Gluten Free Sponge Fingers Recipe (GF) (LF)

Gluten free sponge fingers or lady fingers are quite easy to make and easy to eat too!!! I used this recipe to make a Strawberry Charlotte Russe for a friend's 30th birthday. Try these, they are full of awesome-ness.  This recipe is an adapted version of Wheat free mom's.

Gluten Free Sponge Fingers

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup cornflour (maize)
1/2 cup potato flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp water
1/4tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

METHOD:
Mix the cornflour, potato flour, baking pwder, and xanthan gum in a bowl.
Beat egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and water, in a separate bowl, until smooth.
Whip egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until they form soft peaks.
Fold dry ingredients into yolk mixture fully and then fold in whites until fully combined.
Fill a ziploc bag with the mixture and cut off corner diagonally to use as a piping bag - or use a piping bag.
Bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden at 180 degrees celcius.
Remove from oven and leave until cool to touch.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool competely
Store in an air tight container if not using straight away.

Enjoy!

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New York Cheesecake Recipe

New York Cheesecake is another well-known favourite. Many variations have been created but I reckon this one is pretty good. Served with fresh raspberries, berry couli and chocolate cream, this cheesecake is just irrisistably delicious!

New York Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:
250g digestive biscuits
65g unsalted butter, melted
1kg cream cheese
2 Tbsp milk
350g caster sugar
3 Tbsp flour
finely grated zest of a lemon
finely grated zest of an orange
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
Put biscuits into a food processor or blender and process until they finely crumbed.
Add butter and mix well.
Press biscuit mixture into the bottom of a 22cm round springform pan.
Place onto a baking tray and bake for 12 minutes then remove from oven to cool.
Increase oven heat to 220 degrees celcius.
Using electric beaters, beat together cream cheese, milk, flour, sugar and zests until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, beating them into the mixture using a low speed.
Beat in the egg yolks.
Split the vanilla pod, scrap out the seeds and beat into the mixture.
Beat until smooth, Be sure to scrap the sides of the bowl to ensure the misture is thoroughly combined.
Pour mix into springform pan on top of biscuit base.
Bake in oven for 12 minutes.
Turn down oven temperature to 100 degrees celcius and continue baking for 1 hour.
Turn off oven and leave to cool in the oven for 1 hour with the oven door ajar.
Remove from the oven and place the springform pan on a cooling rack to cool.
Place in refridgerator for at least 6 hours before serving
Carefully remove cheesecake from springform pan and cut using a heated knife.
Serve with  berry couli, fresh raspberries and chocolate cream.

Enjoy!

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Feijoa Cake Recipe

Lovely and moist, this feijoa cake recipe topped off with chocolate butter cream icing it's absolutely delicious. The addition of sultanas and cinnamon compliments the fruitful feijoas perfectly giving a great feijoa dessert.

Feijoa cake with chocolate butter cream icing

INGREDIENTS:
300g self-raising flour
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
110g brown sugar
110g raw sugar
50g sultanas
110g butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
175ml milk
250g feijoas, peeled and chopped
Chocolate butter cream icing (see Dairy-free Chocolate Butter Cream icing for a great recipe)

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Lightly grease and line a 20cm round or square cake pan with baking paper.
Sift flour, cinnamon and salt into a bowl.
Stir in the sugars and sultanas.
Mix in the butter, eggs, milk and feijoas.
Beat until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Once cool, frost with butter cream icing.

Enjoy!

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Dairy-Free Chocolate Butter Cream Icing Recipe (LF) (GF)

This Dairy-free Chocolate Butter Cream Icing Recipe is a variation of that posted by The Dairy-Free Diva which can be found here. Finally, I can now make pretty cupcakes for my partner who is lactose intolerant :). Can't wait. Very excited! Lots of thanks goes out to Stephanie Colman: The Dairy-Free Diva for the recipe. I tried out my first batch on top of my feijoa cake; it was delicious and very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup cold margarine
2 2/3 cup icing sugar
6 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD:
Put margarine into a bowl.
Sift in icing sugar and cocoa powder.
Mix well.
Mix in vanilla essence with a wooden spoon.
Over a shallow sink of warm water, beat the mixture until it forms into a spreadable consistency.
Remove bowl from sink and your dairy-free butter cream icing is ready to use.

TIPS:

• After you add the vanilla essence, the mixture will still seem quite dry
• Make sure the water in the sink is not hot as the mixture will split if heated too far
• After you start forming a thick icing consistency, electric beaters can be used to get a smooth consistency. 

Enjoy!

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Sesame Balls Recipe - 煎堆 Jin Deui (GF) (LF)

Jin Deui or Sesame Balls are sweet, soft crunchy and gooey at the same time. Traditionally filled with red bean paste they are considered an 'acquired' taste. Here I've opted for a filling of sugar and peanuts that I think many would find quite delicious. An added bonus is this recipe is both lactose and gluten free. By the way, despite the name, glutinous rice flour does not have an gluten in it!

Sesame Balls 煎堆 (Jin Deui)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp apple cider or carbonated apple juice
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 Tbsp chopped roasted and salted peanuts
1 Tbsp sugar

METHOD:
Sift flour into a bowl, add first two measures of sugar and mix well
Stir in water and apple cider to form a smooth dough
Add flour to get to a smooth dough-like consistency, it should hold its shape when left to sit whilst still soft.
Combine peanuts with third measure of sugar.
Divide dough into 20 portions
Take a portion and roll into a ball, make an indent in the centre and fill with peanut mix.
Enclose the filling inside the dough, roll in warm water and then in sesame seeds
Repeat with remaining portions
Fry in hot oil over a low heat until they puff up to double their size and have a crispy crust.

TIPS:

• Make sure the depth of oil will allow the balls to float when doubled in size, otherwise you may end up with a more 'golden' side if allowed to rest on bottom
• When you first put the balls into the oil, keep them moving around until they start puffing up, this is to ensure they hold their circular shape, try pressing the balls into the edge of the pot or wok holding the oil if required.
• Once puffed up they will start to float so keep turning them to get even colouration
• Fry them in batches of 3 or 4 to avoid accidentally burning or creatng flat looking sesame balls.

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Wassant Recipe

Chocolate wassants have a tasty crust that conceals a soft sweet bread swirled with chocolate. Great as a snack as well as an after dinner treat. This recipe is similar to that found at My Little Space with a couple of small changes and added details. The recipe for the chocolate paste used can be found here or for a version that is made from cocoa powder try the recipe found here

Chocolate Wassants - Fresh out of the oven

INGREDIENTS:
Starter Dough:
225g    flour
1 tsp    dried yeast
100ml    luke-warm water

Main Dough:
225g flour
100g  sugar
1 egg
60ml   water
70g  butter, melted
1 tsp  salt

1 batch of Chocolate Paste

METHOD:
For starter dough, sift flour into a bowl. Dissolve yeast in water and add to flour, mix/knead until just combined. Cover and leave in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
For main dough, sift flour into a bowl. Add sugar, egg, water, butter and salt.
Break risen starter dough into pieces and add to main dough.
Mix to form a soft dough, cover and leave in warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
On a floured surface, knead dough until smooth then roll out dough to a size that is larger than your chocolate paste.

Chocolate Paste in the middle of Wassant dough

Place chocolate paste in middle, then one third either side into the middle, then in half.

Folding one third into the middle form either side

Folding in half

Rolling out the dough after folding

Roll out to about 20 x 30 cm then fold and roll out again.

Folding one third into the middle

Folding the one third from the other side into the middle

Folding in half

Do this folding and rolling at least one more time.
Then roll out to 30 x 40 cm rectangle and cut into triangles.
Roll up dough like swiss rolls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper
Rest for 30-40 minutes

Chocolates wassants ready to go in the oven

Brush rolls with egg wash and bake at 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes or until brown.

Chocolate Wassants

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Paste Recipe

Inspired by My Little Space I decided to try making home made chocolate paste. This version is based on the recipe found here just with a couple of little changes and added details. Easy to make, just gotta have a little patience! Is perfect for making Chocolate Wassants.

Chocolate Paste - Ready to be bagged and refrigerated

INGREDIENTS:
2 egg whites
100g  sugar
50g  flour
10g  corn flour
2 tbsp  milk
150g  chocolate, chopped.

METHOD:
Combine egg whites, sugar, flour, cornflour and milk in a saucepan. Mix well
Add chocolate and heat mixture on a very low heat until chocolate has melted.
Heat mixture on a low-medium heat until thickened, stir continuously.
When mixture is a paste like consistency, remove from heat and leave to cool.
Transfer to a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least an hour until set.

Chocolate Paste: Ready for use in Chocolate Wassants after an hour in the fridge

TIPS:

• Make sure you melt the chocolate into the mixture on a very low heat; alternatively you could melt the chocolate in the microwave first then add to the rest of the mixture.
• Be patient when waiting for the mixture to thicken; too much heat and you're running the risk of burning or splitting the mixture

Enjoy!

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