Category: Homemade

Gluten Free Canapés: Mini Baked Potatoes and Enchilada Bites

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If you’re in need of idea for gluten free party food, then look no further than these incredibly simple homemade Canapés – Mini Baked Potatoes and Enchilada Bites.

1 When it comes party food, I think the prep needs to be as simple as possible – both of these recipes can be prepared in advance and finished off just before serving, giving you plenty of opportunity to mingle amongst your guests.

Both recipes can also be made suitable for vegetarians; simply replace the chicken in the enchilada cups with sweetcorn and swap the Chorizo topping on the baked potatoes for some chopped chives.

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These Canapés would make a lovely addition to any New Years Eve party, or a buffet style celebration on New Years Day – I also think they would appeal to both gluten eaters and gluten free guests equally…  in fact, I will be surprised if anyone cottons onto the fact that they are gluten free!

Enchilada Bites – GF/DF options
Recipe Makes 20

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Ingredients:

10 Old El Paso Mexicana Street Market White Corn Tortillas or similar gluten free wraps

200g cooked chicken breast (Vegetarian option: substitute chicken for sweetcorn)

150g mild salsa

100g black beans

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

100g mature cheddar, grated (or dairy free equivalent)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 C/180 fan/or gas mark 6, then lightly grease two muffin tins with sunflower oil.
  2. Slice each tortilla into quarters, then press two pieces of tortilla into each hole of the muffin tin so that they cross over.
  3. Place the tortilla cases into the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until crispy and golden.
  4. Mix together the chicken, beans, paprika, cayenne pepper and salsa, then place a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into each case.
  5. Top each tortilla cup with cheddar cheese and bake until the cheese turns golden – you can do this just before serving.

Mini Baked Potatoes (GF/EF/DF options)

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Ingredients:

20 mini potatoes

20 slices of chorizo

150g mature cheddar, grated (or dairy free alternative)

Oil, salt and pepper

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6
  2. Cut a cross in the centre of each potato, then place them on a baking tray.
  3. Drizzle the potatoes with oil, then season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bake the potatoes for 25 – 30 minutes.
  5. Leave the potatoes to cool slightly, then use a knife to open up each one.
  6. Place grated cheese into the centre of each potato and top each one with a slice of Chorizo.
  7. Place the potatoes into the oven until the cheese melts and turns golden – you can do this just before serving.

To make a vegetarian version substitute the chorizo for chopped chives.

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

I hope all my lovely readers have a fantastic New Years Eve and a very Happy New Year – Here’s to 2018!

 

 

 

Gluten Free Christmas: Raspberry and White Chocolate Trifles

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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 Iced Gems

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Recently I’ve been feeling nostalgic for the bakes of my childhood – so far this year I’ve posted a gluten free version of Jammy Dodgers and Party Rings, and now I’ve come up with a recipe for Gluten Free Iced Gems.

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Ice Gems may be small, but they aren’t fiddly or faffy to make. They would make an easy homemade gift or a great rainy project for the kids, as there are no difficult techniques involved – you could even save on washing up by putting all the different colours of icing in the same piping bag and making multicoloured ice gems!

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These biscuits kept really well for about 5 days in an airtight container. The royal icing took about 24 hours to set completely, but they were fine to eat after a few hours.

Iced Gem Biscuits (GF/DF options)

For the Biscuits:

75g golden caster sugar
75g unsalted butter, cold (or dairy free alternative, like Stork Margarine Block)
140g gluten free all purpose flour (I used Schär All Purpose Baking Mix)
1 small egg (you might not need it all)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Icing:

275g icing sugar
1 egg white plus Food Colouring (I prefer using a gel or paste)

Method:
1) To make the biscuit dough: In a large bowl combine the gluten free flour and sugar, then rub in the cold butter until you have a breadcrumb like texture.

2) Whisk together the egg and vanilla in a separate bowl, then add this bit by bit to the breadcrumb like mixture whilst bringing the ingredients together with your hands – you might not need all the egg.

3) Tip the contents of the bowl out onto a lightly floured surface, then use your hands to work the ingredients into a soft dough. Don’t worry if the dough seems a little sticky as it will be refrigerated which help it to firm up – don’t be tempted to add more flour!

4) Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

5) Preheat the oven to 170 C/150 C fan/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
8) Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out the dough until it is 0.5mm thick. Cut out small circles using the bottom of a piping nozzle as a cookie cutter and  transfer the cookies to the tray lined with greaseproof paper using a palate knife.

9) Bake the cookies for 10 – 12 minutes or until the cookies are firm and a light golden brown – be sure to keep an eye on them as they could quickly over-bake.

10) Once baked, leave the cookies to cool slightly on the trays to before transferring them to wire racks to finish cooling.

11) To make the royal Royal icing: place 1 egg white in a bowl, then slowly sift in the icing sugar in batches. In between the batches of icing sugar, stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon or a balloon whisk until the icing thickens up – you can use a dash of water to encourage the ingredients to come together if necessary.

12) Divide the icing between 4 bowls, add a few drop of food colouring to each one depending on what colours you want the icing to be – you can leave one bowl of icing white if you want white iced gems.

13) Transfer the icing to 4 piping bags, each one fitted with a 1 inch star nozzle, then pipe a blob of icing onto the centre of each biscuit.

14) Leave the icing to set, then enjoy!

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

 

 

Gluten Free Salted Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread (Inspired by ‘The Great British Bake Off’)

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‘Bake Off’ is back and I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy the new series; especially as the show made a controversial move from the BBC to Channel 4 last year. I’m normally incredibly excited for the start of a new series, but this year I didn’t have quite the same enthusiasm for the show returning again. Saying that, I am I actually quite enjoying the new series and am pleased to see that the show hasn’t changed too much. I do, however, miss the old team – especially Mary Berry, can someone hurry up and make her a Dame already?!

This recipe is inspired by Caramel week,  which was a Bake Off first. We seen the bakers make Caramel before, but we’ve  never whole programme centred around it. It made for great television because Caramel can be quite unpredictable.

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I’m not sure Paul Hollywood would approve of my method of making Caramel, as it’s somewhat of a cheat to use the microwave… but, the result is perfect Caramel that sets brilliantly every time.

I’ve made Caramel on the hob many times and sometimes it’s been a bit hit and miss. Possible scenarios have included, burning myself in the process, burning the caramel to the bottom of the pan, or almost burning the house down… not with the microwave method!

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Gluten Free Millionaire’s Shortbread – GF/EF

Ingredients

For the shortbread base:
275g gluten free all purpose flour (I used Schär All Purpose Baking Mix)
175g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
100g caster sugar

For the caramel layer:
1 x 397g tin of condensed milk
100g unsalted butter
100g dark brown sugar

Approx 1/2 tsp Sea Salt – but depends on your taste!

For the chocolate layer:
250g dark chocolate
250g milk chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 C/140 C fan/gas mark 3 then grease and line the base and sides of a 20 x 20 square tin with greaseproof paper.

2. To make the shortbread base, mix together the flour and sugar in large bowl, then rub in the butter until left with a breadcrumb like texture.

3. Start to bring mixture together with your hands until you have a smooth ball of dough.

4. Press the dough into the tin, smoothing it into an even layer that reaches the corners of the tin.

5. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown, then set it aside to cool whilst you make the caramel.

6. To make the caramel, place the butter into a large microwavable bowl and heat until melted. Add the sugar and give the ingredients a good mix until you can’t feel any grains of sugar on the bottom of the bowl – you may need to heat it again for another 30 seconds or so to encourage the sugar to dissolve throughly.

7. Add the condensed milk and heat for a further two minutes before whisking the ingredients throughly with a balloon whisk. Heat the caramel for a further 5 minutes, giving it a good whisk after each 30 seconds.

8. Drop a little bit of the caramel into a glass of cold water – if the mixture can be rolled into soft ball then it’s ready to be used, otherwise it may need another 30 seconds in the microwave.

9. Stir through the sea salt and then smooth the caramel in an even layer over the shortbread base. Leave to set.

10. For the chocolate layer, gently melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the top of the shortbread and caramel layers and smooth out with a palate knife, then leave to set before cutting the Shortbread into equally sized pieces.

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

Gluten Free Party Rings Recipe

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If you’ve run out of Summer holiday activities to do with the kids, why not give my Gluten Free Party Rings recipe a go?

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This is the perfect bake for the weekend or the holidays, as it’s super easy and a really good one to get the kids involved in –  I’m sure they’ll love helping icing the biscuits… and eating them!

It’s a great recipe for us big kids too – because when are you too old for Party Rings?

Party Rings – GF/DF

Ingredients:

For the biscuits:
150g sugar
150g butter (or dairy free alternative like Stork Margarine Block)
320g gluten free all purpose flour (I used Schär All Purpose Baking Mix)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Icing:
400g icing sugar
Food colouring

Method:

1) In a large bowl, stir together the gluten free flour and sugar until combined.

2) Rub in the butter until you have a bread crumb like texture.

3) Add the egg and vanilla essence, then start bringing the ingredients together using a wooden spoon.

4) Use your hands to work the ingredients into a soft dough. Don’t worry if the dough seems a little sticky as it will be chilled for a while to help it firm up – don’t be tempted to add more flour!

5) Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for at least and hour.

6) Preheat the oven to 170 C/150 C fan/gas mark 4 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

7) Dust a clean surface with gluten free flour and roll out the dough using a floured rolling pin.

8) Cut out circle shapes using a 6cm pastry cutter, then transfer them to the prepared tray using a palate knife. When the biscuits are on the trays, use a pipping nozzle to stamp a hole through the middle of each one.

9) Bake for 10 minutes or until they are a light golden brown – be sure to keep an eye on this biscuits as they could quickly over-bake.

10) Leave the biscuits to cool on the tray for a few minutes to help them firm up,  then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

11) To make the icing: place icing sugar in a large bowl with a few teaspoons of cold water, then mix the ingredients until they form a spreadable paste. You may need to add a little more water if the icing is too thick.

12) Divide the mixture into different bowls . Leave the icing in one bowl white, then add a little food colouring to each of the other bowls – the colours are up to you! Transfer the white icing to a piping bag fitted with a small writing nozzle.

13) To decorate, spread a little icing over the biscuit using a palate knife. Pipe three lines of the white icing across the biscuit, then run a cocktail stick through the lines to feather the icing – repeat until all the biscuits have been iced.

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

Gluten Free Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Jars

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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 Double Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe (for Coeliac Awareness Week)

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Today I’m going to share with you my Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffin recipe in honour of Coeliac Awareness Week, which is being held this week between the 8th – 14th May 2017.

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Coeliac UK have estimated that approximately 1 in 100 people in the UK suffer with Coeliac Disease and just 24% have been properly diagnosed – which  means there are people living with undiagnosed Coeliacs Disease all across the UK, something Coeliac Awareness week is aiming to change.

You can find out more about Coeliac Awareness Week over at Coeliac UK, including ideas about how to get involved.

If you think you have have Coeliac Disease you can find out more information about the symptoms and how to go about getting a diagnosis here.

If you’ve recently been diagnosed and are new to Gluten Free baking, there is a tonne of advice over on my Ton’s Tips and Tricks page.

My Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins recipe is perfect for Gluten Free baking beginners as there are no difficult techniques involved – you don’t even need to worry about the batter being lumpy!

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This recipe was inspired by my Gluten Free White Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins recipe which I posted last year,  in that post I listed a few extra tips and tricks to achieve perfect muffins -you can find that post here.

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Double Chocolate Muffins – GF/DF options

Ingredients:

275g gluten free self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
100 ml sunflower oil
200ml milk (or dairy free alternative)
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g milk chocolate chips, refrigerated (or dairy free alternative)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas mark 4 and line a muffin tin with 8 muffin cases.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

3. In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla extract until combined then add this to the dry ingredients.

4. Gently mix the ingredients together until they form a batter which is only just combined (don’t worry too much if there are any lumps), then stir through the chocolate chips.

5. Spoon approximately 3 tablespoons of batter into each case – the cases should be about 3 quarters full.

6. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

7. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.

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Gluten Free Easter Chocolate Log

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My final Easter recipe this is year is my Gluten Free Easter Chocolate Log recipe – the perfect bake for chocoholics and a beautiful centrepiece for any Easter Sunday gathering.

IMG_4661   I know chocolate logs are more traditionally eaten at Christmas, but I think this fun update on a classic works for Easter too!

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I promise you that this recipe is much easier to make than it looks – the trick is to make sure whip up your eggs and sugar until they are super voluminous!

Easter Chocolate Log – GF

For the Swiss Roll:

80g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
60g gluten free self raising flour
20g cocoa powder
20g butter, melted and cooled.

For the Icing:

350g butter, softened
350g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
White chocolate, for decorating.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/180 C fan/gas mark 6, then grease and line a Swiss roll tin or a baking tray with slightly raised sides with baking parchment.

2. Sift together the gluten free flour and cocoa powder in a large bowl then set aside.

3. Place the eggs and sugar into large bowl and beat the ingredients using an electric hand mixer for about 5 minutes, until the ingredients are pale, fluffy and have tripled in volume. Make sure the mixture has reached ‘ribbon stage’, which means that when you remove the whisk the mixture falling from the whisk leaves a ribbon like trail.

4. Fold in the flour mixture bit by bit, being careful not to knock out the air from the mixture.

5. Carefully fold through the cooled melted butter.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tray or tin, tilting the tray to level out he mixture.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the sponge starts to shrink away from the sides of the tin and the top is firm to touch.

8. Place a large sheet of baking paper onto a work surface. While the cake is still hot, place it upside down onto the paper, then carefully remove the tray and the baking paper.

9. Roll up the cake so that the paper is inside in the Swiss roll, then leave to cool completely.

10. To make the icing, beat the softened butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Split the mixture between two separate bowls – into one mix the vanilla extract and into the other mix the cocoa powder.

11. Carefully unroll your Swiss Roll and spread the vanilla icing over the sponge, then gently roll it back up.

12. Place the Swiss Roll onto a serving plate, then cover it with the chocolate icing using a palate knife. Use a fork to make a ‘bark like’ affect, then decorate with chocolate eggs of your choice and grated chocolate.

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

I hope everyone has a fantastic Easter!

 

Gluten Free Easter: Marmalade Simnel Cake

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Today I am going to share with you my Gluten Free Marmalade Simnel Cake recipe.

IMG_4506For me, it simply wouldn’t be Easter without Simnel Cake – a traditional cake made up of a lightly spiced fruit sponge with a hidden marzipan layer. It is topped with 11 marzipan balls which are said to represent the 11 apostles, minus Judas.

My recipe is a slight twist on the traditional Simnel Cake. I have added a little more liquid in order to create a moist sponge, as Gluten Free Flour requires more moisture than normal flour – Simnel cakes are usually slowly baked on a low temperature for a long time, so the extra moisture is necessary to prevent a dry cake.

I also used Orange Zest instead of Lemon zest and instead of apricot jam I brushed the cake in a generous layer of marmalade.

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Simnel Cake would make a beautiful centrepiece for a special Easter Sunday meal, it is also easily prepared in advance and will comfortably feed a large family.

Orange and Marmalade Simnel Cake – GF/DF options

Ingredients

For the cake:

200g butter, softened (or dairy free butter/spread)
200g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
200g gluten free self raising flour, sifted
3 large eggs, whisked
500g sultanas, raisins, mixed peel
Zest 1 orange, plus 2 tbsp of juice
2 tbsp marmalade, gently warmed
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
300g Marzipan, for the centre

To decorate:
2 tbsp Marmalade
500g Marzipan, to decorate

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 140 C/120 C fan/gas mark 1 and grease and line a loose-bottomed cake tin.

2) In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer or a wooden spoon.

3) In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients: sift together the flour, baking powder and spices, then fold through the fruit and the orange zest.

4) Add the eggs one at a time to the wet ingredients along with a tablespoon of dry ingredients to stop the mixture from splitting. Ensure each egg is fully combined before adding the next one.

5) Fold in all the remaining dry ingredients, then add the marmalade and orange juice and mix until fully combined.

6) Spoon half the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth out with a spatula.

7) Roll out 300g of marzipan into a circle large enough to fit the tin and place it on top of the cake mixture

8) Spoon the remaining mixture on top of the marzipan and smooth out with spatula.

9) Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour 40 – 50 minutes, until the cake is deep golden brown and firm to touch.

10) Leave the cake to cool in the tin slightly before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

11) Once cake is cool, brush the top with a generous amount of marmalade which which will help the cake to stay moist.

12) Roll out 400g of Marzipan into a circle large enough to cover the top of the cake.

13) Place the marzipan on top of the cake and divide the remaining marzipan into 11 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into 11 balls and arrange them around the edge of the cake in a circle.

14) Place the cake under a grill high heat for a minute or so until the marzipan is golden brown – watch it like a hawk or the marzipan could burn!

15) Place the cake onto a serving plate and wrap it in a pretty ribbon.

You are now ready to proudly display your beautiful and entirely gluten free Easter centre piece for all the family to admire!

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

Gluten Free Chouquettes

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Out of all the cuisines the world has to offer, I have to admit (albeit with some trepidation) that French food is an area that I have left largely unexplored.

Maybe I am unsophisticated, or perhaps I’ve just been misled by the notion that French food is a little tricky – at this point I am thinking about my miserable attempts at Petit Four or Macarons…

After watching Rachel Khoo’s ‘Little Paris Kitchen’ (which is currently being re-aired on BBC 2) I’ve been feeling a little more enthusiastic about revisiting French cuisine – thanks to the show I’ve achieved the gooiest of Chocolate Fondants and have fine tuned my gluten free Choux pastry recipe.

Speaking of Choux, I have made it in the past – and quite successfully (see my Profiteroles recipe) – but this time I definitely feel like I have perfected it.

One of the recipes on the show was Chouquettes – a petit viennoiserie, consisting of  Choux pastry which are most often topped with pearl sugar or chocolate chips, although sometimes you might come across Chouquettes which have been dipped in chocolate or filled with mousse.

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I decided to go for the traditional Chouquettes sprinkled with Pearl Sugar (or nib sugar) which I found in my local Waitrose and I also used Rachel Khoo’s recipe from the show, but with some vital tweaks to make the recipe work gluten free.

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Chouquettes are definitely best eaten on the day they are baked, and I will be very surprised if they don’t gobbled up immediately!

Gluten Free Chouquettes

Recipe adapted from Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen (recipe found on Almost Always Hungry).

Ingredients: 

170ml water

170ml semi skimmed milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

100g butter

170g gluten free self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

Icing sugar for sprinkling

Pearl sugar to decorate (I found this in my local Waitrose).

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c/ 180c fan/gas mark 6 and line two trays with greaseproof paper.

2. In a heavy bottomed pan, stir together the water, milk, salt and sugar. Place the pan over a medium heat, then add the butter and bring the ingredients to the boil. Once the butter has melted bring the pan off the heat.

3. In a separately bowl, stir together the gluten free flour and the baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat vigorously until no flour remains and you are left with a smooth dough.

4. Transfer the dough to a bowl and leave it to cool for a few minutes. Stir the dough to help release the steam – once  the mixture has cooled down add the eggs, one at a time, beating until dough is smooth, glossy and elastic.

5. Place dough into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe bite-sized dollops onto a lined baking tray.

6. Sprinkle each dollop with icing sugar and pearl sugar, then give them another sprinkling of icing sugar.

7. Bake the Chouquettes in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until evenly browned. In the last few minutes, pierce the bottom of the Chouquettes with cocktail stick to help the insides to dry out – this will stop them from going soggy and help them to stay crisp.

8. Transfer the Chouquettes to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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