Monthly Archives: May 2015

Gluten-Free Bacon Sprinkled Chocolate Birthday Cake or Eggs, Bacon, Cream and Chocolate Cake

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Gluten-Free Bacon Sprinkled Chocolate Birthday Cake
Gluten-Free Bacon Sprinkled Chocolate Birthday Cake

Yesterday was my friend Pete’s 50th birthday celebration, and when I insisted on making him a cake.  He joked he would like a bacon flavored cake.  Well since I aim to please, this is what I came up with.  I am no stranger to dark chocolate or bacon for that matter, so this cake was not a stretch for me.  I toyed with the idea of adding bacon throughout, but feared not everyone would have the same fondness for a bacon and chocolate combo, so I decided a dusting on the top would suffice.

I used the Chocolate Birthday Cake recipe from Paleo Spirit and it is fabulous!  Made with coconut flour and in this case 18 eggs, (it was a 10 inch cake).  It has a great sponge cake consistency with a fine crumb, and just the right amount of rich chocolate taste.  Not to mention a lot of protein with all those organic eggs my own girls laid.   I torted the layers and filled them with my standard frosting of whipped cream and cream cheese.  Then I topped it off with some very fine dark chocolate ganache.  WARNING: if you are not a fan of chocolate don’t try this at home.

I was very pleased with the results, but alas I am a die-hard dark chocolate addict fan.  If you are like-minded,  give this cake a whirl for any special occasion with or without the bacon on top.  It will not disappoint, and for all its decadence and richness, it has relatively little sugar and no gluten, your flour eating friends will never guess it is gluten-free.

 

Gluten-Free Bacon Sprinkled Chocolate Birthday Cake

For the cakes: Follow the recipe  at Paleo Spirit

For the Filling between Layers:

  Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting

2 Pints Organic Whipping Cream

1- 8 oz. Package Organic Cream Cheese, at room temp

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3-5 TBL. Real Maple Syrup or to taste (I prefer it on the less sweet side)

  1. In a large bowl whip the cream until there are firm peaks.
  2. In another bowl whip  the cream cheese until smooth ( it helps to let the cream cheese sit out hours before so it is room temp.)
  3. Add the vanilla and maple syrup to the cream cheese and blend in until fully incorporated.
  4. Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream and mix again until all is fully incorporated and you have a firm creamy frosting.
  5. This will fill the layers of a torted 10 inch cake.  You can half the recipe for a 6 inch cake.  It will also frost the outside of a 9 inch cake if you opt out of a chocolate ganache frosting.
  6. This is a very easy frosting and the sweetness is of personal preference.

For the Frosting:

Chocolate Ganache

3 cups Organic whipping cream

24 Ounces Bittersweet chocolate ( I used Trader Joes 72% Chocolate)

  1. Heat the cream until just before a boil.
  2. Chop the chocolate up and add to a bowl.
  3. Add half the cream to the chocolate and let sit a minute before gently stirring, being careful not to let air get into the chocolate.
  4. Reheat the cream gently and add to the rest to the chocolate make sure all the chocolate is melted and the cream is fully mixed in.
  5. Let the ganache sit until it cools and reaches room temperature at this point you can use it to frost the outside of your cake. (If it seems to runny let it cool for a bit longer).  This will frost the outside of a 10 inch cake.  You can cut the recipe in half if you are making a smaller cake or to fill the layers of a cake too.
  6. Chop up some well cooked bacon and artistically sprinkle on top. (optional)

Easy Simple Roast Chicken (I mean Stupid Easy)

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Easy Delicious Roast Chicken
Easy Delicious Roast Chicken

This is hands down the easiest most delicious roast chicken you will ever make or eat.  Did I mention fast too?

We raised our own meat birds last year, so chicken has been on a regular rotation for our weekly meals.  (As you can see we were a little rough butchering this one, as it is missing a bit of breast skin).  We had a bit of a learning curve to get the technique down.  I mourn for the lost skin, which is my favorite part, but this year we will preserve the skin. ( I have 30 plus little future roast chickens I am currently raising  to put in the freezer this year).

I found this recipe on Epicurious a couple of years ago and now it is my go to.  It requires no time to prep and is just soooo flavorful.  Check out the original recipe HERE

Below you will find my version, which is pared down to be even faster and easier, but spares not the flavor.

Easy Roast Chicken (Adapted from Epicurious)

1 (4-6) pound Roasting Chicken (pastured is preferred the meat is very flavorful)

1 TBL Sea Salt

Pepper and Salt to taste

1-3 Tsp. Dried Thyme

  1. Preheat the oven to *450 degrees
  2. Rinse your bird and dry it thoroughly with paper towels (the drier the better).
  3. Place into a roasting pan and salt and pepper the bird inside and out leaving a fine layer of salt on the outside skin.  I tend to use around a tablespoon of salt for the outside.
  4. Place in the oven and cook for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of your bird and I pull it out when the internal temp hits *160 degrees
  5. Add 1-3 teaspoons of Thyme into the juices in the pan and Baste the outside of the chicken with the juices.
  6. Let rest for 15 minutes.  Carve it up and devour!!

Banana Date Muffins (Paleo, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free)

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Paleo, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Banana Date Muffins
Paleo, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Banana Date Muffins

Happy  May Day!!  Man, the year just starts to fly by after January!

We are enjoying some fabulous spring weather here in Montana, a little sunshine mixed with rain and snow.  The rainy days always have me in the kitchen whipping up a baked good (any excuse to bake, then of course eat it).

These muffins are a perfect way to use up the ripened bananas you have lying around.  They are also a great way to get some chocolate into the mix too.  The problem is you can’t eat just one!

This recipe is slightly adapted from Elana Amsterdam’s cookbook,  Gluten-Free Cupcakes.  I have featured another recipe from her book in the past, and this  is another great one to try.  Her cookbook is loaded with all versions of cupcakes with new and old twists.  You can check it out HERE.  She calls it a cupcake and adds frosting I call it a muffin as it requires no frosting in my opinion.  Give a try, and see what you think!

Banana Date Muffins

Adapted from Gluten-Free Cupcakes

1 Cup (2-3) Ripe Bananas

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil or Butter

3  Medjool Dates, pitted

3 Large Eggs

2 Tsp. Vanilla

1/4 Cup Coconut Flour

2 TBL.  Arrowroot Powder

1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt

1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder

2 Tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp. Cardamon

1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips or Blueberries  (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to *350 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with 9-10 muffin papers.
  2. Place the bananas, coconut oil or butter, dates and eggs in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until all is well incorporated.
  4. Stir in the chocolate chips or berries if using.
  5. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup.
  6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the muffin springs back to your touch.
  7. Let cool on a rack and Enjoy!  Makes 9-10 muffins