Bake Along: Gluten-Free Strawberry Cream Cake

Once again this week, I am joining in with "The Bake Off Bake Along" hosted by  Amanda at Rhyme and Ribbons.

This past week on the Great British Bake-off, the baking contestants were challenged with "free-from" baking - sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.

 

Although I am pretty sure that we could never go "sugar-free" in our home, we have gone "gluten-free."  My husband and my youngest son have proven to be gluten-intolerant so I cook and bake on a regular basis without wheat gluten.  We are not completely gluten-free - my older son, daughter and I are all tolerant, however I find it easiest sometimes to make everyone gluten-free meals.  I have switched to GF pasta and keep our pantry stacked with GF crackers, bread, cereal and baking ingredients. 

 

So, of course I have chosen to make a GF treat for this week's Bake Along!!

I have been experimenting all summer with GF flour replacements and have found this book by Emma Goss-Custard highly influential.

 

This recipe is modified from a recipe in her book.

 

Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Cake

 

 

Ingredients

 

100g (3 1/2 oz or 1/2 cup) butter, melted

100g (3 1/2 oz or 1/2cup) granulated sugar

85g ( 3 oz or 3/4 cup) polenta (corn meal)

75g (2 3/4oz or 3/4 cup) ground almonds

50 g (1 3/4 oz) rice flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

100 g (3 1/2 oz) clotted or sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

 4 tbsp. milk

200g / 7 oz. strawberries, hulled and sliced

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. Line a 9x9 cake an with parchment paper.

 

2.  Put the polenta, sugar, almonds, rice flour and baking powder in a large bowl and mix together. 

 

3.  Put the melted butter in a large mixing bowl, then add the eggs, cream, milk and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer at high speed.

 

 

 

 

4.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine. Put in the sliced berries and mix gently to combine. 

 

5. Scrape down the  sides of the bowl to ensure everything is combined, but be careful not crush the fruit. 

 

6.  Spoon the mixture into the cake pan.  Use a  spatula to spread the mixture out evenly.

 

 

7.  Bake for 40 minutes or until the edges are golden and the centre is no longer wet. 

 



 

 

 

This cake cuts beautifully once it is cooled.  It is a denser texture,  but it goes perfectly with whipped or clotted cream. 

 

I made this cake to slice into squares to pop into my youngest son's lunchbox this coming week. 

He is already anticipating dessert time at school!!

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to seeing what others have put together for "free-from" baking week.  Hopefully I'll be able to grab a few more GF recipes for my arsenal.

 

 

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

 

Hugs to all,

XOXO

 

Bronwyn

 

A Day Out: The Huron County Gaol

 

 

First - let me explain what I am talking about here. 

What the heck is a GAOL??

 

To clarify: 

Gaol vs. jail    (grammarist.com)

Gaol is an obsolescent spelling of the word now usually spelled jail. Other than the spelling, there is no difference between the words. Gaol was common outside North American until fairly recently (it was stamped out of American English in the early 19th century, and dropped out of Canadian use about a century later), but it underwent a steady decline through the 20th century and now appears only rarely. Its most common use today is in the names of jails, but it is still possible to find a few scattered instances of gaol as a common noun in recent writing. For reasons mysterious to us, it appears to be most common in Ireland and Australia.

 

 

 

Huron County is the rural part of Ontario, Canada, that I grew up in.  I remember visiting the Gaol several times as a child, usually with my father and sisters, and I recall enjoying it each and every time.

 



 

So, on a recent trip "home" to visit my mother, I took my three kids to visit the "gaol" and hoped they would have  the same exciting experiences as I did as a child. 

 

 

 

Below  is an aerial view of the gaol. 

 The courtroom is built on the top floor of the central rotunda. Cells surround the inside of the rotunda and reach out in rows in the buildings attached to the rotunda.    

 

The house-like building to the left of the octagon is the home of the governor, in charge of the surrounding area. 

 The green spaces surrounding the gaol, inside the walls, were used for daily exercise for the inmates and as a place to grow fruits and vegetables used to feed the gaoler's family. 

 

The kids and I had some fun with the heavy cell doors throughout the facility.  I am sure the original prisoners didn't find the gates quite as amusing. 

These bars surround the spiral staircase that leads from the main floor up into the top-floor courtroom.  I'm guessing no one ever escaped on their way up or down!

 

 

These are not devices of "torture," as my 10-year old son hoped, but rather tools used to "subdue" unruly inmates. Ouch. 

The same 10-year old son found this instrument (located in the hospital room) quite interesting, too. My son has been through tumour surgery and couldn't fathom how this twisty screw could EVER have been helpful in his surgery.  I'm not sure how it could have helped anyone.....

The outside walls are 18 feet tall and if I remember correctly, they continue nearly 10 feet below ground, too. 

Most of the prison walls are at least 2 feet thick, but we found this one, linking the rotunda to a outer cell block, to be much thicker!!

In this room, the blankets and towels were cleaned and stored for the inmates.  I am guessing that comfort wasn't  a priority because these blankets were thin and scratchy and wouldn't have kept off the cold during a brisk Canadian winter!

The Huron Historic Gaol served as the County Jail from its opening in 1841 until 1972 when all inmates were transferred to regional facilities. Currently, the gaol is depicted as it would have been in the late 1800's.

 

So--  in the gaol, three "levels" of society dwelled.

 

One: The inmates - incarcerated for drunkenness, theft and murder.

 

Two: The Gaoler and his family - A middle-class man who was in charge of the inmates, the kitchens that fed them and the gaol workers who kept them in line. 

 

Three: The Governor (and his family) -  The higher-class gentleman who held the highest rank in the surrounding area, in charge of the government, safety and care of the people of Western Ontario 

This interesting piece of furniture was found in the section of the building where the gaoler lived with his family.  Pretty neat, eh?

The kids found this crokinole board in the home of the gaoler.  They had never played before. Luckily I had some past experience and I could show them how it was done!

Cosy bits of the gaoler's house that even make  a home within a jail feel pleasant.

 

 

After touring the gaol and goaler's house,  we ventured into the Governor's home and saw how the "other half" lived.

Quite a bit different than the inmates next door......

 

 

 

 

Quite an interesting place, wouldn't you say?  And I think the kids really enjoyed it too.

It was also very eye-opening for them.  They now have an understanding that, back then,  a person could end up in the jail simply because society didn't know what else to do with them. Sick, poor, "crazy," or drunk--- people from all walks of life ended up here. 

"Why weren't they taken to a hospital instead, Mommy?"

 

Good question.   That just wasn't how it was done. Luckily we know better now and we try to help people when they are down, not make things worse by throwing them in jail. 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed your visit to The Gaol!

 

Ta-ta for now,

 

XOXO

 

Bronwyn

 

 

PS.  I am linking up over at Packing My Suitcase for Allane's "Monday Escapes,"

 Bonnie's "Travel Tuesday" on  A Compass Rose. 

 

 

 

 

 

Five On Friday - 5 Photos from my Phone

Hurray! After taking the summer off, Amy at   Love Made My Home is back hosting her weekly link party, Five on Friday.

 

As has been my tradition in other weeks of Five On Friday, I have chosen five photos from my iphone which illustrate the week that has been. 

 

Number One:   It's the last week of summer holidays. We all head back to school this coming Tuesday. So we've been making the best of quiet afternoons at home and al fresco meals out on the deck in the glorious sunshine.  Dearest hubby put this BBQ dinner together the other night - sausages, edamame and green pea salad and corn and potato salad.  Delish - and healthy too!

 

 

 

Number Two: During the summer I took a lot of time to clean out closets, organize kid gear and thinned out wardrobes.  I also spent a fair bit of time tidying up my crafts supplies.   Ordering my embroidery floss by colour strangely brought great joy to my heart!! Do other people get excited about things like this??

 

 

 

Number Three:  Hurray for Shaun the Sheep!!  I've always loved this style of animation and didn't have to ask Camden twice to come and watch the movie with me.  Absolutely adorable and done with next to no spoken word throughout the whole film.  Cute as a button and technically spectacular. 

 

 

 

Number Four:  While in a nearby town for a dentist appointment, I made a stop at a lovely Portuguese-style bakery.  It was filled with freshly baked bread, cupcakes, a plethora of cookies and, of course, custard tarts.  I ordered up a frothy latte and tart and found a seat in the sunshine. I must say it was the yummiest latte I had consumed in ages and the tart - absolutely scrumptious.  In fact, before I left, I bought a dozen more to take home and share with the family. 

 

Number Five:  My daughter and I found this sign while shopping in Hobby Lobby on a recent road trip to the US.  As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it! The sentiment was just perfect - kind of a goofy way to say, "I love you," with just a bit more style. It now hangs in our stairwell so that my family can be reminded of my thoughts every time they go up and down the stairs.  

 

Thanks for popping in to see my Friday Five.  I'm going to go check what wonderful things other people have posted on their blogs.  We have a lot of catch-up to do after a summer off!

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

 

XOXO

 

Bronwyn

Bake Along: Black Bottom Creme Brulee

 

Hi All! I am linking up with Amanda at Rhyme and Ribbons for her weekly GBBO baking link-up.

 

Crème Brulee is my dessert of choice from last week's Great British Bake-off.

I have never made it, but I LOVE it every time I order it in a restaurant. 

Also - I treated my 9 year old daughter to her first Creme Brulee experience recently and it was a complete and utter disaster.  Let's just say it involved a frozen mess that the manager insisted was Crème Brulee even though we had to wait nearly a half an hour for the cream to melt enough for our spoon to be able to cut in.  I assured her that that mess wasn't Brulee and that we would remedy this dessert situation as soon as possible. 

 

And today is the day!

 

I recently bought this cookbook for myself on my birthday.  I deserved it - and the recipes looked amazing!!

The recipes are all small batch, so if you are hankering for something sweet, you can whip it up, enjoy a bowl or slice, then not have to worry about when you are going to eat the leftovers cause there aren't any!!

 



 

 

Ingredients

(makes 2  8oz brulees, or 3 6oz brulees)

 

3 large egg yolks

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar & 2 tsp for serving

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 or 3 tbsp. mini chocolate chips

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Boil water to use for water bath.

 

2.  Whisk together egg yolks, cream, 1/4 cup of sugar and vanilla until well combined.

 

 

 

3.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of chocolate chips into the bottom of each ramekin then divide and pour custard mixture into each cup. 

 

 

4.  Place ramekins in a baking dish and carefully fill the dish half full with hot water. 

 

5.  Bake for 40-50 minutes in the water bath.  The brulees are done when the edges are set and the middle slightly jiggles. 

 

6.  Remove the ramekins from the water and refrigerate until chilled - at least 2 hours. 

 

 

7.  Before serving, sprinkle the remaining sugar on top of the cooked custard and torch with a culinary torch.  Or, as Mary Berry would prefer you do, place the ramekins back into your oven and use the broiler to melt and brown your sugar.  It will only take a minute or two, so watch carefully!!

 



 

And how did mine turn out??

Truthfully I was sure I had over baked the custard because I had very little "jiggle" in my crème.  I was also very worried about over-broiling my sugar. I watched it like a hawk and pulled it out several times to check it.

 

But in the end, when I set the family down to give my brulees a  try, the verdict was a unanimous "STAR BAKER!"

 

The crème was soft and creamy and the sugar crunchy and caramelized.  And the surprise chocolate at the bottom?  Gooey and sweet. 

 



 

 I will definitely use this recipe again.  Now that I have done it, I realize that Crème Brulee isn't all that hard.  I think it will become a favourite around here because it is gluten-free as well - perfect for my son and husband!

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone else's recipes and delicious desserts.

 

Happy Baking everyone!

 

XOXOX

 

Bronwyn