Tag Archives: Free From

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

Baking with Ancient Grains

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As seen on CTV’S The Social, February 2024

Cherry Amaranth Bars

Makes 18

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped, or slivered, almonds
  • ½ cup puffed (popped) amaranth
  • ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1cup dried tart cherries
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. Coat 9×9” baking pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray, or line with baking parchment, leaving overhang on all sides
  3. Toast almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds on a rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, for 10–12 minutes. Let cool
  4. Reduce oven temperature to 200°
  5. Process cherries, brown rice syrup, salt, and 2 Tablespoons water in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl add the puffed amaranth and stir in toasted almond mixture.
  6. Press firmly into prepared pan and bake for 20–25 minutes until no longer sticky
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Remove from the pan and cut into bars
  8. Bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week

Chocolate Peanut Butter Teff Cookies

Makes 12-15 (dependent on cookie scoop size)

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups teff flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 ripe banana (100g peeled), mashed
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter, or other nut/seed butter
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup unsweetened oat milk
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with baking parchment
  2. Combine the teff flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, whisking together
  3. Add all of the wet ingredients (mashed banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, milk, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract) and mix well until fully combined
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips 
  5. Scoop the mixture using a cookie scoop, spacing evenly on the baking tray
  6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. This will keep the cookies quite soft – leave in for a few more minutes if you like a crunchier cookie
  7. Remove from the oven and place on a colling rack to cool fully

Mocha Black Bean Brownies

Makes 9 (or 12 bite size)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup very strong brewed coffee
  • 1 cup dried dates, pitted
  • 1 ½ cups low sodium Black Beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • ⅔ cup cocoa powder
  • ⅔ cup spelt flour
  • 2 tablespoon ground chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Method

  1. In a bowl combine the brewed coffee and the dates, and allow to soak at least 20 minutes
  2. After this time, pour the coffee and dates into a blender, and blend on high until very smooth. Set aside until needed later
  3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  4. In the same food processor, add black beans, pumpkin puree, vanilla, coffee/ date mixture and maple syrup. Process on high until the mixture is smooth. This may take a few times, scraping down the side and bottom of the processor bowl. You want to make sure there are no large pieces of black beans or bean skin remaining
  5. Combine the cocoa powder, spelt flour, ground chia seeds and baking powder in a separate large bowl and whisk to combine
  6. Add the wet ingredients from the food processor to the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir well to mix
  7. Transfer the mixture to a 9×9 brownie pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top
  8. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until cracks begin to form on the top, and the edges are visibly cooked.
  9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack
  10. Allow to cool completely before slicing

Sprouted Buckwheat Baked Donuts

Makes 6

Ingredients

Donuts

  • 1 cup dry buckwheat, sprouted*
  • 2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 1 apple, grated
  • 5 medjool dates, soaked and pitted
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Date Glaze

  • 1 cup medjool dates, soaked and pitted
  • ¼ cup soaking water, approximately
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Donuts

  1. Preheat your oven to 150°F
  2. Combine everything in a food processor and process until a sticky dough forms
  3. Wet your hands and then split the dough into 6 equal parts
  4. Using your hands, roll each part into a ball and then use your thumbs to make a hole in the centre of each ball. Continuously use your hands to smooth together the dough as you dig a hole in the centre to make a donut shape
  5. Place on an oven-proof, oiled cooling rack and bake in your preheated oven for 3 hours. After this time look for a hard outside and cakey inside, test with a skewer
  6. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the glaze

Glaze

  1. Place the dates into a food processor and blend to a paste.
    Adding the water depends on how soft and moist the soaked dates are. Add any water until you have a smooth, glaze-like consistency. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl between blending
  2. Add in the cinnamon and process sone last time to combine. Check for taste and add kosher salt if neeed
  3. Once the glaze has been prepared, transfer to a bowl. Dip your dounts to glaze or drip the glaze over your donuts with a spoon or piping bag
  4. Serve and enjoy!

#Recipe Chocolate & Orange Polenta Cake #glutenfree #noaddedsugar

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Massive apologies for the delay in posting this recipe . But fear not! I am back in the kitchen and fervently baking and typing away. Albeit not at the same time! This recipe certainly seems to have proven popular and many thanks for your patience and enthusiasm in wanting to see the recipe.

So this is part of my #TheGreatBeardedBakeOff recipes and it ties in with the  “Alternative Ingredients” challenge. The first challenge of the show was to create a Sugar-Free bake and I instantly knew what I wanted to make. Whilst most of the contestants chose to use syrups and honey to replace the sugar, I was surprised no one chose alternative sweeteners like Xylitol or Stevia? Anytime I need to bake “FreeFrom” bakes, number 1 on my go to list is Xylitol. Derived from the Birch tree it’s a sugar replacement that can be substituted like-for-like for sugar and is suitable for diabetics. In this recipe I hesitate to use the term “Sugar Free” in the title as there is still sugar present from the fruit there’s no sugar added where normally there would be.

I had also recently taken a trip to Borough Market (my goodness how I had missed the place!) and got my hands on some fantastic rose water and orange blossom water from Saveur de Maroc (both products winners of this years Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards). If you haven’t tried these waters then I seriously recommend you do. Highly floral but pure and light, they are distinctly refreshing and lack that acrid, artificial back-note that can be present in some brands of these exotic flavourings. Safe to say these are going to be a permanent fixture in my kitchen. Next on my list is trying their Argan Oil!

Soooo… I digress! My recent purchases provided inspiration for this recipe- a visit to a luxurious souk, the air wafting with the heady smell of oranges; stalls laid out before you abundant with figs and chocolate. You get the scene? And here we are…(did I mention as well as low sugar, it’s also gluten free!)

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Chocolate & Orange Polenta Cake with figs and orange blossom glaze

Cake Batter

2 large oranges

250g xylitol

6 eggs

100g ground almonds

200g polenta

50g good quality cocoa

1 tablespoon good quality chocolate extract, eg Nielsen Massey

4 firm, fresh figs

To decorate

2 tablespoons xlylitol

1 tablespoon Orange Blossom water, eg Saveur de Maroc

Method

To make the batter

– Prepare a 23cm spring-form cake tin by either greasing or spray with cake release spray, and lining th base.

– Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/ gas 4. Divide the oranges into quarters and blitz them in a food processor, to a pulp.

– Add in the xylitol, eggs, ground almonds and polenta and blitz in the processor until well combined.

– From the processor bowl, ladle half of the cake batter into your prepared tin.

– To the remainder of the cake batter, still in the food processor bowl, add the cocoa and chocolate extract. Replace the lid and blitz until well combined.

– At this point you can place ladlefuls of the chocolate batter into the tin and swirl with the orange batter to create a marbled effect. I prefer to use a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and fill it with the chocolate batter. This allows me to pipe dollops of chocolate batter into the orange batter as well as on top of it. Once you have added the chocolate batter by either method use a skewer to swirl and create the marbled effect.

– Slice the figs into rounds- not too thin. I normally try slicing each fruit into 4 slices. Lay the fig slices on top of the cake in a pattern of your choosing.

– Place the cake tin into your preheating oven and bake for 40 to 45 mins. Check to see that top isn’t charring. Check that the cake is done by using a clean skewer test.

– Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in it’s tin on a wire rack.

– Whilst the cake is cooling, make the glaze by gently heating the xylitol with the orange blossom water. Heat until the xylitol has been dissolved. Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes.

– Gently brush the glaze over the cooling cake, on top of both sponge and fig fruits.

– Once the cake has cooled completely, remove from it’s tin and lining.

– Serve and enjoy! (Ideally with some Moroccan mint tea!)

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