Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla/Yellow Cake Recipe & Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Recipe

Podcast Note: I find it ironic that I said the date in the podcast was "Saturday April 4" lolol... so I obviously subconsciously knew that this would not go live until Monday April 4th! lolol Happy Monday y'all!!

Printable version of today's recipe.

Today’s recipe came from a failed experiment. A few of my colleagues and I are celebrating a friend’s birthday tomorrow and they have auto-immune health issues and eat a low inflammatory diet. What this means for baking is that they avoid gluten, eggs, coconut, and bananas. 

I asked our birthday colleague what kind of cupcakes they liked, and out of all the choices I offered, they said chocolate cake with chocolate icing -OR- chocolate chip cookie cupcakes. Personally, I think anyone who really enjoys baking, also wants to show off their baking… so I opted to make the more complicated “chocolate chip cookie cupcakes.” 

Silly, silly me. 

I’ve made chocolate chip cookie cupcakes in the past, but never as a vegan recipe without eggs. So I attempted to try a shortcut and made a gluten-free box cake mix recipe with an egg substitute (a mix of water, baking powder, and oil), but I knew trying to replace 4 eggs would be tricky. And anytime you use a LOT of baking powder, you generally taste it in the final product. Surprisingly to me, the batter tasted great… but the finished product? A total flop. They tasted terrible and I wasted a perfectly good gluten-free cake mix. Oh well. 

Then I spent about an hour looking at gluten-free vegan yellow cake recipes online. There are plenty to choose from, but I was hesitant to try any recipe with a lot of additional baking powder or baking soda. I finally decided to start with a recipe from Allergylicious. Many of the vegan cake recipes I saw were based on wartime “crazy cakes” or “wacky cakes”, or cakes that were made when things like milk and eggs were rationed during war times. Those cakes tended to have more oil than a traditional cake and increased leavening powder. If baking soda was used, an acid like white vinegar or apple cider vinegar was added to activate the soda to rise. Baking powder already has an acid added (cream of tartar) so it doesn’t need an additional acid. Some recipes even called for using both, which also helped with creating a better rise on the final product. 

From the comments I read on the Allergylicious post, I decided to cut back slightly on the gluten-free flour and add a tablespoon of ground psyllium husks, which helps to hold the shape of risen baked goods, along with adding texture that is similar to wheat. I also added a little bit of turmeric to add yellow color, which would normally come from egg yolks, and I added butter extract (in addition to vanilla extract) to better replicate the flavor of a yellow cake. Finally, I added ½ cup of Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips. The mini chocolate chips are key, because they aren’t heavy enough to weigh down the batter and sink to the bottom while baking. 

The cupcakes rose beautifully and I went with store bought shortcuts to finish them. I frosted with store-bought vanilla icing and decorated them each with a half of a Cybel’s ‘Free to Eat” allergen free chocolate chip cookie. They are my favorite store bought gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and they just happen to be vegan as well.  If you DO want to make your own homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, I highly suggest my award-winning recipe, but I might be biased!

Gluten-Free Vegan Yellow Cake Recipe &

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

The recipe is adapted from: Allergylicious.com 

It’s also Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Vegan, and Soy-Free

Makes 2 - 8” cake rounds, 18 cupcakes, or 1 - 9 x 13 baking dish

Printable version of this recipe

Dry Ingredients

2 ¾ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour for baking (I used King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure flour)

1 ½ cups white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon turmeric (for yellow color - OPTIONAL)

1 tablespoon psyllium powder (for helping hold the texture of the cupcakes when they rise, fiber is a bonus)

Wet Ingredients

2 cups non-dairy milk (I used oat milk, but only because my store was out of my normal almond milk)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

⅔ cups extra virgin olive oil (or any oil that doesn’t have a lot of flavor)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter extract or flavoring

Add-In’s: 

½ cup mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Allergen-Free Mini-Chocolate Chips)

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

• If making cake in round cake pans, line pans with parchment paper rounds and/or non-stick cooking spray, or line cupcake pans with paper liners, if using a 9x13 pan, spritz with non-stick cooking spray. 

• In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. 

• In another bowl whisk together all wet ingredients. 

• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk together until ingredients are well incorporated and smooth, there should be no lumps. 

• Allow batter to rest for 10 minutes to allow the psyllium to thicken the batter. 

• After resting the batter, whisk the batter again, it should be thickened,  IF you are making the chocolate chip cupcakes, then gently stir in the mini chocolate chips, if you just want a yellow cake, leave out the chocolate chips.

• Add batter evenly to round cake pans, a 9x13 greased baking dish, or evenly into individual cupcake liners. If making cupcakes, fill nearly to the top. 

• Baking times: for cupcakes = 18-20 minutes, for 8” round cake pans = 30-35 minutes, for a 9x13” baking dish = 30-35 minutes. 

• Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the cake or cupcake. It should come out mostly clean, with a crumb or two, you don’t want to see wet batter coating the toothpick. 

• When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pans, and then frosting & decorating. 

Kitchen Notes: 

• Turmeric. The turmeric for color is completely optional, leave it out or don’t use it if you don’t have it. 

• Sugar. You can probably use other types of sugar in this recipe if you don’t want to use white sugar. But I haven’t tried it, so I don’t know how it would turn out. If you use a liquid sugar like honey or maple syrup, you may want to decrease the other liquids by ⅓ of  a cup. 

• Psyllium husk powder. This is relatively easy to find on Amazon or in your local health food store. If you don’t want to use this, then increase the all purpose flour to 3 cups instead of 2 ¾ cups and just leave it out altogether. However, I have not made it without the psyllium, so I can’t guarantee the cake will come out as well. 

• Non-dairy milk. Honestly, I think you can use whatever milk you prefer. Coconut milk, almond milk, even dairy milk will work fine in this recipe if that is what you would prefer to use. 

• Olive oil. If you do not have or do not like to use extra virgin olive oil, I would recommend using a light tasting vegetable or coconut oil. If you can use butter all the better. If you do use butter, you can leave out the butter flavoring. 

Kitchen wisdom for today's recipe:

photo from wikipedia.com

• 
  

• “I want people to fall in love with themselves and to be really proud and full of joy for the space they take up. If someone else appreciates the space you take up, then that’s icing on the cake.” — Jonathan Van Ness

Need another serving? 

Please join me on facebook.com/Gingerlemongirlblog to share any comments and/or questions that you may have about today’s recipe. Happy gluten-free baking! 

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Michael and I are enjoying the first real vacation we've had in several years. We're spending time with Michael's sister Lisa and her family in beautiful Fleming Island, Florida. 

It's gorgeous here. Comfortably warm, breezy days, and cool, crisp evenings have just been one of the wonderful things about this trip. Lisa's husband Todd has spent his entire career working in the grocery business and helps stores know the best foods to buy, the best organic items available, the best produce... and BONUS: he loves to cook. Todd gets gluten-free. The first morning we were here Todd decided to make pancakes and from the kitchen I heard, "Carrie, would you like some gluten-free pancakes?" 

Do you know you how rare it is to hear something like that when you're visiting friends or family? Even awesome friends & family? 

And not only did Todd have a gluten-free mix... Todd used a clean mixing bowl and utensils. Todd cleaned and scrubbed the griddle and spatula before he made my pancakes. I think I was seriously speechless for the first time in a LONG time. 

Then that evening Todd made a naturally gluten-free dinner of barbecued ribs (making sure the sauce was gluten-free), twice baked potatoes, coleslaw, and black-eyed peas. Talk about thinking things through and making sure your guests could eat well. I don't know if he and his wife will ever really understand what that means to me. 

So today I decided to make cupcakes. I needed to make dinner and cupcakes for my family. We may be world's apart in our politics, but when people care enough to feed you well, that's truly something special. 

Please keep in mind these delicious little cupcakes are still kind of a work in progress. I made them with the only gluten-free ingredients I had on hand, a boxed mix of Sof'ella Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix that I brought on vacation. This mix contains: white rice flour, navy bean flour (and amazingly has nearly NO beany aftertaste!), cornstarch, tapioca starch, natural flavor (no idea), baking powder, sea salt, baking soda. and xanthan gum. I think because the spices in the cupcake are so strong it masked any aftertaste from the bean flour in the mix. 

Because this mix is primarily for pancakes and waffles I decided to add a tiny bit more baking powder and baking soda to make sure the cupcakes rose as much as they should. 

If you try them with your own gluten-free flour mix, or your favorite gluten-free flours, please let me know what you think! 

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

free of gluten, casein/dairy, and soy

created by Carrie of Gingerlemongirl.com

makes 18 cupcakes

printer-friendly recipe

Dry Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups Sof'ella gluten-free all purpose baking mix 

1 cup sugar (actually used 3/4 cup splenda sugar blend for baking -- due to BIL Todd's dietary restrictions)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I LOVE pumpkin pie spice, cut back if you'd like!)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 eggs

3/4 cup extra-light olive oil (best kind for baking)

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers. Spritz cupcake papers with nonstick cooking spray to prevent cupcakes from sticking
• In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. 
• In a smaller bowl whisk together all wet ingredients. 
• Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients thoroughly until you have a thick batter. 
• Scoop about 1/4 cup of thick batter into each cupcake paper. 
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. 
• Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. 

Directions for Homemade Spiced Frosting: 

• Add 1 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening to a bowl and slowly mix in 1 pound of powdered sugar. Mixture will be very crumbly. Add 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice + 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg to the powdered sugar mixture and stir together well. 
• Slowly add water or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is the consistency you desire. 
• Frost cupcakes and serve. 

gluten free coconut flour vanilla cupcakes

See that?

Light, fluffy, airy, moist (but not TOO moist), gluten free cupcakes!! AND... wait for it... 

They are low glycemic, lower carb, and made with coconut flour, coconut oil, real vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, some baking soda, and agave nectar. (I know there's a big debate on whether or not agave's good stuff or bad stuff... you don't have to fight it out here) Soooo...since they are full of fiber, healthy fats, and yummy ol' protein-filled eggs, I'm declaring them kind of good for you! ;-)

But it's not my recipe. It's Elana's. She is a coconut flour and almond flour genius. Seriously. genius.

The cupcakes I made are the yellow cupcakes from Elana's newest cookbook: gluten free cupcakes cookbook! Elana also shares basically the same recipe (minus the strawberries) with this post.

I also slathered them with Elana's vegan chocolate 'buttercream" frosting (also in that lovely little book). Drool.

I suggest making them. soon. It's a really good thing these are being eaten at a work shower today... because really I just want to eat all of them!

The only change I made to Elana's recipe is I used melted coconut oil instead of the grapeseed oil called for. And that was only because it's what I had on hand.

So try them out. Let me know what you think... and let's chat about it here on the blog! And go give Elana some comment love!

How to keep a box of raisins fresh

Up until a few years ago I was a serious raisin hater. Didn't want them in cookies, didn't want them on my salad, didn't want them plain, didn't want them in fruit cake... raisins = blah. Somewhere in the past two years my brain decided to like raisins. Don't ask me why. Maybe adults have to like raisins (is it in the manual I never received?)... I haven't figured it out. But now, I like 'em. I'll toss them in my oatmeal, add them to a salad, definitely eat them in cookies, and now I really want to make Laura's caramel raisin pudding.

I started buying these large containers of raisins last winter when I made oatmeal on a daily basis for breakfast. But I quickly learned once you open the box of raisins they DRY out fast. And nobody wants a SUPER dried out, icky raisin. Trust me, they aren't tasty.

So a few months ago when I bought another box of raisins I figured something out. If I put them in ziplock baggies they stayed fresh. Duh.

But to keep the whole box SUPER fresh, I divide the raisins into 4 ziplock baggies. Squeeze all the air out of the baggies and zip them closed.

At this point (if sticky stuff weirds you out like it does moi) you might want to wash out the raisin box, since it will have sticky raisin residue on it. Then stuff in the four baggies of raisins. That way you only have to open 1/4 of the "box" of raisins at a time and all the remaining raisins will stay super fresh until you need them.

You're welcome. Now go make some of Karina's oatmeal raisin cookies. Clara swears by them!

Now you won't have to spend sleepless nights worrying over super dried out raisins. I'm glad I could help. :-P

Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Teabread/Muffins Recipe

On an outing with a good friend on Friday afternoon I found a "Breadman" bread maker at a favorite thrift store. It's an older model and by looks alone, I think it had barely been used. For $6, I figured it wasn't a bad investment if it worked. I washed the machine out thoroughly with hot, soapy water and attempted a gluten free loaf. It worked great for the sandwich bread! I couldn't find a full operating manual online, so I'm still playing around with the machine to see what the best cycle will be for my gluten free sandwich bread. I'm also trying to tweak a few recipes so I can come up with a gluten free "bread machine" recipe for you that works really well.

But I also wanted to prove that I could use this kitchen appliance for more than just one thing! I have an extremely tiny kitchen with barely any counter space -OR- cabinets.... so for this appliance to earn a spot, I have to be able to use it for a variety of different recipes! My husband suggested making cake. :-) He's a smart man.

Instead of cake, I decided to go on a healthier route and try a "teabread" -- I don't really know what signifies a teabread from a quick bread from a cake... but I liked the sound of it. I attempted one recipe from this popular vegan cookbook... but it was a flop. The batter was very wet and it just didn't work well in the bread maker (it's probably a great recipe for an oven -- just not the bread maker!). So instead, I went back to baking with the gluten free flours I know and created my own recipe. This is a variation of my standard gluten free cake recipe and I love the texture of this bread. It's just lightly sweetened and the aroma of cinnamon while it was baking made me smile. This is a soft, unassuming bread that pairs perfectly with a cup of Earl Grey.


Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Teabread -or- Muffins Recipe
created by Carrie Forbes of www.gingerlemongirl.com on 8/1/2011
free of gluten, soy, dairy/casein, and rice
Printer-friendly recipe
Makes 1 small 8 1/2"  x 4  1/2" loaf, 12 muffins, or makes about a 1 lb. loaf in the bread maker.

Dry Ingredients:
⅔ cup sorghum -or- millet flour
⅓ cup arrowroot starch
⅓ cup garfava flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients: 
½ - ¾ cup almond milk
¼ cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add In’s: 
½ cup raisins
⅓ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

For OVEN: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pan or line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl whisk together all wet ingredients, using ¾ cup of milk. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. Pour batter into loaf pan or into a lined 12 muffin tin. For loaf bake 25-35 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, then slice & serve if in loaf pan. This lightly sweetened bread is delicious with a cup of hot tea!

For BREAD MAKER: I used my breadmaker to make this bread on Sunday. I mixed up the ingredients by hand because it’s a very easy recipe and poured the batter breadmaker loaf pan to bake only. Follow the above directions as for oven, except only use ½ cup milk in the wet ingredients. Use the “bake” cycle on your bread machine and bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The first time you make this, check on the bread every 20 minutes or so just to make sure your breadmaker doesn’t bake hotter than mine does. Cool on a wire rack, then slice & serve. This lightly sweetened bread is delicious with a cup of hot tea!

Here was my first batch of gluten free sandwich bread straight from the bread machine. It was a really good bread. Once I get the measurements just right, I'll share the recipe with you! :-)

Gluten Free Master Baking Mix/ Homemade "Bisquick" Recipes

In this gluten free journey I've created quite a few recipes over the years. One of the most popular on this site is my gluten free master baking mix. I revised the original recipe last year to create a healthier, whole-grain, soy-free, and dairy/casein-free version. Since then I've used it for countless recipes... dinner recipes...dessert recipes...snacks...you name it! It's so easy to use. It's much healthier than the Betty Crocker version, it's a more frugal option, and it's incredible easy to make.

Today I'm sharing the Revised Whole Grain Gluten Free Master Baking Mix recipe again, along with 5 additional SUPER easy recipes that you can make with the master baking mix.

I would really love your feedback on these recipes. I love the biscuits. I love the cakey-cookies. I love the easy muffins. And mostly... the pancakes just rock.

What are your favorite OLD Bisquick recipes? What would you make using this mix or the original mix? If you have a recipe you'd like me to try & feature on the blog using this mix, please email me your suggestions!

Soft & sweet chocolate chip cookies made using the GF Whole Grain Master Baking Mix. 

Flaky,  Buttery Drop Biscuits made using the GF Whole Grain Master Baking Mix. 

Ginger Lemon Girl's Gluten Free/Casein Free
Master Baking Mix (Like Bisquick)
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
Created by Carrie Forbes @ Gingerlemongirl.com
Printer-friendly recipe

3 cups brown rice flour
2 cups sorghum flour -or- millet flour
1 1/2 cups arrowroot starch -or- tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry. Makes about 7 cups.

***********************

Half Recipe: 
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour -or- millet flour
3/4 cups arrowroot starch -or- tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

2 tablespoons brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

A Few Gluten Free Master Mix Recipes: 

1) Easy Muffins: 
1 cup MASTER MIX
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
⅓ c. blueberries, chocolate chips, chopped apples, etc...

Mix all ingredients. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Fill ¾ full of batter. Bake 350 for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of muffin comes out clean. Makes 6 muffins.

2) Pancakes: 
1 cup MASTER MIX
¾ cup - 1 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together, you can add additional milk if necessary depending on how thick or thin you like your pancake batter. Grease pan (with butter, oil, or non-stick spray) and heat until droplets of water will sizzle. Pour about 2 tbsp. batter per pancake onto preheated hot skillet. Cook on med. high heat until bubbles form & pop on top of pancakes -or- until edges look dry. Flip cook an additional minute or so. Serve hot. Makes about 9 (2") pancakes.

3) Drop Biscuits: 
1 ¼ cup MASTER MIX
3 tablespoons palm shortening, crisco, or butter
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons cold water

Cut shortening or butter into master mix until it looks like small peas. Stir in egg. Stir in1 tablespoon of water at a time until you have a stiff dough. (You may not need all 4 tablespoons of water.) Drop batter (2-3 tbsp. at a time) on greased baking sheet, each biscuit about 2” apart. Shape each biscuit into a circle. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Place a pat of butter or margarine on top of each biscuit in the last few minutes of baking. My oven underheats, so things tend not to brown -- you may need to turn up your oven to BROIL for 2-3 minutes to brown the biscuits. DO NOT allow to broil for longer or they will burn.  Makes 6 biscuits.

4) Basic Cookies: 
2 ¾ cups MASTER MIX
½ cup palm shortening, crisco, or butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla
2-4 tablespoons water
ADD IN'S -- 1 cup of any of the following (or mix of the following): chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, raisins, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, rolled oats, chopped candied oranges, etc...

Cream sugar with shortening or butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in master mix. If needed, add 2-4 tablespoons of water until you get a stiff (not crumbly) batter. Fold in any additional flavorings/spices/additions. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet.  Flatten cookies slightly with the bottom of a glass or the palm of your hand, as they will not spread. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen 1" cookies.

5) Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
1 lb. ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (dairy free version -- shredded daiya vegan cheese)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup MASTER MIX
1 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" pie pan or a large baking dish. In a large skillet brown ground beef and chopped onions. Spread browned ground beef & cooked onions in the greased baking dish. Sprinkle ground beef with cheese or daiya vegan alternative. In a small bowl mix together the salt, master mix, milk, and eggs. Pour over the ground beef & cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and/or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 slices. Serve each slice with the option of being topped with mustard, ketchup, chopped tomatoes, and dill pickles!

Gluten Free Girl's Whole Grain Muffins

I really love Gluten Free Girl. To be honest, before I met her at IFBC 2010 I thought she was a bit of a food snob. One more reason I need to stop judging people before I meet them! :-) I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet her!  Shauna is a gem. She has an incredible hug and even more incredible heart for people. Her laughter --a joy to hear, her boots red, and her smile is warm & inviting.

I truly enjoy her writing & her blog. One thing I love about reading blogs is that you get to watch as the seasons change, as writers evolve, as their food changes.

Shauna has recently decided to stop using white sugar in their home. She's using more natural choices such as sucanat, date sugar, coconut/palm sugar, etc... She's also using more whole grains and she's cutting gums out of her baked goods.

I absolutely love all of these changes. They cater to my own natural & healthy food choices and I'm excited about the new possibilities in Shauna's baked goods. I'm eagerly awaiting her gluten free yeast bread that doesn't contain gums!

Last night I tried her whole grain muffins.

The muffins don't use xanthan gum or guar gum. The first thing I loved about them! Shauna also uses a 70% whole grains and 30% starches for this recipe. She tells you how to make your own personalized gluten free whole grain mix and then shares a basic recipe template. She wants you to play. She wants you to start thinking off the page.

Recipes are simply the outline, the basic idea of what you can make. It's up to you to make them unique. To use what you have available. To be creative and inspired.

The muffins we made last night used a combination of almond flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, quinoa flour (I love the taste of quinoa with cinnamon & raisins!), arrowroot starch, and ground flax seeds.  As Shauna stated, you'll probably never make the same muffins twice! That's certainly the case at our house. For the add in's we used about 1/4 of raisins (which cleaned out my stash of raisins) and a handful of sliced almonds. Apparently my chopped walnuts & pecans have hidden themselves in the freezer beyond my reach.

Since I'm watching my calorie intake I calculated that basically my overall recipe (including the amount of sugar & oil used in the original recipe) had 3693 calories. I was able to make 18 muffins from the batter, which means each muffin had about 205 calories. Overall, not bad! Plus, the health benefits of these whole grain muffins is substantial. I love that our version contained healthy proteins & fats with the almond flour + quinoa flour + ground flax seeds.

To reduce the calories in my next batch, I'll probably use a bit less sugar and replace half the oil with applesauce or pumpkin puree.

I was thrilled when I caught my husband (who generally isn't a huge fan of baked goods) packing 3 muffins in a plastic bag to take to work with him today. As I munched on my muffins for breakfast this morning, I was pleasantly surprised at how moist they were.

Do you enjoy muffins? What you would you include in your 70/30 gluten free whole grain mix? If you need some inspiration, here are a few of my favorite muffin recipes and most of them are whole grain:

• Gluten Free Whole Grain Banana Nut Muffins
• Gluten Free Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
• Gluten Free, Whole Grain Vegan Banana Bread - easily made into muffins!
• Gluten Free Carob Banana Muffins
• Gluten Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Muffins
• Gluten Free Ginger Lemon Muffins 
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Gluten Free Orange Cinnamon Muffins

*This post is linked to The Gluten Free Homemaker's Wednesday Carnival for 1/26/11. 

Gluten Free, Grain Free Peanut Butter Cupcakes Recipe

We try to visit Michael's parents at least once a week. Sometimes it's more often, sometimes less. On a recent visit we had a wonderful southern meal prepared by Michael's mom Carol. We didn't have anything for dessert planned and I was watching Cupcake Wars on Food Network. We don't have cable or satellite television at our house, so the first thing I do when we get to Michael's parents house is head towards the living room and change the channel to Food Network! Thankfully his parents usually don't mind -- so long as a car race isn't on!

So after an hour of seeing about 1000 cupcakes being made I thought we needed cupcakes for dessert. One problem. Michael's parents aren't gluten free and therefore don't have a full pantry of gluten free flours available. So I made myself at home in Carol's kitchen and started nosing around to see what I could find.

Peanut butter = check.
Eggs = check.
Sugar = check.

Hmm... could you make cupcakes with those basic ingredients from a regular kitchen? I thought it would be worth a shot to try. Surprisingly it worked! Nut flours and butters can be used singularly as a flour in gluten free baking. It worked really well! I will admit, these cupcakes aren't perfect. I made them again last night to double check my recipe measurements and this makes a LOT of cupcakes... so I'm giving you both recipes in case you want to make a small batch or a large batch.

A few tips for grain-free peanut butter cupcakes:

• Don't overfill the cupcake liners. I made these cupcakes WAY too big, so they were starting to collapse as they cooled. Unlike most gluten free cupcakes, you don't need to add batter to the brim of the cupcake liner, I'd say only fill the liners 3/4 full MAX. (In these pictures, I still made them WAY too big and added too much batter.)
• Use SMALL or mini chocolate chips. I used regular sized chocolate chips in both batches, and I think the large size makes them heavier and that's contributing to the cupcakes falling slightly when they are cooling. 
• You can use "real" peanut butter (which is what I prefer) that is simply peanuts that have been ground, or if your family prefers a peanut butter with additives like "Jif" that works too. The only peanut butter Michael's parents had was Jif, and at home I had Maranatha natural peanut butter. The cupcakes turned out great with both kinds.  You could also use almond butter or another nut butter of your choice. 

Gluten Free, Grain Free Peanut Butter Cupcakes
free of gluten, dairy, soy, gums, corn, and other grains
created by carrie forbes of gingerlemongirl.com
printer-friendly recipe

Large Batch (15-18 cupcakes)                   
2/3 cup sugar, agave nectar, or honey              
2 teaspoons baking powder                            
1 1/4 cups peanut butter                                  
4 eggs                                                          
1/4 cup water                                              
1 tablespoon gluten free vanilla                         
1/4 cup mini-chocolate chips                         

Small Batch (7-9 cupcakes)
1/3 cup sugar, agave nectar, or honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla
2 tablespoons mini-chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium sized bowl mix together sugar and baking powder. To the sugar, add peanut butter and cream the mixture together. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, water, and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture into the peanut butter/sugar mixture and mix it together with a fork until it's very creamy and light, like a cake batter. You may need to use a little elbow grease to completely mix the wet ingredients with the peanut butter/sugar mixture. Spoon the cupcake batter into the paper lines until they are NO more than 1/2 - 3/4 full. These cupcakes definitely need room to rise! Lightly sprinkle a few mini-chocolate chips on top of the cupcakes and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcakes comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool for about 20 minutes on a wire rack before serving. They are delicious hot or cold. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Gluten Free, Egg Free, and Vegan Recipes

Photo from The Associated Press

With the eggs hitting the national news this week in a nationwide recall due to salmonella, I thought it would be a good time to share links for gluten free egg free recipes. You don't need eggs to make seriously good gluten free baked goods!

A few from my website:
Tropical Date Bars
Raw Berry Blueberry Pie
Whole Grain Rosemary Garlic Pizza Crust
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Peanut Butter Honey Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Homemade Egg Substitutes for Gluten Free Baking
Ground Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds
Ener-G Egg Substitute
Vegan Egg Substitutes for Baking

My vegan chocolate cake, with a little help from Clara of SixFoodIntoleranceLiving

From Karina's Kitchen:
Karina's Gluten Free/Vegan recipe index
Karina's Delicious Gluten Free Vegan Bread
Karina's GF Vegan Chocolate Cake
Karina's GF Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
*Note that nearly ALL of Karina's baked goods are egg free and gluten free, so go and play!

From The Spunky Coconut:
Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Bars
Blueberry Muffins
Egg Free Grain Free Brownies
Buckwheat Biscuits
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Egg-Free Bagels (I can't WAIT to try these!)

From Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen (all recipes listed are Vegan & GF):
Gluten Free, Egg Free Biscuits
Oatmeal Heart Cookies
"Milk" Chocolate Cupcakes
Pumpkin "Cheesecake"
Gluten Free Vegan Hemp Bread

Cinnamon Quill's Vegan Bread made free form in my kitchen! Delicious!

Additional Recipes from a few of my favorite gluten free blogs:
Sally's Gluten Free Vegan Bread
Sally's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cinnamon Quill's Gluten Free Vegan Bread
Elana's Vegan Herb Crackers
Ellen's Gluten Free, Egg Free Pancakes
Diane's Cranberry Chocolate Nut Truffles
Book of Yum's Flax Sorghum Bread
Book of Yum's Egg Free Recipes
Z's Cup of Tea Honey Cookies

Yours?? 

This is BY NO MEANS a complete gluten free, egg free baked goods recipe list! 

If you have one you'd like to add, please leave me a comment and share your recipe!!

How is the egg recall affecting your family? Are you still using eggs? 

Revised Gluten Free, Casein Free Master Baking Mix Recipe

gluten free master mix pancakes

One of the first recipes I created when I became gluten free in 2007 was a gluten free baking mix similar to the popular "Bisquick." It's been one of my most popular recipes and I'm glad that it's such a helpful & practical recipe for so many people.

Now, 4 years later... you can actually BUY gluten free Bisquick... and if you need something fast, it is very useful. But I will warn you... the Betty Crocker GF Bisquick is not the tiniest bit healthy. And sometimes that's completely okay. If you want cake for special occasions it certainly doesn't have to be healthy... but really I want my pancakes to at least have a LITTLE bit of fiber in them... if that sounds like you too, then you'll probably really love this mix!

gluten free mini-donut hole muffins

After initially posting the recipe one of the most frequent questions I received was how to make the mix casein free/dairy free. Many people suggested simply replacing the powdered milk in the recipe with additional tapioca starch. I didn't necessary want to offer this recommendation because tapioca starch is such a simple & unhealthy starch. I've also discovered I just don't like the taste of tapioca starch. I've always been a proponent of whole grains and I wanted to find a way to keep the mix at a high gluten free whole grain ratio.

I also wanted to remove the Crisco from the recipe. Not only does it contain soy, which I try to avoid... but I've since realized it's basically an edible form of plastic. Which is sort of gross when you think about it. I can't tell you how many people asked me what they could use instead of Crisco and at the time, I was not knowledgeable enough to give them a good answer. Now I know that you can use Spectrum Palm Shortening or Coconut Oil.. it's up to you! They both work really well. And you don't have to feel guilty about your pancakes with these healthier alternatives to Crisco!

So, at long last, here is the new revised gluten free, casein free, and soy free master baking mix. Use it cup for cup in any "Bisquick" type recipe. It's fantastic for quick breads, muffins, biscuits, etc...

Do you have a recipe you make with this homemade gluten free master baking mix? 

I'd love to feature it on Gingerlemongirl.com! 

Just leave me a comment and share your thoughts & recipes! 

gluten free snickerdoodles

Ginger Lemon Girl's Gluten Free/Casein Free 
Master Baking Mix (Like Bisquick)
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
Created by Carrie @ Gingerlemongirl.com
Printer-friendly recipe. 

3 cups brown rice flour
2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups arrowroot starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup brown rice protein powder -or- almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (optional - great for a whole grain texture & extra fiber!)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup coconut oil or spectrum palm shortening (I used spectrum)

Whisk all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Cut in shortening, until it is thoroughly mixed into the dry ingredients and looks like tiny peas. Store in a tightly-sealed container in fridge or pantry.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes to use this wonderful mix: 

Mini-Donut Hole Muffins

Apple Snack Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Almond Joy Impossible Pie

Easy Chocolate Brownies
Quick Biscuits

*my favorite* Master Mix Pancakes