Snickerdoodle Cake

I don't think I ever had a snickerdoodle cookie, although I have heard of them.  They sound yummy.  The other day, I came across a recipe for a soaked snickerdoodle cake and I thought that I could make that.  Then the prospect of digging out some flour deterred me until I realized it would be easy to make a gluten free version (and all the ingredients were in the kitchen instead of having to find the flour in the food storage, lol!).

So I made it....and the kids didn't like it.  I thought it was good but it tasted like pumpkin cheesecake to me, even having the consistency of cheesecake, lol!  I meant to put in one cup of yogurt but I accidentally put two since I was kind of pouring it from the container and the whole container plopped in.  I tend to measure by eye when I bake; a little of this, a little of that.  If you want it to taste more like cake, only put one cup of yogurt!

So here is my spin on Snickerdoodle Cake!

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 to 1 cup of honey (depending on how sweet you want it; I didn't measure)
8 eggs
1 or 2 cups of plain yogurt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. coconut flour
generous pinch sea salt
cinnamon and sugar to top

Mix the melted butter and honey together until well combined.  In a separate container, beat the eggs until they are well mixed.  Beat in the yogurt and mix well.  Add to the butter and honey mix.  Mix the dry ingredients together and slowly add into the wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour into desired cake pan (greased if not using silicone).  Sprinkle with a combination of cinnamon and sugar to your desire.  Bake at 350 degrees until it is cooked through, about 40-45 minutes.

Since I can't find my camera and my old one isn't working, I can't share a picture.  I don't know if I'll make it again but not because I didn't like it since I really enjoyed it!  It made too much for just me and DH, although I may make it sugar-free and just freeze pieces for something different when I get low carbing again.  I find the kids mostly like gluten free goodies if they are chocolate flavoured.  Can't blame them but it is good to branch out and try new things too!

Random Thoughts Wednesday

Not much has been cooking in my kitchen lately, which is why there aren't many recipes being posted.  Our Valentines Meal was delicious!  I used the honey garlic sauce recipe I posted earlier and slowly cooked two large blade steaks, one which we ate and the second (after lots of snacking on it ;) ) was used for a stir fry.  I am trying to use up the food in our fridge freezer so I just heated the steak cut in slices, added a bag of frozen veggies (carrots, asparagus and peppers) then added the leftover sauce with a little water and arrowroot powder.  Oh, it was even better than the first time around!

Our dessert was based on Lauren's Red Velvet Cake.  I didn't add the food colouring because I am trying to avoid food dye but added more cocoa (like half a cup).  I also used about half a cup of brown sugar and vanilla yogurt instead of plain.  It was gooooood!  So very yummy and even the kids loved it!  I made it in a bundt cake pan with white cream cheese frosting and valentine sprinkles.  It's gone now but it served as a few meal replacements around here, lol!

The whoopie pies I made were very good!  The cookies alone are so soft and moist.  I have a lot left that I am thinking about making cake pops out of if no one eats them up soon (Elana's pantry has a bunch of gluten free cake pop recipes which are healthier than the first link provided).

I have been interested in Bento lunches for the kids for ages.  I first started finding out about them when we were still homeschooling so I never really made an effort to bother.  I loved reading blogs about bento lunches, but lost all the links I had.  A low carb blog I read, Your Lighter Side, sometimes mentions bento lunches she prepares.  When I got to remembering, I knew I had to do it.  Funny thing is the container I use for Shaylee's lunch is a bento lunch container but I never realized it, lol!  I just bought it because it was super marked down for a dollar at Sobeys.  I put bits and nibbles of things she likes in the top and bottom half.  I am having a hard time finding containers for sauces that don't leak that are smaller than half a cup but I am still looking locally before I check online.  I did order a set of two egg/rice molds and I can't wait to get them!!  After discovering they would be $28 to ship from Amazon.com (eeep!) I scoured the internet.  I found them at dealextreme and they are only $3.99 with free shipping!  I needed some Wii nunchucks anyway :).

Apparently Shaylee is feeling pressure from her friends not to eat much.  I thought she was losing weight from being gluten free (around 8lbs) but she said her friends don't eat much lunch so she doesn't either.  I tried to explain that her friends are small little girls and of course they would eat less (she weighs nearly twice as much as her friends but she is also a *lot* taller and very solidly built, not fat).  She is still hungry after lunch and since she is a slow eater, she doesn't have much time to eat anyway.  I want to find nutritious, nutrient dense foods which will keep her full longer.  I always stick in cheese and yogurt, but I think cute little eggs will both delight and nourish :)

Today I was shopping for yogurt and my eye caught something that looked yummy.  Stouffer's frozen foods has little cheeseburger sliders, like little pizza pockets.  I grabbed a box (sound familiar?  lol!! I never learn).  I put it in my cart then thought to read the ingredient list.  For your amusement, here it is:

Ingredients

BUN: WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, SUGAR, HYDROGENATED SOY OIL, YEAST, SALT, DOUGH CONDITIONER (CALCIUM SULPHATE, SALT, L-CYSTEINE HYDROCHLORIDE, GARLIC POWDER, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, FUNGAL PROTEASE), SODIUM STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, ASCORBIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, SOY FLOUR, DRIED EGG YOLK (CONTAINS SODIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE). FILLING: COOKED SEASONED BEEF (GROUND BEEF, WATER, TEXTURED SOY PROTEIN [SOY FLOUR, COLOUR], SEASONING [SALT, DEXTROSE, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, ONION POWDER, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, SPICES], SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, FLAVOUR), WATER, PART SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE PREPARATION (PART SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, FLAVOUR, COLOUR), CHEDDAR FLAVOURED PREPARATION (WATER, MODIFIED POTATO STARCH, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, SOY OIL, SALT, SODIUM ALUMINIUM PHOSPHATE,  SODIUM PHOSPHATE, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, FLAVOUR, SORBIC ACID, COLOUR), SEASONING (CORN MALTODEXTRIN, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, SUGAR, SALT, ONION POWDER, TOMATO POWDER, PALM OIL, GRANULAR AND BLUE CHEESES [MILK, BACTERIAL CULTURES, SALT, MICROBIAL ENZYMES], CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SUNFLOWER OIL, DEHYDRATED MUSTARD [VINEGAR, MUSTARD SEED, SALT, COLOUR], AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CITRIC ACID, SPICE, LACTIC ACID, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, COLOUR, ASCORBIC ACID, TOCOPHEROLS, SILICON DIOXIDE), MODIFIED CORN STARCH.
MAY CONTAIN SESAME AND SULPHITES.


Um yeah, I put it back.  This is something I am going to attempt to make if the kids want.  They like the homemade pizza pockets but I'm not sure how well this would be received.  I will attempt a soaked flour version and a gluten free/low carb option.  I haven't been sticking to low carb lately but I know I need to get back at it.  I feel much better when I do.


So that is a wrap up of my random thoughts of the day.

Oh The Irony!

***Edited to add that ended up not making the cake.  I hope she didn't read this and was offended :(**

I had a list of things I wanted to do when the kids went to school. In all honesty, I haven't done much on that list. One of the things was perfecting my cake making and decorating skills. I put that on the back burner since I only make a couple of fancy cakes a year.

Yesterday, I got a call from someone my mother-in-law was talking to whom she told I made fondant cakes. I was a little speechless. Here I was giving up on the idea of cake making and someone wants to pay me to make a cake. Not only giving up on cake making, but getting rid of my refined flours, sugars and food coloring. I almost tossed it all.

So now I just have to figure out how much to charge. That is the hard part. She was going to pay someone $125. There is a reason people charge that much for cakes. Being someone who always undercharges, I almost said $15 but that wouldn't even cover the supplies/ingredients, let alone time. I will also have to get a cake board and box, so I may charge $40, $35 if she returns the cake board and box. I have been watching videos all morning to refresh my mind about how to do it.

So yes, oh the irony. Here I am trying to eat better and making pure sugary junk for pay. The even more ironic part is I plan to put the money in my grass fed meat fund! (that is where I put all my extra money and earned money from babysitting and such)

Right now, I have a bunch of things on the go. I wanted to try to make soaked flour bread machine bread. Around 4pm last night, I mixed the flour it would take for a loaf with a couple tablespoons of kefir and the water required for the recipe. I put it in the machine until the flour was completely soaked. I covered and let sit overnight. I proofed some yeast in warm water and honey then added it to the flour as well as some oil and a pinch of salt. I put it in the machine to mix and it was splashing everywhere! I tried putting a towel over it, but it wasn't working, so I stopped it and hand kneaded the flour mix with the other ingredients until it was able to mix better with the paddle. I generally don't do much kneading because of my hands (which is why I always use the bread machine), but it mixed well and seems to be a nice soft dough. It's on the first rise. I hope it turns out. I have a feeling I may have to tweak things a bit to get them just right.