Tag: Dessert

Gluten Free Rhubarb and Apple Crumble with Homemade Custard

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The UK has been experiencing a bit of a cold snap over the last week and as temperatures have continued to plummet I have found myself drawn to warming comfort foods.

Although it is not quite peak-rhubarb season until about April, rhubarb is available as early as February and I recently spotted some beautiful pink rhubarb at my local fruit and veg stall which made my mouth water. I think people often don’t know what to do with rhubarb, but one of the simplest ways to cook it is in a crumble – and you can’t really go wrong with the classic combination of Rhubarb and Apple.

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For most recipes, it is essential to sweeten rhubarb with a little sugar, but not so much that it begins to lose all its sharpness. If cooked properly, rhubarb should be that perfect balance between sweet and sour – be careful too, not to cook the rhubarb for too long as it can lose it shape become mush.

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I topped my crumble with gluten free oats, but if you struggle to tolerate gluten free oats, you could try buckwheat flakes, quinoa flakes or flaked almonds instead.

Gluten Free Rhubarb and Apple Crumble with Homemade Custard Ingredients – GF/DF options

For the filling:
400g pink rhubarb, cut into thumb size pieces
300g Bramley apples, peeled and sliced
100g caster sugar

For the crumble topping:
75g unsalted butter (or dairy free butter)
250g all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Schär All Purpose Baking Mix)
50g caster sugar
A handful of gluten free oats, buckwheat flakes, quinoa flakes or flaked almonds

Custard:
1 tsp cornflour
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
20g caster sugar
150ml double cream (or dairy free alternative)
100ml milk (or dairy free alternative)

Method

1) Preheat the oven 200 C/180 C fan/gas mark.

2) Place the rhubarb and caster sugar into a heavy bottomed pan. Heat the ingredients over a low to medium heat until the rhubarb starts to release its juices, but holds its shape.

2) Add the slices of apple to the pan and stir until the apple is coated with the rhubarb juice. Pour the fruit into the baking dish and set aside while you make the crumble topping.

3) To make the crumble topping, mix together the flour and sugar then rub in butter until you are left with a breadcrumb like texture.

4) Spoon the crumble mixture over the fruit filling, ensuring it is completely covered. Top with gluten-free oats (or one of the alternatives listed above), then bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

5) To make custard: place the cornflour, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla extract into a heavy bottomed pan and give the ingredients a quick whisk. Add milk and cream then place the pan over a medium heat. Continuously whisk the mixture to help it thicken and to stop the custard burning – do not let it boil.

6) Once the custard has thickened remove the pan from the heat and serve.

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

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 Torta Della Nonna Recipe

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Today I’m going to share with you my gluten free take on a classic Italian dessert called Torta della Nonna, which in English means ‘Grandma’s Cake’.

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Torta della Nonna is a traditional dessert cake, not unlike a custard tart, which consists of a sweet shortcrust pastry case, filled with creme patisserie and topped with almonds or pine nuts.

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Gluten free pastry can be notoriously tricky to get right, but with a few experiments I have come up with a simple recipe and a few tips and tricks which make handling the pastry much easier.

Torta della Nonna – GF/DF options

Ingredients

Pastry:

300g plain gluten free flour

100g icing sugar

3 egg yolks

150g butter (or dairy free alternative)

Creme Patisserie:

Zest of 1 small unwaxed lemon

400ml milk (or dairy free alternative)

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

30g cornflour

100g caster sugar

Topping:

Milk, for glazing (or dairy free alternative)

A handful of almonds or pine nuts

Method:

1) To make the pastry: Stir together the flour and icing sugar. Add the egg yolks and butter, rub the ingredients together until they start to form a dough. Tip the contents of the bowl out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for a few minutes until it forms a smooth ball of pastry.

2) Wrap the pastry in cling film and put it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour. This is very important as the colder gluten free pastry is, the easier it is to work with.

3) While the pastry is chilling it’s time to make the creme patissiere. Start by placing 300 ml of milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest into a heavy bottomed pan – remember to save 100 ml of the milk as you will need it in a moment.

4) Warm the milk over a low heat but do not let it boil. Once the milk is hot strain it through a sieve to get rid of the lemon zest.

5) Next, place the remaining milk, egg yolks, cornflour and sugar into a separate bowl then whisk until combined.

6) Add this mixture to the hot milk by pressing it through a sieve to get rid of any lumps.

7) Increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a boil, keep stirring until the mixture thickens and remove from the heat.

8) Pour the creme patissiere into a bowl and allow it to cool slightly before covering it with cling film and popping it in the fridge for later.

9) Once the pastry has been chilled it’s time to assemble the tart. Preheat your oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas mark 4, then grease an 8 inch loose bottomed flan or tart tin with butter – remember to throughly grease the sides of the tin or you will struggle to remove your tart at the end.

10) Take your pastry out of the fridge and cut it in half. Keep one half for the base of the tart and place the other half back in the fridge to keep cool – this will be used to make the lid later.

11) The best way to roll out gluten free pastry is between two sheets of greaseproof baking paper which will prevent the pastry from sticking to your work surface.

12) Use greaseproof paper to help 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.

13) 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.

14) Once the pastry case has been blind baked, allow it cool for a few minutes before spooning the creme patissiere into the pastry case until it’s almost full.

15) Roll out the pastry for the lid between two baking sheets, exactly the same way as you did the base. I often struggle getting lids on pies and tarts without the pastry tearing, so I like to pop the pastry lid into the freezer for a few minutes once it’s been rolled out which makes it much easier to handle and less likely to tear. To get the lid on your tart safely, use the bottom baking sheet to help flip the pastry upside down on top of the tart, then carefully  peel off the baking paper and trim off the excess pastry.

16) Press down around the edge of the tart and prick the lid with a fork to prevent air bubbles forming. Using a pastry brush, glaze the top of the tart with milk and sprinkle on a few handfuls of either almonds or pine nuts.

17) Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the nuts are lightly toasted.

18) Once the tart has cooled, sprinkle it with a dusting of icing sugar and serve with either vanilla ice cream, double cream, or you can have it plain with a cup of coffee!

Torte della Nonna is best stored in the fridge and will keep for a few days – if it lasts that long!

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

Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding

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Welcome to my first ever blog post!

This August I will have been on a gluten free diet for two years; from day one I refused to be restricted by my diet and was determined to enjoy every little bit of what I eat. I believe that it’s possible to enjoy food and to eat everything I used to eat before but that it often just takes a little bit of experimenting to get things right. I spend the majority of my spare time developing gluten free recipes and testing my bakes on my friends who always tell me that I should share my recipes, so that leads me to the blog!

I thought long and hard about the first recipe I would share, it needed to be a recipe goes down well every time I make it – it had to be my Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe.

I have tried and tested this recipe many times, and on gluten eaters! They thought it tastes every bit as good as a “normal” sticky toffee pudding – so if you’re on a gluten free diet, and you feel like you are missing out on real puddings, give this recipe a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding – GF/DF options

Serves 8

Ingredients
Sponge:
150g chopped dates
200ml strong black tea
150g butter, unsalted (or dairy free spread)
150g dark brown sugar
150g self raising gluten free flour
2 large eggs

Sauce:
50g Light brown sugar
50g butter (or dairy free spread)
120ml double cream (or dairy free alternative)
1tbsp black treacle
1 tbsp golden syrup

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 C/180 C fas/gas mark 6.

2. Grease 2 glass dishes with butter (I used 2 glass dishes because that’s what I had lying around but you could use just one big glass dish or a cake tin, you may need to adjust the cooking time to ensure the sponge is cooked through).

3. Soak the dates in the tea and set aside to cool.

4. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, making sure you’ve worked out any of the lumps in the brown sugar. Add the eggs and flour then mix until all the ingredients are fully combined.

6. When adding the dates it entirely up to you whether to blend them or leave them chunky – I like to blend the tea and dates into a paste but either way is absolutely fine. Add the dates and tea into the sponge batter and mix until fully combined, then spoon the mixture into the prepared dishes and smooth it out with a spatula.

7. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 25 – 30 minutes. To check the sponge is cooked through, test the middle with a skewer, if it comes out clean the sponge is cooked.

8. To make the sauce place the sugar, golden syrup, treacle and butter in a pan over a low heat. Once the butter has melted stir in the double cream.

9. Drizzle the sauce over a slice of the pudding to serve!