Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Orange Ganache

I decided to try gluten free cake mix this past weekend for the bake sale. I was pleasantly surprised by how great the cakes tasted.  I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Sponge Mix and honestly I did not taste a difference between this Gluten Free cake and any other cake I have tasted in the past.
http://www.bobsredmill.com/mixes/index2.html

I am not a big fan of frosting so I decided to cover the cake with an orange chocolate ganache. I would recommend this glaze for any type of cake or cupcake. This is a great way to make a boxed cake mix something special. I recommend trying this next time you are in the mood the bake.

You can find these miniature cake pans online, or make any shape cake or cupcake you desire.
http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Metallic-11-2-Inch-10-03-Inch-15-Inch/dp/B00188HVXW



Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Orange Ganache 
Makes 4 Mini Tiered Cakes or 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 box of vanilla cake mix (Gluten Free optional)
Oil (amount according to box directions)
Eggs (amount according to box directions)
8 oz dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup heavy cream


1. Prepare the cake mix according to instructions on the back of the box. You can make any size cake or cupcakes. Cool cakes completely on wire rack.

2. While the cakes are cooling, place heavy cream and orange zest in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge.

3. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Mix until chocolate is melted and smooth. Let this mixture sit at room temperature until thickened; about 5-10 minutes.

4. Once the mixture has thickened a little, pour chocolate ganache over cakes or cupcakes. I like to do this over wax paper. Let the chocolate set on the cakes for about an hour. You may have some extra ganache.

Spinach Chicken Burgers

I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. If you are not familiar with Celiac, it is a auto immune disease, where your body can not tolerate gluten (wheat, rye or barley) and damages your lower intestine. The only cure is to eat a gluten free diet.

I was very upset initially when I found out that I wouldn't be able to eat all the scones, muffins and cookies I am always making but at the same time I am excited about experimenting with gluten free baking and hopefully coming up with some delicious recipes. I was also overwhelmed with the amount of items that contain gluten. I have my work cut out for me in researching different brands but I am sure after some time it will get easier.

I will still be posting regular recipes and I will be depending on my husband to be my taste tester (he is the best at this job) I will also post any gluten free recipes I find worth while, as well as, recipes that can be altered for a gluten free lifestyle, such as the one below.

When my husband opened the refrigerator last night and saw the makings of chicken burgers, I thought he was about to divorce me. To Tom, chicken and burgers do not go together in one sentence. I was worried he was going to think my new diet would effect him in some ways, but we made it work. All I had to do for this recipe is simply leave off the bun or buy a gluten free bun. (The burger was still great without the bun)

I am very happy that I still went ahead with the chicken burger plan. Both Tom and I enjoyed them very very much and we will both gladly eat them again. They came out flavorful, moist and filling, all adjectives you might not associate with a chicken burger. I have one left over that I am really looking forward to eating for lunch.

Layla also enjoyed these burgers. It is a perfect way to get meat into a 8 month and up baby. Its full of nutrients from the chicken and spinach and it was a great finger food and kept her busy (always a plus!)

Spinach Chicken Burgers
Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken
1 package (10oz) frozen spinach-defrosted
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg white
Canola or olive oil
1 tomato-sliced
1 bunch of mixed greens
4 hamburger buns-optional
4 oz Gruyere Cheese-sliced or shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl mix together ground chicken, defrosted spinach (make sure to squeeze all excess water from spinach), salt, cayenne pepper and egg white. Form chicken mixture into 4 patties

2. Heat a non-stick skillet oven medium-high heat. Add in enough oil (canola or olive oil) to coat the bottom on the pan. Add the chicken patties to the oil and brown on each side; 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Turn the heat lower if it starts to get too dark.

3. Place the skillet in the oven (making sure its an oven proof skillet) and cook until chicken is cooked through; about 10 mins.

4. During the last 2 minutes in the oven, place cheese on top of the burgers and melt in the oven.

5. Remove from oven and top with lettuce and tomato. Enjoy!!

A Successful Bake Sale

Our Bake Sale for The Canine Counsel went very well and we raised around $500.00 for the animals. We couldn't have had better weather and I am looking forward to putting on more bake sales in the future. We were sold out of everything by 2:00 pm that afternoon! Here are some pictures from the events and I will be posting a few recipes later the week of our best selling items. Thank you to everyone who helped out!

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Here is another cookie I am making for the bake sale coming up this Saturday. This is a chewy cookie with a hint of spice. I love the combination of chocolate and cinnamon and the subtle flavor of black and red pepper. You cannot taste the pepper but there is a very slight spicy burn after eating a few of these cookies....and you will want to eat more than one!


Mexican Chocolate Cookies
Makes 32 cookies

Ingredients:
5 oz bittersweet chocolate-chopped (you can use chocolate chips)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
Dash of ground red pepper (cayenne) * I like to add a little more (1/4 tsp)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 butter-softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place chocolate in a small glass bowl; microwave on HIGH for 1 minute, or until almost melted. Cool to room temperature.

3. In a bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, black pepper and red pepper. Mix well.

4. In a mixer, combine sugar and softened butter; beat until well blended. Add in egg; beat well. Add in cooled chocolate and vanilla; beat until just blended. Add flour mixture and beat until blended together.

5. Drop dough by tablespoons two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Graham Cracker Toffee Chocolate Bark

I tried this recipe a while ago from Food Network's Clarie Robinson. With the bake sale coming up this weekend I thought this would be a good recipe to make again. I suggest using good quality chocolate and any combination of nuts you prefer. I used walnuts instead of pecans because I had them on hand.

Don't forget to come visit us this Saturday at Ann Marie's Farm Stand. We will be raising money for The Canine Counsel for animals in need. The farm stand is also having a tomato plant sale Saturday and Sunday. A group from out east on Long Island bring all different types of tomato plants for you to buy for your garden. Last year they had at least 20 different varieties. Hope to see you there!

(Excuse the quality of the pictures, I did not have my nice camera when I took these)

Graham Cracker Toffee Chocolate Bark

Ingredients:

14 graham crackers (standard 5" x 2.5")

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans (or any other nut)

Kosher salt, to taste

12 oz dark chocolate-finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Arrange the graham crackers in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.

3. Combine the butter, brown sugar, pecans, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the butter mixture evenly over the graham crackers and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl placed over simmering water. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave) Pour the chocolate over the toffee-covered graham crackers and spread evenly. Chill completely in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Cut into pieces.

**You can sprinkle the top with some sea salt while the chocolate is still melted. I suggest doing this, I love chocolate and salt together!