Gluten free breakfast crumble topping

I love crumble and also granola so this is a good great way of combining the two and you can use whatever fruit you have available, in whatever combination you desire, apple, plums, rhubarb, berries, nectarines. 

Ingredients

100g gluten free oats

25g chopped pecans (optional) or mixed seeds

40g coconut oil

2 tblsp maple syrup 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c / gas mark 4

2.. Stir all the ingredients together and top your chosen fruit. It really is that simple.

3. If using pre stewed fruit or compote then cook for about 20 mins or just until the topping is golden.

4. If using uncooked fruit then cook for longer. About 40 minutes but it really does depend on the fruit you use, apples will take longer for example. I find it quicker and easier to have the fruit cooked already to save time and then just bake it with the topping on it. 

5. Serve either warm or cold, I like to bake it the night before in the Summer and serve it cold. It is delicious served with greek yoghurt and extra fruit and maybe the teensiest bit of honey or maple syrup drizzled on top and in the Winter I serve it hot. 

6. This is enough for four people but sometimes I halve the quantity and just make a small one.

Favourite crumble topping

Crumble has always been a favourite in our house as it is in many households and in fact it was one of the first desserts  I made as a child with my mum and still have the first recipe I scribbled down in my scrapbook. Over the years it has been used to top a lot of different fruits but I had perfected the recipe so when I had to cut out gluten it was essential that I was able to come up with a crumble topping that was as good as the original and this one I think is. 

Ingredients

180g Gluten free Oats

100g Butter, (I use salted butter) melted 

90g demerara sugar

For a healthier version
180g Gluten free oats (or add in some chopped nuts as well to make up to the same weight)
80g coconut oil, melted ( I use the groovy food company one)
4 tbsp maple syrup or honey or agave syrup
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Using a high speed blender or a food processor, grind roughly 2/3rds oats (about 110g) to a fine oat flour. 

2. Mix in the remainder of the oats, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and sugar/honey/maple syrup and then stir in the melted butter/coconut oil.

3. I often make this in advance and pop in the fridge for when I need it as will keep quite happily in the fridge for a week or two or use it straight away to top your favourite fruit for your crumble. This quantity is enough for a dish about 20cm in diameter (the dish I use is 16cm by 22cm) 

4. Gently pour the crumble topping onto your chosen prepared fruit and spread it out until it is an even coverage and then bake at 175c for between 35-45 mins. I sometimes cover it with foil after 35 mins if it is browning too much. it is done when it is golden on top and your chosen fruit is cooked.

5. This quantity is enough for a decent crumble layer for us but if you like a much deeper crumble layer then increase the quantity. You will get to know how much to make. 

Gluten free marble cake

This has always been my daughters all time favourite cake and I have done marble cake for so many birthday cakes in so many shapes and in so many colour combinations I have lost count! They love it because unlike most cakes each slice is different which kind of adds to the excitement and you can create the most wonderful effect. The flavour is amazing but you don't just have to make it a marble chocolate cake you can leave all the mix plain or you can separate the mix but colour it different colours rather than making it chocolate if you fancied making a slightly different inside to a birthday cake. My favourite is either rainbow or camouflage. As with most of the recipes if you are not gluten free then just switch regular self raising flour back in. 

Ingredients

300g gluten free self-raising flour ( I use Doves Farm or Freee foods they are now called)

200g butter, softened

250g caster sugar

3 eggs

200 ml soured cream

30g cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Optional icing

25g butter

1-2 tbsp milk

15g cocoa powder

100g icing sugar

50g white chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/ gas mark 4

2. Grease and line the base with baking parchment either 20 cm round tin with a loose bottom or a 23cm by 13cm loaf tin (or I actually sometimes split the mix between two smaller loaf tins to save one cake for a rainy day as freezes well too!)

3. In a bowl cream the butter until soft using either a hand held electric whisk or a free standing machine with the paddle attachment. Or a wooden spoon as I used to and I taught my daughter when she first began baking)

4. Add the sugar and continue mixing until it is pale in colour light and creamy.

5. Add the eggs one at a time and add in 1 tbsp flour after each addition or more if it starts to curdle.

6. Add in your soured cream and beat until it is well mixed and then with a large metal spoon gently fold in the remainder of the flour. (In case you did not know and are interested, the use of a metal spoon at this stage is because it helps prevent the air being lost in the folding in process)

7. Then remove half the mixture into another bowl and sift the cocoa into the mix left in the original bowl. Carefully fold in until it is well mixed. 

8. Into the second bowl add in the vanilla essence and mix really well.

9. Then this is the fun part. into your tin drop random blobs of each mix alternating between the two mixes without being too precise. When all the mix is added then give the tin a tap on the work top to level it and then with a skewer or sharp knife lightly swirl the mixture to marble it.

10. Bake in the oven for 45-50 mins until it is golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. I always check after the shortest time. 

11. Leave in the tin for 10-15 mins to cool then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

12. Serve.....enjoy!

Optional

12. The cake is delicious just like this but sometimes if I want it to look extra special then I ice, it so if you wish to also then melt the butter in a small pan, add the cocoa powder and beat until mixed in whilst over the heat still. Remove from the heat and add in the icing sugar and 1 tbsp milk to begin with adding more if the mix is too thick, mix until the icing sugar is blended in. I like my mix to be slightly thicker because I like to then feather the top with white chocolate so I don't always need the full 2 tbsp milk.

13. Put to one side while you melt the chocolate in a small bowl set over a pan of boiling water.

14. When ready to ice then cover the top of the cake with the chocolate icing. If you would like a neat glossy finish and the icing has thickened a lot take a palette knife and dip it in water (shaking off the drips) carefully smooth over the top of the icing, re-wetting the knife every now and then. 

15. You can the just trickle the melted white chocolate all over, pipe in patterns with a fine tip nozzle or trickle all over and then feather. Whatever takes your fancy.

Lemon curd blueberry meringue cupcakes

I adore blueberries and lemon curd, I love cupcakes and my all time favourite dessert has to be lemon meringue pie so this is something I thought I would try to marry my three favourite things together and boy are they good!!! As usual with all these recipes if you are not gluten free just switch back in regular flour. This recipe should make about 12 cupcakes maybe more if your cases are not as deep as mine.

Ingredients for the cupcakes

150g butter or margarine

150g caster sugar

3 medium eggs

150g gluten free self raising flour, I use Doves Farm (or Freee foods I think they are called now)

about 5 tblsp lemon curd (depending on how lemony you want them)

a few handfuls of blueberries (again depends how many you want in your cakes)

Ingredients for meringue topping

2 free range egg whites

100g caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170c/325f/gas 3

2. Line your cupcake tin with paper cases.

3. I use the all in one method for my cakes. So easy if you have either a hand mixer, a free standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a food processor and that is I add the flour, butter, eggs and sugar and whizz until pale and light and fluffy. It never fails.

4. If you prefer to make it as you would a Victoria sandwich cake then cream the butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy, either in your mixer with the paddle attachment or by hand with a hand blender or wooden spoon in a bowl.

5. Add the eggs one at a time and after the first one I add in a tblsp of flour just to prevent it from curdling and then again after adding the other eggs. Beat really well after each addition.

6. Sift the flour and then add the rest into the mixture and beat until light and fluffy. 

7. Fold in the blueberries until well distributed.

8. I like the lemon curd to be in the middle of my cupcakes so put a spoonful of cake mix into each case. Then add about 1 tsp lemon cud into each case (this bit really isn't an exact science so no need to be too precise!) You can add more or less depending on how lemony you want them. I like lots so add good dollop in each one.

9. Then top the lemon curd with more cake mix to cover it.

10. Bake in the oven for between 15-20 mins. or until a skewer when inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. While they are baking prepare your meringue topping.

11. Make sure your bowl is scrupulously clean for this as meringues just won't work if there is the slightest bit of  grease on the bowl.

12. Whisk the egg whites with a hand whisk or freestanding mixer with the whisk attachment until the are stiff. You can test to see if they are ready by tipping the bowl upside down. If they do not slide out they are ready. (I like to do this over either mine or the children's heads for a giggle!) 

13. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time and continue whisking until thick and glossy.

14. Once you cakes are baked remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.

15. Either pipe or spread the meringue mix on top depending on what you prefer (Or have time for)

16. Then either brown with a blow torch or brown under a hot grill just until coloured but not too much.

17. These are delicious as a pudding with a big dollop of cream and more blueberries on the side or just with a cup of tea.....

 

Blueberry almond cake

This recipe came about one day when my husband came back with 2 kg of Blueberries! We do get through a lot each week usually but not that many..... I knew I would have to use quite a few up in recipes over the next week and as I was baking a cake that day I thought I would add a few blueberries instead of my usual almond cake favourites. The result was wonderful and so easy too.

Ingredients

150g butter, softened

125g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp almond essence

75g gluten free self raising flour ( I use Doves Farm or I think it amy be called Freee foods now!)
75g ground almonds

175g Blueberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170c/gas mark 3

2. Grease a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin (having the loose bottom makes it much easier to remove the cake without damaging the pretty top) and line the bottom with baking parchment.

3. Put butter and caster sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk or with a freestanding mixer with the paddle blade, until creamed together and pale and fluffy.

4. Break in one egg and whisk well adding a spoonful of flour if it starts to curdle.

5. Crack in the second egg and a spoonful flour and whisk again.

6. Add the ground almonds, almond extract and whisk until blended . Then add in the flour and give it a final mix.

7. The mix is quite stiff but spoon into the tin and spread it out as best you can.

8. Scatter with the blueberries and then pop into the oven and bake for about 45-50 mins. I always check after 45 mins by inserting a skewer into the middle to see if it comes out clean.

9. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

10. Carefully turn out of the tin. Slide off the bottom of the tin onto serving plate and drizzle with icing if desired, can top it with extra fresh blueberries as I have done although not necessary.

11. Works really well as a cake or as a pudding with cream. Either way its delicious. 

Gluten free chocolate secret muffins

I call these chocolate secret muffins because they contain courgettes and if I had told the children they did before they tasted them they probably would have given them a wide berth!!! As it was they absolutely loved them and so they now know that they have vegetable matter in them but the name has stuck.........These are gluten free but as with most of my recipes it is very easy to switch back, just switch in self raising regular flour for the gluten free flour.

Ingredients

250g self raising gluten free flour (I use doves farm)

375g caster sugar

65g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

350ml vegetable oil ( I use grapeseed oil)

340g finely grated courgette

120g chopped chocolate

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c / gas mark 4

2. Line your muffin tin with muffin cases.

3. I use a mixer with a paddle attachment for this but you can use a bowl and a hand mixer or whichever process you prefer for mixing cakes.

4. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa powder. 

5. In a separate bowl beat the eggs in with the oil

6. With the mixer running add the oil and egg mix into the dry ingredients and beat until well blended, then mix in the courgettes and again beat really well so they are well distributed throughout the mix.

7. Add in the chopped chocolate and again beat.

8. Spoon the mix into the muffin cases so they are 3/4 full, you should get at least 15 out of this although it depends on how deep your cases are so you may get less or more. 

9. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 mins. I always test mine after 15 mins as have an aga so they can bake quicker. They are baked as soon as a sharp knife or skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. 

10. Place on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy either slightly warm or cool and store in an air tight tin. 

Gluten free chocolate and pistachio shortbread

Recipe

175g butter

75g caster sugar

150g rice flour

100g ground almonds 

75g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

25g chopped pistachios

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4

2.Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, (I use a free standing mixer with the paddle attachment but you use whichever method you prefer)

3. Add the rice flour, ground almonds and mix until combined, then add in the chopped pistachios and chopped chocolate.

4. Shape into a cylindrical log roughly 5cm in diameter and wrap up in greaseproof paper ( It will be a little sticky but don't worry it will firm up) 

5. Place in the fridge for about an hour. You can skip this part but the dough will need to be rolled into balls and flattened into discs as is a sticky mix at this stage. I do also sometimes leave the dough overnight and make them the next day even. 

6. After about an hour unwrap and slice into round discs that are about 1cm thickness, don't worry if it crumbles slightly just squidge it together and shape into a round disc again, you can use some rice flour if a little sticky still) place them on several baking sheets that have been lined with baking parchment spacing far enough apart to allow for spreading.

7. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until golden. (you may need to rotate the trays half way through depending on your oven)

8. Once cooked leave on the baking sheets to firm up before moving to a wire rack to cool.

9. Store in an airtight container 

Variation;

1.You can half dip these or drizzle them in melted chocolate and sprinkle with more chopped pistachios for an extra special treat. 

2. You could leave out the pistachios and just add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

3. You could swap the pistachios and chocolate for anything you desire