Upside down Apple Cake -- gluten-free, vegan, nut-free

My Bubbi Sarah was a tiny and tough old woman who came here from Poland when she was a young girl. She'd witnessed a tremendous amount of change in her life by the time she died after the new millennia at the age of 102, but one thing was constant -- her love of making the old traditional favourites for her family's eating pleasure. She'd make mandelbrot, poppy seed cookies, roasted eggplant, and her famous apple cake. With a nudge she'd say "Did you try the apple cake? It's good. I made it."

I miss that. So I always think of Bubbi Sarah when I bake an apple cake.

Now, I can't claim to hold a candle to her apple cake. This one is lovely, however. The cake is delicate, soft, spongey, and moist, with perfect integrity, and a light sweetness and spiciness. I'm sure Bubbi Sarah would have been baffled by my use of millet and buckwheat flours, but I like to think she would have enjoyed it.

If, like me, you are allergic to wheat, or if you simply want a change, this gluten-free, nut-free, vegan cake is wonderful.

I love the way an upside down cake looks, with a pretty pattern in apple slices on the now-top. I sprinkle coconut sugar liberally to affect a sort of caramelization on the now-top, and it's a thing of pleasing deliciousness.

equipment:
round 8 inch pan, coated with coconut oil and parchment
mixing bowl
mixing spoon
knife
cutting board
measuring spoons
measuring cups
whisk
oven


ingredients:

a)
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

b)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp tonka bean powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

c)
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup warm water

d)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

e)
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 apples, cored and sliced


directions:

preheat the oven to 345 degrees

1. prepare the apple and the pan
2. cover the bottom of the pan with parchment, then cover the parchment with coconut sugar sugar and apple slices (e)
3. combine the warm water and coconut oil (part c) and set aside
4. mix together the dry ingredients from a) and b) in a bowl
5. mix the ingredients from d) into the ingredients from e)
6. using a whisk, combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients
7. pour the batter over the sliced apples
8. bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 345
9. cool and invert onto a plate

*** Really Good Cake -- Simple Cake -- gluten free vegan cake

This cake is amazing. It's a wonderfully spongey, simple, tasty, moist, delicious cake. Goooooooood cake. Really good cake.

Buckwheat flour tends to have a particular and strong flavour, and I am usually loathe to use it outside of very specific applications.  However, the ingredients in this cake balance it all perfectly and there is nothing about this cake that isn't just delicious. It's just ... lovely.

Don't bother me I'm imagining it with fresh strawberries that have been sliced and stirred together with a touch of maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt, all spooned over top, releasing all their secrets ...

Sorry, what did I miss?

Anyway, this cake is just a perfect spongey lovely cake. I can't wait to make it again.

equipment needed:

square silicone cake pan
mixing bowl
mixing spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
oven


ingredients:

a)
1 cup millet flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

b)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp tonka bean powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

c)
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut nectar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

d)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cup warm water


directions:

preheat the oven to 345 degrees
1. combine the ingredients from part d and set aside
2. in a bowl, mix the ingredients from a) and b) -- thoroughly combine
3. stir c) and d) together
4. mix the wet and dry ingredients together -- I like to use a whisk
5. pour the batter into the silicone pan and bake at 345 for 45 minutes
(or bake as individual cupcakes for about 35 minutes)





45 minutes 345 degrees

baddass Split chickpeas***

So, these amazing split chickpea are super easy to cook up for a quick dinner. Throw a pot of brown basmati or brown jasmine rice on to cook at the same time, and you will be delighted. I will do a half-and-half bowl of rice and chickpeas, and lay a strip of roasted and salted pumpkin seeds down the centre for fun, taste, and texture.

equipment needed:

measuring cups
measuring spoon
sieve
pot
spoon
running water


ingredients:

3 cups split chickpeas (rinsed, not cooked)

1 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp mesquite powder
3 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp coconut manna

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp coconut oil

6 cups water (I use boiling water)


directions:

1. rinse your split chickpeas well
2. put the chickpeas in a pot or pan with all the other ingredients
3. cook until the water is absorbed. Leave a little extra liquid, it's nice that way, and it does thicken up  a lot

Double Chocolate Muffins -- gluten free, vegan, and awesome

I whipped these up on the spur of the moment when my husband and son needed a quick lunch to take with them.

The goal was to make these as nutritionally dense a possible, and super yummy.

These ticked all the boxes.

I combine black bean flour, cacao, shredded coconut,  tapioca flour, and oat bran. These may not be traditional flours, but each one brings something excellent to the flavour, texture, and nutritional punch of these muffins. Because they are wheat and gluten free, as well as nut free, they are a pretty safe bet for an on-the-go snack.

Bonus: they mixed up in just a few minutes, so they were into and out of the oven in a hurry.

equipment needed:

mixing bowl
mixing spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
muffin tray or silicone muffin cups and baking sheet
oven


ingredients:

a)
1/4 cup black bean flour
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup oat bran

b)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp tonka bean powder (Optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

c)
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 cup water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

d)
1/2 cup chocolate chips


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the ingredients from a) and b) in a bowl, and mix really well.
2. add the ingredients from c) and combine. I like to use a whisk!
3. stir in the chocolate chips (d)
4. scoop the batter into 12 muffin cups
5. bake at 345 for 35 minutes
6. cool and remove from tray/cups
7. store in the fridge in an airtight container

Chickpea Fries V 2.0

2 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 - 3/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cumin

1 cup chickpea flour


1. cook on a low simmer on a pot on the stove, stirring constantly, until thickened
2. pour into an oiled pan and cool
3. chill until set -- 1 hour
4. put onto cutting board and cut into 'fries'
5. pan fry or baste with coconut oil and oven 'fry' (I did the oven route on a lined baking sheet. I baked them at 345  for about an hour and then found I needed to finish them at 415  to get them to crisp up

Chickpea Flour Tofu

1 cup chickpea flour
3 cups water
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp mesquite

whisk together
cook in a pot while stirring, until thick and glossy (low heat)
pour into a pan to set (silicone is perfect for this)
cut into cubes
toss with coconut oil and bake in the oven