Summer Blueberry Cake | gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free recipe

I love blueberries and so do my boys. Fortunately, blueberries grow best in bog environments and Richmond, where we live, happens to be primarily bog so in the summertime, blueberries are bountiful. We eat blueberries in just about any form, but the fresh local berries are the absolute best. They're delicious, healthy and packed with antioxidants, I really don't see a downside.

When I saw this pin on Pinterest for buttermilk, blueberry breakfast cake, I knew I had to have it. I grabbed some blueberries out of the fridge, my janet & greta gluten-free flour mix and got to work creating a gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free version.

It turned out beautifully, spongy, soft and sweet with a hint of lemon to brighten the flavour of the blueberries. To me, it tastes like summer and as an added bonus, it travels well and would be great in parent and kid lunchboxes alike.

I prefer to use coconut oil in my recipes, but because of the summer heat it was already in its liquid form. Fortunately after I popped the coconut oil in the freezer for about 5 minutes it had partially harded and I was able to use my kitchen-aid mixer to create a smooth, creamy texture suitable for creaming with sugar.

Summer Blueberry Cake

(gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free)

Adapted from Alexandra Cooks

Ingredients:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups of gluten-free flour mix*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp xantham gum**
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup of sugar
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, grease a 9" square cake pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine blueberries with 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour mix. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining gluten-free flour mix, baking powder, salt and xantham gum. Set aside.
4. Blend coconut oil until creamy, blend in the sugar.
5. Add eggs to the sugar mixture, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in the vanilla.
6. Starting with the dry ingredients, alternately add the dry mix and the coconut milk to the wet ingredients, mixing well between each addition.
7. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the berries, then spread the mixture into the prepared pan. The batter will be thick.
8. Sprinkle the cake with 1 tbsp of sugar, bake for 35 minutes until the top begins to golden and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
9. Cool, in the pan, at least 15 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

*I used the janet and greta gluten-free flour mix, recipe below.

**If your gluten-free flour mix does not contain xantham gum, add 1/2 tsp instead of 1/4.

Janet and Greta's
Gluten-Free Flour Mix

The Looneyspoons Collection by Janet and Greta Podleski

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sorghum flour
• 2 cups potato starch
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tbsp xantham gum

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a large ziploc bag, bowl or container.
2. Blend well.

Ponderosa Cake | Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Chocolate Banana Cake

To those who attend the University of British Columbia (UBC), Ponderosa Cake is a well-known treat; I however only had the pleasure of tasting this moist, chocolate chip banana cake once in my pre-gluten-free life.  I was at a barbeque and I found myself amazed that this cake, which by ingredients simply sounded like a glorified banana bread, could taste like so much more.

Once I returned home I promptly Googled the recipe and when I first started experimenting with gluten-free recipe adaptations Ponderosa Cake was at the top of the list.  I'm still not exactly sure how this recipe got its name, and I tend to simply call it chocolate banana cake, but regardless, after many iterations, I am confident that I have this recipe ready for gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free mass consumption.

The last time I made this recipe was at Colin Jack's Celebration of Life; his brother suffers from gluten and dairy in tolerances and I wanted to make sure that there was a treat he could safely enjoy during his time of grief.  I wish that I could share a photo that truly displays the texture and deliciousness of this desert, but instead I have only a snapshot of my Ponderosa Cake taken on this unforgettable day.  But please trust me when I say that this cake, complete with a chocolate chip and brown sugar centre, is absolutley delicious and must be made if you love the combination of banana and chocolate.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Ponderosa Cake
(Chocolate Banana Cake)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups of mashed ripe bananas (approximately 2 large bananas)
• 1 tsp baking powder  

•  1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

•  1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp xantham gum
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 cup dairy/soy/gluten-free shortening*
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup plain coconut yogurt**

• 3/4 cup of allergen friendly chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F, line (or lightly grease) your baking pan with parchment paper. 
• In a small bowl, mix together bananas and 1 tsp of baking powder.  Set aside. 
• In a small bowl mix together cinnamon and brown sugar.  Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (sorghum through cinnamon). Set aside.
• Cream together the shortening and sugar until well combined.
• Mixing thoroughly between each addition, add the egg, vanilla and finally the banana & baking soda mixture to the wet ingredients.
• Alternate adding the dry mixture and the coconut yogurt to the wet ingredients, ending with the coconut yogurt.  The batter should be fairly thick.
• Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over the batter then sprinkle half of the cinnamon & brown sugar mixture on top.
• Repeat the batter, chocolate and cinnamon layers with the remaining ingredients.
• Bake for 40-45minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
• Enjoy.

yield: One 8x8 cake - this recipe can be doubled for a 9x13 cake

* if you are not concerned with 'soy-free' I recommend Golden Crisco.  For those that can tolerate dairy, I find shortening gives a better texture to the final product than butter.
**Original recipe calls for sour cream, I imagine soy yogurt would also work.

Who doesn't love a good wedding?

A dear friend of mine got married last weekend and I was honoured to be a member of her wedding party.  Unfortunately, that meant that I didn't get the chance to snap a bunch of pictures during the wedding as I was standing up there beside her.  Even worse, my camera battery died shortly after the ceremony, so I couldn't piggy back on the photographers pictures either!

That of course isn't to say I didn't get ANY pictures, I do have a few that I love, but I'm very cautious about how much I'm willing to share on the blog.  For now, I hope you enjoy this picture of her lovely wedding dress; my friend looked SO Greek Goddess on her special day!

And this delicious looking wedding cake was full-on gluten-free, dairy-free deliciousness and I happen to know it didn't cost an arm and a leg.  It is possible my friends to have allergen-friendly treats without totally blowing the bank.  The cake was made by High Crow Gluten Free Foods, whom I had met at a local farmers market.

During the post wedding festivities, I was lucky enough to get a great picture of my lovely new haircut.  If you follow me on twitter than you likely already know that I chopped all my hair off about a month ago, and I'm loving it.  The truth is, I've had my hair short, more or less, since I was in grade 8 and I just feel more comfortable without a ton of hair.


Unfortunately, every couple years I seem to forget how much I prefer my hair short, but I'm lucky enough to have Courtney around to remind me.  Seriously, short just looks better, remember this picture from about early January?  Courtney's available to help you with your hair woes and questions too, send her your questions at mommastuffblog@gmail.com.