Gluten-free Pistachio Cake with Blackberry Sauce

I had pistachios left over from these amazing dessert bars. There also happened to be a recent sale on blackberries at the local organic deli. So, while at the deli, I looked up desserts that used both pistachios and blackberries and found this winner. I quickly bought the ingredients I was missing and promptly went home to start baking.

 

Aren't those the best kind of days?

 

Processing the pistachios to make the "flour" was fun and I always find separating eggs rather calming. (Which is slightly weird, I know.) While the process to make this batter is a little time consuming, I enjoyed it a lot.

 

The cake was pretty with a slight hint of green when it came out of the oven.

Adding the blackberry sauce made this cake even prettier!

Don't you agree?

This cake ended up being gluten free since the pistachios acted as the flour. With the mixture of powdered and white sugar this cake ended up being very light, almost like an angel food cake or like a cake version of a macron. If you are like me and happen to have some pistachios on hand, this recipe is a good use for them.

Pistachio Cake with Blackberry Sauce (adapted from SugarHero which adapted it from Simply Recipes)

For the Pistachio Cake:
1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios, either roasted or raw
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs at room temperature, separated into yolks and whites
zest from one orange
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

For the Blackberry Sauce:12 oz fresh blackberries
3 tbsp granulated sugar (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp corn starch

To Make the Pistachio Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Place the shelled pistachios in the bowl of a food processor and process for about 10 seconds, until they’re in small pieces. Add the powdered sugar and continue to process in 10-second intervals until the pistachios are a fine powder. Stop and scrape the corners of the bowl occasionally if you see pistachios are starting to build up there. The goal is to get the nuts as finely ground as possible. Don’t over-process them or you’ll risk them becoming greasy and turning into pistachio butter.
Once the nuts are finely ground, transfer them to a small bowl, add the baking powder, and whisk everything together.

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, orange zest, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and whisk well. Add the pistachio mixture and stir with a rubber spatula. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a large stand mixer, and whip them on medium speed with the whisk attachment until they become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed until you reach medium-high. When soft peaks form, start adding the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it’s all incorporated. Whip until the egg whites form firm peaks but are not crumbly—they should be glossy and have body, like shaving cream.

Add a quarter of the egg whites to the pistachio mixture which will be a sticky and stiff process at first. Once it’s incorporated, your batter should be looser, so add another quarter and fold it in gently, then add the remaining egg whites in two batches, folding gently so as not to deflate the whites.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, until it is puffed, golden, and the sides are pulling away from the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack, then release it from the springform pan to serve.

To Make the Blackberry Sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the blackberries and the sugar. As the berries heat up, they will soften and release their juices. Cook the berries, stirring occasionally until they start to lose their shape. You don’t want them completely liquefied, but they should break down a little bit and be very, very juicy.

Meanwhile, whisk together the orange juice and corn starch in a small bowl until the starch dissolves. Once the berries have broken down, whisk the starch mixture into the berries and cook it for a few minutes until it starts to thicken. (It won’t be a drastic change.) Remove the pan from the heat and cool the sauce until it is room temperature. As the sauce cools, it will continue to get thicker. Store extra blackberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Bake well and prosper!

Gluten-free Apricot Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Bars

Wow. I have writer's block. I feel as if I have nothing to talk about for this post. Do you ever get writer's block?

 

I would write about fall coming to NYC, but maybe it's springtime where you live. I would write about the opera I was in last week, but it seems like it ended months ago and doesn't seem as important a subject any more..

Maybe one of the reasons I have writer's block is because I have a song stuck in my head. I don't think it's leaving any room in my brain for much else...

 

In which case, let me just skip to writing about this dessert. I decided that since I had gluten-fee oatmeal, I would buy some gluten-free all purpose flour and make these bars gluten-free.

 

Now, dear readers, gluten-free doesn't mean it's super healthy. It just means people with aversion to wheat gluten can have these (and maybe non-celiacs would find these easier to digest as well.) Either way, these bars are a heavenly mix of tart apricots with buttery, crumbly granola-esque crust. The addition of the occasional chunk of dark chocolate had me going back for seconds...and thirds...

Gluten-free Apricot Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Bars (adapted from One Perfect Bite)

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1-1/4 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup chopped, shelled natural pistachios
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
1 jar (~15 ounces) apricot preserves

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Using an electric mixer, combine flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt; mix on low speed until well combined. Add butter and mix on medium until butter is mostly blended and mixture appears moist and begins to pull together, about 3 minutes. The mixture will still be slightly chunky. Stir in pistachios. Transfer 1-1/2 cups of crumb mixture to another bowl, then stir dried apricots and chocolate chunks into it and refrigerate.
2) Firmly press remaining mixture into the bottom of a13x9-inch baking pan (not greased). Bake in middle of oven for 25 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes. Make sure oven is at 325 degrees and spread apricot preserves evenly on top, leaving a 1/8-inch border around the edge of the crust.
3) Crumble reserved crumb mixture over apricot preserves. Return to oven and bake until lightly browned and fruit filling is bubbling all over, including the center of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing into bars.

Bake well and prosper! 

Raw and Gluten Free Magic Bars & Blog Birthday!

"Happy birthday to my blog! Happy birthday to...oh wow. FOUR years?!" Those were the thoughts that coursed through my mind while getting ready for this post. I cannot believe I have been blogging about my baked goods (and sometimes my life) for four years. It doesn't seem like four years. It seems like two and a half. It's been so fun and cathartic and, well, delicious!

 

I must admit that I was a little saddened to read last year's blogiversary post...and the year before's post...and the blogiversary post from 2009. Besides travelling more (yay!), it seems like not much has changed in my life over four years except for the apartments I live in and my hair. (Which is nice and "long" now compared to when I had a pixie cut.)

(Yes, that IS me eating a fried oreo in Little Italy.)

 

Besides these two things I'm still working the same day job, I still sing operatically, I still run (well, I did until my injury last week), and I still love hanging out with my friends whenever possible. (And sometimes I do more than one of these things at a time!)

It's not that I was expecting some drastic change in my life within the last fours years, and quite frankly I can be very thankful that nothing drastic HAS happened. Whew!

 

But then I realized that one thing has changed (besides me joining pinterest...). It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me so maybe that's why I didn't think of it right away, but, in the grand scheme of my blog, it IS rather important:

 

I enjoy eating healthy!

 

Yes, ever since Feb, 2012, I've incorporated more fruits, veggies, and nuts in my diet. There are also many weeks when I do a raw foods diet.

 

Don't worry. I still love desserts and still completely believe that life IS too short to skip dessert. But my taste buds have become a little more picky and I prefer artisnal, lightly crafted desserts more than the heavy, super processed, and preservative heavy desserts. The fact that there is an abundance of blogs out there with posts on those kind of desserts makes me feel ok about the lack of them on my blog. (Mind you, I'll still bake them from time to time...especially around Christmas time.)

 

I've actually been enjoying baking vegan, gluten-free, raw,  or just healthy desserts recently (which I'm sure that you, my awesome readers, have noticed.) It's so fun to make up my own recipes as well, like the recipe for this post. I loved my raw and gluten free magic bars so much that I've been making single serving parfaits for myself each day this week.

Besides this "hits the spot" recipe, some of the other recipes I loved/am proud of that I made this last year are:

•Overnight Coffee Loaves I was so proud of myself for making these. They were perfect, just perfect (and even more so when eaten right after they came out of the oven.) I hope to make them again when I have more time to take better photos of them.

•Homemade Donuts This recipe pushed me out of my baking comfort zone which resulted in amazing donuts. Once again, I was very proud of myself for the success of these donuts.

•No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Granola Cookies  These were an instant hit and it's hard to eat just one. I'm currently wishing I had one to eat right now...maybe I'll make a healthier version of them soon...

•Raw & Gluten Free Honey Bunches of Oats Bars I made up this recipe after making my own almond butter for the first time. I was proud of my own recipe and happy with the yumminess of the bars.

•Heart Shaped Italian Macarons This recipe required a lot of attention and I'm happy to report that both times I made macarons in the last year they all turned out to be scrumptious. These heart shaped ones were so cute! Next time I'll try to make some without splits on top.

•Cherry Poppyseed Cake I'll just reiterate what I wrote about this cake back in summer: This cake is so lovely, especially for summer seeing it's somewhat light in consistency and uses cherries. I added a nice whipped cream that helped bring out the flavors of the poppy seeds and the cherries. I highly recommend making this cake.

•"Almazing" Almond Bars I am dead serious about these bars being amazing. I'm craving one right now just thinking about them!

•Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting Thankfully I decided to enter a baking contest this year. While I didn't win, this is hands down my favorite recipe of the year. I made it three times within a week since it was so amazing. (And part of the recipe is mine!)

 

There are plenty more recipes I loved this past year, but these are the ones that stick out in my mind the most.

 

Hopefully my next year of blogging will be just as successful when it comes to baking. I can't wait for another delicious year! 

Raw and Gluten Free Magic Bars (an Erika Beth original recipe)

1 cup raw & pitted dates (I used medjool dates)

2 Tablespoons of nut milk (I used a mixed nut milk)

1 Tablespoon of raw honey

1 cup pecan butter (I made my own - feel free to substitute a different nut butter)

1/2 cup of gluten free dried oats

1/4 cup of unsweetened, dried, and shredded coconut

2 Tablespoons of cacao nibs

 

In a medium bowl, stir the honey into the nut milk and then soak the dates in the mixture for an hour. Then put the dates and the milk into a food processor and process until the mixture becomes sticky and like caramel. Mix the pecan butter with the oats and spread evenly on the bottom of a small square container (about 4x4 inches. *see photo below). Once an even layer is on the bottom of the container, spread the date "caramel" evenly on top of that layer. Then sprinkle the coconut on top of the caramel layer. Then sprinkle the cacao nibs on top of the coconut. Refrigerate for at least an hour and then cut into small squares and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!

Gluten-Free Almond Butter Cookies

Wow...I've been on an almond kick, haven't I? If you've noticed, this is my 3rd post in a row involving almonds. ("Almazing" Almond Bars and Raw & Gluten-Free Honey Bunches of Oats Bars are the other two.)

 

Well, what can I say? I love almonds and I love making almond butter in my new food processor. My shiny, magical, incredibly awesome 12 cup food processor. 

I'm still in awe. (And I still need to watch the instructional video that came with it...)

 

Want to see something else I recently got for my kitchen (since I haven't posted about my kitchen in awhile?) Sure you do!

Aren't these the cutest?! (Don't worry, I still have my giraffe measuring spoons!) I bought these a couple of weekends ago when I was hanging out with my best friend from college. She's leaving to do a year abroad in England and when I use these spoons I'll think of her. Especially when I use the 1/4 tsp one because we have an inside joke about squirrels...

 

Thinking of my best friend being abroad for a year is exciting and a little sad at the same time. Thankfully, I made these cookies and got to eat them for comfort. (Don't worry...they are rather healthy cookies!)

 

These cookies are gluten-free AND chewy. Yes, I know. You don't see those two words describing cookies usually, but it's true. And guess what! They're very easy to adapt with your favorite chocolate or nuts or toppings!

Gluten-Free Almond Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 C of raw almond butter (I made mine with 2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar. I highly suggest making yours with brown sugar, too!)

1 egg

1/4 C honey

1 teaspoon baking soda

dark chocolate chips or chunks of a dark chocolate bar

raw pecans pieces (only need around 10)

1/4 C shredded coconut (I used unsweetened dessicated coconut)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Add almond butter, egg, salt and baking soda into a stand mixer. Mix until well combined.

3. Add honey and mix until well combined. (Dough will be really sticky.)

4. Stir in chocolate.

5. Measure approx 1 tablespoon of dough and drop onto prepared cookie sheet. Space approx 1″ apart.

6. Sprinkle coconut and salt on top of each drop of dough to your liking and then press pieces of pecans on top of the dough.

7. Bake for approx 8-10 minutes and remove from oven when slightly golden. Cool on baking sheet for 4 more minutes and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool before enjoying.

Bake well and prosper!

Raw & Gluten Free Honey Bunches of Oats Bars

You know when it's just too hot out to turn on the oven? You know, so hot that you're sweating when you're just standing in your kitchen, let alone moving in your kitchen?  Yeah, well, NYC is going through an end of summer heat wave right now and I just couldn't bear to turn on the oven. (Sometimes I do, mind you...but I just couldn't do it this time seeing the weather's been so nice recently.) (Oh, and no, I don't have an AC unit in my kitchen.)

 

So, I decided to use my new 12 cup food processor and make almond butter for the first time. After I made that, I decided to see what kind of bar I could make with some of the almond butter. 

 

Sometimes making up your own recipe creates an incredibly scrumptious, "hit-the spot" dessert. This one contains a strong honey flavor while also packing in protein awesomeness with the almonds. I highly suggest that you, too, go have some fun in your kitchen by making up your own recipes (if you haven't already...) Just make sure to stay cool when you do!

Raw & Gluten Free Honey Bunches of Oats Bars

           (an Erika Beth, the Messy Chef recipe)

3/4 C Almond Butter

4 Medjool dates, finely chopped with a knife or ground down in a food processor

1/2 C+ gluten free rolled oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Brand)

1 Tablespoon+ honey

 

Mix almond butter and chopped dates in a bowl. Once well combined, add oats. Mix until well combined. Feel free to add more oats until texture is to your liking. Once well combined, stir in the honey. Add more honey to liking. When completely combined, mixture should stick together and be close to a ball shape. Grab some of the dough and make it into a bar shape. Place in container or on a plate and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Serve slightly chilled.

Bake well and prosper!

Gluten-free Spicy Chickpea Brownies

Oh yes...you read correctly. Chickpeas. Brownies. Spice!

My friend sent me this recipe and I recently had a chance to make it for her. They were met with rave reviews.

 

I enjoyed this gluten free alternative brownie. The texture was very fudgy, which makes sense since they are made with liquidy/mushy chickpeas!

I had one friend say that he could tell that the brownies weren't made from normal ingredients but he would never have guessed chickpeas.

 

That surprise combined with the hint of cayenne pepper make these brownies a keeper for flavor filled gluten-free dessert recipes.

Gluten-free Spicy Chickpea Brownies (adapted from The Hairpin)
Ingredients
2 cups chickpeas
12 ounces of dark/semi sweet organic/fair trade chocolate
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 eggs
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (dark/semi-sweet)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon ginger (ground)
½+ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9x9 brownie pan with parchment paper and lightly spray the paper with  olive oil.
2. Dry chickpeas on a couple of layers of paper towels.
3. Once excess liquid is gone, puree the chickpeas in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Scrape down the edges and puree until all of it is completely smooth. (Erika's Extras: My puree was still a little chunky and it turned out fine.)
4. In a double boiler, melt chocolate with the olive oil. Add it to the chickpeas and blend until it’s well mixed.
5. Add eggs, vanilla, and sugar and blend. Add the cocoa and spices and blend some more.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
8. Bake for about 25 minutes. (Erika's Extras: I baked mine for ~40 minutes. These are hard to overcook.)

Bake well and prosper!

Raw Almond Joy Macaroons

I suppose I can add this recipe to my New Year's resolution: try new methods of baking/making dessert. The thing is, I'm very familiar with the raw foods lifestyle. In fact, and this might come as a shock to you, I eat a raw foods diet a lot.

 

Are you back on your chair yet?

 

I know. It's a little alarming. Someone with a baking blog who eats raw?!

 

Well, it's true!

 

And I am happy to say that I finally made a raw dessert!

Usually I buy raw desserts to consume. Then I saw a recipe for one that didn't require a dehydrator!

 

I found some cacao nibs and some dates and made these yummy treats. Try it for yourself or make it for your raw foodie friend or a celiac friend since they are also gluten free.

Raw Almond Joy Macaroons (adapted from Oh Ladycakes)

1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or un)

3/4 cup raw almonds
Pinch of salt
8 pitted medjool dates
3 tbsp raw almond milk (or water) (Erika's Extras: I used water)
1/4 cup cacao nibs

1+ Tablespoon of agave nectar

Blend the coconut, 1/2 cup of the almonds, and salt in a food processor. Blend until conformed into a thin constitency/dough. Add the dates and blend until combinded. Add the water or almond milk and continue to blend in or stir in with a spoon when transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the cocoa nibs. Coarsely chop the remaining almonds and add them into the mixture along witht he agave nectar. Grab a little less than a tablespoon of the dough and roll into a ball. Drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After 30 minutes in the freezer they are ready to eat. Keep stored in a container in the freezer until they're all gone (which shouldn't be more than 3 days since they're so good!)

 

Erika's Extras: Feel free to reduce the recipe. Easy to do when there's no eggs involved.

Bake well and prosper!

Black Forest Trifle (made with Gluten Free Brownies!)

One of the gals here at my summer opera program doesn't eat gluten products, so of course I jumped at the chance to make her a gluten free dessert.

I researched gluten free brownie recipes and tried two recipes. The first one did not bake well in altitude and although it was very good, it was very fudgey and messy. The second one was amazing and uses almond butter.

So, for July 4th I made a couple of trifles with the brownies and then also had the brownies by themselves on the side. All the opera singers LOVED it. (As did I.) And I even gave an extra trifle to the gluten-free gal to take home and enjoy.

Gluten Free Brownies (from Elana's Pantry)

1 (16 ounce) jar creamy roasted almond butter

2 eggs

1 ¼ cups agave nectar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ cup cacao powder

½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (Erika's Extras: I just used normal salt and it was fine)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate chips

In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth with a hand mixer.

Mix in eggs, then mix in agave and vanilla.

Blend in cacao, salt and baking soda, then fold in chocolate chips.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish (glass is better).

Pour batter into dish.

Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes.

(Erika's Extras: For high altitude baking I used 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and set the oven to 335.)

Almond Whipped Cream

8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups heavy cream

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add in heavy cream, incorporating a little at a time to prevent splattering. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer to high, and beat until soft peaks form.

 

For the trifle, layer cream, brownies, and sliced cherries.

Bake well and prosper!

Missouri Millionaires (Gluten Free)

It's the night before Christmas and all through my house, I am stirring and not being a louse. I've been cleaning and baking and a'picture taking.

For instance, here's a picture of the famous tree found at Rockefeller Center in NYC this year: 

It's a good one this year. However, I can't help but be partial to my own little and humble tree in my apartment:

The color scheme is plum and ivory and it is lovely!

Oh, and I can't forget the beautiful choral angel on top:

I think my little tree is about 300%  smaller than the Rockefeller tree. And I know it's smaller than my parents' tree. We always had 6 foot or taller trees for Christmas. My mom loves decorating the tree and passed her love of the Christmas tree down to me.

She also passed down her sweet tooth to me and today's recipe is her creation. It's a spin on Texas Millionaires and is Day 11 out of my 12 days of Christmas Recipes. It looks like I'll be right on time with my project. :) 

Missouri Millionaires (from my Mom's Best Recipes Book)
1 14-oz pkg caramels
2 T whole milk
1 1/2 C chopped cashews
1/4 chopped dried cranberries
1 giant Hershey milk chocolate bar (7.4 oz)
1/8+ block paraffin
(Chocolate Bark or Chocolate Candy Coating can substitute for the bar and paraffin)

Melt together caramels and milk in a double boiler.
Once melted, turn off stove and add cashews and cranberries.
Drop by tablespoon onto greased platter or wax paper and then chill in freezer.

Melt chocolate and paraffin (or Chocolate Bark/Coating) in double boiler. Remove candy from freezer and dip in chocolate mixture. Put back on wax paper/platter and chill. Once chocolate has solidified and cooled, serve and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!