Glazed Over

The other day a box of Krispy Kreme donuts was delivered to my door. A fundraiser was happening through a friend, so I signed up for a dozen donuts... for my mom. You see, she is the President of the Krispy Kreme Donut Fan Club.

OK, not really.

But if there was a KKDFC, she would most definitely be the President. I don't think she can drive past a KKD store without stopping. Thankfully, they aren't in the local area so she can only stop when she's traveling... which is a very good thing, because she would be a very large woman, indeed.

She was incredibly kind about having them in the house, never eating one upstairs in my presence. Although watching someone eat a "regular" food doesn't bother me anymore (except for pizza, eating that in front of me is just plain MEAN) she is always sensitive to my gf status.

So, although I never saw one of the donuts, they did get me thinking... about glaze. There is just something about a glazed donut. The slightly set, yet still soft glaze that covers it sends a donut over the top.

Glaze.

I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to do something about it.

Below you will find a once-glutenous-now-gf cake recipe called "Honey Bun Cake"... complete with.... you guessed it... GLAZE.

Here's the thing, though. It will be tempting to shove your face right into the pan after glazing. Don't do that. Two reasons.

First, searing hot cake.

Second, it actually tastes even better after it has completely cooled.

Trust me, it will be worth the wait.

My apologies for the terrible photo. After waiting and waiting for this cake to cool, I must confess my mind was NOT focused on getting a good shot. It was focused on EATING IT.


Gluten Free Honey Bun Cake

1 cup brown sugar (I used light brown)
2 tsp cinnamon

1 box gf yellow cake mix (I used Wegmans, you can also use Betty Crocker)
1 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or veggie, canola)

2 cups powdered sugar
5-6 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, blend the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, sour cream, eggs and oil using a whisk. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the batter, then spoon the remaining batter over the brown sugar and spread, covering all the brown sugar.

Using a knife, swirl the batter, running the knife in a zig-zag pattern.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. While the cake is baking, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, drizzle the glaze over the cake and spread with a spatula.

Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Thrown Together

Once in a blue moon, a recipe just works... the first time, without any real effort on my part. It's a lovely thing, really.

Tonight, my mom came upstairs, longing for a cookie. Have you ever just needed a cookie? One does not simply ignore the urge... because it's just not going to go away. One must hunt down a cookie at all costs.

There was only only problem. No cookies in the house. So, I rummaged in the back of my snack cupboard and found 2 or 3 piddly little gluten free shortbread cookies (Scharr brand). She happily snacked on her cookies with a cup of tea... you could almost see the cookie urge leaving her.

I began to plan dinner at that point, and opened a cupboard to grab a jar of marinara sauce. It was then I saw it... the can of crushed pineapple I had recently thrown into my grocery cart - quite recklessly, I might add - with the intention of trying a new recipe. I nonchalantly asked, "Should I make a pineapple cake tonight?" Immediately, actually I think it might have been before I finished the word "tonight", my mom answered with a swift, "YES."

I think maybe those 3 piddly gf shortbread cookies didn't quite cut it.

Now, I must remind you that the reason I had seen that can of pineapple in the first place was because I was starting to make dinner. It was dinner time... this is not the time to make a dessert, for Pete's sake! But rather than using common sense, I threw caution to the wind and turned on the oven.

The recipe was a "normal" one that I had intended to work on to make it gluten free. Usually, I will spend some time looking over the recipe, checking and double checking the changes I want to make. Not tonight. Tonight, I threw all the ingredients into the bowl, mixed it up and threw it in the baking pan. Into the oven it went! Back to making dinner I went.

40 minutes later I pulled a miracle out of my oven. A golden, perfectly baked cake. I even somehow managed to whip up some cream cheese frosting for it! (One can always make time for cream cheese frosting. Dinner can wait!)

Can I just? Can I? I must. I must herald the miracle of this cake. This completely unplanned, thrown together cake is so, so, so, so, SO GOOD. It's moist (even though there's not a speck of oil or butter in it). And the frosting... oh, the frosting! It just takes a delicious cake and puts it over the top.

This can be one of those "Oh dear, Susie is stopping by for a quick visit on her way from Princeton to Pittsburgh and I haven't a THING in the house, what shall I do?" kinds of cake. Because literally, you will just throw it all in a bowl, throw it in a pan and then throw it in the oven. It will come out, cool for a bit and then you'll throw together some frosting and throw it on top.

Did I mention it's good? It's so, so, so, so, SO good.

It's that good. Good enough to deserve 5 "so's". Maybe even 6. You decide!



















Gluten Free Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

For Cake:
2 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
20 oz can crushed pineapple (with juice)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Mix all the ingredients above in a large bowl. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.

For Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp
4 Tbsp butter, softened to room temp
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add vanilla and beat to incorporate. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until completely mixed and smooth. Frost cake while it is still slightly warm.

Easy as... Pie?

Tonight, my mom mentioned she had a hankerin' for pie. Being the attentive daughter that I am, I immediately  jumped into action, explaining that I've been wanting to try my hand at a Lemon Crumb Pie. We agreed this was a good plan... I could tackle my pie project, she would get to eat pie. Win-win!

Here's the thing, though. Whoever came up with the phrase "easy as pie" obviously never actually made a pie. You see... one does not just whip up pie ingredients, slice oneself a piece and then sit with tea and indulge. Oh, no. There are 47 steps (give or take 10) to making pie... all of which require a refrigeration phase, resting phase or heating up phase. In the end, pie takes 3 days to make. OK, that's a little bit of an exaggeration. But it does take more time than I had tonight.

So - I love you Mom, but pie is out. For tonight, that is.

Instead, I went with a Lemon Cornmeal Cake. By nature, it's already gluten free... thus making my life so much easier. No tweaking, no calculating... just baking!

My mom, being the type who is always up for spontaneity and adventure, was all for the change from pie to cake. Such a good mama.

In comparison, this recipe really is easier than pie! It only bakes for 25 minutes or so... and because it's a thin cake (think tart) it cools incredibly fast so that you really do have enough time to sit with a cup of tea and enjoy it.

Though I must admit... it smelled so good that we sliced it up and stood there, in my kitchen, next to the cake pan... and munched away. It was mostly silent, except for the "Oh wow, is this good" and the "I love the crunch on top!" and then "Mmmm... I want another slice" that came from my mom.

Forget pie. Think Lemon Cornmeal Cake! It's yummy, it's got great texture... and it's easy as pie.

Gluten Free Lemon Cornmeal Cake

1 cup (gluten-free) cornmeal

1/2 cup ground almonds

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coarse sugar, such as turbinado or organic sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch or 10-inch cake pan with 2-inch-high sides (I used a springform cake pan). Dust pan with cornmeal, tapping out excess.

Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat butter in large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat in lemon peel. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Add cornmeal, ground almonds, baking powder and salt to wet ingredients and combine thoroughly.

Transfer batter to pan and smooth top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen. Turn cake out onto plate then turn onto a rack, coarse sugar side up. Cool completely.