or nutmeg in the whipped cream as well. Top with the candied walnuts. Cut and serve!

I'd tell you how to store it but you are not likely going to have any left anyways!

Coconut Banana Rice Pudding

I was in the mood to bake something completely different today and for some reason rice pudding came to mind. I also wanted to get rid of some of the ripe banana's I have in the freezer so I decided to turn it into banana rice pudding. The coconut was an after thought but worked really nicely. If you don't have coconut cream on hand you can just use all milk or add in some heavy cream to make it REALLY creamy. Have fun with it and make it your own! Here is how I made it...

Coconut Banana Rice Pudding

1 1/2  cups milk

1 cup coconut cream

1/2 cup rice

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1 banana (ripe)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

nutmeg to taste 

In a heavy bottom pot bring the milk, cream and rice to a boil. Turn down to medium and let simmer until the rice is soft and tender. This took close to 45 minutes for me. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Add a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of the hot rice mixture to the eggs constantly stirring until mixed thoroughly. Add to the rest of the rice and stir well. Stir in the mashed banana and nutmeg. Stir until thickened. Serve hot or cold...it is much better hot though! A drizzle of caramel wouldn't hurt it in any way either...I tried it with my second bowl!

Gluten Free Strawberry Banana Bread

Strawberry Banana Bread - Gluten Free

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar *
2 eggs
1 cup oats (make sure they are gluten free)
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 mashed very ripe bananas
1 cup dried or fresh strawberries

In a mixer beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. By hand stir in the flours, oats and baking soda until just about all incorporated. Add the bananas and stir just until combined. Stir in strawberries. If using fresh don't stir too much or it will turn pink. Bake at 375F for 45-55 minutes.

*If you would like to make it refined sugar free you can substitute the brown sugar for 1/2 cup creamed honey or 1/2 cup date sugar.