Monday, April 24, 2017

Lemon Cupcakes made gluten free...



Another few days have passed and as usual I have been in the kitchen whipping up some delicious treats to share even though I haven't been feeling up to par. I should have known not to rake the pine cones and needles up from the yard before Easter, but being the perfectionist I am I wanted everything to look nice for our family gathering.

Still  I wasn't going to let a little spell of allergies keep me down, so out came the pans, flour, and ingredients, to make some delicious lemon cupcakes. Yum. These were a big hit even though everyone was so full from all the ham and Easter dinner trimmings. They were light, and delicious, and not a one was left.....That's the biggest compliment I could have gotten!

These would also make a nice light dessert for a Spring brunch or any get together. I used the same flour blend that I shared in my last post which is very versatile. The lemon flavor is delicate, not overpowering, and the cakes are moist and fluffy. A little lemon flavoring and just a drop of yellow food coloring in the icing, made them Easter worthy.

I am impressed with the texture and moistness this flour blend lends to the cakes I have baked recently. Its a keeper for sure. So as I write this post I have visions of Apple Pie flying through mind....I have a pie crust recipe my friend shared with me recently that I need to try....

So until next post​, give the cupcakes a try and drop me a comment as to how it worked for you.
As always, Enjoy!
Sharon Lee



                                                                                                                            


Lemon Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
156 gr basic gluten free flour blend         (the recipe for basic flour mix was posted in last post)
1 1/2 teas baking powder
1/4 teas salt
1/2 teas xanthan gum
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c minus 2 teaspoons milk
2 teas lemon juice
the grated peel of 1 medium lemon

Preheat oven to 350* Place 14-15 cupcake liners in cupcake baking pans. NOTE *This makes more than 12 cupcakes after filling only 2/3 full.

Beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy in a large bowl on medium speed with a electric mixer, for 1 minute.

Add the dry ingredients and liquids,  beat about 1 minute more until thoroughly blended.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Place in center of oven and bake about 18 to 20 minutes, or until center springs back or tooth pick comes out clean, and cupcakes are a light golden brown.

Cool pans on rack about 5 minutes before removing cupcakes from cupcake pans, letting rest on rack until completely cool before icing.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Basic Gluten Free Multi Purpose Flour Blend

                                                                               


 Have you ever had one of those days where everything went as planned, and then the next everything that could go wrong does so? Well today is seems to be the latter of the two. I had my post already to share with just a few minor tweaks to be made, I was just about ready to hit the share button, then all of a sudden the whole post disappeared!!!! I guess its back to square one, as this is a post you are going to want to read....

As you well know I was away for five weeks in sunny South Carolina. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and I didn't in the least feel sorry for my family left behind in snowy Pennsylvania, even though I tried. Well I kinda tried :-)

While away I had a lot  of time to search the web for flour mixes that I thought would be the best combination for a Basic GF All purpose flour blend. Now you all know I  have been living a GF lifestyle for many years now, so I have just about tried every gluten free flour mix out there. I have numerous gluten free cookbooks in my cupboard, and I have tried hundreds upon hundreds of recipes from them, some of which have been pretty good, some not so much! Alas, none have given me the texture or consistency I have been truly hunting for. Some came close, but didn't quite reach the mark I have set for myself.

I got on the bandwagon with so many others awhile back believing that rice flour is "UNHEALTHY", so I  basically used as little of it as possible, which really changed the taste drastically of my baked goods. With that said, here is my conclusion....You can eat all the veggies, low fat meats, and fruits you want, for the HEALTHY part of your diet. Yet when it comes to the sweets and flour laden desserts that I eat, I want them to taste like the ones I grew up with as a child. Just saying...

So after returning from my much needed vacation I have been trying this new flour combination, and it seems to be the closest mix I have used to date when it comes to the texture, taste, and moistness of all those treats that I can remember as a child. I think the pancakes made with this mix are what really sealed the deal!

So get out your pans, utensils, and flours, and be prepared to mix away. I will give you directions for a basic 6 cup mixture for you to experiment with in a few recipes I will be sharing in the future. I have also included a chocolate cake recipe for you to try that will knock your socks off....It was converted from a regular "WHEAT" recipe with nothing changed except the flour mix in place of the wheat flour, and the addition of xanthan gum. My family did NOT know this was gluten free and the whole cake was devoured!!!! So enjoy.

PS: This mixture is not for use in bread recipes, as they must contain more proteins.

Until next post,
Sharon Lee



Basic Gluten Free Multi Purpose Blend        6 cups @ 125 gr per cup measurement

452 gr Superfine brown rice flour
226 gr Potato STARCH
76 gr Tapioca starch/flour

Mix and keep in refrigerator or freezer


Fudge Cake recipe:

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup DARK cocoa
1 cup hot water
2 cups Basic GF Multi purpose blend ( 250 gr )
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup buttermilk        ( I use the powdered form, mixed with water )
2 large eggs
1 teas pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9 x 13 cake pan.
In a medium bowl in the microwave melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa and hot water.
In a separate large bowl combine the measured flour, sugar, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.
Pour the cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing on low to blend.
Beat in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla on low until thoroughly mixed.
Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, and top of cake is set.
Wait until completely cool to frost.

Note: Buttermilk must be used in this recipe to activate the low amount of baking soda used.









 

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