Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cake

For avoiding regular flour, eggs, butter, cream, and milk, this turned out to be a really good chocolate cake. The texture is a bit crumblier, but other than that is is great paired with a raspberry coulis and fresh berries. This was the alternative dessert at the shellfish gala dinner function.

Flourless Chocolate Torte #2

Since the flourless chocolate torte was delicious and disappeared so quickly, but didn't seem to be correct in consistency, I decided to use the same recipe to make another one the next day. Here are the changes I made:

• I used dark chocolate pieces instead of semisweet chocolate chips
• I measured the ingredients by weight for more accuracy; which turned out to be 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of butter, and 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon of sugar, and 300 grams of chocolate.
• I melted the chocolate over a double broiler with the butter and cooled it slightly before using.
• I separated the eggs and whipped the whites to soft peaks, then gradually added the sugar and whipped to stiff peaks, then whipped in the yolks one at a time.
• I folded the chocolate and butter into the eggs.
• I omitted the vanilla extract.
• I lined the pan with parchment paper.
• I baked the cake at 355◦F.
• I baked the cake for 50 minutes.
• I removed the side of the cake tin immediately afer baking.
• I chilled the cake before serving.
• I served it plain without any ganache or other garnishes.

Considering all the alterations I chagned and how promising the cake looked, basically the same thing happened. It cracked and collapsed and had a very fidgey texture. The cake batter looked very light and airy before putting it in the oven, and rose very high, but collapsed and slanted upon cooling. Oh well, this cake is still pretty easy to make, is gluten-free, and tastes so darn delicious.

Flourless Chocolate Torte #1

This is a flourless chocolate torte my mother made from one of my recipe books. I finished it off with a dark chocolate ganache, tuxedo strawberries, and some chocolate kisses. The cake was delicious, rich, dense, and chocolaty; but it didn't hold up well. Maybe it should have been refrigerated, or baked longer, I don't know; but bowls and spoons worked better for this cake than plates and forks.

1 cup butter
2 cups chocolate
5 large eggs
1 1/3 cups granulated (white) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325◦F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan.
Melt together the butter and chocolate.
Beat the eggs and sugar until meringue-like consistency.
Fold all together.
Bake for 30 minutes until top is dry and puffed and cake is set.

Mom's Lemon Birthday Cake

Because I was not sure whether I would make it home for Mom's birthday or not and didn't have a lot of time once I did arrive, Mom's birthday cake was made by my brother and his girlfriend this year. They made a lovely gluten-free lemon bundt cake with a lemon icing. They were however, happy to have me pipe on the cake. I had forgotten to take home any cake decorating tools as I wasn't sure how much cake decorating I would be doing, so I just used a plastic bag. But I managed to pipe 'Happy 50th Birthday Mom' and some flowers and a border. I used a little melted strawberry jam to color the icing a very light pink naturally.

Ferrero Rocher Bars

Happy World Nutella Day 2016! In past years, I have gone all out making multiple nutella-based treats. Sometimes I just go on nutella sprees and make nutella goodies throughout the year. If you type 'nutella' into the search bar of my blog, you will find many, many recipes and creations!

Nutella, the delicious chocolate hazelnut spread that goes well with nearly any sweet thing, deserves to have its very own day to celebrate it. In case you are wondering, no, commercial nutella is not vegan, but it is very easy to make homemade vegan versions. I even made one here: http://bexysbakingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/homemade-vegan-nutella.html. You can also buy vegan versions. For world nutella day this year, I made these chocolate hazelnut bars. They are not made with actual nutella, but rather are made with the ingredients of nutella; chocolate and hazelnuts. This saves a step of making your own nutella, and also makes these bars vegan, gluten-free, and delicious!

Ferrero Rocher Bars
2 cups ground hazelnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup maple syrup reduction
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan caramel sauce
1 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line a 9x13 inch rectangular pan with parchment paper. Mix together the first five ingredients together well. Pour into the pan. Drizzle the caramel sauce over top. Sprinkle with the nuts and salt. Bake for about 30 minutes. The middle will still seem almost runny, but the edges will begin to look set. Do not try to cut these until they cool completely. I stuck my pan in the freezer before cutting to firm them up.

These squares turned out quite ooey gooey and sticky, but I LOVED the taste. My taste testers told me the taste just like those delicious Ferrero Rocher (chocolate hazelnut) chocolates, and I agree! A disclaimer: I came up with these bars on a whim, and really didn't measure ingredients. Therefore, I cannot guarantee the success of this recipe - it's really just estimates. Sometimes random experiments turn out the best, if you can get them to work out!!!

Wild Berry Tarts

A stunning, colorful, individual-sized  wild berry tartlet featuring four juicy berry flavors, lemon, coconut, cream, and almonds!

This is a fruit tart I made as my first creation and my first lunch for the New Year. My boyfriend has been hinting at me for awhile about fruit tarts with lots of berries, and I was excited to finally make one. I will definitely make another version in the summer time when fresh berries are in season, but considering I used frozen berries, this fruit tart turned out pretty darn good. Despite being composed of 0% chocolate and 100% vegan ingredients. It's also chock-full of fruit and nuts, no-bake, gluten-free, and dare I say, healthy?

Components
CRUST (almond cookie crust)
FILLING (lemon coconut cream filling)
TOPPING (four berry compote)
GARNISH (berries)
GLAZE (maple syrup)

Procedure
Prepare the crust and press into two four inch tart pans or miniature aluminum pie plates. Freeze to firm up while preparing filling.

Prepare the filling and pour over the crusts. You can now refrigerate this until firm or freeze it so it firms up within hours. I recommend freezing, especially if you just made the crust, because if the crust is not fully set, it will become too soft in the fridge. Freezing for longer does not seem to affect the texture of the coconut milk in the cream filling.

Prepare the berry compote. Ideally cool the compote completely and chill it first, but if you are short on time like me, you can spoon it straight over the partially set cream filling and smooth it out as best as possible. It may make the filling melt a little, but it will be fine once you pop it back in the freezer. Alternately, chill it in the fridge.

Take the pretty whole berries set aside from the compote and arrange them artistically on the tarts. You want to keep the berries frozen until ready to use because they are too soft to work with (without smushing them) when thawed. However, you don't want to serve a tart with frozen berries, so keep in mind this must be done a little before serving time to allow them to thaw. The tarts can also be placed back in the freezer after topping with the berries if they are being held longer.

Heat a little maple syrup in the microwave for thirty seconds or so and brush over the fruit on top to make it shine. The tarts can be frozen again if you want to hold them, held in the refrigerator briefly, or if you plan to serve them very soon, left at room temperature to warm up a bit before eating. If frozen for more than a few hours, gently place in a container or cover with plastic wrap.

Serving
Gently unmold the tarts from the pans and place on plates. I find this is really easy if you line the tart pans with plastic wrap before filling with the crust mixture - then the tarts simply lift straight out! You can add other garnishes such as lemon wedges, toasted coconut, chocolate sauce, or (coconut) whipped cream, but I like to let these fruit tarts shine on their own.

Planning these ahead and serving them can be slightly tricky. The crust can be made as far in advance as you wish, as long as you have your dates soaked - so I recommend doing this at least the day before to ensure a less soggy crust.

The coconut custard firms up much better in the freezer and causes the crust to become a bit soggy if left for too long at lower temperatures.

The berries place don top of the tart should be done as closely to serving as possible, still allowing enough time for them to thaw out, though I did have success with freezing the tart like this as well.

Glaze the berries last minute for optimum shine.

Ideally thaw frozen tarts only 6-14 hours before serving, and allow to come to room temperature to serve. Do not freeze for longer than a few days, and do not leave at room temperature. This will ensure optimum flavors and textures.

Gluten-Free Baklava

Gluten-Free Baklava
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
1 teaspoon granulated (white) sugar
1 Tablespoon oil
1-2 Tablespoons milk

Mix all together to form a dough. It may require more flour or milk. This dough will not be as smooth and easy to work with as a biscuit dough containing gluten, but just do your best if it rips or tears. Press it out into a thin rectangle. Spread with baklava filling (ensure it has not been contaminated with the phyllo dough). Prepare as for regular baklava, though check it early - it may not need to bake as long. Ensure the syrup for the gluten-free baklava has been kept in a separate container to avoid contamination. Makes about four mini baklava rolls.

When making baklava the other week, I had someone with a gluten intolerance. So I made a miniature batch of baklava especially for them. It wasn't too much extra work to make up this quick dough, you just need to be wary of cross-contamination. Flaky phyllo pastry contains gluten and I haven't seen a reliable gluten-free version available out there. So these pastries are not quite the same as baklava but it gives the same idea and at least this way it is the same filling and syrup.

Crustless Mixed Vegetable Quiche

Crustless Mixed Vegetable Quiche
4 large eggs
3 cups milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag (3 cups) frozen mixed vegetables, lightly steamed according to package directions
2 cups shredded cheese 

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line one 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan or two 9-inch round deep-dish pie plates. 
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cornstarch, baking powder, parsley, and spices. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared pan(s) and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

The vegetables, cheese, and seasonings can be varied to match your tastes. Leftover, fresh, or canned vegetables can all be used, as long as they are lightly cooked beforehand.  Choose vegetables that are fairly small - I used a mixture of carrots, beans, peas, and corn. Not typical in a quiche, but it worked really well! This is a really easy recipe that requires no crust to fuss with. It is also vegetarian and gluten-free! It cooks very well, and can even be kept warm for a while without sacrificing quality. This dish really isn't anything special, but was the first to disappear and got raving reviews, so I guess it went over well.