Gluten Free Christmas: Raspberry and White Chocolate Trifles

I don’t know about you, but in my house it’s not Christmas Day without trifle – I’m pretty sure my family have had trifle every single Christmas day for as long as I can remember.

My Gluten Free Raspberry and White Chocolate Trifles are inspired by my mum because she is always in charge of the trifle. My mum’s recipe usually contains layers of sponge, jelly and fruit, custard and cream – I know the use of jelly can be quite controversial, but for me trifle is not trifle without jelly.

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I have, however, made a few small additions to this criteria. Instead of traditional vanilla custard, I opted for an indulgent white chocolate custard and instead of the traditional sherry soaked sponges, I went for a Black Raspberry Liqueur for a twist.

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This recipe is fantastic option for Christmas Day or a Christmas dinner party, as the majority of the work can be done the day before and the desserts can be finished off before serving. If you want like to save even more time, you could always use shop bought cake – I think Sainsbury’s gluten free Madeira loaf works wonderfully in trifle.

For a non – alcoholic version, miss out the Chambord Liqueur.

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Raspberry and White Chocolate Trifles – GF/DF options

You’ll need 8 small jars or a large dessert bowl.

Ingredients

For the Sponge Layer:

80g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
60g gluten free self raising flour
20g butter, melted and cooled (or dairy free alternative)
75ml Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur

OR

You could use shop bought cake (I like Sainsbury’s Gluten Free Madeira Loaf)

For the Jelly Layer:

1 x 135g packet Raspberry Jelly
290ml boiling water
290ml cold water
50ml Chambord Liqueur
300g Fresh Raspberries (or frozen berries if you prefer)

For the White Chocolate Custard:

3 large egg yolks
3 tsp cornflour
50g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250ml whole milk (or dairy free alternative)
250ml double cream (or dairy free alternative)
250g white chocolate (or dairy free alternative)

For the Cream:

600ml double cream
50g icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

To Decorate:

Pink edible glitter
Mini Candy canes (I found these in Flying Tiger)

Method:

1. To make the sponge:

– Preheat the oven to 200 C/180 fan/gas Mark 6), then grease and line a Swiss Roll tin or a baking tray with slightly raised sides.

– Place the eggs and sugar into large bowl and beat for 5 minutes using an electric hand mixer until the ingredients have tripled in volume and the mixture has reached ‘ribbon stage’.

– Sift in the gluten free flour and gently fold it through being careful not to knock out air out of the mixture, then fold through the cooled melted butter.

– Pour the mixture into the prepared tray and tilt to level out the mixture. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until the sponge starts to shrink away from the sides of the tin and the top is firm to touch.

– Turn the sponge out onto a wire wrack to cool, then using a 6cm round cutter, stamp out 8 sponge discs. Dip each sponge disc into the Black Rapsberry Liqueur, then place into the bottom of each jar. If you are using a large dessert bowl you can break the sponge into pieces, or cut out a disc to fit the bottom of the bowl.

2. To Make the Jelly:

– Place the Jelly cubes into a heatproof jug and add the boiling water. Stir until the cubes have dissolved, then pour in the cold water and the Black Raspberry Liqueur.

– Once the mixture has cooled, evenly distribute it between the 8 Jars, then add  a layer raspberries to each one. Each jar should have a layer of sponge and a layer of jelly and raspberries.

– Screw the lids onto each jar and leave them in fridge set overnight.

3) To make the White Chocolate Custard:

– Break the white chocolate into pieces and place them into a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.

– Whilist the chocolate melts, place the  the sugar, egg yolks, cornflour and vanilla extract into a heavy bottomed pan and whisk until combined. Pour over the milk and double cream, then place the pan over a low heat. Whisk the mixture until it begin to thicken and can coat the back of a wooden spoon.

– Pour the custard mixture into the white chocolate and whisk until combined. Leave the mixture to cool, then place cling film over the surface of the custard to prevent it forming a skin. Leave the custard to set in the fridge overnight.

4) Finish and decorate just before serving:

– Add a layer of custard to each jar.

– Whisk together the double cream, sugar and vanilla extract until it reaches soft peaks.

– Add a layer of cream to each jar – then top each one with a sprinkling of edible glitter and a candy cane.

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I love seeing your take on my recipes, so remember to share a snap of your trifles over on Facebook, twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #titchytonbakes.

Gluten Free Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Jars

It’s been a little too hot to bake recently, as here in the UK we’ve been experiencing a heatwave – I do like to see the sun out at last, but our country is not built to cope with heat… and neither are us Brits!

So, I’ve been eating a lot of lazy food; lots of salads (my particular favourite is a watermelon, cucumber and feta salad) and cured meats, like salami and prosciutto – basically anything that doesn’t involve standing in front of a hot stove.

I have been feeling a little sick of ice cream, so I wanted to come up with a quick, easy and refreshing no bake dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth.

My Gluten Free Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Jars tick all the boxes – they take a matter of minutes to put together, there is no baking required and they don’t  need to be left to set.

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Strawberries are at their best right now and I absolutely adore them – but you could also use Raspberries or a mix of both if you prefer.

For the biscuit layer, I used Schär Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits – I prefer this brand because they are also free from oats, but you can use any kind of biscuits you like.

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These Cheesecake jars are best served right away, but they can be made ahead of time and popped in the fridge. They are also ideal for a picnic as they are portable – simply put the lids on and pop them in a cool bag to keep them fresh!

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Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Jars – GF/EF

Makes 4 (depending on the size of your jars)

Ingredients

180g Philadelphia cheese, cold
330ml whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons icing sugar
150g gluten free digestive biscuits (I prefer ones by Schär, as they are also free from oats)
500g fresh strawberries, halved
Fresh mint to decorate

Method

1. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor (or crush them by hand) until they are the consistency of breadcrumbs.

2. In a large bowl, gently mix the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until combined. Add the whipping cream and whisk using a electric hand mixer until the ingredients form soft peaks.

3. Add a layer of the biscuit crumbs to the base of each jar, followed a layer of cream and a layer of strawberries. Repeat until the jars are full and top with mint leaves to decorate.

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I love seeing your take on my bakes, so remember to share your a picture of your Cheesecakes over on Facebook, twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #titchytonbakes.

 

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

Today I’m going to share with you my gluten free take on Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart, as featured on the latest episode of ‘The Great British Bake Off’.

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This week the bakers had to tackle pastry and they were tasked with making Danish Pastries, Filo Pastry Amuse Bouches and a Bakewell Tart, which was this week’s technical challenge.

There was some controversy on Twitter after the show aired that Mary’s bake was not a Bakewell Tart, but in fact a Cherry Bakewell because it was topped with an almond flavoured icing – apparently a traditional Bakewell Tart is supposed to be topped with layer of flaked almonds, not icing.

It may annoy traditionalists, but I decided to stay true to Mary’s recipe and go for a layer of icing…  but I did add some flaked almonds for good measure!

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The challenge making a gluten free version of this bake is coming with a good shortcrust pastry recipe.

Gluten free pastry can tend to be a little on the crumbly side, so it’s important that there is enough liquid in the mixture to help bind the ingredients together. My recipe uses a combination of egg yolks and butter to achieve this, but if the mixture is being little stubborn, a drop of water can be added to help bring it together.

It’s also incredibly important to chill your pastry before using it, as it this really does help to make it more pliable.

Finally, a good quality non stick tart or flan tin with a loose base is essential, or you will struggle to get your tart of its tin!

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Gluten Free Cherry Bakewell Tart – GF/DF/

(Recipe inspired by Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart recipe from ‘The Great British Bake Off’)

You will need a 8″ inch fluted flan or tart tin with a loose base.

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

200g plain gluten free flour

50g ground almonds

75g  icing sugar

2 egg yolks

125g butter (Or gluten free alternative like Stork Baking Block)

A drop of water

For the filling:

4 tbsp seedless raspberry jam

150g butter, softened (or gluten free alternative)

150g caster sugar

150g ground almonds

1 large free-range egg, beaten

1 tsp almond extract

For the icing: 

300g icing sugar

1 tsp almond extract

A handful of toasted flaked almonds to finish

Method

1) To make the pastry, stir together the flour, ground almonds and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl.

2) Rub together the flour mixture and the butter, add the egg yolks and start to bring the mixture together your hands.

3) Tip the contents of the bowl out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth ball – you can add a few drops of water to help, if necessary.

4) Wrap the pastry in cling film and put it in the fridge to cool for about 30 minutes to an hour – this is very important as the colder the pastry is, the easier it is to work with.

5) Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas mark 4, then throughly grease your tart tin with butter.

6) Roll out the chilled pastry between two sheets of greaseproof baking paper (this will prevent the pastry from sticking to your work surface) until it is about the thickness of a 1 pound coin.

7) Use greaseproof paper to help you get the pastry into the tin safely. Firstly, peel off the top layer of baking paper, place the tin upside down into the middle of the pastry then carefully flip the pastry over with the help of the bottom sheet of baking paper. Peel off the bottom baking sheet and gently press the pastry down into the tin, insuring it’s pressed right into each groove – don’t panic if you do get any tears or any holes, just neatly patch it up with some spare pastry.

8) Trim off any excess pastry. Place some baking paper into the case and fill it baking beans (any dried beans or rice will do) then blind bake the pastry case for 10 minutes. Remove the baking beans and bake the case for a further 5 minutes to help dry it out.

9. Meanwhile make the Frangipane: cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, ground almonds and almond extract until the ingredients are combined.

10. Leave the pastry case to cool down slightly before spreading the jam over the base of the case in an even layer. Next, spoon the Frangipane into the case and smooth it out with a palate knife.

11. Bake the tart for 25 – 30 minutes or until the Frangipane is golden brown and firm to touch. If the pastry starts to get a little too much colour, put some tin foil over the tart, this will prevent it from burning.

12. Leave the tart to cool completely before decorating. While you are waiting, toast your flaked almonds by spreading them over a lined baking sheet and baking them at 180 degrees for about 5 minutes until toasted.

13. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the almond extract and 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix until you are left with a thick but spreadable icing.

14. Spread the icing over the cooled tart using a palate knife. Sprinkle over the toasted almonds, then serve!

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I hope you enjoy this recipe and all other recipes I have recreated during this series of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ so far.

I love seeing your bakes, so if you try any of my recipes please take a snap and share it on Instagram or Twitter by using the hashtag #titchytonbakes or post a picture on my Facebook page.

 

No Churn Raspberry and Mascarpone Ice Cream

After what has seemed like months of endless grey clouds and drizzle, the sun finally decided to grace the UK with its presence and Britain has just enjoyed a week of uncharacteristically warm weather, which some of us Brits are quite frankly not used to.

Despite the fact it has been uncomfortably hot at points, I have tried to make the most of the sunshine as it will be over all too soon and at the weekend I had my first (and probably last) barbecue of the year and made homemade ice cream.

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When I think of summer one of the first things that pops into my mind is ice cream. When I was a little girl my dad worked as an ice cream man and the summer holidays consisted of playing outside with my sisters, endless supplies of ice cream and ice lollies and the occasional trip out in the ice cream van, if I was good!

So, I’m sure you’ll understand why the hot weather meant that I just had to have ice cream and what could be a more perfect excuse to make my own? It’s also surprisingly  easy – it’s a no churn recipe, so you don’t need an ice cream machine but an electric whisk is always a good idea.

When it came to choosing flavours, I decided to use mascarpone cheese as a nod to my Dad (he’s Italian so it seemed like the perfect ingredient) and raspberry which is a lovely sharp contrast to the creamy mascarpone – this recipe is incredibly versatile though, so you can go to town creating tonnes of interesting flavour combinations!

No Churn Mascarpone And Raspberry Ice Cream

For the Raspberry Sauce:
125g fresh raspberries
1 tbsp caster sugar
25 ml cold water

For the Ice Cream:
250g cheese mascarpone, room temperature
397g can sweetened condensed milk
600 ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method: 

1. To make the raspberry sauce: place the raspberries, sugar and water into a food processor and blend to a puree. Push the purée through a sieve to remove the seeds then set it aside for later.

2. For the ice cream, soften the mascarpone cheese with an electric whisk until it is very soft, add the condensed milk and vanilla extract then whisk until the mixture is smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until it forms soft peaks, gently fold through the condensed milk and mascarpone mixture without knocking too much volume from the cream, but ensuring that all the ingredients are combined.

3. Drizzle half of the raspberry sauce over the ice cream mixture but don’t fold it through. Spoon the mixture into a large freezable container and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight and refrigerate the remaining raspberry sauce.

4. Thaw the ice cream before serving with the remaining raspberry sauce.