I made this Gluten free almond and raspberry coffee cake last week and O.M.G We really loved this gluten free almond and raspberry coffee cake.

Thankfully we don’t have anyone in our family that suffers from celiac disease or it is in a wheat free diet. Once in a while I like to bake gluten free because we really enjoy it. I know I also have some readers with gluten free restrictions so this one if your you.

I have used many different coconut flours before but my all time favorite is this one. Because when cooking with coconut flour you hardly use big quantities it will last you a long time. I have use almond flour, and brown rice flour, which I really like as well. I think these are my favorite flours to bake while baking gluten free. I have yet to experiment with other ones but since I really love this ones, and have tons of it at home, I can’t find myself to experiment further. Maybe one day.

My husband actually prefers I bake gluten free, since he is trying to watch his carbs. He was really pleased when I baked this coffee cake. I used frozen thawed raspberries for this cake, just make sure you drain them, as some liquid will develop from the frozen raspberries. I am sure you could also use fresh ones. I think that will be better. I just couldn’t find any organic raspberries at the store the day off.

I developed the recipe from my other gluten free chocolate cake and apple and caramel coffee cake for the strudle topping. I was super lucky the first time around I experimented making this cake because I hate wasting any ingredients.

On another note, have you check my gluten free Ebook? It contains 25 gluten free awesome recipes never seen before. It is only $2.00 so if you like go ahead and check it out. I am really proud of it, as it took me a long time to develop the recipes, test them, photograph them and design the Ebook.

Anyhow, I live you with this amazing almond and raspberry coffee cake that I hope you get to make soon.

Enjoy!

Some recipes from the Gluten Free Ebook

What is in the Eat Good 4 Life, The Gluten Free E-book?

• A small guide on Celiac disease with some key resources.
• The book contains 4 chapters of brand new recipes which includes breakfast (5), main meals (10), salads (5), and desserts (5)
• Nutrition facts with carbohydrates and fat exchanges for each recipe included.
• Over 35 pages of recipes and full color photographs.
• Recipes that are full proof.
• 25 gluten-free recipes
• The e-book is on PDF format which can be viewed on your computer, iPad and iPhone.

The strudle topping is awesome. You can’t even tell this cake is gluten free. None of your guest and family will notice, I promise. Try it for yourself, you will love it.

Gluten free almond and raspberry coffee cake

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 12-14 servings

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 5 organic eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup unrefined sugar
• 5 oz organic frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
• 3/4 tsp aluminum free baking soda
• 1/4 tsp aluminum free baking powder
• 1 tsp real almond extract

Topping:

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup chopped sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp coconut oil, you can also use olive oil
• 1/2 cup unrefined sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, more if you like

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour, I used brown flour,  a 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan and set aside.

On a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients and set aside.

In a big mixing bowl, with a wire whisk, mix the wet ingredients and mix through. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until all of them are well incorporated.

Pour batter onto the prepared baking dish and place the organic raspberries on top of the batter. Make sure you spread them all around.

Add the struddle topping over the raspberries spreading evenly and bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. I baked mine about 50 minutes.

Cool coffee cake on a wire rack and serve as desired. The coffee cake will keep for up to two days on a cake stand on your kitchen counter.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 12 servings.

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I am venturing in making quite a few new recipes lately. Prime example? This amazing no bake gluten free samoa bars.

I guess these gluten free samoa bars can be a modification of the well known Samoa cookies, that to be honest, I have no idea what they are! Seeing how good they looked and the ingredient list was enough for me to make the  bars.

I must say that these gluten free samoa bars were on the sweet side though because I added a bit more honey to the base than I was suppose to, however, the version posted here has been adjusted in a way in which less honey would be needed. A much better option.

It is also the first time I am using dates for any of my baking, and I must say, it will not be the last. I loved using them. I don’t know why I waited so long. Have also found out that you can buy different type os dates. Some can be pitted while others will still have the pit in it. Either way, they are both still good.

All this week I will be posting some sort of chocolate related recipe so for the following week I will refrain from posting any sweet recipes. I will balance it out with some savory dishes, which to be quite frank, I think you are going to like, so stay tuned.

Until now, enjoy this recipe and stay safe!

Here you can see the base and the middle layers. These bars are out of this world. If you are turned of by the dates don’t be because the flavor is just fantastic.

Gluten free No bake samoa bars

Ingredients:

Base

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup almond flour or almond meal
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2-3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp Celtic salt

Middle layer

• 1 1/2 cups dates, soaked for about 10 minutes in hot water
• 1/3 cup coconut milk or 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/8 tsp Celtic salt, optional
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, vegan if need be

 

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and coconut together until it resembles fine crumbs.  Add in the almond flour, honey, and salt, and process until a moist dough forms.  Press the dough into a parchment lined 8x8" baking pan.

After soaking the dates, drain the water, and pulse in a food processor until a paste forms.  Add the coconut milk, and salt, and process until smooth.  Add the shredded coconut, and pulse until just combined.  Scoop the coconut mixture out, and spread it evenly across the top of the base.  Transfer to the fridge while you work on melting the chocolate.

Place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl, and microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted.

Remove the pan out of the fridge and pour the chocolate over the middle layer spreading it evenly. Place back in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour to harden the chocolate. Remove the mixture out of the fridge and cut into squares.  Store covered in the refrigerator.

Recipe slightly adapted from cooking ala mel

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Lately have been running around like crazy without having much time to get in the kitchen and make some goodies. I think this week has been the craziest ever!!

You see, we are trying to buy a vacation condo in the TN Appalachian mountain area. The paperwork and loan procedures are just unreal…… super stressful to say the least. We are pretty much running around getting documents together. Not only this is not fun, but it takes for ever!!

Anyhow, onto the baking now :-)

This cake is just dreamy. I actually used a very little amount for the glaze so you will probably have to double it. Just a warning :-)

I also made a few alterations to the batter recipe and it did turn out wonderful. I think this is going to be a cake that we will be eating pretty often over the winter.

I have not been doing much baking over the summer because it is just too hot, however I really wanted to try this cake so I am glad I made it.

Let me know if you get to try this one, and until my next post….

Enjoy!!

Here you can see the cake before and after baking. It took me about 40 minutes on a 350F oven.

Making this cake in a 8 inch baking pan, like the original recipe calls for, may be better. You can do like I did though and bake it on a 9 inch instead :-)

Almond and apricot cake

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar, Next time I will use 1/4 cup because I thought it was sweet with 1/2 cup
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup soy milk
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried apricot soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, make sure you pad it dry before adding to the batter

For the glaze

1 cup powdered sugar, I used 1/2 cup with 1 1/2 tbsp of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 4 tablespoons water
Chopped dry apricots, optional

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9 inch round baking pan. You can use a 8 inch if you have one. I think it will look prettier, I just don't have it.

In a bowl, with a wire whisk, mix first 7 ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients and incorporate well.

Pour batter onto the prepared baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

After about 20-30 minutes remove cake for the baking pan and cool completely before glazing.

For the glaze. Mix all of the ingredients, except apricots, and pour over cooled cake. Sprinkle the apricots over the top and serve.

Adapted from Evil shenanigans

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 8 servings.

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These Almond butter banana Granola bars are sensational. They have no added sugar, are super healthy, chewy, and are perfect for a snack. These are not your typical hard and super crispy granola bars since they don’t contain all of the sugar.

These Almond butter banana Granola bars are a great snack. When ever I make them my son takes them to school and loves them. They are also great for breakfast on the go. Next time I will double the batch for sure because they are really good!!

These Almond butter banana Granola bars are the bake version. While I made both baked and no baked versions I think both are super good. I was not able to get decent pictures for the no bake version ones but because they were so good I will be making them again soon. I will try to get some nice pictures  so that I can post the recipe in the blog….. so stay tuned!!

For these bars you can add what ever dry fruit or nuts you may prefer. The mix-ins are endless so get creative and let me know what you come up with.

Enjoy!!

I mashed the bananas with a potato masher. You can do as well with a fork.

Here you can see the roughly chopped almonds ( I used sliced almonds because I did not have whole ones) with the dry fruit. Then add the remainder of the ingredients in the bowl before and after mixing them with a spatula. Not hard at all to do!!

Here you can see before and after baking the granola bars which took about 25-30 minutes.

The granola bars are supposed to turn a bit brown around the edges. That is what you want, just be careful not to burn them though. I used wax paper to wrap the granola bars in and then store them in the fridge for future consumption. These are great for my son as a snack for school. He loves them!!

Like I said before, you can add any nuts or dry fruit of your choice. The combinations are endless!!

Almond butter and banana Granola bars

Yield: 12 bars

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1/ 2 cup almond butter
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup mixed seeds, I used raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds
1 cup gluten free regular rolled oats
2 tablespoons flax seed meal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 8x8 baking square pan with parchment paper.

In a small pot heat almond butter and mashed bananas. Stir gently until well combined. Set aside. ( It takes about a couple of minutes or so)

In a food processor, coarse chop the almonds, apricots, and cranberries. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in seed, flaxseed meal and oats. Fold in the almond butter mixture. Press the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let granola cool before cutting into bars. Wrap each one on wax paper and store in the fridge.

Adapted from Anja's food 4 thought

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I don’t want to bored you with so much oatmeal  but I just find it to be such a convenient and healthy breakfast I can’t stop making it every other day!!

Berry season is here and with this comes using this beautiful and nutritious fruits for what ever I can. Besides making smoothies and ice pops, which berries work really good for that, I want to find ways in which I can incorporate these types of fruits. Incorporating these in a berry and almond oatmeal version I thought it could be good.

Anyhow, I hope you get to try this one as well. It is a great way to start your day!!

Enjoy!!

Here you can see the before and after of this oatmeal version. The left picture shows you all of the ingredients except the berries being cooked away. The right picture was when the oatmeal was done and I added the berries about 30 seconds before I turned off the heat.

The sliced almonds really make this breakfast oatmeal especial. They give this a really nice crunch and flavor that complements the berries really well.

I always buy organic berries. They are more expensive, but they taste much better and do not contained a bunch of pesticides. This is one of the foods you want to invest more money in and get organic. If you can include organic berries in your budget go for it. You will not be sorry!!

I think I can make infinite versions of oatmeal at this point. So far I have made 4 different ones, here they are in case you want to check them out. I don’t know which one is my favorite, because they are all really different and yummy and the same time.

Carrot cake oatmeal
Dark chocolate and peanut butter oatmeal
Apple pie oatmeal

Mixed berry and almond breakfast oatmeal

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
2 1/2 cups almond milk, soy milk, cow's milk will also work
3/4 cups coconut milk, if you don't have any use milk of choice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup flax seed meal, optional, wheat germ or oat bran will also work well
2 cups mixed organic berries, any of your choice will work
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except berries, in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium to high heat, stirring frequently until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until milk has been absorbed and the oats have softened.

Add in the berries and mix them through.

Served with extra almonds and extra milk if desired.

I have not tried making this in a microwave but I am sure it will also work well as long as you stir in between.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 5 servings. This is high in manganese.

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This is my first time making these oatmeal coconut and almond cookies and it will not be the last. I just made one batch as I wanted to experiment with the recipe. I think tomorrow I am making my second batch although this time around I won’t flatten the cookies as much.

I think the coconut, almond and oatmeal combination is superb although I would have liked a little bit more almonds so I will bump the almond quantity to 3/4 cup instead of just 1/2 cup :-)

Anyhow, on another note, I think I am going to have about one more posting after this one, and then I will stop posting until my return in September. As I said before, I am leaving for TN for about 2 wks and then to Spain for 2 months, I can’t wait…this summer is going to be a blast…

Enjoy!!

Here you can see that the cookies turned out quite flat. We liked them like that but if you don’t just don’t press them down that much with the fork or your fingers before baking.

Oatmeal, coconut and almond cookies

Yield: 18-20 cookies

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
2 tablespoons honey
3-4 tablespoons organic low fat milk,  I used soy milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cookie sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl add all of the ingredients. Combine with a rubber spatula and/or using your hands to mix throughly, I use my hands towards the end :-) (You may need to add a couple more tablespoons of milk to the dough to make sure it sticks together)

Place spoonfuls of cookies 2 inches apart, as they will expand during baking, and flatten slightly with a fork or your fingers.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to brown around the edges. Cool cookies in cookie sheets for about 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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