Homemade Pancakes with Maple Syrup
Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa - Family Style
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Anna's GF Cake Flour Blend,* or your own favorite flour blend
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup Kefir, or yogurt
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
butter
1- 2 bananas, diced, for serving, or fresh fruit and berries
Pure maple syrup
Directions
In a medium-sized bowl blend together the GF flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat together the sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ones, whisking until combined.
Melt butter in a large skillet, or griddle, over medium heat until the butter bubbles. Pour some off the pancake batter into the pan to make 4, to 6, small pancakes. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until some bubbles appear on top and the underside is lightly browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until nicely browned. Add a little more butter to the pan, and continue until all the batter is used. Serve with maple syrup, sliced bananas, and/or fresh berries.
Anna's GF Cake Flour Blend:
2 cups brown rice flour
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup potato/or corn starch
1 1/4 cups tapioca starch
I'm grateful for this luxurious liquid gold!
Neapolitan Cakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes 6 mini cakes
Ingredients
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp potato starch
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Sweetapolita’s Swiss Meringue Buttercream
5 large fresh egg whites
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Line a jelly roll pan (rectangular pan about 16”x 11” x 11”) with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow ribbons form.
In a medium sized-bowl, mix the potato starch, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and coconut.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
Spread batter into the prepared pan and bake for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Meanwhile, cut a piece of parchment the same size as the jelly pan, and place on the kitchen counter. Sprinkle sugar all over the parchment paper.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 6 minutes.
Invert cake onto prepared parchment paper.
Slowly, starting at one corner, remove the parchment from the bottom of cake. If the paper sticks to the cake - using a pastry brush, brush the paper with a little cold water, then remove the paper.
Place a clean kitchen towel on top of the cake. Let cool completely.
Prepare Sweetapolita’s Swiss meringue buttercream: This buttercream is just amazing. I found it on a www.sweetapolita.com - a blog featuring gorgeous cakes, with tons of tips. Even for a gluten-free baker!
Add egg whites and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so).
Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth).
Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined. You can also add a wide variety of flavorings, extracts, and more, but always add the vanilla first, as it brings out the true taste of the other flavors.
Makes approximately 5 cups of buttercream.
Divide buttercream evenly into 3 bowls. Flavor 1/3 with chocolate, 1/3 with 4 tbsp raspberry jam, and leave final 1/3 vanilla.
For Chocolate Buttercream: melt 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave oven for 10 seconds, stir, continuing in 10 seconds intervals until melted. Blend with buttercream until smooth. Use good quality chocolate. I like Ghirardelli Chocolate.
For Raspberry Buttercream: add 3-4 tablespoons of raspberry jam to taste. Blend until combined.
You’ll end up with leftover buttercream. Not a problem. Keep buttercream in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week, leaving out at room temperature when needed, re-whipping in mixer for 5 minutes. Or freeze for up to 6-8 weeks. To thaw, place on counter overnight, and rewhip for 5 minutes with paddle attachment in an electric mixer.
Assembly of the Neapolitan Cakes
Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 18 rounds of the cake. The recipe makes 6 mini cakes - 3 rounds for each cake. Lay out 6 cake-circles in front of you on the kitchen counter or on a platter.
Spread the bottom layers with the chocolate buttercream. Add the second cake layers. Spread with vanilla buttercream. Add the top cake layers, and spread with raspberry buttercream. Top with GF chocolate sprinkles, if desired.
Cover the cakes loosely with plastic wrap or a cake dome. The cakes keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator 3 hours before serving, to let the buttercream soften. If eaten the same day, keep the cakes covered at room temperature.
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Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add the milk to the melted butter and heat until about 110-115 degrees F. Pour the heated liquid into a medium-sized bowl.
Add the yeast, psyllium husks, 1 tsp sugar and whisk together until yeast has dissolved. Let sit for 10 minutes to proof and activate the yeast. The liquid should expand.
Pour the yeast liquid into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar, honey, salt, guar gum, gelatin, the whisked eggs, cardamom, and gluten-free flours to the mixer. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl occasionally. The dough will be sticky, do not worry, this is normal.
Remove the mixing bowl. Drape a clean kitchen towel, or plastic wrap, over the bowl. Place the mixing bowl in a warm part of the kitchen, and let the dough rise for 75 minutes.
Shape the dough into 3" balls by scooping the dough out with a large spoon. Using wet hands, gently press into shape. You might need to wet your hands in between each roll, to prevent the dough from sticking and to create a smooth surface. But take care not to make the dough soggy.
Place the rolls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Allow the rolls to rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, for 40 minutes.
During the last 20 minutes of the rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove covers from the baking sheets. Using a pastry brush, brush each roll with the egg wash.
Bake near center of the oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until golden.
Transfer the rolls to a wire rack, cover with the kitchen towels, and let cool to room temperature. The buns are also delicious on their own, sliced and spread with some butter.
Once cool, cut a slice off the top of the bun. Scoop out the center of the bun.
Blend the almond paste with the milk until smooth. Add additional milk if needed until the filling is nearly as soft as pudding.
Whip cream with the confectioners' sugar to soft peaks. Fill each bun with a spoonful of the almond mixture. Pipe whipped cream on top of the filling to about 1/2 inch over the top of the bun. Replace the top onto the bun, and dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Dig in!
*Psyllium husks are the same as Metamusil, which is gluten-free. Get the unflavored variety. This adds fiber, texture and elasticity to the dough.
