Profiteroles (GF) (LF)

Profiteroles are always a delicious favourite. These are gluten-free and filled with dairy-free creme patisserie, topped with a drizzle of melted chocolate, strawberry coulis and served with a side of strawberries... how can you go wrong? I made these for dessert when I visited my brother and sister-in-law for dinner and they loved them. As an experiment I made pear creme patisserie and filled a few with that for a more indulgent treat.

Profiteroles

 
INGREDIENTS:
Profiteroles:
55g margarine
70g rice flour
125ml water
2 eggs

Soy Creme Patisserie:
450ml soy milk
55g caster sugar
55g cornflour
2 eggs


METHOD:
For the creme patisserie:
Whisk all ingredients in a pan and cook over a medium heat until thick.
Remove from heat and cover with non-stick baking paper.
Refrigerate for at least an hour.

To make pear creme patisserie:
Stew 3 pears until soft, puree and add to creme patisserie with 1/4 cup of softly whipped cream.

Creme Patisserie, Pear Puree and Cream

 For the Profiteroles:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
Heat water and margarine for profiteroles in a pan.
Once boiling, remove from heat.
Add flour and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves the side of the pan.

Profiterole Mix - Ready for eggs to be added

Beat eggs in one at a time.

Profiterole Mix - Just after 2 eggs have been added

 Continue beating until mix is smooth and shiny.
Place mixture into a piping bag and pipe rounds onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
Bake for 25 minutes or until puffed up and golden.

Profiteroles - Just out of the oven

When ready, remove profiteroles from oven and quickly pierce the base of them with a cross.

Profiterole - Cross in the base

Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled fill the profiteroles with the creme patisserie.
Serve with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of melted chocolate and strawberry coulis.

Enjoy!


Tips and tricks:
- Just omit the cream if you want to make dairy-free creme patisserie

Creme Patisserie and Pear Puree

 - Leave about 5cm between each piped profiterole to give them room to expand
- If you're after a rustic look, just drop tablespoonfuls of mix onto the tray rather than piping
- The cross in the base after cooking the profiteroles is to allow steam to escape, preventing them from going soggy so you can just stab a hole in the side if you aren't too worried about presentation.

Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake (LF) (GF)

Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake is just yum! I made it for my birthday cake this year and of course it's dairy-free and lactose-free so my awesome partner could help me devour it. As a bonus it's also gluten-free! Here I served it with dairy-free creme patissiere, berry coulis, strawberries and a sprig of mint. Amazingly simple and quick to make, it even kept moist for 3 days. I can't wait for an excuse to make another.

Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake

 

INGREDIENTS:

190g rice flour
145g maize cornflour
60g almond meal
1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
380g sugar
80g cocoa powder
3 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
500ml cold water
150ml coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

METHOD:

Turn on oven to bake at 180 degrees celcius.

Line two 24cm x 15 cm loaf tins with non-stick cooking paper.

In a bowl mix together rice flour, cornflour, almond meal, xanthan gum, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the vanilla essence, water, coconut oil and vinegar. Mix well.

Pour mixture evenly into loaf tins.

Bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Serve with Creme patissiere, strawberries and berry coulis.

Enjoy!

Genoise with Raspberries & Cream (LF)

Genoise filled with rasperries and cream is a delicious dessert. It's lactose-free and awesomely delicious. Genoise is just a fancy sponge so have a go, make one and try it for yourself!

Genoise with Raspberries & Cream

INGREDIENTS:
For the genoise:
40g margarine, melted
4 size 6 eggs
125g caster sugar
125g flour
1tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 lemon
400g raspberries


For soy creme patissiere
450ml soy milk
55g caster sugar
55g cornflour
3 size 6 eggs

METHOD:

For the creme patissiere:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a saucepan and heat over a medium heat until thick.
Transfer to a bowl, cover with baking paper to prevent a skim forming then place in the fridge to cool.
Once cold, fold in 75g raspberries.

For genoise:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Gease a 20cm springform pan or 4 mini springform pans
In a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water, whick together eggs and sugar.
Keep whisking until mixture expand to 5 times in volume and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted.
Remove from the heat and whisk for another minute.
Fold in sifted flour, vanilla, lemon zest and melted margarine into mixture
Put mixture into cake tin(s).
Bake for 25 minutes until top is springy and light golden brown. A skewer should come out clean.
Leave cake to cool in tin for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.
When cake is cold, cut horizontally to give three layers of cake.
Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread a layer of creme patissiere on top.
Repeat layering then decorate with fresh raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Just desserts here

Strawberry Millefeuilles (LF)

Strawberry Millefeuilles is a rich and filling dessert despite its deceptive light and airy appearance. By making creme patissiere using soy milk and using cheap margarine based store bought flakey pastry this is a super treat for my lactose-intolerant partner that's really easy to make. The strawberries can be replaced with other fresh berries such as raspberries or blueberries and whipped cream can be used in place of creme patissiere for an impressive looking quick dessert.

Strawberry Millefeuilles

INGREDIENTS:

3 sheets flakey pastry
400g strawberries

For soy creme patissiere
450ml soy milk
55g caster sugar
55g cornflour
3 size 6 eggs

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
Place a sheet of flakey pastry on a lined baking tray.
Place a wire rack on top of the pastry.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until just brown.
Flip the sheet of pastry and bake for another 10 minutes until both sides are browned.
Remove from oven and transfer to a chopping board.
Repeat for the remaining 2 sheets of flakey pastry.

For the creme patissiere:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a saucepan and heat over a medium heat until thick.
Transfer to a bowl, cover with baking paper to prevent a skim forming then place int eh fridge to cool.

To assemble the Millefeuiles:
Spread half the creme patissiere over one sheet of flakey pastry.
Sprinkle with half the strawberries.
Repeat with another layer of pastry, creme patissiere then strawberries.
Place the last sheet of pastry on top and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Keep chilled for up to 6 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Just desserts here