Food could sincerely be an entirely new love language. Aside from the other ways people express their affection, making food for that special someone, or someones, is truly one of the greatest pleasures in life. At least for me. It’s a love that was instilled in me and my sister at a very young age by our mother, who takes her southern roots to heart whenever anyone new walks in the door or someone expresses the tiniest hint of hunger. Food is where the home is and where the heart can share its deepest and most inexpressible fondness for others. This gluten free carrot cake is one of those simple,…
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Gluten Free Tres Leches Cake
Heavenly would not be an overstatement for describing this gluten free tres leches cake. Thank you to centuries of globalization for the dissemination and ultimate perfection of this milk and cream soaked cake. Apparently, after a grand total of five minutes of digital research, I’ve discovered that soaked cakes were popular in Europe in Medieval times (more likely soaked in alcoholic liquids), and that recipes for such cakes were then seen in Mexico starting around the 19th century (though with such an easy cake to begin with, undoubtedly soaked cakes were made by people throughout the Americas after the mid-1400s and recipes were passed down orally). More interesting still, the…
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Gluten Free Matcha Swirl Pound Cake with Matcha Glaze
Swirls are the name of the game, especially so in this gluten free matcha swirl pound cake. If you’re a fan of the earthy-sweet verdant powder, then you’ll be a big fan of this easier-than-it-looks cake. If you’re not, then forego the green addition and keep it simple with a pound cake bundt cake, or toss in a powder you have more affinity for (say, blitzed up freeze dried raspberries or strawberries?). Up to you – this is a fool-proof pound cake recipe by our very own Kendra Farber, so use it as your buttery, sugar-heavy foundation for whatever flavor pairing gets you saying “thank goodness” at the end of…
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Vanilla Swiss Roll with Strawberry Balsamic Reduction
Sometimes, a swirl is all you need in a slice of cake – and hopefully a more elegant one than appeared in this one the first time I made it. But hey! Even when it’s a mess, it can taste fantastic (thank the Eton Mess for calling this out by name). Swiss rolls are definitely daunting baking endeavors (if you really want to feel the stress, watch the British Baking Show’s episode on Swiss rolls), but ultimately, they’re a fairly simple dessert, despite the nerve wracking presentation and actual rolling. The lightness of the sponge cake base is perfect for a gluten free dessert because it relies heavily on egg…
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Gluten Free Strawberry Ginger Snacking Cake
Dusky summer evenings or hazy summer afternoons are best enjoyed with friends. And by friends I mean wedges of cake – namely, this gluten free strawberry snacking cake. I realize I’m a bit late to the pool party (unless you’re in the southern hemisphere, in which case, get ready for a summer full of this ruby-studded dream, we’re jealous), but if you happen to pick up a pint or two of the season’s tail-end strawberries, by all means make this cake and enjoy it too. This baking endeavor was inspired by the ineffable genius of Bon Appetit mag, who made it their mission earlier this summer to create THE strawberry…
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Gluten Free Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Balsamic Cherries
I don’t know about you, but upon taking the first bite of any cheesecake, all brain and muscle function seems to slow to a cozy, foggy crawl as I wrap my tastebuds around the unbelievable richness. If you can relate, make sure you’re in a safe, comfortable space before digging into this heap of creamy calories. This is the kind of dessert you either make for a crowd when you’re not sure how the dinner conversation is going to go and you’ve got this up your sleeve to knock all your guests into an instant coma and render the evening a resounding success. Or, you make it ahead of time…
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Summer Peach Upside Down Cake
Every summer in southern Oregon, our family would pile into the car in late July, trunk full of empty Costco boxes, crates, bags and coolers – any receptacle sturdy and large enough to carry home our precious, fragile cargo. The outing always seemed to land on one of the hottest, driest days of the deepest parts of summer, so seeking refuge in the leafy shade of acres of peach trees seemed the right thing to do. If any of you got the chance to go peach picking while you were growing up you may have the same sticky-sweet nostalgia that sinks you into a million summer moments when you bite…
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Gluten Fre Double Decker Banana Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This gluten free banana chocolate cake celebrates those hard-to-eat chocolate-dipped frozen bananas that always seemed to appear at summer county fairs or your neighbor’s pool party treat trays, but it makes it way easier for you to enjoy the floral, soft appeal of bananas and the (of course) dreamy addition of chocolate of any kind. Plus, biting into a frozen banana now sounds like a dentally discomforting ordeal so why not eat a cake instead? The double-decker banana cake with chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting is that cake and by golly it’s easy to make, just you wait and see how decadent something so simple can look. This recipe is…
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Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake with Buttercream Frosting
For years now, I’ve had one go-to gluten free chocolate cake (see Chocolate Zucchini Cake), and don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic, but chocolate cake is one of those desserts that can express multitudes of characteristics depending on the subtle notes of coffee, sour cream, cinnamon, and any other added complementary ingredients. So a goal of mine is to search for and develop a handful of favorite chocolate cake recipes, each of which will be best suited for a different flavor pairing (cherry and buttercream being one) and which allow me to show off new baking skills. This chocolate cake leans heavily on two ingredients to give it its elegant…
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Banana Snacking Cake
Banana breads come in all colors, usually one shape (the inevitable loaf), and all variations of dryness and additional flavors. I always found myself slightly disappointed with over-spiced, crumbly breads that seemed to hide the banana’s lovely, light, floral bouquet. And then a fateful trip to Sweden to visit long-time family friends changed everything. It’s always fun traveling while gluten free because, if given enough heads up, friends you visit will often want to overcompensate and find you every gluten free grocery store item under the sun, fully-stocking their fridges an pantries in an exceptional host move. This trip to Halmstad, Sweden (a sleepy village on the south western coast…
