Carina Bean Creations

Check out my lil sister's new blog!  I told her she should do it and like all little sisters should, she listened to her big sister. :-)  She has a great love for baking, but unfortunately has a gluten intolerance, so she's had to really search for good gluten-free recipes.  I've tried her stuff...its deeeee-lish!

German Sweet Chocolate Cake

Wow, can you believe 2 posts in a week?  I haven't done that for months!  Like I said in my last post, we recently found out that my son is allergic to wheat, milk, & peanuts, so we've been looking for tasty alternatives to what we're used to.  And I'm not willing to compromise good taste in the process.  I'm determined that eating allergy-free can be just as good as eating normal, so I'm on the hunt for good recipes.  This one was introduced to me by my little sis.  She has a gluten intolerance, so she has a little more experience in the gluten-free world.  She's been on the hunt for tasty gluten-free goodness and stumbled across this.  The original recipe is from the back of the Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate Bar box.  She simply substituted the flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour and I would go further and substitute the buttermilk with any non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, coconut) with vinegar added.  So far it really is the BEST gluten-free, dairy-free cake I've tested so far.  I honestly can't tell the difference.

• 1 pkg (4oz) Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate
• 1/2 c water
• 2 c flour (for gluten-free, use 2 c Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour...we've only used Bob's Red Mill brand so far)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened (if making dairy-free, use 1 c dairy-free substitute...we've used Nucoa dairy-free margarine)
• 2 c sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla (make sure its gluten-free...vanilla w/alcohol can contain alcohol w/gluten in it, so watch out)
• 1 c buttermilk (dairy free option: 1 c milk substitute (soy, rice, coconut, almond milk) plus 1 Tbsp vinegar...let it sit for 10 minutes to sour up a little)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prepare pans.  If using cake pans, cover bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; grease sides of pans.  If using cupcake tins, place cupcake paper cups in tins.

Microwave chocolate and water in large microwavable bowl on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.  Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Gently stir into batter.  Pour evenly into prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Immediately run small metal spatula around cake layers.  Cool in pans for 15 minutes; remove layers from pans to wire racks.  Discard wax paper.  Cool cake layers completely.  Frost & enjoy!

Makes 16 servings.

Dairy Free Whipped Cream

I can't believe its been SO long since I last posted...okay, maybe I can believe it.  In the last couple of months I've had a baby (now making my husband I proud parents of 3 very busy boys!), started homeschooling my oldest son, and, well lots more has been going on, but those are my biggest distractions these days.  A month or so ago we had our 2 oldest sons tested for food allergies, in which we discovered my oldest was allergic to just about everything.  Poor kid!  The major culprits were wheat, milk, and peanuts.  So our way of eating is going through quite a metamorphosis these days.  In some ways its more challenging than I thought and in others its actually easier.  I am finding it a lot easier for him to adjust then it would be for myself or my husband.  While I think most of the prepackaged cookies and breads and such are pretty much nasty, he loves them.  Go figure.  For once in his life he's actually being easy about something :-)  But through all of the hard work, its been worth it!  He feels better and acts so much better.  The point of my whole rambling is that my recipes may be changing a bit.  Not necessarily entirely, but be on the lookout for new gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, and even some vegan recipes.  

To start off with, I've found that coconuts are my new best friend.  It can be really healthy for you.  Coconut oil is a great alternative to other oils in baking and cooking.  Coconut milk can be substituted for milk in lots of stuff.  Although its more expensive, coconut milk yogurt and ice cream are tasty alternatives.  But if you make it yourself (I'll post when I try it), then it won't be so expensive.  Curries with coconut milk are always wonderful.  You can even make coconut flour (and coconut milk) from unsweetened coconut flakes (haven't tried it yet, but looks tasty).  Recently we tried out whipped cream using coconut milk.  It was actually tasty!  My son LOVED it and better yet we all liked it!  Try it out!

PS...if you don't like coconut flavor, you can still use coconut milk and oil in recipes (usually you can't taste it), but I wouldn't recommend this recipe or yogurt or ice cream made from coconut milk!

• Can of Whole Fat (NOT low-fat) Coconut Milk
• Sugar
• Vanilla (optional)

Refrigerate the coconut milk for a minimum of 4 hours...I'd recommend at least overnight, if not for a couple days.  DO NOT shake can!  After it has been refrigerated for preferably a couple of days, open the can.  You will find that all the fat will have risen to the top with the liquid at the bottom.  For this recipe you will not the liquid, so scoop out all of the coconut fat and place into a medium-sized mixing bowl (you can discard the liquid or save it to drink or use in smoothies or something)

With a mixer, blend the coconut on high speed.  After a few minutes it will start to get fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla (optional) to taste.  Continue mixing until it becomes very light and creamy, much like regular whipped cream.

Ikea Daim Torte

I am a HUGE fan of Ikea's Daim Torte & candies (and Ikea too!).  I love it so much that I once emailed Almondy (the company who makes them) to see if they sold them anywhere else since I live hours from the nearest Ikea.  Unfortunately Ikea's the only place in the U.S. who sell them.  (FYI-I think they're best frozen and they're gluen-free too)  Anyway this recipe isn't quite Almondy's version, but it is good.  The cake part is pretty close, but I would bake it in 2 different pans or slice it in 2 so you'll have 2 thin layers instead of one fat one.  Then layer the cream center (which I'll have to let you know when I find a TRUE Almondy-like center) and top with milk chocolate mixed with crushed Daim candies (or other toffee candy like Heath bar). 

(photo courtesy of Almondy)

• 1 cup ground hazelnuts (I'm sure you could use Almonds like Almondy's instead)
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 1/4 cup whipping cream
  
• 2 cups coarsely chopped Daim (you can buy these at Ikea, otherwise you can use
  
• any chocolate covered toffee candies like Heath or Score bar)
  
• 1 Tbsp cocoa
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 cup powedered sugar
  
• additional powdered sugar, candy for decoration

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a 10” springform pan with baking parchment. In a mixing bowl, combine hazelnuts, sugar, and eggs. Beat until well combined into a smooth, pliant dough. Press dough into the prepared springform pan and bake in the middle of a 400° oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely. In a medium bowl, beat cream together with cocoa and vanilla. Beat until stiff, adding powdered sugar to taste (if you substitute hot chocolate mix for the cocoa powder, do not add any additional sugar). Chop Daim coarsely. Stir into whipped cream. Spread the whipped cream mixture evenly over the cooled hazelnut crust. Garnish with additional chopped Daim, or with the chocolate candy of your choice.

Julie R.

AG, CA