🦄UNICORN CUPCAKES

gf chocolate cupcakes with raspberry-blueberry-vanilla swirl buttercream

No worries people, no unicorns were harmed in the making of these cupcakes.

My baby is 11 years old and this is the 2nd batch of gf chocolate cupcakes I made for her birthday.  The first batch was with a simple vanilla buttercream and she brought all 24 to share with her class on her birthday.  Her pal is Celiac as is another child in the class so I made sure to make everything gluten free (and no nuts of course).  My daughter is allergic to nuts and so are several children in the school.

extra shiny bling from colourful dragees. I don't like their crunch but they sure are pretty

This 2nd batch of cupcakes was for her birthday party on the weekend.  We went to The Luminous Elephant and she and her gal pals made bath bombs, sang karaoke, nibbled on snacks and ate these Unicorn Cupcakes.  

there are no artificial colours in the buttercream frosting! I used organic blueberry and raspberry powders for intense flavour and gorgeous natural colour

Some of the girls were in her class and had tasted the 1st batch; so I asked which they preferred.  They all chimed at once "these!" The frosting tastes SO good!  

I had butterfly pea flower and could have made a blue buttercream too and now I'm slightly disappointed I forgot to use that too. Oh well, 3 colours is enough lol!

In fact, I have green (spinach powder), orange (carrot powder) and red (beet powder) but was hesitant to use veggie flavours because y'know kids might detect the veggies in their buttercream! Maybe next time I'll be more daring haha!

the tri-coloured swirl effect was so pretty

GF CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH UNICORN BERRY-SWIRL FROSTING

(adapted from Barefoot Contessa's "Beatty's Chocolate Cake")

• 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour [I used Namaste gf flour]
• 2 cups organic evaporated cane sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup organic buttermilk [or 1 cup organic milk & 1 tablespoon lemon juice mixed with milk to acidulate]
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 2 extra large free range  eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 shots espresso in a measuring cup; topped up with hot water to make 1 cup coffee

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

• 2 Muffin tins
• 24 large/extra large paper cupcake liners

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 muffin tins by lining with 24 large-extra large cupcake liners
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. 
3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the hot coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. 
5. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

UNICORN BERRY-SWIRL FROSTING

• 4 Cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 teaspoon organic raspberry powder
• 1 teaspoon organic blueberry powder

1. In an electric mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar 1/2 cup at a time
3. Add vanilla extract and gradually add milk until the buttercream is at a consistency that is not too stiff. Continue beating for 5-7 minutes at medium speed until light in colour
4. Divide the buttercream into 3 different bowls.  In one bowl, add the raspberry powder and mix well until combined.
5. In another bowl, add the blueberry powder and mix well until combined.
6. Prepare a large pastry bag by scooping the 3 different coloured buttercreams inside
7. Pipe/swirl the buttercream on the tops of the cooled cupcakes

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JAPANESE CHEESECAKE

• 250 g cream cheese
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 100 ml fresh milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 g cake flour
• 20 g cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 140 g granulated sugar

Special Equipment: 1 8-inch x 3-inch round cake tin; 1 larger 9 or 10-inch round cake tin for the water bath.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.  Melt the cream cheese, butter and milk over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from heat and pour into another bowl. Mix in the egg yolks, lemon juice, vanilla and combine well. Sift in the dry ingredients; folding in the flour, the cornstarch and salt (see below for a video on how to combine the ingredients.
2. In a stand mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form, approximately 6-8 minutes (speed 8 on Kitchenaid)
3. Take 1/3 meringue and fold into the cheese mixture, then fold in another 1/3 of meringue. After incorporated, pour the batter back to the remaining 1/3 meringue and FOLD GENTLY.  Use an 8 inch diameter by 3 inch tall cake tin lined with parchment paper (line with a circle on the bottom and a strip along the sides, ensuring that the parchment strip extends well above the rim of the cake tin.) Pour the batter into the lined cake tin. 
4. Create a bain marie (water bath). Place the filled cake tin into a 9 or 10 inch diameter cake tin lined with a small kitchen towel to ensure that the bottom bakes evenly. Fill the outer tin with hot water so that the cheesecake rests inside a water bath. Bake cheesecake on lower 1/3 of oven in the water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F). Turn off oven and leave door ajar so the cake can cool inside for one hour.
5. Remove cheesecake from the oven; remove from the bain marie and allow to cool on a wire rack. Using your hands, gently turn the cheesecake upside down allowing the top of the cheesecake to rest onto an open hand. Gently peel the parchment paper from the cake and set right side up on a cooling rack. Optional: sift powdered sugar and matcha onto the surface of the cheesecake. Refrigerate if desired; or serve warm with whipped cream and fruit

I made a matcha flavoured Japanese cheesecake too! 

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LEAFY ELSTAR APPLE PIE WITH ALL-BUTTER CRUST

LEAFY ELSTAR APPLE PIE WITH ALL-BUTTER CRUST

Said the 10 yr old upon tasting the pie: "Mommy, your apple pie exceeds expectations!"

Yes, it was a mighty fine pie and I'd make it exactly the same way again and again!

It all starts with the Apple.  In my pie are Elstar apples, which is a variety originating in the Netherlands in Elst in the 1950s.  It is a cross between Golden Delicious and Ingrid Marie apples. We picked these in Abbotsford at Willow View Farms last week. They are excellent apples eaten out of hand as they are crunchy and sweet.

I have an aversion to soggy crusts.  If you’re like me this recipe will please you because it does everything possible to mitigate the soggy pie crust scenario.

I used leaf cutters for my top crust because I didn’t feel like struggling with a braided lattice again. It took me only 10 minutes to make this top crust. 

The crowning glory is the little bird cut-out.  I was tempted to use a Totoro cut-out but it just didn’t look right lol!

A brushing of egg white and sprinkling of evaporated cane sugar ensures a crunchy crust

The recipe called for baking at a high temperature of 425F for 15 minutes and then turning the oven down to 350F for 45 minutes.  After the time was up, I added another 15 minutes because I saw the bottom crust wasn’t browned enough.  The best thing about using a glass pie plate is that you can easily monitor the bottom crust during the baking process.

The top crust of overlapped pastry leaves are absolutely delicious and crunchy with the sprinkling of sugar.

The filling is simply apples, cinnamon and sugar.  No extra butter or lemon juice is needed

ELSTAR APPLE PIE WITH FLAKEY ALL-BUTTER LEAFY PIE CRUST 

FOOD PROCESSOR ALL-BUTTER PIE CRUST

• 2 1/2 Cups all - purpose flour (12.5 ounces; 350 grams)
• 2 Tbsp sugar (25 grams)
• 1 tsp kosher salt (5 grams)
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 - inch pats (10 ounces; 280 grams)
• 6 Tbsp cold water (3 ounces; 85 milliliters)

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 425F (400F convection). If you have a sheet pan or a pizza stone/tile, place it on your oven rack to heat.
2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Scoop out two thirds of the flour mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse twice to incorporate. Spread butter chunks evenly over surface. Pulse until no dry flour remains and dough clumps, about 25 pulses. Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough evenly around the bowl of the food processor. Sprinkle with remaining flour and pulse until dough is just barely broken up, about 5 short pulses. Transfer dough to a large bowl.
3. Sprinkle with water; using a rubber spatula, fold and press the dough until it comes together into a ball. Use your hands to form a ball.  Divide ball in half. Form each half into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling and baking

ELSTAR APPLE PIE FILLING (REPLACE WITH GOLDEN DELICIOUS IF YOU CANNOT FIND ELSTAR)

• 8-10 large Elstar apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Place the sliced apples in a saucepan with the cane sugar and cinnamon.
2. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are translucent and have released their juices
3. If there is a lot of juice in the bottom of the pan, scoop out most of the juice into a small bowl.  Create a cornstarch slurry with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water.  Pour the slurry into the juice and stir.  Then add the mixture back into the pan of apples.  Heat, stirring constantly until the apple filling thickens
4. Allow filling to cool in the pot until ready to fill pie crusts

ELSTAR APPLE PIE

• double-crust pie dough (above)
• 1 egg white
• extra evaporated cane sugar
• cooled apple pie filling

1. Roll out one of the pie crust disks between parchment or plastic wrap to fit the bottom of a 9 inch glass pie pan.  Roll the edges under itself to fit the pie pan. Make a decorative pattern in the dough with fork or fingers along the rim.
2. Brush the bottom of the pie crust with egg white
3. Pour the apple pie filling onto the bottom crust.  
4. Roll out the top crust and use leaf cutters to cut out leaves. Overlap the leaves in a concentric pattern and brush the tops with eggwhite.  Sprinkle sugar over the crust.
5. Bake in hot preheated 425F (400Fconvection) oven by placing the filled pie on the heated pizza tile or sheet pan.  Bake for 15 minutes
6. Lower oven temperature to 350F (325F convection); baking for a further 45-60 minutes. NB: monitor the bottom crust of the pie through the glass pan and ensure that the crust is a deep golden brown.  Cover with foil if you think the top crust is browning too quickly. I had to bake this for 60 min at 325F convection setting.
7. Allow to cool on a rack. 
8. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

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Marie-Hélène's Apple Cake

Marie-Hélène's Apple Cake

Sweet September

APPLE PICKING AT WILLOW VIEW FARMS IN ABBOTSFORD

ELSTAR APPLES! A VARIETY OF GOLDEN DELICIOUS AND ORANGE PIPPIN, THE FLESH IS CRISP AND SWEET

WE SNAGGED A FEW OF THE REMAINING PEARS LEFT ON THE TREES FORTUNATELY

NESTLED IN THE CROOK OF THE PLUM TREE WAS A BIRD'S NEST

BLUE DOLL PUMPKIN! THE FLESH IS DEEP ORANGE AND I'M MAKING SOUP WITH THIS BABY

WE PICKED SOME PLUMS (OF WHICH THERE WERE ONLY A FEW REMAINING IN ARM'S REACH), BOUGHT SOME SQUASH AND SOME CORN TOO

PREPARING THE BATTER FOR THE APPLE CAKE: EGGS, EVAPORATED CANE SUGAR AND VANILLA

I HAVE 3 VARIETIES OF APPLES PREPARED FOR THE CAKE

THE APPLES ARE LEFT IN LARGE CHUNKS SO YOU CAN REALLY TASTE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE VARIETIES

THE BATTER IS POURED INTO A SPRINGFORM PAN 

FRESH OUT OF THE OVEN!

THIS APPLE CAKE SMELLS OF FALL

ENJOY THE RECIPE! IT'S EASY AND MAKES USE OF A GOOD NUMBER OF APPLES; HIGHLIGHTING THE QUALITY OF THE APPLES AND THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES.  SERVE WARM WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM OR PLAIN WITH A CUP OF TEA.

MARIE-HELENE'S APPLE CAKE
from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 large apples (if you can, choose 4 different kinds)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform on it.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores.  Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy.  Pour in the sugar and whisk for a minute or so to blend.  Whisk in the rum and vanilla.  Whisk in half the flour and, when it is incorporated, add half the  melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour and the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so that you have a smooth, rather thick batter.  Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in teh apples, turning the fruit so that it’s coated with batter.  Scrape the mix into the pan and poke it around a little with the spatula so that it’s evenish.
5. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan.  (Open the springform slowly, and before it’s fully opened, make sure there aren’t any apples stuck to it.)  Allow the cake to cool until it is just slightly warm or at room temperature.  If you want to remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan, wait until the cake is almost cooled, then run a long spatula between the cake and the pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack.  Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving dish.

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Foraged-Blackberry No-Churn Ice-cream & Totoro Choux au Craquelin

What to do with the many buckets of FREE local blackberries you've picked along railroad tracks, parks and roadways in Vancouver? How about Foraged Blackberry No-churn Ice Cream?

Your leaf or mine?
How about stuffing Choux au Craquelin with that blackberry ice cream?

Cream puffs are dead easy to make.  Top it with craquelin and you're good to go

The craquelin are perfectly round and crispy on the top.

I made some crėme pâtissière with which to stuff the choux au craquelin.

Here are my bowls of whipped heavy cream and the blackberry ice cream mixture ready to combine for the no-churn blackberry ice cream.  I had pureed the blackberries and sieved out the seeds for a beautifully smooth texture.

Heavy Whipping Cream is whipped stiff and then incorporated with your ingredients to lighten the texture of the ice cream

I used a whisk to combine the mixture without deflating the whipped cream

Olive thinks that the Totoro Choux au Craquelin was cute

These went over well at my family bbq.  Good stuff! Make good use of all those free blackberries!

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FATHEAD BAGELS

What kind of witchcraft is this?

I've never had a gluten free bread that has this amount of chew in it.  While mixing the dough you can imagine my skepticism that the ingredients would turn out looking like proper bagels.  I even had fewer hopes of them tasting like bagels let alone tasty ones.

Well, maybe because I topped them with black sesame seeds they assisted in making them smell positively heavenly coming out of the oven fresh.  I couldn't believe the nuts and cheese came together to create these tasty bagels!

Wthout further ado, these can be whipped up in a pinch in your food processor (which I think is probably the easier and cleanest method.)  I did mine in my huge 6 qt Kitchen Aide stand mixer and thought that the dough was probably better incorporated in a smaller machine because the dough kept pasting itself to the sides of the mixing bowl.

FATHEAD KETOGENIC BAGELS

• 1 1/2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the pre-shredded stuff in a bag)
• 2 oz full - fat cream cheese, cut into pieces
• 1 Large egg
• 1 1/2 Cups almond flour 
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• optional, for topping: 1 Tbsp black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, anything you love sprinkled on bagels

1. Place the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, stir well.  Place the mixture back in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute more.  Scrape the cheese into a stand mixer or food processor.  Add the egg and mix/process until smooth.
2. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix until a dough forms. At this point, it won't look like normal bread dough.  It will be very sticky and soft but it should all hold together well in a big mass.  Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap with a rubber spatula and wrap well.  Put it in the freezer until your next step.
3. Preheat oven to 400 F (rack in the middle of oven).  [I used the convection feature of my oven at 375F.]  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. When your oven reaches the right temperature, remove the bagel dough from the freezer and divide it equally into 6 pieces.  [You can also make 4 huge bagels or 8 mini bagels; but you will have to adjust the baking time accordingly].  Using plastic wrap, roll each portion into a snake and seal the ends together forming a ring. Alternatively, you might want to oil your hands and form them with your oiled hands.  Place the bagels on the parchment paper and top with your favorite topping, pressing the toppings into the top of the dough gently so they will stick.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown. [On the convection setting, it took them 12 minutes at 375F].  Allow the bagels to cool. While warm, they are soft; but they will stiffen up once they cool down.  Place the bagels in a plastic bag or plastic lidded container to store in the refrigerator or freezer because there's a lot of cheese in them.  Split them in half and toast in the toaster...smear with cream cheese or grassfed salted butter for a treat

**NB: variations of savoury and sweet bagels can be created by incorporating things like chopped green onions, bacon pieces, cinnamon, shredded cheeses etc You are only limited by your creativity.  Keep in mind they will no longer be ketogenic if you add things like raisins and other carb-heavy items in your dough. But who even likes raisins in breads anyway? ewwww. lol. 

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SMALL BATCH CARROT BANANA MUFFINS (refined sugar free)

Would you like some muffin with your gratuitous slab of salted grassfed butter?

The 10 yr old got braces a couple of days ago and is so grouchy that she can't eat her favourite foods.  She's been complaining about her sore teeth and even decided to divvy up for her friends her salt water taffy and Hi-Chew collection that she recently purchased on our trip to Cannon Beach and Portland.  I decided to make a little treat for after rhythmic gymnastics summer camp.  She's there M-F for 5 hours each day for 3 weeks this summer and when she gets home she's hungry! 

Chock full of healthy carrot and banana, I was able to also reduce the sugar by replacing with coconut palm sugar.  You might want to use maple syrup or honey instead.

The muffins are moist and don't need frosting or butter...but what the heck--I'll stick a chunk of cold salted butter on top for the kid 'cause her metabolism can handle it.  You know what happens when salted butter hits a hot muffin right?  It looks amazing and it tastes so good.

These Carrot Banana Muffins make a small batch because we don't have a lot of sweet tooths in our household (oh the irony.)  They make a great snack for after school/sports or even a tasty breakfast with coffee or tea.

and yes, the salted butter is one of those things that you have to do one of these days if you haven't already tried it. 

SMALL BATCH CARROT BANANA MUFFINS (makes 6-7)

2 organic bananas

1 organic carrot, grated

1 free range organic egg

6 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste

1 cup all purpose or gf flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon pink himilayan salt

*optional adult add-ins that a 10 yr old with braces won't like: nuts, craisins, coconut, chia, ground flaxseed & other such healthy junk

1. Preheat the oven to 350F

2. Prepare the muffin tin by lining with paper liners or silicone molds.  I used silicone muffin molds.

3. Using the Muffin-method, prepare your batter: In a bowl, combine the flour, soda, grated carrot and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, egg, coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla.  Using a handheld immersion blender, blend all the wet ingredients.  Alternatively, you can simply mash the banana by hand and mix the rest of the wet ingredients with it.

4.  Make a well in the dry ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients in the well and combine gently until just mixed.  At this point add optional chunky ingredients if desired. Don't overmix.

5. Fill your muffin cups 4/5 full with the batter.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins test done with a toothpick

*Gild your hot muffins with a totally gratuitous slab of grassfed salted butter if you wish

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