Gluten-Free Recipes for Dessert

Pumpkin Cake

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

This is the original pumpkin quick bread from my wheat flour days that I’m sure many of you used to bake.  I’ve been making it gluten-free for years, it can be dairy-free without any of the dairy add-ins/ons. Without the cream cheese, a slice or two is a good sustaining breakfast or snack.  

I try and use less xanthan gum or even none if I can, as you get an even fluffier texture when baked. 

There is no xanthan gum in this recipe.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of 15 oz can (8oz) roughly 1 cup solid pack pumpkin, not pie filling (ingredient list should only be pumpkin)
• 1c + 2 tbsp sugar (8 oz) 
• 1/2c (4oz) melted coconut oil or almond oil or avocado oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 c water 
• 1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract 
• 1+1/4 c (5+3/4 oz) my gluten0free flour mix or same by weight of King Arthur Flour gluten-free all-purpose flour (no xanthan gum, no baking powder, only flour blend)
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) gluten-free apple pie or pumpkin pie spice that you know you can eat. So many brands aren’t labeled gluten-free. 
• 1/2 c (2 oz) almond meal 
• 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
• 1 tsp (5ml) gluten-free baking powder 
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 c craisins – dried cranberries
• 1/3 c golden raisins (known as sultanas in UK) or ordinary raisins
• 1/3 c chopped pecans or other nuts. 

Cream Cheese Center
Mix together:

• ½ of 8 oz brick of cream cheese softened– I use lite 
• 1 egg yolk or 1 tbsp liquid egg substitute
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract 

Streusel
Mix together:

• ¾ c chopped pecans or nut of choice 
• ¼ c sugar 
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar 
• 1 tsp gluten-free apple or pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Put pumpkin, oil, sugar, eggs, water and vanilla in large mixing bowl and beat well for 2 minutes until air bubbles are visible.
2. Stir all dry ingredients together, then add and beat in dry ingredients. Stir in fruit and nuts.
3. Grease and gluten-free flour a 10” bundt pan.
4. Sprinkle half of the streusel around base of pan and pour in half of batter.
5. Gently spread cream cheese mix on top of batter.  It won’t be perfect and might sink a bit.  Try not to spread cream cheese to sides of pan or it will stick.
6. Gently pour in second half of batter and sprinkle second half of streusel on top.
7. Bake in preheated 350 * oven for 45-55 minutes. If top is browning too much, cover with foil. The cake will rise and dome and look cracked from nuts and sugar.
8. I prefer using a bundt pan, the cake looks prettier than in a loaf pan and with the hole in the middle, the cake cooks more evenly with less chance of a raw center. Cake should be well risen, it will be dark brown because of spices, firm at edges and pulling away from sides. I poke at middle of cake with a fork, since I find that most gluten-free cakes need longer cooking than regular flour cakes. Remove from oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes, turn out onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Cake keeps fresh for quite a few days, freezes and nukes well.

Watch me make variations of this cake:

• 2011 on NH’s ABC WMUR Cooks Corner with gluten-free pumpkin bread (recipe slightly changed now)
• 2017 on NH’s ABC WMUR Cooks Corner with gluten-free pumpkin made into ginger cake with crystallized ginger.

For Halloween, make the pumpkin cake in cupcakes, without filling. Frost with cream cheese frosting, tinted orange if you want (mix red and yellow food coloring together.  A recent bottle of McCormick’s food coloring stated it was a gluten-free food.) Top with Halloween candies that are gluten-free. 

Note: cream cheese filling and streusel adapted from a recipe in Port Danby Cozy mystery by London Lovett.

My rice-free GF mix:

• ½ cup potato starch 
• ¼ c tapioca starch from Asian market or Goya or Yoki brand in supermarkets.  
• 2 tbsp amaranth or millet flour: Bob’s Red Mill (millet is roughly one third the price of amaranth, is not so nutritious, but is more readily available.)
• 2 tbsp sorghum flour: Bob’s Red Mill. 

Larger quantity:

• 1 x 14 oz bag potato starch, which is 3+1/2 cups – that’s the size I can buy. 
• 1+3/4 c of Tapioca Starch is 7 oz
• Just under 1 cup of Amaranth or Millet (actually ¾ c plus 2 Tbsps is 4 oz)
• Just under 1 cup of Sorghum (actually ¾ c plus 2 Tbsps is 4 oz)

Making about 7 cups total of mix.

Sweet Cookie Pizza

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

The base is a gluten-free sugar cookie I made from a Better Homes and Gardens wheat snickerdoodle cobbler recipe. When the cookie dough is cooked on its own cooking sheet, it cooks up thin and crispy. The original topping was 3 x 8 ounce packets of cream cheese. I used only 1×8 ounce and we liked that quantity the best. The original recipe added circles of kiwi fruit to look like pepperoni. I used circles of strawberries to look like pepperoni. I chopped fresh mango to imitate yellow bell peppers and drizzled chocolate sauce to imitate balsamic glaze. We also preferred just the sweetened cream cheese topping without the key lime juice and lime zest.

Gluten-Free Sweet Cookie Pizza

Ingredients:

Crust

• ¼ c (2oz, 56g) butter, softened
• ⅓ c (2+1/2 oz) sugar
• 2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ c (2+1/2 oz, 70g) King Arthur all-purpose gluten-free flour – doesn’t contain baking powder or xanthan gum.
• 1/8 tsp xanthan gum

Topping

• 1 x 8oz packet cream cheese, softened.  I use stores own ‘lite’ which is also softer.
• ¼ c (60ml) powdered (icing) sugar or to your taste.
• 1 tbsp key lime juice – optional
• zest of ¼ lime – optional
• Fresh fruit

Chocolate sauce

• ¼ c (60ml) semi-sweet chocolate melted with ¼ c cream until smooth.
• Let cool so it thickens.

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl beat all crust ingredients together for 2-3 minutes until soft and fluffy. This is a very soft mix, not stiff cookie dough.
2. Draw a 9” circle (measure a dinner plate and use that for circle size) on parchment paper on a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan (unless you’re confident that cooked cookie will release without sticking from your pan).
3. I use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop. Make outer circle of dough blobs on parchment paper, about 1 inch apart, and then space out the rest of the dough inside the circle. Wet your fingers and flatten slightly.
4. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes. Every oven differs and cookies will cook faster if over flattened. Cookies should merge together as a complete ‘pizza’ base and be a golden color, but not dark and just under ½ inch deep. Remove from oven, let cool and then remove from parchment paper and lift onto serving dish. Don’t worry if it cracks, cream cheese and fruit will hide cracks. Cookies will soften if left out, from humidity and from the topping.
5. Beat cream cheese and sugar together, and spread carefully on cooled base.
6. Decorate with strawberry slices, fruit, and chocolate sauce.

You can find Chef Oonagh Williams at Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh on FB, LinkedIn or her website. Chef Oonagh has a culinary arts degree, celiac disease and other food allergies. Remember most real food is naturally gluten-free until manufacturers ‘mess’ around with it and only baking really needs changing.

Turtle Bars

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Peace, love and health to all.

As we head into more time with Coronavirus, I thank parents who are home schooling and honestly am thankful that my son is a single adult with a job.   Many are worrying about kids falling behind, but everyone, worldwide, will be doing catch up. Locally there are many people making cloth masks and people donating fabric, elastic, ribbon.  Another friend is co ordinating collection of single size snacks, drinks etc for local hospitals.  Meals donated to first responders.   I still post recipes on FB and my encore ABC WMUR cooking presentations.

The company my husband works for, makes the thermal imaging thermometers that are used worldwide, so he is even busier working from home than in office.  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thermal-imaging-cameras-coronavirus.    

Be kind to others, be kind to yourself, we are all in this together and will get through it. Stay Safe.

At this time, a special offer to help this month, 50% discount on my downloadable e-cookbook, full color photos, lots of advice plus recipes.  Go to www.glutenfreecookingwithoonagh.com and click on gluten-free cookbook on menu or picture of cookbook. Scroll to bottom of screen to order with PayPal or Credit Card.  In the ‘description’ of purchase box, type CV19, in price box, type 10. That’s it.

This is a mix of a number of different recipes until I came up with the thickness of base and caramel filling that I personally preferred.  One of my English recipes has a cake base with a caramel filling based on condensed milk.  I am finding that for me personally some condensed milk recipes are just too sweet and catch at the back of the throat.  Locally, Milford NH High School has a Culinary Arts program that I’m involved with, with a public restaurant during the school year. They had made this dessert, called it Turtle Bars and put pecans in the from scratch caramel filling (all my previous recipes never used nuts and were a Twix lookalike).  So I tried making my dessert with added nuts and used their name for it as well as using bought caramel sauce for ease.

Gluten-Free & Egg-Free Turtle Bars
made in an 8×8 pan

Ingredients:

Shortbread base: If you have a favorite sugar cookie recipe or bought sugar cookie mix or tube, you can substitute that. My base is quite thick and uses 14 oz ingredients. Look at your recipe/bought mix and do the math to substitute. 

• 1 c (4 oz, 112g ) my rice free,  gluten-free flour mix, ingredients at end of this recipe – to substitute, you have to weigh, (approx ¾ c KAF all purpose gluten-free flour with no baking powder or xanthan gum.)
• ½ c (2 oz, 56 g) gluten-free almond flour (ground almonds in UK), Trader Joe’s, Costco, BRM and KAF all sell almond flour (white) labeled gluten-free and some have almond meal (freckly with skin) also labeled gluten-free. Varying prices. 
• ½ c (2 oz, 56 g) powdered sugar (Icing sugar in UK)
• 1+1/2 sticks (6 oz, 168g) butter (or substitute) hard from the fridge and cut into 1 tablespoon slices
• ¾ tsp (4 ml) xanthan gum

Filling:

• 1+1/4 to 1+1/2 cups (10-12 fl oz, 300-360 ml) thick caramel sauce (I have used a 10 oz jar of Trader Joe’s caramel sauce labeled gluten free or 13 oz can of Nestle dulce de leche which is caramelized condensed milk.  Your own homemade caramel sauce.  Most ice cream caramel sauces don’t seem to be gluten free and possibly runnier)
• 1 +1/2 cups (6oz, 168 g) coarsely chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, macadamias) cooked in 350* oven (unless labeled roasted already) for 10 minutes.  Once you smell them cooking they could be burning, watch carefully. If you like salted caramel, you could use chopped salted nuts.  If you only have salted nuts and don’t want the salt, rinse salt off in warm water and then crisp nuts in oven. 
• Additional 2 tablespoons milk, cream to thin dulce de leche.
• 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free vanilla extract.  I’ve also added zest of 1 or 2 oranges.

Topping

• I use semi sweet chocolate, with kids you might want to use milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (6oz, 168g- I use Nestle Tollhouse)
• 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick – 2 oz, 60 ml)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (180*C) Put flours, sugar and xanthan gum in food processor.  Add hard butter and run food processor until mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.  If you make this with soft butter, it will turn into a paste you have to spread in dish rather than sprinkle like breadcrumbs.  Make it easier on yourself.
2. Grease 8×8 (20×20 cm) baking pan. If you use a glass pan, then stand it on a metal sheet in the oven, so base cooks better.  Sprinkle in shortbread mix, spread evenly and press down.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes.  You do want the base to be light golden brown all over now or it tastes raw later, with darker brown edges.  This is the only cooking base will get so you want to be sure it is cooked through.  There is nothing worse than a raw base. Remove from oven.  Base will probably have fine cracks throughout.
4. Open jar of caramel sauce, remove lid and warm in microwave to easier pouring consistency.  For can of dulce de leche, scrape into microwave safe bowl, warm, add some milk.
5. Add nuts and vanilla, mix well and pour on top of crust in brownie pan, allow to cool.
6. Melt chocolate chips and butter until smooth.  I give chocolate mix about 44 seconds in microwave, stop and stir.  Continue to microwave in 11 second increments if necessary. Spread over cooled caramel filling, allow to set and then cut into very tiny squares. Don’t try to cut while warm as it will crumble. My husband likes this cold from the fridge when caramel and chocolate are hard.  I like it at a warm room temperature when filling is very creamy.  It is easier to cut the bars while the caramel and chocolate are hard and then serve them hard or soft. Cut by using a sharp knife repeatedly dipped in very hot water to easily glide through chocolate topping. Transfer to storage container.

My gluten-free mix: I use for one cup of gluten-free mix. Rice-free. I have slowly been remaking my gluten-free recipes with arrowroot instead of potato starch for nightshade problems for lots of people. It’s basically trial and error, some recipes arrowroot just isn’t a good enough substitute as it’s more floury, but still tasty. 

• ½ cup potato starch or arrowroot starch for those with nightshade problems. BRM sell a bag of arrowroot, but it is more expensive than potato starch.
• ¼ c tapioca starch – note there is a difference in tapioca starch from different brands.
• 2 tbsp amaranth or millet flour: Bob’s Red Mill (millet is roughly one third the price of amaranth, is not so nutritious, but is more readily available.) 
• 2 tbsp sorghum flour: Bob’s Red Mill.  

Larger quantity
Making about 7 cups total of mix

• 1 x 14 oz bag potato starch, which is 3+1/2 cups – that’s the size I can buy. Or 14 oz arrowroot by weight. 
• 1+3/4 c of Tapioca Starch is 7 oz
• Just under 1 cup of Amaranth or Millet (actually ¾ c plus 2 Tbsps is 4 oz)
• Just under 1 cup of Sorghum (actually ¾ c plus 2 Tbsps is 4 oz) 

Note that I buy potato starch and tapioca starch from local Asian market, and brands that online say they are gluten-free.

APPLE AND CRAISIN BREAD PUDDING

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

A warm, fall-themed dessert to keep you feeling cozy as the nights start to turn cold!

Ingredients:

• 2 gluten-free plain bagels cut into small cubes.  Don’t use soft white bread, it cooks up too mushy.  I’ve made this with Udi’s and Canyon Bakehouse plain bagels. 
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces, like shredded cheese. Large chunks will make pudding fall apart when cooked.
• ¾ c brown sugar
•  ½ stick (2 oz, 60 ml)  butter
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie or apple pie spice or 1 tsp cinnamon plus ½ tsp powdered ginger plus ½ tsp ground nutmeg.
• ½ c craisins
• 2 tsp gluten-free vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp rum – optional, but gives lovely flavor
• 2 cups half and half or whole milk
• 5 large eggs
• brown sugar for top

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a 6 cup saucepan, add apples, sugar and spices and cook over gentle heat until the apples are nicely soft without becoming apple sauce.  They don’t really cook much more in the bread pudding. I also mix this and cook in microwave in m/w safe bowl, add rest of ingredients and then refrigerate covered. 
2. Add craisins, vanilla and rum to pan, stir in bread cubes.  Adding bread cubes should be sufficient to cool the mix to add eggs and milk.
3. Beat eggs and milk together – I tend to use my immersion blender so I don’t have ‘threads’ of egg still showing. Gently mix into bread mix.  
4. Pour into greased 8 x 8 brownie pan or equivalent sized pan and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.  The large quantity of liquid should be absorbed leaving a small quantity of excess liquid around the edges.  Insufficient liquid will leave the bread hard and dry in places.
5. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar for a crusty topping. Place on a baking sheet in case of spills as it is a very full baking dish.
6. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for about 45 minutes. The bread pudding will have risen up, the top will be set, crusty and light brown and if you dig into the center it should be soft and moist but not wet with loose liquid. If you’re cooking it cold from the fridge, it will probably need 
7. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes before serving with caramel sauce. Reheats well.

Caramel sauce:

• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp butter 
• 2 tbsp rum – optional

1. Put sugar in an 8” skillet with water. Cook, covered, over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Covering pan while dissolving sugar stops formation of sugar crystals on side of pan.
2. Remove lid, increase heat and cook until syrup turns a deep gold color, swirling pan will mix light and dark syrup.  You will notice burnt sugar smell and a smoke above pan if overcooked. Undercooked is tasteless. Be very careful as boiling sugar gives a nasty burn. Don’t stir mix as it will crystallize.
3. Remove from heat, carefully add cream and butter, it will spit and bubble and harden. Return to low heat and stir until sauce is smooth again. Add rum if wanted.  Thickens slightly on cooling.

Cauldron Cakes for Halloween

Candy Corn Mini Muffins

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Sweet Sauces – Caramel Sauce, Raspberry Sauce and Chocolate Ganache

Lemon Squares

Hot Chocolatey Cocoa