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 Hostess Cupcakes!

Beware: These are extremely rich, sweet, chocolatey, creamy, fattening...

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

(adapted from Food Network magazine, modified for gluten free by me)

For the Cupcakes
1 & 1/4 cups GF All Purpose Flour ( I used Jules)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla exrtact
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme (I didn't have any so I melted marshmallows instead)

For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( I used milk chocolate instead)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Icing ( I used store-bought icing tube)

1 stick unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place paper liners in muffin tin for about 20 cupcakes.

Prepare the cupcakes: Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Using a mixer, beat the eggs into the chocolate, then mix in the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

(They will sink in the middle...they'll puff up when filled later)

For the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.

For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.

Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a medium star tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake top; fill until the cupcake is heavier (do not overfill). (It's OK if some of the filling peeks out, it will be covered by the ganache.)

Spoon a little ganache on each cupcake and lightly spread with an offset spatula or a knife. Chill for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip;pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate.

(I copy n pasted these directions from www.bakeat350.blogspot.com)

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.

Gluten Free Texas Cookies

I discovered this gooey concoction on Food Gawker yesterday, and decided to try a GF version. One of the things I love best about Better Batter is how easy it is to substitute it into regular recipes. It is a one for one exchange. These yummy chocolate chip cookies are so good we barely let them cool before digging in. They are a bar cookie and are not over-baked...You want them gooey and chewy. It is a great base for whatever you want to throw on. I threw chocolate chips on the whole thing, and then a row of nuts and a row of Reeces Peanut Butter chips. You wouldn't know these were gluten free, they are smooth and chewy with a great texture.

A piece of parchment paper on your cookie sheet makes it easy to remove. Once the batter is spread onto the sheet you can throw on whatever you want...Chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, nuts sprinkles...Endless possibilities. And I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to throw a scoop of ice cream on the side. I also wanted to add that if you don't need to cook gluten free, just substitute the Better Batter for flour. It is 1:1.

Here it is straight out of the oven...Just cut into bars and dig in. Due to the amount of brown sugar and butter, it tastes like soft and chewy toffee. I think I'm going to eat another one right now.

Gluten Free Texas Cookies

Sift together 1 cup Better Batter,

1/2 tsp. baking powder,

1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl

Cream one stick butter,

2 cups brown sugar

Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time (mix well)

Add 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in flour mixture until well mixed

Spread onto parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet

Sprinkle on any toppings you would like...Chocolate, coconut, nuts...

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, and *promptly remove.

Cool and Cut!

*These cookies are meant to be chewy-gooey, do not overcook.

Recipe courtesy of:

http://www.thibeaultstable.com/2010/04/texas-cookies.html