Carrot cake for everyone!

I'm increasingly asked the question, "Can you make ______________ gluten free?" My answer, without even thinking about it, is most often "Yes!" You can make just about anything gluten free, although, some things with more success than others. So, when my friend Alistair asked me about making gluten free carrot cake, my answer was, "Sure, of course you can!" Cake is one of the easiest things to make gluten free and have it come out tasting as good (if not better) than the gluten kind. So, there was no hesitation for me to answer him. The truth was I hadn't really bothered to make a gluten free version yet. Why? Well, my family is not overly fond of carrot cake. As carrot cake usually contains things like raisins or pineapple and nuts, my husband and kids tend to turn their nose up at it. My husband does not like any kind of baked goods with raisins or other fruit in it. The actual carrot in the cake is not the problem it is all the other "stuff." Personally, I like carrot cake, partially because it is usually accompanied by yummy cream cheese frosting, but don't really want to be the only one eating it. I did, however, like the idea of coming up a good gluten free version. After all, it is my Mother-in-law's favorite kind of cake.

Carrot cake is a bit like chili in the sense that everybody has their own idea what it should contain; pineapple vs raisins, nuts or coconut, there are many variations to choose from. I spent a good time just checking out recipes that were already out there, both gluten free and gluten versions. I then set out to try a number of test versions. Alistair humbly offered to be one of the tasters, so I started out with three different "testers," made in muffin form.

These came out well and I gave a number to Alistair to try for himself and to share. The differences were as follows:

Muffin #1 (with chopped pecan top) - made with raisins and pecans, and a simplified all-purpose flour recipe for people that don't have my book or are not usually gluten free (Alistair included).

Muffin #2 (with coconut) - made with pineapple and pecans, using Lisa's cake flour recipe (from my book, link here).

Muffin #3 (with whole pecan) - a lower fat vegan version, with pineapple, raisins and pecans, and made with coconut sugar (to see if substitutes would work).

The general consensus was that they were all good, except the vegan version was too moist, which had more to do with the fact that it was low fat, than it being vegan. I had already reduced fat even in the "regular" versions by quite a bit from most recipes that I had seen. The oil content was anywhere between 2/3 cup to 1 1/2 cups of oil, which seemed excessive to me. I kept it at 1/2 cup for the regular version, which is what I normally use for my cakes. The "low fat" version had only 1/4 cup.

With some good results with the muffins I wanted to try to make some full versions as well. So, I also made it in a bundt cake form as well as a traditional cake form. Every time doing just a little twist to see how much people could play with the recipe.

Bundt cake with yogurt icing.

The layer cake version (see picture at the top of the blog), I made just a bit sweeter and wanted to improve on the texture of the low fat. I made the mistake of trying to make a lower fat frosting, which came out more like thick icing. Not really the same for those of us who are buttercream/cream cheese frosting fans. So, I scraped off the icing and just dusted with powdered sugar. That seemed just right if you were going low fat anyway!

"Aloha" version (with pineapple, coconut, and ground nuts)

So in the end I realized the BEST carrot cake would be the one that you could personalize. So, without further ado here is the recipe:


Lisa's Carrot Cake:

2 cups Lisa's gluten free cake flour (or gluten free all-purpose flour mix containing xanthan gum)*
1 cup brown sugar (you can add up to 1/4 cup more if you like it sweeter)
2 cups grated carrots
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Ener-G egg replacer, dry (add 1/2 tsp more of baking powder if you don't have this)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or mix your own version of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, ect..)
2 eggs (or if using egg replacer, use the equivalent of 3 eggs)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil**
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts, or coconut
1/2 cup raisins, or one 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple drained

Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix the dry ingredients together including the carrots, nuts, raisins and/or pineapple. Then add the eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir until all the ingredients are moistened and well combined. Place into greased (and floured, if desired) 9 x 13 cake pan, 2 round cake pans, a bundt pan or muffin tins. Bake time with vary depending on the type of pan using. It will be about 40-45 minutes in the rectangle pan, 30-35 minutes in the round pans, 45-50 minutes in the bundt pan and 20-25 minutes in muffin tins. Remove from heat when toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely on wire rack before frosting or dusting with powdered sugar.

* Or you can use 1 cup sorghum flour, 1/2 cup rice flour (brown or white), 1/2 cup cup potato starch and 3/4 tsp xanthan gum.

** If wanting to reduce the oil further, you can cut the oil in half to 1/4, but do not add more applesauce. If not moist enough add a bit of liquid (water, milk, almond milk) a tablespoon at a time till all ingredients are just moistened or if too moist add up to 2 Tablespoons more of flour.

For cream cheese frosting:

4 oz. softened cream cheese (regular or low fat)
1/4 cup butter softened
1 - 2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar

For a twist on the cream cheese part:

Increase butter to 1/3 cup and add about 2 Tablespoons Fage yogurt.

For a vegan version:

Replace butter with coconut oil and cream cheese with Tofutti non-hydrogenated "cream cheese" substitute. You may wish to add a teaspoon or two of lemon zest in addition to the juice to boost the flavor.

So, that is it! Personalize it make it your own! I just tried a version this morning made with an interesting flour mix, added some "greens" in with the carrots and left out the raisins, pineapple and nuts in favor of chocolate chips!

Carrots and greens, chocolate chip "breakfast" muffins

Happiness IS a bright and shining thing!

On Valentines and Graham Crackers

I remember a time when making Valentines were fun. This was way back, of course, when my oldest son (now 19) was young. We would make homemade Valentines for his class, complete with a little treat or homemade cookie. The teachers would get a special one with a larger cookie, and maybe a little candy. We might do a little decorating at home. I might even be ambitious enough to make fudge...

Not so today. I usually chinse (you can find chinsy in the Urban Dictionary) out and just get store bought Valentines, put a candy "Kiss" on them and send them into class. Yes, the teacher gets the teacher one from the box (usually the bigger one), and two candy kisses instead of one! I then hope that Grandma sends some candy so I don't have to make anything at home and call it a day. No, my husband doesn't usually do anything for Valentines as for many years now he would be out of town at a trade show and figured that was a good enough "out." I do remember a lovely engraved bracelet he gave me one Valentine's Day, but that was back before we had children. He will be in town this year, it will be interesting to see if he remembers...

Anyway, as you can see Valentines is not on my list of important "holidays" anymore. With my youngest in 6th grade, I hope this is the LAST Valentine's Day I will have to worry about getting Valentines for school. I am pretty much over that.

So, what says "Happy Valentine's Day" more than graham crackers! Okay, they don't say anything about Valentine's Day at all. Still, graham crackers are a great cookie/cracker. They are often overlooked except to play a role in Smores. But, they are only the "supporting" (pun intended) role in the the production, outmatched by the marshmallows and chocolate. Of course, if you have little ones around, graham crackers take on a different meaning as they are often a sweet snack of choice to give out when your first choice of carrots sticks is met with them being thrown across the kitchen. To be honest, I usually just skipped the sticks and would go straight for the crackers. Saved a bit of clean up time and a having to give a lecture on how much more healthy the carrot sticks would be for them (Just kidding, they wouldn't have been allow to throw food!). Currently, my kids don't really go much for graham crackers, unless they are a part of a Smores or as a base to spread Nutella on. They love Nutella. But, now we are back to the graham crackers in a supporting role.

My friend Liz though, does have little ones and had asked me quite awhile ago now for a gluten free recipe. Early into my daughter's diagnosis of Celiac, I had tried out a recipe for "graham crackers" I found using Teff flour. The end result was pretty good, but not excellent enough for me to want to make it on a regular basis. Liz gently reminded me after I got my recipe book out (link: here) that I had promised to get her a recipe. So, in my usual research fashion, I set out to see what recipes were out there and create one that I thought will work the best. So, here it is.

Oh, wait! First, we need to talk about shortening. Shortening is a touchy subject with people. Why? It involves FAT. In this case, saturated fat. You know, the bad kind. So, fat has become a "hush, hush" word. There are some people not wanting to use any solid fats, only liquid oils (unsaturated fats), and some shunning the category of fats all together. For those of us that still use some solid forms, there is the argument over which one is better; butter vs vegan butters, vs coconut oils, vs margerine, vs tub varieties (with plant steroids, olive oil or other add in's). There is much to say on this subject. Just go Google it and you will find a myriad of articles and opinions. Most people are in one camp or the other. Either the butter camp or margarine (now usually made without trans fats, typically that means palm oils)/vegan "butters"/coconut oil camp. Personally, I will say I am firmly in the butter camp. Why? Without going into too much chemistry and detail (I like to do detail), mostly because it has been used for centuries, and contains two ingredients: cream and salt. I like that. It is a natural form of fat and can be processed by your body. I am not arguing here that it is GOOD for you to eat it in mass quantities, but rather than use, let's say a vegan butter that contains 11 ingredients including soy products and flavor, I would rather stick with the butter. Yes, there is coconut oil and I have used it, but it can sometime lend a bit of a coconut flavor and it doesn't always give me the texture I am looking for. So, there you go. Like I said I am firmly in the butter camp. So much so, that I have taken to making my own lately. This way I can pick the organic cream of choice and with a little kosher salt, some mixing.... voila! BUTTER!

Homemade butter

As far as this recipe goes, I did try it with both butter and coconut oil (if you are vegan). Both came out great, though I prefer the flavor of the butter version better (shouldn't be a surprise by now). So, go ahead and use whichever form of shortening you prefer, but it needs to be solid. It will not come out the same with oils. If you are completely against solid shortening you can play with using oil, but I didn't see any recipe out there that used it for this, and one that specifically said it would not work well. If you are against fats entirely, well, I can't help you there. 
 
So, NOW, here is the recipe for gluten free graham crackers:

Lisa's Gluten Free Graham Crackers 

2 cps Lisa's all purpose gluten free flour mix (or mix of choice)
1/4 cp almond or teff flour (if you don't have this you can use 1/8 cp more all purpose)
1-2 tbsp ground flax seed (optional - I didn't use it in my test versions)
1/2 cp packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (unless the all purpose flour you are using has it in the ingredients)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup shortening of choice
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the dry ingredients together. Cut the shortening into dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Add liquid ingredients, mix well and form into a ball. If the dough seems too dry, add more water a little at a time (about a teaspoon) till the desired consistency is reached. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Take dough out of refrigerator and let warm for 5 min or so before rolling. Roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, till desired thickness (the thinner, the crispier the crackers will be). Transfer carefully to cookie sheet. Using a pizza wheel or knife, cut into squares or 2 x 3 sections. You can run "score" the middle of each piece (not all the way through) and then prick lightly with a fork. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. If cookies bake together, re-cut while warm and then transfer to cooling rack. 

The end cracker should look a bit like this.

Like I said I tried two different shortenings and rolled each to a little different thickness. Keep in mind I was not going for pretty here. Just to see how well things would work.

Besides the slight taste difference, the coconut oil version was a bit darker. The thicker rolled version was more like a soft spice cookie. We liked it thinner and crispy. 

So, I wanted to bake up a second batch that was cut nicer, but ended up burning it! 

I blame the Olympics and trying to help my daughter make Lego "letters" for a project she is working on. Oh well, they still taste great even if they aren't as pretty. I know I'm supposed to wrap them with a bow to make them look beautiful and appetizing. Too lazy and my daughter had the camera commandeered. 

So, go ahead and make some up for Valentine's Day, cut them into heart shapes using a heart shaped cookie cutter, if you want. Just don't burn them like I did.



Alright, I couldn't resist, knowing that everything looks better tied up in a pretty bow...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Getting your gluten recipes to gluten free

Boy, the month of January seems to be flying by. It's been quite busy! Finally, have a chance to sit down and get the next post out.

Currently I am working on reformatting the recipe book so it can be purchased for digital medium! Unfortunately, my original design files for the book are converting over as nicely as I would like and so I'll have to wait for some "technical" help (from my awesome husband), before I can publish. I'll let you know when it is out and available for purchase. I personally can't use technology in the kitchen as I would probably spill something all over it..but, I know more and more individuals that are using their computers, ipads, tablets, and phones to view recipes on, so I want to make that available for you are are more coordinated and less old-fashion than myself!

So Let's Talk Brands...

As I mentioned in the recipe book, the brand of product you use to create your food will make a big difference in how it comes out! I wish that weren't the case, but it is. I remember as I was looking into making dinner rolls and looking at various recipes, I stumbled upon a gf cheese roll recipe. The author of the site posted pics of what happened based on using different brands of tapioca flour. One was round and puffy and looked yummy, the other...well, it fell flat. Literally! (I was going to put a link to it here, but can no longer find it). Anyway, as I was making bread today I was reminded how much brands seem to matter.

I recently switched sorghum flour brands from Bob's Red Mill to Authentic Foods. I don't know what happened to Bob's. Maybe they switched suppliers or maybe the grain is processed differently, but shortly after we moved a year and a half ago, I started to notice that it wasn't ground as fine and that it was beginning to have a more distinct flavor. Personally, I try and keep my all purpose flours as neutral as possible, and I was beginning to get a "sorghum flour flavor" coming through into the finished food product. That was not what I wanted. As I switched flours right about the time the book was coming out I didn't notice that I would be having to "tweek" every recipe I make now, either by eliminating extra starch that may be in the recipe or by adding a bit more liquid.

I realize this is going to be confusing to a number of people new to gluten free cooking. Shouldn't the recipe just work no matter what brand you use? Yes, that would be nice, but unfortunately isn't the case. I try in my All Purpose Flour Mixes section to make that clear, but until you start working with them, you just don't know how much it can impact the final product. So, if you find yourself having to "tweek" recipes, mine or otherwise. Don't be discouraged. It is normal.

Bread fresh out of the oven!

Also, I have been asked to recommend some premixed all purpose flours. Well, I can make a few suggestions, but as I use my own flour mix I can't tell you for sure how well they work. But, I know that it can be difficult for some people to find the time to mix up their own flour or that they just don't want to be bothered to have to do it. So, with that in mind, if I were to go buy a mix I would probably choose "Pamela's" all purpose blend or "Jules" all purpose blend as both have very similar ingredients to mine. They do have binder in the mix (like my cake flour does) guar gum, in the case of Pamela's and xanthan gum, in the case of Jules, so you will have to adjust the binder in each recipe accordingly. There is also "Mama's blends" (there are several), "King Arthur's," "Arrowhead Mills" and "Authentic Foods" (where I order my sorghum flour) has a couple of mixes as well. What you have available in your area? I don't know. So, you may be limited as to what you can find. You will also need to look to see if the flour contains xanthan or guar gum which will effect how it works in recipes.

The fact is everyone has a different idea what the BEST flour mix is anyway. Just take a look at all the different recipes you can find on the internet! It boils down to taste and texture preferences. I mixed mine originally, to work in my old gluten flour recipes. I wanted the food to taste as close to the original as possible for all the gluten eaters in the house as well as my gluten free daughter. So, although I give a recipe in my book (well, actually two...one is the "all purpose" without xanthan gum and the other is the "cake flour" that is virtually identical except it uses sweet rice flour instead of brown rice and does have xanthan gum in it), I fully expect people to tailor the recipe to their own tastes and needs. Of course, that means that you may have to adjust some of the recipes in my book as well as the blog, to fit the flour mix you are using.

So, I say go ahead and experiment a bit. Find what works for you and your cooking style.

P.S. I have found another correction. Pg 22: "2 teaspoons Ener-G replacer" should read "2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer"

The New Year

It seems appropriate to start this blog the first day of 2014. My idea was that it would be an "accompaniment" to my new recipe book Gluten Free in a Gluten World (available on Amazon.com here). A place where I could make corrections...Yes, I have already found a couple! Like on page 49; 3rd paragraph, 2nd sentence: "Whisk flour.." should say: "flour(s) or "flour, almond meal,...." OR page 50; "(if it seems too sticky add up to 1/2 cup more flour)" OR make clarifications, such as on page 46; in the description where I say: "...most of the time I add 1 egg white..."  with the explanation of: "...one egg white and 1/2 of the Ener-G egg replacer (1/8 cup water + 2 teaspoons egg replacer), making the equivalent of 2 egg whites which the recipe calls for." BUT, really as I thought about it I realized it could be so much more. A place where I could post new recipes, where people could give feedback or ask questions if they were having trouble with the recipes, and where I could sound off on various gluten free issues.

I suppose I should give a bit of an explanation about me. I am quite tempted at this point to just say that you can find it in the first section of the book entitled "Why a Gluten Free Recipe Book?" But, I realize that some people will stumble upon this blog without ever hearing about the book. So, this is the short version:

A few years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac's disease and I was soon embarking into a new world of gluten free cooking. Complicating matters was that my two other children didn't want to go gluten free, and my husband, who has a genetic cholesterol condition, really needed to have the benefits that a whole grain diet had to offer. So, what was a good mother and wife to do? Well, after much research and trial and error, I came up with a way to cook gluten free to satisfy the whole family! I created my own gluten free flour recipe and successfully converted my gluten recipes to gluten free. My goal with writing the book was to help make the transition easier for others who are going gluten free. To not only offer recipes, but also information about gluten free products and how to use them, so that others could convert their own recipes to gluten free as well.

So, that is it in a nutshell! It was a busy summer and fall of 2013 as I worked on getting the book finished. But, as the book was finally published in December (just in time for the Holidays!) I could sit back a bit and enjoy the time with family. My oldest son, who is a sophomore in college this year came home with one request and that was to make a "real" gingerbread house this year. Well, this was the result:

Christmas 2013 gingerbread house

All lit up!

 It was a lot of work, but I think it came out well for our first try! My first task was to make the gingerbread gluten free. I think the recipe was just right and we enjoyed some other cookies that I made with the dough.

"Snowflake cookies"

So, I think my first my first recipe post will be the gingerbread recipe. Okay, I know, you are saying, "But, the Holidays are over!" Yes, but gingerbread CAN and SHOULD be enjoyed at other times of the year as well. These "Snowflake cookies" certainly fit into wintertime as we enter into this New Year of 2014. I started making these a number of years ago (before going gluten free) after seeing Ginger Snowflakes in a Sunset magazine (Dec. 2001) issue. I used Royal icing (leftover from the house building) to make the designs. Here is the recipe for the gingerbread:

Lisa's Gluten Free Gingerbread

7 1/2 - 8 cups all purpose gluten free flour (I used the "cake flour" recipe from my book which contains xanthan gum)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp binder mix (also from my recipe book) which is: 1/4 tsp xanthan gum + 1/4 tsp guar gum
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar (depending on your taste)
2 large eggs
1 cup molasses
3 Tbsp water

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar together till fluffy. Beat in eggs, molasses and water until well combined. Mix in flour one or two cups at a time until you reach a consistency that dough can be handled. "Knead" briefly and then wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Let sit 10 - 15 min. before rolling dough out. Roll till about 1/4 inch thick and cut cookie shapes as desired. Bake in 375°F oven for about 15 min. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack completely before using icing or dusting with powdered sugar.

Be creative and have fun! Happy New Year everybody!