Category Archives: Gluten Free

Strawberry Rhubarb Macarons

Sometimes beautiful cookies suffer from being overly sweet, or just bland. But these” pretty in pink” macarons are intensely strawberry flavoured , with just a hint of rhubarb, adding a welcome punch of acid. Springtime personified, all in one little cookie.

Macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) have a reputation for being difficult to make. Essentially, a macaron is made from ground almonds, powdered sugar and egg whites. Seems simple enough but so much can go wrong. They are a tricky little cookie. If you overmix, or undermix, fail to measure correctly, overbake or underbake you won’t get the pretty frilly “feet” or smooth surface. You need to pay attention to every step of the process.

But, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. There are two methods by which macarons can be created, the French meringue method and the Italian meringue method. Most macaron recipes out there follow the French method.

In the Italian method, the sugar is boiled into a syrup, and once it reaches 240°F, it is carefully incorporated into the egg whites. In the French method, the raw sugar is added into the egg whites. I had only ever tried the French method. While on the surface it would seem that the French method is simpler, no dealing with candy thermometers and boiling hot syrup, you need to consider the benefits of that extra step of boiling the sugar. Cooking the sugar into a syrup creates a more stable macaron batter.

Making the meringue using the Italian method creates a stiffer meringue, more stable and able to withstand a lot more mixing without deflating it too soon. The results are more reliable when making the macarons using this method. I started using this method 2 years ago and I have had perfect macarons ever since.

Freeze dried strawberries are added to the macaron shell, to aid in achieving that pretty pink colour. They are also used in the buttercream filling, to create an intense strawberry flavour. A dollop of rhubarb jam goes in the centre of all that buttercream.

I’ve had these adorable butterfly sprinkles in my cupboard for a few years now. I used melted white chocolate to “glue” them on.

For a second decorating option, I drizzled the macarons with white chocolate and then sprinkled some freeze-dried strawberry crumbs on them. Also very pretty! Which design do you prefer?

The Ultimate Coconut Macaroons

Last night marked the first night of Passover. Traditionally, Jewish families, the world over, gather to retell the story of the Exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in. Egypt. When my son was little, he used to complain about having to go to the Seder. He’d say, “It’s so boring. Every year we tell the same story.” Which made my husband and I laugh, because, of course, that’s the whole point! We do this to link our past to our future, to teach the next generation. Never has the story of freedom been more relevant as now, when we await our own exodus from isolation back to freedom.

This story begins with the youngest person at the table asking the Four Questions (Mah Nishtanah). These four questions help to explain why this night is different from all other nights. This year, of course, this night is very different from all other years, because of Covid-19. In our family, we normally get together with my husband’s side on the first night, and my family on the second night. We both have huge families. I have 4 sisters and a brother and my husband has the opposite, 4 brothers and a sister. Our kids have 24 first cousins!

The Jewish people are an innovative tribe. Google, Waze, vaccines for polio, cholera and the bubonic plague, to mention but a few, were all created by Jews. During this time of social isolation, we innovate again and created a virtual Seder on Zoom.

Because we were’t able to be physically together, I mailed care packages of Passover desserts to my mom and siblings. Even in isolation, baking brings us closer together, and it has played a big part in alleviating my anxiety. This year I made marble matzoh crunch, milk chocolate almond matzoh crunch, PB&J macarons and coconut macaroons. When the lady at the post office asked the value of the packages, for insurance purposes, I almost said, priceless, because is there anything more special than receiving a box of treats in the mail?

I tried a new macaroon recipe this year. It was so good I had to share! The recipe comes from Danielle Kartes’ book Rustic Joyful Food. Food52.com posted them on Instagram and I was intrigued. They contain ingredients I have never used in coconut macaroons before.

A classic macaroon calls for mixing together egg whites, sweetened shredded coconut, sugar and vanilla. Danielle’s recipe omits the sugar and uses sweetened condensed milk. That really helps to make the macaroons moister and chewier in the centre. She uses the whole egg, not just the white,. The yolk adds richness and fat, helping to keep the macaroon from becoming crumbly and dry. She further enhances the flavour and texture by adding a stick of melted butter. The butter browns and caramelizes as it bakes, creating a rich and satisfying macaroon.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I am quite passionate about coconut. Thanks Danielle for upping my macaroon game to a new level. I’m very excited about these.

Cookies and Cream Birthday Cake (gluten-free)

This week marks my baby’s 25th birthday. A quarter of a century! How is that possible? I think that officially makes me old, but I’m good with that. I’ve earned my wrinkles. I view them as badges of wisdom.

For his birthday cake, I knew that chocolate of some sort must be incorporated. Last year I went full-on chocolate with the ultimate gluten-free chocolate cake. I think his favourite was the smarties rainbow cake I made a few years ago.
Ever since I saw the cookies and cream cake on preppy kitchen, I have wanted to recreate it. You need to check out his blog. I have picked up so many baking tips from him. Do you know about cake strips? They’re wrapped around the cake pan and they help prevent domed and cracked tops and over-cooked edges. I used them for these cakes and I had the most level cakes ever. No trimming necessary.

My son follows a mostly gluten-free diet so I created a GF version. The original cake used chopped Oreos in the batter. I found GF ones at Trader Joes, but there are several other brands of GF chocolate sandwich cookies. I made a Swiss meringue buttercream. It is a bit more work than an American buttercream, but I think the light and silky texture is worth it.

Click here to print recipe for Cookies and Cream Cake (Gluten Free)

Jumbo Chocolate Chunk Cookies (vegan and gluten free!)

I am fortunate to be blessed with 14 nephews and 10 nieces. My nephews will inhale anything I cook or bake for them. The nieces are a bit more finicky. Two of them are vegetarian and two are vegan. One of them insists that white chocolate is the devil’s spawn. She even refused to try blonde chocolate (caramelized white chocolate). She is stubborn. Her mom says it comes from her father’s side of the family.

Although I don’t follow a vegan diet, I feel that every good baker should have one or two vegan treats in their repertoire, that they can easily whip up in the event of a vegan guest. I made these cookies for my #1 (in chronological order) niece. She thought they were fantastic. I’m going to try a few more different recipes and I’ll report back to you.

This recipe comes from the “Oh She Glows” website. Baking chocolate chip cookies without butter and eggs is a challenge. This recipe uses coconut oil and almond butter as the main sources of fat and arrowroot flour acts as a binding ingredient, holding the cookies together. They are sweetened with maple syrup, and of course dark chocolate. Use the very best quality bittersweet chocolate you can find. I adore Valhrona 64% feves.
Oat flour, almond flour and oatmeal combine to take the place of all-purpose flour, so they are gluten free too!

Chill the dough for about an hour to prevent the cookies from spreading too much. I used a #30  ice cream scoop to form the cookies. That way, you ensure they are all exactly the same size and will bake evenly.
A final sprinkle of flaky sea salt before they go into the oven, is a prefect finishing touch.

Click here to print recipe for Jumbo Chocolate Chunk Cookies (vegan and gluten-free).

The Ultimate Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

petal cake with candles 1I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS CAKE!! Sorry for the shouting, but I can’t contain my elation. As Joy would say, this cake is “Bonkers Awesome.” My search for a blog-worthy gluten free chocolate cake has been going on for quite a while now. My youngest son follows a gluten-free and casein-free diet. For special occasions he goes off the wagon, but he doesn’t feel all that great when he does. This week is his birthday and I wanted him to celebrate without feeling sick.sliced cake with glass of milkThe problem with most gluten-free cakes is that they have a dry and crumbly texture. They often fall apart when you bite into them. The main reason for this is that gluten is a protein that provides structure and strength to baked goods so they don’t crumble and fall apart. Gluten also forms air pockets in the batter which leads to light and fluffy baked goods.

The good folks over at America’s Test Kitchen have figured out how to get around these problems and created a stellar GF chocolate cake. I made the cake twice. The first one was served to my son’s co-workers at his office. No one could believe this was a GF cake. Unfortunately, I could not photograph the inside of that cake, because it would be kind of rude to serve a previously sliced up cake. I made the second cake to have at home with friends and family. To them I served a cake that had been hacked up and photographed, because that’s what you do with family.3 slicesThe cake batter comes together very quickly and does not require a mixer. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour Mix. In gluten free baking, it is important to use a blend of different gluten free flours, not just one kind. Using both melted bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder provide the perfect chocolate flavour. Baking soda and baking powder give the needed lift and xanthan gum supplies strength and structure. Xanthan gum is a common ingredient in gluten free baking. Without gluten you need something to act as the binding agent for the flour. It keeps things moist and helps to hold the cake together without crumbling.

Vegetable oil, instead of butter is the perfect fat of choice as it keeps the cake incredibly moist. I substituted coconut milk for whole milk, as I wanted my version to be dairy free. Almond or rice milk would work too.

To keep the cake super moist, I brushed the cooled cake layers with a coffee flavoured simple syrup. For the frosting, I decided to make a mocha flavoured Swiss buttercream. I substituted unsalted margarine for butter, because I wanted to keep it dairy free. While the taste and texture of margarine will never beat that of butter, in this application, with the addition of chocolate and coffee to create a mocha frosting, the results were very delicious.Ingredients for Swiss Meringue ButtercreamA Swiss buttercream is a bit more complicated than an American buttercream. In an American buttercream you simply beat powdered sugar and butter, and any flavouring you like. With a Swiss buttercream, egg whites and granulated sugar are whisked and heated to 160°F and then whipped into a meringue. Softened butter (and any flavouring) is then added to the meringue. Swiss meringue is smoother, lighter and less sweet than American buttercream. Yes, it’s more work, but I think it’s worth it. You will need a stand mixer and a candy or instant read thermometer.cooking meringuewhites and sugar whipped to stiff peaksmocha buttercreamI decided to decorate the cake with a petal frosting technique. It looks quite impressive but is actually quite simple to execute. You will need a 1/2 inch round piping tip, some disposable piping bags and a small spoon or off-set spatula. First, pipe a vertical row of dots. Next, spread the buttercream dots with a small spatula or spoon. This creates the look of petals. Repeat, one vertical row at a time, until you go all the way around the cake.petal cake 1I have demonstrated the technique in this video.

sliced cake with milk pitcher

Click here to print recipe for The Ultimate Gluten Free Chocolate Cake.

slice with milk