But, I guess what I will use this for is for cathartic ramblings. Please follow along if ya' want.
I guess my biggest issues is my health. I need to loose weight. No problem, you say? Just do WeightWatchers or even SlimFast shakes or something like that. Been there, done that got the t-shirt and got even fatter and sicker while ON THE diet. Found out since I have food allergies. I am allergic to wheat, soy and diary. Which makes life VERY interesting. I am learning to cook and bake from scratch. Which leads me to my first recipe I'll post. Yes, I know a cake recipe will probably NOT help me loose weight, but everything in moderation is good. I ate one piece and froze the left overs :)
Our church had a woman's meeting the other night and the theme was a "birthday celebration for the woman's auxiliary". Since I knew I didn't want to sit and watch the others eating cake and not have a piece. I knew I'd need to bake my own.
I made Wheat Free, Milk Free* and Soy Free German Chocolate Cake
- Yea, I know what's in it and how does it taste??? Actually it's REALLY good and most people will NEVER notice the difference. But, let me warn you gluten free baking is NOT for the faint of heart. I have always prided myself on being a good baker. Not so much with gf baking because the batter doesn't behave nor bake up like a wheat batter. Also, after the cake has cooled keep it covered, because it will dry out VERY quickly. But with that said, you could very easily use a cake mix for the cake part.
Cake - from Gluten Free Baking by Rebecca Reiley
1 1/2 c. Gluten Free baking mix
1/2 c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Hershey's is gf)
2 tsp Egg Replacer (Enjoy brand)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum (Walmart carries it)
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter*
1 c. Confectioner's Sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp GF Vanilla (Kirkland and McCormick are both GF)
5 T potato or coconut milk
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour 2 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.
Mix together the gluten free baking mix, cocoa, egg replacer, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.
Cream Butter until white. Add confectioner's sugar and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and the wet alternating. Let sit on the counter about 30 minutes, this makes a HUGE difference in the finished texture. The rice flour needs a chance to soften up and absorb the moisture from the batter. If you don't let it sit it will probably be grainy (like you dumped sand in the mix).
Spoon into pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until done. Let cake sit for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
*I do bake with butter, the small amount of possible casein (milk protein) doesn't bother me. To make it completely milk free use ghee, shortening or coconut oil.
GF Baking mix from Gluten Free Baking by Rebecca Reiley
makes 3 cups
1 c. brown rice
1 c. chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
2/3 c. potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1/3 c. tapioca starch (tapioca flour is the same thing)
Coconut Pecan Icing - I looked at several recipes online and came up with my own
2 c. Pecans toasted and chopped
1 bag Coconut
1/2 cube Butter
1 15 oz can Coconut Milk/Cream (found in the alcohol section of the grocery store, it's used to make mixed drinks) #
1 tsp Vanilla
Using a can opener open the coconut milk and dump into a heavy pot. Add the butter and the pecans. Cook about 8 minutes. Add the coconut and cook to soft ball stage about 230 degrees. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Stir to mix. Let cool.
# You could use 1 can of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk instead of the Coconut Milk
Chocolate Frosting* This recipe was all on my own and I think it tastes awesome :)
1 15 oz can coconut milk/cream
2 pounds confectioner's sugar** - about
1/4 c. Cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
Mix vanilla and coconut milk in bowl of stand mixer (or bowl and hand mixer) and mix until fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and about a cup of the sugar. Slowly mix and continue to add powered sugar until you get the consistency of frosting you would like.
* Or use your favorite chocolate frosting recipe
**ONLY use sugar cane sugar for icings, they 'fluff' better. So use, C&H or Domino brands.
Assembly
If you used 9 inch pans or don't want to mess with cutting your layers assemble the cake this way. Place one layer of your cooled cake upside down on your serving platter. Spread coconut filling in the center of the cake. Pipe a ribbon of chocolate frosting around the outside of the layer as above to contain the coconut filling. Place the other layer right side up and GENTLY squish down on the cake to adhere the layers. Frost with the chocolate frosting and spoon more coconut filling on the top.
If you used 8 inch rounds or have thick enough cake layers you can slice them in half giving you four thinner rounds. This makes a VERY impressive presentation, but isn't necessary. So if you have four rounds you would assemble as cake, chocolate frosting, cake, coconut filling (with chocolate frosting around the outside of the layer as above), cake, chocolate frosting, cake frost outside of cake with chocolate frosting and add coconut filling on top to finish the cake.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
