Fruity Chocolate Bark

Delicious and so easy and fast. That sounds good doesnt it?

This is a delicious and varied recipe. You can add anything you like to it so dont just stick to this recipe. Have fun.

Fruity Chocolate Bark

1 bar of your favourite chocolate
Handful chopped nuts
Handful chopped dried Apricots
Handful raisons

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler
2. Prepare a tray with parchment paper and measure a square of about 15cm all around depending on how much chocolate you have.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into the middle of the square and spread it out gently to meet the corners so you have a rough chocolate square.
4. Sprinkle with the nuts, raisons and dried apricots.
5. Let set at room temperature then store in the fridge till you are ready to eat.

This goes lovely with a nice cup of tea as a snack and is a great way of getting fruit down your children!

Lovely idea, add some marshmallows, cranberries, Pecan nuts, white chocolate drizzle. The list is endless. Have fun!!

Delicious moist Carrot Cake

I went on a bit of a baking frenzy lately as I have a new Kitchen Aid! Amazing things those are! So I decided to bake all the things I found difficult to bake when I was hand beating! To start.... Carrot Cake

This is a gorgeous full proof recipe for Gluten Free Carrot cake.

175g Light Muscovado sugar
175ml Sunflower oil
3 Large eggs beaten
140g Grated Carrots (3 MEDIUM)
100g Raisons
Grated yest of 1 orange
175g Self Raising flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate soda
1 tsp Xanthunum Gum
1 tsp Groud Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

Frostng
1 tub Cream cheese
500g Icing sugar
2 tbsp Orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut two long strips the width of the tin and put each strip crossways, covering the base and sides of the tin, with a double layer in the base.
2. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
3. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients - when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point.)
5. Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth - you want the icing about as runny as single cream. Set the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.

Simple Trifle

There is nothing better than a simple trifle. Afternoon tea, Sunday lunch desert, Christmas time. It can be adapted to suit any occasion and any tastes. It can have fruit in, sponge in, be strawberry jelly, orange jelly, can have fresh cream on the top or that delectable dream topping.

There are many different variations of this classic desert and I believe its a forgotten desert to some extent as its not readily made, being left to a child's desert sometimes. Yet it can be a very healthy alternative to those stodgy heavy puddings.

Try layering jelly, then the cake, then custard, then cake then custard and then cream on the top or try doing a chocolate version with chocolate brownie in the place of the cake or even a black forest cherry trifle!

Today I decided to go for that delicious, simple one. Raspberry jelly with Madeira cake slices, topped with a mix of mascapone cream and custard and whipped up double cream.

Delicious.

Simple Trifle

1 Gluten free Madeira cake or vanilla sponge cut into slices

1 500g fresh custard

1 250g Mascapone cream

1 sachet of jelly mix

1 flake to top

1 600ml Double cream

Make up the jelly as per packet and pour into a trifle dish with the cake slices laid on the bottom and pop into the fridge until set.

Once set mix up the custard and mascapone cream until smooth and pour over the jelly. Back into the fridge until the custard has set a little.

In another bowl whip up the double cream until slightly stiff. Spoon onto the top of the trifle and flake the chocolate over the top. Place into the fridge until ready to serve.

Rich Chocolate Tart

I fancied something chocolaty and rich and I had steered clear of chocolate tarts as I dont like using gluten free pastry! (If anyone has any tips then please share!) So I scoured the internet. I never search for gluten free recipes as I believe that I can change a normal recipe and substitute for gluten free products.

I found a base made of crushed biscuits and butter and another recipe for rich chocolate tart. So I combined the 2. Its similar to a cheesecake base really. The two go together great and you can even add pecan nuts or orange rinde to the base for a special touch.

Rich Chocolate Tart
1 Packet of gluten free biscuits crushed
50g butter melted
400ml Double Cream
400g Dark Chocolate
100g Caster sugar
few drops vanilla extract
50g Butter


Crush the biscuits and add 50g melted butter to them. Press them into the base of a 21" tart tin and place in the fridge to set.

Meanwhile, for the filling, bring the cream, vanilla extract and sugar slowly to the boil in a pan.

Break the chocolate and butter into pieces and place into a large bowl. Pour over the cream mixture and whisk slowly until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the tart case and leave to cool. Place in the fridge to set for two hours.

Lemon Sponge cake with Lemon drizzle

Well spring is here and the weather in the UK has been glorious. I have struggled through the winter months, doom and glume with plenty of stodgy chocolate cakes and deserts to keep me going. Now that the weather has finally picked up and the sun is out not only am I growing my tomatoes and peppers but I am making lighter cakes and deserts.

Today I decided to try my hand at a Lemon drizzle cake. It is a gorgeous light sponge and very refreshing. Lovely served with a dollop of whipped cream or warmed with icecream or custard. Give it a try!

Lemon-Syrup Loaf Cake

125g unsalted butter

175g caster sugar

2 large eggs

zest of 1 lemon

175g self raising flour
pinch of salt

4 tablespoons milk

23x13x7cm loaf tin buttered and lined

For the syrup:

juice of 1 and a half lemons

100g icing sugar

For the glaze:

juice of 1/2 a lemon
150g icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 180 C/ gas mark 4.

Butter and line your loaf tin well.

Cream together butter and sugar and add eggs and lemon zest, beating them in well.

Gently fold in the flour and the salt, mixing thoroughly and then add the milk.

Spoon the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 45 mins or until cake tester comes out clean.

For the syrup:

Put the lemon juice and icing sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves.

As soon as cake is out of oven, puncture all over with skewer and pour over the syrup.

Leave cake to cool completely before removing from the tin.

For the glaze:

Combine lemon juice and icing sugar until smooth and white, add a little more icing sugar if needed. Make sure your cake is completely cool before drizzling with the glaze.

Cherry Cola Cupcakes

I have read in many food bloggers blogs and recipe books about using Coca Cola in cake recipes. I heard that it tastes really nice. However I still couldnt bring myself to try this one as I couldnt get my head around how something so sweet and fizzy would make my cakes taste amazing. How wrong I was! I decided this weekend to try it out. It is amazing! I made a cherry frosting to go with it topped with a cola glaze. The coke flavour really comes through in the sponge. I highly recommend trying this one out! Cherry Coke Cupcakes Cupcakes: 200g (7oz) Gluten Free plain flour - sieved 250g (8.8oz) golden caster sugar 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 large egg 125ml buttermilk (or 30g/1oz yogurt mixed with 100ml/3.3 Fluid oz of semi-skimmed milk) 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 125g (4.4oz) unsalted butter 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 175ml (6 fluid oz) Coca-Cola Frosting: 125g unsalted butter 500g icing sugar 50ml milk (more if needed) 1 small slug of syrup from a jar of morello cherries Glaze: 225g (8oz) icing sugar 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons of Coca-Cola 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat the egg, buttermilk and vanilla in in a measuring jug. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter, cocoa and Coca-cola, heating it gently. Pour into the dry ingredients, stir well with a wooden spoon, and then add the liquid ingredients from the jug, beating until it is well blended. Pour into a muffin tin that has been greased or lined with papers and bake for 15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. For the frosting put the unsalted butter into an electric mixer and begin to mix on a low speed. Add the icing sugar by the spoonful, adding milk if the frosting becomes too dry. Pour in a little of the cherry syrup and tint the frosting a pale pink. Leave to mix for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. For the glaze sieve the icing sugar and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the butter, Coca-Cola and cocoa and stir over a low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and spoon in the sieved icing sugar, beating as you do, until you’ve got a good, spreadable, but still runny, icing. Pour over the frosted cupcakes and allow to dribble do the sides a little. Top with a gummy cola bottle and a cherry.

Best Ever Chocolate Brownies

This is a sure fire way of getting your sugar boost!

I found this recipe whilst trawling through many for a simple brownie recipe. I find gluten free cooking is great when making brownies as they are so rich and gooey in texture that you dont nee to use alot of flour.

These are gorgeous..

Brownies

250g unsalted butter

200g dark Fairtrade chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up

optional: 75g dried sour cherries

optional: 50g chopped nuts

80g cocoa powder, sifted

65g plain gluten free flour, sifted

1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

360g caster sugar

4 large free-range or organic eggs

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth.

Add the cherries and nuts, if you’re using them, and stir together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture.

Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray

3. Beat cream cheese in large bowl at medium with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs, sugar, vanilla until smooth. Spread over brownie mixture.

4. Bake for 25 - 30 miniutes or until edges and top are springy. Unlike cake mix you dont want the skewer to come out completely clean, you still want these to be gooey in the middle but springy on the top.

5. Cool completely

Grapes stuffed with goat cheese

I am having another dinner party this Saturday and although the main body of it will remain the same I am adding a starter.

This was a little more difficult for me as I am not a one for starters. So I came up with 2. One is Asparagus wrapped in Parma Ham (which is exactly that!) and the other is Grapes stuffed with Goat cheese and topped with Pistachios.

Grapes Stuffed with Goat Cheese
12 large round red or purple grapes (can have seeds as they will be scooped out) washed and dried
5 ounces goat cheese
1 – 2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup chopped salted pistachios

Cut a little sliver off each end of each grape and slice in half. Scoop out the flesh and seeds of the inside of each grape half with a small melon baler. Leave enough of the flesh to keep the grape half stable and firm. Place cut side down on paper towels to dry out a bit.

In a small food processor or with a mixer process the goat cheese until smooth. Add enough cream to thin it out enough so it can be piped (about the consistancy of very heavy whipped cream).

Put the cheese mixture into a small food storage bag and cut off one corner. Using the food storage bag as a piping bag, pipe the goat cheese mixture into the grape cups. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.

Cookie Pie

Well I have been having so much success lately with cooking sweet gluten free food. I have even found 2 staple "pig out" recipes that are simply gorgeous! One being that chocolate cake and the other... this one. Cookie Pie. Its like a cake with a pie base and a cookie texture. Gorgeous served warm with icecream.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell - roll out your own gluten free shortcrust
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
Serve with ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven 170 degrees C.
Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high until foamy.
Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter.
Stir in morsels and nuts and spoon into pie shell.
Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm

The only thing I struggled with was the pie crust. I made mine using gluten free shortcrust pastry and rolled it out etc. I did bake mine blind first but will try next time not baking it at all.

Please try this as its easy and absolutly gorgeous!

Party Food

I am having some friends around soon. One of which is a celiac like me so I am introducing them to that fish and chip takeaway I mentioned in previous posts!!

Since I have a sweet tooth I am also making some sweet treats for afters and thought I would practise them this weekend. So here it goes.


I made:-

Simply amazing chocolate cake. This is like a good pair of jeans - easy to dress up or down. You can half it and add a dollop of jam and whipped cream, ot glaze it with frosting or ganache. I like it simple.


Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional but intensifies the chocolate taste)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lightly spray an 8 inch cake pan with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray, cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan, place it in the pan and spray that lightly.


In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, espresso and cocoa powders.


In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.


With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture, the sour cream and then the remaining flour mixture.


Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and mix until just blended. The batter will be thick. Using a spatula, give the batter a final mix by hand to make sure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.


Put the batter into the prepared pan.Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm, room temperature or cold.

Chocolate Pavlovas with Mascapone

Now you can make your own meringe if you wish but you can buy equally as good meringue from the shops and its naturally gluten free! You can use chocolate meringue or plain. This is delicious!

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream

Grated zest of 1 average sized lemon

9 ounces (255 grams) 72% chocolate, chopped

1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone

2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

Directions:

Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.

Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)

Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlovas