Category Archives: Gluten Free

Lemon Meringue Sheet Cake

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Serves 16-20

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Lemon meringue pie is one of my favourite desserts and my recipe for this Lemon Meringue Sheet Cake takes the wonderfully fresh flavours of Spring, delivers them in a fun sheet cake, taking into consideration possible allergies so that everyone can have a slice of the fun!

I’ve partnered with Enjoy Life for this delicious gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, allergen-friendly dessert, as the brand offers a wide range of delicious baking chocolate, perfect for Spring entertaining, as well as school-friendly snacks. All of their products are free-from the top 14 common food allergens and are also certified gluten-free; School-Friendly; verified Non-GMO; and made in a dedicated nut-free and gluten-free facility. 

The standout feature of this cake is a decadent lemon white chocolate ganache layer made using Enjoy Life White Baking Mini Chips. Smooth, zesty and utterly delicious, it can be enjoyed by anyone around the table!

Ingredients

Lemon Ganache layer

  • 680g Enjoy Life white baking mini chips
  • 1 cup whipping cream alternative
  •  2 tablespoons lemon zest (2 large lemons)
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (2 large lemons)
  • 1-2 drops yellow food colouring gel

Vanilla Cake layer

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour*
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • ¾ cup canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Meringue layer**

  • 1/2 cup aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid)
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Lemon Ganache layer

  1. Place the Enjoy Life white baking mini chips into a large bowl
  2. Microwave for 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chips are starting to melt. Set aside until needed
  3. In a small pan, heat your whipping cream alternative until just boiling – you’ll see small bubbles forming at the edge of the liquid. DO NOT allow the liquid to fully boil
  4. Remove from the heat and pour over the semi-melted white baking mini chips, ensuring all the chips are submerged. Allow to rest for 5 minutes
  5. After this time add in the lemon zest and lemon juice, stirring to incorporate. Continue stirring until the mixture is completely emulsified, smooth and uniform in color. Don’t worry if along the way the mixture looks like it has separated- just continue stirring and it will come back together. Using an immersion (stick) blender here really helps with the process, speeding it up
  6. Once your ganache mixture has fully emulsified, add in 1-2 drops yellow food colouring gel and stir until uniform in colour. Cover the surface of the ganache with cling wrap, and set aside for minimum 4 hours to thicken at room temperature

Vanilla Cake layer

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F
  2. Prepare a 9” x 12” baking pan by greasing and lining with baking parchment
  3. In a large bowl combine all the cake ingredients- the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, water, canola oil, vanilla extract, and vinegar
  4. Whisk until fully combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to avoid any dry ingredient residue. Continue mixing until fully blended and smooth
  5. Pour into your prepared pan. If needed gently tilt the pan to allow the cake batter to flow into the corners
  6. Bake in your preheated oven for between 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester, or skewer, comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Remove the cake from the oven allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes in a rack
  7. After allowing to cool for 5 minutes, invert the cake onto a cooling rack lined with baking parchment
  8. Remove the tin and lining baking parchment paper and allow the cake to cool fully before covering with the ganache layer

Meringue layer**

  1. In a large bowl combine the chilled chickpea liquid and cream of tartar, whisk until soft peaks form using an electric whisk
  2. With the whisk still running, gradually add in the powdered sugar in stages, being sure to fully whisk in the current amount before adding more (the mixture should not feel grainy at all). Once all your sugar has been added increase the whisk speed and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed. (If using a handheld electric whisk this part of the process will take longer than making typical egg-based meringue)
  3. Once stiff peaks have been achieved, add in the vanilla extract and whisk to incorporate

To Finish

  1. With your vanilla cake layer fully cooled, spread or pipe the ganache onto the surface. Use a spatula or palette knife to smooth it out
  2. Spoon the aquafaba meringue over the ganache layer and spread to cover the surface. Use a fork or the back of a spoon to create ruffles/ peaks
  3. Gently torch the surface of the aquafaba meringue with a hand-torch or place until the broiler for a few minutes until browned
  4. Slice, serve and enjoy! This sheet cake is best enjoyed straight away

*I use gluten-free flour that incorporates xanthan gum. If yours doesn’t add in 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum with your dry ingredients. Regular all-purpose flour can also be substituted 1:1, without the addition of xanthan gum.

**If chickpea aquafaba in the meringue topping isn’t an option, the cake can be enjoyed with your favourite allergen-friendly whipped topping as an alternative

Amaretti Morbidi

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Makes 15

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • Powdered sugar

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet or cookie tray with baking paper
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together ground almond, sugar and salt until well combined
  3. In a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks
  4. Add the beaten egg whites and almond extract to dry ingredients and stir until mixture forms a soft, sticky dough, kneading with your hands if necessary
  5. Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into a smooth ball, then roll in powdered sugar. Arrange on your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between cookies
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are cracked and bottoms are just barely golden. Remove from oven; let cool a few minutes on the baking trays, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely
  7. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight bag or container, for up to 5 days

Flourless Chocolate Cake

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Okay this was a surprise hit which a lot of you have been asking about. I made it as I was itching to bake but given current times I’m having to be somewhat frugal with particular ingredients, namely flour and yeast. My yeast problem I appear to have solved (there’s a post coming on that) but flour is still a questionable item, which appears to elude me.

Flourless chocolate cake seems to be one of those things that always pops up on a menu, appealing to all and sundry. So it seemed a pretty perfect fix here. I’ve tried it a few times with varying results across the board from fudgey & brownie like to cakey (and to be honest pretty dry). The recipe here results in the former-  fudgey and reminiscent of the best brownie, just thick enough to whisper indulgence but thin enough not to push you over the edge of regret. A surprise addition of instant coffee granules helps amplify the chocolate flavour without pushing it in to the realms of mocha flavoring.

I tend to like the cake just as is, with a snowy dusting of icing sugar. But feel to dress it up anyway you like – a scoop of cool vanilla ice cream perhaps? or maybe a drizzle of booze-laden cream maybe? The rules are yours to make…or break.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 3/4 sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • Icing sugar, to dust (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and line an 8″ cake pan. Set aside until needed later
  2. Combine the chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl, and heat for 30 seconds. Remove stir and heat again for another 30 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. (or you can melt them together in a heat-proof bowl over a double-boiler)
  3. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla extract and stir to combine well
  4. Add the beaten eggs and stir until smooth and uniform in color
  5. Finally add in the cocoa powder and instant coffee granules. Stir until just combined- be careful not to over-mix here
  6. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan, gently smoothing the top. Bake at the preheated temperature for 25 minutes, or until the the top has a thin crust and the centre reads 200 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a cooling rack fro 10 minutes. After this time use an offset spatula (or butter knife) to run around the edges of the cake and loosen it from the pan.
  8. Place your serving plate on top of the cake in the pan and carefully turn it upside down to invert the cake out onto your serving plate. Let the cake cool completely, either at room temperature or in the fridge. If cooling in the fridge remove it at least 30 minutes prior to serving to allow it to come to best temperature.
  9. To serve dust the top of the cake liberally with icing sugar if desired.

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