Lamingtons – Gluten-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free, Vegan

I’m both British and Australian so I’ll be patriotic to both my birth country and my home county and do a couple of posts with traditional British and Aussie recipes made allergy free. First up, the lamington. For those who have no idea what these are, they are basically meant to be a square of sponge cake coated all over (underneath too) with chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut. With making them allergy free, the cake isn’t quite the traditional sponge, but my family who have no allergies tell me they prefer them to the shop bought ones. I think this is because I tend to put a thicker layer of the chocolate icing around the cake. I used an adjustment of my basic cake recipe and doubled it to make a large batch. There is never any point in making a single batch here as they disappear quickly. They freeze and thaw well, even with the icing on. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

Cake:

370 g gluten-free plain (all purpose) flour

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 teaspoon salt

450 g sugar

60 g corn cornflour

500 g coconut milk

150 g oil

40 g white vinegar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing

280 g icing sugar (make sure it is gluten-free)

48 g cocoa

85 g hot water

coconut for rolling

Method

1. Grease and line a baking tray. For this double batch, I used a tray measuring 35 cm x 24 cm. Preheat the oven to 160 C fan-forced or 180 C conventional.
2. Place the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
3. Mix the coconut milk, vanilla, vinegar and oil together in a separate bowl then add to the dry ingredients.
4. Use electric beaters to quickly whisk the ingredients together. The flour needs to be incorporated but as soon as it’s mixed place into the baking tray and cook for approx 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Allow the cake to cool thoroughly then wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.
6. For the icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl and add the hot water. The icing needs to be runny enough to coat the pieces. Place the coconut on a plate
7. Remove the cake from the freezer and cut into the desired size. For these, I made them into finger size pieces, but traditional lamingtons are square.
8. Place the cake into the icing and use a spoon to coat them all over. Allow the excess to drip off then place into the coconut and coat the pieces all over. Place on a plate or tray and put into the freezer or fridge to firm up. Store in the fridge or you can freeze them to thaw at a later time.

Tips: Don’t be tempted to coat the cake if it is not frozen first as it will tend to fall apart in the icing mixture. You may need to add a little extra hot water to the icing if it is not runny enough.

 

Buckwheat Pancakes – Gluten-free, Egg-free, plus Dairy-free and Vegan option

A friend gave me a recipe for these buckwheat pancakes (thank you V!) and I’ve adjusted them to be egg-free. They contain dairy. I’ve only just tried the recipe last night so I haven’t had a chance to see if they will work well with dairy substitutions but I’ve suggested some to try in the ingredients list. Update: I’ve now made these dairy free according to the instructions below and they taste just as good. This recipe made a huge stack. We were eating them after dinner so ended up giving a pile to our neighbours who told me they were ‘da bomb’. I still had a couple left over and I’ve just eaten one with my morning coffee. Unlike other recipes where I toss any not eaten (which is rare), these pancakes actually taste nice the next day just left on the bench overnight. My neighbours want the recipe so without further ado here it is:

Ingredients

320 g buckwheat flour

500 ml buttermilk (for dairy free use 500 ml coconut milk and 40 ml of apple cider vinegar)

80 g brown sugar (you could reduce this if it’s too sweet)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

60 g melted butter (a dairy free margarine for dairy-free eg. Nuttelex)

60 g applesauce

Egg-replacer for 2 eggs – If using Orgran No Egg* (I think there is a similar EnerG in the USA) use 2 heaped teaspoons of No Egg powder and 80 ml of water. Last night I used a new egg replacer from a company called ‘Yes You Can’. It’s called ‘Vegan Egg Replacer with Organic Chia’. It is available in India, the Philippines and New Zealand according to the packet. For this I used 2 tablespoons of the powder and 120 g of water. If you can eat eggs you can just use 2 eggs.

Method

1. Stir together the flour and buttermilk (or coconut milk and vinegar), cover and leave to sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours (that’s the time I left it). It is winter here so it was sitting at around 19 C on the bench for that time.
2. Add everything else and mix well (I used electric beaters).
3. Cook on a well greased pan until bubbles form then flip and cook the other side. I used an electric pancake maker.
4. Serve with maple syrup or topping of choice.

Some tips: Ensure that the pan or pancake maker is well greased. I used an olive oil spray but was sure to put plenty on.

*In Australia, Orgran No Egg powder is available at most Coles stores and some health stores. I’ve also seen it in Woolworths recently. In the UK, I was able to get it from a Holland and Barrett health store.

 

Fruit cake – Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Vegan

A friend recently asked me if I could give advice on adjusting a cake recipe to make it gluten and dairy free. This was really easy to adjust and super easy to make. I’m not a huge fan of fruit cake but I liked this and my hubby (who loves fruit cake) was very pleased. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

300 g gluten-free self raising flour

1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

600 g dried fruit (I used sultanas as that’s what I had in the cupboard)

600 g milk of choice (I used coconut and almond milk, but just use coconut milk alone if there is a nut allergy to consider)

2 metric tablespoons (8 teaspoons) of oil of choice (I used canola)

Method

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and dried fruit together in a large bowl.
2. Add the milk and oil and mix well to combine.
3. Place into a greased and lined 20 cm square cake tin.
4. Cook at 160 C fan-forced (180 C conventional) oven for approximately 60 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it’s cooked. It’s better to be a little under rather than overcooked and dry.
5. Cool and cut into slices. Eat with butter (or dairy-free butter) if desired.

I’d suggest freezing leftover cake as it tastes good for a couple of days but then will dry out.

Speculaas – Gluten-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free and option for Rice-free and Corn-free

I’ve had the recipe for these yummy little spice biscuits for a while but I wanted to modify them further to make them dairy-free. I also have a friend whose son can’t have gluten, dairy, soy or rice, so I’ve come up with a version which omits rice and corn also. Here’s the recipe for the regular version (the rice and corn free version follows):

Ingredients

250 g gluten-free plain (all purpose) flour – I use Aldi or Orgran

1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

150 g brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, ginger and cardamom

150 cold Nuttelex (or other dairy-free margarine) – or use butter if you can have it

30 ml ice cold water

Method

1. Place all ingredients except water into a food processor or Bellini Intelli and pulse until combined.
2. Add water and pulse until it comes together.
3. Lightly flour a cutting board with rice flour (or sorghum flour for the rice-free version) and tip out the mixture. Bring together by kneading lightly. If it is too sticky, work more flour into the dough.
4. Roll until a few millimetres thick.
5. Cut out with push cutters.
6. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and cook at 150 C (fan-forced) for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
7. Cool and place into containers to keep at room temperature.

For the rice-free and corn-free version:

Omit the 250 g plain flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Substitute with: 150 g sorghum flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Sweet white sorghum flour), 100 g potato flour, 50 g tapioca flour, 3/4 teaspoon xantham gum, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.

 

Whole Orange Cake – Gluten Free, Egg free and Dairy Free

I’ve been trying for a while now to make a whole orange cake that is allergy free but it is a challenge without eggs and gluten. Today I decided to work around my basic allergy free cake recipe to include an orange and it works! I’ve included a picture of the cut cake so that you can see the crumb is nice and not gooey and dense like disasters I’ve had in the kitchen before. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

1 whole orange (weigh the orange and add water to make 250 g altogether – today the orange weighed 215 g so I added 35 ml of water to the orange in the processor)

185 g gluten-free plain (all purpose) flour (I use Aldi or Orgran)

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/2 teaspoon salt

215 g caster sugar

30 g corn cornflour (*not* wheaten cornflour)

75 oil

20 g white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C (fan-forced) or 180 C (conventional). Grease a bundt tin.
2. Add the orange (quartered) and water (to make 250 g altogether) to a food processor/blender or thermocooker (I use a Bellini Intelli) and process until blended. On the Bellini I used speed 8 for about 10 seconds.
3. Add all the other ingredients to the processor and mix well. I used speed 8 for 10 seconds on the Bellini. You may need to scrape down and repeat.
4. Pour the mixture into the bundt tin and cook until it bounces back when touched or a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Mine took about 35 minutes in my oven.
5. Ice if desired.

Icing

1. I sifted about 100 g of icing sugar into a bowl and added 15 g of melted Nuttelex (or butter if you can have it) and added enough orange juice to make a runny icing to pour over the cake. You can also omit the Nuttelex/butter and just have icing sugar and orange juice mixed together until it is at the consistency you desire.

 

 

 

Butterscotch Pudding Gluten-free, Egg-free and Dairy-Free

The weather is only just starting to cool down here in Queensland, but we decided that a hot pudding would go down well last night. I made it with butter and lactose-free milk as I had guests who were lactose intolerant, but it would work fine with dairy-free margarine and rice milk (or coconut milk) for those with dairy allergy. I forgot to take a picture, but will add later when I make it again.

Ingredients

For the pudding:

190 g gluten-free self raising flour (I use Aldi Has No flour or Orgran)

1 heaped teaspoon Orgran No Egg powder (overseas use EnerG or similar)

45 g brown sugar

165 ml suitable milk (use rice/coconut milk for dairy-free)

100 g melted Nuttelex (or use butter if not dairy-free)

55 g golden syrup

For the sauce:

90 g brown sugar

12 g cornflour

55 g golden syrup

375 g boiling water

Method

1. Melt the Nuttelex/butter in a saucepan with the golden syrup until melted together. Allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar and No Egg powder together in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the milk and the melted Nuttelex/golden syrup mix and mix well with electric beaters.
4. Place into a pudding dish. Mine was an oven safe 20 cm square glass dish.
5. Combine the brown sugar and cornflour well in a small bowl then sprinkle evenly oven the top of the pudding.
6. Add the boiling water to the golden syrup and mix well. Pour over the back of a large spoon evenly onto the pudding.
7. Bake at 160 C (fan-forced) or 180 C (non-fan forced) for 45 minutes.

 

Basic Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free and Vegan Cake with variations

I’ve been playing around a little with getting a basic cake that is free from the most common allergens including soy and nuts. Although I am able to eat dairy, some people that I cook for at times need either lactose-free or dairy free food also. This recipe uses the technique of replacing the eggs with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and vinegar and works well. The basic vanilla cake recipe is below then the variations appear underneath the post. The picture is of a coffee cake variation (omit walnuts for nut-free). I’m still experimenting with this recipe so more variations are to come.

Ingredients

185 g gluten-free plain (all purpose) flour*(see below)

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/2 teaspoon salt

225 g caster sugar

30 g cornflour (it must be corn cornflour for gluten-free)

250 g cold water (this is 1 metric cup = 250 ml)

75 g oil (I use sunflower or canola oil)

20 g white vinegar (4 teaspoons)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

1. Mix together all dry ingredients well in a bowl. For a Bellini Intelli (or other thermocooker) add all dry ingredients to the jug and pulse a couple of times to ensure they are mixed well.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together into a small bowl and add to the dry ingredients.
3. Mix quickly with electric beaters (do not over mix) until lumps disappear or use speed 6 for 5 seconds with the Bellini, scrape down the jug and repeat.
4. Cook in silicone muffin trays for 20 minutes at 160 C (fan-forced oven) or 180 C (conventional oven) or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean.

*For flour I use Aldi Has No Brand gluten-free plain flour. Other brands including Woolworths, Orgran and White Wings will work in this recipe. If you are in the UK the Tesco or Sainsbury brands of gluten-free plain flour will work. In the USA I think there is one called King Arthur which is available from Walmart which looks to have a similar make up of flours to the ones in Australia. Also, Aldi in the USA has a similar looking all purpose flour. At some point I’d like to put a mix together myself but if I do, I’ll come back here to post my mix recipe.

And now for the variations (watch this space for more)!

Chocolate: Replace the cornflour above with cocoa powder (the same weight). Ice with chocolate icing. Icing: 140 g icing sugar (powdered sugar) sifted, 24 g cocoa powder, 30 g hot water and 30 g melted dairy-free margarine. Mix together well and ice the cakes.

Coffee: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of instant coffee (I use decaffeinated) in a small amount of hot water then add cold water up to the 1 cup (250 ml) mark. Use in place of the 250 g cold water. Icing: 140 g icing sugar, 1 teaspoon coffee dissolved in 30 ml hot water, 60 g dairy free margaine (I use Nuttelex). Mix together well and ice the cakes. Top with walnuts if desired.

Mocha (I haven’t tried this yet): Replace the cornflour with cocoa and also the water with coffee. Use the chocolate icing mix but add coffee into the hot water before adding to the other ingredients.

Berry: Thaw some frozen berries (or use fresh) and puree well in a blender. Replace some of the cold water with the berry puree. When I made this I used mixed berries and the puree was 200 g so I added 50 ml water and used this to replace the 250 g water in the recipe.

Lemon and Poppy Seed: Replace the vinegar in the recipe with freshly squeezed lemon juice (the same amount – 20 g) and add the zest of two lemons and 4 teaspoons of poppy seeds to the mixture.

 

Quinoa Apple Bars Gluten-free and Vegan

Inspired by a recipe for Apple Oat Bars I’ve worked out this recipe for a gluten-free and vegan version which omits the eggs and oats. The original recipe is here. These bars got the thumbs up from my gluten-free son and my non-gluten-free husband as well. I thought they had a slightly bitter aftertaste due to the quinoa, so when making again I would probably increase the sugar a little, maybe to 70 g. Quinoa flakes are also quite expensive, so for a cheaper version I might try rice flakes, though I find that they come out a little crunchier than the quinoa ones when cooking. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

150 g dried apple slices

300 g quinoa flakes

50 g brown sugar

20 g psyllium husk powder (I use the Macro brand from Woollies)

1.5 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons clove powder

pinch of salt

160 g full fat coconut milk

Method

1. I used my Bellini thermocooker but you could use a food processor instead. Place the dried apple in the jug and use speed 7 for 5 seconds and repeat. (Without a processor, chop the apples finely.)
2. Add the dry ingredients and pulse to combine a couple of times (or combine well in a mixing bowl).
3. Add the coconut milk and pulse twice to bring the mixture together (or mix well in the bowl).
4. Place mixture into mini loaf silicone pans to about half a centimetre in height. Press down well.
5. Cook in a fan-forced oven at 170 C for 15 minutes or until brown. Allow to cool a little before removing from pans onto a cooling rack.

Gluten-free and Vegan Veggie Muffins

These muffins are really just the eggless quiche recipe converted into a quiche cake recipe. The recipe is exactly the same (remember to omit bacon and cheese for vegan/dairy-free) but I just omit the pastry. I add 150 g of gluten-free self-raising (cake) flour to the mixture before cooking in muffin trays until brown and cooked through. They freeze and reheat well in the microwave. For the eggless quiche recipe it’s here.

Gluten-free and Egg-free Quiche with Dairy-free option

I saw this vegan egg substitute product on Facebook a little while back and couldn’t wait to make an eggless quiche with it. I picked some of the product up at the Gluten Free Show in Brisbane two weeks ago and last week gave it a try. I have found that the recipes put out by the company on their website and Facebook video seem to vary in the quantity of ingredients used, so I tried my own and have published it here so you know that the quantities work well. Their version had mushrooms which I don’t like so I left them out. As I’m not vegan (I have an egg allergy) I included bacon and cheese in this quiche, but I really think that it would taste just as good without. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

1 gluten-free and vegan puff pastry sheet defrosted (I use the ones from the Gluten Free Bakery)

1 tablespoon olive oil

A few rashers of bacon (leave out for vegan)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 medium zucchini, grated roughly

1 small carrot, grated roughly

1 tomato, sliced

50 g Orgran Vegan Easy Egg

1 teaspoon gluten-free plain flour

a handful of grated cheese (omit for vegan)

290 g water

Method

1. Place the pastry into a pie dish and cook at 160 C fan forced (180 C conventional) oven for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil and add the bacon and onion and fry for a few minutes. Add the zucchini and carrot and cook a further few minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In bowl, mix the Easy Egg powder, plain flour and water together until smooth.
4. Add the bacon, onion and vegetable mixture and mix well.
5. Place into the pastry shell and top with cheese (if using) and then slices of tomato.
6. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.