Strawberries and Rhubarb are in season and I have to admit that I am "crushing" hard for this old-fashioned summer-time combination. I recently made a wonderful strawberry-rhubarb compote using freshly squeezed orange juice, ginger root and bee honey.
Naturally, I needed a good accompaniment for this dessert so I set out to try my hand at making a gluten-free shortcake.
By the time I finished experimenting with a few baking techniques, I created what I think is a healthy cross between a traditional Shortcake and Ladyfingers.
This was a pleasant discovery. It opens up a whole host of other desserts that I now can try my hand at in the gluten-free arena. Immediately, I am thinking about trifles and tiramisu...now that I have created a baking hack to wield some additional kitchen magic around.
Here's the list of ingredients:
- 1+1/2 cups of gluten-free garbanzo bean flour;
- 1/2 cup of bee honey;
- 2 eggs;
- 1/4 cup of cold butter;
- 1/2 cup of 10% cream;
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract;
- 3/4 tsp of baking powder;
- 1/4 tsp of Pink Himalayan salt;
- and 2 tsp of coconut oil to "oil" the muffin tin and help the shortcakes to release without sticking.
Directions:
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and blend the dry ingredients on a medium low speed to make sure that these ingredients are well blended. This will create a small "well".
- Add the eggs and the honey to this well and blend the mixture on medium speed until the mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add the cold butter and cream. Blend completely.
- "Oil" the muffin tin, making sure to coat the sides and bottom of the tin really well.
- Fill each compartment of the tin, half-full with the batter.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- Remove from tin to cool on a cooling rack.
As you can see, these little cakes didn't rise as high as a traditional sponge cake would have. Instead they retained more density and some heaviness which resembles a Ladyfinger in texture.
When I need to make the shape of a Ladyfinger, I'll just use a mini-loaf tin instead of a muffin or cupcake tin. This will allow me to slice the shortcake into long slender pieces. I think that this shape will provide me with a gluten-free alternative that will work in any recipe that calls for the use of a Ladyfinger.
It's a baking hack that will preform double duty. A win all the way around, in my books.
I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey.
~ Rebecca Ryan
Yes! Perfect accompaniment for the Taste of Summer Compote Yum!!
Thanks for commenting @tamaralovelace!
@rebeccaryan
I confess. That made me hungry for some dessert. But, I didn't indulge.
I followed through with your instructions, and I like it. I may try it some time.
Not now. Trying to get organized to leave.
I like the flour you used.: 1+1/2 cups of gluten-free garbanzo bean flour.
To me, that is much better than wheat four. I know it can't be used all the time..
But I like that. Makes me feel better about eating it. Ha
Thank you for showing us. Another good deed for the day.
Francis
Thanks for commenting Francis! Often we just need a strategy around making better food choices for our bodies. This lets us have food on hand that is more of a positive match for our individual constitutions.
Best of luck with your packing. :)
Thank you Rebecca.
I like vegetables. I eat some red meat, but not much.
It isn't that I am opposed to it. It just doesn't appeal to me.
I love a restaurant that has a good salad bar. I like fish.
oops. Your time. Sorry
Francis
@rebeccaryan
Thank you for your upvote.
I will reply to another one of your posts.
Francis
I never heard about this one.. i don't even know.. I never tried this type of muffin..but it looks yummy. I would love to try this. And the truth is, I haven't tried so much muffins..
This one is not so sweet. It is meant to be soaked with fruit juices and cream. It would be closer to a tea biscuit or scone. Most people wouldn't eat it by itself for this reason. Thanks for commenting!
Those look delightful!
Thanks @jeffjagoe!
meep
yummy looking, will be trying this recipe sometime soon.
Thanks @darkerhorse! I have followed you. Let me know if you do end up trying it. I'd love to know what you think.
Yummy!!
Thanks @xredsoulless!
Ty now Im hungry... LOL! Follow me back!
Thanks for commenting @padreee! I have followed you back!
Mouth=watering.
Thank Jay! They did turn out better than I expected which is always a bonus.
Yuummmmy... look tasty,thanks for sharing @rebeccaryan upvoted
Thanks for commenting, too, @azlicr!
I have followed you.
So yummy @rebeccaryan!
Thanks for commenting @awesome-seven!
I have followed you. :)
I'm going to try this with almond meal because legumes don't really agree so well with me. It won't be as nice a texture I'm sure, but my guts will be happier. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hi @natureofbeing! It should work just fine with almond meal. I usually don't use flour from legumes either but I wanted to give this blend a try. I originally thought I would try making pie pastry out of it, but ran out of time. It's still on my damn "to-do" list. LOL!
Have you found that the chickpea flour feels ok even though it's a legume? I guess I should ask first if you're sensitive to legumes.
Normally, I can tolerate a little bit of chickpeas but I try not to consume very much because of the sugar load they contain. I'm careful of all sugars and starches to make an effort to control noxious strains of bacteria that are invasive and inflammation levels through out my body. Always feels like a balancing act.
I originally purchased this flour to see if it would produce a pastry (pie/tart). It's a Bob's Mill product and they suggest mixing xanthum gum with it, which I didn't have and am not hugely fond of. I've learned that in Europe, the gum is considered to be unhealthy, yet in North America, it is generally accepted in gluten-free baking. The shortcakes likely wouldn't have been as dense if I had used the gum but the flour itself really worked well for my intended use with the compote and cream. :)
Ok thanks for this, good to know. By the way, Bob's Redmill is down the street from me ;-), actually 20 minutes away but following 1 street.
That is very cool! Apparently, they are an employee owned company and I think they are fairly progressive. Today we had to run errands in another city about an hour's distance from our house. I was able to stop at a larger health food store and they carried quite a few of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flours. They actually have one just for pie crust. I've bought it and I will eventually give it a whirl. Mostly made from rice flour, potato starch and tapioca flour.
Yes it's a very good company in all ways. Sounds like a great crust! I just found a really good simple cookie recipe (keto and no sugar both) and made it last night. I've eaten almost the entire batch today! I used a mix of butter and coconut butter and loved it, but definitely chill as directed. here it is if you're interested:
http://janeshealthykitchen.com/paleo-holiday-no-sugar-cookies/
in fact, this is a good friend's website and it's a treasure trove of good recipes!
This looks amazing!! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks so much for commenting @lifesizebox!
I have followed you. :)
That looks super fun. I will try it for sure. Keep these coming!!
STEEM ON!
Oh, thanks for commenting @opanyin. Let me know what you think if you do try them sometime. :)