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White and Dark Paleo Mint Chocolate Bark

December 13, 2012 in Candies and Confections, Holiday Treats, Nut-Free Baking

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I saw for grasshopper bark on pinterest.  I immediately set to researching as many versions of dairy-free homemade white chocolate I could find.  The best paleo white chocolate recipe to start with came from this recipe from the Paleo Parents (no weird sweeteners, no bizarre binders, just clean paleo… er, well, paleo with sugar).  I have modified the recipe slightly to use less sugar (with that powerful mint flavor, you don’t need as much sugar).  I also decided against the use of food coloring to make the white chocolate green, but you could definitely add that if you wanted to (in that case, I would use white sugar instead of evaporated cane juice so you get a brighter color).

I used unsweetened 100% dark chocolate for the base layer in this bark because I liked the contrast of the bitter dark chocolate and the sweet minty white chocolate.  You could substitute a bittersweet chocolate if you prefer.

I don’t know how many servings to call this.  Respectably, 4 or 5, but too easy for one person to gobble down before anyone even knows it’s been made (speaking from experience here…).

Ingredients (White Chocolate Layer):

 

  1. Blend sugar in a food processor or blender until it forms a fine white powder (I used a Magic Bullet).  Mix sugar with arrowroot powder and set aside.
  2. Melt cocoa butter in a medium bowl in the microwave or over low heat on stovetop.  This takes longer than you think, so keep setting the microwave for one more minute, stir and check, one more minute, etc.  I think it took about 4 minutes in total, but it would depend on how big your chunks of cocoa butter are.
  3. Once the cocoa butter is melted, mix in sugar and arrowroot powder a little bit at a time whisking thoroughly to help the sugar dissolve.
  4. Once the sugar and arrowroot powder is fully incorporated, add the peppermint oil.
  5. Let the white chocolate cool until it is thicker, but still warm enough to be liquid (if it’s too runny, it won’t make a nice swirl patter when you pour it over the base layer).

Ingredients (Dark Chocolate Layer):

  1. Prepare an 8”x8” glass dish or cake pan by lining with a sheet of wax paper (you could also try greasing with butter or palm shortening).  You could use a 9”x9” pan, but your bark will be a little thinner.  A great alternative would be a silicone cake pan because no liner would be necessary.
  2. Melt chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.  As soon as it’s melted, stir in vanilla (this just helps soften the chocolate slightly).
  3. Pour into prepared dish or cake pan and spread out to evenly cover the dish.
  4. Pour the cooled but still liquid minty white chocolate layer over top.
  5. With a knife, trace swirly patterns through the melted chocolate until it looks pretty.
  6. Refrigerate until set.  Remove from pan (the wax paper will make this job really easy) and break into pieces.  Enjoy!

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Vanilla Layer Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting (Nut-Free and Makes Great Cupcakes Too!)

November 26, 2012 in Cakes and Cupcakes, Nut-Free Baking

I decorated my daughter’s birthday cupcakes with purple M&Ms (which are not paleo!)

I know that many of you have been eagerly awaiting this recipe.  Of all of my cake recipes, this is my favorite so far.  The cake flavor and texture is fabulous and what better (or more classic) way to top a vanilla cake than with a light and fluffy dark chocolate frosting (you can also skip the whipping step for a more ganache-like texture).  You can definitely serve this cake to non-paleo company (I just did at my daughter’s third birthday party and everyone loved it!).

I have made this cake both as a layer cake and as cupcakes.  It works very well either way.  A note on frosting:  I actually like to make a 1.5X batch of this frosting for a three-layer cake, but I’m a big fan of Pollyanna style cakes, piled high with light creamy frosting (anyone else love that movie as a kid?).  I wrote the recipe this way because it’s a perfect quantity for the cupcakes, and if you aren’t too generous with the amount of frosting in between layers (or if you prefer using something like raspberry jam).  The first time I made this cake, I used the frosting unwhipped.  I definitely prefer the texture whipped, but thought I would include both options.  You can control how sweet the frosting is by how dark of chocolate you use.  I used semisweet for my daughter’s cupcakes but 80% for my husband’s birthday cake.  Just remember that adding palm shortening to the chocolate will dilute the sweetness.

This recipe makes three 8” or 9” round layers or makes 24 cupcakes (this would probably work as a sheet cake too, but you’ll have to experiment with the cooking time).

Yes, this recipe calls for a whole lot of eggs.  No, it is not a typo.  No, it does not make for an eggy cake.  Trust me on this one.

 

Ingredients (Whipped Dark Chocolate Frosting):

  1. Melt chocolate and palm shortening together on the stove top or in the microwave, being careful not to burn.  Mix to completely combine.
  2. Let cool to room temperature (this takes several hours, but you can hurry it up in the fridge).  Use as is, or:
  3. Whip frosting in a standing mixer with whisk attachment for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

 

Ingredients (Vanilla Cake):

  1.  Prepare cake pans or muffin pans.
    • If using round cake pans:  trace the bottom of the pan on a piece of wax paper and cut out the circle (3 of them, actually).  Grease the pan with palm shortening, lay the wax paper circle over the bottom and then grease the wax paper.  Add a little arrowroot powder (1-2 Tbsp) to the pan and tap and swish around the pan to coat (discard any leftover after then pan is coated).  Repeat with the other two cake pans.
    • If you are using muffin pans for cupcakes: line each muffin cup with a paper liner or silicone muffin cup liner.  I think you could probably grease and flour each muffin cup if you wanted to, but I haven’t tried so I can’t vouch for how cleanly the cupcakes would come out.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F.
  3. Beat eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer for 1 minute.  Add honey, palm shortening, coconut oil, and vanilla.  Slice vanilla bean open lengthwise with a sharp knife.  Scrape the seeds out of each half of the pod with your knife and add to the batter.  Beat to combine (don’t worry if they don’t really come together yet).
  4. In a separate bowl, combine arrowroot powder, sifted coconut flour, baking soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until batter is smooth.  Allow batter to sit for 1-2 minutes to thicken.
  5. Pour batter into prepared cake pans, dividing evenly.  Use a rubber spatula to spread batter out to the edges.  If making cupcakes, fill each liner approximately 2/3 full.
  6. Stagger cake pans or muffin pans in the oven.  Bake round layers for 27-28 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown on top and a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean.  Cupcakes only take about 22 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven and let cake pans cool on a wire rack completely before removing from pan.  Cupcakes can be removed from the muffin pans earlier.
  8. To remove cake layers from round cake pans, first run a knife around the edge of the cake.  Put your hand over the top of the cake and invert the pan.  The cake should fall into your hand (if not, try putting the pan upside down on a cutting board and tap the bottom gently).  Put a plate or cutting board where the pan used to be and flip back right side up.  Voila!
  9. Now it’s time to frost!  The frosting doesn’t pipe that well, but you can if you want to (it tends to melt with the heat of your hand, but if you can work quickly, go for it!).  If you’re frosting cupcakes, just spread a nice dollop over the top with a pastry knife.  If your frosting a layer cake, place layer one on your serving dish, add some frosting and spread it over the top of the layer, add another cake layer, repeat with the frosting, add the last cake layer.  Use the rest of the frosting to coat the top and the sides.
  10. Enjoy!!!!

 

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The Best Ever Paleo Vanilla Ice “Cream”

May 16, 2012 in Frozen Treats

This recipe is not about making the easiest paleo vanilla ice cream, but rather about making the best paleo vanilla ice cream.  The secret to this amazing tasting ice cream is combining two different homemade milk alternatives: almond and coconut.  The combination means that neither flavor overpowers the vanilla and you end up with just wonderful tasting vanilla ice “cream”.  By making your own almond and coconut milk, you get a fresh, creamy, clean taste that you just can’t replicate with coconut milk from a can or store-bought almond milk full of homogenizing ingredients (like guar gum, which is a gut irritant!).  It takes a little planning ahead, but it really isn’t much work.  Yields about 1 quart of ice cream.

Note on ice cream makers:  This is a great investment for paleo families because it opens up so many delicious possibilities.  The Ice Cream Maker that Santa brought me is fairly simple, with a bowl that lives in the coldest part of my freezer ready for whenever I feel like whipping up some sorbet for dessert.  It makes very creamy ice cream in about 10 minutes, sometimes less, and it is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.  You could make this ice cream by putting the custard in a metal bowl in the freezer and whisking every 20 minutes or so for the 3-4 hours that it would take to harden.  I did this once before getting an Ice Cream Maker.  It works, but it isn’t as good as using a machine (one of the reasons why it was on my Christmas list last year).

 

Ingredients:

1.    Soak almonds in at least 2 cups water overnight.  Rinse almonds thoroughly (until water rinses clear).  Add 2 cups fresh water to almonds.
2.    Place soaked almonds and water in blender and blend on high for 3-4 minutes (I divide mine into two batches and do this in my Magic Bullet).
3.    Strain almond pulp through a folded square of Cheesecloth, Nut-Milk Bag or Extra Fine Mesh Strainer.  Discard pulp.
4.    Add 2 cups hot freshly boiled water to the coconut in a blender.  Blend on high for 4-5 minutes (Again, I divide mine into two batches and do this in my Magic Bullet).
5.    Strain coconut pulp through a folded square of Cheesecloth, Nut-Milk Bag or Extra Fine Mesh Strainer.  (You will probably want to wait for it to cool a little to help you squeeze the coconut milk out).  Discard pulp.
6.    Place almond milk and coconut milk into a medium saucepot.  Slice the vanilla bean in half with a sharp knife and add to the pot.
7.    Heat on medium-low heat, stirring very frequently, until hot and steaming but just short of a simmer (do not let the milk simmer!).
8.    Separate eggs (discard whites or save for another purpose) and place yolks in a heat-safe container (a pyrex measuring cup works well).
9.    Temper the egg yolks by adding a ladle full of hot milk to the yolks while stirring the yolks.  Now add the tempered yolks to the saucepot, again stirring constantly.
10.  Heat the mixture on medium-low, stirring constantly and never letting it simmer, until the custard thickens (should coat the back of a wooden spoon and be about as thick as heavy cream), about 6-8 minutes.  (If the custard boils, the egg will curdle.  If this happens, it’s still salvageable:  remove from heat immediately and pulse through a blender until smooth.)
11.  Remove from heat and pour into a bowl or measuring cup to cool.
12.  Let cool to room temperature.  Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the vanilla seeds off the bean with a spoon or the back of a sharp knife.  Add the vanilla seeds back to the custard and discard the pod.  Stir in the honey.
13.  Chill the custard in the fridge until cold.
14.  Place the chilled custard in your Ice Cream Maker and follow the directions.  Enjoy!  Store any leftovers in the soft zone of your freezer.

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