Besan flour, banana and choc chip loaf - gluten free

Well we are still in banana cake mode here as I  hate to see them go to waste and the fruit bowl every week seems to contain at least one unloved spotty specimen. I like to ring the changes when it comes to recipes, so this recipe is another gluten free one featured bananas.

I wanted to experiment with cake making using besan flour, naturally gluten free, this earthy high protein high fibre flour is made from chickpeas and some times lentils or other beans. This flour is much more cost effective when compared with other gluten free flours and I am pleased to say produces a very tasty bake too, no hint of  lentil or chickpea at all.

Its moist and decadent and the loaf has just the right amount of sweetness and the chocolate chips provide just the right amount of chocolately flavours in every bite.

What you need

• 2 large very ripe bananas- mashed
• 3/4 cup of Thick live yogurt
• 1 egg - free range
• 1/2 cup light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/3 cup coconut oil - melted
• 1 1/2 cups besan flour (different brands have different mixes, mine was chickpea and lentil, some are just chickpea) - above all check gluten free if required most are
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 pkt of dark chocolate chips

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c and prepare your loaf tin, either oil spray or base line a 2lb loaf tin
• In your mixer blend the bananas, yogurt and egg, until well combined and the mixture is creamy.
• Seive the besan flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and cinnamon on to the wet mixture, incorporate using a wire ballon whisk to retain the air in the mixture.
• Stir in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into your prepared tin, smooth the top
• Place in the oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes until well risen and golden. Test with a skewer to ensure done.
• Cool initially in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove to cool fully on a wire rack.
• Store in an airtight tin
• Freezes well when double wrapped

                                       

We are linking up to Love Cake this month, created and hosted at JibberJabberUk, the theme this month being in the words of the lovely Toyah "Its a Mystery !" as besan flour isn't usually used in cake baking.

                                                           

And recipe of the week , over on A Mummy Too

Easter Treat - Marbled banana and chocolate hazelnut loaf, gluten free too !

We are hosting We should cocoa this month, so we just had to join in the fun. This month's theme is eggs and this recipe using eggs in two formats, the traditional hens type and liberal quantities of Crispy chocolate eggs. I am really happy as well as this post gave me the opportunity to utilise this beautiful Emma Bridgewater plate in the photography, which appropriately enough features both feathers and eggs in its design, I just love it....

The bake is a perfect Mothers Day or Easter treat and is a lovely easy recipe even though its gluten free, better the day after baking so the banana flavour is more prominent. Loosely based on a Good Housekeeping recipe but made gluten free.

Eggs are a celebration of Spring and new life so have a go and bake yourself a celebration of the new season.

You will need

• 50ml Sunflower oil
• 3 medium eggs - free range - beaten
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 ripe bananas -mashed
• 225g plain Greek yogurt
• 300g plain flour - gluten free
• 1tsp bicarb
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp xanthum gum *
• 150g chocolate hazelnut spread (check gluten free, most are)

To make topping

• 2tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1tbsp milk - skimmed
• 1 - 2  bags of chocolate crispy eggs - smashed (check gluten free)

2 * 2lb loaf tins - lined

What you do

• Pre heat oven to 160c
• Line your loaf tins - I use the prepared liners from the £ shop, but greaseproof paper will work fine too.
• Whisk the oil, eggs and sugar in a stand mixer bowl until pale, light and fluffy
• Add the banana, yogurt and flour, bicarb and baking powder and quickly mix, until you have an incorporated batter.
• Divide the mixture into two, into one half mix in the chocolate hazelnut spread
• Dollop (great word) blobs of each mixture into the prepared tins and then swirl with a knife to create the marbling.
• Place in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 - 20 minutes, until you cakes are well risen and test cooked with a skewer.
• Cool in the tins on a wire rack
• To decorate when cool, mix the chocolate hazelnut spread with the milk and drizzle on to the top of your loaves, sprinkle with the smashed crispy chocolate eggs.
• Serve in decadent slices, store in the fridge covered with foil for a couple of days if it lasts that long.

We are also linking up to Dom over at Belleau Kitchen for Simply Eggcellent

                                                         
To Caroles Chatter - Food on Friday - Easter Foods

                                                           


Bake of the Week - Over at Casa Costello and new co host Maison Cupcake


                                                           

Rhubarb and Almond Cake

Please forgive me for being so remiss, over the last couple of weeks what with work, WI centenary  celebrations, the garden and many many other things I haven't posted any recipes to the blog.

Naughty naughty me, instead of baking and cooking I have been needle felting, bead netting and more gardening and this has somewhat distracted me from the job in hand. Whilst gardening I noticed that our rhubarb bed was again producing huge crops of rhubarb, we have a couple of varieties hence the slightly greener rhubarb in the picture.

This cake is light and deliciously almondy and has the benefit of being gluten free, you need to be a patient baker as it does take quite a while to bake particularly if you rhubarb is quite sappy but the results are well worth it. Its amazing served with creme fraiche or yogurt but lovely on its own too.

This recipe is adapted Rhubarb and Almond Cake from the Sainsbury's Magazine

What you need

• 150g butter - softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 eggs - free range
• 200g ground almonds
• Couple of drops panettone essence (I use Bakery Bits)
• Couple of  drops of Almond essence
• 100g gluten free plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 4 sticks rhubarb, chopped into 2cm lengths
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds

180c oven - pre heated

22 cm spring form cake pan - oil sprayed and base lined

What you do

• Cream the butter, sugar and essences until pale and fluffy, I used my trusty Kitchenaid mixer. Whisk in the eggs and add the flour/almonds a little at a time with the eggs if it looks in danger of curdling.
• Add the rest of the flour/almonds to the bowl and mix until well incorporated.
• Spoon approximately half the cake mixture into your prepared cake and spread to the edges, arrange roughly half of the chopped rhubarb on to the mixture, staying away from the edge of the tin. Sprinkle over a little caster sugar (1 tbsp)
• Top with the remaining cake mixture and spread to cover the rhubarb, now arrange the rest of the chopped rhubarb on the top in attractive pattern, again keeping away from the edge (this to prevent sticking to the tin), sprinkle with flaked almonds and another 1 tbsp of caster sugar.
• Bake for 6o minutes until golden and well risen, now cover with baking paper and bake for another 15-30 minutes (may be even a little longer as this depends on the moisture level in your rhubarb) until cooked in the middle.
• Cool initially in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack, the cake is quite delicate so be prudent and ensure very loose before removing from tin.

I'm linking up to Bake of the Week at Casa Costello, a linky for all things baked !

                                                   

Sticky parkin - ideal for halloween or a traditional bonfire night treat

Parkin is a traditional bonfire night treat in Lancashire and this recipe unlike quite a lot of other recipes this immediately has that essential sticky quality that a good parkin needs, easily made gluten free this is also an ideal treat for those unexpected trick or treaters on Halloween.

Featuring a warming mixture of spices and lots of lovely treacly flavours and its flavour improves even further with keeping.

What you need

• 125g butter or quality margarine
• 125g dark brown sugar
• 220g treacle
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150g plain flour (gluten free works fine)
• 2 heaped tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg
• Good pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200g oatmeal (fine or medium - ensure gluten free if necessary)
• 60ml of skimmed milk
• 9" by 9" square tin, lined with baking parchment

What you do

• Preheat your oven to 150c (fan) or 170c (std oven)
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and treacle, once melted add the bicarbonate of soda and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large baking bowl, place the flour, Ginger, nutmeg, cloves,oatmeal and baking powder. Mix well together and then add the melted treacle mixture
• Stir together and add the milk, mix until you have a very loose liquid cake batter.
• Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 50 minutes or so until a cocktail stick comes out of the cake clean.
• Cool in the tin until its safe to handle (normally about 30 mins) and then cool fully on a wire rack
• Cut into squares to serve, stores well wrapped in an airtight tin.

I'm linking up to Tea Time Treats co-created by Lavender and Lovage and  this month hosts Hedgecombers, the theme this month being BONFIRE NIGHT!

                                                     

Mediterranean vegetable and herb quiche - gluten free

I have been secretly working in the background perfecting a tasty gluten free pastry that is suitable for using as a quiche base. If you make pastry with just standard gluten free flour its rather tasteless and very crumby and grainy, I have made gluten free pastry using cheese to help bind it and create flour but was looking for something a little less cheesy (pardon the pun) so I thought I would experiment with mixing buckwheat flour with normal GF flour and voila it works, creating a more wholemeal style pastry which is tasty when used as a quiche base.

I decided to make a filling using the ubiquitus courgette, pimped by the addition of a little chopped sun dried tomato and some garden fresh herbs

Excellent hot or cold this quiche it makes a great family meal, also would be ideal in a lunch box with some salad.

What you need

• 100g plain gluten free flour
• 100g buckwheat flour (ensure gluten free - not all is)
• 125g salted butter - cold
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme - chopped finely
• 4 - 6 tbsp cold water
• Egg - beaten 
• A loose bottomed quiche tin - about 24cm across - Lightly brushed with oil

For the filling

• 3 small courgettes - topped and tailed and chopped into thin slices
• 2-3 shallots - peeled and finely chopped
• Chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Thyme, oregano and rosemary - chopped
• Olive oil
• 300ml creme fraiche
• 3 eggs
• Freshly ground Pepper
• 100g cheddar cheese - coarsely grated

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 190c
• To make the pastry its easiest by food processor, add the flours, thyme and cold butter, blitz until its a rough breadcrumb texture.
• Add the cold water little by little with the processor running until the pstry just starts to ball
• Tip onto a lightly floured surface and form a ball
• Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes before rolling to  fit your quiche tin.
• Chill again for about 10 minutes or so before baking the case blind for about 15 minutes, remove your baking beads (rice works well)
• Brush with a little beaten egg and then bake again for 10 minutes, remove from oven.
• Now we will make the filling , fry off the shallots and courgettes until softened, add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and herbs to the pan, allow to cool slightly.
• Add the vegetables to the quiche base, place on a baking tray ready to fill with the egg mixture
• Mix the eggs and creme fraiche together and pour over the vegetables, top off the quiche with the grated cheese.
• Bake for 35 minutes or so until golden and just a little wobbly in the middle.
• Serve slightly cooled or cold

I'm linking up to Cooking with Herbs - the theme this month being mediterrean food, this post contains thyme, oregano and rosemary. Hosted this month over at Lavender and Lovage.

And also to Tea Time Treats which is sharing the same theme as Cooking with Herbs, hosted this month by The Hedgecombers.

Lastly to Simple and in Season hosted this month by Franglais Kitchen.