- April 19, 2024
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Recently, more people I know have taken to a gluten-free diet. Whether it be for health reasons or life style changes, living a glute- free diet can be hard around the holiday’s, especially when attending food-oriented parties.
Recently, my church small group had a party, and since a couple people in my group are gluten-free, I wanted to try my hand at baking sans gluten.
Since I had no idea what I was doing, I turned to the Internet. The web is full of people blogging about food, and the gluten-free goddess, glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/, seemed to be an expert. This is her frosted banana spice cake and apple-nutmeg icing recipe. I couldn’t stop eating it.
Frosted Banana Spice Cake
What you need:
1 1/2 cups almonds
1/2 cup brown rice flour or sorghum flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon apple pie spice (a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 large organic eggs
1/3 cup light olive oil
2 tablespoons honey or I prefer raw organic agave nectar
1 1/3 cups organic light brown sugar
4 medium (not too big) very ripe bananas, cut up and mashed into puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 by 13 inch baking pan by lining it with greased parchment.
Process the almonds in a food processor by pulsing on and off until a fine almond meal is formed. Pour the almond meal into a dry mixing bowl.
Add in the rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and spices and whisk to combine.
In a clean mixing bowl beat the eggs; add the oil, honey, brown sugar, banana puree and vanilla. Beat well.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and beat for two minutes.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in a preheated oven for 33 to 35 minutes until done. Check the center for doneness with a wooden pick. The cake should appear slightly golden brown at the edge, yet still be moist inside.
Cool the cake completely before frosting.
Apple-Nutmeg Icing
What you need:
1 1-pound box confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1/2 cup unsalted sweet butter or vegan margarine, such as Smart Balance
2-3 tablespoons natural apple cider* as needed
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, to taste
2-3 dashes of nutmeg, to taste
What to do:
Pour the sugar into a mixing bowl and add the butter with two tablespoons of the apple cider. (To achieve a more concentrated apple flavor, heat the apple cider in a small saucepan and lightly simmer until it reduces and thickens into a light syrup.)
Start beating and continue to beat to incorporate the butter and cider. Add more apple cider a teaspoon at a time, until you achieve the consistency you like. Crank up the mixer and beat until the frosting is smooth and glossy.
Frost the cake. Sprinkle the icing with chopped nuts, if you like.
