Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ever have to bring a dessert to a function and have no time to make something from scratch. There are lots of really great packaged gluten free product in the stores these days that can make your life a little easier.

I usually have a few things in my pantry for occasions that I need a little extra help. One of these products is Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mixes. I have previously made wonderfully decadent chocolate cupcakes with the Gluten Free Devils Food Cake Mix. This time I was looking for something a little more festive. I saw pineapples on sale in a grocery flyer and decided for family Christmas function that I would make a Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Since I had a Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix, all I need to purchase was a pineapple. I picked up a pre-cored pineapple from the grocery store instead of a can so I could cut the slices myself, a little thicker than the canned versions. But the canned ones would work perfectly as well.

I changed up the recipe slightly, as that is what I usually do. I did not have corn syrup in the house so I used maple syrup instead and I used the pineapple juice that came with the pineapple instead of the water. I also minced a little pineapple and added it to the cake mix. It took longer than the time stated to bake, close to 50 minutes. Watch the cake carefully in the oven and starting at the 30 minute mark check the cake every 5 minutes with a toothpick to see if it is done. When toothpick comes out clean remove from the oven. Do not over bake as the cake will be come dry. After trying the cake at dinner I would make a few changes the next time I try it. The topping is a little gooey, probably what caused the cooking time to change. So I would cut back on the butter and brown sugar a little. But the taste was amazing.

Betty Crocker's Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Gluten Free)

1/4

cup butter

2/3

cup packed brown sugar

2

tablespoons light corn syrup

9

slices pineapple in juice (from 16-oz can), drained

9

maraschino cherries, drained

1

box (15 oz) Betty Crocker® Gluten Free yellow cake mix

1/2

cup butter, softened

2/3

cup water

2

teaspoons gluten-free vanilla

3

eggs

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt 1/4 cup butter in oven. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup; spread evenly in pan. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar mixture. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, 1/2 cup butter, water, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
3. Bake 38 to 43 minutes or until surface is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loose cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake. Remove pan; cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 9 servings

Christmas Cookies

Ask anyone what their favorite parts of Christmas is and I am sure food will be on the top of the list, specifically Christmas baking. A tradition growing up was my Mom and I in the kitchen in the weeks leading up to Christmas baking copious amounts of Christmas cookies. Baking sheet after baking sheet came out of the oven and the table would be spread with layers of newspapers with golden cookies from edge to edge. It was an endless conveyor belt of rolling dough, cutting cookies, baking them, and cooling before we could devour them. We made so many cookies they would last well through the winter in the freezer. Making memories by baking with children can be such a simple thing that can last well into adulthood.

Many Christmas cookie recipes can be simply adapted with a change to a gluten free all purpose flour mix instead of wheat flour and the addition of xanthan gum. I use Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Flour Mix, which is 6 cups rice flour (I use a combination of white and brown rice flour, more of the brown than white), 2 cups potato starch (not potato flour), and 1 cup tapioca flour. Blend this well and keep in an air tight container. I always have this on hand to use in recipes and for thickening. Sugar cookies and gingerbread are the simplest to adapt to gluten free. There are also many recipes that are naturally gluten free such as; meringues, chocolate barks and chocolate drop cookies, depending on the fillers.

Take the time to create new memories within your family and try some baking this Christmas. Put on some Christmas music and gather the family in the kitchen. Make sure you have all ingredients on hand before you start and have some fun. Licking the beaters and the messes come with the territory. But you would be surprised at how much that time you spend with your children can mean to them down the road. I have now taken up the baking of the Christmas cookies from my mother, as she no longer has kids in the house to eat the results, but I will always thank her for the memories.

Cookies pictured (from left to right): Chocolate Truffle Brownies (baked in mini muffin pans), Sugar Snowflake cookies, Gingerbread Men and Women , Peppermint Meringues.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies

Several years ago I printed out a recipe for gluten free gingerbread cookies from the internet. The author of the online posting said that she had modified the recipe from a Parents Magazine recipe and adapted it for gluten free using Bette Hagman's featherlight mix. I made the recipe back then and made notes on the page that I wanted to try this recipe again and make a few adaptations of my own. At the time I found that the cookies needed more flavor to them, more spice. Today I tackled this recipe and I think I found the perfect combination.

The original recipe called for 4 1/2 cups of gluten free flour mix, which I thought was a lot, so the first time I made these I halved the recipe and I am glad that I did as it made 60 cookies (at 1/8" thick) with 3" gingerbread wo/men cookie cutters. This recipe would also make a wonderful gingerbread house.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies

2 1/4 cups gluten free flour mix

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

1 tsp xanthan gum

3/4 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 whole nutmeg, grated

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 lg egg

2/3 cup molasses

In medium sized bowl mix the flour, xanthan gum, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and baking soda with a whisk until completely combined and set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and then the molasses. Slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture, a little at a time, mixing after each addition. The dough will be stiff but sticky.

Divide the dough into two disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refridgerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can be made several days in advance and kept refridgerated until baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dust surface well with gluten free flour mix before rolling out dough to 1/8" thick. Cut out cookies with desired cookie cutters and place on parchment lined cookie sheet 1" apart. Combine extra dough to roll out again. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookie feels crisp and removes from baking sheet easily. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely and continue to bake remaining cookies.

Once cookies have cooled you can decorate with frosting and gluten free candies of your choosing.

This is a very sticky dough so flour your rolling surface well prior to and during rolling. These cookies like to puff up when baking, so roll them as thin as you can (1/8").

Comfort Meals: Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese

Ever get a craving for one of those boxed macaroni and cheese dinners, you know the ones that come with a package of cheese sauce right in the box. Since becoming gluten free I miss the convenience that those types of dinners bring. In 15 minutes you can have dinner ready from start to finish which is a good thing when you come home from work late and want something fast. Now things need to be made from scratch, making sure you have all the right ingredients on hand. This usually takes more time than those convenience dinners took, but the efforts are usually way worth it.

Tonight was one of those nights.

I came home with nothing in the fridge, starving and looking for comfort food.

I decided to make a macaroni and cheese dinner that was as simple and quick as the boxed versions.

Easy Broccoli Pasta and Cheese Dinner for Two

Step One: Boil 1 1/2 cups of gluten free noodles. Any short cut gluten free noodle will do. I love MolinodiFerro La Veneziane corn pasta. It tastes just like wheat pasta and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Today I used the "gnocchi" which look like shells. Defrost 2 cups of frozen broccoli in microwave for 5 minutes. While pasta is cooking shred 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of a really sharp extra old cheddar cheese and set aside.

Step Two: When cooked to desired taste drain pasta and broccoli.

Step Three: Add 2 Tbsp of butter to the pot you cooked the pasta in, once melted add 1 1/2 Tbsp of a gluten free all purpose flour mix. Whisk until the flour is incorporated and cook until it starts to smell like shortbread baking. Add 1 cup of milk slowly while whisking continuously (add 1/2 cup more milk if you like a thinner sauce, 1 cup if you like a thick cheese sauce). Cook whisking continuously until it thickens. Add freshly ground pepper to taste and a very small pinch of onion powder for seasoning. When sauce is thick, whisk in shredded cheeses.

Step Four: Add drained pasta and broccoli to cheese sauce and heat until broccoli is hot. Serve immediately. Makes two servings.

Start to finish this dish took no time at all. You can make it faster by cooking the sauce in a different sauce pan at the same time as boiling the pasta and defrosting the broccoli, but I wanted to make a one pot dish that would make cleanup easier. Of course like any dish you make yourself the additions can be what ever you like. I used broccoli as that was what I had on hand and it goes nicely with the cheese sauce. You could add a chopped tomato and turn the cheese sauce into a rose sauce. The possibilities are endless.