I am making a gluten free cake today. I am doing that for three reasons. Ahem, hrrm, huh-hrm, ahem. Throat officially cleared, and listing will now commence:
1. I found a really awe inspiring recipe with plums in it and I am a complete sucker for anything with plums in it. Plum trees included.
2. I have lunch with my family tomorrow, two members of which are gluten intolerant. This means that should gluten be walking down the street towards them, they wouldn't just merely look the other way, they would cross the road and give it the stink eye.
3. I am trying to avoid more searingly cogent questions about the Easter Bunny from my son.
Last night I popped some eggs on Gabe's bed, hoping to delight him in the morning. He was absolutely thrilled and when he said "How did they get here?" I should have answered "Daddy and I bought them for you". But I did not. Instead I said "The Easter Bunny brought them!" At that point he was still so heady with the unexpected windfall of chocolate that he let that lie. Until approximately 2pm this afternoon.
Gabe: Did the Easter Bunny come at night?
Me: Yes.
Gabe: Why?
Me: He does most of his work at night
Gabe: Where does he live?
Me: Easter Island.
Gabe: How does he get here?
(I kid you not, each question came firmly and quickly after the previous one)
Me: (pausing for a second) He hops. Very big hops.
Gabe: He come up a rabbit hole.
Me: Yes! That's good. Yes, a hole.
Gabe: Why does he bring bunnies?
Me: LETS MAKE A CAKE!!!!!!
So here we are, making a cake.
Gluten Free Upside Down Plum & Chocolate Cake (as found on glutenfreescallywag.com via the Masterchef magazine.. phew)
Doesn't my son look adorable in that picture. He chose that pinney by the way. I offered him the blue one. He doesn't look like some sort of Stasi Easter interrogator does he?
180g unsalted butter, softened
55g brown sugar
6 firm blood plums cut in half and stone removed.
Or left in, if you like a little tooth breaking surprise in your cakes.
295g castor sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
225g gluten free flour
1.5 tsp gluten free baking powder
25g Dutch cocoa powder
90g ground almonds.
Preheat the oven to 150 Fan forced - I ended up turning mine up a touch because the cake was sinking in the middle and I didn't think that it was cooking fast enough.
Get a 20cm springform pan and line that sucker - line it good. Take 20 grams of the butter and melt it then swish it all over the base of the cake pan. Scatter the brown sugar over the base, in the manner of a 30's heroine scattering rose petals out to sea in remembrance of her long lost sea Captain lover. I got a four year old to do that, so it was a bit more mercurial.
Gabe became completely preoccupied with licking his fingers and had to removed from scattering duty. I pressed the plum halves into that mix - face down. The recipe suggests that you leave a border around the edges - I recommend the same as there is likely to be a bit of burning hot fruit action going on later (which I may or may not burn my fingers on... let the suspense build).
Beat the remaining butter, sugar and the vanilla together. Beat it well. Beat it till it's tearful, pleading and snotty. No mercy.
Now add the eggs. Check each one as you crack them. I say this because I have had some unfortunate experiences with eggs. Experiences in which I have cracked an egg open and, as it has sailed down into my unsullied and gorgeous batter, the smell has hit me and I know that its ALL OVER. Yep, rotten eggs, turning up like the proverbial bad penny. Except that the proverbial bad penny doesn't smell as bad and wouldn't ruin your batter should you drop it in. I smell them, cautiously as I crack them. No smell, good. Atrocious eye gouging smell, bad.
Don't beat too much after each egg as apparently this will make your cake "crumbly". Let's face it, gluten free cakes have already cornered the market on crumbly, so, what more could a bit of over eager egg beating do? Still, I paid attention.
Sift the flour and cocoa together (I used SR gluten free flour, so I didn't mess about with the baking powder) and add the almond meal. Add it to the egg mixture in two batches. Beat after each one. Pour that on top of the plums in the pan. I tasted the mix. It was, well, a bit gritty. This is my main beef with gluten free cakes that are made with "flour". Firstly the flour feels like cornflour and then secondly, once in the mix, it has a weird quality.
I am reserving my judgement. But the bowl speaks for itself...
Bang the cake pan on the bench a few times to make your point* and then put it in the oven. For about an hour. Do all the the normal things that you like to do. It will rise a lot, at least mine did and also was a bit on the sinky side in the middle. I turned the heat up to 170 when that started to happen.
Gabe and I then played blocks. I made a wall and he made a gun. And then he shot at me. And then I hid behind my wall. There is a reason for everything.
The cake looks magnificent. Really gorgeous and a great colour. I won't know until tomorrow if it tastes ok as it is off to the family event then. When I got it out of the oven I burned my fingers a tiny bit as I was especially excited to see the top. The plums were like molten fire. If I had been making the cake in the middle ages there would have no doubt been songs written about my folly - "and hey nonny nonny, she couldn't wait till it cooled".
*This is to get rid of the air bubbles. I have NEVER done this before. EVER.
1. I found a really awe inspiring recipe with plums in it and I am a complete sucker for anything with plums in it. Plum trees included.
2. I have lunch with my family tomorrow, two members of which are gluten intolerant. This means that should gluten be walking down the street towards them, they wouldn't just merely look the other way, they would cross the road and give it the stink eye.
3. I am trying to avoid more searingly cogent questions about the Easter Bunny from my son.
Last night I popped some eggs on Gabe's bed, hoping to delight him in the morning. He was absolutely thrilled and when he said "How did they get here?" I should have answered "Daddy and I bought them for you". But I did not. Instead I said "The Easter Bunny brought them!" At that point he was still so heady with the unexpected windfall of chocolate that he let that lie. Until approximately 2pm this afternoon.
Gabe: Did the Easter Bunny come at night?
Me: Yes.
Gabe: Why?
Me: He does most of his work at night
Gabe: Where does he live?
Me: Easter Island.
Gabe: How does he get here?
(I kid you not, each question came firmly and quickly after the previous one)
Me: (pausing for a second) He hops. Very big hops.
Gabe: He come up a rabbit hole.
Me: Yes! That's good. Yes, a hole.
Gabe: Why does he bring bunnies?
Me: LETS MAKE A CAKE!!!!!!
So here we are, making a cake.
Gluten Free Upside Down Plum & Chocolate Cake (as found on glutenfreescallywag.com via the Masterchef magazine.. phew)
 |
| Gabe and I "avec aprons" as the French no doubt say. |
Doesn't my son look adorable in that picture. He chose that pinney by the way. I offered him the blue one. He doesn't look like some sort of Stasi Easter interrogator does he?
180g unsalted butter, softened
55g brown sugar
6 firm blood plums cut in half and stone removed.
Or left in, if you like a little tooth breaking surprise in your cakes.
295g castor sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
225g gluten free flour
1.5 tsp gluten free baking powder
25g Dutch cocoa powder
90g ground almonds.
Preheat the oven to 150 Fan forced - I ended up turning mine up a touch because the cake was sinking in the middle and I didn't think that it was cooking fast enough.
Get a 20cm springform pan and line that sucker - line it good. Take 20 grams of the butter and melt it then swish it all over the base of the cake pan. Scatter the brown sugar over the base, in the manner of a 30's heroine scattering rose petals out to sea in remembrance of her long lost sea Captain lover. I got a four year old to do that, so it was a bit more mercurial.
 |
| Scattering and then licking fingers. |
 |
| No one in here but us plums! |
Gabe became completely preoccupied with licking his fingers and had to removed from scattering duty. I pressed the plum halves into that mix - face down. The recipe suggests that you leave a border around the edges - I recommend the same as there is likely to be a bit of burning hot fruit action going on later (which I may or may not burn my fingers on... let the suspense build).
Beat the remaining butter, sugar and the vanilla together. Beat it well. Beat it till it's tearful, pleading and snotty. No mercy.
 | |
| Beaten and used. Destroyed. |
Now add the eggs. Check each one as you crack them. I say this because I have had some unfortunate experiences with eggs. Experiences in which I have cracked an egg open and, as it has sailed down into my unsullied and gorgeous batter, the smell has hit me and I know that its ALL OVER. Yep, rotten eggs, turning up like the proverbial bad penny. Except that the proverbial bad penny doesn't smell as bad and wouldn't ruin your batter should you drop it in. I smell them, cautiously as I crack them. No smell, good. Atrocious eye gouging smell, bad.
Don't beat too much after each egg as apparently this will make your cake "crumbly". Let's face it, gluten free cakes have already cornered the market on crumbly, so, what more could a bit of over eager egg beating do? Still, I paid attention.
Sift the flour and cocoa together (I used SR gluten free flour, so I didn't mess about with the baking powder) and add the almond meal. Add it to the egg mixture in two batches. Beat after each one. Pour that on top of the plums in the pan. I tasted the mix. It was, well, a bit gritty. This is my main beef with gluten free cakes that are made with "flour". Firstly the flour feels like cornflour and then secondly, once in the mix, it has a weird quality.
I am reserving my judgement. But the bowl speaks for itself...
 |
| No lick marks. |
Gabe and I then played blocks. I made a wall and he made a gun. And then he shot at me. And then I hid behind my wall. There is a reason for everything.
 |
| Lawks! Wot a beauty! |
*This is to get rid of the air bubbles. I have NEVER done this before. EVER.
I like the fast paced Q&A. I had no idea the Easter Bunny comes from Easter Island, but that makes perfect sense. Thank you.
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