French Apple Cake (GF)

What a perfect Fall dessert, just in time for the holidays.  If you are looking for a change of pace from traditional apple pie or just a new apple recipe for your menu, this cake is so moist and flavorful it will be a big hit with gluten and gluten free eaters alike.  The top is full of apples that have baked to a golden brown and the creamy rich layer under the apples just melts in your mouth.   The recipe came from a favorite magazine of mine Cook's Illustrated. I always have good luck with their variation of  classic preparations. Their test kitchen experiments with recipes until they get the best results possible. The cake is made in a springform pan and uses simple ingredients to make a truly impressive dessert!

Recipe:

1 1/2 pounds tart apples, sliced (Granny  Smith)

1 tablespoon Rum

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose baking mix 

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks (extra large)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a 9" springform pan with cooking spray and wrap bottom with tin foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Microwave sliced apples in a pie plate for 5 minutes then mix with rum and lemon juice, cool.

Mix in a large bowl:

1 cup gluten free all-purpose baking mix

1 cup sugar

baking powder, soda, and salt

In another bowl wisk:

1 egg, oil, milk, and vanilla

Mix wet and dry ingredients.  Transfer 1 cup of the batter to a glass measuring cup and add 2 remaining  tablespoons of gluten free all-purpose baking mix.

Add 2 egg yolks to the rest of the batter and fold in cooled apples.  Transfer to prepared pan and distribute evenly.

Pour reserved batter on top and sprinkle with some  cinnamon sugar.

Bake 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until browned and toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 20 minutes then run knife around pan and remove sides. Completely cool 2-3 hours. 

To purchase the gluten free all-purpose baking mix go to: www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Cream Filled Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate and Vanilla Sandwich Cookies

I love making these cookies for children's birthday parties. The kids love the cream filling and the crispy cookie combination so much that they disappear quickly.  A real treat and so easy to make since you use a gluten free cake mix. I like to make a combination of flavors but feel free to make your particular favorite. For the real chocolate lovers go with chocolate cookies and chocolate filling.

Recipe:

1 Package gluten free chocolate or vanilla cake mix

1 extra-large egg

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 1/2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine all the ingredients with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes.  Using a small ice cream scoop place balls of dough on an ungreased cook sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 

Cool and spread a tablespoon of frosting between two cookies.

Frosting:

1 package gluten free vanilla frosting mix

Mix according to manufacturer's directions to make the vanilla flavor.  Use however much of this you want first.Then add 1/2 the amount of cocoa powder to the remaining frosting to make the chocolate flavor.

Enjoy!

For the baking mixes used in this recipe go to:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Gluten Free Banana-Sour Cream Cake

A coupon for Breakstone's Sour Cream inspired this recipe. I found a good coupon in the Sunday local paper along with a beautiful picture of a Banana-Sour Cream Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Since I usually have some ripe bananas on my counter, and needed sour cream anyway, it was a perfect opportunity to experiment with the recipe Kraft was using to advertise their product. The original recipe used a traditional yellow cake mix so it was easy to swap out for a gluten free mix. Some of the ingredients had to be adjusted, since the cake mixes were of different volumes, otherwise the recipe stayed pretty much the same.  It was really moist, had a nice banana flavor and the sour cream added a richness to the texture.

Recipe:

1 12 ounce gluten-free vanilla cake mix

1/2 cup mashed bananas

1/2 cup Breakstone's reduce fat sour cream

2 extra-large eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 cup vegetable oil

Beat above ingredients with mixer on low until moistened, then on medium for two minutes. Pour into a greased 8" round cake pan. Bake 35 minutes in a pre-heated oven @ 350 degrees.  Cool on rack and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:

1 package gluten free vanilla frosting mix, following the directions for the cream cheese version. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired.

For information on the gluten free products used for this recipe visit:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com 

Gluten Free Apricot Bars

These old fashioned bars are perfect for a dessert or brunch item. The chewy interior is the perfect balance to the crumbly topping. The recipe was given to me by an old family friend who is a seasoned baker and a wonderful cook. She takes simple ingredients and makes delicious desserts.  The apricot filling is a mix of apricot preserves and chopped walnuts so it is important to use a good quality product.  I often find really good deals on jams and jellies at Ocean State Job Lot stores or at Christmas Tree Shops if these are in your area. A jar that would sell for $6 in a specialty store will probably be around $2.49 at these places.

  

Recipe:

1 3/4 cup gluten free all-purpose baking mix**

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1  egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flaked coconut 

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 12 oz. jar good apricot preserves

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Add gluten free baking mix and then the coconut, you will need to use a spoon for this as the dough is sticky. 

Spray a 8" baking pan with non-stick spray. 

 Pat half of dough into bottom of the pan with your fingers. Then spread apricot preserves on top if the dough and sprinkle with nuts. Drop the rest of the dough by spoonfuls on top of the apricot layer, you will be mostly covering the entire layer. Bake for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Cool completely before cutting. 

**The gluten free all-purpose baking mix can be found @www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Gluten Free Feta & Chive Biscuits

These savory scones are perfect with drinks before dinner or as part of a cheese and cracker plate. Feta cheese is used in place of the butter usually found in most biscuit recipes and the topping of a little cayenne pepper gives a nice spicy taste in every bite.

Recipe:

1 cup gluten free all-purpose baking mix

2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika if you don't like heat

Combine all-purpose baking mix and salt in a medium bowl.  Mix the feta cheese into the mix with your fingers until finely mixes. the  Stir in the chives, then add the milk and mix to a soft dough. Turn onto a surface dusted with a little of the all-purpose mix and knead until smooth. Roll out to 3/4 " thickness and cut out 2" biscuits. You can re roll the dough to use it all up. 

Place the biscuits onto a lightly greased baking sheet and brush with some milk. Sprinkle the cayenne pepper or paprika on top. 

Bake @ 400 degrees 15 minutes.

Makes 8 biscuits.

The gluten free all-purpose baking mix can be found @www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The big surprise is that this carrot cake is made from a packaged gluten free baking mix plus a few other ingredients and it tastes just like a made from scratch bakery cake. You will be really proud to serve this to all your guests. It makes an excellent  dessert for a birthday celebration or any special occasion and you will not be able to resist second helpings!

 Two layers for extra richness

Recipe:

1 package gluten free vanilla cake mix

1 egg

1 cup finely shredded carrots

1 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together on low for 1 minute then on high for 3 minutes. Pour into a greased 9" round cake pan and Bake @350 degrees for 28 minutes.  Cool and frost.

For muffins make 12 and cook for 18-20 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package gluten free vanilla frosting mix

1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Make the frosting as directed on the package using the cream cheese variation. Add nuts and frost the cake.  One package of frosting makes enough for two layers (you will need to double the recipe above) or 12 muffins generously.

To buy the gluten free vanilla cake mix and frosting mix visit:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Gluten Free Corn Muffins

Moist Corn Muffins with Grape Jam

You can see how beautifully these muffins bake to a lovely golden brown.  They were from an original "Barefoot Contessa" recipe I made gluten free.  I have great luck with freezing them and these muffins are a perfect snack any time of the day, as they are not too sweet yet go great with pretty much any flavor jam you like.  This recipe got excellent reviews from all my tasters.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten free baking mix

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk (any kind)

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 extra-large egg

Mix dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Place batter in muffin tins sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, filling almost to the top. Bake @350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Makes 10 muffins. 

For information on the all-purpose gluten free baking mix visit:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com