Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Cake

Happy early birthday to the big guy, my Dad! He is turning the big 55 tomorrow but clearly shows no sign of getting old and decrepit anytime soon.  My mom and I threw together a cake after taking him out to dinner on thursday night but it was an utter failure with the 7-minute boiled frosting that my mom added to the top.  I knew as soon as she brought it into the living room (there was some game on tv he had to watch) that the vanilla frosting would not go over so well.  It resembled gooey marshmallow and had a grainy/ sugary consistency that neither I nor my dad approved. So, to make up for the awful cake I brought home some chicken wings and donated some of my "healthy" beer aka, Micholob Ultra to the cause.  It was a great success!

I also decided it was a perfect time to test out some gluten free baking using the Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour mix that I had purchased at Wegmans along with the Xanthan gum that is necessary for the majority of gluten-free baking recipes.  (Xanthan gum is used as a thickener for baking and a small bag is a whopping $11, however, you usually use only a tsp at a time).

Keep this a secret but I fed this cake to my dad and forgot to tell him that it was Gluten-free but he didn't really seem to notice and said it was actually pretty good--a bit brownie like, or torte, fudgey but a hit! What a pleasant surprise!

Fudgey goodness?

Too much for a family of three?

My mom also made these amazing lentil stuffed acorn squash which incorporated Masala spice, Tumeric, Curry and Corriander.  It brought me back to South Africa and the amazing indian and malaysia dishes that I had grown so accustomed to over the summer!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Adapted from King Arthur Flour & Savoring Today

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Gluten-Free Multi-purpose flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill Baking Flour-GF)
• 1 cup Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa --Check brand for gluten free
• **I only had Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder but it did the trick!
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 cups sugar -- divided
• 2/3 cup butter -- softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup almond milk + 1 tsp vinegar (buttermilk)
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract -- gluten-free

**I added a layer of basic chocolate buttercream frosting in between the two cakes, however, do not have the recipe since my mom helped with that while I was out buying tapioca!  Feel free to whip up your own frosting or use the tasty recipe on Savoring Today.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8" or 9" round pans with cooking spray
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together  flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and 1/2 cup of the sugar
3. Place butter and 1 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, buttermilk, water, and vanilla into your mixer bowl, and mix until well blended.
4. Blend in the dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, beating for 1 minute and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. Once all of the dry ingredients have been mixed in, beat at medium-high speed for 2 minutes, to make a smooth batter.
6. Pour the batter equally into the prepared pans. Using a kitchen scale helps to get the batter evenly divided
7. Bake the cakes for 30 to 33 minutes
8. Remove the cakes from the oven, and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn pans over onto a rack and cool cakes completely
9. Once cooled, frost cakes, or serve with powdered sugar and whipped topping

Happy Fall and happy baking :) 

Next on my list is GF Pumpkin Loaf!

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Ready. Set. Go.

These literally take 5 minutes to whip up and then a whole 10 minutes to bake.  I was told that they aren't the "best" cookie in the world but that was by my food critic boyfriend who is even pickier than I am on most days.

I came across this recipe the other night while attempting to read 100 or so pages on the history of the U.S. Healthcare System--I actually thoroughly enjoy the class and the readings but have yet to really get into the whole reading thing this semester.  I am trying every measure physically possible to focus.  What better way to focus than a little red wine and peanut butter cookies? I couldn't think of anything better at around 10pm so I came home and got to work.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)

From: Joy The Baker

Ingredients:

1 cup all natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

chocolate chips to taste!

directions:

1. Mix together sugars and peanut butter

2. add in egg and baking soda

3. sprinkle in the chocolate chips, mix and ball up on a cookie sheet

4. Bake and enjoy :)

I put these in on 350 for 12 minutes and they came out just right.  A little hint? Eat them while they're fresh and still warm!

Sorting It Out

I finally had my first appointment with a nutritionist today and what a relief to speak with a professional that understood exactly the issues I have been dealing with for a little over a year!  Since I am such a health nut fanatic and avid whole foods/ clean eating freak to begin with, it was nice to talk to someone about what types of foods affect my body in what way and the various additives and preservatives that are often added that can yield negative reactions.

two things I learned today:

1. The government is fighting against any sort of requirement for GMO (genetically modified organism) foods to be labeled as such--because who wants to know that their food was made in a lab or petri dish anyways?

2. IBS can be triggered depending on the specific sugars you consume.  Natural sugars contain an equal balance of sucrose and glucose (someone correct me if I got these wrong since I'm not totally up on the language). People sometimes react poorly if they come in contact with honey or even agave because the sucrose level is higher than glucose.

Interesting huh?  Well it is for me at least!

So what did I learn about me, my body and what food does to me?  I learned that I have a lot of sorting out to do.  I know that I have issues with soy products and I am pretty sure I have something going on with wheat (yes I know the dreaded intolerance that seems to be sweeping the world) and we will soon figure out the rest.

For now I am on a gluten free diet so I will be posting a few recipes each week to help entertain me during this nutritional adventure and let you know if I have any good products to suggest to you!

Here are a few to start with:

Even if you aren't gluten free these are a winner.  They are so much crunchier than the regular pretzels that snyders makes and have just the right amount of salt.  I can easily convince people that they are normal pretzels if need be

Udi's whole grain bread and their cinnamon raisin bread is actually amazing.  I also really enjoy Ezekial bread which doesn't seem to affect me because it is made with sprouted grains.

I eat oatmeal almost EVERY morning--add a little cinnamon and almond milk with a handful of raisins or chopped up banana and volia, filling and tasty.  While oats themselves do not contain wheat or gluten they are often processed in a factory where the grain can become coated with wheat so it is best to buy these certified GF (if you're picky!)

Again, quinoa. I love quinoa and quinoa pasta is pretty darn good.  It tastes slightly different from regular pasta but with a nice sauce you can barely tell the difference and it is packed with healthy proteins! My friend Clare brought some over a few weeks ago and I promise I couldn't tell the difference--she even said that her family loves eating now too.

Ellie's Bakery is only a few minutes away from me (well more like 20 minutes) but I am bound and determined to stop there ...tomorrow!  They have pumpkin loaf...need I say more?

Welp, here goes nothing! I'm excited to see if these dietary changes make me feel better and if so, can I actually stick to it? I love baking way too much to give it up!