GF Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

When I signed up for my Escoffier Online Healthy Baking course I was really excited to find ways to create desserts that people with restrictive diets could enjoy, but also feel like they weren't eating diet food.  It also hit close to home for me because my dad must follow a diabetic and renal (kidney) friendly diet so I know first hand how important the ingredients can be to how a person feels. 

This weekend I got to hang out with my dad and it was the perfect opportunity for me to make him something special that wouldn't spike his blood sugar levels or put any unnecessary strain on his kidneys, but that also tasted great to the rest of my family who are lucky enough to not have to worry about what they are eating.  I think this recipe did the trick.

Since the texture of my baked goods have been so delicious with my gluten free flour blend I thought I would make some substitutions in this recipe and see how they worked out.

GF Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

GF Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

Adapted from DaVita.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/2 cup Truvia or 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 cup of Greek yogurt or sour cream 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (almond would be nice too)
• 2 cups gluten free flour blend or all-purpose white flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 20 ounces cherry pie filling or any other filling flavor
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or sliced almonds for texture)
• Tub of light Cool Whip Topping

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Set butter out at room temperature to soften. 
2. Using a mixer, blend butter, eggs, sugar, greek yogurt and vanilla together. 
3. In separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. 
4. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated trying not to over mix. Spread batter into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. 
5. Evenly disperse cherry pie filling over batter and sprinkle with dark chocolate chips. 
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and tooth pick inserted in the center comes out with little to zero crumbs. When serving put a dollop of Cool Whip Topping on top of each piece. 
   
   
   *NOTE: The batter is thick and sticky...don't worry...just spread it out as evenly as you can in your dish (I used two spoons)...it will bake up beautifully!!
   
   

   

   Mise en Place

   

   Cherries and more Cherries

   

   Golden Delicious

This cake turned out really great. It was light, moist and had just the right amount of sweetness from the cherries and chocolate. A perfect treat for a warm summer evening or a Labor Day potluck. 

If you are not worried about your sugar intake I may suggest using regular sugar rather than the sugar substitute because it can leave a slight after taste that I just can't put my finger on...it's not bad, but it's different.  Otherwise I was really happy with the flavor and the Greek yogurt was a great substitution for the sour cream because it gave the dish an extra punch of protein.

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Happy Labor Day and Happy Baking,

Dani

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Oh, the banana...such an underrated fruit.  All too often they sit on our counters, lonely and green with envy as the apples and berries have all the fun being used for more than just a quick breakfast on our way to work, but then, in the blink of an eye, our beautiful canary yellow bananas turn a potting soil brown. I know, sounds appetizing, but I beg you to resist the urge to throw out those bananas with the old coffee grounds. Instead, throw them into the freezer until you are ready to use them because what was old and brown can become new again, and sweet!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Bananas past their so called peak of freshness can be used for all sorts of tasty treats such as one ingredient banana "ice cream" (slice them up, freeze, then blend to a soft serve consistency and you've got an amazing way to beat the summer heat); or, two ingredient banana pancakes (one banana mashed with 1-2 eggs lightly beaten and cook as you would any other pancake and you have a delicious breakfast for your toddler or hungry spouse). 

Personally, my favorite use for my ripe bananas is a good old fashion loaf of banana bread because the flavor never disappoints and goes great with my morning coffee or latte. There is just something so nostalgic about banana bread. I guess it reminds me of holiday mornings surrounded by my family; hanging out in our pjs and laughing about one thing or another.

This fabulous recipe was adapted from Hoosier Homemade's "Best Ever Banana Bread" was converted to a gluten free version for my school assignment and I have to say, it is one of the best banana breads I have ever eaten. It is all that you want a banana bread to be: soft, moist, slightly sweet and full of banana flavor, which you can thank those potting soil brown bananas for!!

Ingredients (makes 1 standard loaf)

2c MINUS 2tbsp GF Flour Blend**

1c sugar

1tsp GF baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2c GF Wesson Vegetable Oil (Soybean oil)

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1tsp GF vanilla

Add 1/2c walnuts, chopped if your nuts are free of gluten ingredients

**See my post on my go to GF Flour Blend

Method 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep 1 standard bread pan with GF non-stick spray.  In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside.  In medium bowl, mash bananas, add eggs, vanilla and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well.  Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf only has a few crumbs.

Mise en place

Sift, Mash and Fold

Bake to Perfection

This bread was so delicious and once again my GF Flour Blend did not disappoint. I can't tell you how excited I was to see the height of the loaf through the oven window as it baked up because I had always been unable to achieve that kind of lift with other GF recipes.  You will love this loaf and if you don't want to make the leap to gluten free, I am sure that the original version is just as yummy so give it a try.

If you need to be strict on your gluten intake please be careful when choosing your ingredients.  I was very close to following the original recipe and adding walnuts, but when I looked at the ingredients on the walnut bag I noticed that they were produced with trace amounts of wheat, which is a no-no for gluten free eaters.  The same is true of baking powder and even vanilla so read the ingredients list closely!  If you need some extra help on deciphering whether the item is gluten free or need some options, head over to GF Overflow to check their database.

Please enjoy and let me know who you think. 

Happy baking!

~Dani

Flickr Online Baking Portfolio

Over time I have slowly been creating an online Flickr Baking Portfolio that I would like to share with you. It has a little of this, and a little of that, but most of all it is a fun collection that shows how my baking chops continue to progress.

Here are a few of my latest cakes that I am really proud of that are included in my Flickr Baking Portfolio:

Rockin Rio
 6" - 4 Layer Vanilla Bean Cake
Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Curd
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Strawberry Scented White Chocolate Shards & White Chocolate Drip

Rainbow Sherbet
6" - 4 Layer Vanilla Cake
Meyer Lemon Curd and Strawberry Preserves
Ombre Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Peanut Butter & Jelly
6" - 5 Layer Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Buttercream with Strawberry Preserves
Chocolate Cake Orbs with Rainbow Confetti

Cookies 'n Cream
6" - 4 Layer Chocolate Cake
Cookies 'n Cream Cookie White Chocolate Buttercream

Carrot Cake
8" - 3 Layer Carrot Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting & Toasted Walnuts

Strawberry Cheese Cake
9" - New York Style Cheese Cake
Fresh Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream

Thank you for your continued support and I welcome any feedback. 

Happy Baking,

~Dani