Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

As the holiday season fast approaches, what better way to get into the spirit then with a red and white cake and that to me means RED VELVET! Well if you are gluten-intolerant you too can now indulge this Christmas. This cake is gluten and egg free but best of all, tastes incredible. I frosted it with my own creation - a simple white chocolate buttercream that paired so well with this smooth, luxurious cake.

I know I have gone on and on about my love of Cybele Pascal and her amazing recipes so I won't go into it again other than to see Cybele's recipe for Red Velvet Cake ROCKS! A wonderful texture flavored with cocoa and colored with simple red food coloring. You will need to make up a batch of her gluten-free flour blend but don't be intimidated. It is easy to do and the unused portion keeps well in the refrigerator; just pour it into a ziploc bag, seal and place in the fridge. If you prefer, you can order the GF Classical Blend from Authentic Foods which saves you the mixing of 3 different flours. My order from the Gluten-Free Supermarket is current en-route to me so I went with the manual blending of the 3 flours. Easy-peasy and so worth it once you have a bite of this cake.

If you don't own this book yet then I think it should be
at the top of your Christmas list!

As always, I cannot emphasize the use of top quality products enough here. For the batter, ensure you use Authentic Foods Rice Flour because other brands simply don't cut it. For the cocoa, the richer the better. I always use Cocoa Barry Extra Brute and I highly advise you do the same. For the frosting, stick with the best white chocolate you can find. Callebaut is my personal favorite.

So let's get baking!

RECIPE:

I will not re-post Cybele Pascal's cake recipe here as it is readily available on her site. Simply follow this link : Red Velvet Cake

Note: I did not use her recipe for frosting. My recipe is shown below.

WHAT YOU NEED

FROSTING

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
4 oz melted white chocolate (melt over double-boiler and set aside to cool)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons whipping cream

MAKE IT

IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter for 1 minute on MED speed
SLOWLY add in powdered sugar and blend on MED speed for 2-3 minutes
ADD white chocolate, vanilla and 2 tbsps of cream.
BEAT on high speed 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
ADD extra tbsp of cream if you find your icing too stiff

ENJOY !


Also linked here:

Banana Muffins with White Chocolate Glaze

These take a bit more time to prepare but they are worth it. Moist, flavorful and topped with an amazing white chocolate vanilla glaze. I added some snowflake sprinkles just to get in the festive mood.

These muffins have a sweet vanilla taste that pairs very well with the sweet and sticky glaze. The batter consists of your typical dry ingredients and a few eggs. But the secret to these little babies is the sweet vanilla cream mixture that is the basis for your wet ingredients. You want to infuse the cream and sugar mixture with the scrapings of one whole vanilla bean. Then you simply let it all simmer away nicely for about 5 minutes. This really brings out the vanilla flavor and turns the entire cream mixture into almost a caramel sauce. Now if you don't have vanilla beans, don't panic. Just use one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract instead and you will be fine.

I followed the recipe from a recent cookbook purchase but immediately noted something was very, very wrong. It said it would make 12 mini muffins. Huh? Waaaay too much batter for 12 mini muffins! So I divided the recipe up so I had 12 mini muffins and 10 large ones but feel free to switch it up if you want. Just remember, the large the muffin, the longer time it takes to bake.

Speaking of baking time, the recipe said to bake for 1/2 hr. Again, huh? They would have been burnt to a crisp. I definitely reduced the recommended baking time. Once golden they were pretty much done and honestly, the entire kitchen smelled like candy. Heaven.

So let's get baking, shall we?

RECIPE:
*adapted (and corrected!) source recipe for White Chocolate Muffins, Something Sweet

WHAT YOU NEED

1 large muffin pan lined with 10 paper liners
1 small 12 cup mini-muffin pan lined with paper liners

1 cup granulated sugar
100 ml whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Scraping from 1 vanilla bean
1 3/4 cups cake and pastry flour - self rising variety
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 small ripe banana
pinch of salt
3 eggs

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F

IN DOUBLE BOILER, simmer 3/4 cup of the sugar, whipping cream, butter and vanilla bean scrapings over med/low heat for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly
MASH banana to a smooth paste
IN SMALL BOWL, whisk together 3 eggs and add mashed banana
IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together flour, baking powder, cornstarch
ADD eggs and banana mixture to warm cream mixture whisking thoroughly
POUR wet ingredients into dry ingredients folding until just combined
FILL muffin cups 3/4 full with batter

BAKE MINI MUFFINS for 12-14 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
BAKE REGULAR MUFFINS for 17-20 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
REMOVE muffins from pans and let cool completely on racks

IN DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate, cream and vanilla together until smooth
SET ASIDE to cool for 20 minutes
WHISK slightly and then spoon glaze over cooled muffins

ENJOY !

Sticky Cinnamon Bun Muffins

Sometimes making cinnamon buns can be quite the chore. Sure the pay off is worth it but some days you want the bun, not the work that goes with. I get it, trust me, I do. Which brings me to today's recipe. Yesterday I was reading the food section in our local newspaper and a recipe jumped out at me. I read through the ingredients and instructions and thought, yup, this is a keeper. I had intended to wait a few days to make these muffins but couldn't resist testing out the recipe as soon as possible. I am very happy I did.

These cinnamon buns have all the incredible flavor of the traditional favorite but with 99% less labor ! Yes, there is yeast in there but it is quick-rising and no kneading required - let alone rolling into a spiral log, etc. Of course, there is cinnamon, sugar and a sweet icing. What more could you ask for?

The only 2 ingredients I adjusted from the original recipe is the amount of cinnamon used and the type of oil. I thought 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon was on the cheap side so I cranked it up to a heaping teaspoon instead. I also used grapeseed oil. The recipe also recommended you wait til the muffins are completely cool before adding the icing drizzle. I think it takes more authentic when the icing gets a chance to melt in and spread out a bit on still warm muffins so that is what I did. Once the muffins cooled they had an incredible sticky glaze on top that the kids (and the adults!) really enjoyed.

Try making a batch of these on the weekend. Your kids will be overjoyed and you will love the fact that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a warm, fresh out- of- the -oven cinnamon bun without all the time it usually takes to makes these yummy baked treats.

Ready? Me too!

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe - Cinnamon Bun Muffins, The Ottawa Citizen, November 10, 2011 Edition

WHAT YOU NEED

12 cup muffin tin lined with parchment paper liners and sprayed with cooking spray OR generously butter muffin tin and omit liners

FOR MUFFINS

3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cups granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
1 1/3 cups milk (2% is fine), at room temperature
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

FOR TOPPING

2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

FOR ICING

1 cup icing sugar
1 - 2 tablespoons milk

MAKE IT

IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, gently stir together flour, sugar, salt and yeast
ADD IN remaining muffin ingredients and beat on MED speed for about 1 minute
FILL muffin tins with batter. I used my ice cream scoop and filled each scoop about 3/4 full with batter
LET REST, uncovered, for 15 minutes

IN MEDIUM BOWL, with your fingers mix together all topping ingredients until combined and somewhat crumbly
DIVIDE topping evenly over tops of muffins
WITH a knife, gently press some of the topping down into the muffins and swirl slightly. This is trick as the batter is thick and sticky but the goal here is to to not have all the topping sitting on top once baked but inside the muffin a bit as well

PLACE MUFFINS in a cold oven and then set temperature to 375F
BAKE 20 minutes until slightly golden and tops spring back when lightly pressed
LET REST in pan 5 minutes them remove muffins to cooling rack. Allow to cool to a stage where they are still slightly warm

IN SMALL BOWL, whisk together icing ingredients and drizzle over muffins

DIG IN !

Also linked here:

A Baker's Journey on Low Carb

Hi All. I wanted to share a little secret with you. I am a double blogger. Yes, I run 2 blogs - both food related but very different in nature.

The reason I am posting today is to let all my lovely Lemon Drop followers know that my "sister" site, A Baker's Journey on Low Carb, is hosting a giveaway. If you are in the mood for the chance to win an uplifting prize (the image in this post pretty much says it all) and want to participate, then please head over to my blog post, follow via Google Friend Connect, and leave a comment.

I would love to see you all there and fyi, it is open to followers worldwide !

All my baking love,
Linda

Chocolate Madeleines

If you know me at all you would know that generally I like easy- to -prep recipes. Being a busy mom of 3 and holding down a full-time career does not always support hours in the kitchen. But in addition to easy-to-prepare, I also look for recipes that call for top notch ingredients and have a flair about them. Madeleines have quite the flair. Make them into chocolate ones and boom - fireworks.

Usually madeleines are time consuming little baked cakes to make but then I found a recipe that stood out as being the opposite to the norm. No pan prep-time (some require the pan to be placed in the freezer before filling), no lengthy batter wait-time....just mix it up and go. I figured why not try it out and see if they are , at best, edible. Well yes, they were edible. In fact, they were quite lovely. Eat them plain, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or better yet, dunk the tips in rich chocolate ganache.

I recently purchased my first madeleine pan and was eager to test it out. In doing so I learned a few valuable lessons. 1. Avoid greasing the molds with cooking spray. It scorches at high heat and in turn, burns the edges of the madeleines. I ruined my first batch this way. With the second batch, I didn't grease the molds at all. My pan has a lovely stick-free surface and I hoped it would remain that way through the baking process. It did. No greasing necessary and no burnt edges! 2. Be careful with the oven temperature and baking time. I ended up reducing the oven temperature and baking for less time. I ended up with perfectly baked madeleines. 3. Let the batter for this recipe sit for about 5 minutes. It allows the baking powder to take effect and the batter thickens somewhat. As a result, they rise more uniform in size and shape during the baking process.

So take heed, my fellow bakers, to those little tips and let's get the party started shall we?

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe: Chocolate Madeleines, Something Sweet, Food Lovers

WHAT YOU NEED

100 grams unsalted butter
100 grams good quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt)
2 eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 210C
HAVE madeleine pan ready - this makes approx. 16 regular sized madeleines

IN DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate and butter until both are fully melted. Stir together to combine thoroughly and remove from heat
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, whisk eggs and sugar on high speed for 3 minutes
GENTLY stir in flour and baking soda
ADD melted chocolate/butter and fold together until well combined
SET ASIDE for 5 minutes
FILL madeleine molds 3/4 full with batter. Do no smooth out
BAKE for 5 minutes
REDUCE temperature to 180C and bake for another 7 minutes
REMOVE from oven, let sit in molds for 2-3 minutes then remove madeleines and place on cooling rack.

If you want, make a quick ganache or just dip ends in melted chocolate.



Also linked here:

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Buttercream

Another easy-to-make yet utterly delicious gluten-free cupcake recipe. This one again hails from my most beloved cookbook Gluten-Free Cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam. As usual, I did adapt it as I went along. Fact is, I prefer the sweetness and moisture honey brings to these baked goods far more than agave nectar. So I always swap out the agave for honey (1:1 ratio). I also LOVE vanilla. So instead of sticking to just vanilla extract, I added part extract and part vanilla bean paste. Worked like a charm to give these cupcakes a rich and sweet , bursting with vanilla, flavor.

Again, this recipe's key component is coconut flour. Keeping in mind that coconut flour acts like a sponge and can be drying if not balanced well with other ingredients, Elana adds plenty of "moisturizing" ingredients to this recipe. Though I did opt for honey, I stuck with her directions for adding grapeseed oil and plenty of eggs. 4 eggs for 8 cupcakes ( the recipe says 9 cupcakes but I only managed to get 8) is quite a significant amount ! All together, these ingredients work to bring you one lovely, moist and heavenly vanilla flavored baked goodie.

Of course, no cupcake is truly a cupcake without a kick-ass frosting. I, for one, really enjoy the combo of lemon and vanilla. So I figured why not enhance my usual buttercream with some added lemon curd. I did not make the lemon curd but if you want, go for it. I opted to purchase a top quality imported brand - quality counts here. Only 3 tablespoons is added to the frosting and that is all you need. If I do say so myself - PERFECTION.

So let's get baking, shall we?

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe for cupcakes only: Vanilla Cupcakes, Gluten-Free Cupcakes..., Elana Amsterdam

MAKE IT

CUPCAKES

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract paste

FROSTING
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups icing sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons lemon curd

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 8 muffin cups with liners

CUPCAKES

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 3 ingredients
IN SEPARATE BOWL, thoroughly whisk together remaining cupcake ingredients
FOLD wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring to remove any large lumps
FILL liners 3/4 full with batter
BAKE 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
LET COOL in pan 5 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on cooling rack

FROSTING

IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, add butter.
CREAM on MED speed until smooth and somewhat fluffy
SLOWLY add in icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
INCREASE SPEED and beat on high 2-3 minutes
ADD lemon curd and continue to beat on high another 2-3 minutes
ADD more cream if you want a lighter consistency

PIPE frosting onto cooled cupcakes

ENJOY !

Also linked here:

Old-Fashioned London Loaf

Recipe test #2 from The Great British Bake-Off - How to Bake... cookbook. This recipe for Old-Fashioned London Loaf lured me in when the description included a close crumb, crisp crust and easy to slice. I have been looking for a more dense-like white bread that would hold up well for sandwiches. I also wanted to move away from the bread maker this time too. This recipe seemed to promise to deliver on all.

Starting out I mixed all the dry ingredients in the bowl of my stand mixer. Then I added the room temperature water. So far, so good. With the mixer fitted with the dough hook, I started off slowly until I felt the ingredients were starting to come together then cranked it up to high speed for 4 minutes. The result was a dough that was not sticky, quite firm but still pliable.

Now the next step was to let it rise...SLOWLY - as in 12 hours. Pay attention to that last word - SLOWLY. And to let something rise slowly, you need to ensure proper cool room temperature. I didn't. I covered my dough with cling wrap and left it on the kitchen counter. Not a good idea as my kitchen tends to be the warmest place in the house. By the time I went to bed after 3 hrs of rising the dough was pretty high and looked great. That was then. By the next morning it had fallen. Clearly it rose too quickly, too fast.

I didn't want to file it all into the garbage and start over. So I prevailed. I kneaded it slightly on a floured board, let it sit another 15 minutes , then braided it and let it rise again another 2 hours. And lo and behold, it rose again quite nicely.

A quick glaze of cream and in the oven it went. There are a few steps with this bread that do stand out as odd. Odd because I have never done it before. But all the quirks are there to lead to a very crisp crust.

The results ? An amazing bread ! No air pockets, no doughy parts, no over-baked areas, no toughness. Granted, not sure why I braided cause it didn't hold its shape. So feel free to omit that step if you like and just shape into a loaf and place in pan.

Overall, this recipe came through on its promises and I couldn't be more delighted. I will make it again and again and again.


So if you are in the mood for a slice of bread that truly does deliver, then give this recipe a try. Just remember, let it rise overnight in a cool room, and you should be fine.

Are you ready? Get out the bread pan and get baking !

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe, Old-Fashioned London Loaf, The Great British Bake Off - How To Bake...

WHAT YOU NEED

500 grams white bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
10 grams unsalted butter, diced
1/2 teaspoon fast-action yeast
300 ml water at room temperature
1 tablespoon heavy cream

MAKE IT

GREASE a large loaf pan with cooking spray or butter

IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with dough hook attachment, stir together flour and salt
WITH YOUR FINGERTIPS, rub in butter until it pretty much disappears
STIR in dried yeast
MAKE A WELL in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in water
ON SLOW SPEED, slowly knead in all ingredients until it starts to come together then increase speed to HIGH and let the mixer knead the dough for 4 minutes
COVER BOWL with clingwrap and place in a cool location for no less than 8 hrs and no more than 12 hrs

PUNCH DOWN dough
ON FLOURED SURFACE, KNEAD gently for 1 minute then return to bowl, covered, for 15 minutes
ON FLOURED SURFACE, press dough out into a rectangle slightly larger than your bread pan
LEAVING 1/2 inch on one short end, cut the dough into 3 strips
BRAID together and press ends together to seal
TUCK ENDS underneath and place loaf in bread pan
COVER with clean tea towel and let rest for 2-3 hrs

BRUSH cream over top of risen loaf
PREHEAT oven to 425F
PLACE a roasting pan on bottom shelf of oven
WHEN oven has reached temperature, place bread onto oven rack
POUR 1 cup of water into roasting pan then quickly shut the door. This causes a burst of steam which will help achieve a crunchy crust.
BAKE 30 minutes
REMOVE bread from bread pan and return the loaf back to the oven, directly on the oven rack for 5 minutes
REMOVE bread and let cool on cooling rack before slicing