I make - Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is an evil thing. Sticky, gooey, caramelly, the kind of thing you want to devour the whole tray of it during winter. There are two camps with sticky toffee pudding, with or without dates. I like the date version. The recipe by Dan Lepard is a good one. He uses more dates per flour ratio than others and reduces the sugar as result. In fact, I don't think it needs extra sugar, considering the amount of dates and the toffee sauce later. So I eschewed the extra sugar and am pleased with the results. Regarding the toffee sauce, I would double or triple the amount specified below if having guests. If just for myself, there is enough decadence as is.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding

For the cake:
300 g chopped dates
50 g black treacle
25 g butter
150 ml boiling water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 large egg
225 g gluten-free flour (your favorite blend*)

1/8 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
chopped walnuts to decorate the top

For the toffee sauce:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup double cream

1/4 tsp vanilla extract
a knob of butter
pinch of salt

Heat the oven to 180C and line a 20x20cm tin with tinfoil.

Put the dates, sugar, black treacle and butter in a bowl, pour on the boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla, mixed spice and the egg, then mix in the flour, salt, baking powder and soda.

Spoon the mixture into the tin and scatter the walnut pieces on top. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

To prepare the toffee sauce, combine everything in a milk pan and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Drizzle the sauce onto the cake top while it's still warm. There is not a lot of sauce but enough to cover the top. Cool the whole tray for 30 minutes before serving.

The cake is good for a few days when wrapped and stored in the fridge. Microwave for 20 seconds to bring the warmth and gooeyness back.

*My blend is: 25% Buckwheat + 25% Brown rice + 25% Oats + 25% Tapioca

I make - Gluten-Free Flour Mix With Cornmeal

I've been experimenting with Phil Vickery's Gluten-Free Flour Mix with cornmeal. The original ratio among different types of flours lends to easy adaptions. There is no grittiness after baking, a typical side effect of cornmeal. The texture is always light and the dough seems well behaved in my hands. I've tried it with pie crust and fruit cake. The mix is nutritionally superior to most commercial mixes and I love the baking results so much that I think it deserves a post.

 

Gluten-Free Flour Mix With Cornmeal

25% Brown rice flour
25% Glutinous rice flour or Teff flour (this is the part you play)
30% Fine cornmeal
20% Cornstarch

The percentages specify the weight of each flour in the final mix.

To make 500 g of the mix, combine together 125 g Brown rice flour, 125 g Glutinous rice flour, 150 g Cornmeal and 100 g Cornstarch. Shake well before using.

I use Glutinous rice when I need lighter colored baking goods such as pie crust. I switch to Teff flour when I am making dark colored cakes (chocolate or fruit cakes).

Here are the nutritional values for the mix with Glutinous rice.

Here is the nutritional info for the mix with Brown Teff Flour.

I make - My Favorite Gluten-Free Flour Mix

After experimenting different gluten-free flour mixes, commercial or homemade, I started to get a feel of how each flour type impacts on the baked goods. By no means an expert, quite the contrary, I am still learning. One thing I know is the importance of starch, for texture. But starch is frequently nutritionally void. The key is to use wholegrain flour to improve overall nutritional values of the flour blend. The balance between wholegrain vs polished, flour vs starch is key to desirable texture of baked goods. My favorite flour blend is based on Gluten-free gourmand pastry flour mix which not only serves a great all-purpose gluten-free flour, easily swappable with conventional wheat flour for a given recipe but also of improved nutritional values.

My favorite gluten-free flour mix

100 g White Rice Flour

200 g Brown Rice Flour
100 g Buckwheat Flour
50 g Tapioca Flour/Corn Starch
50 g Potato Starch

I used to add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum to the mix but now I no longer do so. This is because I found many cake/muffin and bread recipes simply don't need it. I only use xanthan gum to my scones or pie crust.