Double Chocolate Strawberry yummies (Filled with bits of ganache)

Happy Valentine's Day

Everyone knows this is what Valentine's Day taste like! Double dark chocolate strawberry with a hint of chocolate strawberry ganache inside. These are made not just  for all the lovers around the world but for all who are loved.

How they're made:

Cakes:

1/4 cup of hot coffee

1 cup of milk

1 cup of a quality powdered chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)

2 1/2 cups of gluten free bisquick (cake flour for regular cakes)

1/2 Teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

3 sticks of unsalted butter, room temp( I used Tillamook sweet cream)

2 cups of sugar

3 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract

4 eggs, room temp

1 package of Ghirardelli chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix together the hot coffee, milk, and cocoa powder. In different bowl mix flour,. salt, and baking soda. Mix butter in large bowl by hand using a rubber spatula until light and fluffy. About three minutes or so. Slowly mix in sugar and vanilla. Slowly add one egg at a time mixing well in between each. Pour in the cooled cocoa mixture until mixed well and fluffy. Slowly mix in the flour mixture until just blended. Add chocolate chips. Pour in to muffin tin and bake until tooth pick comes out clean.

Chocolate Strawberry Ganache:

one pound of Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate (16 oz.)

One cup of heavy cream

Six strawberries and sugar

1.Thinly slice all chocolate and set aside in a large bowl that can withstand heat. Cut tops off of strawberries and puree them with sugar (how ever much you want) until completely blended. In a sauce pan whisk together cream and strawberry mixture until boils. Pour hot Strawberries and cream into the bowl of chocolate. Set aside until thick enough to add to the middle of cake.

Frosting:

Three cups of powdered sugar

One cup and a half cups of cocoa powder (dark chocolate)

two sticks of butter (room temp)

a splash of cream

1. Mix sugar and cocoa together, add the rest of it and blend together until smooth.

Add the strawberry on top.

Fun Information:

It took me 7 1/2 hours to make these and worth all of the time I put in. My favorite part of cooking/baking is the beauty which unfolds while making every little thing you add come together just so. It's truly a work of art. Every time I'm baking my favourite part is the very moment the butter and sugar become creamy and fluffy. I love the colour, the taste, the smell. I can do anything with creamed butter and sugar.

How they taste:

they are very, very yummy! They have a crumbly texture. you can taste a creamy chocolate when you bite into them. Goes fantastic with the strawberry, creamy, chocolate ganache (my fave part). The frosting was a lighter fluffier chocolate with the bit of strawberry. This was fantastic!!! I will make these again

Irish Cream Espresso Cakes (with whiskey cream filling)

Who they are made for:

What a better way to have Irish cream then in an espresso cake at work! A friends office is the inspiration for these yummy cakes. I love to bake for other people and these folks are a great bunch.

How it's made:

Makes Aprox. 15

The cupcake

2 Cups of flour (Gluten free Bisquick) (or reg flour for others)

1 Tsp of baking powder

1/4 Teaspoons of baking soda

1/4 Teaspoon of salt

1/2 Cup of boiling water

2Tablespoons of instant espresso powder

1/4 Cup of whole milk

1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1stick)

1/2 Cup of granulated sugar

1/2 Cup of packed brown sugar

2 Large Eggs

Filling

1 Cup of heavy cream

5Tablespoons of confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon of whiskey

Butter Cream/ Irish cream Frosting

1 Cup of butter (2sticks), at room temp.

3 Cups of powder

4 Tablespoons of Baileys Irish Cream

2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

Espresso powder for sprikles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cupcakes: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour water over espresso powder then combine milk; let cool.  Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with espresso-milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour.

                 2.Fill muffin tins three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool; turn out cupcakes from tins. Cool cakes.

Filling:

            Make the filling: Whisk together (with beaters that have been in the freezer) cream and confectioners' sugar (in a bowl that has been in the freezer) until medium peaks form. Add whiskey; whisk until slightly stiff peaks form. Fill already cooled cakes.

Frosting:

Place all ingredients together and use electric mixer to blend together. Mix until smooth and creamy. After placed on frosting sprinkle with espresso powder.

Info.:
 Is Whiskey gluten free? It depends on whom you ask.
Most experts in celiac disease have concluded that distilled alcoholic beverages made from gluten grains — including whiskey, commonly made from barley — are gluten-free to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposed standard of 20 parts per million, because distillation removes the harmful gluten proteins.

                                                                     How they Taste:

When you bite into them you can taste the sweet and irishcreamy frosting then you get the flavour of the espresso coffee in the cake blended together in the bite. You then get the yummy taste of the whipped slightly sweet whiskey filling. These are yummy. If you ask me they taste better the second day.

Babycake Testers day:

Yummy! Add more whisky ;-)

These are fun cakes.

Happy Dough lucky cookies (butterscotch, walnut, oatmeal)

Who it's made for:

These delicious soft and chewy cookies are made for my cousin Bradley and Sarah's children Kylie and Cody. Big Cuties!! This is something I would make for them at a family get together.

How It's Made:

1 Cup of white sugar

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

4 Teaspoons of vanilla

2 Beaten eggs

2 tablespoons of milk

2 cups of gluten free Bisquick's flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of organic oatmeal

1 package of butterscotch chips (12oz)

1 1/2 cups of walnuts (slightly chopped)

1. Cream together butter and sugars. Add vanilla, milk, and eggs. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the batter, mix together well. Add the oatmeal, butterscotch chips, and nuts. Stir well. Put in the fridge (trust me ALLOT better this way) to keep it fluffy and from coming out to flat.

2. Roll into balls and bake on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

I like to keep the dough in the fridge and bake only a few cookies at a time, so that every time you have a cookie it's warm and fresh. The dough should stay fresh in the refrigerator for about a week, or in the freezer for several months. 

Information:

Some celiacs can not handle oats. They do sell gluten free oatmeal. Even though they are gluten free some celiacs continue to have a sensitivity to oats. If you are a new celiac I would make sure you are not sensitive before making these cookies.

How do they taste:

They are some of the best cookies I have ever tasted (even if they were gluteness). When you bite into the cookie you get the sweet, buttery, slightly salty flavour of the  butterscotch that blends well with the chewy oatmeal taste. Very soft, fluffy, and chewy. I'll be making these again for sure.

babycake testers say:

Their favorite cookie ever.

I give these a 10 out of 10

 

Homemade Chicken soup (gluten free)

Chicken Noodle soup for your soul

Who it's made for:

Normally I'd make something sweet that pleases the palate but today my post is about making something that soothes the delicate body and soul. This is made for our grandpa Dal-Gallo whose body and soul is very delicate at this moment.

How it's made:

*1 (approx three pound) whole chicken (left over)

* Two large carrots halved and cut in chunks

* Four stalks of celery sliced about an inch or so thick (chunkier)

*One onion sliced into chunks

* approx.1 Cup (or a little less) of rice elbow noodles (I like the purple package)

*Salt and pepper to taste

1. I put my left over whole chicken in a dutch oven and add just enough water to cover.

I add a bit of salt and all the veggies.

I place a lid over and bring to a boil.

I then turn it to a simmer for a few hours (about 3).  

2. I taste the broth to see if it has the strong enough flavour I'm looking for. 

If not you can continue to cook or just add two tablespoons of Better Then Broth: Chicken Broth.

In a separate pot I start boiling the noodles. 

I then carefully take the chicken out of the pot with a large slotted spoon and onto a Pyrex (careful its very hot).

I take all of the chicken off of the bone making sure it's somewhat shredded and none of the bone gets into the soup.

I drain and rinse the noodles (otherwise rice noodles have too much starch) then add to soup.

Mix all together.

Give it the ole taste test (enough salt, right flavours) and if all is well  I serve.

Information about chicken noodle soup:

They say chicken noodle soup is not only good for comforting the soul but a great soup for colds and flu's. First, it acts as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the movement of neutrophils — immune system cells that participate in the body's inflammatory response. Second, it temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose, helping relieve congestion and limiting the amount of time viruses are in contact with the nose lining.

As Ella would say:

Moustacherifics (Mustash-er-ifics)

Ahh the ever loved Charlie Chaplin and his famed Stache!

Happy New Year

Who they were made for:

These Moustacherifics were made for me! I have always wanted to have a moustache party and with the help of my friend Charlene (Candybarcupcakes.blogspot.com) we made it happen. We all added a fun stache to our dillied up hairdos and laughed the night away into the new year. Sick and all.

The cake was made:

 By Charlene -yeah she did all the actual hard work :-). She used the boxed white cake mix (followed instructions) then topped it off with a white whipped frosting. These are actually not gluten free but can easily be made Gluten free with just a regular cake of your favourite flavour. I would recommend a white frosting to make the moustaches stand out.

The topping:

Then I got to do the fun part and add the moustaches with black glitter gel that we picked up at our local Safeway. I tried my best to make them look like all sorts of cartoon moustaches.

Supplies needed for a moustache party:

*Black plates and napkins

*Moustache decorated cupcakes

*Fake stick on Mustaches (got ours at Urban outfitters)

*you can make paper staches tape or glue them to a stick and hold it up.

*We decorated white cups with a black felt tip marker

and drew on a few staches

*Any decor in black and white

To help give it a vintage feel:

you can dress as an old barber

dress as a vintage carnie

Add red stripes to your black and white decor

make sure your mustaches are vintage in shape (handle bar, Chaplin, etc.)

Chocolate Pumpkin Munchkins

The sun falls early all around. Warm coloured leaves fall to the ground. 

 Rain falls everywhere I look. Bookmarks falling into my books. Pumpkin flavoured everything.

Welcome fall, winters spring.

                                **********************************************
Made for:
These Chocolate Pumpkin Munchkins were made for my little munchkin! We made these and had them for breakfast. They taste even better left over.

How they were made:
I used gluten free Bisquick. I followed the pancake recipe (made it a little bit thicker). I added pureed pumpkin (yep from a can ;-) I also added pumpkin spice. You have to add more then you think you need in order to be able to really taste it. I like mine with a little more flavour. I then spooned the batter into a small plastic bag with a tiny piece cut off of a corner. I pipped the batter into the cute little donut maker molds.
Topping: I melted unsweetened dark chocolate morsels (double broiler) and dipped the tops of the wee little munchkins.

Taste:  When you bite into it you first get the bitter dark chocolate flavour then its soothed by the flavour of the pumpkin and pumpkin spice.  It's has the perfect amount of bitter and sweet. They are a great combination. The texture is a little softer then a donut with gluten. All in all I think these are great to have a round for holiday snacks or to bring to a party.  I give these a 7 out of 10.

Baby cake testers say: "Didn't make enough to keep the good flavours coming"

Bitsi Cherry Pies

Good Bye Summer, Hello Pie's! I love these bitsi pie pieces. First pie of the season! I was inspired to make these for everyone. To celebrate the opening of fall. The time of year when the cooler it is outside the cozier it is inside. Fall = me in the kitchen baking and some great Charlie Brown movies as the cherry on top.

How it was made:
These were made just like a regular pie but in a cupcake pan. I used Gluten Free Pantry pie dough mix. This seems to be my favorite pie crust of the gluten free so far. I like to make my own pie crusts too but sometimes you just gotta put on a fun apron and skip a few steps.

What it tastes like:
  This tastes like a buttery, flakey, sweet crust with a sweet and ever so slightly tart cherry middle.

Rating:
I give these a 9 out of 10.

Baby Cake Testers say: Fun to eat, Yummy to the tummy!