Month: January 2017

Gluten Free Brioche Butter Pudding

~ Cakes by Noah ~ Leave a comment

In my somewhat haste to use up some of the (what appears like anyway) mountain of baking ingredients I seem to acquire, I made a lovely bread and butter pudding with brioche rolls and forgot to take a picture. Or more that I took a picture but was too hungry to pay it much attention before we devoured the pudding!  Not giving myself a chance to upload the photos, we just scoffed the lot up! It wasn’t until I had uploaded the photos that I saw my error – too many shadows, poor light and blurry photos.  So my great initiative to use up the food on the shelves failed at the first hurdle – as I had to buy some more gluten free Schar Brioche Rolls.. Sad but true.

gluten-free-brioche-puddingSo  a second round of bread and butter pudding had to be made (it’s a shame)and everyone had to wait until I have taken the right shot. It was a Sunday pudding, but I was getting ‘that’ photo no matter what, it only left  ‘Custard or Cream, Madam?’

Preheat the oven to Gas 3/140c and lightly grease a small pie tin – roughly 23x17x5cm

Ingredients

  • 1 x 4 packet of Schar Gluten Free Brioche Rolls
  • butter to spread on the brioche slices
  • 4 eggs
  • 350ml milk (I used semi skimmed)
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
  • 100g dried fruit
  • 50g grated chocolate (dark or milk)

Method

  • Cut the gluten free rolls into about 6 slices and lightly butter, set aside
  • Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla until fully mixed
  • Cover the base of the tin with around half of the butter brioche slices and then scatter with 2/3rd of the dried fruit and 2/3rd of the grated chocolate
  • Cover this with the remaining butter brioche and sprinkle the top with the remaining thirds of dried fruit and grated chocolate.
  • Pour in the whisked egg and milk mix slowly.  You’ll find that there will be some left – just let the milk mix soak into the brioche and pour in the rest once it has been soaked in.
  • I then left mine to the soak for a further 10 minutes before putting in the oven on the middle shelf for about 35 minutes – just check for a lovely wobble, firm, but still a little shimmy!
  • Serve (no need to leave for another 20 minutes whilst you take the right photo!) with custard, cream or just as it comes.

If there is some left over – you could eat it cold, or gently warmed in the microwave.

Fancy buying the gluten free brioche rolls from Amazon?

http://amzn.to/2lrQI06

schar-gluten-free-brioche-rolls

 

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Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Donuts

~ Cakes by Noah ~ Leave a comment

I shall take this moment of ‘cakespiration’.

Perhaps I should be saving it all up and spreading the cake love as the year progresses? Perhaps not, there are recipes to share and cake to eat, I firmly believe that food should be accessible to everyone. Isn’t that what the internet is for?

The last time I baked a baked donut, I forgot to put the the sugar in! They were a bit different….

I love a challenge and the current regular challenge on the social media circuit is being headed by my Twitter a friends Jackie and Rob.  It’s a brilliant idea with a challenge being set over a week rather than a weekend, giving just about everyone a fair crack at the topic. The week I baked these donuts was indeed ‘donut week’ – baked or otherwise and the main criteria being you must include the hashtag ‘#TwitterBakeAlong’ plus any other small requirements. No matter your skill, it’s the taking part that is the fun and the challenge is for you to challenge yourself to bake something you haven’t done before. Give it a go!

Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Donuts

And so the Donuts. Gluten free Chocolate Donuts flavoured with Speculaas Spice. A lovely cinnamon based spice blend orginating in the Netherlands. I think it lends itself nicely to Chocolate.

Preheat the oven to Gas 6/200c and grease your 12 hole donut tray.

Place all the following ingredients into a mixing bowl –

180g Gluten free plain flour

50g Cocoa (I used Food Thoughts)

2 teaspoons of baking powder

180g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon of Speculaas spice ( Van Dotsch Spices )

3 large eggs

80ml vegetable oil

160ml milk ( I used semi skimmed)

Then using a hand held electric whisk, whisk for 4/5 minutes to whisk everything together to a lovely velvety, pourable mix. Then carefully pour the mixture into the 12 hole tray (or 2 x 6 trays).

Pop in the oven for about 12 – 15, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool, before prising out of the Donuts. Place them on a cooling rack, and melt the chocolate.

In a bowl, set over some simmering water in a saucepan – don’t let the bowl touch the water, melt 160g dark chocolate. Once melted, dip each of the Donuts into the melted chocolate and allow to cool on the rack. Take care when dipping the donuts in the bowl as it will be hot.

Decorate the donuts with (or not, the choice is yours) your choice of sprinkles and allow the Chocolate to set.

Best eaten with 24 hours, however they do refresh particularly well if you reheat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Allow the donut to stand for a few seconds before eating.  But again, do take care as there will be hot spots on the donut, if you eat them straight from the microwave.

 

GF and DF Caramel Cupcakes

~ Cakes by Noah ~ 2 Comments

I have written in the past about our journey with Noah and Coeliac Disease. I have also written about my professional journey and my thoughts about how the wider industry I work in also deals with that.  Some can cater for the free from market and do it particularly well.  Others offer a half-hearted approach and do not appear to offer the continued guidance to their teams on how to deal with, empathise with or understand the health issues associated with coming into contact with foods that their customers/guests/visitors simply cannot in any way, consume/touch or be in the vicinity of.  We won’t mention those that don’t appear do anything.

Will there be a light bulb moment for those outlets than continue to get it wrong? What will it in fact take, to make a menu choice easy for every one? Where a pudding is not fruit, that complex menu making becomes not about quantity, but about quality and ease of delivery.

To see the face of my colleague when he realized I had made these for everyone to enjoy was a moment to behold. I wish we had taken a photo.  It really isn’t difficult to include everyone. It just takes a little thinking time and when you get it right, its a wonder to behold.

gluten-free-and-dairy-free-caramel-cupcakes

Now I have that off my chest 🙂 I can bring you these wonderful little cupcakes created for some work colleagues.  They are not difficult to make, in fact they are very quick and easy and are also incredibly light to eat.

You will need a 12 hole muffin/cupcake tray – lined with muffin cases.  Pre heat the oven to Gas 3/160c – using the middle shelf.

This is an all-in-one recipe, so pop the mixing bowl on the scales to weigh out the ingredients. I used a stand mixer (Kitchen Aid) and the paddle attachment.

  • 150g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
  • 150ml vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 100g Light Brown sugar
  • 50g dark Brown Sugar
  • 10 drops of Butterscotch flavouring (I used  Foodies Flavour Butterscotch)

Once you have weighed all the ingredients, turn on the paddle on low and slow to initially mix the ingredients, then turn it up a little to 4 and beat for about 8 minutes until the ingredients have all combined and you have a smooth caramel colour mixture – it will be quite runny. You need to ensure all the sugar has been incorporated and there are no lumps.

Pour the mixture into the 12 cases and bake for about 20 minutes – or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.  Leave to cool in the tray before removing and completely cooling on a cooling rack.

Then to make the frosting. Again pop all the ingredients into the mixers, stir to mix together, so you don’t get a icing sugar dust cloud, then beat for about 5 minutes to combine. The mix will get light and fluffy as it mixes the sugar into the Stork

  • 100g Stork – for Biscuits & Cookies – softened
  • 200g Icing Sugar
  • 10 drops of Butterscotch Flavour
  • Food Thoughts Cacao Nibs to decorate

Pipe onto the cupcakes with your desired nozzle and finish with a sprinkling of Cacao Nibs.

I would suggest you eat them within a couple of days, whilst at there best.

Gluten Free Blackcurrant and Almond Cake

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This is a busy home at the best of times. As most working parents know, trying to fit everything in around, school, work, out of school activities etc. plus trying to get cakespiration can be a bit of a squeeze.  Where possible I do try and use some store cupboard, ready-made solutions in some of what I do.  I do not see it as a cheap, lazy alternative, rather a time-saving alternative. Here is a packet of something, but how can I turn it into something that everyone may want to eat.  You should see what’s next with a packet of Schar Gluten Free Brioche …..

So that is my general theme, use what is available and see what good can come out of it.  Can I make a blackcurrant filling? Yes, but time in this here household is limited and keeping the blog going, also keeps me going.  The sanity in the everyday chaos 🙂

gluten-free-blackcurrant-and-almond-cake

Since a wee nipper I have enjoyed blackcurrants. Mum used to make the simplest of pies – blackcurrant, from a tin.  It never lasted long and whenever I’m back there, it’ll rear its head. At least once a year 🙂 I have just used this in cake, because it’s all about cake!!

Firstly line 2 x 7″ sandwich tins and preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180c

If using frozen blackcurrants, ensure they are defrosted first.

For the Cake –

200g soft butter

200g caster sugar

4 eggs – lightly beaten together

150g gluten free self-raising flour

50g ground almonds

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon almond essence

200g blackcurrants (washed and dried if using fresh)

1 Tin Blackcurrant Pie Filling

For the icing –

180g soft butter

360g Icing sugar

Drop of boiling water

Purple Colouring

Make the sponge by beating the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, this can take about 5/6 minutes.  Slowly pour in the lightly beaten eggs a small amount at a time, so that the eggs are mixed in and the mixture doesn’t curdle.  If this starts to happen add a spoon of the flour to bring it back.  Beat in the almond essence, the mix in carefully the gluten free flour, ground almonds and baking powder.

Divide the mix in half and colour one half with a splash of purple colour (if using). Then stir in 100g of blackcurrants into each of the colours. Pour the batters into the prepared tins and swirl to mix the colours. But only a quick swirl!

Bake for 30 – 35 mins, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool before removing from the tins. Then cool completely before sandwiching together with the buttercream.

To make the buttercream beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gently stir in the icing sugar (to avoid the dust cloud) then beat again until light and fluffy. If you find the mix still a little stiff the spreading, add a spoon or two of boiling water. Add too, a teaspoon of almond essence,at this stage. Remove a third of the buttercream and colour with a squirt of purple colour.

Gluten Free Blackcurrant Cake Filling

Once the cake has cooled – assemble. Spread a small amount of the plain coloured buttercream around the middle of one of the cakes and fill with about a third of the tin of blackcurrant.

Place on the other cake and spread a thin layer of the plain buttercream all over (top and sides) to form the base layer from which to decorate. Let this set for an hour so in a fridge.

Once set, spread the remaining plain and purple buttercream around the cake and using a turntable and a straight-edged spatula, smooth the buttercream (and at the same time creating the merge of colours) down to form a flat and multicoloured surface.

To serve use the rest of the tin of blackcurrants and spoon them around the edge of the cake, so that they drip down the sides of the cake.

Best eaten within a couple of days or as I did share with the neighbours 😀😀🍰

gluten-free-blackcurrant-cake

 

 

Gluten Free Trifle Cake

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Gluten Free Trifle Cake. Yep, it’s a thing and this way everybody gets a fair slice of sponge, jelly, fruit and custard. Although I’ll admit I always used to like just the custard and sponge.

The celebrations maybe over but there is always time for cake. Where some might be cutting down or even out (God forbid!)  I believe it’s all about moderation. Someone will be celebrating somewhere and here is a gluten free cake to celebrate. Perhaps there should be a National Trifle Day? 😀

gluten-free-trifle-cake

This cake was made for our final family gathering of the holidays or should that be the first celebration of 2017 and if I’m honest it turned out better than I thought 😀😀 It took a little planning ahead, but certainly worth the wait.

You’ll need 2 x 8″/20cm round, loose bottom cake tins and some patience.

Firstly you need to make the jelly and set the custard. You may need to do this bit a day in advance.

  • 1 packet of Jelly – I used Hartley’s Strawberry Jelly
  • 1 tin of Fruit Salad – drained – retain the juice.
  • Line one of the 8″/20cm cake tins with enough cling film, so that it over hangs the tin.
  • 1 tin (400ml) custard – yes I used a tin, do I need to make everything?
  • 4 1/2 sheets of gelatine
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Make the jelly as per the packet instructions – as I used Hartley’s I started with the half pint of boiling water to dissolve the jelly, once dissolved I then poured in the juice from the drained tin. Scatter the drained tinned fruit over the base of the lined cake tin and the pour in the jelly. If you can, pop it into the fridge to set. Once the jelly has set, you can start the custard mix.

Soften the gelatine in a small amount of water – you need to cover the gelatine in cold water and leave it for about 4-5 minutes until its soft and flexible – like the jelly before you dissolve it. Drain the gelatine and discard the water. Put the gelatine in a small saucepan over a gentle heat in order to dissolve the gelatine into a liquid. Try not to let the mix boil, it will though only take a minute or two – so don’t take you eyes of it and stir constantly.

gluten-free-trifle-cake

Pour the cold custard and vanilla extract onto the dissolved gelatine and whisk gently until fully combined. Pour onto the set jelly, pop back into the fridge to set completely.

Then to make the sponge and finish with sherry, jam, cream and sprinkles.  Line the other 8″/20cm cake tin with greaseproof and preheat the oven to Gas 4/180c

  • 120g soft butter
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 120g gluten free self-raising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam (optional)
    • Sherry
    • 300ml double cream
    • 1 table-spoon icing sugar
    • Sprinkles to decorate

trifle-cake-gluten-free

To make the sponge, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoon of flour if it looks like it might (or is) curdle. Beat in the extract and stir in the gluten free flour. Pour into the tin and bake for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out.

And then to assemble.

Place the sponge on the cake stand and spread with the jam (if using) and drench with as much sherry as you dare.

Then the tricky bit.

Lift the set jelly/custard out of the cake tin, with the cling film and place on top of the drenched sponge base.  You can then gently remove the cling film by rolling/pulling the cling film from underneath the jelly.

Whisk up the cream, extract and icing sugar until light and fluffy and it holds its shape. Pipe onto the custard and finish with the sprinkles.