Special diet recipes
Organic and Gluten-Free Pound Cake
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups white rice flour*
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup organic butter
2 cups organic evaporated cane sugar
4 organic eggs
1 tsp. gluten-free vanilla extract
1 cup milk (soy milk or orange juice works too)
Instructions:
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Cream butter in a large mxing bowl and gradually add sugar, beating between additions.
Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add vanilla.
Blend in dry ingredients gradually, alternating with milk, and beginning and ending with dry ingredients mixture.
Spread batter into two greased and floured 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
Bake at 325 degrees F/160 degrees C for about one hour, or until done (when baking with rice flour, it can take a bit longer to cook.)
Let cake stand in pans for ten minutes, then remove and cool completely on a baking rack.
Makes 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaves.
*Note: Instead rice flour, you can also use potato starch flour.
Organic eggs, butter etc. you can replace "normal" ones.
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Non-Dairy Eggless Brownies
Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour*
1 cup water
1/2 cup non-dairy margarine
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Garnish (optional)
Confectioners' sugar
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-dairy margarine, or you may also use vegetable oil to grease the pan or spray pan with vegetable cooking spray.
2. Combine 1/3 cup of the flour with water in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat untill thick, stirring constantly. Set mixture aside to cool completely.
3. Melt margarine and stir in the cocoa powder.
4. Sift together the remaining 2 cups flour with the baking powder.
5. Beat sugar, salt, and vanilla into the cooled flour mixture, then add the melted butter/cocoa mixture.
6. Add the above mixture to the sifted flour/baking powder mixture. Add chopped nuts, if desired.
7. Spoon batter into prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Let brownies cool in pan. Cut into squares when cooled completely. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar.
Makes 16 brownies.
Note: You can use potato starch flour, white rice flour or gluten-free flour instead of wheat flour.
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Blueberry Soy Shake
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup vanilla-flavored soy milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ice cubes
Instructions:
Starting with liquids, combine all ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve in a summertime glass with a straw, garnished with 2 or 3 fresh blueberries.
Makes 2 servings.
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Gluten Free Easy Sponge Cake
Ingredients:
8 eggs, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup potato starch (NOT flour!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract
1 teaspoon GF lemon extract
1 teaspoon GF almond extract
TOPPING:
freshly whipped cream
fresh fruit (strawberries and blueberries)
powdered sugar (for dusting)
Directions:
Separate the egg whites and the yolks.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside.
Beat the egg yolks until light yellow and creamy – about 2 – 3 minutes)
Sift together powdered sugar, potato starch (not flour!) and salt.
Add sifted dry ingredients to the beaten egg yolks and mix thoroughly.
Add the extracts. Mix again.
Using a spatula or spoon (not your mixer!), gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Line a jelly roll pan or a full sized cookie sheet pan with parchment paper.
Gently smooth the cake batter out to the length of your pan with even depth. (My pan is 18″ by 13″ – and the batter is about 2/3 – 1″ thick).
Bake the cake for 15 minutes then turn off the oven and open the oven door. (I open the oven by cracking it open about 2-3 inches.)
Leave the cake to cool in the oven for 5-8 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool.
Gently lift the cooled cake up off the parchment paper just to loosen it from the paper. Lay the cake back down on to the paper. You will use the parchment to help you roll the cake.
Top with freshly whipped cream and fresh fruit slices.
Have a piece of fresh parchment paper the length of your cake OR a serving platter that fits nearby. Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake. (I roll it so I have LONG cake (see picture) rather than rolling the short end and have a HUGE rolled cake.)
Lay the cake on the fresh parchment or on your serving platter. Gently lay a few pieces of fruit on top and dust with powdered sugar.
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Gluten-free cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
125g (4oz) butter, melted
125g (4oz) caster sugar
125g (4oz) gluten-free self-raising flour
2 medium eggs
3 tbsp milk
Few drops of vanilla extract
For the buttercream
2 medium egg whites
150g (5oz) caster sugar
100g (3½oz) butter, softened
Few drops of vanilla extract
Method
Set the oven to gas mark 5 or 190°C.
To make the cupcakes: Pour the melted butter into a bowl and add sugar, flour, eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture, preferably with an electric hand whisk, to give a smooth batter which may appear a little runnier than a usual sponge-cake mixture. Spoon mixture into the paper cases in the bun tray.
Bake cakes in the centre of oven for 18-20 mins, or until they've risen and are light golden. Remove tray from the oven and leave cakes to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream: Place egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Stir until sugar dissolves completely. Remove the bowl from over the pan and whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gradually whisk in the butter and then the vanilla. The mixture may appear to separate, but keep whisking it at a high speed until it's light and fluffy - this is easiest done in a table-top food mixer, but can be done with an electric hand whisk.
Fill the piping bag with the buttercream and pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake. Scatter over the royal icing sprinkles. Keep the cupcakes cool until serving them. They are best eaten within 2 days of making. (Not suitable for freezing).
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What is Potato Starch Flour?
Potato starch flour, also known as "potato starch," is a key ingredient in Scandinavian baking. Since wheat flour was for a long time a luxury item in Scandinavia, difficult to grow and normally thus imported from warmer climes, Scandinavians depended much more heavily upon the hardier potato starches and flours they could produce locally.
Unlike potato flour (which because of its strong potato flavor and heavier weight should neverbe substituted for potato starch in baked goods), potato starch flour / potato starch has a neutral taste, and is an excellent choice for thickening sauces, gravies, stews, and soups. It also produces superior flour-free sponge cakes, for it absorbs and retains moisture to a far greater degree than wheat flour and produces cakes with a lighter texture.
Potato starch flour / potato starch is gluten-free (unlike some brands of potato flour, which may contain wheat).
Most American grocery stores and specialty Scandinavian markets carry the Swan brand of potato starch, marketed as "Potato Starch Flour." Ener-G markets it as "Potato Starch Flour" as well. You can also find it labeled as "Potato Starch" from distributors including Bob's Red Mill, Manischewitz, Barry Farm, and Authentic Foods.
Also Known As: Potato starch flour, potato starch, perunajauho (Finnish), potatismjöl (Swedish), potetmel (Norwegian), kartoffelmel (Danish), kartöflusterkja or kartöflumjöl (Icelandic).
