Blueberry fruit cake recipe (gluten and egg free recipe)

This is an amazing gluten free and egg free blueberry fruit cake recipe.

Chef gives this blueberry cake recipe a funky twist to it - a crispy sugar coating topping with a hint of cinnamon.

This is a moist cake that has fantastic flavour, no one would know it was a gluten and egg free cake recipe.

Although the cake has a crunchy sugar coated topping the cake itself is not overly sweet at all, because the cake uses some sour flavours like plain yogurt and cornmeal flour the sweetness of the sugar is not as intense as other cakes but sweet enough.

It is so nice to eat into the soft moist centre of the cake and then bite into the top piece afterwards as though you have saved the sweet crispy layer as an extra treat that the cake provides for your delight.

The aroma of the cake as it bakes in the oven is lovely.

Chefs blueberry cake did not last long and there was soon only a few crumbs left on the plate.

Ingredients for gluten free blueberry fruit cake

4oz Blueberries
3ozRice flour
2oz Fine yellow cornmeal flour (fine polenta)
4oz Margarine
5oz Caster sugar
1 Vanilla pod
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
2 Tbsp Ground flax seed
2oz Raisins
2oz Sultanas
1 tsp Xanthan gum
1oz Corn starch
1+1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Aniseed powder
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
Pinch salt
1oz Caster sugar
3 Heaped Tbsp Plain yogurt
Hot water

Sugar topping ingredients

3 heaped Tbsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder


Take a bite into a piece of Chefs tasty moist blueberry cake, then bite into the sugar coating topping for a delightful crunchy taste of extra sweetness.



See the crispy topping of the blueberry cake.



Lightly crack the topping of the cake to indulge in the moist blueberry treat beneath.

How to make a gluten free blueberry fruit cake

Soak the sultanas and raisins in enough water to just slightly cover the fruit with 1/4 tsp vanilla essence.

Cream together 5oz sugar and margarine vanilla seeds.

Add rice flour, cornmeal flour, corn starch, cinnamon, aniseed, salt, baking powder,. Mix dry ingredients into the margarine to form a pastry like dough.

Add the blueberries, drain the sultanas and raisins keeping the water to the side.

Add raisins to the mixer with the 1 ounce of sugar 3 level tablespoons of the fruit water and yogurt - mix carefully but well.

Add ground flax seed and a mix gently but well.

Pour into a greased and floured cake tin.

Place into a hot oven at gas mark 6 for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the cake completely clean, switch off the oven and let the cake sit for 15 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin then carefully remove and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.

How to make hard sugar cake topping


Place the sugar and cinnamon into a small pan.

On a low to medium heat warm up the sugar.

The sugar will clump together and melt - stir.

Keep stiring the sugar until all lumps have melted away.

Pour immediately on top of the cake and spread instantly with the back of a spoon.

The melted sugar drys very fast so as quick as possible.

It is a good idea to use a spoon to pour the melted sugar onto different parts of the cake to make sure there is enough to spread before it drys.

Sprinkle the blueberry cake with caster sugar.

Lightly crack the top of the cake and slice into sections.

Enjoy Chef Jeenas gluten free blueberry fruit cake recipe.

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Strawberry almond slice recipe (gluten/egg free recipe)

Chef has cooked a delicious gluten free strawberry almond slice recipe which is also a vegan egg free almond slice recipe.

This is a wonderful sweet treat to enjoy after a meal or as a sweet snack.

Chef spreads strawberry jam on top of a sweet gluten free pastry then spreads the creamy almond filling on top of the jam, Chef then glazes the almond slice with a thin icing and sprinkles with flaked almonds.

This is a tasty recipe that even people who do not eat vegan and gluten free foods
would enjoy.

It is a really simple strawberry almond slice recipe to bake as you do not have to roll out the pastry and you do not need a whisk for the almond filling.

Ingredients for gluten free pastry

4oz Rice flour
2oz Cornstarch
2 + 1/2 oz Ground almonds
Pinch salt
4oz Margarine
1 tsp Xanthan gum
1/4 tsp Baking powder
2 Tbsp Ground flax seed
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 oz Caster sugar
4 tsp Soya milk

Ingredients for almond slice filling

1 Pack silken tofu
5oz Caster sugar
3oz Ground almonds
1 tsp Almond essence
1 Tbsp Corn flour (fine polenta)

How to make a gluten free strawberry almond slice recipe

Place all of the dry pastry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Add the margarine rub into the flour using your finger tips.

Add 1/2 tsp milk at a time until it forms a pastry dough - mix well between each drop of milk - pastry needs very little fluid.

Cover a place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until you need it.

Grease and flour a flapjack oven tin.

Break the gluten free pastry into 3 pieces and press each piece into the baking tin.

Use a spoon to make the edges even.

Place all of the almond filling ingredients into a mixing bowl except the tablespoon of corn flour.

Mix well then add the corn flour, mix well again.

Spread strawberry jam on top of the pastry.

Spread the almond filling on top of the jam.

Bake in a hot oven at gas mark 7 for 40-50 minutes.

Once cooked remove from the oven and leave in the tray for 5-10 minutes.

Cut the strawberry almond slice into 4 then remove each section from the tray onto a wire rack.

Leave to cool fully.

Once strawberry almond slice is cool brush with a thin icing and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Enjoy Chef Jeenas gluten free and vegan strawberry almond slice recipe.

See Chefs:

Vegan no egg bakewell slice recipe

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Chocolate Truffles

mmm...who would have thought that wanna-be fungus could taste this good?

Last weekend the bf and I made chocolate truffles and they were scrumptiously good.

I read so many mixed opinions about truffle-making that I was a bit intimidated to make these. Some recipes boast about truffles being one of the easiest fancy desserts, while others go on and on about all the trillions of ways your truffles can fail, miserably.
Here's my conclusion: the basic truffle is very easy to make and even easier to eat. These are the kinds that are soft and creamy all over. The shell covered truffles, however, are a bit trickier.

We made both, and I have to say, I prefer the shelled truffles -- the contrast in texture just does it for me -- but the creamy ones are so easy, but the shelled ones are so fancy, but the creamy ones are so creamy, but the shelled ones...never mind.

For the shelled truffles, the chocolate coating must be tempered, and cannot reach a temperature higher than 94 degrees F (but this number varies depending on the recipe). This was definitely challenging, and it did not really work for me. The chocolate temperature fluctuated about a bajillion times and even went over (gasp...94 degrees F!!), but somehow magically it still worked, sort of. The truffles still got that "snap" that everyone talks about, although I'm guessing if I actually did it correctly, they would have been more...snappy.

There are several ways to temper chocolate -- our method was to consistently add and remove new pieces of chocolate chunks to the warm chocolate to make sure it doesn't get too hot. A good thermometer is vital, and the ability (which apparently I don't have) to make sure the thermometer does not touch anything but the chocolate (ie. the sides of the bowl). So to summarize: I need more practice. But any sort of practice that involves chocolate is always good!

Chocolate Truffles (adapted from Robert Linxe via Smitten Kitchen and Joy of Cooking)

• 8 ounces good quality chocolate (at least 56% cacao), chopped
  
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces good quality chocolate, plus a bit more for tempering (for chocolate shell), chopped
  

Truffle Coatings

• Good quality cocoa powder for dusting
• Bourbon Candied Nuts (Recipe Below)

1. Boil 2/3 cup heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan.
2. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chopped chocolate, mashing any big pieces with a spoon.
3. Stir with this mixture together in concentric circles starting in the center and working your way to the edge with a whisk, being careful not to beat air into it and create bubbles.
4. Chill mixture for 1 hour.
5. Using a small spoon, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of mixture at a time, shape into balls, and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
6. Chill the balls for at least 2o minutes.
7. If you don't want to mess with the chocolate shell, then you are done! Enjoy. Otherwise...

For coating:
1. Temper 3 ounces of chocolate (here are some tips on tempering chocolate).
2. Using 2 spoons, or your hands, roll each chilled truffle in the melted chocolate.
3. While the coating is still wet, dunk the truffle in the chocolate powder or candied nuts.
4. Place each truffle back on the parchment paper. Chill for an additional 10 minutes (I didn't do this part, just ate them right after they were done. That's just me, I guess.)

Bourbon Candied Nuts (adapted loosely from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1/2 cup well-chopped mixed nuts (I used walnuts, pecans, and almonds)
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tb bourbon
• 2 Tb brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt.
  

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
2. Mix bourbon and egg white in a separate bowl. Stir in the nuts, coating evenly.
3. Sprinkle sugar mixture over nuts, and stir again, coating evenly.
4. Spread mixture onto parchment lined sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Let the mixture cool completely. Break into small pieces.

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