Gingerbread Cake #grainfree

Bread and cake are two things I don't eat very often and yet here is a recipe that has both words used to describe a Paleo inspired or grain free dessert.   The cake is grain free but our whipped topping in the photo is not dairy free.  The Watson kids don't have dairy issues and so I saved myself a bit of work and used a quick homemade whipped topping I use for my chocolate roll.  The chocolate roll has a gluten free version too.  You can use a coconut based whipped topping to make it completely Paleo.  I also made the coconut caramel sauce from scratch but you can easily use a regular recipe or even a store bought caramel sauce.  It's a busy time of year--make the parts of the cake that you have time for.  I actually left out the Brandy sauce because after 4 pages of instructions, one full page of ingredients, I figured the kids could do without the Brandy.  (wink wink)

My kids start to dread the month of December because this usually means that I am thinking about making a gingerbread house.  I thought about it for about 2 seconds this year and decided I would pass for these two reasons:

A.  We don't need the sugar in the house from the store bought candy.

B.  My nerves might shatter with one more failed attempt at making a gingerbread house from scratch added to my already long resume dating back to 1986 without a single successfully constructed and decorated gingerbread house. I am pretty sure Martha Stewart had something to do with my drive to make one every year...LOL

If you are new to my blog then this recipe is not typical of what you will usually find here.  I try to keep the recipes simple BUT every once in a while I need to make something fabulous and this cake was a great place to start our holiday baking.  I guess this cake is the gourmet part of the blog.  Don't let the long list of ingredients deter you from making this absolutely delicious cake.  I didn't have to buy one thing at the store because I already had every thing in my kitchen. When I visited NYC in October I bought myself the Wilton 5 piece layered cake set. The cake pans are about 8 inches round and 1 inch thick.  This cake is small but very very tall.


I never make cakes anymore and my kids miss it.  I want to start making a few more cakes in 2015 using this cake pan set.  I like how small the cake rounds are. The tall cake just looks awesome for the kids.  We can eat this cake, a family of 6, a bit easier than if I use regular round cake pans. It seems I was always throwing cake away--can you believe that--but I really did.

I found the original recipe over at Wicked Good Kitchen.  She has all of the instructions for the Brandy Sauce and the Coconut Cream Whipped Topping.  Below you will find my interpretation and the three components I used to make this awesome cake.

It requires time, I won't lie.  I made this cake while I taught Isabella school. It worked out perfectly because I was already in the kitchen area and had time to bake and teach while Isabella did her work.  I might even suggest that making the caramel sauce the day before will save you some time.  It took almost an hour and a half for me to make it and to allow it to cool.  The total time for the cake, sauce, whipped topping and assembly was about 2.5 hours.  And you know what?  I plan on spending that amount of time this week making it again--it was delicious!

This cake is a show stopper and one that will knock your socks off when you take your first bite.  To cut the cake you might have to have Ninja Knife Skills but having a sharp knife and a spatula helps a lot. I used the spatula or another knife to hold up the cake and the second knife to cut the slice.  The cake fell onto the spatula and I was able to transfer it to a large plate.  If you have extra whipped topping or caramel sauce, you can drizzle more on the slices.  To be honest--I used it all on my cake below--so next time I may save a bit for presenting the slices to my family.

The gingerbread cake is rich in flavor with the molasses and maple syrup. I wouldn't say the cake is super sweet (and I like that) but the caramel sauce and whipped topping balance nicely because they are sweet.  Make adjustments according to your family's likes and sweet tooth.

AGAIN--don't panic by the size of the ingredient list or steps.  It is not a hard recipe and is much easier than it looks. I promise!  Also, read through the instructions SEVERAL times before you make the cake.  I am always here to answer any questions.  Send me an email or comment and I will get right back to you.  It is worth the work!

Please share this recipe on Twitter, Facebook, Stumbled Upon, Pinterest or Google +.  It helps to spread this recipe with friends and neighbors.  THANKS!

Gingerbread Cake  #grainfree

Makes enough batter for 5 small round cake pans

Ingredients for the cake: 

I used the weight (grams) measurements to make my cake in the pictures.
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (144 grams) arrowroot starch

1 cup (112 grams) blanched almond flour (I made my own in the Vitamix)

½ cup (56 grams) organic coconut flour

¾ teaspoon (3.6 grams) baking powder 

¾ teaspoon (3.6 grams) baking soda 

1 teaspoon (4.8 grams) kosher salt 

2½ teaspoons ground ginger 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

½ teaspoon ground allspice 

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

6 large eggs, separate the whites and the yolks into two bowls

½ cup (168 grams) organic maple syrup (use the real stuff)

½ cup (144 grams) unsulphured molasses

 ¼ cup (56 grams) organic virgin coconut oil, melted, plus extra for pans 

¼ cup (60 grams) organic ghee or grass fed butter

2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract

¼ cup (60 ml) full fat coconut milk (use the milk only--the rest will be used later)

½ teaspoon cream of tartar 

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (use more if you love nuts, the crunch is great)

Ingredients for the Coconut Caramel Sauce:

Use the remaining can of coconut milk from the cake recipe above-roughly 3/4 of the can should be left. (15 oz can was used)

6 oz of real maple syrup

2 tablespoons grass fed butter or ghee

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon flake salt (reduce if butter is salted)

Ingredients for whipped topping:

For coconut whipped cream see the original recipe HERE.

For dairy version use:

1 small carton of heavy whipped cream

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons maple syrup (this can be replaced with plain sugar but you may not get the deep caramel color as seen in the pictures).

I recommend making the caramel sauce first.  This allows the sauce to cook, cool and be ready to work with when the cake is done.

To prepare the coconut caramel sauce:

1.  Use a heavy bottom pan. I used my 10 inch cast iron frying pan.  It worked great!  Set heat to medium high.  In the frying pan, add all of the coconut caramel sauce ingredients and whisk together.  Heat caramel sauce until small bubbles appear--gentle boil.

2.  Use only a wooden spoon to stir for the first minute.  Reduce heat to medium low and try not to stir too often until the end. I set my stovetop to 3 and it was hot enough.  The caramel kept a slow boil going for 35 minutes.  Watch sauce so it does not burn.  The caramel sauce will start to turn from a creamy pale color to a caramel color.  The sauce will reduce and become very thick, coating the back of the wooden spoon nicely.  

3.  When caramel is thick and not too dark, remove from heat and transfer to a glass bowl.  Stir and let set to cool.  The color with cloud slightly once it is completely cool but when warmed again, it will return to a nice caramel color.

To prepare the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325.  I sprayed each of my five pans with cooking spray or you can use coconut oil.  The pans are so shallow that the layers pop out quite nicely.  If you are using larger cake pans, then see Stacy's site for instructions.

2. In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.  Stir to combine.

3.  In a large table top mixer (I used my Kitchenaid) add egg whites and cream of tartar.  Whip until egg whites are stiff.

4.  In a separate bowl add wet ingredients: egg yolks, coconut milk, maple sugar, molasses, and vanilla.  Whisk to combine.

5.  I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mixed together until combined.  I then added the egg whites and gently folded them into the cake mix. This reminds me of when I make our chocolate roll cake--kind of the same texture and process. Let the cake batter sit for 5 minutes.

6.  Sprinkle the chopped pecans in the bottom of each cake pan.  Add batter to each of the five pans.   The batter came almost to top of each cake pan.  Hit cake pans on table to release any air bubbles.  Bake until firm to the touch--about 12 minutes.  These are small cake pans so the cook time is very short.

7.  When baked, let cool for a few minutes and then flip them out onto a cookie wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the whipped topping:

1.  Pour ingredients into a bowl.  Whip until thick.

I used my Kitchenaid for this process but you can easily use a hand mixer too. The whipped topping comes out slightly brown because of the maple syrup.  I like the color of it on the cake.

To assemble the cake (finally, right?)

1.  Have the cooled cakes, the coconut caramel sauce and the whipped topping ready.  Drizzle the coconut caramel sauce over the 5 cake layers while on the cookie rack.

2.  I layered the cake like this:  cake layer, whipped topping, repeat until all 5 layers are used.  I topped the cake with the remaining whipped topping and drizzled more caramel over the top of the cake so that the sides were dripping with sauce.  

Store cake in the refrigerator.  I cover the cake with two huge pieces of saran wrap.  My cake was gone in about one day but I would say the cake is good for 3 days before the quality starts to fade--dry cake, etc...

Written by Sherron Watson

I have attached links to my amazon account so that you can see the products that I used in making this cake.  No purchase is necessary. I do make a small commission from all sales but that money is put back into the blog for recipe developing.  Thanks!



I use this brand of almonds to make my almond nut flour.  I know they have the skins on and honestly this has not made any difference in my baking when I process the flour in my Vitamix.   They are cheaper to buy in bulk too.

Gluten Free Chocolate Sheet Cake

Today is my birthday.  I can't believe I am sitting here as a 46 year old woman.

I remember thinking as a teenager that 46 was old, and yet here I am.  I don't think of myself as old or ancient (my teenagers like that word).  Although I also never saw myself at this age having a baby--LOL  Maybe that is the secret to staying young--more kids.

46 years has taught me a few things.  They are:

1.  Don't give up.


2.  Love.

3.  Smile.

4.  Be yourself.

5.  Value others.

6.  Apologize often.

7.  Time does heal most things.

8.   Accept others for who they are.

9.   Do what you love for work.

10.  Laugh often.

This list is not complete by any means but I would say these ten items are what I focus on the most.  It has been a great ride and I look forward to the next 46 years.

But this post is about the cake that I made for my husbands 47th birthday last year.  He loves a good chocolate sheet cake and so I have ventured out and made a gluten free version similar to The Pioneer Woman's sheet cake.   I am pretty sure it is the same chocolate sheet cake that every grandma and great grandma has handwritten in some shoe box stored in the pantry.

It is by far our favorite cake that I make.

A good birthday is not complete until we have attacked his office with a ton of streamers, balloons and confetti.  Oh, the fun this brings the kids.

Oh, who am I kidding--I do it for me.  I love a good party filled with messy rooms.

 Don't believe me?  Ask my kids.

They are still finding confetti from every holiday we have had for the past three years.

Gluten Free Chocolate Sheet Cake

Cake:

1 cup fine white rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour (tapioca starch is the same thing)
1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 cups of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter
4 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

*To make the cake with regular flour, omit the first 4 ingredients and substitute with 2 cups of all purpose flour.

Icing:

1 3/4 sticks of butter
6 tablespoons milk
4 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb bag or box of powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Spray pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine in a mixing bowl the three flours, xanthan gum, sugar and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium size saucepan, over medium high heat, melt butter and cocoa. Stir together. Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds. Turn off heat. 

4. In a medium bowl, add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk together. 5. Add dry ingredients (step 2) to warm cocoa mixture (step 3). Blend well. Add buttermilk mixture (step 4). Stir to combine ingredients.

6. Pour into 9X13 sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. While cake is baking, make the icing:

1. Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine. Turn off heat.

2. Add milk and vanilla. Stir well.  

3. Add powdered sugar. Stir together. 

4. Pour over warm cake and smooth out.

Serve warm. Cover leftover cake with plastic wrap.

Written by Sherron Watson

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I am always amazed when I make a recipe and it does not have any flour in it. Isn't flour in all baked goods? I grew up with this idea and only discovered in the last few years that there are wonderful desserts that do not include any flour. This makes me happy.

What I love the most about this delicious cake is that it has a crunchy top with a moist and fudge-like texture. It will melt in your mouth.

You will notice that I made this cake in an 8 inch spring foam pan (the original recipe calls for a 9 inch-if you have this size use it or leave a little bit of batter out of the 8 inch) , I had a little bit of batter left over and tried it in an oven proof ramekin that I like to use for individually sized portions--it worked wonderfully!

I was able to slide a knife around the outer edge and the mini cake came right out and I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. DELICIOUS!

For those that have been wondering where I have been (it has been a while since I last posted) I have been consumed with my pregnancy.  I finally am through the first three months and feeling some what human again.  I won't lie-it was rough.  The morning sickness that lasted all day--did me in.  It was all I could do to get through the day with homeschooling Isabella and keeping up with the family.

Thankfully I have a very supportive family and they helped a ton!  I am feeling so much better and in my 4th month.  I cannot believe the time has gone by so fast already.  Before I know it a baby will be here.

Finding out that you are pregnant at 45 is always a bit of a shock but an even larger shock for those around you--especially your teenage kids!  LOL  They have been great about the whole thing. I honestly don't feel 45 and my body is holding up well.   I do feel tired and I worry about gaining too much weight--so far I am holding at a 6 pound gain in 4 months--as you know, they say the older you get the harder the pounds are to come off.   I have been riding my bike and walking every week.  

I can't say enough how happy I am for this new little blessing in our family.  He or she will keep us young at heart and I love that Isabella will have a sibling closer to her age.

All I can say is-life is good!  Enjoy every day.

Recipe:  Flourless Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Gastronomers Guide

8 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of butter

1 tablespoon instant coffee grounds

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper-bottom and sides. Spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl add egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.

In a medium bowl, add egg yolks and beat until pale (4 minutes). Add sugar and continue to mix for 3 more minutes.

Place a large heat proof bowl over a simmering pot of water and melt chocolate chips and butter; add instant coffee grounds and salt, combine well.  Let chocolate cool slightly.

Slowly pour cooled chocolate into egg yolk mixture. 

Add egg yolk/chocolate mixture to egg whites and fold until no streaks of white remain.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes.

Let cool slightly and remove springform pan.

Yields: 8-10 slices

Orange Pound Cake (Gluten Free) #SundaySupper

Are you shocked to not see a traditional poundcake staring back at you?  Don't fret.  This Orange Pound Cake can be made in a loaf pan and served sliced OR you can get creative like I did and make it into a cake, you know, a pound CAKE.   

Why mess with something already so perfect?

I will have to blame it on the pregnancy hormones. I have not been cooking a whole lot over the last three months. My creative juices were going wild when I finally could step back into the kitchen and see, smell and taste food. I wanted to do something fun for my family.

I don't make a lot of cakes. Gluten free cake mixes are expensive and gf cakes from scratch don't always turn out for me. I found this Lemon Pound Cake recipe from The Baking Beauties and I was blown away. It tasted and felt just like a REAL pound cake.

Our Sunday Supper theme this week is "citrus".  I was excited because I love lemons, limes and oranges. One of my favorite Christmas candies is the chocolate orange that you WHACK on the table to slice. I thought to myself, could I make the pound cake into a cake and add chocolate fudge and achieve the same result: orange and chocolate yumminess?

I think I have come close. Like I said earlier you can make this in a loaf pan or you can make the "cake" version and use 2 nine inch round cake pans. The cook time will be reduced slightly and you can embellish the cake with any toppings or frosting you want.

I chose to use fresh whipped cream, shaved chocolate bar, orange peel zest and my homemade chocolate fudge. I also added some orange marmalade to the center as a filling and dipped orange slices into chocolate to crown the cake. It was a party cake and I had to use all of my accessories...LOL

I cannot wait for you to see all of the Citrus delights being shared by my friends for Sunday Supper this week. Our host is Jen from Juanita Cocina. The list of recipe links is below my recipe.

I hope your weekend is going well. Ours has been wonderful with a visit from the Easter bunny, a few dozen boiled eggs and T-Bone Steaks.  This is the first Easter dinner in 25 years I have not made a ham or leg of lamb.  The family voted and this is what they wanted. I think it has a lot to do with our Spring like weather and the fact they want to be outside using the BBQ.  It is just fine with me as long as they are happy and we are together.

Recipe: Orange Pound Cake, Gluten Free
Adapted from The Baking Beauties

3/4 cup super fine white rice flour (151g)
5 tablespoons sweet rice flour (40g)
5 tablespoons potato starch (55g)
4 tablespoons tapioca starch (40g)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 cup of butter, soft
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Toppings are optional:   Cream for whipped cream, chocolate bar to grate, orange marmalade for cake, orange rind for zest, orange slices for dipped oranges, dark chocolate chips to dip orange slices in and hot fudge sauce.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE:  1 can of condense milk, 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of chocolate chips.  Combine in a pan and warm.  Stir to combine.  Serve on cake, ice cream or use to dip fruit.

Preheat oven to 325.  If using a loaf pan, line with parchment and spray ends of pan.  If using the 2 round nine inch cake pans, cut circles of parchment paper for the bottom and spray the sides.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk well.

In a separate bowl, add sugar and butter. Beat for 4 minutes until light yellow.

Add one egg at a time to the butter/sugar mixture, combine well after the addition of each egg.  Add vanilla.

Alternate the orange juice/milk and dry ingredients when blending in with the egg/butter/sugar mixture.

The batter will be thick.  Add to the prepared loaf pan or distribute equal amounts of batter to the 2 cake pans.

Bake the loaf pan for 60-65 minutes and the two cake pans for 40 minutes.  A toothpick should come out clean.

Let cool for 5 minutes and remove to cookie rack to finish cooling. To assemble the cake, they should be completely cool.

Wrap well.  The pound cake is good for 3-4 days on the counter.  NOTE:  It will get drier the longer it sits out.

To make the orange slices:  Dip orange slices into melted chocolate chips. Cool on parchment paper until ready to use. If in a hurry, you can put them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm the chocolate.

To assemble the cake:  Place one cake round on bottom of cake plate, cover with chocolate fudge, add a layer of orange marmalade.  Tip the second layer over and cover with fudge sauce and then add it to the top of the orange marmalade.  Top the cake with fudge sauce (it will fall over the sides and the insides will ooze out from the center).  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Remove and add whipped cream, shaved chocolate, orange zest and chocolate covered oranges.

Sorry this picture below is not prettier but this shows you all the layers really well.

Better with Citrus Breakfasts:

• Orange Ricotta Pancakes from Gotta Get Baked

Big On Citrus Breads & Condiments:

• Honey Lime Dressing from Ruffles & Truffles
• Lemon Poppyseed Sweet Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Meyer Lemon Pistachio Loaf from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Moroccan Preserved Lemons from MarocMama

Make You Pucker Salads, Sides, & Main Dishes:

• Ceviche from Cookistry
• Cilantro Lime Rice from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Citrus Ginger Chicken from Kudos Kitchen
• Easy Indian Lemon Chicken from Soni’s Food
• Grilled Orange & Lime Chicken Thighs from Big Bear’s Wife
• Meyer Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Asparagus with Brown Rice from Daily Dish Recipes
• Orange Chicken from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Red Cabbage and Red Pepper Salad with Citrus Dressing from Family Foodie
• Seared Cod with Grapefruit Fennel Slaw from Magnolia Days
• Tangy Lemon Rice with Grated Mango & Roasted Cashew from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

Sour Citrusy Sweets & Desserts:

• Blood Orange Sorbet from My Cute Bride
• Broiled Oranges with Toasted Coconut from Neighborfood
• Clementine Curd from Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Creamsicle Cupcakes from The Meltaways
• Dairyfree Key Lime Meringue Bliss from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Fresh Lemon Mousse from Comfy Cuisine
• Frozen Lemon Dessert from Gourmet Drizzles
• Gluten Free Orange Pound Cake from Simply Gourmet
• Honey and Lemon Cake from Happy Baking Days
• Key Lime Biscotti from Juanita’s Cocina
• Key Lime Cheesecake from Flour on My Face
• Key Lime Cookie Bars from Supper for a Steal
• Key Lime Truffles from What Smells So Good?
• Lemon Blueberry Polenta Cake from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Lemon Coconut Cinnamon Rolls from Chocolate Moosey
• Lemon Cookies from Basic N Delicious
• Lemon Cream Pie Push Pops from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Lemon Layer Cake from Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Lemon Ricotta Cake from The Urban Mrs.
• Meyer Lemon Snack Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Mini Meyer Lemon Pies from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Mini Orange Cream & Lemon Cream Scones from The Foodie Army Wife
• No-Bake Lemon Cheese Cakes w/Blueberry-Lemon Sauce from Momma’s Meals
• Olive Oil Cake with Orange Marmalade from Hip Foodie Mom
• Omiyage California Citrus Cake from Ninja Baking
• Orange Cake with Orange Syrup from The Lovely Pantry
• Pink Grapefruit Pie from In the Kitchen With Audrey and Maurene
• Pink Lemonade Pound Cake from In the Kitchen with KP
• Sugar-Free Lemon Meringue Pie from Webicurean
• Tarte au Citron from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Sour Sips & Drinks:

• {DIY} Arancello and Limoncello from girlichef
• Orange Creamsicle Smoothies from Mama.Mommy.Mom

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday, March 31st to talk all about citrus recipes! We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.

Written by Sherron Watson

Boozy Fruit Cake #TwelveLoaves

Fresh out of the oven...

…and soaked in Cherry Brandy for two weeks.

Why the two photos?

They show you the difference between a fruit cake without age and brandy and with age and brandy. Two things I think are important to your experience with eating fruit cake.

I relate fruit cake to sushi. You either like it or you don't.  I know lots of people (especially my family) that swear they don't like sushi.  WRONG.  They don't like bad sushi.  There is a difference.

I think the same can be said of fruit cake.  Most people will turn their noses up because they have tried it before and found it to be undesirable, too sweet, too this or too that.

Buying a fruit cake from a mail order company or the grocery store is like buying sushi from, well, the grocery store in the prepackaged containers.  It's a different experience than eating it fresh or homemade.

My Mom now loves sushi and now she loves fruit cake.  I believe when trying something as unique as these two items are that you really need to give yourself several chances to say if it is liked or not.  Of course, this is just my opinion, but I do feel that there are  right and wrong ways of preparing lots of food dishes and sometimes we experience the bad before we get the experience of trying something at its best.

I asked a few friends why they don't like fruit cake and their was one fashionable answer and that was the fruit that was used.  Many preferred dried fruit to the candied fruit.  I personally don't have a preference and since this cake does not have any sugar added to it I used candied fruit.  The sweetness from the cake comes from those sweet pieces of candied yumminess.

It worked perfectly!

My husband was one of those that said, YUCK, when I went to make the fruit cake and to his amazement when he tried the cake after a few weeks he smiled.  He loved it!  WHY?  I have to assume it is because he was finally introduced to a fruit cake that tasted like it should: moist, flavorful, sweet and boozy.

I participate in a wonderful group of food bloggers that encourage and share homemade recipes each month, Twelve Loaves.  Our theme this month was "boozy" breads.  I had actually made this fruitcake, which is considered a quick bread, a few weeks before learning of the theme.  To learn more about the group and to participate see below:

We would love to have you join our #TwelveLoaves group; it’s easy!

1. Make sure that your Bread this month is inspired by this month’s theme of Bread and Booze. Knowing some participants might not imbibe, it is acceptable to submit an entry that uses a juice in your bread recipe in lieu of booze. Including either booze or juice in December is obligatory if you would like your link to be included!
2. Have your #TwelveLoaves bread that you baked during December, 2012 posted on your blog by December 31, 2012.
3. When you post your #TwelveLoaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the#TwelveLoaves challenge in your post and include links to the leaders:  Creative Culinary, Lora atCake Duchess who has a beautiful Christmas yeast bread and Jamie with LifesaFeast who has also done a quick bread with orange and cranberry. I want them ALL!
4. Make sure you include a link to the bread that you bake this month using the link tool at the bottom of this post.
5. Feel free to promote the Twelve Loaves group by proudly displaying the Twelve Loaves badge in your Twelve Loaves post as well as in your sidebar!

Not mandatory but you can follow @TwelveLoaves and/or #TwelveLoaves or chat with your hostesses onTwitter: Barb @CreativCulinary, Lora @cakeduchess and Jamie @LifesaFeast.

C’mon – Join us and Get Your Bread On!!

I hope that you will feel inspired to participate as we head into the new year.  Baking bread is fun and the term "bread" can be applied to lots of styles as you will learn if you follow our group.

I know that I will not be able to persuade everyone to love fruit cake but I do hope that you give it more than one chance in your lifetime because it does comes in different qualities and flavors.

This recipe is for a gluten free version and honestly I like it better than the non gluten versions that I have tried.  It uses almond meal and fits great with the "nut and fruit" theme of all fruit cakes.

If you choose to not make this "boozy" you can use your favorite flavored extract.










 Recipe:  Boozy Fruit Cake

1 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 cups chopped pecans
1.5 cups of chopped almonds
2.5 cups of candied fruit,  I used: papaya, pineapple, raisins, cranberries
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and cut in half
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon of brandy

topping:

1/4-1/2 cup of cherry brandy

NOTE:  When chopping the nuts keep in mind that the smaller you chop them, the easier the slices are to cut. I kept my almonds a bit large and noticed that each time I sliced it, I struggled to get clean pieces.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine all of the fruit and nuts into one large bowl. Mix.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine well.

Use a bread loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper pushed into the pan.  This will help you to remove the fruitcake easier.  Spray the ends of the pan if your parchment paper does not cover them.

Pour mixture into loaf pan.  Using the back of a spoon gently push mixture down and the top is smooth.

Bake for 65 minutes.  The fruit cake should be firm to the touch and puffed up slightly in the middle.

Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool.

Once fruit cake is cool, prepare it to be wrapped in plastic wrap.  Before you fold the wrap around the fruit cake, slowly pour the cherry brandy over the top of the cake.  Let it seep into the cake.

Wrap the cake several times so that it will not leak and store in your refrigerator.  I like to let my cakes sit for at least two weeks, the longer the better.  

They say fruit cakes prepared this way can last a long time…ours never stay around long enough to find out.  LOL

Since we talked about Sushi, this is my cat, Sushi.  She loves to help me when I take pictures.  On this day she just watched my every move.  She is a Maine Coon and I love her wacky personality.

Authored by Sherron Watson

Molasses Cake Bites

I have cut recipes out of magazines for years, like maybe 30 years.  I finally went through all of my binders and sorted and threw out many of them.

I was amazed at how many duplicates I had clipped.  I really like anything with a white creamy sauce, ginger, molasses, pumpkin and pasta.  LOL

This is a recipe that I clipped from my years of subscriptions with Martha Stewart.  The original recipe can be found here.  Of course the original is not gluten free but mine is.

Working with my favorite, almond meal, I was able to create a spongy and delicious alternative to this yummy recipe.  ENJOY!

Recipe:  Molasses Cake Bites

1 cup of almond meal
1/4 cup of tapioca starch
1/2 cup of brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/3 cup of butter
1/3 cup of sugar
1 cup Molasses, unsulfured
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a square 8X8 baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.  This will allow the cake to pop right out of the pan, see image below.  Spray the sides with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

In a kitchen stand mixer bowl, add butter and sugar.  Beat on high for 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.

To the butter and sugar, add the egg whites and molasses.

With mixer on low, add the dry ingredients.

When combined, beat on high for 2 minutes.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Smooth top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  The cake will have a spongy feel when gently pressed in the center.

Let cool completely and then gently flip pan onto a smooth surface, I used a cutting board.

Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and coat in confectioner's sugar.

NOTE:  Do not stack the cake bites too high.  The weight will cause them to flatten and may make them stick together.  I would recommend storing them two high in an air tight container up to 3 days.  I stacked mine for the purpose of pictures only.