Happy New Year Everyone!!!

NYE cupcakes made with my new KitchenAid :)

This time last year, we were in Sydney watching the most awesome fireworks.  This year, we are home in Munich having a midnight curry with good friends :)  Both as wonderful in their own ways.  

I want to thank all  of you for reading my blog and hoping that I am putting a bit of sweetness back into the Celiac way of life!!!

Happy Save and Wonderful New Year to EVERYONE!!!!

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes with Violet Frosting

Banana Chocolate cupcakes

Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

20 g Quinoa Flour

40 g Millet or Sorghum Flour

40 g Amaranth Flour

20 g Rice Flour

15 g Tapioca Flour

2 tsp GF Baking Powder

80 g Dutch Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp salt

40 g softened

100 g Muscovado Sugar

2 eggs

3/4 tsp GF Pure Vanilla Extract

½ cup Goat’s Buttermilk

2 very ripe Bananas (and juice from them if using frozen ones, if not, increase buttermilk as needed)

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C

Line cupcake pan with liners

Mix all dry ingredients and sift together several times.

Mix all wet ingredients and bananas until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and thoroughly mixed.

Bake at 180°C for 20min. Allow to cool 10 min in pan and then remove and place on wire rack to completely cool before frosting.

I used the same butter cream frosting I always use, with Wilton violet food coloring.

Gluten Free Chinese Pancakes and Hoi-sin sauce for Peking Duck

 

Chinese Pancakes
(for 8-10 pancakes) 
Adapted from www.notdelia.co.uk

Ingredients
20 g Quinoa Flour
20 g Tapioca Flour
80 g Teff Flour
80 g Graham (ChickPea) Flour
125 ml Very Hot Water
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Directions
Put the flours into a mixing bowl and gradually add the water, mixing all the while until the water is fully incorporated. I used a fork to do this. If the mixture seems too dry, add some more water.
(Bab’s comment – I found with the GF flours, it was not a matter of too dry, but too moist and sticky.  I ended up using loads more graham flour in the kneading process)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it until it becomes silky smooth. This should take 5-10 minutes. Dust it with flour if necessary, as it’ll probably be quite sticky at this stage. Once it’s smooth, cover it with a damp tea-towel and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

Knead the dough again for another 5 minutes, dusting with flour as necessary. Roll it into a sausage shape and cut into slices according to how many pancakes you want to make and what size you’re making. (Experiment with one slice first to give yourself some idea of the likely result.)

Shape each slice into a ball.

Dip the dough ball into the sesame oil and roll into a circle. If you’re not an accurate roller (I can never roll out a perfect circle) and you want pancakes of uniform size and shape, simply cut round a plate or a bowl.

Heat a little sesame oil (a quick wipe of oil is plenty, rather than enough to shallow fry) in a suitable pan over a low flame. Put the pancake into the pan and cook on one side until it has dried underneath. Expect to see brown speckles. Flip it over and repeat on the other side. Repeat this process until all the dough balls are cooked.

I froze these for several days and then got them out and steamed them to warm them up before eating.

I found them to be OK, the only problem was they did not hold together so well when you wrapped them (you fill them like a soft taco with the Peking Chicken, spring onions, cucumbers and Hoisin sauce)  I do plan to try them again to freeze and use when we make curry (to be used in place of Nan bread)

Hoisin Sauce 
Adapted from www.food.com

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons Gluten Free Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 tablespoon Molasses
2 teaspoons White Vinegar
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Sesame Seed Oil
20 drops Chinese-Style Hot Sauce, adjust to taste (jalapeno or habanera sauce may be substituted)
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl for several minutes until thoroughly blended.
 
I thought it was too strong of peanut butter taste (I used pure peanut butter, not the sugary stuff) but several people said it was better than the store bough sauce :)

What does one use to bake Gluten/Milk Free in Germany? Here is what I use!

People keep asking me what I use to make my cupcakes Gluten and Milk Free - so  I thought I would post some pics of the ingredients that I use.

Baking Essentials:

Cocoa Powder - I try to get the best baking Dutch Cocoa I can find in the supermarkets here.

Baking Powder - I ONLY use baking powder from the US or UK.  If I am in dire need and have none on hand, I use the German stuff, but double the amount.

Xanthan Gum - Not picky on the brand and to be honest, don't use that much, but I do get it from the states as is hard to find here and when you do, it is in the tiniest packets.

Vanilla - I ONLY use pure vanilla extract.  I NEVER use the German "aroma" stuff.  I could do it myself, I know this, but it is easier as there is always someone coming over at some point in time who can bring me more.

Baking Soda - again, the US stuff. 

My Flours:

 

I get my Rice and Tapioca flours at the local Chinese shop.  It is  higher grade (even though it looks quite odd) of rice flour and the ONLY place I can find tapioca flour.

I find the Werz brand GF flours in most Bio and Health food shops.  It runs around 3-5€ per small box.  The Mascobado sugar is 5€ :( and can be found in the same places as well as local supermarkets.

Other Ingredients:

 When I make anything pumpkin (and I LOVE pumpkin) I only make it from fresh pumpkin. 

Milk Free:

 I use Deli Reform Margarine. It is 100% vegetable - so is milk free as well as vegan.  I use the Alpro "Ungeüßt" soy milk. This is ONLY water and soy, nothing else!

Vegan:

 When I need to bake also egg free or vegan, I use flax seed (1 T each of water and flax seed per egg needed) in place of eggs.

Birthday Cupcakes - Lemon with Butter Cream Frosting

Today I baked yet again more Lemon cupcakes. I tried a few things different this time.  It is late and I just got home from the birthday party so will post more tomorrow as well as the recipe.  

It was a great evening and met some great people!!

Getting back into baking slowely

First up are some lemon cupcakes.  The last time I did lemon cupcakes, I put lemon in both the cupcake and the frosting.  This time I thought I would do only one.  I made some vanilla cupcakes using almond flour and the frosted them with a simple buttercream with lemon juice in it.

I will be making them again I think, but will do the other way around - lemon in the cupcakes and perhaps meringue frosting!!


Ingredients (makes 18-24 cupcakes)

    100g  Almond Meal
    75g Sorghum Flour
    75g Amaranth Flour
    30g Rice flour
    20g Tapioca flour
    150g Fine White Sugar

    125g Milk Free Margarine
    3 Medium or Large Eggs
    1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
    1/3-1/2 Cup Soy Milk (depends on the size of the eggs you used and the thickness of batter)

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 180°C.

2.      Mix together all dry ingredients in a large and thoroughly shift.

3.      Mix all other ingredients together in a smaller bowl.  Mix well.

4.      Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended, but as little mixing as  possible.  A wooden spoon or whisk works well for this.  You can mix on low with electric blender at end to ensure completely mixed, but only for a few seconds.

5.      Fill cupcake pan (lines with paper liners or coated with spray) and fill 1/3 full.

6.       Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centres comes out clean. Remove from oven and let set for 10 min. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

First batch of Christmas Cupcakes Frosted!