Tag Archives: #glutenfreedessert

Peach Upside-Down Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

Peach Upside-Down Cake

More Food Allergies

This recipe is for my son, who suffered a summer and spring of mystery hives this year; we discovered after 8 hours in an allergist’s office last month that he is so highly allergic to birch trees that he has developed a birch pollen-food syndrome. He can’t have fruit with seeds like peaches or apples if they are not baked, his peanut allergy is worse and he’s still allergic to eggs and dairy. Furthermore, his igA for gluten was a 93, so he has now joined the gluten-free club with his sister and me. I just sent this kid to kindergarten with a huge list of avoids and a new AUVI-Q®. On a positive note, they seem so much easier to use that epi-pens and they were FREE. Overall, he’s handling it all fine, with the exception of the gluten, but to cheer him up we baked this gluten-free vegan peach cake so that he can enjoy some of the yummy fresh peaches in season right now.

Easy Gluten-Free Recipe

I don’t remember ever eating a pineapple upside-down cake, but it was the inspiration for this peach upside-down cake. I have been playing around with peach pies the summer and still haven’t perfected my liquid ratio. So I decided to take the flavor of the spices that I loved and use them in a peach cake instead! This cake uses a gluten-free cake mix, I used Pamela’s. To make it vegan, I used applesauce 1/4 cup per egg. The cake consistency was perfect!

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Peach Upside-Down Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

  • Servings: 10
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

An old-fashioned favorite with a twist of peaches, made easier with a simple gluten-free cake mix.

Tips: (1) Prepare gluten-free cake mix per box, substituting 1/4 cup applesauce per egg. (2) Serve with dairy-free vanilla ice cream or vegan whipped cream if desired.
Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

Peach Topping

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 4 peaches
  • 2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Cake Batter

  • 1 bag Pamela’s Gluten-free Vanilla Cake Mix
  • 3/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2/3 cup water
  • coconut oil to grease pan


Directions

  1. Heat oven to 325.
  2. Cut parchment paper for 9″ springform pan.
  3. Grease pan and parchment paper with coconut oil (I used cold-pressed unrefined) and a paper towel.
  4. Peel and slice peaches.
  5. Combine 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice and maple syrup.
  6. Pour maple syrup spice mixture over peaches and evenly distribute sauce over peaches.
  7. Pour peaches into spring-form pan and set aside.
  8. Prepare gluten-free cake mix per directions of the mix, substituting 1/4 cup applesauce per egg.
  9. Pour cake batter on top of peaches.
  10. Bake for 38 – 45 minutes.
  11. Set aside to cool.
  12. When cool, quickly and gently flip the pan onto the cake stand and serve.

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Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Brownies (Vegan & Gluten-free)

On Saturday mornings growing up in St. Louis, my Dad would take me to Lubeley’s Bakery & Deli near our home to get a German coffee cake or pastry. My favorite was always the Gooey Butter Cake. There are so many stories about who actually created the Gooey Butter Cake, but it is a St. Louis treat that we usually eat for breakfast, like a coffee cake. It’s a cake that is layered with a thick creamy sticky topping, which creates a gooey-goodness!

I never realized that some of the foods I loved were only available in my hometown until I moved away for college and couldn’t find them anywhere. Most of them I can’t eat anymore because of my wheat and dairy intolerances, such as toasted ravioli, Provel cheese, or Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Since discovering my food intolerances, I thought that I would try to recreate this St. Louis tradition with a vegan, gluten-free, and chocolate twist.

If you regularly follow me on Instagram or read my blog, then you know that I’m a chocoholic. I thought why not make Gooey Butter Brownies with a chocolate gooey topping? The key ingredient to making these Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Brownies extra chocolaty is Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder for the topping. Of course, you could use unsweetened cocoa powder, but the Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder takes this chocolate dessert to a new level of chocolate decadence.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Brownies (Vegan & Gluten-free)

  • Servings: ~12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

St. Louis sticky-sweet gooey butter cake takes a gluten-free vegan healthier twist with this easy, but decadent, chocolate recipe. Refined sugar-free option available.

Tips: use Xylitol Powdered Sugar for low-carb, refined sugar-free option.
Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

Cake Base

Perfect Paleo Brownies (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Gooey Topping

Optional


Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, prepare Perfect Paleo Brownies (Vegan & Gluten-Free). Press mixture onto bottom of prepared baking dish; set aside.
  4. Boil hot water for egg replacer.
  5. In a medium bowl, beat vegan butter and applesauce until creamy.
  6. Prepare your egg replacer (take with 3 teaspoons egg replacer, 4 tablespoons warm water, and mix until it thickens)
  7. Add the egg replacer and blend in powdered sugar (or Xylitol Powdered Sugar) until well combined.
  8. Pour gooey topping batter on top of the brownie-lined baking pan.
  9. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the brownies are nearly firm when you shake if (you want the topping to be a little gooey, so do not overcook the cake).
  10. Remove the brownies from oven and let them cool.
  11. Once they’ve cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar (or Xylitol Powdered Sugar)if desired.
  12. Refrigerate any leftovers.

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Chocolate Wafers (GF, V, Paleo)

Let’s talk about Christmas Traditions. Every year we make an Ice Box Cake with Chocolate Wafers; you can read about it here in a previous post. This is my second year making them vegan and gluten-free. This year, we are home for the holidays. I decided to make a healthier version of my gluten-free vegan cookies and you would never miss the sugar!

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Chocolate Wafers (GF, V, Paleo)

  • Servings: 50 cookies
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Tips: If you’d like to make an icebox cake with the wafers, see my instructions here. I whipped 2 cans of chilled coconut cream (firm part only) with 2 tablespoons agave, 10 drops of stevia and 2 teaspoon vanilla until peaks form.

Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients


Directions

  1. Combine the gluten-free flour, cacao, coconut sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Using a pastry cutter, scoop 1 tablespoon of vegan butter at a time into the bowl, continually combining with the pastry cutter as you incorporate each tablespoon. (If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you could put them in a Vitamix or a food processor).
  3. Combine the coconut cream and gluten-free vanilla extract in a small cup.
  4. Add the liquid mixture and continue to combine with the pastry cutter until it is fully combined.
  5. Knead a few times to make sure that it is evenly blended with your hands.
  6. Transfer the dough onto a cutting board lined with wax paper or foil.
  7. Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter.
  8. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.
  9. Place your oven racks on the top and bottom slots.
  10. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
  11. Using a scraper and chopper (I used the OXO Good Grips Multi-purpose Stainless Steel Scraper & Chopper), slice the cookies as thinly as possible.
  12. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper approximately 1 inch apart.
  13. Cook for 6 minutes on the top rack of the oven. After 6 minutes, transfer them to the lower rack and cook for another 6 – 9 minutes.
  14. Makes ~50 – 60 cookies depending on how thin you slice them. What’s good about these cookies is that they are flat at the bottom and are perfect for making an icebox cake!

What are some of your favorite holiday food traditions or recipes?

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Crustless Apple Skillet Pie (V, GF)

Zyliss sent me this iron skillet to review and share an honest opinion of it.

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The first thing that I noticed is that it’s textured; it is ball blasted, which creates indentations that allow for excess oils and fats to collect away from your food for healthier cooking. I fried a green tomato, and it was crisp in 2 minutes without being greasy. I’ve been dreaming of all the veggies I can fry with it!

I was intrigued that I could put the frying pan in the oven. Since my doctor discovered my wheat, dairy and egg intolerance, I have always bought a vegan gluten-free pie crust. I have never attempted to make a crust from scratch because I haven’t had the time and the process seems tricky. However, I was wondering what the difference would be if I tried to make a crustless apple pie in this skillet instead of a normal glass pan. I was shocked at the result! My pie actually stayed together without a crust!!! I was expecting it to just fall out of the pan onto the plate, but it firmed up! Maybe the iron skillet gets much hotter than an average pan? I don’t know, but it works. I made an easy crustless apple pie that plated well!

We went apple picking the week before and had bags of apples sitting on the counter. We picked Enterprise apples, which are a blend of McIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Rome Beauty. If you can’t find an Enterprise Apple, I personally have never seen them in the store, you could use a McIntosh and a Delicious Apple in this pie; I don’t think it really matters.

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In this recipe, I tried some new ingredients from Bob’s Red Mill. I had never baked with date sugar before. FYI – this date sugar has oat flour, and I didn’t notice it until I used it! If you are sensitive or allergic to oats, don’t use this brand of date sugar; Royal Palm is oat-free and you can buy it here on Amazon, or you can substitute coconut sugar in the recipe. According to Bob’s Red Mill’s website, “date sugar can be used in many baking recipes as a one-to-one replacement for white sugar or brown sugar.” It has “lightly sweet with delicious butterscotch notes.” At first, I wanted to make a caramel apple pie with my favorite Dulce De Leche recipe. But, then I was wondering, would the date sugar give my pie a hint of butterscotch? Since the pie doesn’t have any refined sugar, the taste of walnuts and apples dominates with an undertone of cinnamon and a hint of butterscotch sweetness. Try serving it with coconut whipped cream, vegan ice cream or So Delicious CocoWhip!™ if you wish for extra sweetness.

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Crustless Apple Skillet Pie

  • Servings: ~12 searchings
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

This crustless vegan apple pie is sweetened with date sugar, the taste of the apples dominates with an undertone of cinnamon and a hint of butterscotch sweetness. It's also gluten-free.


Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

Topping:


Directions

  1. I lightly sprayed the 8-inch skillet with olive oil (although the label says I don’t have to); set skillet aside.
  2. Peel and chop 2 apples (~3 cups) into small chunks
  3. In a very large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, Redmond Real Salt, and cinnamon.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, add applesauce, date sugar, vegan butter, and vanilla. Mix until fluffy and well combined.
  5. Slowly add in dry ingredients into wet. Mix until fluffy and well combined.
  6. Stir in apples and nuts.
  7. Put the topping ingredients into a small bowl. With a fork, cut in the butter by mashing it into the date sugar and cinnamon until it is finely combined into little granules. I prefer fine granules over large clumps.
  8. Evenly spread topping over the pie.
  9. Bake in a 325 degrees oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  10. Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
  11. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
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Zyliss is offering my readers 10% off on all products. The Zyliss Cook promotional code: cook2017 can be used at check out.

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Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Cake (Vegan and Gluten-free)

My son turned 5 years old this month! Oh, how time flies. I wanted to celebrate this big milestone with a special cake. So I made a Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Cake for my chocolate lover!

Prepare the brownies and divide the mixture in half – baking in two 9-inch springform pans.

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Remove the vegan ice cream from the freezer while the brownies bake.

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Prepare the Best Vegan Chocolate Sauce (or use another jar of store-bought vegan sauce).

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Crush the vegan gluten-free cookies into small pieces.

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Mix 12 oz of the Best Vegan Chocolate Sauce with the cookies pieces in a small bowl. Set the remaining 2 oz of the chocolate sauce aside.

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Top with cookie fudge mixture and gently over the layer of brownie.

IMG_8931.JPGLayer one pint of ice cream over the brownie.

Remove the 2nd layer of brownie from the springform pan and place it on top of the ice cream layer. Spread the ice cream layer over the second brownie.

Cover with aluminum foil and freeze completely for 4 – 6 hours.

Top with CocoWhip! when ready or make a homemade coconut whipped topping.

IMG_8957.JPGDrizzle remaining chocolate sauce over the cake and serve.

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ice cream cake

Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Cake (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

  • Servings: ~15 searchings
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

This vegan and gluten-free cake has brownies, hot fudge, and crunchy chocolate cookies. You can select your favorite flavors of vegan gluten-free ice cream! It is the perfect vegan birthday cake


Credit: Loosely inspired by What the Fork

Tips:

  • Put the So Delicious CocoWhip!™ in the fridge overnight to thaw or put the coconut cream can  in the fridge to firm overnight
  • Let the dairy-free frozen treats thaw a little so that they are spreadable, ~30 minutes
  • Use any gluten-free and dairy-free crunchy chocolate cookies for the filling
  • Let the freezer cake sit out about 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving
  • Two 9-inch springform pans are best for this recipe so that you can easily remove the cake once it’s been assembled. I layered my cake in one of the two pans. You can also make them in cake pans, see this explanation as a how-to here.

Ingredients

 

  • To prepare: Two springform 9-inch pans or using cake pans (see above tips for an explanation on how to use normal cake pans).


Directions

    1. Put the So Delicious CocoWhip!™ in the fridge overnight to thaw or put the coconut cream in the fridge to firm overnight.
    2. Prepare the brownies first. You can use a gluten-free box mix or use this Perfect Paleo Recipe here.
    3. Grease two 9-inch pans (preferably springform pans, see above) and line the bottom of 1 of the pans with parchment paper to allow for easy removal – note the pan that has the parchment paper.
    4. Bake the Perfect Paleo Brownies at 350, but reduce the baking time to about 17 – 20 minutes.
    5. Remove the vegan ice cream from the freezer while the brownies bake.
    6. Prepare the Best Vegan Chocolate Sauce (or use another jar of store-bought vegan sauce)
    7. Crush the vegan gluten-free cookies into small pieces.
    8. Mix 12 oz of the Best Vegan Chocolate Sauce with the cookies pieces in a small bowl. Set the remaining 2 oz of the chocolate sauce aside. 
    9. When brownies are done baking, allow them to completely cool (~15 minutes).
    10. Select the brownie pan without the parchment paper. Top with cookie fudge mixture and gently over the layer of brownie.
    11. Select the pint flavor of ice cream (we used cookie dough first to have a white, chocolate, and a white contrast in the layers).
    12. Remove the 2nd layer of brownie from the springform pan and place it on top of the ice cream layer. If it is a bit crumbly, it’s not an issue. You spread the ice cream over it and it smooths out fine!
    13. Spread the chocolate ice cream layer over the 2nd brownie.
    14. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze completely for 4 – 6 hours.
    15. Top with CocoWhip when ready or make a homemade coconut whipped topping by whipping the 1/4 cup xylitol powdered sugar with 1 can of coconut cream until fluffy.
    16. Drizzle remaining chocolate sauce over the cake and serve.

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Coconut Key Lime Pie Filling (Gluten-free, Vegan, & Paleo)

Key limes are in season, and that means pie! I became a key lime pie connoisseur while I was pregnant with my daughter. My friend and I were traveling to every Central American country in the summer of 2009, and I found out I was pregnant in Guatemala. While we were in Nicaragua, we found this restaurant in Granada that served key lime pie; I wish I knew the name of the place. It’s probably somewhere in my travel journal. Anyway, we went there four days in a row just to have their pie. I remember it being the most delicious pie ever. That might have been because I was having crazy food cravings, or because I had been eating beans, rice, and fried plantains every meal for 3 weeks! Regardless, my love of key lime pie developed oddly there in Nicaragua.

I haven’t had a key lime pie in a long time, because I didn’t think it was possible to make one vegan and gluten-free. I was silly because this pie is awesome! Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder.

Since the grocery store only sold key limes in a 2 pound bag, I now have two key lime recipes to share with you. The recipe is not hard, but juicing the entire bag key limes was time-consuming. Since this recipe requires only 1/2 a cup, it won’t take too long. However, this pie does take planning since you have to refrigerate coconut milk or cream overnight and soak cashews for at least 4 hours as well.

Heat oven to 350 and prepare your pie crust per directions. Make sure to thaw the gluten-free vegan pie crust. I prefer this Wholly Gluten Free Pie Shell. It has to be set out 15 minutes before baking.

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Juice the key limes.

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Zest the limes. It takes ~4 limes to make 1 tablespoon. Make 2 tablespoons.

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Add all ingredients into the Vitamix or blender.

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Blend until smooth.

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Pour filling into the gluten-free pie shell, and refrigerate for at least an hour. It will be a firm cheesecake texture.

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Prepare this vegan meringue when the pie is firm. You can find the recipe on my website here.

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Spread the vegan meringue on top of the pie, sprinkle a little coconut and extra lime zest, and serve.

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Coconut Key Lime Pie Filling (Gluten-free & Vegan)

  • Servings: one 9' inch pie
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

This gluten-free vegan Coconut Key Lime Pie has an easy delicious egg-free, dairy-free, and paleo filling.


Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup cashews (soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours)
  • Cream of 1 can of coconut milk or cream refrigerated overnight (the hard part only + 2 tablespoons remaining milk from the can)
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ cup key lime juice
  • ½ cup coconut oil softened or melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons zest (1 tablespoon for the pie and 1 tablespoon extra for decorating the top of the pie – requires ~8 limes)
  • 4 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 cup shredded coconut (+ extra for decorating the top of the pie)
  • Look here for vegan meringue topping recipe & ingredients


Directions

  1. Thaw gluten-free vegan pie crust. Most pie shells need to be at room-temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before baking.
  2. Heat oven to 350 and prepare the pie shell per directions when ready.
  3. Juice the key limes.
  4. Zest the limes. It takes ~4 limes to make 1 tablespoon. You will need 2 tablespoons.
  5. Strain and rinse your cashews until the water runs clear.
  6. Add all ingredients into the Vitamix or blender. Only use the firm top part of the coconut cream in the can. Leave the remaining liquid at the bottom, with the exception of 2 tablespoons that you add to the Vitamix.
  7. Blend until smooth.
  8. Pour filling into the gluten-free pie shell and refrigerate for at least an hour. It will be a firm cheesecake-like texture.
  9. Once the pie is firm, prepare the vegan meringue .
  10. Spread the vegan meringue on top of the pie, sprinkle a little coconut and extra lime zest, and serve.


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S’mores Cake (Gluten-free & Vegan)

A couple of weeks ago, I made Graham Crackers that were not only delicious, but vegan, oat-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free. We ate them up! Then, my kids asked for S’mores, and we had to make more. So we decided to make a gluten-free and vegan S’mores Cake; really the “cake” is just baked s’mores. I purchased Dandies at Fresh Thyme; they are vegan with no corn syrup or gelatin. They do have cane sugar though, so I minimized the sugar in the rest of recipe. I believe in a 90% healthy philosophy! I try to be as healthy as possible, and then I can indulge in desserts.IMG_0196.jpg

I used Lily’s Premium Baking Bars that are sweetened with stevia. It was the perfect balance with the sweet DandiesIMG_0198.jpg

Layer the Graham Crackers in a 9 X 13 baking pan.

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Put 1 1/2 bags of Dandies on their side.IMG_0201

Layer with the Lily’s Premium Baking BarsIMG_0202.jpg

Top with a layer of Graham Crackers.

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Slice Dandies in half.

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Place them on top of the Graham Crackers.

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Smash a bar of Lily’s Premium Baking Bar.

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Sprinkle the pieces on top of the DandiesIMG_0213.jpg

Bake.

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s'mores cake

S'mores Cake (Gluten-free & Vegan)

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

This gluten-free, oat-free, and vegan s'mores cake is a pan of yummy baked s'mores. It's an easy way to enjoy gooey chocolate s'mores without a bonfire.

Tips: This s’mores cake may be made with any graham crackers, chocolate bars, or marshmallows. Personally, I use the (1) Lily’s Baking Bars to reduce sugar, (2) the Dandies because they are vegan and healthier, and (3) my graham cracker recipe because of my daughter’s oat and wheat intolerance. Also, leftovers are best warmed for 30 seconds in a microwave before serving.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Layer the Graham Crackers in a 9 X 13 baking pan. Break when necessary to fit the plan.
  3. Evenly place marshmallows (~1 1/2 bags) of Dandies on their side.
  4. Layer the top with Lily’s Premium Baking Bars.
  5. Top with a layer of Graham Crackers.
  6. Slice Dandies in half.
  7. Place them on top of the Graham Crackers.
  8. Smash a bar of Lily’s Premium Baking Bar to pieces.
  9. Sprinkle evenly the pieces on top of the Dandies.
  10. Bake at 350 degrees for ~9 – 11 minutes. The tops of the Dandies should be slightly brown.
  11. Serve and enjoy!

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Red, White, & Blue Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

This cake is vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar free, beautiful, and is a crowd pleaser at a 4th of July party with its patriotic theme. No one else at the party was vegan or gluten-free, and everyone enjoyed it. This is not a light and fluffly cake, but a dense fruit one. The fruit gives it sweetness. Keep it refrigerated after icing in order to keep the texture and whipped-topping firm.

I was a little disappointed with the lack of color that came from the cake when I cooked it. I was hoping for red and blue cakes! I used Watkins Food Coloing (100% natural vegetable juices and spices). I guess you have to use good old-fashion food-dyes to get the color you want, not the healthier vegetable based ones and fruit.

So here’s my take on it – the cake is a little labor intensive with washing the containers to make the red and blue cake, but healthy and yummy. That said, I have recreated it easily with my Perfect Paleo Brownies in a snap; equally beautiful and so much less time-consuming. The brownies make it a little sweeter, and personally I’m a huge chocolate lover. However, both are great – it’s just a matter of how much time you have!

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4th of July Pinterest

Red, White, & Blue Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

A patriotic inspired cake with coconut whipped topping, blueberries, and strawberries. It is gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan.

Credit: myrealdish.com

Ingredients

Whipped Topping

Cake

  • 2 cups coconut sugar
  • 2 sticks of vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)
  • Egg replacer for 2 eggs (3 teaspoons Ener-G + 4 tablespoons warm water)
  • 2 tablespoons (1 mini-bottle) of gluten-free blue food coloring (vegetable based)
  • 2 tablespoons (1 mini-bottle) of gluten-free red food coloring (vegetable based)
  • 2 1/2 cups Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend 
  • 1 teaspoon salt (I used Redmond Real Salt)
  • 1 cup almond milk (I used Unsweetened Original Almond Breeze)
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 ¼ cup blueberries
  • 3/4 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 cup frozen cherries

Decoration

  • 1 pint blueberries
  • 1 pint strawberries

Directions

  1. Heat water in a tea kettle for egg replacer
  2. Purée with a Vitamix or high-powered blender blueberries (I used fresh), and set aside in a bowl. Rinse out the Vitamix or blender.
  3. Purée frozen cherries and set aside.
  4. Heat oven to 350 degrees
  5. Prepare egg replacer (combine 3 teaspoons Ener-G and 4 tablespoons warm water)
  6. Cream coconut sugar and vegan butter in a mixer. Slowly add the egg replacer continuously until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  7. Combine Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend and Redmond Real Salt together in a separate bowl.
  8. Add dry mixture to the coconut sugar and vegan butter mixture alternating with the Unsweetened Original Almond Breeze.
  9. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  10. Grease two 8-inch cake pans. Line bottom of cake pans with fitted parchment paper rounds and grease top of parchment paper.
  11. Pour half of the batter to a separate bowl and set aside.
  12. In a smaller bowl mix 3/4 tablespoon cocoa powder and blue food coloring together (mine didn’t mix throughly) add to the mixer bowl of cake batter. Add puréed blueberries and mix with mixer.
  13. Combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in a smaller bowl, then add to the blue cake mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix one last time.
  14. Add blue cake mixture to one 8-inch cake pan.
  15. Begin the second half of the cake with cherries and red food coloring. Add the container of red food coloring to the mixer bowl of cake batter along with puréed cherries and mix with mixer.
  16. Combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in a smaller bowl, then add to the blue cake mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix one last time.
  17. Pour the red cake batter into the 2nd 8-inch cake pan.
  18. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes (My red cherry cake took 30 minutes and the blueberry one took 40 minutes. Check often that the toothpick comes clean in the middle).
  19. Set cakes on the wire rack to cool completely ~45 minutes.
  20. Wash and dry strawberries and blueberries (I use Thieves Fruit and Veggie Soak because it cleans well, it’s natural and chemical-free; buy it here).
  21. Slice strawberries. It’s best to select berries of similar sizes to make them fit in the design.
  22. After cake cools, prepare coconut cream topping. Keep coconut milk cans in the fridge until you are ready to make the topping. Prepare it immediately before “icing” the cake.
  23. Scoop out the thick cream from the coconut cream or milk. Leaving the remaining water below.
  24. Add the guar gum, vanilla, and Powdered Xylitol. Mix on high-speed. Slowly add coconut water from the can, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the cream as it whips until it is light and fluffy.
  25. Carefully remove one cake from the cake pan, and place it on a cake stand or large serving platter.
  26. Spread coconut cream with a rubber scraper on the top of the cake.
  27. Remove the other cake from the cake pan, placing it on top of the coconut whipped cream.
  28. Spread the coconut whipped topping on the top and sides of the cake until it is fully covered and appears to be “iced”.
  29. Decorate the top of your cake with blueberries and strawberries. I easily created the blueberry design by connecting these two lines to a point with blueberries and symmetrically filling them in.
  30. Slice and serve.

I served mine by the pool!

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Happy 4th of July!

susanellenlogoweb