A Harmony of Flavors: Really Good Desserts and Gluten Free

I am not gluten intolerant. My kitchen is certainly not set up to be gluten free. On occasion, when I have had to bake something for a general audience, some of whom were definitely gluten intolerant, I spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning every single thing in the kitchen that could have come in contact with the recipe. Depending on the severity of the issue, this all may have been for nothing, but I did my level best to accommodate.

I have found that for someone diabetic, as I am, gluten free baking is perilous, as the carb and calorie count are so much higher in all the alternative flours needed. That didn't stop me from trying things out and taste-testing. And truly a lot of the recipes did come out wonderful. They tasted good. The issue I had, and I didn't find out till later, is that I hate the flavor that xanthan gum imparts to baked goods. Apparently it works, doing its magic of acting as a bit of a binder. The taste was objectionable. To me.

Gluten Free Best Brownies

Once I identified the flavor I objected to as xanthan gum, I quit using it and (as my husband would say) "the world was a safer place." :-)

I settled on a couple of different gluten-free "all-purpose" flour mixtures. One I used was one of Gluten-Free Girl's mixtures, many years ago. Later on I tried to find it again and it seemed to no longer be available on her site. And later still, have found that now one cannot any longer go to her site unless "signing up and joining." I just quit bothering. While I used her mixture, I was less fond of the overall flavors, so I most often used my own mix:

Easy 6 - 2 - 1 Mixture

A great all-purpose gluten free flour mixture is a simple 6-2-1 ratio of:

6 cups brown rice flour
2 cups of potato starch (NOT potato flour!)
1 cup of tapioca starch

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All that said, I did make many recipes that came out great, or good enough to pass with high marks. Here are three of them that I did make and enjoy. I substituted psyllium husks for the xanthan gum in the recipes and enjoyed the flavor far more.

I am posting these recipes with the idea that those who might need to eat gluten free also realize that things like sour cream (among many other things) may have wheat in it. Wheat tends to be hidden in the most strange places.

Keep in mind that gluten free flour mixtures in a batter tend to need a little longer baking time to be done in the center.

Gluten Free Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Makes one 8 x 8-inch cake

⅓ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
1½ cups gluten free all-purpose flour of choice
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sour cream
⅔ cup pecan pieces
½ teaspoon oil (grapeseed, coconut or whatever you prefer)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom

STREUSEL:
⅓ cup gluten free all purpose flour of choice
½ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or oil an 8 x 8-inch baking dish and set aside.

Place the pecans in a small bowl and sprinkle on the ½ teaspoon of oil. (I have a baking spray with coconut oil and just used that). Sprinkle on the cinnamon and the cardamom and toss to coat. Set aside.

Cream together the ⅓ cup of butter and the granulated sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of psyllium husks and stir.

Separately, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the creamed mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream. Gently fold in the pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Make the streusel by rubbing together all the streusel ingredients and strew over top of the batter in the pan. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a dusting of crumbs.

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Gluten Free Rhubarb Coffeecake

Makes one 9 x 13 pan

½ cup butter
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour mix, of choice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (or 1½ to 2 tablespoons whole psyllium husks)
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 cups chopped rhubarb
¾ cup chopped pecans

STREUSEL:
¾ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture of choice
¾ cup brown sugar
4 - 5 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (or 1 tablespoon whole psyllium husks)
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and set aside.

Beat together the butter and sugar; beat in the eggs and vanilla. Whisk or sift together the dry ingredients, to combine. Alternately beat in the dry ingredients and the sour cream. Stir in the rhubarb and nuts.

Streusel: Mix the flour, brown sugar, xanthan gum and cinnamon. Work in the butter until it looks like large crumbs. Sprinkle over the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Best Gluten Free Brownies

Makes one 8 x 8-inch pan

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
⅓ cup unsalted butter (5⅓ tablespoons)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup Gluten-Free all purpose flour mixture of choice
½ teaspoon GF baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
½ cup chopped nuts

Place the chocolate and butter into a saucepan on very low heat and melt the two together. Remove from heat and allow to cool to where the pan does not burn the hand. Add the sugar and beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Mixture will be grainy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating after each until completely incorporated. Add in the vanilla to combine.

Whisk together in a separate bowl the GF flour, baking powder, psyllium and salt, then add to the mixture in the saucepan. Stir until almost combined, then add the nuts and finish mixing. Place mixture into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 - 28 minutes. A tester inserted in the center should come out with slightly moist crumbs; not completely dry. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

NOTES: Chocolate Buttercream Icing would be perfect on these brownies, as well as my Cinnamon Ancho Buttercream, below.

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Cinnamon, Ancho chili powder, Buttercream

Cinnamon Ancho Buttercream

Makes about 2 cups frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon cassia cinnamon
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

The butter must be at room temperature for this. If it is too cold, it will not combine properly. Place the butter, confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon and ancho chili powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Start on very low to combine, then increase speed to about medium. Continue to beat for about 8 minutes. Add in the vanilla and beat well to combine.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

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