Grain Free Chocolate Cake with Frosting

Beautiful Birthday Celebration Cake

Free from gluten, grains, nuts, refined sugar

For the chocolate cake:

Ingredients:

5 eggs
130g honey or rice malt syrup
70g coconut oil
3T coconut flour
2T raw cacao
1/2t bicarb soda

Method:

Line a 20 cm cake tin with baking paper and grease well

Put all ingredients into your Thermomix bowl and combine 20 sec speed 5

Do not be alarmed that this is indeed a very runny batter... if it was normal gluten free flour it would never work, but coconut flour absorbs A LOT of liquid, so it will all be ok when baked...

Pour into cake tin

Bake for 30 mins 180 degrees celcius until puffed and when pressed gently in the centre, springs back

Remove from the tin carefully and cool on rack


Now you are ready to ice

To make the Frosting:

Ingredients:

80g palm shortening (I use this organic brand from iHerb)
55g ghee
200g honey or rice malt syrup
2t vanilla extract
2T coconut flour
2T raw cacao

Add all ingredients to Thermomix bowl, mix 30 seconds speed 6
Scrape down and repeat until smooth

It will be soft and creamy like buttercream frosting and will be firm once in the fridge.

Icing the cake:

When the cake is completely cold, using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half... I do this by turning the cake slowly and cutting just slightly into it until all the cake has a small cut around it. Then move your knife through the cake and complete the cut through the centre. This helps get two even halves.

If you find this too difficult, you could make two cakes as per recipe above and ice them together. I do this when I need a bigger taller cake.

 

 





Spread half this mix onto the first layer of your cake

Place on top layer of cake, then spread remaining frosting mix over the entire cake

If desired, cover the top with sliced strawberries, or decorate as desired

Place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours for the frosting to firm up

Great birthday cake for children too... Decorate however you like

You can use the frosting to ice anything... on donuts, between cookies, whatever takes your fancy!

Sausage Rolls

Gluten free Pastry for Sausage Rolls

This is a simple pastry which is easy to handle and very flexible. It is able to be used to make sausage rolls, meat pies, savoury pasties and sweet fruit pies as well.

The recipe can be found for traditional mixing or by hand in Kersten's Kitchen: Allergy Free, Not Flavour Free and for Thermomix in Thirty Second Baking.

Here are some step by step photos to help with preparing sausage rolls:

STEP ONE

Prepare the dough either by hand, in KitchenAid or Thermomix
(You can double the recipe if you want to make a big batch to freeze or for a party)

Dough Tips: Mashed potato should be just a potato, boiled then mashed. Do not use TMX mash potato as it is way too runny. Consistency should be thick. Add water slowly and mix. The guar gum takes time to activate and if you add to much liquid you will end up with a sticky mess. Once the dough comes together, stop adding liquid and use your hands to knead. Add a little extra flour to your bench as above and knead to get your dough into a ball shape. If you grind your own flours they will not be as fine as store bought. You will need to add a little less liquid or more flour to compensate for the coarser texture. I find if you use store bought white rice flour and tapioca/arrowroot starch and only grind the brown rice texture will be fine. Dough should be soft and pliable, and very easy to handle and roll out. It will feel similar to playdough...

STEP TWO

Roll out half the dough until about 5mm thick adding extra flour to your rolling pin and surface so the dough doesn't stick
Cut into a rectangle shape

STEP THREE

Roll sausage meat into a log and place on the long side of the rectangle of pastry

 

STEP FOUR

Using the baking paper to help you, lift the pastry and roll over the top of the meat, lift the paper away from the pastry and continue rolling until the meat is enclosed and the pastry starts to over lap. Then cut away excess pastry.

STEP FIVE

Cut into serving size and place on lined baking tray and brush with milk or egg to glaze

STEP SIX

Repeat with remaining pastry and meat

STEP SEVEN

Bake 180 degrees celcius for 40 - 50 minutes until golden

TIP: If you would like to freeze sausage rolls for later use, par bake for approx. 30 minutes and freeze portions. Reheat and complete cooking the pastry for 15-20 minutes

Children's Parties

It's Birthday Time!

Children's parties are an allergy and food intolerances' mum's nightmare... helicopter parenting as a necessity to keep our child safe amongst all the food. My children are used to bringing their lunch box to parties and it is now totally accepted and the other kids know that is how it is. They are fine with it.

But every so often, I will see their face light up when they see something on the table... like the gorgeous birthday cake... and then watch them sigh... they know that is not for them. They will never get a taste.

So I make a huge effort every year for each of them, to make sure they have loads of great party food that they can share with their friends... they can eat everything on the table and their friends can too. It is worth it to see the look of delight on their faces.

Here is a summary of the different things I like to prepare:

Decorating

My favourite part is choosing a theme with the kids... and then working out what accessories will bring that to life for them.


Lots of helium balloons are always a hit
Colourful napkins, glasses and plates
Party blowers
Hats and streamers
Mini bubble mixes

Check out your local discount store and party shop... they usually have some great bargains the kids will love

 

 

Hot Food

Sausage Rolls
Party Pies
Mini Burgers
Sticky Chicken
Chicken Schnitzel fingers

 

Cold Food

Hommus
Vegie Sticks
Fruit Kebabs
Fruit Platter


Recipes can be found in both my cookbooks. Kersten's Kitchen is written for traditional cooking methods, and Thirty Second Baking, for the Thermomix. Please see the BOOK tab for a full index of recipes.

Treats and Lollies

Marshmallows
Shaped cookies with sprinkles
Cake Pops
Musk Sticks
Fairy Floss
Plain Potato Chips

Allergy Train has all you need for lollies...

Birthday Cakes

Now you don't have to be a Masterchef to make a great birthday cake... Last year we had a rainbow party and simply used colourful cupcake stands. The cakes were iced plain. All the decoration came from the display. This year we are doing Skylander cupcakes and a big main cake. I will be using Hopper Natural Food Colourings to help me out. My children are egg free, so I usually make the main cake with egg for the guests and lots of little cupcakes for the kids that are egg free so mine can eat them too.

Allergy Train sell Hopper Natural Food Colourings and Sprinkles



Check out this wonderful collection of cakes from other mums who follow the RPAH Elimination / Failsafe Diet http://failsafedecoratedcakes.wordpress.com/...




Have fun planning your party! And watch and enjoy your child's delight

xo