Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipes...

Recently, I had the need for a good chocolate cake recipe.  Easy, basic, just like the box cakes I would have made for a special occasion in times past, only homemade and gluten free.  I happened upon a couple which have been a huge success with only minor variations.

The first was from Food.com.  You can find the original recipe here:  Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

I will print it with my variations here:

Easy GF Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 C GF Flour Blend
1 C Cocoa (or 1/2 C cocoa + 1/2 C chocolate chips)
1/2 t baking soda
2 1/2 t baking powder (use 1T total when doubling)
1 1/2 t xanthan gum
3/4 C salted butter (or add 1/2 t salt with unsalted butter)
1 1/2 C organic sugar
3 large eggs
2 T mayonaisse (or 2 yolks)
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 C buttermilk (or sour milk)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.  In a medium size bowl, add flour, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk together.  In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter until creamy . Slowly add the sugar and whip until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in mayo.  Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake is springy to the touch.

I topped this with a butter cream frosting found here: Butter-cream Frosting

* I convert this to a yellow cake by subbing another 1/2 C flour and 1/2 C whey protein in place of the cocoa. 

Printable version here: Easy GF Chocolate Cake

The second was from Gluten-Free-Girl herself.  She was modifying a recipe from Pioneer Woman.

I followed the recipe as written with the only variation being that I used my flour blend in place of the flours she recommended and I did not use guar gum.  I just used the 2 t of xanthan gum the recipe called for.  You can find that recipe here:  Texas Sheet Cake Gluten Free

For my flour blend, look here: Earthmama's GF Flour Blend

The Easy GF Chocolate Cake recipe works great as a sheet cake or cup cakes.  You can make the cupcakes up in advance and freeze them for later. 

Best Copycat Cocoroons Recipe (Coconut Almond Roons)

Some time back, Iherb ran a special on Coco-Roons, around $3 for a pack of 8.  We tried the lemon, chocolate chip and the brownie.  They were awesome but way out of our price range, the regular price being $8 or $1 a piece!  I got a hankering for some the other day and settled into the kitchen to make up my version.  I looked at the ingredients and started with their basic ingredients and went from there.  I did add a couple things here and there to increase nutrition.   The results?  I haven't had the others in a while and my memory could be a little foggy but I'd say pretty close if not better!  The price was definitely better.  Depending on where you get your ingredients,  these will cost between 20 to 40 cents per roon, so I'd say way better!  My coconut,  although organic, did not say raw, and I have not been able to find any raw coconut.   Even so, I still dehydrated at 105 degrees because my coconut oil, cacao nibs, lemon juice and greens powder were raw.

Here's the recipes for the 3 we tried...

Coconut Almond Roons Basic Recipe

2 C shredded coconut
2 C almonds
1/2 C maple syrup
2 T extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 t pink Himalayan salt (or to taste)
1/2 t stevita (powdered stevia)


#1  With Cacao Nibs

1 scoop (1/4 cup) protein powder (I used pea, hemp and flax combo)
1/2 C raw cacao nibs
2 t vanilla

#2 Lemon

1/2 C protein powder
2 t organic lemon flavor
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon

#3 Brownie

1/2 C cocoa OR
1/4 C cocoa, 2 T cococeps and 2 T chocolate flavored raw protein powder
2 t vanilla
(Depending on how bitter your cocoa, you may need to increase sweetener)


Place coconut in food processor and process to a very fine consistency.  Add almonds and process until almonds are also very fine.   Add other dry ingredients (except cacao nibs.  Add them last as you would chocolate chips in a cookie recipe).  Process until combined.   Add wet ingredients and process until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

 Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop out 1 T sized balls, scraping bottom so they are flat on bottom.

Place on the tray of a dehydrator.

Do this until all of the mixture is used then dehydrate for about 8 hours at 105-115 degrees.  Allow to completely cool then store in refrigerator for maximum freshness.

I like them cold but you can allow them to return to room temperature before eating.

And there you go!  I've made something similar in the past with my almond protein balls but I think the dehydrating is the key to a more cookie-like snack ball.

If you don't have a dehydrator and aren't overly concerned about the raw factor, I saw on another site where they heated the oven to 200 degrees, placed balls in oven then turned oven off and left them in there for 8 hours.  Not sure how well that would work, but there it is.  I got my dehydrator at Walmart for $30 over 10 years ago and it has been well worth the money.  My kids love dehydrated bananas and apples and we've done beef jerky and dehydrated veggies so it's definitely worth having.

I will post a breakdown of where I purchased my ingredients and the cost separately here: Roons Price Breakdown

For a printable recipe, click here:  Coconut Almond Roons with 3 Variations

Gluten Free German Apple Pie Pancake (Pannekoeken) is not just for breakfast!

In fact, we rarely eat it for breakfast, though I'll admit we did one weekend when we had company.  My friend replied, "I think this is a first.  Ice cream with breakfast!"  I always figure, if your going to occassionally eat bad, do it early so you have a chance to burn if off throughout the day instead of eating it right before you go to bed.  Works for me.  Anyways, saw a pannekoeken on Drivers, Dine-Ins and Dives one night (my husband watches, not me!) and I thought, I've got to have one of those!  So I googled a recipe but it wasn't quite what we wanted so we modified, modified, modified and here you have the finished product.  I will link to the original gluten recipe so you can try it as originally written if you so desire.  We like it with a thicker pancake and lots of apples and cinnamon.  If you want a thinner pancake, reduce the pancake batter by 1/2.  You can use any gluten free all purpose blend, I use my own, of course, but this recipe does not require xanthan gum.  


Gluten Free German Apple Pie Pancake (Pannekoeken)

8 apples (or enough to fill up the bottom of your cast iron skillet), peeled, cored and sliced
2 t ground cinnamon (more or less to taste)
1/2 t nutmeg
1 C organic sugar (or 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 C maple syrup)
1/2 C butter or non-dairy substitute
1 C milk
6 eggs
1 T vanilla extract
1 C gf all purpose flour
1 t sugar
Powdered sugar, whipped cream or ice cream for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place apples in pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add butter and sugar.  Turn heat to medium and cook until slightly soft, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Apples cooking

While apples are cooking, prepare the batter.  Mix the milk, vanilla and eggs in a bowl.  Add the flour, sugar and salt and whisk to remove most of the lumps.


Add the batter all at once to middle of the pan then ever so slightly, swirl the apple mixture through the batter. You do NOT want it completely mixed in.  Cook until small bubbles form around the edge.

Batter has been poured in

Finish cooking in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes.  To serve, you can invert onto a plate (better idea if you used less batter) or serve directly out of the pan (if you made as written).  Add your topping of choice and enjoy!

Finished product!  YUM!!!

Recipe based on this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/pannekoeken-apple-pie-pancake-german-478280

Printable Version Here: Gluten Free German Apple Pie Pancake