Celebrate 60 years since the Coronation with Gluten-Free Coronation Cup Cakes!

Why not celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation with Gluten-free Coronation Cup Cakes?
I made gluten-free  cup cakes like these for last year's Jubilee celebrations, and I think they would make delicious Coronation Cup Cakes too. The problem with gluten-free cakes is that they are often rather dry. I've found that the answer is not to skimp on the milk you add. I know you don't normally add milk to a Victoria sponge mix, but it is essential with gluten-free flour.

Turn on your oven to Gas mark 5 or 190 degrees Celsius.

Here are my ingredients, for metric equivalents, see my conversion chart page above.

6oz caster sugar  

6oz margarine

3 eggs

6oz Doves Farm Gluten free and Wheat free White Self-Raising flour 

5 tbsp milk

Either mix together in a food processor, or cream the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy, beat in the eggs one by one and fold in the flour and milk.

Spoon into paper cases and bake on the middle oven shelf for 20 mins until golden brown.

When cool decorate with butter icing made from 2oz margarine or butter, and 3oz icing sugar, plus a few drops of vanilla essence. 

I got these decorations from Sainsbury's. I really wanted red, white and blue sugar strands, but they'd all gone, so I had to buy them separately. I particularly like the pearls contrasting with the red and blue. The resulting mix looks a bit like royal jewels!

Gluten-free Chocolate Sponge Cake

Look at this delicious gluten-free chocolate cake. Someone's taken a big slice or two already! 

This recipe uses the following ratio of ingredients, you can multiply it up or reduce it for a smaller cake.
3 eggs 

6oz Doves Farm Gluten-free Self-raising Flour

6oz caster sugar  

6oz butter or margarine 

2tbsp cocoa

5tbsp milk

If you prefer metric measurements, you can use my Metric Conversion Chart.

Turn on the oven to Gas Mark 5, 190° Celsius or 160° Fan oven.

Grease 2 x 7 inch sandwich tins and line each with a circle of baking paper. 

Cream the sugar and margarine together until light and fluffy, beat in each egg and fold in the flour and cocoa followed by the milk. Or you can use a food processor which is much quicker as you can mix it all in one go.
Divide between the tins and smooth the top. Bake for 25 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch.
When cooled, sandwich together with chocolate butter icing, made with 2oz butter or margarine, 3oz icing sugar and a tablespoon of cocoa, and dust the top with icing sugar, or you could smooth some melted chocolate over it for a treat. 

Instead of the cocoa for the cake, you can add vanilla essence, or grated orange or lemon rind, and sandwich with vanilla, orange or lemon butter icing, or simply raspberry jam or lemon curd. Mmmm!

Gluten-free Pancakes with Strawberries, Blueberries and Bananas

Pancakes are delicious at anytime of the year, and with gluten-free flour, everyone can enjoy them. This recipe can be adapted for breakfast, sweet desserts, or savoury lunches and suppers.

You will need:
½ pint milk (See Metric Conversion Chart above)
4oz Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain White Flour
1 large egg
Add 1½ oz caster sugar for sweet pancakes, or a pinch of salt for savoury.

These are the basic proportions of ingredients and will make 6-8 pancakes depending on the size of pan you use and the thickness of the pancakes. If you want to make more, just multiply them up.

I zuzz up the mixture in my food processor, or you can make it the traditional way by tipping the flour into a bowl and making a 'well' in the middle, a bit like the top of a volcano. Crack the egg into the centre, stir it a little with a wooden spoon to break up the white and yolk, then gradually add the milk and sugar (or salt). Beat it well to mix it all together. It is worth noting that batter made with ordinary flour is usually left to rest before using, if you do this with gluten-free flour, it will sink to the bottom! So use it immediately or give it an extra stir before you do.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan until it is hot, swirl it around and then carefully pour out the excess into a heatproof jug; you can use it again for the next pancake. Then pour enough batter in to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Not too thick or it will be stodgy, and not too thin so it will break up when you try and turn it over. With pancakes, practice really does make perfect!
The pancake should be nearly cooked on the bottom. To check, ease up the edge with a silicone palette knife so as not to scratch the pan. If turning a golden brown, gently slide the palette knife underneath and flip it over, or you can try flipping it in the air!
Keep cooked pancakes hot, stacked on a plate in a warm oven about 110°C until you are ready to eat.

This one is a sweet pancake, topped with maple syrup, blueberries, sliced strawberries and banana, but you can use any softer fruit like melon which tastes delicious with the maple syrup, or of course, simply squeeze on some lemon and sprinkle with sugar. Also try apple stewed gently with raisins and cinnamon, lovely on a cold day!

Savoury pancake ideas include: chopped chicken and ham in a white sauce, or prawns in cheese sauce.

For a basic white sauce you will need:

½ pint of milk

½ onion studded with 2 cloves

1 tbsp cornflour

salt and pepper

Put most of the milk and the onion in a saucepan to heat gently to almost boiling.
Remove from the heat and take out the onion. 

Mix the cornflour with the rest of the milk, then stir into the saucepan.

When completely mixed, bring to the boil to thicken it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can also ring the changes by adding chopped parsley, grated cheese, or mushrooms sliced and fried in a little oil.  

All cornflour should be gluten-free, the only problem arising when it is made on the same production line as gluten products. If you want to be sure, you can buy Doves Farm Organic Corn Flour which certainly is. 

I hope that you will enjoy these ideas for tasty gluten-free pancakes.

Gluten-free Apple and Blackberry Crumble

In this wintry weather, it's comforting to have a hot pudding, but not always easy when you have to avoid gluten.
This Apple and Blackberry Crumble is simple to make and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Turn on your over to Gas Mark 6 or 200ºC
You will need:
8oz Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain White Flour
4oz Caster Sugar
4oz Margarine or Butter
2tbsp Sugar to sweeten apples
1tbsp Demerara Sugar to sprinkle on top of crumble
3-4 Cooking Apples
Handful blackberries
(For Metric measurements - see my chart above)

Using a food processor or simply your fingers, rub the margarine into the flour until it is like breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar and stir in.
That's it!
Peel, core and cut the apple into quarters and then slice them up.
Mix in the blackberries and sugar.
Place in an oven proof dish, big enough to take the fruit and the crumble.
Spread the crumble on top, pressing it down gently with the back of a wooden spoon.
Sprinkle the Demerara on the top.
Place dish on a baking tray to keep your oven clean.
Cook for about 40 minutes.
It's delicious with vanilla ice cream or custard. (Recipe can be found here with the instructions for my Gluten-free Blueberry Sponge Pudding.)
You can also ring the changes with plain apple, apple and blueberry, apple and cinnamon, or rhubarb which is delicious with added orange zest and ginger.
That should keep you warm until the spring!

Gluten-free Orange Shortbread Christmas Trees

It's very easy to make these yummy Gluten-free Orange Shortbread Christmas Trees. I used Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain White Flour and ordinary cornflour, but you could use Doves Farm Gluten Free Organic Cornflour to be sure it really is gluten-free.
Turn on your oven to 170º C, 325ºF or Gas Mark 3, and grease two flat baking trays.
You will need: (see my Metric Conversion Chart on page above)
8oz Butter
4oz Icing Sugar
8oz Plain flour (Doves Farm)
4oz Cornflour
Pinch salt
The grated rind of one orange
Caster Sugar to sprinkle
I made it in my food processor, mixing all the ingredients together, but you could cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the the flour, cornflour, salt and orange rind, until you have a smooth dough.
Roll it out and cut out the Christmas tree shapes, and place them on the baking trays. Cook for about 20 minutes. As soon as you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with the caster sugar and leave to cool. Keep in an airtight tin, or you can freeze them for Christmas Day.
It's also possible to use lemon rind instead of orange for a change.
I hope that you enjoy them!  

Gluten-free Mince Pies

Here is my recipe for Gluten-free Mince Pies. I always put holly leaves on the top to easily distinguish them from the ordinary ones which I decorate with stars!
I use my usual recipe: using 8oz Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain White Flour (see my metric conversion chart on the page above); 2oz hard margarine; 2oz cooking fat; a pinch of salt and 5 tbsp of water.
Turn your oven to 190° Centigrade,    375° Fahrenheit or Gas Mark 5. Use your food processor, or rub the fat into the flour in the traditional way, then add the water little by little as you mix it in the processor or with a knife. Unlike ordinary pastry, it won't hold together, so wrap it in a large sheet of cling film, easing it into a ball, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, stir in a tablespoon or two of brandy into your jar of mincemeat to give it a lovely Christmassy flavour!
When the pastry has rested, open the cling film carefully, and place another sheet on the top of the dough. This means that you can roll it out successfully without it sticking to the rolling pin. Cut out your shapes with your cutters and then roll the remaining pieces into a ball again and repeat until all the pastry is used. I found that this quantity made 18 mince pies with holly tops, but if you made little lids, you would probably get about 12.
They are delicious eaten warm, dusted with icing sugar. They will freeze, and after defrosting, warm them up in the microwave to make them taste as if they've just come out of the oven!
What are you waiting for? Enjoy some with a glass of mulled wine!

Gluten-free Yorkshire Puddings - Update!

One of the things I've found hard to replicate with gluten-free flour is a delicious light Yorkshire Pudding. There is always a big difference between the normal puffy ones on the wheat-eaters' plates, and the rather flat little ones for gluten-free eaters.
A few weeks ago, I bought some Gluten-free and Wheat-free White Bread Flour from Doves Farm to make a pizza, I noticed that it contains xanthan gum which helps make the flour stronger to contain the yeast bubbles, and reasoned that it might work to make Yorkshire Puddings.
I used my usual recipe: 1 egg, 4oz flour and a pinch of salt to ½ pint of milk, using gluten-free bread flour instead of normal plain flour (see Metric Conversion Chart Page above). I usually zuzz it up in my food processor, but you can use a hand whisk or a good old fashioned wooden spoon and one of those lovely yellow stoneware mixing bowls, as long as it's beaten up well to form a creamy batter.
Make sure that your oven is really hot: 250ºC, 475ºF or Gas Mark 9, I usually turn it up after I've taken out the beef to rest. Pop in some bun tins containing a little cooking fat in each 'hole' to melt and sizzle for a few minutes, then pour in the mixture evenly and return to the oven for approximately 15 minutes.
They should rise and be golden brown. Enjoy them with your roast beef, or fill them with roasted peppers and top with feta cheese for a vegetarian alternative. Yum!
I would love to hear from you. Please tell me how you got on with this recipe.

Update! I have found that adding a teaspoon of Doves Farm Xanthan Gum, if you haven't got any Gluten-free bread flour and use Gluten-free plain four instead, really holds the mixture together, and gives puffier Yorkshires. However, make the mixture just before you want to cook it as it thickens up quite a lot and you need to spoon it into the tin rather than pouring it.