Christmas cake

I am going to make a gluten-free Christmas cake, or to be more precise, some gluten-free Christmas cakes, as I've got some dinky little pink and blue silicone bun cases I thought would look just lovely. I usually do my Mum a box of mini nice things for Christmas and was about to buy a pretty little cake in John Lewis when I remembered the bun cases. So I'm looking for a recipe quickly before I drink all the rum I bought for it!

On Saturday night I went to Hitchcock's vegetarian restaurant in Hull with the lovely Natasha and the lovely Hannah. It was bloody marvellous. I do get so disappointed by veggie restaurant food, but this was fab. The theme was English food, and there was toad in the hole, shepherd's pie, mushroom and ale pie, Yorkshire puds, roast potatoes, gravy, red cabbage, lots of other veg, cheese sauce, mint sauce, mustard and about 10 different types of pudding!

Mr F-P was a bit poorly last night and had to go to the A&E in an ambulance, doped up with morphine for the pain. Turns out he has kidney stones. It was all rather horrid - not least for him of course!

Anyway, I'll put some pics of the Christmas buns on when I make them.

Almond Cake

This seems to have degenerated into simply a recipe blog but what the hell! The Husband had a slice of Bakewell Tart the other day, and it looked lovely, so I decided I would make the filling without the pastry, cos I really didn't want to get into making gluten-free pastry - life probably really is too short! Anyway, I found a recipe for Bakewell Tart in a book, and copied out the filling part. Then I timesed it by half. This cake was incredibly easy and absolutely gorgeous!!!
6oz butter
6oz sugar
6oz ground almonds
3 large eggs
2 or 3 tblsp red jam
some almond essence.
1. Melt the butter.
2. Mix the almonds and sugar.
3. Beat the eggs.
4. mix all together and add the almond essence - I've got the natural one and used probably about 5 or 6 drops - it could have taken more.
5. Heat the oven to about 200.
6. Grease 2 sandwich tins and line the bases with paper, grease that.
7. Pour the better into the tins and bake for about 20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes then turn out carefully. 9. Put the jam in a dish and microwave it briefly (half a minute or so) until it melts.
10. Spread the jam on one half of the cake and put the other half on top. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream.
The picture isn't my cake, I took a nice picture of mine but then I put the memory card from the camera in the wrong slot on the computer and I can't get it out!

Ginger Cake

I've just made my gluten free ginger cake again, and I wrote the recipe down this time!! So, here it is, and it is DELICIOUS!!!
(apologies to anyone who has a gas oven, I don't know the equivalent temperature)

Ginger Cake

180g butter
2tblsp black treacle or molasses
120g dark brown, molasses or muscovado sugar
50g caster sugar
75g ground almonds
150g polenta
2 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp xanthan gum
4 tsp ground ginger
3 eggs
1tblsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180º
Melt the butter, sugar and black treacle/molasses in a pan over a gentle heat.
Mix the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder, xanthan gum and ginger in a large bowl.
When the butter/sugar mix is completely melted, pour it into the dry ingredients and mix well (use a food processor or electric whisk if you like).
Add the eggs and beat all together well. Add the milk to soften the mixture and beat well again.
Grease a rectangular baking tin and line with greaseproof paper. Grease the paper.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 30 mins.
Remove from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack. Remove the paper.
Cut into squares when cool.