Thursday

Easy Gluten-Free Black Forest Cake

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I have been wanting Black Forrest cake for what seems like FOREVER. It was a favourite of mine when I was growing up before I was diagnosed with Celiac. To put things in perspective, I have been navigating the gluten-free waters for well over ten years now. Enjoying some black forest cake, gluten-free of course has been long overdue.

Chocolate Cupcakes


What's a girl to do when she can't find a ready-made gluten-free version of her most favourite cake?! 


Make It At Home

Don't worry I am by no means a super amazing baker, which means you can totally pull this off too! Short-cuts and hacks are my best friends in the kitchen and I used a couple in this recipe.

You Won't Believe How Easy This Is


Seriously, it's a piece of cake.

All you need for the cupcakes is a boxed gluten-free chocolate cake mix. I used Betty Crocker because I love how moist and fluffy the final product turns out. But, you can use any boxed mix which you prefer. 


Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Mix

Whipping Cream
Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Maraschino Cherries
Chocolate Sprinkles
Red Sugar Crystals


Homemade Whipped Cream 

1 1/2 cup Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp Sugar 
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Place above ingredients for homemade whipped cream in a large bowl. Stir to combine. That's it for now, but ensuring everything is cold is super important. 
Place the beaters from a hand mixer in the bowl and cover with saran wrap. 
Put bowl, in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Once chilled, beat with hand mixer until stiff peaks form.


Whipped Cream
Stiff Peaks

*Follow directions on chocolate cake mix box to make the cupcakes.

Once the cupcakes come out of the oven and cool, they are ready to be transformed. 


First up - deconstructed black forest cake... a trifle of sorts. 

To do this, I cut a cupcake into four layers. I then alternated between the following components:
cupcake slice
whipped cream
chocolate sprinkles 
red sugar crystals
maraschino cherries

Chocolate Cupcake


For my more traditional cupcakes, I used the OXO 1261080BK GG Cupcake Corer. It literally cores your cupcakes with little to no effort at all, leaving room for a surprise filling. Once I had created room for a filling, it was time to assemble. In the cupcakes vacant centre, I layered the whipped cream, maraschino cherries, chocolate sprinkles and red sugar crystals. The top of the cupcakes a capped off with a swirl of whipped cream, sprinkles, and sugar crystals. A single maraschino cherry completes this sweet treat.



Valentines Day Dessert
Just Look At That Goodness 


Have you created anything inspired by a favourite dessert? Let me know below.




Wednesday

Confessions Of A Former Gluten-Free Hoarder


The beginning of my gluten-free journey was marred with often out of stock and usually overpriced product. I endured frustrating travel throughout the GTA (greater Toronto area) just to obtain a variety of items. Sometimes I would snap up new products by the dozen for fear of never seeing them again. This was a very real possibility back then.

Living a few hours from the United States gave new meaning to cross-border shopping. Instead of getting excited about deals on clothing and electronics, I focused solely on gluten-free food. I would visit 4 or 5 American grocery stores every trip. Each visit to the US brought home a haul of food that just wasn't (and sometimes still isn't) available in Canada. 

And so began a gluten-free hoarding problem




Sale? I'll take 7 

New product? Give me 3

Not many left? I'll take the rest

Out of town shopping? Fills a suitcase

Believe it or not, there is a certain kind of stress that comes with gluten-free food hoarding. Products sometimes expired before I could use them. I would get bored of eating the same things repeatedly. Sometimes I ended up not enjoying something which I bought in bulk. Not wanting to be wasteful, I would try finding a new owner for these items. A difficult task which usually resulted in food being tossed in the bin.

I have a petite kitchen at best. Putting an excessive amount of groceries away was like playing a well-organized game of Tetris. I got so creative with my storage that I often forgot about these items. Other times, I would grab a box of gluten-free cereal and half the pantry would tumble onto the floor. It was like these poor boxes were screaming to be acknowledged.

Another drawback was that I lost sight of what is naturally gluten-free, like fruits and vegetables. I developed a need for pre-packaged food and lost sight of food prep. Super unhealthy. It was also questionable financially as the gluten-free label goes hand in hand with an often inflated price.


Over time, I eventually realised that gluten-free isn't going anywhere and have thus drawn a line between stocking up and hoarding. In fact, it's getting better. Almost every supermarket has a decent gluten-free selection. Stores are also far better at consistently ensuring these items are on shelves. Companies are also clearly labeling their gluten-free goods so that they are easy to spot. This is such a win!

As things are different now. I no longer stock up en masse. I feel healthier, happier and no longer stressed out.


Sunday

Product Review: Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread






When the folks at Robin Hood sent me a box of their Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix to review, I was a little skeptical. Like most people, I've had my ups and downs with boxed mixes over the years. Unlike most people, I have the added challenge of needing to eat gluten-free. This makes finding a great boxed mix even more of a feat.




Let's Talk FAQ's

  • Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix is certified by the Canadian Celiac Association



  • You will be pleasantly surprised with how simple it is to make. Just add water, oil, and eggs to the mix. Give it a good stir with a spoon, pour into a loaf pan and pop into the oven for 45 minutes. No fuss, no worries. 



  • Bananas are not required, as dried banana is already incorporated into the mix. This is pretty great because, mashing bananas can get a little messy. Plus, who wants to wait around for bananas to go brown when they want banana bread now? Not me!




Taste Test


As with all my gluten-free adventures, I shared this creation with the gluten eaters in my home. Their thoughts and taste buds are always appreciated. We quickly agreed that Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix gets two thumbs up. 

Robin Hood really gets it right with this mix. It is packed full of banana flavour and smells divine. The texture of the loaf is soft and light. No crumbling mess here!

While we enjoyed the mix plain, you can customise with the addition of fruit, nuts, and chocolate. You can also get creative and create muffins, pancakes, cookies and much more.




/// DISCLOSURE: I was sent a complimentary box of Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix for review purposes. All opinions are my own. ///




Disclosure

This policy is valid from 23 February 2013

This is a personal blog written and edited by me. All opinions are that of my own. I am not a healthcare professional or an expert. All information presented in this blog is purely that of my own experience and or opinion. Please consult a medical professional before making any changes to your diet.

I write this blog as a hobby that I am passionate about. From time to time, I may receive monetary compensation for a sponsored post. I only work with brands that I trust and would use in my own home.

This blog accepts complimentary products for review. The opinions I have of a product will never be swayed by a company sending me an item(s) for free. I take into consideration the opinion of family members who are gluten-free due to Celiac Disease and I also value the opinions of non-gluten free family members. Taste is a matter of personal opinion so please use your own discretion and don't take my opinion as a gold standard.

Any ingredient or gluten-free claims should be verified with the restaurant/manufacturer as things can and do change.

For questions about this blog, please contact: sandra@glutenfreedoll.com

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