Gluten Free Hazelnut Tuiles

As its Biscuit week on The Great British Bake Off tonight I thought I would have a go at a new biscuit.

Inspired by a Mary Berry recipe from a book from 1995 Mary Berry’s complete cook book ( my most used cookery book )

I set about making a gluten free version using hazelnuts to decorate.

Recipe 

2 egg whites

125g caster sugar

60g gluten free plain flour

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

60g melted butter

rough chopped hazelnuts or flaked almonds

Method

Line a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment

put egg whites and caster sugar into a mixer , beat until frothy

add sieved flour , butter and vanilla extract

mix well

put 6 teaspoon’s of mixture on to the sheet leaving plenty of space between each one

sprinkle with a few crushed hazelnuts

bake in a hot oven 180c for 6 mins

take out immediately and using a spatula or fish slice

put each one on a greased rolling pin

to cool, then put on a wire rack

They should resemble roof tile’s ‘tuile’

repeat until all mixture is used up.

store in an airtight container.

I think if these had been presented to Paul and Mary on the ‘gingham alter’ I think they would probably have said they needed another minute in the oven as they were slightly softer than intended . Still delicious though.

 

Enjoy watching Bake off!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten free Walnut and Mocha Muffins

These Muffins will be perfect as a baked treat for tonights Great British Bake Off Final

These Walnut and Mocha Muffins are dark and springy with chocolate chips and tiny walnut pieces

Recipe

2 Large Eggs

125ml plain yoghurt

125ml strong coffee

125ml milk  – cows milk or almond milk

250g gluten free self raising flour

100g sugar or coconut sugar ( if you like a sweeter muffin you can add more sugar ) I’ve used less than half the sugar normally used in a muffin recipe

1/4 cup raw cacao or 75g cocoa powder

pinch of salt

100g dark chocolate gluten free chips

100g finely chopped walnuts

Method

makes 12

pre heat oven 200c

cool the coffee

add the milk, yoghurt and beaten eggs to the coffee in a large bowl

 

in a separate bowl add the flour, cacao, finely chopped walnuts, sugar, salt

stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix well

 

add the chocolate chips and mix again

grease the muffin tin well or use muffin cases ( mine stuck a little to the paper cases ) I need to treat myself to a decent muffin tin.

fill the cups almost to the top with muffin mixture.

pop in the hot oven

200c for 10 mins

then lower for up to 15mins at 180c  Mine only took about 10mins using a fan oven

the muffins should be firm

 

cool and pop on a wire rack

delicious warm or cold.

 

I’ve eaten two already and bake off isn’t for another couple of hours !

I think next time I will use only 1/8 cup of cacao as it is so much stronger tasting than cocoa powder

Enjoy the Bake Off Final tonight , maybe you will have time to bake these first

Ready Steady Bake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten free Patisserie for Bake Off

Today is Patisserie week on The Great British Bake Off . For this weeks challenge the contestants have to make 24 Cream horns for the signature challenge.  Mokatines are the technical challenge these are squares of genoise sponge with coffee buttercream and two types of icing. The show stopper is religieuse a l’acienne Three tiered choux pastry eclairs filled with creme patisserie.

 

I’m sure they will look a lot better than these!

click here to find out more about > The Great British Bake Off

 

I decided to make some of my gluten free choux pastry buns today to munch along with the show

Chocolate Choux buns makes about 9 large buns

( double the recipe if you are making a family show stopper )

75g gluten free plain flour I used Doves Farm

60g unsalted butter

2 large eggs

150g water

–

gluten free chocolate I use Green and Blacks 70%

extra thick double cream

 

Method

pre heat oven 220c

put the water and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat

melt butter in to the water until it starts to boil

take the saucepan off the heat and add the flour, beat well it take a huge amount of elbow grease!

the easiest way is to pop the dough in a mixer and beat well

 

when the mixture is cool add the two beaten eggs

again beat well by hand or in a mixer

 

spoon the mixture on to a greased baking tray,

If you want to make eclairs use a piping bag to pipe the batter

 

sprinkle a little water on the tray this should help to produce some steam to help the buns to rise

pop in the hot oven 220c for 10 mins then lower temp to 190c for a further 20 mins until golden brown

remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack

once cooled slice the choux buns in half and filled with extra thick cream . You could keep the buns whole and fill the choux buns using a piping bag

melt some 70% gluten free dark chocolate and dip the tops of the buns in to the melted chocolate and allow to cool and set

pop the tops back on to the buns and enjoy

 

For a special dessert make a double quantity, fill with creme patisserie or extra thick double cream and arrange into a tower.

Why not try your hand at sugar shards to add some wow.

Happy Baking!

From the archives blog posts Gluten free profiteroles < click here

Chocolate profiteroles < click here

Chocolate eclairs < click here

Pastry week tonight on Great British Bake Off

Tonight’s Bake Off episode is Pastry week The contestants will be asked to bake a frangipane tart, a cheese filled pastry from Cyprus and classic 70’s canapé vol- au-vents.

 

Here are a few gluten free ideas for you to bake along later

Gluten free Bakewell tart < click here for recipe

 

Gluten free Cheese tartlets  <click here for recipe

Gluten free sausage rolls < click here for recipe

 

and a Grain free Quiche < click here for recipe

Gluten free chicken pie < click here for recipe

Gluten free Puff pastry < click here for recipe

Enjoy tonights episode, why not bake something ready to eat along with tonights Pastry week ?

A Free From Special on Bake Off tonight

Tonight on The Great British Bake Off the contestants will be asked to make a cake using an alternative to refined sugar . One contestant is making a pineapple upside down cake and another a carrot cake.

click here > Alternative ingredients 

The technical challenge is Paul’s gluten free pitta breads. It will be interesting to see how they get on with this tricky recipe. They are something I have not tried. Mainly due to the fact I can’t have yeast.

The Show stopper tonight is dairy free ice cream surrounded by jam and a light sponge.

I decided to make a Pineapple upside down cake that is not only gluten free but grain free and refined sugar free and dairy free too.

Pineapple Upside Down cake  grain free and dairy free

 

 

100g coconut oil or unsalted butter

70g coconut sugar or maple syrup

4 large eggs

1/2 cup Almond milk or regular full fat milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g ground almonds

70g coconut flour

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

pinch salt

fresh pineapple

fresh cherries

Method

Pre heat oven 170c fan

prepare a loose bottomed cake tin

line with baking paper and fill the base with slices of pineapple,fresh sliced cherries a little coconut oil and a drizzle of maple syrup

melt the coconut oil and mix with the coconut sugar or maple syrup

 

add the 4 beaten eggs

in a second bowl mix together all the dry ingredients

Add the dry ingredients into the wet

mix well

add the vanilla extract and the almond milk

and mix well together

spoon on top of the pineapple pieces

 

 

bake in a hot oven 170c for 45 mins

cool on a wire tray in the cake tin

 

 

 

Here is a recipe for a gluten free Pineapple Upside Down cake

click here

They were a real success !

Lets hope tonights episode is really good and inspires those who need to use alternative ingredients due to choice or intolerances or allergies to bake at home.

Gluten free and grain free dessert ideas for this weeks Bake Off

Here are some ideas to bake along to Dessert week on The Great British Bake Off tonight.

The contestants will be making a traditional Crème Brûlée the technical challenge is a Spanische windtorte  from Austria, and the show stopper will be Baked Cheesecakes.

Why not have a go at one of these

 

Deliciously Ella’s Banoffee pies really yummy dessert with no refined sugar

Gooey grain free chocolate pudding a yummy moist chocolate cake pudding

Lemon meringue pies grain free  possibly my favourite pudding

Chocolate profiteroles A big family favourite and my most popular recipe on my blog

Harvest apple pudding fresh and crunchy delicious when apples are plentiful 

Gluten free french apple tart requested by my husband this turned out really well

Raspberry and vanilla panna cotta Another family favourite 

Pumpkin baked cheesecake this is a rich delicious dessert perfect for a chilly day like today!

Enjoy The Great British Bake Off tonight. Make sure you have something sweet to eat along to dessert week.

I would love to see photos of the finished desserts, tweet me @nels3 gluten free Helen

Birthday and Bake Off

Today is my niece’s first birthday, yesterday was spent baking in readiness for the celebration family lunch party. I bought some tasty gluten free Cumberland sausages and chicken nuggets from Marks and Spencer’s along with some cocktail sticks for a retro birthday feel. I also made a grain free smoked salmon quiche with a mixed salad Click here for the recipe A birthday cake was the most important bake of the day. We decided on a Victoria sandwich 3 layer cake with 2 fillings a strawberry low sugar jam and a butter cream filling. This was topped of with a layer of 70% dark chocolate. Here is the recipe I used > click here 

I made two cakes and used three of the layers.

The cake was a success, the family all enjoyed it.

 

For my little niece I made some no refined sugar cake pops using a mashed banana and a tiny amount of good quality maple syrup.

 

 

I was thrilled that she loved them.

 

It is also The Great British Bake off tonight so I felt I should join in with the biscuit baking. Instead of making a gluten free biscuit I decided to make a batch of grain free low sugar ones.

This was a recipe from An Aussie with Crohns >click here <to get the recipe for Jam Pinwheels

 

I rolled out the dough between two pieces of grease proof paper

 

I spread a little apricot jam on the dough

 

I then used the grease proof paper to help roll the dough up like a swiss roll

The rolled dough was then chilled overnight

They baked quickly and were then left to cool and firm up

These are not what I would describe as a true biscuit, they don’t snap or really melt in the mouth but they do taste nice and are low sugar so ideal for those who are avoiding all grains and those avoiding sugar.

If I was in the bake off this week I would definitely be out in this round!

I was far more focused on our family birthday party today which went really well with all the family being hopefully well fed. A wonderful family event sharing food and making lots of memories.

 

Enjoy Bake Off tonight

Happy Baking!

 

Gluten free Madeira cake ready for Bake off!

Today see’s the start of 2015 The Great British Bake Off with the legend that is Mary Berry. I have been using her cookery books to teach me about baking long before I knew who she was. Then Bake Off came along in 2010 and around about the same time I had to go gluten free due to having Coeliac disease. What dreadful timing!

Now Mary is probably one of the most well known bakers and cooks in the country. I love watching Mary on the telly, she continues to inspire me to bake new and more difficult cakes and pastries, converting them to gluten free, low sugar versions for myself and my family.

My Mum often recounts the story of when I was doing a practical home economics assignment at senior school she gave me rock solid butter to make Mary’s Pineapple upside down cake I think I spent almost all the allotted time trying to beat the solid butter into submission. Thankfully I am slightly more organised these days.

I thought today I would make the Madeira cake as the contestants have been asked to bake this simple cake, the only difference being that mine will be gluten free and lower sugar.

 

Madeira cake

recipe-

180g soft unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

200g gluten free self raising flour

50g ground almonds

3 large free range eggs

zest 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method –

Pre heat your oven 150c fan

grease and line an 8 inch loaf tin

 

cream the butter and sugar together until very smooth

 

add one of the beaten eggs

and beat

add the ground almonds and beat again

add the remaining beaten eggs and vanilla essence

and beat thoroughly

sieve in the flour and zest and fold in gently

 

if the mixture is a little thick add a splash of milk

spoon in to your prepared tin

 

bake for 50 mins

check the cake is cooked by using a skewer

 

cool completely, remove from tin and slice

 

Review –

The Madeira cake I am pleased to say was a success. Using only 100g of sugar didn’t affect the rise or texture and the cake is quite sweet enough.  A simple cake, very easy for a new baker . Perfect for slicing and serving with a cup of tea. You could use this recipe in a round tin and slice through and fill with jam or for a Lemon Madeira just add juice of one lemon and add zest of an extra lemon. Or to make it extra special you could serve with lemon curd.

 

We will be enjoying our Madeira cake while watching The Great British Bake off tonight,

My parents are staying with us and they are not normally fans of the show. My Dad says he can’t watch it as it frustrates him as he can’t smell or taste the offerings on show, and for my Dad who really does Love Cake its just too tough!

Hopefully tonight with the added incentive of freshly baked Madeira cake they might get hooked.

Happy Baking!

The Great British Bake Off < website here

 

 

 

 

Gluten free Florentines

Inspired by the wonderful Mary Berry I have been trying to perfect a yummy gluten free version of Florentines using just honey to sweeten. The end result is delicious, maybe not quite a traditional Florentine but now probably my favourite biscuit.

 

Florentines

50g butter

100g raw honey

50g gluten free plain flour

50g mixed peel

25g flaked almonds

25g chopped walnuts

25g glace cherries

70% or 85% dark chocolate ( I used Green and Blacks )

Method

prepare 3 baking trays with baking paper

pre heat oven 160c fan

melt together the honey and unsalted butter in a saucepan gently

 

add flour, nuts, cherries and mixed peel

stir thoroughly

 

teaspoon the mixture onto the trays

6 to a tray

 

make sure they are flattened down

bake for 8-10 mins until starting to go golden at the edges

cool on trays

then carefully move to a wire rack using a palette knife

 

gently melt 70% or 85% gluten free dark chocolate

 

using a pastry brush, paint the underside of the florentines with the chocolate

make zig zag patterns on the chocolate using a fork

 

Fabulous anytime, particularly nice at Christmas

Happy Baking!

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Profiteroles for the Great British Bake Off Final tonight

I dont think its possible to watch Bake off without some kind of homemade baked treat!

Tonight I think calls for a tower of gluten free chocolate profiteroles with some sugar shards. Filled with some extra thick double cream and delicious gluten free dark chocolate. I hope Mary and Paul would approve.

 

Recipe

120g unsalted butter

300 ml water

150g gluten free plain flour

4 large free range eggs

gluten free chocolate 70%

extra thick double cream

 

Method

pre heat oven 220c

To make the choux pastry

Put water and butter in a saucepan

Melt butter into the water and allow to start to boil

tip in flour and lower heat, stir / beat pastry vigorously

turn off heat after dough has formed into a ball and contains no visible flour

COOL well !

 

Put in your food processor or mix by hand ( hard work ! )

mix in machine or beat and gradually add the egg

once blended completely together

put in piping bag or use a tablespoon to make profiteroles

use greased baking tray, I used baking paper too

 

I managed to make 17 but wasted a little in the piping bag.

cook at 220c very hot oven for 1o mins

then reduce temperature to 190c for a further 20 mins

 

cool on wire rack

cut through the centre when cold

melt chocolate and dip the tops in to the melted chocolate

 

once the chocolate has cooled and set you can fill the profiteroles

 

I used extra thick double cream

using a pretty plate stack the profiteroles

to make a tower

then I added some sugar shards

All ready for this evenings Great British Bake Off final

Have a great evening! My money is on Richard @RichardPBurr

Good luck to Richard, Nancy and Luis all great bakers