Bliss Balls: GF/DF

And on nights when you don’t have dessert on hand, there are other solutions! I like to support one of my favorite places in California that has these delicious plant based “Bliss Balls” that I occasionally have in the freezer. I highly recommend checking out their website: https://meetthesource.com

Sans Rival Cake: GF (Serves 12-15)

My mother’s favorite cake is Sans Rival (without competition). When she turned 100 in October 2019, I decided to surprise her by baking one, using her recipe.

Cake layers:

• 400 g almond paste
• 4 egg whites

Filling:

• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) almonds
• 1/2 cup + 2 T (1 1/2 dl) sugar
• 200 g butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) powdered sugar
• 4 egg yolks

Topping:

• 50 g roasted almond flakes
• pink almond paste (In Sweden I buy ready made pink sheets of almond paste which I cut into strips to decorate the side of the cake with). In the US I use food coloring and make my own strips of almond paste.
• pink almond roses (you can either buy them ready made, or make your own with the left over colored almond paste).

• Preheat the oven to 300 F/150 C

1. Grate the almond paste. Whip the egg whites until they get stiff. Mix them with the almond paste.
2. Draw three squares 9″x9″ (23×23 cm) on parchment paper on a baking tray. Put the almond paste in the three squares and bake them in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes. Let the squares cool a little before removing them from the parchment paper.
3. Chop the almonds roughly. Melt the sugar in a saucepan until gold colored. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. (Be careful not to burn the sugar). Add the chopped almonds and pour the mix onto parchment paper on a baking tray to cool. When cool, put it in a food processor and chop it up into small pieces.
4. Mix the butter, powdered sugar, and egg yolks. Add the almond mix. Put together the cake layers with the filling between each layer and on top. Sprinkle the roasted almond flakes on the top layer and decorate with almond paste around the edges and on top. (See picture). Top it off with a rose and maybe a couple of green leaves if you get extra creative. Tastes good with a cup of coffee, but when you turn 100, champagne is a good alternative :)). This cake freezes well.

Rhubarb/cardamom pudding with raw almond/oat topping: GF/DF (serves 4)

• 2 1/2 cups (6 dl) water
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) sugar
• 1/2 t cardamom (crushed)
• 600 g rhubarb cut in thin slices
• 2 T potato or corn starch

Boil the water, sugar and cardamom. Add the rhubarbs and let it boil for 15 minutes or until the rhubarbs are soft. Mix the potato or corn starch with a little cold water and add it to the pudding. Pour into four serving cups. Keep the pudding refrigerated till it’s time to serve.

Topping:

• 3 T vegan butter
• 1 T sugar
• 5 T gluten free oats
• 1/4 cup (1/2 dl) almonds chopped
• 1 pinch of sea salt

Mix the ingredients for the topping, and sprinkle it on top of the pudding just before serving.

Can be served with almond or coconut milk.

Mystery Chocolate Cake: GF/DF (serves 12)

This was my first attempt, eight years ago, to make a chocolate cake, gluten free. Quickly I learned not to say what was in it until after people tasted it. Just about everyone who likes chocolate cake loves this cake, however, so many if told in advance how I make it would say they would never taste a chocolate cake made with garbanzo beans. Funny, people have no problem with carrot cake.

• 1 15.5 oz (439 g) garbanzo beans
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup (1 3/4) melted dairy free semi sweet chocolate
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 4 T coconut sugar
• 1 T brewed coffee
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t vanilla extract or vanilla powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• powdered sugar for decoration

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans.

Add the garbanzo beans and eggs to a food processor. Blend on high until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend a couple of minutes. Pour the mix into a spring form. Put parchment paper at the bottom to make it easer to remove the cake.

Bake in 350 F/175 C for 30-40 minutes.

Midsummer Cake Roll: GF/DF (serves 10-12)

• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/4 t apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) granulated sugar
• 2 t corn starch
• 1 t vanilla sugar

2 cups (5 dl) strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C

Place a parchment paper on a baking tray.

Whisk the egg whites with the apple cider, using an electric mixer, until stiff. Add half of the sugar while continue whisking. Add the corn starch and vanilla sugar to the remaining sugar and incorporate it, a little at a time, into the mix. Continue whisking until a hard foam forms. Spread it out on the parchment paper. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes or until the surface has a little color.

Put a new parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle granulated sugar on it. Take the parchment paper with the cake from the baking tray and flip it onto the sugar coated parchment paper. Carefully remove the parchment paper from the cake and let it cool. Cut the strawberries into small pieces and spread on the cake (save some for decoration). Roll the cake up and decorate with the remaining strawberries cut in half.

The original recipe asks for 1 cup (2 1/2 dl) whipped cream inside the cake, so feel free to add if you wish. I personally think it’s just as delicious without.

Strawberry “Cheesecake”: GF/DF (serves 10-12)

Crust:

• 7 oz (2 dl) nuts of your choice (I use walnuts)
• 5 oz (1 1/2 dl). pitted dates
• 1/2 t salt

Put the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it’s all combined. Put parchment paper in a springform pan (9″/23 cm diameter) and add the mix (try to get it up a little on the side).

Filling:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 500 g strawberries, rinsed and hulled
• 4 oz (1 dl) coconut oil
• 1 T corn starch
• 5 T agave
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Put the avocados and half of the strawberries in a food processor and mix until it becomes thick and smooth. Add the coconut oil, corn starch, and agave and pulse a couple of times. Cut the rest of the strawberries in pieces and add them to the mix. Pour the mix on top of the crust and put it in the refrigerator. I usually make it the day before I’m planning to serve it. Freezes well!

Apple Crisp with Sea Salt Flakes: GF/DF (serves 6)

• 6 apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 t cinnamon
• 2 t sugar
• 1/4 t sea salt flakes (I use Maldon)

Topping:

• 125 g vegan butter, cut in slices
• 1 cup (2 1/2 dl) gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) gluten free oats
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) sugar
• 1 1/3 t sea salt flakes

Preheat the oven to 450 F/225 C

Put the flour and oats in a bowl, add the butter and mix it in with your fingers. Add the sugar and sea salt flakes.

Put the apple cubes in a greased pie dish (11″/28 cm diameter), and sprinkle them with cinnamon, sugar and sea salt flakes. Spread the topping over the apples and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate, Avocade, Orange Mousse: GF/DF (serves 2)

• 1 1/5 avocado
• 2 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 T freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 1/5 T cocoa powder
• 1 1/5 T agave
• grated orange peel from half an orange

Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Keep the mousse refrigerated until serving time.

Almond Cake: GF/DF (serves 8-12)

This cake is very rich so you only need a small slice of it. In Sweden this cake is also called Success Cake.

Cake layers:

• 3/4 cup (2 dl) blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup (1 1/4 dl) sugar
• 4 egg whites

Filling:

• 3 egg yolkes
• 1/3 cup (3/4 dl) sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 dl) water
• 150 g vegan butter (or any butter of your choice)
• 2 t vanilla sugar
• 4-6 T sliced almonds

Draw two circles 5″/18 1/2 cm in diameter on a parchment paper. Put the paper upside down on a baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C

Blanche the almonds in boiling water. Peel, dry and grind them. (I use my food processor). Add the sugar to the ground almonds. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Mix it in with the almonds and sugar. Spread the batter evenly inside the two rings on the parchment paper. Bake in the lower part of the oven for about 20 minutes. Let them cool a little before carefully removing from the paper.

Roast the sliced almonds till they have a golden color.

Boil the sugar and water until the “thread” test is passed. Put a drop of the sugar water between your thumb and index finger. When you separate them a fine thread will form if it is ready. (Don’t burn your fingers). Pour the hot sugar mixture over the egg yolks and whisk hard. In a separate bowl, stir the butter until soft and smooth. Add the egg mix, a little at a time, to the butter and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla sugar.

Spread half of the topping on one cake layer and put the other layer on top. Spread the remaining topping on the top layer and decorate with the sliced almonds. Keep in the fridge at least a couple of hours before serving.