Gluten and cow's Milk Free Raspberry filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Gluten & Cow's Milk Free Raspberry filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Dry Ingredients:
30 grams Quinoa Flour
60 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
60 grams Amaranth Flour
30 grams Rice Flour

20 grams Tapioca Flour
2 teaspoons GF Baking Powder

100 grams Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

225 grams Muscovado Sugar

Wet Ingredients:
60 grams Milk Free Margarine softened

3 eggs
2 teaspoons GF Pure Vanilla Extract

3/4 cup Goat’s Buttermilk (I buy this at Basic)**

**  When mixing wet ingredients - depending on the flour mixture you use and the size of the eggs - you may need between 1/2 - 1 cup of the buttermilk.  I start out with 1/2 cup and add 1/4 cup at a time depending on the consistency of the batter at the end.

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

**Mix all the wet ingredients in a stand mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer) until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer while on low (2) speed.  Once all ingredients are combined, mix on speed 3-4 for a minute or two until well mixed.  Do not over mix!

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 180°C 22-23 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool

Let cupcakes cool completely!!

Next step is to add the raspberry filling

Fill a piping bag with your favorite raspberry jam or filling.  Using a filling tip (these are the long thin tubes - something like this one - can be plastic or metal).  Once cupcakes are completely cooled - just insert the tip into the middle of the cupcake and squeeze some jam inside.  Be carefull not to fill it too much, or the cupcake can explode ;-)    Many people recommend using an apple corer to remove a bit of the center, but I prefer not to use this method.  As long as you have the longer tip and watch how much you are squeezing in, they turn out better (as you still have all the cake part too)

Next - frost your cupcakes

You can do this however you choose.  I used my standard buttercream frosting.  I mixed half with cocoa powder and half with pink coloring and then topped with a raspberry.

Gluten and cow's Milk Free Margarita Cupcakes

I saw this post from Brown Eyed Baker on Facebook and knew these would be my next cupcakes to make.  They turned out so yummy!!!

Below is the adapted recipe to make them gluten free and cow's milk free.

Margarita Cupcakes - 12 

For the Cupcakes:
75 grams Millet Flour
50 grams Amaranth Flour
50 grams Rice Flour
25 grams Quinoa Flour
25 grams Tapioca Flour
1½ teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
113 grams Margarine
190 grams Castor Sugar
2 Eggs
Zest and Juice of 1½ Limes (the juice of the other ½ will be used in the frosting)
2 tablespoons Tequila
¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cup Goat’s Buttermilk

To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons Tequila

For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:
113 grams Margarine
113 grams Butter Crisco
500 grams Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
2 tablespoons Tequila
Pinch of coarse Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.

3. In a stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the margarine and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry, it will all come back together, power on!)

6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

7. Fill cupcakes liners ¾ full. Bake for approximately 23-25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a toothpick shows only moist crumbs attached.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

9. To make the frosting, whip the margarine and crisco on medium-high speed in your stand mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.

Gluten and Milk Free Corn Dogs (and Homemade Baked Beans)

So, I saw this post on Gluten Free Girl and decided to try it.  They turned out great.  For the flours, I used a mix of Amaranth, Teff, Quinoa, Millet and Corn Starch.  I used 1 part of this mixture to 1 part of Corn Meal.  I used Goat's milk instead of Cow's.  I also added a bit of Xanthum Gum - just to ensure the mixture held together and to the hot dogs (or in this case Austrian style wieners -  used ones from Rewe that were gluten and lactose free).  I also bought 2 sizes, the longer ones (more like a US hot dog) and the shorter ones.

When I told Guy I was going to make these - his response was "I have never had corn dogs!"  I could not believe it!!!!  So, made making them that much more special :)

For the Baked Beans, I used my friend Chungchi's wonderful recipe that I have made for over 10 years! here is that recipe,

Homemade Baked Beans

Ground in a skillet...

200 grams ground beef

200 grams bacon

large onion

Then mix in a large bowl with the following

1 can of kidney beans, drained

1 can of pinto beans, drained

1 can of butter beans, drained

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

2 teaspoons vinegar

Then put it into a baking dish and bake at 180C for an hour.

Was a great meal and my Guy enjoyed the corn dogs :)

There was plenty of left over batter, so I made hush puppies with what was left :)

Red Velvet Rose Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Gluten & cow's Milk Free

I saw this cake on Pinterest and absolutely fell in love with it.  I thought, although it looks so complicated, it really should be quite easy to do, as each of the roses are just like I usually frost my cupcakes - so I decided to try it.  The cake and decorating idea come from Casey Cooks blog.  She also has a very nice little tutorial video on how to do the roses if you do not know how.  I have simplified the instructions a bit below - please visit her site for full instructions.  Before I made the cake, I did a test batch as cupcakes (as they bake more evenly in my little oven that doesn't always work). and then made the cake. 

The alterations I made.    

First, before starting, I of course converted most things to weight measurements.  I also reduced the amount of oil used.  I used goat's products instead of cow's.  I also used Muscovado Sugar in my test recipe.  In the cake recipe I used castor sugar.  I found with the GF flours, that the Muscovado worked loads better. I tried 2 different coloring techniques.  For the test batch, I used Wilton no-taste red.  For the cake, I  used liquid generic brand red.  They gave a diff color - both were nice.  And of course, used GF flours ;-)  In this post, you will find the altered recipe for the cupcakes.  

And a pic of the inside

Red Velvet Rose Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Gluten & cow's Milk Free

Makes 2 rounds to form 1 double round.
adapted from http://www.caseycooks.com/2011/04/red-velvet-rose-cake-cake-decorating.html

Cake
2 eggs
300 grams Canola Oil
1 cup Buttermilk
3 teaspoons Vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon GF Pure Vanilla Extract
Red Food Colouring (I used Wilton no-taste red and mixed it with 1 Tabelspoon water until it was a deep dark red)
140 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
100 grams Amaranth Flour
50 grams Tapioca Flour
50 grams White Rice Flour
40 grams Quinoa Flour
20 grams Corn Starch
350 grams Fine White Sugar
10 grams Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt

Frosting
200 grams Goat’s Cream Cheese, softened
220 grams Crisco (white, not butter flavoured)
2 teaspoon vanilla
600 grams Powdered Sugar, sifted

Equipment
Large pastry bag and large couplet
1M tip

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Spray two 8-inch cake pans and line bottom with baking paper.

In a stand mixer bowl, slightly mix egg using the whisk attachment. Add remaining liquid ingredients and mix on low continuing to use the whisk attachment until blended.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix until combined. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high until completely combined, about one minute.

Divide batter equally among the two cake pans. Drop pans onto the counter from about 3-inches up to release any air bubbles. Repeat twice.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Allow cakes to cool completely on wire racks. While you are waiting, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix. Gradually mix in the confectioner's sugar. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes prior to using. Keep any frosting you are not using covered in the fridge. 

Place one of the cakes on the plate or platter you intend to use a (I always put the bottom layer top side down, so that your new top is flat (ie, the bottom). Apply a layer of icing to the top of the first cake. This will be the icing between your two layers, so with that in mind apply more or less icing depending on how much frosting you like.

Place the second cake on top of the first, making sure the two are properly aligned. Then, apply the crumb layer. A crumb layer is a thin layer of frosting you apply to a cake to hold in the crumbs, so that the final product is beautiful and crumb-free. Wait for the crumb layer to dry before applying the icing roses.

Hydrangea Cupcakes - Take 2 Gluten & Cow's Milk Free

I needed to do a test batch for the Red Velvet Cake, plus I had promised my friend Karen I would give her a hydrangea cupcakes that I made the last time but there were none left, so perfect reason to make them.  The cupcake recipe is adapted from Casey Cooks Blog.   

More detail in the above blog about the cake.  This recipe is halved from the other. The decorating technique again was adapted from Glorious Treats' blog

Wet Ingredients
1 egg
150 grams Canola Oil
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons Vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon GF Pure Vanilla Extract
Red Food Colouring (I used Wilton no-taste red and mixed it with 1/2 Tablespoon water until it was a deep dark red)

Dry Ingredients
50 grams Amaranth Flour
70 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
25 grams Tapioca Flour
25 grams White Rice Flour
20 grams Quinoa Flour
10 grams Corn Starch
130 grams Muscovado Sugar
5 grams Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 180°C.

In a stand mixer bowl, slightly mix egg using the whisk attachment. Add remaining liquid ingredients and mix on low continuing to use the whisk attachment until blended.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix until combined. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high until completely combined, about one minute.

Pour into your prepared cupcake pans and bake for 18-20 min or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Gluten Free Caramel/Peanut Butter Chocoate Bars with Almond Base

So, I had a few "bad" things that needed used up so that they were gone :)  I had a can of condensed milk, well, closest thing you can get in Germany. It was a generic can that I got at a local Asian shop.  You can not really buy the Carnation stuff here.  I kept reading about how you can cook the can for a few hours and make caramel out of it, so I tried it.  I cooked the can in boiling water for 4 hours,  The result (I wish I had taken a pic, but I did not) was a wonderful thick caramel that had the color/flavor as it should.  Now, I knew I had to make something with this or I would eat the whole can.  I also knew this was a double no no as it is pure milk and I am not suppose to eat milk :(   I have been wanting to make some shortbread caramel bars for a while so thought I would try that.  I decided to just go with what I had and not follow any recipe.  I did not write down amounts of what I did but I followed the basics of most recipes as a base.

For the base - I mixed in a food processor Almond Meal, mascoavo sugar and margarine- pressed it into a baking dish and baked for 15 min.

For the filling - I  mixed the can of now caramel sauce with some margarine, vanilla and the rest of a jar of peanut butter that I had (I figured why not :)

For the chocolate - I  melted some baking chocolate I had left with some ghee and sea salt.

I simply layered them and put it in the fridge for a few hours.

They turned out quite nice, but I do need to try to freeze some so that we don't eat them all :-D

Happy Mother's Day - Gluten Free Chocolate Hydrangea Cupcakes

 

Happy Mother's Day!

So, I saw these early last week when I was browsing Pinterest and fell in love with them as Hydrangea are one of my favorite flowers (Fuchsia being the other).  I had wanted to actually make some cupcakes and send to my mom back in the states.  However, this would mean sending them express and I was shocked at the price - so, I  made them anyway (will take them to friends tomorrow on a day trip) but they are still meant to be cupcakes for my mom :)

I used my standard chocolate cupcake recipe, but did not have any goat's milk or any kind for that matter, so I just used water - and they turned out the same :)

My frosting was a bit too stiff, but I had already bagged it and decided to just go with it, rather than thinning it out a bit.

Here is the original link on Glorious Treats Blog.  And unfortunately, I don't have any actual Hydrangea plants to set them by for a picture like she did on her blog- so a boring pic from the kitchen counter will have to do.

I will definitely make these again!

Gluten and Milk Free Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients
½ cube fresh Yeast (ca 20g of fresh or ½ package of dried yeast)
1/2 cup warm Milk (I used goat’s)
50 grams Muscovado Sugar
50 grams Margarine
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 egg
50 grams Millet Flour
50 grams Amaranth Flour
50 grams Rice Flour
50 grams Tapioca Flour
50 grams Quinoa Flour
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

Filling
50 grams Muscovado Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Cinnamon
40 grams Margarine, softened

Icing
50 grams Powdered Sugar
50 grams Cream Cheese (I used goat’s)
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:
In your stand mixer bowl fitted with the mixing paddle, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a pinch of the sugar.

Add sugar, margarine salt and egg and mix well.

Switch to your dough hook.

Combine your flours in a separate bowl and then add to the above mixture and mix on low speed until combined.

Knead the dough in your stand mixer until it forms a soft pliable ball.  Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Roll the dough out on a lightly (gluten free) floured surface, until it is approx 45 cm long by 30 cm wide.

 It should be approx 5-6 mm thick.

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mix evenly over the surface.

Working carefully from the wide edge, roll the dough towards the other side, stopping when just shy of the center.  Now roll from the other wide edge – towards the center again, until you are just shy of the center.  You should now have 2 rolls facing each  other with a tiny bit of space between them.

Cut the dough into 4-5 cm slices and place into a baking dish that is either lined with baking paper or greased.

Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.

Beat well in your stand mixer with the paddle until fluffy.

When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing

Serving Size: 1 (135 g)   Calories 418    Total Fat 17 g   Total Carbohydrate 65 g   Dietary Fiber 4 g   Protein 6 g

Gluten and Milk Free Baked Chicken with Pesto, Asparagus & Potatoes

 

This is one of the BEST meals we have EVER eaten!!!  I can not believe the flavor that the pesto/asparagus combo brought out. And the potatoes - I could have eaten 10 servings!!!

I found some nice looking green asparagus at the local supermarket yesterday and I had some chicken in the fridge and so searched to find a recipe that looked nice and was not pasta.  I found the perfect one using google.  I also found these really cool baked potatoes recipe on Pintrest (my favorite new site).  The result was absolutely delicious!!!

The recipe for the chicken/asparagus/pesto is found on Start to Simmer's blog.  The only alteration is that I used only pecorino cheese (as have intolerance to cow's milk).

I made my own pesto using standard recipe from Food network, only using only 1/2 cup oil in total.

The potatoes came from Fish Food's blog.

And as you can see in the pic above, the result was absolutely delicious!  I do not think I have enjoyed a meal so much in a very very long time!

Here is a closer look at the pesto

Gluten and Milk Free Meatloaf - Jamie Oliver Style!!!

As I posted last week, I love this new Jamie Oliver cookbook I bought.  This weekend we made the meatloaf.  What drew me to this instantly, was the "sauce" that went along with it.  It was a mix of spices, chick peas and tomatoes and the meatloaf itself had great spices and bacon as well.


I will not retype the recipe, as it is here on this link.  The only alterations that I made were to use a gluten free panier mix (basically dried gluten free bread crumbs) and left out the Worcestershire sauce.

One of the best things about this meal was cooking it together.  We were very pleased with the outcome of this.  It had a lovely mix of flavors and was more than enough on it's own for dinner, well, with a nice glass of red wine of course :)

Most fun I have had baking cupcakes. With one of my good friend's daughter.

As you know, I LOVE baking cupcakes and what is more fun than baking with kids :)   A good friend of mine had an appointment near my house and asked if I could watch her oldest daughter (just turned 3) for an hour or so while she was there.  I took this opportunity to have loads of fun with Lottie and doing some cupcake baking :)  

I let her choose what we would do. She wanted vanilla with pink frosting.  I made a few large cupcakes ahead of time (I put bright pink food coloring in them, so they were VERY pink.  When she got here, we made another small batch of vanilla, but put blue coloring in them this time.  We then made mini cupcakes with this batch.  While they were baking, Lottie decorated the pink cupcakes herself.  I did help with some of the piping (she couldn't quite hold and squeeze the bag with her little hands).  

I got a few fun things for kids. Some animal sugar toppings, some princess sprinkles, gummy bears, mini smarties etc...  She had so much fun and I let her do what ever she wanted to them.

She then took nearly all of them home with her for her Nan and Pop (aka grandma and grandpa) who had arrived that day from the UK to visit them.  She was very proud of herself and her cupcakes, as was I.

Gluten and Milk Free Käsespätzle (German version of Mac & Cheese)

So, I have several Germans now following my Facebook page and my blog, so I decided since I live in Germany, I should try to convert more "German" dishes into gluten free dishes.  I have already done the brez'n (pretzels) and the Flammkuchen (thin pizza)  - now it was time to tackle Käsespätzle, the German version of Mac & Cheese!

The result was yummy!!!  I have never actually tasted proper "normal" spätzle in any form, as have only lived in Germany as a celiac.  But Guy has had it many times.  He said this tasted and looked like "normal" käsespätzle, this made me very happy :)

If you have made spätzle before, you will find that this dough does act differently than the "normal" stuff with wheat flour.  I am sure you could make this without the xantham gum and it would act more like the other stuff, but I felt it was needed to ensure that the spätzle held together in this recipe.  In the end, it worked beautifully.

Gluten and Milk Free Käsespätzle
makes 2 large portions

 For the Spätzle
100 Grams Potato Flour
50 Grams Millet Flour
50 Grams Amaranth Flour
½ Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
2 Egg
6 Tablespoons Water
Pinch of Salt

Mix all the ingredients in a stand mixer bowl until smooth.  Because of the xanthan gum, the batter will be thick, but smooth. 

Heat your oven to the lowest temperature.

Bring a large pan of water with salt to boil.  Also, fill a bowl with cold water (this will be used for shocking the spätzle once you remove them from the boiling water, to stop the cooking). 

Once the water is boiling, fill your spätzle  press with the batter and press out some into the boiling water.  I did this in 2 batches.  The spätzle will remain on the top (when using wheat flour, they sink and then rise when cooked).  Cook them for 3-4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and place into the bowl cold water.  Then remove from the cold water with the  slotted spoon and place on a plate lines with paper towels.  Once the paper towel has absorbed some of the water, transfer the spätzle to a large baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet in oven for 10-15 minutes (again, on the lowest setting) to dry out to Spätzle just a little bit, you aren’t cooking them more, just wicking some of the water away.

Now make the onion and cheese sauce:
1 Onion, Thinly Sliced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Margarine (for onions)
1 Tablespoon Margarine (for cheese sauce)
1 Tablespoons Gluten Free Flour
1/3-1/2 Cup Goat’s Milk
1 Cup Grated Semi-Hard Young Goat’s Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200°C. Spray pan with no-stick spray or smear with margarine. 

In a large saucepan, place 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons margarine over high heat. Add onions. Cook over high heat until the onions start to brown. Stir frequently. Reduce heat. Add salt. Cook onions until soft and golden brown, this can take 10 min or so. Stir frequently and scrape the juices off the bottom of the pan.  Then add the spätzle and heat through over moderate heat. It is ok if they brown a little. Set aside.

To make the cheese sauce, first make a roux by melting 1 tablespoon of margarine in the pan. Gradually sprinkle the flour and immediately begin stirring. Do not let the margarine/flour burn so stir constantly until a paste forms. This will happen very quickly. Slowly add the milk and continue stirring until you have a white creamy sauce. If the mixture gets too thick, add additional milk. You may use all of the milk, you may not, it depends on the flour you use.  Just keep stirring until it looks like a nice white sauce.  Then add the grated cheese and salt and pepper.  Continue stirring until all the cheese is melted. If you need, you can add some more milk here.

Mix the spätzle and the cheese sauce together and transfer to the prepared pan. Bake at 200°C until the cheese has melted and starts to brown on the top, approximately 20 minutes.

Gluten and Milk Free Pasta & Baby Spinach with Baked Goat's Camembert

 As you can see, we have our camera back :-)

I was visiting a friend the other day and she had a new cookbook.  I was flipping through it and had to admit that even though I have never been a Jamie Oliver fan (mostly because I have only ever seen  him in German and the dubbed voice they have for him is extremely annoying!!!), I loved this particular cookbook.  As I was flipping through the pages, one of the pictures really caught my eye.  It was a pasta dish with camembert.  What caught my eye was that the camembert was baked in the wooden container it came in.  Something about this really appealed to me.  So, I made a trip to the larger Karstadt in the city with a large selection of cheeses.  I was able to find a nice French camembert made from goat's milk.  

By the time I got home with the cheese EVERYTHING stank!  I had never had soft cheese like this that had such a horrible smell. I was sure it had gone off.  I then chatted with another friend who said that yes, some of the soft goat's cheeses smell.  So, I stuck it into a zip lock and put it in the crisper.  By the next day, the entire fridge stank.  I was having my doubts about this recipe.

Today, we made it. I followed Jamie's recipe from "Ministry of Food" to the tee, except of course, I used gluten free pasta and for the cheeses, I used pecorino ramano and goat's camembert.  I also added 2-3 times the amount of rosemary (my Guy loves rosemary) as well as adding some rosemary and garlic to the water that the pasta was boiling in.

The result was a beautiful blend of cheeses and spices that went wonderfully with the pasta/spinach.   I was a bit afraid that the cheese would end up melting all over the place.  The last time I bought a goat's camembert (a much cheaper brand only wrapped, not in the nice wood holder) and baked it inside of some pastry dough, it leaked all over the place.  So, I made a little form of aluminum foil inside the wood holder and then put the cheese in that.  But to my delightful surprise, the cheese inside baked perfectly leaving the outer "skin" in tact.

I can not recommend this highly enough.  It was so delicious!!  I purposely only made 2 portions (cut the recipe in half) and am wishing I had not, so that we had left overs.

I won't retype the whole recipe, but here is a link to a condensed version (only the instructions have been a bit condensed, the ingredients are all listed.  Again, to make this gluten free, you only need to use any gluten free pasta that you like and if you are also cow's milk intolerant, just use goat's camembert. 

Gluten Free Easter Egg Cupcakes

I was not sure what to do for Easter cupcakes, so I decided to do a few different ones.  Knowing that we can not eat them all, I have boxed almost all of them up to give to friends over the weekend.  I really wanted to do some with the Cadbury cream eggs.  I was lucky enough to find a shop here in Munich that sold them.  They cost a pretty penny of course, so I only put them into 6 of the cupcakes.  I am not sure who will get them, as I mixed them all up.  But a few lucky people will be biting into some awesome goodness this weekend :) 

Gluten Free Easter Egg Cupcakes
Makes 20 cupcakes

Dry Ingredients:
20 grams Quinoa Flour
40 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
40 grams Amaranth Flour
20 grams Rice Flour
15 grams Tapioca Flour
2 teaspoons GF Baking Powder
75 grams Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
150 grams Muscovado Sugar

Wet Ingredients:
40 grams Milk Free Margarine softened
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoons GF Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Goat’s Buttermilk
1/2 cup Goat’s Milk

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Mix all the wet ingredients in a stand mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer) until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer while on low (2) speed.  Once all ingredients are combined, mix on speed 3-4 for a minute or two until well mixed.  Do not over mix!

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.  Unwrap and place a Cadbury Cream Egg into the cupcake batter.  Bake at 180°C (350°F) 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool

Let cupcakes cool completely!!

For the grass, I used tip #233.  For a video on how to pipe grass, here is a good youtube video from Wilton.

I used the same tip with some brown frosting to make the nest and put Cadbury chocolate mini eggs into them.  For the Baskets, I used a licorice stick for the handle and peeps and jelly beans for the decorations.

Sheep's Cheese with Chocolate. Yes, you read it correctly :)

So, I was at my local Karstadt (at Nordbad) yesterday searching for some different sheep's or goat's cheese to try.  I found a lovely pecorino with chili's - Yumm!!

I was sure that I had misunderstood the lady behind the counter when when she offered me "Schafskäse mit Schokolade" to try.  Now, my German is OK, but I was sure I misunderstood her.  She then pointed to a block of sheep's cheese with chocolate.  I was a bit skeptical, but I did try it.  It was actually quite nice.  It had a nice mild flavor with a nice bite of chocolate, as well as whole hazelnuts too.  The chocolate was not overpowering, nor was it too little that you didn't notice it was there.  I did not buy any (as I had already had her cut a huge chunk of the one with chili) and while it was nice, I could not see using it for everyday eating at home (the chili one however, I could eat every day :)  Perhaps next time we have company or make a nice little cheese try, I may buy some.

They also had (same brand) sheep's cheese with pistachios.  This I did not particularly care for.  It was not bad at all, just for me, the 2 flavors just didn't go well together.

Just wanted to share for any others of you out there in Munich who can't have cow's milk (or for anyone really).  This is a great alternative for cheese :)

Gluten Free & (cow's) Milk Free Flammkucken (also GREAT recipe for Créme Fraiche substitute)

 

Old camera again :(  Hopefully new one back this week!)

So, living in Munich where there are so many good foods and desserts that I can't have, I thought I would try to make a few of them gluten/milk free.  I have already perfected my Brez'n (Bavarian style pretzels) so next up was Flammkuchen.  It is not a pizza, but very similar.  The dough is rolled out extremely thin and the sauce is a mix of créme fraiche and heavy cream with some spices.  Well, I have been lucky enough to find loads of goat's or sheep's products to use as a substitute for most cow's milk products - however, the illustrious créme fraiche (aka sour cream) has alluded me :(

So, I decided to make my own.  This was not proving easy, as every recipe calls for cream.  You usually mix some yogurt or a bit or créme fraiche with cream and let it sit a couple days.  I set out to find some goat's or sheep's milk cream.  I only find cows, soy, rice, etc... in the  local shop.  So, I decided to just try something different.  I found at my local Bio shop (Basic) some goat's quark.  I thought I would try this instead and it worked beautifully.  I mixed 1 tub of quark and 1 tub of yogurt together - it really really does taste, act and bake/cook like créme fraiche.  They have both goat's and sheep's. I went with the goat's because the goat's yogurt they had there was super thick (greek style).

I searched for a good Flammkuchen recipe to transform into my own (gluten/milk free) and settled on this one form blogger Delicious Days.  I think though that most all Flammkuchen recipes are nearly the same (I did not find much variation in them).  I was very worried about the dough, wondering how it would turn out without the gluten to hold it together since it needed to be rolled so thin.  I typically ONLY use Xanthan Gum when baking bread (I omit it from all other recipes) but did use it for this recipe and also added twice what I normally would to ensure the dough would hold. In the original recipe, he actually forms the dough like you do pizza (stretching with hands up in the air) - no way I would attempt this with gluten free dough.  But rolling it worked supremely!!!

I must say that I was so impressed with the way this turned out.  The taste, appearance, texture - all the same as a "normal" Flammkuchen.  The only real "non traditional" thing we did was to add a bit of pecorino, Flammkuchen typically don't have cheese on them.  This will definitely become a favorite.  I only wish I had a nice pizza stone or wooden pizza board for better presentation ;-) 

So, here is the adapted recipe.  You could substitute any other gluten free flours you  like, however, I REALLY do recommend using the ones listed below.  I have tried many combinations when making pizza dough, and this combination will be my new go-to recipe for this sort of dough.  If you do not need to eat gluten free or milk free - you can substitute the same amount of weight of the flours with a normal flour and of course use normal créme fraiche - enjoy!

Edit: I just ate some of the left overs for breakfast - cold - YUMMY!!!

Flammkuchen
adapted from this one form blogger Delicious Days
Makes 2 Flammkuchen, 8 slices each
Per Slice
Calories: 183
Fat: 3.8g
Carbs: 16.9g
Protein 7.3g

Dough
100g Sweet Rice Flour (I get the "glutinous rice flour" from local Asian shop, don't let the name fool you, it is indeed gluten free, but it is sweet rice flour)
75g Corn Starch
75g Millet Flour
50g Gram (chickpea) Flour
1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
175-200 milliliters Lukewarm Water
1 Packet (15g) dried yeast or 1 Fresh Yeast Cube (I normally use fresh, but did not have any, so used a packet of dried)

Sauce
125 g Goat’s quark (I used Leeb brand from Basic)
125 g Goat’s very thick yogurt (I used Bergerie Brand from Basic)
Sea Salt to taste (be careful here, as remember if you are using bacon as a topping, it can get too salty)
Ground Black Pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste (yes, this sounds odd, but traditional Flammkuchen calls for nutmeg or cinnamon - just add a bit (I added 2 good shakes)

Toppings (you can use any toppings of your choice, below is what we used)
Flammkuchen #1
Bacon, diced and cooked
Yellow Sweet Onion, finely sliced and sautéed just to take stiffness out
Sliced Green Onions
Chives, chopped
Salt/Pepper to taste
Pecorino Cheese

Flammkuchen #2
Serrano Ham
Yellow Sweet Onion, finely sliced and sautéed just to take stiffness out
Sliced Green Onions
Chives, chopped
Salt/Pepper to taste
Pecorino Cheese

Mix the flours, xanthan gum and salt and sift thoroughly.  Put into a Kitchen Aid bowl and make a well in the centre. If you do not have a stand mixer, it works just fine by hand, just a bit longer). In a small glass bowl/glass, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water (I added a pinch of sugar  to help it along). Let sit for a few minutes then pour into the well and add the olive oil.  Let your Kitchen Aid do the work and mix until smooth ball forms -roughly 3 to 5 minutes (medium speed). If it is too dry, add a tablespoon of the water (or more if needed).  If it is too wet, add a bit more flour. Shape into a ball, cover and let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.  Once the dough has risen, punch it down, divide it into 2 equally sized portions, shape them into balls and let them rise again under a towel for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) and put the baking tray in so it gets preheated as well.

Prepare the topping by mixing the quark and yogurt with spices (salt, pepper and nutmeg) to taste,

On a piece of baking paper on the counter, flatten one dough ball with your hands and roll it out thinly with a rolling pin. I drizzled a bit of olive oil over the surface halfway through the rolling to help it not stick.

Apply the yogurt/quark mix on top and spread evenly then add your toppings as you prefer. Transfer the baking paper onto the preheated tray and bake for 15 minutes or until it is a nice golden-brown colour.

Take out and sprinkle with fresh chives and enjoy.

Next weekend - gluten/milk free Spätzle!

Flammkuchen - Coming this Sunday :) Stay tuned.

I will be converting a normal Flammkuchen recipe to a gluten free one this weekend and posting it on Sunday.  Wish me luck!!

And would love to know - what are your favorite Flammkuchen toppings???

Gluten & Milk Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

(again, apologies for the poor photo quality, using our old camera while the new one is repaired)

Happy Birthday Lisa!!!

A friend has a birthday today and when I ask her boyfriend what her favorite color or flavor was, he didn't really know what to answer, so I asked what her favorite candy was.  He said Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.  So, I decided to make peanut butter cup cupcakes :)  This takes some time as you have to bake, then cool the cupcakes.  Then you have to melt and cool the ganache.  Then you have to put the genache on the cupcakes and allow to set for several hours, and finally the frosting - but well worth the time.

These Gluten and (cow's) Milk Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting are much significantly lower in calories, fat and carbs than most and also higher in protein.  They are absolutely delicious :)  (nutritional info at the end of the post)

Gluten & Milk Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Makes 20 cupcakes

Dry Ingredients:
20 grams Quinoa Flour
40 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
40 grams Amaranth Flour
20 grams Rice Flour
15 grams Tapioca Flour
2 teaspoons GF Baking Powder
75 grams Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
150 grams Muscovado Sugar

Wet Ingredients:
40 grams Milk Free Margarine softened
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoons GF Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Goat’s Plain Yogurt (can use any milk that you can have)
1/2 cup Goat’s Milk (can use any yogurt that you can have)

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Mix all the wet ingredients in a stand mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer) until well blended.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer while on low (2) speed.  Once all ingredients are combined, mix on speed 3-4 for a minute or two until well mixed.  Do not over mix!

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 180°C (350°F) 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool

Let cupcakes cool completely!!

Next step is to add the ganache

Chocolate Ganache
100 grams Good Quality Chocolate Bar broken up into pieces

20 grams Ghee

Melt the above ingredients together (you can use a microwave or stove top).  Allow mixture to cool (but not set), but you want it right at room temperature.

With a small teaspoon place a spoonful of the mixture on top of the cupcake holding it with your hand – and twist your hand slowly to allow it to run over the cupcake and into all the edges of the liner.  The result will be a glossy smooth layer of chocolate and if it is allowed to fill all the crevices around the edge of the liner - it will look  like a giant reeses cup :)

Allow to cool and set completely – this will take several hours!!!  You must be patient ;-)

Final step is adding the topping

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup Peanut Butter

50 grams Milk Free Margarine softened
350 g powdered Sugar

2-3 tablespoons Goat's Milk (or any milk you can have)

Mix the butter and peanut butter in your stand mixer for a couple minutes.  Then add the powdered sugar slowly with mixer on speed 2.   You can add the milk at any stage when the mix is too dry.  You may use more or less - depending on the consistency that you desire for piping. When all combined, have a taste and adjust to your liking (you can add more peanut butter, sugar etc..).  When you have the right consistency and taste, turn up to speed 4-5 for several minutes until fluffy.  

Pipe swirls (I used Wilton tip 1M with large coupler) onto the tops of each cupcake.  Top with a mini Reeses peanut butter cup.

ENJOY!!!!!

Famous NYC Bakery Chocolate cupcake with Frosting
Serving: 1 cupcake; Calories: 485, Total Fat: 24.4g, Carbs: 62.9g, Protein: 3.9g

Babs GF Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Serving: 1 cupcake; Calories: 321, Total Fat: 13.3g, Carbs: 44.4g, Protein: 4.3g,

Babs GF Chocolate Cupcake (without Frosting)
Serving: 1 cupcake; Calories: 110, Total Fat: 3.5g, Carbs: 14.0g, Protein: 2.5g,

Gluten, Milk and Egg Free Chocolate Cafe Amaretto Cupcakes - Take 2

Apologies for the poor photo quality.  Had to use the old old digital camera as the new one is not working at the moment :(

So, I have been sick all week and eating healthy for several weeks and today, I just wanted something sweet :)  So, I decided to make some cupcakes.  With the idea of eating a couple of them, putting a couple in the freezer for Guy for the weekend and then taking the rest to my German class tomorrow night.  This way, I only eat 2 :)

I was not sure what I was in the mood for, but it had to be chocolate.  Then I thought, everyone could use a bit of a boost as the German class is 6pm-9pm, so I decided to try the coffee cupcakes again, but with a few experimental changes.  

I must say, the last batch did turn out better as far as texture of the cupcake and the smoothness of the tops, but these were better in flavor with the changes (mainly I think adding the yogurt).  I think the unsmoothness (is that a word?) is because the batter was too thick.  I actually only used 1/2 cup of the rice milk in the recipe, but adjusted it below to be 3/4, this should be enough extra to solve this issue.  The other issue is that they baked a couple minutes too long.  Not sure if that is due to the thick batter, so will put a range in the recipe below. I did 20 min and it was about 2 min too long, but with the extra milk, it may need another min or 2.

So, here is the recipe with a few changes from last time.  I used some sheep's yogurt and adjusted some of the measurements.  Also, as I used the sheep's yogurt, it is obviously no longer Vegan - you can just leave that out and increase the rice milk to 1 cup to adjust for that if you wish.  I think next time I try this recipe, I will leave out the flax seed flour and just add an egg as well :)

Cafe Amaretto Cupcakes Take 2: 

Makes 16 cupcakes
Per cupcake (with frosting)
Calories  219
Fat 8g
Carbs 35g
Fiber 11g
Protein 2g

3/4 cup Rice Milk
1/2 cup Sheep’s Greek Yogurt
Espresso Instant Powder  (to equal 6 cups of espresso)
1/3 cup Mazola oil
125 grams Moscovado Sugar
2 teaspoons GF Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

Mix above in stand mixer on speed 2 until well blended.  Then add

30 grams Tapioca Starch
2 tablespoons Flaxseed (ground/flour)

Mix for 1-2 minute on speed 2-3 or until it is thoroughly mixed.

Then sift together in a bowl the following ingredients

50 grams Dutch Cocoa Powder
80 grams White Rice Flour
55 grams Quinoa Flour
60 grams Millet or Sorghum flour
1 teaspoon GF Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Add this sifted ingredient to the mixture.  mix for a minute or 2 on low speed (2) until well mixed!!!!

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18-20 min. 

For the Frosting:

(I did not use any margarine, as wanted the frosting to be white)
75 grams Crisco

Mix this for about 30 seconds to a minute on speed 2 of your stand mixer
Then add

250 grams powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Amaretto

Mix for 2 minutes or so (If it is too dry, add a bit of the Amaretto, but just a bit, you want to mix this well before adding the rest of the liquid).

Now add 1-2 Tablespoons more of liquid (can be rice milk or Amaretto and use more or less to get the consistency you want)

Mix in stand mixer for 5-7 minutes or so - this will make it nice and fluffy and light and will not taste so sweet :)

Gluten and Milk Free Spring Peep Cupcakes

Finally it is Biergarten weather in Munich :-D So, made some cupcakes to take today.  They are very spring themed :)

I used the recipe from one of my previous post Standard Vanilla Cupcakes.

Gluten and Milk Free Oatmeal Almond Cookies with Chocolate Amaretto Ganache

I saw This post on Dream About Food's blog and wanted to try making something similar.  As I really detest coconut (and I sick to my stomach when I have it) but wanted to try to make something similar.  I decided to sub gluten free oats for the coconut.  Also, pecans are not readily available in Germany (if at all) so I used ground almonds instead.  I also added a shot of Amaretto in the Ganache :)  I must say that bit was the best idea :)

I had a major issue with the first batch running, so I added some oats to the 2nd batch (recipe below compensates for this).  I also had what I thought was a brilliant idea - to use a non-stick cupcake/muffin tin - then they could not run.  Well, this worked, except impossible to get out in one piece :(  So, it was a crumbly mess.  But it tasted so absolutely lovely, that I could not throw it away. So I put it in a ziplock in the freezer to use for a base for a cake or cupcakes in the future.

Third time was a charm. I used the adjusted recipe above, only using the cookie sheet this time.  They did run a bit more than I wanted them to, but there was still a bit of indentation in them to put the chocolate into. 

The taste of these is so light and wonderful.  Because the base is whipped egg whites, it is more of a meringue type texture and the oats went just lovely with the other flavors.  Again, a must though is the Amaretto in the chocolate :)

A note on the oats.  It took me ages to find gluten free certified oats in  Germany (previously, I would stock up when I would visit UK), but now Bauckhof had them.  I have not seen them in any of shops here yet, but you can order them online.

Gluten and Milk Free Oatmeal Almond Cookies with Chocolate Amaretto Ganache

adapted from http://dreamaboutfood.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:
3 large egg whites at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
100 grams Mascobado sugar
1 tablespoon agave nectar
120 grams gluten free rolled oats
75 grams ground almonds
30 grams ghee at room temperature
100 grams dark chocolate bar, chopped
1 tablespoon of Amaretto

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line baking sheet with baking paper.

In a stand mixer, whip egg whites with salt, vanilla and cream of tartar until they are frothy. With the beater running, slowly add sugar and agave nectar and keep beating until stiff peaks form (this can be up to 5 minutes). Gently fold in oats and ground almonds by hand using wooden spoon or spatula.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto cookie sheet lines with baking sheet. Use the spoon to create a well in the centre of each cookie and build up the sides. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn off oven and prop open the door with a wooden spoon and let the cookies cool in oven for about an hour.

In a small metal or ceramic bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water, melt ghee, amaretto and chocolate together. Stir until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of melted chocolate into the centre of each cookie. Let cool until set.

Nutrition Facts
14 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 132
Total Fat 6 g         
Total Carbohydrate 22 g      
Dietary Fiber 3 g         
Protein 4 g

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Green Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

I scored some Hersey's Kisses so decided to make my Guy some cookies as he loves them.  I used the same recipe as before found here only added green food coloring :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Chocolate Amaretto Bites Gluten & Milk Free

I literally just threw this together as wanted to try out my mini-cupcake pan that Mama With Flavor sent me for my birthday last month.  These really were throw into a bowl what I felt like and tried out.

60 grams Almond flour
15 grams Raw Brown Sugar

pinch of Salt

15 grams Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

2 Tablespoons Water

2 Tablespoons Amaretto

3 teaspoons vegatable oil

1 egg 

Mix dry ingredients together.  Mix wet ingredients together, then add to the dry.  Mix with whisk until smooth.  Fill mini-cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 180°C for 10 min.

For the top, I put a colored marshmallow on each on while they were still hot.

Gluten Free Bayrisch Brez'n (Bavarian Pretzels)

My Guy had a hard week this week and I wanted to treat him to a nice breakfast.  He loves Weißwurst so thought I would make that for breakfast.  Was going to run out early and get him a freshly baked Brez'n (Bavarian pretzel) but didn't want to get dressed and run to the bakery, so decided to try to make them for scratch, as I sort of wanted one too :)

I found several recipe and all seemed to be pretty much the same, flour, water and yeast.  So, I created the recipe below and it worked quite well!!  Am very pleased with the results, as was Guy!

Note* I only used Buckwheat and Amaranth as those were all I have in the pantry at the moment, When I make these next time, I will probably make a mix of those 2 along with Millet.  You can really use any GF flours you want, as long as you use the same amount in weight!


Gluten Free Bayrisch Brez'n (Bavarian Pretzels)
Makes 4 medium Brez’n

Ingredients for Brez'n:
21 g Fresh Yeast (1/2 of a cube)
1 tablespoon very Warm Water
½ cup + 2 tablespoons Warm Water
40 grams Raw Brown Sugar
160 grams Buckwheat Flour
100 grams Amaranth Flour
20 grams Tapioca Flour
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum

For the preparation:
2/3 cup Baking Soda
6-8 cups Water
1 Egg Yolk whisk with 1 tablespoon warm water
Corse Sea Salt

Directions:
Mix the yeast with a large pinch of sugar and 1 tablespoon very warm water in your stand mixer bowl. Allow this to sit for 5-10 minutes until it is bubbly.  

Shift the flours and xanthan gum together. 

When your yeast is ready, move the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the dough hook.  Add the remaining sugar and water.  Mix a few seconds until blended. 

Stir in the flours/xg mix. Mix dough on low speed 1 for a few minutes until dough forms one ball and is smooth and elastic.

Place a damp cloth over the bowl and let sit in a warm space for 45-60 minutes, or until doubles. 

Heat oven to 230°c.

Mix the 6-8 cups or water and the baking soda in a large pot and bring to a light boil and then turn down to simmer. 

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.  Roll each into a long thick pencil shape  (about 50cm long) with your hands. Pick up both ends, cross to form rabbit ears and then twist the ends and pull them back to the rest of the loop. Place on baking sheet lined with baking paper. 

Place each Brez’n into the boiling water, one at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the baking sheet, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the course salt if desired.

Bake approximately 10-15 minutes (depends on the flours you used) or until dark golden brown in color (this could be a couple minutes shorter or longer).

Enjoy while warm with some Weißwurst and sweet mustard!

The Weißwurst are in a bowl under the Brez'n on the left in the picture, here is a pic of what they look like for those not familiar with them.

Ghee, the butter for those who are Casein intolerant

 Photo from www.ifood.tv

Am posting this as I tried to post a simple response to the question on the Tuna Noodle Casserole, but for some reason, I can not post a comment.  Tried many different things to get the comments to work, and we couldn't.  So, I decided the answer was actually worth a blog post anyway :)

The beauty of Ghee (aka clarified butter) is that it is butter and it is casein free!  During the process of cooking butter down - it leaves 3 layers.  The top layer is skimmed off and the middle layer is the clarified butter (Ghee). This is poured off and kept for cooking and the bottom layer (all the milk solids) is tossed.

Ghee is quite expensive to buy, but easy to make.  Below are a few links to making your own.  I just don't have the patients, so I buy the local German equivalent - Butaris.

Ghee is an old Indian tradition - and trust me, you use Ghee in your curry instead of butter or oil and you WILL notice the wonderful difference!

For times when you want some butter on your toast or want to bake with butter, I use goat's butter for this.  Also quite nice.  And added benefit is that it is white, so you can make nice white frosting with it too :)

Here are a few links for making your own clarified butter as well as general info on Ghee

www.food-india.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee 

www.davidlebovitz.com 

www.ehow.com

www.aayisrecipes.com