My, well that was quite the battle.
Seems my first photo journal will be a bit choppy until I get the hang of things..
Recent experiments have been based with Gluten Free Baking and Bread flour mixes by Pamela’s Products.
With that in mind, I haven’t a solid recipe to guide you to these cakes. Hopefully the flavors are easy enough to organize in to home versions!
The base recipe is as follows:
Pamela’s Muffins
Preheat oven to 350* F/18-20 min. – Yield: approximately 6 muffins (or in my case, 9-12 sometimes)
1 + 1/4 cup of Pamela’s mix (which includes baking soda)
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup honey (or 1/4 cup of white sugar)
1 egg. large
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup of walnuts (“optional”)
1/2 cup of fruit: bananas, peaches, berries, etc. (If using raisins or dried fruit, add 1/4 cup of additional water)
Now, I’ll be honest.. I do not follow directions.
Not that they wind up in a crumpled heap near the bin while I run in circles without my head. Nor, do I walk the streets with colored posters and face paint, or a homemade T-shirt with the group’s main verse scrawled in sharpie. Not that kind of, “I don’t follow directions” (**** directions!)
My approach to formation follows in process. Elaborate flashes of my future unfolding, how I will respond to the turn out, a few guidelines to direct me, and *boom*, the smoke rises and I’m off in the races.
Sure, I’m a dreamer. But a dreamer in the pastures, rather than clouds.
The stretch is connecting these, the search to pull light bulbs flashes in to a tangible form..
Enough of my rambling, The high protein muff-cake this week were Gingersnap cookie themed.
I started by spinning on the linoleum floor in ankle socks and whipping out the crystallized ginger from my baking bag. This was the deciding moment of theme ingredients, being that the house was bare of nuts/coconut/etc. with exception to raw almonds.
The flavor cue sang back step one:
*excuse any noticeable filth, though I tidy my space, too many use this kitchen.. use, not care for.
Phase Pre: prepping ingredients.
Prep work is important to any process, laying out the tools and providing space for yourself to really get going. Reading recipes first and planning out the process helps to avoid easy errors (such as add 3 eggs, one at a time.. it does make a difference!)
Having the ingredients arranged according to placement and time will allow you to follow the recipe smoothly.. cooking may be more of a time dependant process, but baking has its own share of love!
1) First, I tossed a large fist of raw almonds (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup) in the blender along with the crystallized ginger chunks, individually separated (about 1/2 cup)
These were blended to bits and tossed in a side container to be added to the flour mixture.
The flavorful bits!
2) In a clean mixing bowl went the (1 1/4 cups Pamela’s Baking blend) flour mixture, then the blended almonds and ginger (which I probably should have waited on, but, it was a loose day – - what can I say?!), 1 1/2 tsp. of Saigon Cinnamon (so sweet, the full cinnamon experience) and 2-3 scoops of a Vanilla Protein powder.
crumbles to dry
3) In another smaller bowl, [this one was the real toss] In went 1 egg, about 1/3 cup of honey, 1 Tbs – ish of unsulphured blackstrap molasses (regular would be perfect, sweeter!), 3 Tbs – 1/8 cup white sugar, 2 Tbs of olive oil, and about 1/4 cup of water.
This was the first moment for a short stop to ask what I had not been thinking.. flavors lined up, check, but, well..
So I made up by quickly whisking the wet ingredients and preparing the dry for a muffin fold-in.
One of the keys to moist muffins: don’t over mix!
The other hints I’d drop is enough fat, flavor, moisture and puff..
The wet mixture appeared ill..
wet, ew?!!!
Hopefully well oiled pans were a thought earlier in baking! *Another hint is baking powder – it responds to air when exposed, so be ready to mix and pop in to the heated chamber.
4) Now we’re nearing the finger cross phase..
mound the flour mixture along the sides of the bowl to open up a space in the center for the wet ingredients.
5) Now, pour in the wet, scraping all sides..
MIX! Only until combined..
6) Fill well greased muffin cups about 2/3 full with batter (it was a loose day!) and bake 18- 20 min.
* These were clean in 20
the pupil pricks were from center testing..
not to worry, the lovely frosting whipped up while the muff-cakes baked will pretty these up quick.
Vanilla Ginger Frosting
1/2 cup of almonds and 1/2 cup of crystallized ginger chunks, blended as for the muffins
2-3 scoops of vanilla protein powder
2 Tbs honey
dash of vanilla, perhaps sprinkle of saigon cinnamon
(brown sugar would have made a nice topping)
1 Tbs of Soy Milk or water (until mixture is frosting-thick for spreading)
After muff-cakes have cooled, frost and enjoy!
**There are several things that could have been ‘perfected’ or more thought out, though the cakes turned out ginger packed and sweet.
*** Blended nut mixtures with flavor can act as a great topping for oats, ice creams, pudding etc.
