Astoria Mills Chococolate Chip Cake...

Wow, the weekend is here again and it actually seems fairly nice outside, too bad I am not in a energetic mood to work in the garden... though I did however get a few things done in the house, as we are once again getting company this weekend.

Baking and I seem to go hand in hand, and since I am now taking a Cake Decorating class for the second time in my life, I decided to bake a cake. Gluten Free of course! Chocolate is a all time favorite, well mine anyway, so I pulled out my #2 Pastry Flour mix from Astoria Mills.

There are four recipes on the back of this bag of mix and they all look delicious, but I needed a dessert for this evening. This particular mix is great for pies, pastries, cookies, pasta, biscuits, scones, cakes and pudding to name a few.

I have to admit that Trina Astor-Stewart has out done herself this time. The cake rose like a "regular" cake,  and baked evenly throughout. I used two 9" pans as opposed to the 9x12 cake pan in the directions, as I  wanted a nice tall two layer cake to decorate, and to show off my newly acquired decorating skills.....well that is if I have time :-)

I am really impressed that Astoria Mills  product line is not only wheat & gluten free, but their mixes are also free of milk, lactose, cassein, soy, bean/pea, sesame, tree nuts, peanuts and sulphates.

The only thing I would do differently with this recipe is to not only grease the cake pans, but to also line the bottoms with parchment paper as I had a little trouble getting one of the cakes out of the pan. It did however come out intact and in one piece! I would definitely give this cake recipe using Mix # 2 a HUGE thumbs up. The next time I will try leaving out  the chocolate chips for a more "real" cake feel. I might also try swapping out the applesauce with plain yogurt.This is a picture of the bottom layer of cake before icing...

I baked the batter for 25 minutes but next time will test after 20 minutes for a moister crust feel...my bad! The icing helped moisten the top however, so all is good. Everyone I am sure will love this cake. It is chocolaty, moist and delicious. Sorry, I had to do a taste test before hand as you can see from the finished photo! Mmmmmm.... No time to use my decorating skills as you can see but I am sure no one will even notice after their first bite :-)

Astoria Mills has 7 different mixes to use, with the freedom to pretty much bake anything you wish. You can visit their web site to view their hundreds of recipes at  Astoria Mills .While you are there if  you have any questions just drop Trina a line, and be sure to tell her Sharon from Wheat Free Living & Me sent ya.

Have a great wheat free day.
Sharon

Konjac Glucomannan Flour

 

If you have been eating gluten free for awhile now, you know that unless you are using  gluten free flour mixtures, or gluten free boxed mixes that contain flours that have "some" fiber content to them, that you are lacking in this much needed nutrient.

As Americans we are fiber deficient. Fast foods, unhealthy eating habits, even living gluten free, can all be contributors to this deficiency. Adding healthy fiber to your diet is important.

Miracle Noodle offers a Konjac Glucomannan flour that is filled with soluble fiber.  Although it's cost is a little higher than cornstarch don't let the price fool you, as a little goes a long way. You can use it as a thickener as you would corn starch, just one teaspoon acts more like 10 teaspoons of corn starch!

It can be added to make gravies, or soup, or cooking sauces, as a thickening agent without added calories, and without carbs. It just simply provides the soluble fiber which your body needs. Why would you ever use corn starch again when you can use Konjac Glucomannan flour and get added fiber without any carb addition.

When baking bread or cookies, add one teaspoon of Konjac Glucomannan flour to 2 cups of your gluten free flour mixture to get added fiber. Or dissolve in water to use as a fiber supplement.

Konjac Glucomannan flour  is pure soluble fiber. It contains no fat, no sugar, no starch, it is also gluten free and wheat free. Just dissolve a teaspoon in water for 5 grams of fiber, or use it as a thickening agent like you would use cornstarch! It is the perfect fiber addition, in a imperfect world!!

You can find this and other great gluten free, carb free products to the right of this post at Miracle Noodle. After entering their site just click on the tab Konjac Flour to the left of their site for more information, and to order.

The company is now offering free shipping on all orders. Be sure to pick up their 87 page Cookbook & Diet Plan while you are on the site. It is valued at $29.99 and is yours FREE with all purchases! Looking to loose weight??? They have the products you need...visit the site and you are well on your way to a healthier, thinner life.

As always, have a great wheat free day!
Sharon