From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

I first tried making my English gingerbread (cake, not cookies) recipe gluten-free but I wasn’t happy with how it turned out. Plus, in the UK we use golden syrup (not corn syrup) and black treacle, (like molasses) which are not easily available. Then I thought that my gluten-free pumpkin bread has the same moistness as gingerbread, so let’s try using ginger rather than pumpkin pie spice. I even asked my wheat-eating girlfriend if she thought I was crazy.

But it was a success! No xanthan gum, which gave this cake an even fluffier texture. I’ve increased the amount of ground ginger and crystallized ginger and used my ginger orange dipping sauce for spring rolls as a glaze… Or butter, rum and pecan sauce. I did use orange juice instead of water and added orange zest in the cake, but didn’t really notice the orange. You can also make this recipe into muffins.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread & Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 of 15 oz can (8oz, 225g ) roughly 1 cup solid pack pumpkin, not pie filling (ingredient list should only be pumpkin). Freeze second half of can in labeled ziploc bag in freezer.
• 1c + 2 Tbsp sugar (8 oz, 225g)
• 1/2c (4oz, 112g) melted coconut oil or neutral vegetable oil. I don’t use canola oil.
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 c water or orange juice
• Zest of half an orange
• 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1+1/4 c (5+3/4 oz, 160g) my gluten-free flour mix (see recipe below)
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) ground ginger, aka ginger powder or perhaps ginger flour
• 1/4 c (roughly 1 oz, 28g) chopped crystallized ginger. I had tiny mini chips that seemed to ‘dissolve’ in the cake just leaving ginger flavor behind but no noticeable bits to bite on
• 1/2 c (2 oz, 55g) almond meal
• 1 tsp ( 5ml) baking soda
• 1 tsp (5 ml) gf baking powder, I use Rumford’s labeled gluten-free, non-GMO and aluminum-free
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2c ( 2oz, 55g) chopped pecans or other nuts

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 beat in dry ingredients for 2 minutes. Stir in nuts.
3. Grease and gluten-free flour (I use plain rice flour as cheaper than gluten-free blends) a 10″ (25cm) Bundt pan and bake in 350*F, 170*C oven for about 45-55 minutes.

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, soft to touch 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 wheat 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.  If cake still feels sticky on side nearest to bottom of pan, then put it back in oven for about 10 more minutes.

Orange-Ginger Sauce:

• 1/3 c sugar
• ½ c water
• a 2 inch piece of whole ginger, including peel, cut into small pieces.

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil, simmer until sugar dissolves, add ginger and simmer for about 20 minutes, covered and don’t allow water to boil away.
2. Cool and refrigerate overnight if you can.
3. Remove from fridge, warm until runny, strain out ginger and add 2 tablespoons cheap orange marmalade as this normally contains less and smaller pieces of orange peel. You can also peel and chop ginger finely and then leave the cooked ginger in the sauce for more visual appeal as well as extra burst of ginger flavor when you bite on piece of cooked ginger. Your choice. You can also strain out orange marmalade pieces as well. Your Choice.
4. Soon over warm cake.

Butter-Rum-Pecan Glaze:

• ¼ c water
• ¾ c light brown sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 c rum
• 1/2 c chopped, toasted pecans

Diretions:

1. Put water, butter and sugar in small non stick pan, gently heat to melt butter and sugar and simmer for a few minutes until sauce like.
2. Remove from heat and stir in rum and pecans.
3. Spoon over cake.

My Rice-Free Gluten-Free Flour Blend

I substitute this for one cup of gluten-free mix in recipes.

• 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.

 

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh; Adapted from Bob’s Red Mill cornflour packet recipe 

 

This recipe is very similar to the original milk and oil batter for poppy seed cake we all knew from our wheat flour days.

Bob’s Red Mill version of this cake uses cornflour, cornstarch and tapioca flour. I subbed almond flour for the cornstarch and still used Bob’s Read Mill gluten-free cornflour and tapioca starch/flour, less xanthan gum, and baked in a Bundt pan with lemon juice and sugar glaze. How I always made it pre-gluten-free-diet. I find that I usually decrease the amount of xanthan gum in an online recipe.  The amount of xanthan gum needed in my opinion depends on which flours and starches are used, many flours and starches have been used for years in ethnic recipes without needing xanthan gum.  The amount of eggs also make a difference as the protein and binding power of an egg helps…

Ingredients:

• 2/3 c + 1 Tbsp (3 oz) cornflour (Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free fine cornmeal)
• 3/4 c (2+3/4 oz) almond flour
• 1/4 c (1oz, 28 g) tapioca starch
• 2 tsp (10ml) gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (3ml) salt
• 1/2 tsp (3 ml) xanthan gum
• 1/2 c (120 ml, 4 fl oz) milk of choice at room temperature
• 1/2 c oil (I use sunflower or avocado oil)
• 1 cup (8 oz) sugar
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon zest, at least one large lemon
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) poppy seeds
• 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free vanilla extract
• 2 tsp (10 ml) gluten-free almond extract
• sliced almonds for pan

Filling and topping:

• 1 c (500 ml) heavy or whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp sugar (30ml)
• 1-2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) rum, brandy, amaretto – always optional
• 1 lb (500g)  fresh strawberries, sliced and lightly sugared, preferably night before so strawberries give up their juice and are sweetened. If strawberries are wonderfully sweet, no need to add sugar. Keep some whole for garnish.

Almond Toffee

• 1 c (4 oz, 125 g) sliced/flaked almonds, toasted for 10 minutes
• 1/2 c (120 ml)  sugar
• 2 Tbsp (30ml) water

 Directions:

1. Grease and gluten-free flour 10″ bundt pan. I use Asian, extra fine white rice flour for dusting as far cheaper than gluten-free flours. I also cook this in 2 x 8″ (20 cm) cake pans.  If you don’t have 8″ cake pans, your local grocery store should have 8″ foil cake pans (not pie plates). I use and reuse them, spray and gluten-free flour and they turn out cleanly and easily, then handwash. They’re more stable if you place empty foil pan on cookie sheet, then pour in batter and bake foil pan resting on cookie sheet. Sprinkle base of pan with sliced almonds.
2. Beat everything together for 2-3 minutes until you see plenty of air bubbles.
3. Pour in batter. I sprinkle almonds on top of each of the 8″ cake pans.
4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. About 25-30 minutes for foil pans. Cake should be light golden brown on top, set but soft to the touch. Remember every oven differs.

Lemon Glaze

Lemon Bundt Cake: slowly heat juice of 2 small lemons with 1 c sugar until sugar melts. If you don’t let sugar melt completely, then it crystallizes once it’s poured on cake. Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Loosen edges with thin spatula. I like to remove cake from pan, pour some lemon syrup mix in bottom of pan and replace cake adding rest of lemon syrup mix so that cake is soaked all around and not just on top. Leave for a few minutes, then turn out onto serving plate.

Layer Cake: juice of 1/2 lemon melted with 1/4 c sugar. I added 1 Tbsp rum (or brandy, amaretto). Remove cakes from foil pans, leave top side down and brush what will be inside of cake with lemon syrup.

Almond Toffee:

1. Put a 12 ” (30 cm) square piece of foil on a cookie sheet. Slowly melt sugar and water in 4 c (1 ltr) pan until sugar is totally dissolved.
2. Increase heat and boil until sugar goes a golden brown color. You can see this happening and this small quantity at high heat can brown and then burn in a few minutes. You can swirl sugar syrup in pan by holding it. Do not use a wooden spoon or spatula, sugar will crystallize. Also sugar often won’t caramelize on a humid or rainy day, so don’t try. Once caramel is golden brown, add hot toasted almonds, stir well and pour onto foil, spread out with wooden spoon.  Not your fingers. Sugar burns are very nasty, so be careful and don’t make toffee/caramel with kids around.
3. Let almond toffee cool and go hard.  Break up to put on top of cake just before serving. The toffee will soften if left on whipped cream for too long.

Finishing:

Whip cream, sugar, and rum, etc. You can add a pinch of xanthan gum to stabilize cream.

Bundt pan: Smother with cream, fill center hole with strawberries and put some around outside of cake. Sprinkle with almond toffee before serving.

Layer cake: Put half sliced strawberries on bottom layer of cake on cake plate. Top with almost half the whipped cream. Place second layer cake on top. Add more sliced strawberries, cover with cream, and pipe some of the whipped cream on cake. Garnish with some strawberries and sprinkle with almond toffee pieces.

It does keep well in the fridge, but remove from fridge at least half an hour before serving, so cake can soften. I’ve even lightly nuked a slice to get fresh from oven softness to a slice without melting cream.