Category: Chocolate

Gluten Free Profiteroles (Inspired by ‘The Great British Bake Off’)

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There’s only one week to go until the final of GBBO 2015 and we find out who the winner is. A few weeks ago I predicted that Ian, Tamal and Nadiya would be the remaining three bakers in the final, but it’s really hard to predict a winner because we all know that in the tent anything could happen! Tamal and Nadiya have been my favourites from the very beginning so I will be happy if either of them win.

Since my last post we have seen the remaining bakers tackle Patisserie in the Quarter-final and Chocolate in the Semi-final. Today I am going to share with you my recipe for gluten free Profiteroles which incorporates an element from both shows – Choux pastry and Chocolate!

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I always thought that Choux Pastry would be impossible to make gluten free but it’s actually very straight forward and not unlike making normal Choux!

I strayed slightly from the traditional method of making Choux by adding a small amount of baking powder – normally you would just use plain flour, but I’ve found that adding baking powder helps to give that extra little bit of oomph. This recipe is also Xanthan Gum free which is ideal for those who struggle to tolerate Xanthan Gum and other binding agents.

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 Profiteroles – GF/DF options

For the Profiteroles:
60g gluten free plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp caster sugar
55g unsalted butter (or dairy free alternative)
110ml cold water
1 to 2 eggs

For the filling:
350 ml double cream (or dairy free alternative)

For the topping:
100g good quality milk or dark chocolate (or dairy free alternative)
100ml double cream (or dairy free alternative)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/Gas Mark 5.

2. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

3. Sift together the baking powder and flour in a small bowl then set aside.

4. Place a heavy bottomed pan over a low to medium heat, add the water, sugar and butter and bring the ingredients to a gentle simmer.

5. Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and quickly beat in the flour until all the ingredients come together in a smooth ball.

6. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and beat it gently for a few seconds with a wooden spoon to help release some steam – this will help the mixture to cool down.

7. In small bowl whisk the eggs to break up the yolks.

8. Once the pastry mixture is cool, add the eggs a bit at a time whilst beating with an electric hand mixer – don’t add the eggs whilst the mixture is hot or you will end up with scrambled eggs!

9. At first the mixture will look a little bit lumpy but keep beating and adding the egg bit by bit until the pastry becomes smooth. You won’t need to add all the egg and you want to avoid making the mixture too runny as it will be difficult to pipe – the mixture at the right stage should stretchy and have some elasticity when you remove the electric mixer.

10. Transfer the mixture to piping bag and pipe little blobs onto the baking sheets a few cm apart – you don’t need to be too neat.

11. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the profiteroles have puffed up and are golden brown in colour – they should be crispy and quite dark in colour or they will go soggy when you fill them.

12. Whilst the Profiteroles are in the oven, make the chocolate topping so that it has time to cool. Melt the chocolate slowly in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, then add the cream and whisk vigorously to incorporate the ingredients. Leave the mixture to cool in the fridge until required.

13. Remove the profiteroles from the oven and prick the base of each one with a cocktail stick to help release some steam. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

14. Whisk the cream with an electric hand mixer until it creates stiff peaks, then transfer to an icing syringe or a piping bag with a fine nozzle. Create a small hole in the base of profiterole and gently fill each one with cream – be careful not to do this too quickly as the the force could cause the pastry to tear.

15. Spread the cooled chocolate topping on the top of each profiterole, then arrange them onto a plate ready to be served!

I hope everyone is looking forward to the GBBO Final as much as I am, let me know what you’re going to bake in celebration in the comments below or come and see what I’m getting up to on Instagram or Facebook.

Gluten Free Cranberry, Almond and White Chocolate Biscotti (Inspired by ‘The Great British Bake Off’)

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Today I’m going to share with you another gluten free version of a bake featured on ‘The Great British Bake Off’.

This week’s episode was Biscuit Week in which the remaining contestants baked no less than 748 biscuits plus a show-stopping edible and ornate biscuit box each, which had to be sturdy enough to encase their biscuits.

The Signature Challenge saw the bakers take on Italian Biscotti. Biscotti basically means the biscuits are ‘twice baked’ and are traditionally dry and quite hard biscuits, filled with nuts and fruit. They can be a little tricky to get right because whilst the biscuits need to be dry, there is a danger they will end up so brittle that they will break your teeth! The bakers had a relatively short amount of time in which to bake the Biscotti, which needs to be cooled down completely before it’s baked again so that it doesn’t crumble when sliced.

I decided to have a go at creating a gluten free version of the signature challenge and went for the quite classic flavour combination of cranberry, almond and white chocolate.
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The key to baking excellent gluten free biscotti is to start with a slightly wetter mixture than you’d expect. Although Biscotti are typically quite dry biscuits, remember that gluten free flour requires more moisture than normal flour – without the extra moisture the Biscotti won’t survive being baked twice and will be a crumbly mess. If you follow my method carefully you should have no problems baking your very own gluten free Biscotti which has the texture and taste of proper Biscotti.

Gluten Free White Chocolate, Almond and Cranberry Biscotti – GF/DF options

Ingredients:
150g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
300g gluten free self raising flour + extra for shaping the dough
30g ground almonds
3 large eggs
125g dried cranberries
75g chopped blanched almonds
25g chopped cashew nuts
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp almond extract

To decorate:
300g good quality white chocolate (or dairy free alternative)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/160 C fan/gas mark 4 and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the caster sugar, baking powder, flour and ground almonds.

3. Add the eggs, cranberries and nuts then mix until all the ingredients are combined. The mixture will be much wetter than expected so please don’t panic and add more flour. Remember that gluten free flour needs more moisture than regular flour and these biscuits are going to be baked twice – if you add more flour you’ll end up with a very dry dough which will result in an overly dry biscotti that cannot be baked twice.

4. Separate the mixture into two halves and generously dust a work surface with a flour.

5. Spoon one half of the mixture onto the work surface into a rough log shape then dust the mixture with a generous layer of flour – do not knead or roll the mixture but gently use your hands to shape the mixture into a log shape. The flour will stick to the mixture like a coating which will help the log keep it shape whilst allowing the inside to stay soft.
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6. Transfer to the log to a baking tray (you could use a cake lifter to help) then flatten the log slightly so it’s approximately the width of a ciabatta. Repeat the with the other half of the mixture then place the second log on the tray – make sure you leave a little room between to allow them to expand slightly.
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7. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the biscotti is golden brown. Remove the biscotti from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Leave the oven on.
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8. Once the biscotti is cool, slice it diagonally across into inch thick slices. Do not attempt to slice the biscotti whilst still warm or it will crumble.

9. Transfer the biscotti back onto the baking tray and bake again for 6 to 8 minutes on both sides, then leave the biscotti to cool on a wire rack.
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10. Melt the chocolate slowly in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Dip the base of each biscuit into the chocolate, gently shake off any excess chocolate, then leave each one to set on a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Once set, enjoy in the traditional Italian style with a cup of coffee!
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If you’re not feeling all baked out, why not check out my take on the classic Madeira cake as featured on episode one of this years ‘Bake Off’.

Gluten Free Black Forest Gâteau Recipe + My Gluten Free Birthday Party

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Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope I can help get your week off to good start with my Gluten Free Black Forest Gâteau recipe, a quadruple layer cake, which I made for my Birthday last week.image

My birthday is usually a rather quiet affair, as it falls just after Christmas and people are usually a little too down to do anything because of Post-Christmas Blues.

I decided this year that I was going to have a little party, and that hopefully that would help to cheer people up! I wanted to come up with a menu that was both fun and most importantly quick, because when I have friends round for dinner I usually end up in the kitchen all night, rather than socialising.

Some of my guests were Vegetarian, so I decided to make the menu entirely Vegetarian as well as Gluten Free so that no one felt left out. One of my guests was also Egg Free and as my Black Forest Gateau contained eggs, I made them an alternative Egg Free dessert.

My Birthday Menu:

Drinks:
Lime and Pomegrante Fizz Mocktail (Recipe at www.whatjessicabaked.com)

Prosecco

Nibbles:

Toasty Cups filled with Spicy Five

Bean Salad & Salsa (Inspired by this recipe on BBC Food)

Paneer Cheese Bites coated in

Sesame Seeds with a Chutney Dip

Cheesy Nachos with Homemade Salsa

Desserts:

Gluten Free Black Forest Gâteau

Homemade Nutella Ice Cream (Recipe at www.whatjessicabakednext.com)

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The party went off without a hitch because the majority of the food was prepared the day before, such as the cake sponges and the ice cream, meaning the hours leading up to the party were just for finishing touches, including assembling the cake.

What I was most happy with was that the food was suitable for everyone attending, proving that with a little imagination you can prepare a menu suitable for all sorts of different dietary requirements.

Now, back to the main event and the showstopper of my party – my Gluten Free Black Forest Gâteau:
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Black Forest Gâteau – GF

Ingredients

For the Sponges:
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
175 gluten free self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
3 – 4 tbsp milk

To assemble the cake:
2 tbsp kirsch (optional, miss out if you want a non alcoholic version)
600ml double cream
400g black cherry jam
200g milk chocolate
A handful of black cherries to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 fan/gas mark 4

2. Grease and line the bases of two 9 inch cake tins.

3. In a large mixing bowl sift together the gluten free flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder.

4. In a separate mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy.

5. In a small separate bowl add the eggs and whisk them throughly with a fork.

6. Using your electric hand mixture, beat the egg alternated with large spoonfuls of the flour mixture into the butter and sugar. Scrape the bowl down well in between additions and continue until all the egg and flour has been fully incorporated.
Then, gently fold in the milk until fully combined.

7. Carefully spoon the cake mixture into the cake tins, ensuring both tins contain equal amounts of cake mixture.

8. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 – 25 minutes. If baking the sponges on separate shelves, remember to swap the sponges around towards the end of the bake to ensure they are evenly baked.

9. To test the sponges insert a skewer into the centre of both sponges. If the skewer comes out clean the sponges are baked.

10. Leave the sponges to cool in their tins slightly before turning them out onto cooling racks. Allow both sponges to cool completely before storing them in the fridge to chill overnight (or for a few hours, at least). This will help make the cake easier to assemble.

11. Once the sponges have been chilled you are ready to assemble your cake: Firstly, use a wire cake cutter or a sharp knife to cut each sponge half horizontally so that you are left with 4 sponges.

12. Next whip the cream with an electric hand mixer until it resembles soft peaks and gently sieve the jam so that it spreads onto the sponges easier.

13.  Take your first piece of sponge and lay it flat onto your serving plate. Prick the sponge with a cocktail stick and gentle spoon over 1/2 tbsp kirsch (if using) then spread over a generous layer of cherry jam.

14. Using a palate knife gently spread a layer of cream over the the jam then place your second piece of sponge on top and repeat the steps until you have four layers of sponge and three layers of cream and jam. You should save some cream to decorate the top of the cake later.

15. Gently melt 175g of chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, saving the remaining 25g to decorate the top of the cake later.

15. Spread the chocolate over the top of the cake and leave to set.

16. Once the chocolate has set, pipe the remaining cream around the edge of cake to create a frame, then grate the remaining chocolate into the centre of the cake and gently place the fresh cherries around the the edge.

Voilà! One Black Forest Gâteau Showstopper!