Almond Cake

Sometimes you don't need a reason to make a cake such as this however I can guarantee that you will want to make this more often than not. Feel free to top the cake with whatever fruit you like, apples are what I have on hand at any given time. Moist, crumbly and delicately tender, it is hard to believe it is gluten free.    

Almond Cake

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3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups Almond flour

1/2 cup Coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

thin slices of fresh apple rings to decorate the top

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch cake pan.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, and beat until well blended. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. 

In a separate bowl, combine the almond and coconut flours, salt and baking powder. Stir the combined dry ingredients into the butter egg mixture and beat until nice and creamy. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and spread batter evenly. Arrange the freshly sliced apple rings on top, how ever you wish. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. The cake should have a bit of spring to it and golden in colour. Before serving lightly dust with some icing sugar over the top. 

Notes: If replacing the coconut flour with all purpose flour the cake is no longer gluten free. It tastes just as good, it just won't be gluten free.  

Keeping warm. - JD 

Rice Bran Oil

I haven't tried Rice Bran Oil so when I saw this gorgeous bottle I knew I had to try it. The oil itself is made from GMO-free basmati rice, no pesticides, no herbicides and Hexane free. It is gluten free, has zero cholesterol and trans fat, has a high smoke point of 495ºF!, and rich with natural antioxidants... Vitamin E, Omega 6 and Gamma Oryzanol. The bottle states it has 47 times more antioxidants than olive oil and just 1 tablespoon provides you with all of your daily vitamin E! 

To find out more about Rice Bran Oil and other Ecoideas products click *here* 

Another cold day today. Stay warm everyone! - JD 

Red Rice

Red rice is gluten free and packed with fibre, vitamins... B vitamins... and minerals. It is a healthier choice and this colourful grain gives another option for a complex carbohydrate. It has a nutty earthy taste however when blended with a sauce it virtually goes undetected. It is definitely worth a try.  

The rice itself is a gorgeous auburn colour and the scent from the package is truly a unique one. Nutty... earthy... flowery. On the package it states that a portion from the sales of every Wild Tusker product will be donated to the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka. For more information about Wild Tusker click *here*

I made a tangy Mexican chicken and red rice dish which was then placed into ancient grain with chia tortillas with all the trimmings; guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and veggies to make soft tortillas wraps, that were served with a side salad. They were so delicious! There was enough leftover to make a sort of Sloppy Joes on sourdough buns the next night for dinner. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend and is getting on with their week. - JD      

Simple Peanut Butter Cookies

Usually I like measuring and mixing about the list of ingredients of a recipe, makes me feel like a scientist, however I have heard about these simple 3 ingredient recipes and wanted to give one try. Upon my search I found  many similar recipes for peanut butter cookies, like this one, however they were all just slightly different somehow. Offering different measurements for ingredients and baking temperature and times varied as well. I made two batches because I wanted to tweak the recipe here and there. I added ground flax seed and lessened the sugar. I let the taste testers decide and my modified version got the most thumbs up. This is a great recipe if you are pressed for time and low on certain ingredients. Also this recipe is gluten free! 

The original Peanut Butter Cookie recipe:

Mix together:

225 grams of peanut butter

225 grams of casters sugar

1 beaten egg

Mould into "blobs", flatten on a baking tray with a fork then bake in a 225ºC oven for 12 minutes.

Here is my modified version of this recipe: 

Simple Peanut Butter Cookies

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Mix together:

225 grams of natural no salt peanut butter, room temperature

110 grams of casters sugar

1/3 cup ground flax seed

1 beaten egg

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. 

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside. 

I spooned the dough with a dessert teaspoon and then moulded the dough into rounds... no smaller than a walnut however no larger than a golf ball. Gently flattened the rounds with the back of the teaspoon. Bake in the pre-heated 375ºF oven for 9 minutes. 
Remove from oven and gently press the top of each baked cookie with the back of the spatula or fork, this makes the cookies more compact and chewy on the inside when completely cooled. Let the cookies set on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes: I baked the first batch for 12 minutes, as the original recipe suggested, and the bottoms burnt therefore I reduced the baking time to 9 minutes and they turned out nicely. Next time, I would like to add some shredded coconut, dried cranberries, dates, apricots, sunflower seeds or oatmeal into the mix. You could refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before baking, if you prefer. I didn't have to convert the peanut butter and sugar into cups because my lovely husband bought me a great multi weight scale; however in my research I found that 225g approximately equals 8 ounces, 1 cup and 110g approximately equals 4 ounces, 1/2 cup. 

My eye is doing much better. Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Gluten - Free Cupcakes

I only have a few gluten free cookbooks due to the fact that myself nor anyone in my household does not have that specific food allergy. However, I collect cookbooks and if a gluten free or vegan recipe tastes good then I would not shy away from making it. Cupcakes still reign supreme and are a favourite amongst the masses. There are 3... if not 4 cupcake shops all within a block or two of each other where I live.  


The author loves cupcakes. Finding out she had a food allergy changed her love affair of the cupcake. That was 1998 and much has changed in the culinary world in regards to specific needs and food allergies. There are plenty cookbooks targeting certain ways of cooking and baking. Most of the recipes are made with almond and coconut flour. Which are easy to find.

When we think of cupcakes  we often think of the ones with mile high cream icing and exotic flavours. In this cookbook there are sweet and savoury cupcakes however the author admits to calling the savoury ones, muffins. There are sweetness ratings ranging from low to medium to high. There are plenty of gluten - free and vegan choices throughout the 104 pages. 

I am steering clear of the Pumpkin cupcakes and thought I would share a more savoury recipe. Also the holidays are coming and there will be no shortage of sweets. Therefore the Orange Rosemary Cupcakes would be a nice addition to brunch or dinner and with an afternoon cup of tea. 

Orange Rosemary Cupcakes
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1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons firmly packed orange zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, almond flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, grapes oil, agave nectar, and orange zest. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until throughly combined, then stir in the rosemary. 

Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into each prepared muffin cup.

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then serve. 


Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Weather wise ...it is -6, which is warm... well sort of. It is warmer than this past weekend, -28, and that is a positive. - JW 

Corn Pasta

I found corn pasta at none other than Dollarama. Where most things are a dollar however on occasion you can find things for more than a dollar and in this case this package of corn pasta was 2 dollars. As I waited in line a customer noted the pasta in my hand and stated "It doesn't cook nice. It clumps." I appreciated the culinary heads up however went ahead and bought it anyway. 

This corn pasta is made from non-GE corn, lactose free, egg free and is gluten free. A surprising find at the Dollar store. When cooking, I followed the directions on the package which are straight forward and the same as cooking any pasta. How did it cook? Fairly well. It wasn't clumpy... in fact it only slightly clumped after draining when placing the pasta on plates, which can happen with any pasta. Although as soon as I put my homemade meat sauce over top of it, it became loose again. No clumps. It was perfectly fine. So in regards to the customer warning and trying to steer me clear of this product there was really nothing that I found to be bothered about. In fact, I would buy this again.

It is a very bracing snowy day today so I will let my current painting and Christmas baking guide me. Stay warm! - JW    

Peabutter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies were one of my favourites growing up. The warm buttery nutty flavour, the tan colour, and the infamous criss cross pattern was melt in your mouth goodness. 

In today's nut free zone I have created an alternative. I substituted the peanut butter for peabutter. And the taste is virtually the same. I ended up taste testing three! My usual taste testers were away. Generally, I have one on principal when and if no one else is on hand. I ate the usual one however two crumbled as I was placing them on the cooling rack. I blame the cookie spatula and the cooling rack.

A few hours after I made them I had to dash out to the shop. Upon my return, entering the house was one that I can only describe as warm, sugary, and divine. Absolute comfort. If ever there was a need for smell-o-vision it would have been yesterday afternoon.   

This is the No Nuts Golden Peabutter I used. It is nut free, peanut free, gluten free, and trans fat free. Most grocery stores will carry this brand. However most offer another type Soy Nut Butter. That I have not tried. Any recipe you have that calls for peanut butter may now be replaced with this, peabutter. The texture is lip smacking and the taste isn't so nutty however it comes very close.   

Peabutter Cookies

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1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup peabutter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375º

In a large bowl beat the caster sugar, brown sugar, peabutter, butter, and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed. You can also mix with a spoon however the electric mixer makes it easier. 

Then stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. 

Note: I used self-raising flour therefore I omitted the baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Shape the dough into about 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar or flour creating a criss cross pattern. Or take a flat bottom glass and press gently down to flatten and place a chocolate chip in the centre. 

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool for about 5 minutes, remove from baking sheet and onto a wire rack. 

Notes: Modify baking times can prove positive...

Ovens vary therefore temperatures may vary .. the first batch I cooked for 9 minutes and this is what the bottoms of the cookies looked like. Just a tad bit over done. 

So I tweaked the baking time to 7 minutes and this is what the bottoms looked like. Golden perfection. What a difference. Amazing what 2 minutes can do! 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JW  

Gluten Free Baking

I finally bought myself a gluten-free cookbook. I often get asked if I have a gluten free recipe for the things I bake. The answer to that is no. Although most things in the kitchen are trial and error, with gluten-free baking and cooking you have to know your substitutions. Which ingredients will give you the taste and texture and how to achieve  suitable gluten-free baking. This cookbook is only a 160 pages and concentrates more on the baking than cooking. It talks about gluten, celiac disease, wheat allergy, lactose intolerance, gluten-free foods, hidden gluten-free foods and gluten-free flour blends. To help you get a better understanding of about gluten-free. It certainly has become quite the topic as more and more people are being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. No one in our household needs to follow gluten-free eating however I would bake from this cookbook again.  

The recipes range from cupcakes to muffins, cookies and bars, cakes, desserts, pies, bread and savoury pastries. The layout is functional. Ingredients list and instructions on one page and a recipe photo on the other. The full page food photography is very mouth watering and doesn't scream out gluten-free at all or a lack of taste.            

I bought this book to help me better understand more about gluten free and to be able to offer baking to my friends and share recipes with those whom have inquired to me about gluten free recipes. I made the zucchini bread from this cookbook although I added some cocoa powder to it to make a chocolate zucchini bread. The result... was a bit different however tasty and moist. The cocoa powder I used was not gluten free. I searched and finally had to give up, finding none. I will share the recipe for the zucchini bread from the cookbook, with you. 

                      Here is a picture of the zucchini bread I made with chocolate. 

Zucchini Bread  

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3 cups gluten-free, wheat-free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda
1 teaspoon all spice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups of shredded zucchini

*Note: I omitted the walnuts and all spice and added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of good quality cocoa powder to the flour. 

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease two 8 1/2 inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper. 
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and spices into a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract until a creamy consistency forms. Add the flour mixture, walnuts and zucchini to the bowl and fold in to make a smooth batter. 

4. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake in a preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until firm to the touch.
5. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Let the bread rest on the rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Prep time: 25 minutes     Cooking Time: 1 hour
Per Loaf:  2,430cal/138g fat/ 18g saturated fat/ 235g carbs/ 116g sugar/ 2.9g salt