Bake Sale Goodies Day 2

After the success at the first charity bake sale we decided to have a second one. I wanted to bake something that was larger and more complicated so that we could charge more for them and hence make more for the charity. I was also craving something sweet and I knew exactly what to make. I decided to make Gluten Free Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes. 

These cupcakes come from a recipe in the April/May 2012 Living Without Magazine. The actual recipe is for a wedding cake, but I thought they would make perfect cupcakes. Boy was I right.

I previously made these for a family Easter dinner and was very disappointed in the results. The Easter attempt was not as successful as my initial attempt for my co-workers therefore felt like I needed to try again and perfect the recipe. While making them for Easter I guess I was trying to multi task and over baked them slightly and they became dry. These cupcakes need to be removed from the oven at just the perfect time and they will be soft and moist. Watch them carefully and when a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached they are done. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcakes are over baked. The cake should feel slightly dense and spring back when you touch the center. Let them sit in the muffin pan for just a couple minutes and then remove them to cool completely on a wire rack so as not to over bake.

My two earlier attempts included a surprise in the middle. I made a lemon curd from the wedding cake recipe and piped it into the middle of the cupcakes with a piping bag and small round tip while both the cupcake and lemon curd were still warm and this made a nice gooey center to them. This time I wanted to practice some decorations for an upcoming project and made fondant flowers for the tops. The flowers were beautiful at first, but became soft and wilted due to the moisture in the frosting. Next time, either no flowers or place the flowers on after the icing has set. The icing recipe that comes with the original cake recipe is very fluffy and I found I needed to reduce the amount of milk to 3-5 Tbsp instead of 1/4 cup to suit my tastes.

Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes

adapted from Luscious Lemon Cake by Mary Capone
April/May 2012 Living Without Magazine

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1 cup mild vegetable oil of choice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

                                                       1 Tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

                                                       1 tsp lemon extract

                                                       1 tsp pure vanilla extract

                                                       2 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend of your choice

                                                                [I use Bette Hagman's original gluten free flour mix]

                                                       1 tsp xanthan gum

                                                       1/2 tsp salt

                                                       1 Tbsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard 12 cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a heavy stand mixer with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer and a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes.

In another bowl whisk together gluten free flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder. Zest lemon into the flour mixture.

In a small bowl combine milk, oil, lemon juice and extracts.

At low speed slowly add dry and wet mixtures to egg and sugar mixture just until combined.

Using 1/3 cup measuring cup, divide batter evenly between both muffin pans to make 24 cupcakes. Place in preheated oven and bake 18 - 22 minutes until cake center springs back to touch or toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled decorate cupcakes as desired with your favorite icing recipe. For lemon chiffon icing recipe visit April/May 2012 Living Without Magazine.

Bake Sale Goodies

As I mentioned in my last post I recently tried a new recipe for brownies that I took to a charity bake sale at my work place. I have been looking for a good gluten free recipe for a really fudgy brownie for a long time and never found one that I liked as much as a gluten free brownie mix I loved. This was a recipe that I found in one of my sister-in-law's cookbooks that I read while I was visiting. As this recipe was named Chocolate Truffle Brownies I thought it had a good shot of filling my brownie sweet tooth.

I had never baked with Quinoa flour before and was curious. I found that Quinoa flour can be found in the Organic section of the grocery store and the only one I could find was by Bob's Red Mill.

Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Brownies
From Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

Ingredients:
4oz unsweetened chocolate (4 squares)
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 lg eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups quinoa flour
1/4 milk
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9" square baking pan and lightly sprinkle with flour or line with parchment.

In small saucepan, melt the chocolate & butter together over low heat. Add the sugar, stirring constantly. When the mixture is thoroughly blended pour in to a large bowl. Add the eggs & vanilla to the chocolate mixture and blend well. Stir in the flour & milk. Mix in the nuts. Pour evenly into the baking pan.

Bake on center oven rack for 20 - 22 minutes. To keep these brownies chewy be careful not to over bake. Cool 15 minutes in the pan before cutting into 16 squares.

Since it was for a bake sale I tried to double the recipe and make as many brownies as I could. I doubled the recipe and baked it in an 9" x 13" non stick pan lined with parchment and buttered. This meant it took considerably longer to bake than the recipe called for. I baked it for 50 minutes and then cooled it in the fridge overnight before cutting into squares. The center squares were still fairly soft and gooey but were fine if refrigerated.

The few leftover squares that were left made a wonderful brownie sunday when sliced thinly

Welcome to the Hearth

I recently brought a new recipe of gluten free brownies to a charity bake sale that was being held at my workplace and ended up with the inevitable question "Can I have the recipe?". I have been asked this same question every time I bake something to share with others and each time I copy the recipe down and pass it on. This time I thought there has to be an easier way.

The Gluten Free Hearth was born.

For those not in the know, the hearth was the central part of the home as it is a fireplace that is used for cooking. It became the integral part of the home as the day revolved around cooking of the meals and this provided heat to the entire house. The concept of the hearth has been generalized over time to refer to the entire home or household as in "Hearth and Home". My Hearth is entirely gluten free.

I hope you will join me as I experiment with cooking, baking and all things gluten free in my hearth.