New Cake! Dragons!!

I used the Marshmallow icing recipe again to make this cake for my friends son. Record time, start to finish, 2 1/2 hours.  (Except clean up, which I am avoiding)

Birthday Party Cake!

Dolly turns 8 tomorrow!

(....shaking head in disbelief)

So we had many discussions about cakes and came up with a birthday party cake idea that was great!
I made one box of yellow cake mix up and baked it into 6 muffins and a deep, 6 inch round pan.

I cut the cake in half on the edge and iced the cut edge of both halves, and placed a layer of raspberry jam on the bottom layer, then stacked them. Ice thinly with butter cream icing.

Do the same with 2 of the cup cakes to make the stools.


Now THE FUN PART!!

Making rolled Fondant is a daunting task, UNLESS you make...
 

Marshmallow Fondant!! 

It's as easy as 1,2 ,3

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
• 2 tbsp water
• Food coloring or flavored extracts, optional (I used2 Tbsp of Raspberry Jello to make pink)
• 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting

Melt the marshmallows and water over extremely low heat until puffy and melted.  Stir in your coloring or flavors  if you want now.  Then fold in the icing sugar.

It won't fully mix in the pot, so dump the contents out onto a icing sugar dusted surface and knead like bread until smooth and pliable.
Roll as thin as possible on a sugar dusted surface and cut out desired shapes. Or shape like play-dough to make edible figures. (My tea cups and plates are glass toys from the dollar store)

For my cake I cut out 3 circles, tracing around cups and dishes and rolled them even thinner.  Then I laid them over my cake pieces and shaped them. To attach decorative items, add a dab of butter cream icing to the bottom of each piece.

Sweet!

Dear left-over Butter Cream Chocolate Fudge Icing

You are so inspirational (swooon) You made for a wonderful snack of living room smores with DD when we snuck downstairs when her brothers were asleep for our own movie night.

And as I eyed your remains in the bowl, (the product of a great deal of will power on my behalf) I saw visions of rocky road fudge sweetness for dessert tomorrow.

You made a beautiful friendship with that sad little jar of chunky peanut butter that no one would finish, and the handful of mini marshmallows who didn’t have anywhere else to go to. And I have tucked you into the fridge for the night. I look forward to seeing you in the morning.
(hand raised in scouts honor) But I won’t disturb you until after we have all eaten our morning oatmeal ;o)

(copied from a post I made at RTH) 

Easter Birthday

Well at my house if your birthday falls on Easter weekend such as DS2's, sometime in your life you need a bunny cake! Happy 4th Birthday to my Big Little Guy!

This cake was made with my GF sponge cake recipe in two round 8" pans.  A single layer, one circle makes the face and the other was cut to make ears and the bow tie. 

By Special request: Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Here is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes up really nicely with the Gluten Free flour mix.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of Gluten free flour mix with xanthan gum (or 1tbsp)
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips or M&M's
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Cream first four ingredients until fluffy; sift dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture.
add chips and nuts.  Refrigerate for 1/2 hour.  Drop from a teaspoon, 2" apart.  Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool and remove from pan.

Giant Cookie for Parties
Double the same recipe as above, but after chilling, spread the dough out onto a pizza pan to about 1/2 inch thick. Spell a name or a birthday wish in M&M's if desired. Cook as directed, watching carefully that the center is finished without burning the edges and bottom. Can be iced with icing with the recipients name.

(pictures to follow!)

GF Chocalate sponge cake recipe

Here is the Chocolate version of the sponge cake recipe.  I made this cake for a friend.  It was made with an 9x113 pan and I doubled the recipe. I did have to cut off the edges, as I found they stayed higher than the center. These cakes "fall" a little when they hit the cool air, but are still light ad moist. (There is a layer of Raspberry jam between the two cakes, Yum!)

 Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 c gluten free flour mix with NO Xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 eggs separated
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 

Directions

1.Sift corn starch, flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside 

2. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.

3. Beat  egg yolks into the egg whites.

4.Gradually beat in sugar until mixture forms a figure 8. 

5.add vanilla

6.Fold in the dry ingredients.

7.Divide into 2 well greased 20 cm (8") sandwich pans.

8. Bake at 180 C or 350 F for about 15- 20 minutes.

9. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.
10. When cool, top one with whipped cream and jam (jelly).

11. Place the other on top and dust with icing sugar.

Gluten free sponge cake recipe

•  This is an adaptation of one I found on recipe zaar. I have been searching for the perfect white cake recipe for birthdays for years, and it was perfect! Tasted just like angel food cake.  Still doesn't have a lot of height when it cooks, but doesn't weigh 10 lbs either, like most GF cakes.

 Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup cor starch
• 1/2 c gluten free flour mix with NO Xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 eggs separated
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 

Directions

1. 
   
   
   

   Sift corn starch, flour, baking powder and salt together.

2. 
   
   
   

   Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.

3. 
   
   
   

   Beat  egg yolks into the egg whites.

4. 
   
   
   

   Gradually beat in sugar until mixture forms a figure 8.

5. 
   
   
   

   add vanilla

   Fold in the dry ingredients.

6. Divide into 2 well greased 20 cm (8") sandwich pans.
7. 
   
   
   

   Bake at 180 C or 350 F for about 20 minutes.

8. 
   
   
   

   Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

9. 
   
   
   

   When cool, top one with whipped cream and jam (jelly).

10. 
    
    
    

    Place the other on top and dust with icing sugar.

Bread Maker Jam: Mango Orange Raspberry

I made jam in my bread maker today! I figured it was time to use up some of the frozen fruit I had in the freezer from summer smoothies. We ave been eating a lot of Tea biscuits lately and this jam is just perfect!

Mango Orange Raspberry Jam

2 cups chopped mango pieces
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 pkg orange Jello

Put all ingredients in bread pan in order and set to "jam" program.
Let sit when cycle is done for 15 minutes before removing from bread maker.
Spoon into jars and freeze until ready to use, or put in a hot water bath in Canning jars to seal.
Makes 2- 8 oz jars

Note: if using frozen fruit, partially thaw before starting.

GF Rice Bread Recipe

SO I went to the store last week to buy GF bread for the boys and was shocked to find it went up a whole dollar, to $7.69 a loaf. YIKES!! So I really went to work this week trying to work out my own recipe.
I have a favorite Honey Oatmeal bread that I make for DH and DD and myself, so I have been experimenting with it and researching other 5 star rated GF breads. A lot of GF recipes call for eggs and cake style ingredients, which really doesn't help keep the cost of making the bread down. But I have now come up with a "standard pantry ingredients" recipe that my son declared today was better than the store bought. I make mine on the dough setting of the bread maker and finish it in the oven.

GF Honey Oatmeal Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 or 1/3 cup honey
2 tsp GF yeast
(dissolve honey in water and add yeast without stirring. Let sit for 5-10 min, even if making in a bread machine)

Add in order:
1 cup quick oats oatmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Xanthan Gum
2 Tbsp skim milk powder
2 1/2 cups GF Flour mix (that has no xanthan gum)
1/2 chickpea flour

mix and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until you see an increase in size by at least half it's original size. (double would be a great achievement though!)
Punch down and knead into a loaf and place in a greased bread pan.
Place in a pre-warmed oven (no more than 150 F) to rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until it fills the pan. DO NOT remove from oven, but place a cookie sheet on the oven rack above the loaf and turn your oven up to 350 F. (you can remove the pan once your top element goes out)
Bake at 350 F for 20 - 30 min until golden.
Remove from oven and brush top with butter and let cool some before removing from pan.

10 minute Jello Pies

So I ran into this sweet little old lady at the dollar store today in the "grocery isle" and she stopped me with a grin on her face and gave me an unsolicited recipe for 10 min fruit pies. They sell graham cracker crusts at our local $ store and jello which she had in her hand. So here's what she told me....

10 min Jello Fruit Pie
1 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 pkg Jello, favorite flavor
"matching" fruit if desired, fresh or frozen and thawed
1 small graham pie crust ( or GF crust, see directions below)

Prepare fruit and set aside
Boil in a saucepan the water and cornstarch, careful not to burn
as soon as it thickens into a cream, add the jello and then gently turn in the fruit
Pour into the pie crust and set until firm in fridge

Done!!

So of course I had to figure out how to make this gluten free!!
I ran over to recipe zaar for a Graham crust recipe and then improvised with this....

GF Crumb Crust

1 bag of GF arrowroot animal crackers, crushed in the food processor

Combine
1 1/2 cups of crumbs
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla
Salt
5 tblsp melted butter

mix well and press into 2 small pie plates or one large
Bake at 350 F for 5 - 7 min until golden brown Cool before filling

It comes out with a shortbread kind of taste to it. I also intend to freeze my extra crust for later.

I have made a lemon an a raspberry that were fruitless But I would like to try a Raspberry with berries, and a raspberry with fresh kiwi or an orange with frozen mango. And DS wants a cherry done too.

I'm seeing potlucks in the near future!

Apple Cake

Here is my sons very favorite cake. It is an GF adaptation of my moms old standby that has been made in my family for at least 4 generations. I will write it with my Basic Gluten Free Flour with Xanthan gum. See the recipe in labels at the side. If you want to try it with regular flour, I suggest cake and pastry in the same amount.



Apple Cake
5-6 cooking apples cored, peeled and sliced apple pie thin into a large mixing bowl
Set aside.

In a second bowl beat together
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar

Add
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup Basic Gluten Free flour
1 tsp baking powder
salt
Beat well. Add apples and stir gently until all apples are covered. Pour into a greased 9x9 cake pan. Level out.

Bake at 350* for 30 - 40 min