Gluten-Free Recipes for Dessert



Chocolate Yule Log

December 5, 2018

Everything’s better with chocolate!

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

When it comes to this chocolatey holiday recipe, my wheat-eating husband says you wouldn’t know it was gluten-free. At parties all the wheat eaters devour my gluten-free desserts. Don’t worry about amount of ingredients, it’s straightforward to make.

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2/3 cup (112 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (120 ml) water
  • 4 eggs separated into yolks and whites. Put the whites in clean, grease-free 8 cup (2 liter) bowl
  • 1 cup and 2 tbsp sugar (224g) divided into two containers
  • ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) xanthan gum
  • ¾ cup (126 g) King Arthur all-purpose, gluten-free flour
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) cocoa
  • 1 tsp (5ml) baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Filling:

Choose whichever liqueur you like and a fruit that matches. Good options are orange, raspberry, coffee, hazelnut, plain rum or brandy. Or just plain cream and plain chocolate are delicious, too!

  • ½ cup (120 ml) seedless raspberry jam
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) brandy, rum, or raspberry liqueur
  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) powdered sugar
  • Small container of fresh, sweet raspberries

Chocolate Topping, Option 1:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup (168 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Tbsp brandy, rum, or raspberry liqueur
  • White chocolate to garnish for snow

Chocolate Topping, Option 2 (quicker variation, no need to chill):

  • 1 cup (168 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup cream (60 ml)
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) liqueur
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) powdered sugar
  • 1 cup (224 g) lite sour cream
  • White chocolate to garnish for snow

Directions:

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 10×15 jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Make a single cut into the four corners of the paper so corners overlap.
  2. Melt chocolate and water together in microwave and stir until smooth. Leave to cool.
  3. In a clean bowl (glass or stainless steel), whisk egg whites until stiff (when the tips point up).  Add half of the sugar (4oz) and whisk until very stiff and marshmallow-looking.
  4. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks with the second half of the sugar (4oz) until thick, creamy, and much lighter in color.
  5. Whisk the cooled chocolate mix into the egg yolks.
  6. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa, salt, xanthan gum and whisk until smooth.
  7. Slowly pour this mixture into bowl containing egg whites and gently whisk until smooth. Scrape down to bottom with spatula.
  8. Gently pour mix into lined jelly roll pan and cook for 22–25 minutes. Cake should be risen, softly firm and no wet batter in middle if you poke with a fork.
  9. Remove from oven and leave in pan for about 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack.
  10. Tear off parchment paper liner in strips, then put a fresh piece of parchment paper on top and loosely roll up with parchment paper inside. Don’t worry if it cracks, the the cream filling will hold it together and the chocolate topping will hide any cracks. If you don’t feel confident rolling cake, then cut into 2 or 3 strips short or long and fill and frost as a layer cake when cold.
  11. Leave to cool for about 20 minutes and then unroll.

Filling:

  1. Put the cake on your serving plate.
  2. Warm raspberry jam with liqueur and spread onto cooled cake, right to the edges.
  3. Whisk cream with sugar and liqueur until stiff and spread on top of cake, right to the edges.
  4. Add fresh raspberries.
  5. Gently roll up with seam underneath.
  6. Make chocolate topping, then spread it on the cake all the way down the sides.
  7. For extra effects, drag the tines of a fork through the chocolate to give a bark effect; use a cheese grater make white chocolate shreds fall on top of chocolate; garnish with silk holly leaves or other Christmas décor.
  8. Chill until ready to eat. I usually cut the cake in half lengthwise first and then cut thick slices.

Chocolate Topping 1:

  1. Heat heavy cream in microwave, then stir in chocolate and liqueur.
  2. Wait a few minutes and stir again until totally smooth.
  3. Chill for at least four hours.
  4. Whisk until it is stiff enough to hold its shape and spread on cake.

Chocolate Topping 2:

  1. Heat chocolate and cream together and stir until smooth.
  2. Add liqueur and sour cream and stir well.
  3. Add powdered sugar to taste.
  4. It should be cool enough now to spread on top of cake.
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TAGS: THANKSGIVING, DESSERT


Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Swirls – for Halloween or Thanksgiving

September 26, 2018

A gluten-free pumpkin-y delight that’s perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving meals!

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

A friend told me this was a Libby’s’ recipe. I got it years ago at a potluck, made it often, and then adapted it to be gluten-free. Easy, moist and moreish. A 15 oz can of Libby’s solid pack pumpkin will make three times recipe, that is 3 cakes. And yes, there is no oil or butter in this recipe, pumpkin is used the way apple sauce can be used.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2/3 cup (or 5+1/2 oz, 160g) pumpkin from a can (not pumpkin pie filling). Don’t increase amount of pumpkin, cake won’t work
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup (210g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoon (10ml) baking powder
  • 2 teaspoon (10 ml) cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
  • ½ cup (85g) gluten-free flour that doesn’t contain xanthan gum or baking powder, or ¾ cup (85g) my gluten-free flour blend (see below)
  • pinch of salt

Cream Cheese Swirls

  • 4 oz (112g) cream cheese softened
  • 2 Tablespoon (30ml) powdered sugar
  • 1 egg yolk or 1 Tablespoon liquid egg substitute

Mix together until smooth. These cream cheese swirls will top raw cake batter and become the “spider-web” pattern.

Frosting for Outside of Cake

  • ½ cup (56 g) cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup (112g) powdered sugar. I do sift the sugar as that’s quicker than trying to get frosting smooth with lumpy powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract

Mix together until smooth.

I don’t recommend using this frosting for the cream cheese swirls. The higher sugar content makes the cake far too sweet and sugar also caramelizes and sinks more into cake batter.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).  Spray springform pan and line base with parchment paper, dust with flour – I use white rice flour.
  2. Mix together pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and sugar and beat for 2 minutes to incorporate air.
  3. Add baking powder, spice, salt and flour and mix well.
  4. Pour onto lined springform pan, gently spread out.
  5. Spoon cream cheese into plastic bag, snip off corner and pipe concentric circles on top of raw batter. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect. Take a small sharp knife or skewer and pull tip of knife/skewer through the cream cheese batter from center of cake to edge of cake to create the spider web design.
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well-risen, springy but still soft to the touch. Stick a fork or toothpick into middle of cake to check that it’s cooked and taste a piece of cake. If it still has grainy flour taste, give it 5 minutes more.
  7. Once you’ve removed the cake from oven, let cool 10 minutes. Run a thin spatula around outside of cake to loosen and then remove springform ring.
  8. Allow to cool completely and then move to serving plate, lining paper should easily remove.
  9. Pipe frosting around outside of cake. Unless you use a huge pipe you should have leftover frosting that you can pipe on individual serving plate or freeze for another recipe.

I used various Halloween items to decorate as well as mini ceramic pumpkins for Thanksgiving.

My Gluten-Free Mix

I use for one cup of GF mix.

  • ½ cup potato starch. Substitute arrowroot for nightshade allergy
  • ¼ cup tapioca starch from Asian market, or Goya or Yoki brand in supermarkets
  • 2 Tablespoon amaranth or millet flour
  • 2 Tablespoon sorghum flour

Larger quantity:

  • 1 x 14 oz bag potato starch (3+1/2 cups)
  • 7 oz (1+3/4 cup) tapioca starch
  • 4 oz (¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons) amaranth or millet
  • 4 oz (¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons) sorghum

Makes about 7 cups total.

Watch me make this on NH’s ABC WMUR TV—recipe is still the same but I now leave out xanthan gum.

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TAGS: THANKSGIVING, HOLIDAY, DESSERT


Fruit Jelly

August 2, 2018

Fruit Jell-O aka Fruit Jelly

Made with fresh ingredients, a gluten-free light version of a classic recipe (adult version with wine included too!)

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Have you taken a good look at what’s in commercial packets of fruit Jell-o? They say no artificial sweeteners but also make one that’s sugar free. Artificial flavor, color, and lots of sugar. What are those chemicals doing to our bodies and more particularly the kid’s bodies? I haven’t used one in several years.

This recipe goes back to the basics of fruit juices set with packaged gelatin(e). One of my English cookbooks has fruit set with sweetened wine. It was delicious, but even though I would happily drink a glass of this wine, in a jelly (the English name for the dish, this is not jam) it was too strong. Make this just with fruit juices, and check that the juices have as many real ingredients as possible and have high fruit content, not just flavored water. Think of various berry juices with raspberries, peach juice with nectarines, and mango juice (I love the Best brand from Egypt with 50% juice) with fresh mangoes (not frozen, I thought they were horrible). If you use wine, you have to use a wine you like the taste of in the glass, like a Moscato, Prosecco with bubbles, Reisling, fruit wine, or even one of the small bottles of champagne.

Ingredients:

Basic proportions for 4 generous ramekins, custard cups or cocotte dishes:

  • 1 packet of Knox gelatin(e) 7 g packet from orange box in grocery store
  • 1 cup (250 ml., 8 fl oz) fruit juice or wine and fruit juice mixed 50/50. You can make it 100% wine, I just thought it too strong
  • 2 Tbsp (1 oz, 30 ml) sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) liqueur to enhance flavor—optional with either wine or fruit juice for adults.
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 cup fruit of choice – I tend to buy the fresh container of mixed cut strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, but I find you need to make this the day you buy the berries or they taste fermented or go moldy rapidly.

Directions:

  1. Arrange fruit in ramekins. Don’t overfill with fruit or you won’t taste the wine or juice. Put the prettiest fruit on the bottom as you’ll be turning it out.
  2. Pour the water in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top of the water. Stir in the gelatin and it will turn into solid lump.
  3. Microwave the lump for about 11 seconds. It will turn to a pale gold, see-through liquid with no lumps.
  4. Dissolve sugar in 1/4 cup of juice and/or wine in microwave.
  5. Combine the gelatin mix, sugar mix and the rest of the plain wine and/or juice, and stir. Taste to see if you want more sugar or teaspoon more liqueur, and then gently divide liquid among 4 dishes.
  6. Refrigerate for several hours, then turn out onto plates. I like to use vanilla Greek yogurt as a sauce.

 

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TAGS: DESSERT, VEGETARIAN


White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake

White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake

This delectable gluten-free cake uses almond flour for a wonderful flavor.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Another variation of my master almond cake that was a 4 page cover wrap for Food and Wine magazine. Substitute different nut flour.

The geraniums are Martha Washington, and so were quite suitable for a July 4th party.
White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake


Cake

  • 2 oz (1/2 stick, 56 g) very soft butter or coconut oil
  • 2 oz (1/3 c, 80 ml) gf semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 4 oz (1/2 c, 112 g) sugar
  • 4 oz (1 c, 112 g) almond flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tbsp cocoa (30 ml, 1/2 oz)
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) gf baking powder
  • salt
  • 1 tsp almond or vanilla extract


Filling

  • 1/2 c (120 ml) seedless raspberry jam or jelly – add 1-2 tbsp Chambord to jam if you want.
  • Punnet fresh sweet raspberries

White Chocolate Topping
I like the flavor of Lindt white chocolate but I’m still uncertain about safety. I have made this with Kraft Baker’s white chocolate that do say they will tell us if there are ingredients containing gluten. Why can’t it just be labeled gluten-free!!

  • 8 oz (224g) cream cheese, softened, I do use lite but it makes a softer frosting
  • 1 x 4 oz (112g) Lindt white chocolate bar or Baker’s white chocolate. I don’t like most store brand white chocolate chips as they taste waxy.
  • 1/4 c (60 ml) cream to melt white chocolate
  • 1/4 c (60 ml, 1 oz) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 c ( 4oz, 120 ml) cream, whipped to 1 c.
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) seedless raspberry jam or jelly

Directions

1.Melt butter with chocolate chips in microwave. Add rest of cake ingredients and beat together until smooth and then beat for 1-2 minutes, until fluffier.

2. Bottom line 9+1/2 ” spring form, spray bottom and sides with gluten-free food spray, dust with cocoa

3. Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven

4. Remove from oven, top with seedless raspberry jam, let soften for a few minutes then spread out evenly

5. Once cool, arrange most of raspberries on top, saving a few for decoration.

6. Heat 1/4 c cream in microwave for about 40 seconds, break up white chocolate, add to cream, wait a minute, then stir until smooth.

7. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

8. Beat in melted white chocolate cream mix.

9. Gently beat in whipped cream and spoon on top of cooled raspberry topped cake. At this stage the frosting is almost runny, you can let it flow down sides, it will set in fridge. Large raspberries will show through the frosting.

10. Put 2 tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam in microwaveable bowl. Gently heat until runny but not boiling hot. Spoon jam into snack size ziploc, snip off tiny corner and pipe parallel lines across cake, the more lines you make, the fancier the design.

11. Then take small skewer and draw tip of skewer through raspberry lines all in one direction or alternating. Garnish with a few leftover raspberries.

Keeps well in the fridge, but serve at room temperature.

Note, I did try making this with strawberry jam, fresh strawberries and semi sweet chocolate in topping rather than white chocolate but I have a weakness for raspberries and white chocolate.


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No-Bake Nut Cake – Tortas Rieŝutėlis

July 1, 2018

No-Bake Nut Cake – Tortas Rieŝutėlis

A no-bake gluten-free version of a Lithuanian nut cake.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

The original wheat version of this recipe came from Darbštuolė – a Lithuanian recipe magazine similar to Pillsbury Monthly. The recipe states it is from Laima Andrijauskaitė.

The original has one making an unsweetened dough, that is chilled, grated (presumably by hand like potato pancakes) and then baked to make a crunchy mix. I tried this and it was pretty awful, but it did stay very crunchy for several days in the creamy mix. So in my wheat flour days, I used a very neutral shortbread cookie ‘Sandies, simply shortbread by Keebler.’ They also boiled the can of condensed milk as we used to, to make a caramelized condensed milk. That is now available as Nestle – La Lechera – Dulce de Leche about $3 in the Goya/Mexican food aisle. Make sure you buy the right can, they also do ordinary condensed milk that looks the same but isn’t caramelized. My friend and I agreed that we had to add some rum. And then I used my chocolate ganache of cream and real chocolate melted as a topping, rather than cocoa, milk and sugar. It is very rich, so it could be cut as a small candy rather than sliced as a dessert.

Gluten-Free No-Bake Nut Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 x 7.25 oz (206g) packet of Pamela’s gluten-free butter shortbread, broken into large pieces. This is quite a soft shortbread but it doesn’t turn to mush.
  • 1 x 380g (13.4 oz or thereabouts) of Nestle Dulce de Leche caramelized condensed milk
  • 2 cups, (8 oz, 250g), nuts, coarsely chopped and toasted in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. I used almonds and pecans. Walnuts would have been more available.
  • ½ stick (2oz, 56g) butter melted
  • 2-4 tbsps (30-60 ml) rum, brandy or chocolate liqueur. Or go for orange or almond liqueur to your own preference. I used 4 tbsp Myers dark rum. 2 tbsps give a nice flavor, 4 tbsps you can notice the alcohol. Plain rum should be naturally gluten-free, it’s the flavors added that are the dangers.


Topping/glaze:

Directions:

1. Open can of dulce de leche and empty into 4-6 c (1-1+1/2 ltr) microwave safe bowl. Add solid butter and microwave for a short time, stirring, until milk softens and butter is melted.

2. Stir in some of alcohol to give a smooth even mix.

3. Stir in nuts and shortbread. Now taste and decide if you want some more alcohol. Remember strength of flavor develops and you’ll be adding rum to topping/glaze.

4. Spoon mix into 9-10” spring form pan (for a fancy dessert) or 8×8” brownie pan to cut into candy pieces. OR line star, christmas tree or heart shape pan or other designs with plastic wrap and press mix into all the corners so design turns out crisp. The mix is ‘lumpy’ so won’t press into detailed design mold.

Smooth out as much as possible and then take a piece of plastic wrap, press onto surface of cake and press out even more to smooth top and compress mix and prevent too many air bubbles.

5. Refrigerate for several hours until firm enough to cut. I had originally tried this with cream instead of butter, but butter firms mix up more.

6. While mix is chilling, heat cream and sugar together, add chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted and is smooth and creamy, it should look like a cross between condensed milk and Hershey’s syrup – no lumps. Stir in alcohol and chill. I usually use an immersion blender to make it smooth.

7. Remove ‘torte’ from fridge, remove from spring form, remove plastic wrap and place on decorative plate. Pour about half of chocolate mix over top of cake and allow to start dribbling down sides. If the mix is too runny when you stir once you remove from fridge, then beat it slightly with electric mixer so it doesn’t ‘run’ so easily.

8. Beat remainder of chocolate mix with electric mixer until consistency of whipped cream and then pipe around top/bottom of cake. Finish with nuts, or any decoration you want.

This lasts for several days in fridge, easily made in advance of summertime parties, but will soften too much if left out in sun during party. Still delicious, but spoonable not cutable after sun.


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TAGS: VEGETARIAN, HOLIDAY, DESSERT


Sweet Sauces – Caramel Sauce, Raspberry Sauce and Chocolate Ganache

June 11, 2018

Sweet Sauces – Caramel Sauce, Raspberry Sauce and Chocolate Ganache

This delicious and versatile gluten-free sauces should be a staple in your kitchen!



From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Gluten-Free Caramel Sauce

I have only seen a few brands of caramel sauce actually labeled gluten-free, but with far more ingredients than this recipe. Too many ice cream/sweet sauces are based on corn syrup and flavorings.

Summertime, parties, BBQ’s – what’s easier than your favorite brownie, pound cake, sliced with selection of sauces and ice cream or just ice cream sundaes. Everyone loves that!

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 c sugar (6 oz, 180g)
  • 1/4 c (2 fl oz, 60 ml) water
  • 1 c heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml. 1 oz) butter
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Put sugar in 8″ skillet with water, cover and bring to slow boil while sugar melts. Swirl pan to dissolve all sugar or sugar crystals will form.

2. Once sugar is totally dissolved, remove lid and boil syrup swirling pan as syrup changes color. You want a nice golden brown color, not dark brown. It only takes a few minutes so don’t walk away. The syrup browns at different rates so swirling pan gently mixes it all together. If pan starts smoking, it’s overcooked. Undercooked is tasteless.

3. Add cream and stand back as caramel will spatter, boil up and solidify in places. Stir to dissolve caramel. Add butter, vanilla and salt and stir all together.

4. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Dairy-free Option: Make with Asian style coconut milk and add coconut butter.

For Adults: To sauce add 1/4 c toasted chopped pecans and 1-2 tbsp rum or other alcohol. Serve with grilled pineapple rings or grilled halved peaches and ice cream, match made in Heaven.

Warning: Don’t make caramel sauce with kids or animals underfoot, sugar burns are really dangerous, plus if you’re distracted, sugar over cooks rapidly and burns, so you have to throw it out.


Gluten-Free Raspberry/Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 x 12 oz – 16 oz (375 – 500g) bag of frozen raspberries or bag of frozen mixed berries
  • ½ c (4 oz 125 g) ordinary sugar
  • 1/2 c (120 ml, 4 fl oz) water
  • ½ c (120 ml, 4 fl oz) Seedless raspberry jam or jelly for extra oomph of flavor
  • Raspberry liqueur, Amaretto, brandy, rum for adults.
  • Choose different jams and alcohols that match the fruit

Directions:

1. Melt sugar and water together, add raspberries (or other fruit), and simmer for just a few minutes. Stir in raspberry jam until it melts. Depending on ripeness of raspberries and your personal taste you might want to add more sugar.

I like to buy baskets of fresh raspberries in season and freeze them. Somehow they don’t break up nearly as much as bought frozen raspberries when they are simmered in sugar and water.

You can sieve the sauce and make it a ‘couli,’ so there are no seeds.


Gluten-Free Chocolate Ganache

Melt together 1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream and 11 oz bag of Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate or with Sodelicious vanilla or hazelnut creamer mixed with gluten-free chocolate. I use an immersion blender to make sauce totally smooth. Thicken as it cools, very runny when hot. Add some sugar if too ‘dark’ for kids.

This can also be used as a dipping sauce for fruit.

 

 

 

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Happy Easter Cake or Anytime Special Cake

April 10, 2018

An easy way to make adorable mini gluten-free cakes for your next special occasion!

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

While I normally bake from scratch, I am realistic enough to know that many will use pre-packaged mixes for various reasons. So choose your favorite gluten-free cake recipe (yellow or pound cake) or cake mix – gold, chocolate or spice and make these adorable mini cakes for your next special occasion!

To make the 6 houses in the Nordic mold. First select a mold. Here are a few options I’ve found:

  • Nordic Ware Platinum Cozy Village Baking Pan, plenty of ideas and photos under reviews.  $24.95 from Amazon Prime. https://amzn.to/2G7Q6Gq
  • Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Train Pan $24.95. https://amzn.to/2ISPTZy (My son would have loved a Thomas the Tank Engine.)

To Make the Cakes:

I’ve used half of Pamela’s Products 21 oz gf vanilla cake mix or King Arthur 22 oz, gf yellow cake mix. Roughly ½ c of batter, ¾ filled to ‘ground level’ line. This just makes 6 houses, and batter doesn’t overflow or need bases cut off.  350* oven for about 20-25 minutes. These cakes are only a little bigger than cupcakes. To use whole box, you could cook additional batter in jelly roll pan and once cold cut out Easter shapes, Christmas shapes – whatever special occasion you are celebrating.  Decorate with 4th July flags, school colors, get creative. Or use the jelly roll as the garden underneath the houses. Color regular shredded coconut with green food coloring, shaking well in a bag.  Let kids put the candies they want around the ‘grass’.

You need to carefully spray inside of pan, so every detail looks wet, then carefully dust with some of cake mix. Bake and then leave cake to sit for 10 minutes after removing from oven, loosen top edges of cakes with thin plastic spatula, then turn upside down, tap and turn out to finish cooling. Soak in soapy water to clean, use washing up brush to remove bits of cake, then smaller brush, q tip to get into crevices.

I have poured white chocolate ganache on the cake and finished with Easter M&M’s, saturated in alcohol laden syrups for Adults or just dusted with powdered sugar.

Have fun and enjoy!

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TAGS: HOLIDAY, DESSERT


Lemon Squares

April 4, 2018

Lemon Squares

This delicious gluten-free version of classic lemon squares is sure to please!

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

I’ve eaten some gluten-free lemon squares, and tried out some recipes and really didn’t like the topping, mainly because to me the texture was like a gluey custard. Then, by chance, I read someone saying they made a lemon curd topping instead. I make lemon curd frequently in the microwave (and lemon curd means lemon butter not anything cheese), and I’m happy with my gluten-free shortbread pastry dessert base, so went from there. Tanginess will depend on size of lemon you zest and juice. I like it tangy but not sour and just quote number of lemons to use, not teaspoons of zest (honestly, how do you accurately measure teaspoons of zest or grams on a scale) or amount of juice. No flour or cornstarch (cornflour in UK) needed in lemon top.

I have made these with Earth Balance for the base and coconut oil for the lemon curd. Obviously not the flavor of butter but still tasty.

Ingredients:

Shortbread base

  • 1 c (4 oz, 112g ) my gluten-free flour mix (see below)
  • ½ c (2 oz, 56 g) gluten-free almond flour (ground almonds in UK)
  • ½ c (2 oz, 56 g) powdered sugar (Icing sugar in UK)
  • 1+1/2 sticks (6 oz, 168g) butter, hard from the fridge and cut into 1 tablespoon slices
  • ¾ tsp (4 ml) xanthan gum

Lemon curd toppings

  • 2 lemons, washed, zested, squeezed of juice and strained of pips. (approx ½ c 120 ml juice)
  • 1+1/4 c (8 oz, 224 g) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 oz (112g) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • Powdered sugar to finish when cold

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (180*C). Put flours, sugar and xanthan gum in food processor. Add cold hard butter and run food processor until mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Grease 8×8 (20×20 cm) baking pan. 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 doesn’t taste cooked enough.

4. Put lemon juice, sugar and lemon zest in 4 cup (1 ltr) jug and microwave until sugar is melted.

5. Remove from microwave, add butter or coconut oil and stir until butter/coconut oil melts in hot liquid. This also cools liquid so eggs don’t scramble.

6. Using an immersion blender, add eggs one at a time with blender running. This mixes eggs in really well, no white bits of egg white showing and chops lemon zest even further so no need to strain the mix at all.

7. Pour lemon mix onto baked shortbread base. Cook in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. There should still be a wobble in the custard and slightly wet in the center. Don’t cook it until it’s set all over, then it tastes rubbery and looks scrambled. This is an egg custard. It might be risen slightly around edges, popped air bubbles showing.

8. Cool totally then dust heavily with powdered sugar to hide any air bubbles. I don’t find the powdered sugar dissolves into top. The base might have some crumbs, but it’s a shortbread. Keeps well covered in the fridge. I cut it up and transfer to covered container.

My Gluten-Free Mix

I use for one cup of gluten-free 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.


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Chocolate Almond Raspberry Tart

January 30, 2018

Chocolate Almond Raspberry Tart

The perfect sweet for your sweet this Valentine’s Day!


From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Everything’s better with chocolate isn’t it? Except for my one girlfriend who doesn’t like chocolate, I call her (to her face) a genetic mutation as a female. But she loves my other desserts, particularly those with liqueurs. This is based on my original wheat flour almond tart, one of the first recipes I adapted to gluten-free since it’s a favorite with our son. Then I added melted chocolate to the cake part; my husband thinks it’s like a lava cake. To me it’s a ooey, gooey brownie truffle cake.

This cake is easy to make for Valentine’s Day, even for just two of you. Dad can make it with the kids, treat them for Super Bowl – I have to say ‘Go Pats,’ living in New Hampshire and with a son who was a student football manager at university.

You can watch me make this on New Hampshire’s ABC WMUR on Friday, February 16, airing during noon news, then posted on Facebook and my website.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Almond Raspberry Tart

Ingredients:

Crust

  • 2/3 c my gluten-free mix (3 oz, 84 g) (see below)
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) cocoa
  • ¼c (1 oz, 28 g) powdered (icing) sugar
  • ¾ stick (3oz, 84 g) butter, hard and coldfrom fridge
  • ½ tsp ( 3ml) xanthan gum

  • 2-4 tbsp (30-60 ml) raspberry jam
  • small 6 oz(168g) fresh raspberries, optional, if available and not over-priced.

Filling

  • 1 c (6oz) gluten-free semi sweet chocolate chips, I use Nestle Tollhouse
  • ¾ stick (3oz, 84 g) butter
  • 1/2 c (3+1/2 oz, 100g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (4oz, 112g) ground almonds (also known as almond flour or meal) or else grind 1 cup skinless almonds with the sugar in food processor). This month Costco, certified gluten-free, under $12 /3 lb
  • 1 tsp gf almond extract
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼-1/2 cup sliced almonds for topping/garnish.
  • (No xanthan gum or baking powder in filling)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*/180*C.

2. Put crust ingredients in food processor and run until processed into fine breadcrumbs. It’s much easier to do this with hard butter in processor rather than soft butter by hand – crust is sprinkled rather than spread like a paste. Sprinkle into greased 9 inch pie plate and press half way up sides of plate. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, until almost cooked. You won’t really see any change in color due to the cocoa. Undercooked, crust stays more like a paste. Crust is very ‘short’, like good shortbread.

3. Remove from oven and spoon jam on top. Leave for 1-2 minutes to soften jam so it is easier to spread. Do be careful, some jams don’t want to spread and just pull at the crust. It still works but is messier. Arrange raspberries on top if using.

4. While crust is cooking. Melt butter and chocolate together in microwave in 4 cup microwave safe bowl.

5. Stir in sugar, salt, extract and ground almonds to cool mix.

6. Beat in eggs until smooth.

7. Spread chocolate almond mix on top of jam and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

8. Baked in preheated 350* oven for about 25-30 minutes. Mix will have risen, you won’t really see a change in color and middle should still ‘wobble’ slightly. Knife inserted in middle will definitely be wet. Only one inch of the edge should look more cake like and be cracked. Don’t overcook. You are planning on a moist brownie consistency throughout the tart.

9. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Tart will deflate a bit and stiffen up on standing. You can dust tart with powdered sugar.

10. Serve with real whipped cream of 1 cup liquid heavy or whipping cream, 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar and either 1-2 tbsp chocolate or raspberry liqueur beaten together until stiff.

My Gluten-Free Mix

I use for one cup of gluten-free 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.


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TAGS: DESSERT


Black Forest Chocolate Cherry Cake aka Schwarzwälder Kirsch Torte

November 28, 2017

An indulgent gluten-free version of a traditionally delicious chocolate and cherry cake.

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

This recipe is a variation of my master almond cake shown on the cover wrap of the June 2017 Food & Wine Magazine.

The original cake was a whisked sponge and quality cherry pie filling to replicate cooking Morello cherries. Now, I’ve found that cherry pie filling is mainly cornstarch thickened sauce and very few cherries.

I’ve cooked bing cherries in sugar syrup and grand marnier cherry, cherries still firm and it was a pain to pit cherries. Some recipes say not to use canned cherries, others say use them. Same with frozen cherries.

I’ve used both a can of sweet cherries or the same amount of frozen/thawed sweet cherries. We prefer the texture of mixing cherry jam with cherries and not just cherry jam. Kirschwasser should be the cherry brandy used for more oomph. I haven’t found 1/4 cup miniature bottles of kirsch and wasn’t prepared to pay $30+ for a large bottle. Plus, companies won’t tell you if it is gluten-free, so I use Amaretto almond liqueur instead.

I find cake cooked in 2 x 9″ pans is too thin. You can buy 8″ foil cake pans in grocery store for thicker cake, they can be handwashed and reused. A dishwasher tends to blacken the foil. I usually only make and serve 2 cake layers with filling and topping. People will cut the same size wedge from 3 or 4 cake layers as 2 layers, over indulge or have to throw it away. Plus I always say cakes look ‘attacked’ once they are cut.  So make multiple 2 cake layer cakes and bring them out one at a time, so your dessert table looks prettier and cakes serve more people. This cake disappeared before I could get a photo of it intact.

Gluten-Free Black Forest Chocolate Cherry Cake

Makes 8 generous portions

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 oz (1/4 c, 60 ml) soft butter or melted coconut oil
  • 2 oz (1/3 c, 56 g) gluten-free semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 4 oz (1/2 c 112g) sugar
  • 4 oz (1 c 112 g ) gluten-free almond flour or almond meal (meal just means skin left on and can be described as ‘natural’ almond flour, solid white is blanched almond flour or ground almonds)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) gluten-free cocoa
  • 1 tsp gluten-free almond extract
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free baking powder
  • pinch of salt

Filling:

  • 1 x 14,15,16 oz (500 g) can of sweet cherries, drained, juice kept. Exact weight isn’t essential
  • 4 oz, 1/2 c , 120 ml gluten-free cherry jam
  • 1/2 c ( 4 fl oz, 120 ml) heavy/whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free almond extract or 1 tbsp (15 ml) Amaretto liqueur.
  • Pinch of xanthan gum

Top and sides:

Either 1 c heavy/whipping cream, 1/4 c powdered sugar, 2 tbsp Amaretto, whipped until stiff and spread over top and sides of cake. Keep some whipped cream to pipe decoratively

OR 1 c cream, 1 cup chocolate chips and 2 tbsp Amaretto, melted together to form a ganache, refrigerate overnight, then some poured over cake and rest whipped until stiff and piped decoratively.

Directions:

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 170 degrees C. spray 2 x 8″ pans, line with parchment paper (greasesproof paper) and dust with cocoa. Melt chocolate and butter/coconut oil together until chocolate is totally smooth.

2. Put rest of cake ingredients in 8c (2 ltr) bowl, add melted chocolate mix and beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Even though mix will now be dark from chocolate, it will lighten in color as it is beaten.

3. Divide cake mix between 2 pans. Put foil pans on cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Cake will still be soft but a knife in middle of cake will be clean. Remove from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes then turn onto cooling rack.

4. Filling: When cool, put one cake layer on serving plate. Spread with jam and top with cherries in one layer.

5. Whip cream, sugar and almond extract or Amaretto together until stiff. I add a pinch of xanthan gum as I whip cream, it helps it to stay firm, doesn’t affect taste or texture.

6. Spread cream gently on top of cherries. Top with second cake layer.

7. Top and sides. As above. Whip cream and cover cake or make ganache, whip and cover cake. Finish with toasted almonds and chocolate shavings.

If you think you have overcooked cake (forgot to set timer to say cake is done), now is the time to drizzle or brush layers with juice from can. Add some more amaretto if you want.

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TAGS: HOLIDAY, DESSERT