GF Orange Chocolate Cake

Hello again! I promise this blog is still alive. Life has been crazy

for the last couple of months. I really haven't tried any new GF

recipes up until tonight-I've just been resurrecting oldies. But

thanks to one of my bests, Stacy, (see photo at bottom) for sharing

this fabulous recipe with me, I have gotten back on the bloggin' wagon.

This orange chocolate cake is in one word Fabulous. It also calls for a

crazy amount of orange that will have you going "Whaaaaat?", but

trust the recipe-it tastes delish! If you are a fan of orange and

chocolate together, then this recipe is for you. Try it out for

a dinner party because you can sure fancy it up. Unfortunately I had

to frost it (read glue it) with chocolate after I accidentally dropped the thing and

it split in two. Still delicious. My very discerning crew gobbled it up! Thanks Stace!

The first thing you do (like 2 or 3 hours before you plan on baking) is

boil 2 large oranges or 3 cute clementines in water for 2 hours. That is

a WEIRD thing to do with oranges!!! Stay with me.

Aaaaand, then you pulverize those softened oranges in your food

processor. Peel, pith, juice, everything. (But the seeds). We are

talking serious orange flavor here.

The bulk of the batter is made up of almond flour. It adds a smooth,

nutty flavor to the chocolate. We have a lot of nutty around here.

Moist, firm, smooth orangy-chocolatey goodness. Enjoy!

Stacy and I with our crew in Portland, Christmas 2010. Love ya Stace! (I told you

I was kidding about posting a picture of you 8 months pregnant!)

Recipe for GF Orange Chocolate Cake

2 oranges

6 eggs

1 heaped tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups ground almonds

1 1/4 c. superfine sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

Put whole oranges in a pan and fill with water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until soft. Drain and once cool, slice and remove any big seeds/ends. Once completely cooled, place in food processor (the whole orange...peel, pith and all) and pulse. Add eggs, baking powder, baking soda, almonds, sugar and cocoa and process until smooth. Pour into greased 8" spring form pan and bake in 350 degree oven for an hour. Check after 45 minutes, as the top tends to be done but center needs a bit more time. Put piece of tin foil over cake and continue to bake until tester comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar or orange peel, if desired.

***Stacy recommends drinking red wine with this dessert. I concur.

Gluten Free Cherry Crumble Cake

I needed cake today. That's all. I LOVE cherries and always keep a can of my favorite Oregon Tart Cherries in the pantry. When I found this recipe, I loved the combination of the streusel crumble topping with the moist cherry cake. Of course it is not written for Gluten Free, but it called for 2 eggs and sour cream which means it will translate very well to GF. Moist=good. I need a separate post to introduce MY NEW GLUTEN FREE ALL PURPOSE FLOUR DISCOVERY, but I'll tell you now, her name is Jules and she is my hero. This flour is ridiculously good. I might even have to say good bye to Better Batter. It looks different, feels different and bakes LIKE THE REAL DEAL, people. More on Jules later, I promise.

Here we are cooling off, and don't think those crumble bits dripping over the edge stayed there long. MMmmmmmm, or so Maddie told me. This cake could also be a tasty coffee cake for a brunch with the streusel topping. Maybe a different fruit? Peaches? I'm rambling. Enjoy!

Recipe for GF Cherry Crumble Cake

CAKE:

6 T. Butter-softened

3/4 Cups Sugar

2 Lg. Eggs

1 1/2 t. Vanilla Extract

1/2 t. Almond Extract

3/4 Cups Sour Cream

1 1/2 Cups [All purpose GF flour of choice, or regular flour)

1 t. Baking Powder

1/4 t. Baking Soda

1/2 t. Salt

1 Cup Cherries tossed with 2 T. flour

Topping

6 T. Butter-softened

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup GF Flour

1 t. Cinnamon

1/4 t. Nutmeg

1/8 t. Salt

Directions: (Preheat to 350)

Cream

Butter and Sugar for cake and mix in eggs one at a time until smooth.

Mix vanilla and almond extracts and sour cream into butter mixture.

Whisk

In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients

Mix dry into wet until JUST blended.

Fold in cherries coated in flour with a spoon.

Spread into a greased 9" cake pan. (I like to put parchment paper in the bottom for a clean slice)

For Topping: Mix all ingredients with a pastry blender and using fingers, crumble the mixture on top of the cake.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean!

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Milky Way Icing

Ok, so when I realized that you could literally melt a candy bar to ice a cake, I ran to the store to buy some. This cake is iced with 3 melted Milky Way's! Yu-umm. The banana cake is light and moist, with a crispy sugary crust. Alone, the cake would be amazing. But this recipe calls for 3 Milky Way's and I'm not one to deviate from a recipe. Unfortunately Milky Way bars do have barley malt in them which contains gluten, but as this is only a small amount, I went ahead and made them for my gluten-sensitive husband anyway. Mars does make Milky Way chocolate covered caramels that are gluten free which would also be delicious as icing.

Here is the recipe!

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Milky Way Icing

SIFT: In a small bowl

1 3/4 Cups Better Batter (or any gluten free all purpose flour mix)

1 1/2 t. Baking Powder

1/4 t. Baking Soda

Pinch of Salt

MIX: I used the whisk attachment instead of the paddle for a lighter texture

1 Stick of butter

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 Cup sugar

ADD to wet mixture:

2 Eggs, one at a time and mix

1 t. Vanilla

2 Bananas-ripe, mashed

MIX into wet mixture:

3/4 Cup Milk, alternating with dry mixture, until smooth

POUR:

Batter into greased 8 or 9" cake pan.

Tips...I LOVE the PAM spray with flour for baking. Nothing sticks. I also cut out a circle from parchment paper to put in the bottom of the cake pan to help it come out clean.

BAKE:

350 degrees for 45 min-55 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Milky Way Icing

MELT: Whisking until smooth

3 Milky Way Bars (chopped)

1/2 Cup Whipping Cream

3 T. Brown sugar

1 T. Butter

When it is all melted, remove from heat and continue whisking to bring the temp. down and allow it to thicken. When it isn't too runny, pour over the cooled cake and you're done!

Recipe courtesy of: http://lesgourmandisesdisa.blogspot.com/2010/04/gateau-aux-bananes-glacage-aux-barres.html. I made it gluten free by substituting Better Batter for flour.