Category Archives: Gluten-Free

Turn Down the Heat: No-Bake Raspberry-Mint Cheesecake

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Raspberry CheesecakeI don’t know about everyone else, but I cannot stand the summer heat. Give me your rain and snow any day!…However, being a SoCal resident, I suppose I really don’t have much of a choice.

Anyway, I digress as there are perks to the warm summer weather. One being an over abundance fresh fruit!!! From strawberries to blueberries to, my personal favorite, raspberries! These little guys are packed with antioxidants and a ton of vitamins. Toss some berries into a fresh salad to add some color, eat them right out of the box, or….bake them! Well, in this case don’t bake them. Below is a super easy NO BAKE recipe for some tasty cheesecake that I borrowed form my good friend Martha Stewart. I threw in a few touches of my own, of course :)

No-Bake Raspberry-Mint Swirl Cheesecake

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

For Cheesecake

  • 7 ounces chocolate wafer cookies, you use gluten-free cookies too!
  • 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 8-oz cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp pure mint extract
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

For Raspberry Puree

  • 1 pint fresh raspberries, plus extra for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • 4 leaves fresh mint

Specialty Tools

  • 6-inch Springform Pan

DIRECTIONS

  • Place cookies in a food processor and process until finely ground. Combine cookie crumble and 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Add 6 tablespoons butter, and mix well until crumb mixture holds together. Transfer cookie mixture to a 6-inch springform pan, and pat out evenly to make the crust, lining sides of pan only about 3/4 of the way up. Place in freezer while you do the rest.
  • Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, extracts and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a mixer, and beat until combined. Lightly whip cream to soft peaks, and fold into cream-cheese filling. Remove crust from freezer, and pour filling evenly into pan.
  • Place raspberries and mint in a food processor and blend it until combined. Pass it through a fine mesh and discard the seeds. Add sugar and mix well to incorporate it. Use about 2/3 of the sauce on the batter and the rest as a sauce to be served on the side.
  •  

    Dot the top of your cheesecake with dollops of raspberry puree. Use a chopstick or a knife to swirl the sauce in the cheesecake until it creates a nice pattern.

  • Cover with plastic wrap, place in freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer to refrigerator until firm, at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
  • Serve slices of the cake with whole raspberries and puree.

Happy Non-Baking!

XOXO,

Daryl

Gluten-Free Baking: Don’t Fall Apart!

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 This past week,  Happily Ever  After  Confectionery  had the honor  of participating  in Incredible  Edibles (blog to  come) at  the Scheu  Family  YMCA located  in Upland, CA. We had an amazing time and met some great people  with a real appreciation for high quality food.

Much to our surprise, many of the guest that stopped by our table asked if we had any gluten-free options. When we told them we did, their faces lit up! “You know, it’s so hard to find a good bakery that features decent gluten-free desserts without it being dense, flavorless and overly sweet,” one guest had to say. It’s true, gluten-free products had gotten a bad reputation in previous years. However, we are here to change that!…But instead of merely telling you about our delicate and flavorful gluten-free cupcakes, I figured I’d let you in on a few tips and tricks to gluten-free baking…..

By far the most important step in gluten-free baking is choosing the right flour. Our top two favorite brands are Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour and Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix. Though slightly different in final texture (Pamela’s is a bit grainier, but still 100% delicious), both are premixed flour combinations that give cakes a great rise, thus avoiding the tear-drenched mess of collapsed cupcakes. To use either mix is a simple 1-to-1 substitution. That’s it! It’s that simple!

Our second, important ingredient is xanthan gum. This super fine powder is the magic ingredient that gives your otherwise liquid batter some viscosity and stickiness, since it acts as a binding ingredient–this also works great in vegan baking. However, keep in mind that a little goes a long way–just 1/2 a teaspoon will do the trick. Plus, its a little pricey so you will definitely want this to stretch over multiple batters!

Well, I hope I have unraveled some of the mystery to gluten-free  confections. Now go out there and bake away!

XOXO,

Daryl

Baker & Co-Founder of Happily Ever After Confectionery