Earthquake Cake

7 Jun

I recently read about earthquake cake and was really excited when I realized I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen to bake it my way. So, off to the kitchen I went.

While I did not follow the recipe, I do feel I maintained the essence of the cake. I layered the pan with pecans and coconuts. When it came to the cake, box cake was out, but I still wanted to keep it simple so I went with Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake and then made it my own using almond-coconut flour and melted coconut oil in place of vegetable oil to up the coconut flavor a bit more. I also reduced the water to keep the batter a bit thicker as I was afraid the topping would sink too much otherwise.

The only other big change I made was to use far less powdered sugar in the cream cheese topping. As I was adding the pound of powdered sugar called for in the original recipe, I found it was getting way too sweet and thick so I stopped adding powdered sugar at about 2 cups.


So how did it turn out? Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this cake. I received several complements on the cake, but I felt the depth of the chocolate in the cake overwhelmed the pecan and coconut crust layer a bit. I mean really look at all those delicious pecans; as much as I love chocolate I wanted to be able to taste the pecans a bit more. I think a German chocolate cake would have better balanced the pecans and coconut, allowing all parts of the cake to shine.


With that said, I do think the turned out quite well. I can see myself making variations of this cake. I am already planning a chocolate, raspberry, almond version.

Earthquake Cake

~ Makes One 9×13-inch cake ~

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 7 oz (1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 7.4 oz (1 3/4 cup) almond-coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk ( I used Silk PureAlmond)
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 8 oz (~ 2 cup)powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9X13-inch cake pan. Spread pecans and coconut across the bottom of the cake pan.

Stir together the granulated sugar, almond-coconut flour, ground flaxseed, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter over the pecans and coconut.

Beat together the melted butter, softened cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Pour cream cheese over the chocolate cake. Sprinkle with chocolate chips Bake cake for 50-50 minutes. Cake will crack down the middle like an earthquake.


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Morning Glory Muffins

26 May

My work schedule recently shifted to a very early start which requires that I am out of bed by 3 am and out the door before 4 o’clock. Needless to say an early morning like this requires a quick and easy breakfast. For me this means a simple smoothie that I can quickly blend up before I head out the door to take with me on my commute, followed by hardboiled egg with either a muffin or fresh fruit later in the morning during a work break.

Now I will admit I am a bit of a muffin snob. In my opinion muffins should only be subtly sweet as opposed to the unfrosted cupcakes typically marketed as muffins. Also, since these muffins were something I was planning on eating every morning for breakfast I want to pack as much nutrition into them as possible, so while I’m not opposed to granulated sugar, when it came to these muffins I opted to sweet the muffins with dates and orange juice instead of sugar.

Morning Glory Muffins

~ Makes 12 Muffins ~

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6.4 oz ( 1 1/2 cups) almond-coconut flour
  • 1.0 oz (1/4 cup) ground flaxseed
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 7.0 oz (2 cups) finely grated carrots
  • 1 large tart apple, finely shredded
  • 1 1/2 oz (1/2 cup) unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 2.5 oz (1/2 cup) raisins or dried pineapple
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 3 oz pitted, coarsely chopped dates (about 6-7 dates)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line each muffin cup with a paper liner.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond-coconut flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, ground cinnamon and ginger, and salt. Stir in the carrot, apple, flaked coconut, and raisins or pineapple.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut oil. In a blender, puree the dates and orange juice; stir the date and orange juice mixture into the egg and oil mixture. Add the vanilla extract, stir to combine.

Add the egg and orange juice mixture to the almond-coconut/carrot mixture, stir until moistened. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups; the muffin cups will be nearly full.

Bake the muffins for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing muffins from the pan and cooling completely.

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Cherry Fruit-and-Nut Bars

22 May

Sorry for my absence lately. I been here


here,


And here.


We are currently training to climb to the summit of Mount St. Helens this summer, so while I have been in the kitchen, between working and hiking I have not had large quantities of time to spend with my laptop editing photos and writing posts. Not that I’m complaining (about all the hiking, work is another story). As a result of all time away from the computer, I have at least half-a-dozen recipes waiting to be edited and posted. As well as a post, in the works, about what foods we like to pack with us on a hike.


The recipe for these bars has been in my file to a while. With the combination of dried dates and cherries with cashews and almond they are a homemade version of LARA Bars. At a fraction of the cost of store bought ones.

I like the bars with small pieces of nuts and cherries still in the bars for texture, if you prefer a smoother texture, process the ingredients finer before mixing together. Also you can add any ground spices you like along with the salt.

 

Cherry Fruit-and-Nut Bars

~ Makes 8 Bars ~

INGREDIENTS:

  • 5.0 oz pitted dates
  • 5.0 oz. dried cherries
  • 2.5 oz raw cashews
  • 1.75 oz raw almonds
  • Pinch of salt

PREPARATION:

Place dates in a food processor. Blend until they become a paste; transfer to a bowl. Add cherries to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped (you still want some texture to the cherries). Add the salt and dates, process to incorporate the cherries into the date paste. Transfer to a bowl.

Add both the cashews and almonds to the food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped, but with some large nut pieces remaining. Add the fruit paste back to the food process and process to incorporate the nuts into the paste. The mixture may not fully clump together in the food processor, but rather will have a sticky crumb like consistency and should stick together then squeezed between your fingers. If the mixture does not hold together when squeezed between your fingers, add a teaspoon or two of warm water and process again. Turn the mixture out into a bowl and use your hands to knead any unincorporated nuts into the fruit.

For bars, use slightly damp hand to shape dough into a rectangle approximately 5 ½ x 7 ½ inches on a plastic wrap lined plate or in a rectangular storage container. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow bars to firm up. With a damp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 bars. Wrap each bar separately in plastic wrap or place in a small sandwich bags. Alternatively, the warm dough can be rolled into ball. Store bars in the refrigerator.


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One more hiking photo.

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Quinoa Tots

15 Apr


There is a local wine bar in Capitol Hill near our home. We went there quite some time ago. At the time they had these fantastic quinoa tots with rhubarb ketchup on the menu. We have not been back since, but neither my husband nor I have forgotten about this delicious tots. I have been meaning to try to make them for myself for quite some time.


My main goal was to maintain the ideal texture of the perfect tot: crunchy exterior and a soft on the inside. I also wanted to get the classic cylindrical shape. To ensure the tot stay soft in the inside, sure the tots are piped to a diameter of at least a half-inch.

Warning! This recipe makes a large quantity. Thankfully the fried quinoa tots can be cooled, frozen, and reheated in a 375 degree oven until crispy again.


Quinoa Tots

~ Makes about 300 Tots ~

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups dry quinoa
  • 1 medium red onion, finely diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional for finishing
  • 1 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 large egg


PREPARATION:

Rinse quinoa to remove any remaining saponin which may be on the quinoa. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the quinoa to the boiling water and cook until the grains are al dente and are starting to burst, approximately 12-15 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, sauté the onions and garlic in a small amount of butter or olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Transfer the onions and garlic to a food processor.

Drain the quinoa but reserve the cooking liquid. Add a quarter of the hot quinoa to the food processor along with the salt, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Add just enough of the reserved cooking liquid to process quinoa into a thick paste. Stop and scrape down the sides as necessary. Only add much water as necessary to process the quinoa.

Combine the quinoa paste with the unprocessed quinoa in a large bowl. Allow the quinoa to cool until thick enough to hold its shape. Transfer the quinoa mixture into a pastry bag. Pipe the quinoa mixture into long ropes, a 1/2 to 3/4-inch in diameter, on a parchment lined baking sheets. Refrigerate the piped quinoa for until firmly set, about 3 hours.

Cut the quinoa ropes into tots about an inch to an inch-and-half long. Fry the tots until golden brown and crispy. Drain and sprinkle with salt. Serve hot.

Cool any leftover tots to room-temperature. Spread tots in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze tots until frozen solid. Transfer quinoa tots into an air-tight container or plastic bag. To reheat, place frozen tots on a baking sheet. Bake tots for at 375 degrees until crispy and heated through.


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Root Beer Float Pinwheels

12 Apr

I stumbled upon a recipe containing root beer concentrate and immediately wanted to create a root beer cookie. The only problem I had was finding root beer concentrate. I checked half a dozen stores in Seattle and did not have any luck. I was reluctant to purchase it online because I did not want to purchase a six-pack of concentrate. Thankfully, my mom checked for me back home in Minnesota. I used McCormick root beer concentrate. It does not list it online, but the side of the box does list it as a gluten-free food. Since most root beer contains caramel color, if you choose a different concentrate make sure it is gluten-free.


These cookies turned out great. They are a fantastic blend of root beer and vanilla. I start with my favorite sugar cookies and then added a hefty dose of vanilla paste and root beer concentrate. All the flavors you would expect from a root beer float.


Root Beer Float Pinwheels

~ Makes 36 cookies ~

INGREDIENTS:

  • 9.7 oz almond-coconut flour blend
  • 1.2 oz millet flour
  • 1.1 oz corn flour
  • 0.9 oz potato flour
  • 0.7 oz garbanzo flour
  • 1.2 oz flaxseed meal
  • 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 7 oz unsalted butter
  • 4.7 oz granulated sugar
  • 3.6 oz powdered sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons root beer concentrate
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
  • Powdered sugar, for rolling

PREPARATION:

In another bowl, whisk together 14.5 oz almond-coconut, millet, corn garbanzo, and potato flour; flaxseed meal; baking powder and soda; cream of tartar; and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add flour mix until combined.

Divide dough in half. Kneed the root beer concentrate into one portion of the dough and the vanilla paste into the second portion half of dough.

Working on parchment paper, roll the vanilla dough into an 8 x 13-inch rectangle, approximately 1/4-inch thick; if dough is sticking lightly flour with almond-coconut flour. Place dough in freezer until firm. On a second piece of parchment paper, roll root beer dough into an 8 x 13-inch rectangle, remove any excess flour from surface. When vanilla dough is firm enough to handle, remove from freezer and brush any excess flour of the surface. Invert the vanilla dough on top of the root beer dough and remove parchment paper. Allow the vanilla dough to warm to room temperature. Roll dough into a log, starting from the long side of the dough. Wrap log in parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to 375 F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Unwrap cookie dough and slice cookies into 1/4 to 1/3-inch slices. Bake cookies for 10 minutes until just beginning to brown. Cool the cookies for 2-3 minutes on baking sheet. Move cookies to cooling rack and cool completely.


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Cheddar Cheese Crackers

6 Apr


Crispy, crunchy, full of cheese flavor with a touch of salt. These are classic cheese crackers with the extra special something you only get from a homemade product. For the crispest crackers make the dough the night before baking.

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

~ several cups, depending on the size ~

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1.0 oz (3 1/2 tablespoons) arrowroot starch
  • 1.0 oz (3 1/2 tablespoons) tapioca starch
  • 1.0 oz (3 1/2 tablespoons) millet flour
  • 1.0 oz (3 1/2 tablespoons) corn flour
  • 1.0 oz (about 1/4 cup) flaxseed meal
  • 0.5 oz (1 3/4 tablespoons) garbanzo flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus additional for sprinkling on crackers
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2.0 oz chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 6.0 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3-4 tablespoons water

PREPARATION:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine.

Add butter and cheddar cheese, pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Drizzle in 3 tablespoons on water while processor is running until soft dough forms (similar in consistency to Play-dough); add an additional 1 tablespoon of water, a teaspoon at a time, if needed.

Remove the dough from the food processor. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each with plastic wrap. Chill dough for at least 60 minutes; for the crispest crackers refrigerate the dough longer, several hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 400 F.

Working with one disk of dough at a time, roll dough to a 1/8th-inch thickness. If the dough sticks during the rolling process lightly coat with arrowroot starch to prevent sticking. If it tears, just press it back together with your fingertips. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch squares or diamonds or use a small cookie cutter to cut out shaped crackers. Avoid shapes with sharp points as they tend to burn. Transfer crackers to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle cracker with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bake the cracker at 400 for 8-12 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Dough that has been refrigerated overnight will bake faster than dough baked shortly after it is made.


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Joe’s Hamburger Buns

24 Feb


My Grandma Rita is a fantastic baker and cook. Looking back, I’m amazed because the dishes I remember the most are completely unexpected. Sure, she could make a great traditional meat and potatoes meal (my grandparents raised cattle and pigs after all), but you should have tried the sweet and sour pork and eggrolls she made for.  She also fermented some of the best sauerkraut I have ever had!


(Memories Forever Photography)

 But where she really excelled was her baking.  I will never be able to make an apple or pumpkin pie, gluten-free or otherwise, that will live up to hers.  And her donuts, don’t get me started.  Is there anything better than a freshly fried donut coated in sugar?

I can still picture that large ceramic bowl sitting on her counter with bread dough rising in it.  She would always cut off small pieces of the dough for her grandchildren eat.  And what would she make with this dough?  Just about anything and everything from savory to sweet!  Buns, dinner rolls, cinnamon roll, and best of all kolaches.

Grandma Rita, however, never used a recipe. I remember asking her once if we could make cookies.  She simply started mixing things together in the bowl, before I knew it she had cookies baking in the oven out on the porch. She went to check on them, letting me peak inside the oven too.  Declaring more flour, as the cookies had spread too much.  Her ability to never follow a recipe (or perhaps an unwillingness) is entirely fortunate and unfortunate for me. I have inherited her ability to just go in the kitchen and completely wing it, but it also means, unfortunately, I will never be able to have one of her recipes. Thus I will never be able to duplicate anything she makes; although I doubt she can exactly duplicate any of them either – not that she will ever admit it.  She is incredibly headstrong (another trait I no doubt inherited).

Sometime around the age of twelve or thirteen, knowing this about my grandmother I asked my aunt Donna for her all-purpose bread recipe that I could use for everything.  Here is what I received:


Actually, this is the 2nd or 3rd copy of the recipe as it was well used and loved.  It also may have something to do with the fact that I am anything but neat in the kitchen.  This fact has not improved with age, just asked my husband.

I have no idea who Joe is (as I’m certain it is not my father) or where my aunt found this recipe.  What I do know is, I have used this recipe for everything from buns to dinner rolls and most frequently for sweet applications; like caramel rolls.

Since going gluten-free however, this recipe has just sat in my recipe box.  However, I have been sporadically interested in making bread again.  I was excited by the challenge of trying to convert this recipe.

My first attempt was laughable.  They truly were hockey pucks; I put way too much flour into the dough. I made the dough more like the traditional bread I remember instead of the more batter like dough gluten-free baked goods require.  My 2nd attempt was much butter.  Fantastic out of the oven, but unfortunately became heavy once cooled. On the third attempt I made hotdog buns.  It made for a glorious dinner that night as I was finally able to have meat on a bun – a soft smushy bun –ahh the simple pleasures in life.


Finally, here I have a bun that I am completely satisfied.  It is soft, moist, and airy.  Like all gluten-free bread it still best the day it is made, but nothing toasting (or even 45 to 60 second in the microwave) can’t fix on day two.

I have actually had this bun recipe created for at least a year and have used it to make kolaches, caramel rolls and monkey bread. My delay in posting has simply been a lack of pictures. I made it once several months ago just to take pictures. What happened? I lost the pictures, all of them. They were simply no where to be found. So early this week, I made them once again and this time I have the pictures.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.



Joe’s Hamburger Buns

~ Makes 8 Hamburger Buns or 12 Dinner Rolls~

INGREDIENTS:

  • 5.1 oz. (3/4 cup) potato starch
  • 2.2 oz. (1/2 cup) tapioca or corn starch
  • 1.0 oz (1/4 cup) almond meal
  • 0.6 oz. (2 tablespoons) millet flour
  • 0.6 oz. (2 tablespoons) corn flour
  • 0.5 oz. (2 tablespoons) amaranth flour
  • 0.5 oz. (2 tablespoons) garbanzo fava flour
  • 1.0 oz. (3 tablespoons) potato flour
  • 0.7 oz (3 tablespoons) flaxseed meal
  • 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast*
  • 2 large egg, well beaten
  • 3.0 oz. (1/4 cup) honey
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup milk
  • potato starch and millet flour for shaping buns and flouring


PREPARATION:

In a bowl, whisk together the yeast; potato and tapioca (or corn) starch; almond meal; millet,corn, amaranth,  garbanzo fava, and potato flour; along with the flaxseed, xanthan gum, baking powder, gelatin, and instant yeast.

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the egg, honey, canola oil, and salt. Add the vinegar and milk, mix to combine

Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients, mix on low. When mixture forms a smooth batter, beat on high for 2 minutes, stopping two or three times to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl mix equal parts potato starch and millet flour. Divide dough into 8 equal portions for hamburger buns and 12 portions for dinner rolls. Roll each portion of dough into a ball using millet-starch mixture to prevent sticking. This is the easiest to do by dropping the dough portion into the flour mixture and then turning the dough over in the flour to entirely coat before shaping, rolling into a ball, with my hands. Place the shaped dough onto parchment lined baking sheet. Don’t flatten the dough as it will flatten on its own during the rising and baking and processes.

Brush the dough with water, milk, or an egg wash to remove the flour coating, egg wash will give the buns the best color. Allow to rise until about doubled in size, approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

While dough is rising adjust oven racks so the racks are in the lowest and middle positions. Heat oven to 350 F.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.  Serve warm or move to a cooling rack to cool.  Buns will fall slightly as they cool.


*Since the yeast is not proofed before adding to the ingredients ensure your yeast is fresh and still active.  If you are unsure if your yeast is still active, test 1/4 teaspoon of the yeast in a ¼ cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar.  If the yeast bubbles and foams within 5 minutes it is alive and active and can be used in the recipe; if not your yeast is dead and is unsuitable for bread making.

 

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