An Update on Hannah’s Gluten-Free Goodies

The reason I’ve been so quiet lately is because things have suddenly got very busy for Hannah’s Gluten-Free Goodies! Last Saturday I was at Philpotts in Shrewsbury for the day handing out lots of free tasters of my cakes – people certainly love free cake whether it’s gluten-free or not! The feedback and comments that I got from people were really lovely, not to mention the fun and friendly staff at Philpotts – thank you for having me!

 

 

Since then I’ve had three orders to do this week… I’ve literally been baking and delivering all week but its what I love to do so I don’t mind at all. Here are a few pictures of some of the cakes I’ve baked this week…

 

 

 

 

All in all a very busy but fun and rewarding week! So if you’re in Shrewsbury then head to Philpotts or The Old Market Hall Cafe where you will find some of my gluten free goodies, or if you’re in Oswestry then a selection of my gluten free cakes are now available in Gillhams Delicatessen & Coffee Shop. I hope my cakes show that being gluten-free does not mean that you have to miss out on taste or variety!

 

 

Gluten and Dairy Free Lemon Drizzle Cake with Crystallised Rose Petals

This cake was a challenge for me – my first ever gluten AND dairy free cake. I was worried about doing it because I’ve never even made a dairy free cake before let alone a gluten and dairy free one! But since it was my lovely friends birthday who is allergic to both gluten and dairy, I knew I had to have a go at it just so that she could eat cake on her birthday! And I’m really pleased and surprised with how it turned out… I honestly would not have known that it was free from gluten and dairy, just goes to show that even if you are on a gluten or dairy free (or both!) diet you do not have to miss out on yummy food.

Gluten and Dairy free Lemon Drizzle Cake

Gluten and Dairy free Lemon Drizzle Cake

 

As this was a birthday cake I wanted to make it that little bit special so I crystallised some edible flowers to decorate the cake with. This is such an easy and pretty thing to do – simply brush the flowers with egg white and then sprinkle sugar over them and leave to set! I’ll definitely be doing some more to decorate some of my other bakes with. Just remember to only pick edible flowers though!

Crystallised Rose Petals

Cupcake Decorating

I tried something completely new recently – cupcake decorating. I have to be honest, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it that much as I’ve always been more of a baker than a decorator, but I absolutely loved it and am so pleased with the end results! I had made up the cupcakes before the class (all gluten-free) and then spent 2 hours making flowers, hearts and all sorts to decorate them with. I had no idea how many things you could do with sugarcraft, it’s like another world from the baking world. I will definitely be adding more decorating into my bakes… however, they were hard to eat because they just looked too pretty!

 

Cherry and Coconut Traybake

I think it’s obvious from my previous bakes that I love anything to do with cherries, but cherry and coconut… that’s on a whole new level! The sponge itself is actually where you will find all the coconut which gives it a completely different texture from normal sponge… it’s sort of crunchy and so delicious. The icing on top also contrasts perfectly with the textures and flavours of the coconut-y sponge and the sticky cherries – yum!

Coconut and Cherry Traybake

 

Chocolate and Pink Marzipan Balls

After discovering my new love for sweet making, I decided to try making something which I have loved for as long as I can remember. I think with marzipan it’s either a love it or hate it kind of sweet, but I absolutely love it and the ones that I made were lovely as little gifts, but I also used it to bake with which was delicious and so much nicer than the shop bought stuff. I also experimented a bit and tried chocolate marzipan which was a yummy twist on the classic marzipan!

 

Banana and Salted Caramel Swirl Traybake

Salted caramel seems to be very fashionable in the food world at the moment and I love having it on fruit, puddings or just eating it on its own. So I thought why not put it into my all time favorite thing to make: cake. And what goes amazingly with caramel? Banana! So that’s how this scrumptious tray bake was created, and what’s more, there’s not only salted caramel swirled into the cake but I’ve also put it in the icing and drizzled some on top of the icing for a truly caramely finish! The salted caramel was also homemade by myself to make this cake extra special.

 

Banana and Salted Caramel Swirl Traybake

Banana and Salted Caramel Swirl Traybake

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

So after I made a traditional lemon meringue pie I was having a think about how I could tweak it in order to make it a bit more fun and summery. Then I came up with these gorgeous little lemon meringue pies which are just perfect for a summery afternoon tea, or perhaps as a special gift or a garden party. These cute little pies are so versatile and would suit many occasions, not to mention they just look beautiful simply to have on display!

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

 

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Chocolate and Date Delights

Even though Hannah’s Gluten Free Goodies is an up and coming business, I’d still like to share the odd recipe and do other things such as reviews of gluten free products and tips on gluten free baking. So… here is my first recipe! I picked this one because it’s been so hot here lately, and in the heat sometimes you just don’t fancy a big piece of cake or something rich and chocolaty. These chocolate and date delights on the other hand, are so light you could eat several in one go and they’re also incredibly easy and quick to make. They are a bit like mini meringues but with lots of yummy things inside.

All of the ingredients in these delights are naturally gluten free, although do double check that your chocolate chips are gluten free as some occasionally contain gluten.

Chocolate and Date Delights

Chocolate and Date Delights

 

Oven temperature: 180C/160C fan/350F/gas mark 4

Makes about 12

Ingredients

2 free range medium egg whites

110g/4oz caster sugar

50g/2oz chopped dried dates

50g/2oz desiccated coconut

50g/2oz plain chocolate chips

Method

Pre-heat your oven and grease and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks (you will know when they are at this stage by tipping the bowl upside down – if the mixture stays in place then they are done but if it moves then carry on whisking). Gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, however, be careful not to over mix as the mixture can become sloppy.

Fold in the remaining ingredients with a metal spoon and place small mounds of the mixture (roughly a tablespoon) on the prepared trays, spacing them well apart.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until fairly crisp and golden on top. Leave on the trays for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container although they are best eaten as fresh as possible. Enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Ripple Fudge

I’ve been exploring sweet making recently, and one of my favorite sweets is fudge so I thought I’d have a go at trying my own! I wanted to do something which reflected summer and I thought one of the best ways to do this is to pick my all time favorite summer fruit and incorporate it into the fudge. And voila – chocolate raspberry ripple fudge was created! The thick layers of white and dark chocolate are sandwiched between sweet raspberry puree made from fresh raspberries – heaven! And of course made with completely gluten free ingredients.

Chocolate Raspberry Ripple Fudge

 

Chocolate Raspberry Ripple Fudge

Cherry and Almond Loaf Cake

This is probably one of my favorite bakes. I love cherries but here I used Maraschino cherries which have a delicious almond flavour to them, which when combined with the almond extract and the ground almonds in the sponge… you are left with a beautiful almond and cherry cake bursting with flavour! The brown sugar topping finishes this cake off perfectly.

Cherry and Almond Loaf Cake

 

Cherry and Almond Loaf Cake