Strawberry Cupcakes

My birthday is this weekend, so I asked my boys what type of cake I should make.  My older son immediately shouted, "Strawberry Cake!" He's since changed his mind and want me to make chocolate cake with strawberry frosting, but it got me thinking that I don't have a good strawberry cake recipe...until now.  

This cake is not you typical pink cake...it's not flavored with strawberry gelatin, so it has a more natural taste.  I absolutely love it and so does my little one.  He just told me last night that it's now his favorite type of cake.

Strawberry Cupcakes
1 cup evaporated cane juice (or white sugar)
2/3 cup agave nectar or honey
1 cup palm oil shortening
4 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups GF flour blend
1/2 cup freeze dried strawberry powder (I buy whole freeze dried strawberries and pulse them in the blender until it makes a powder)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dairy-free milk
3/4 cup fresh strawberry puree

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease or line muffin tins and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl cream together the evaporated cane juice, agave or honey, and the palm oil shortening.  Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, then add in the vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.  And combine the dairy-free milk and the strawberry puree together.  Add the dry ingredients into the sugar/egg mixture in small batches, alternating with the strawberry/milk mixture, until everything it added.  Mix on medium-high for a couple of minutes to smooth the batter out.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tins and bake for ~20 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick comes out clean.

You can frost them with a strawberry buttercream or top with a chocolate ganache (sorry, forgot to take pictures of these ones, but they are good!).

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays. Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, Gluten Free Fridays, and Whole Food Fridays.

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Seed Jam

It's rhubarb season!  When I was little my grandma had a rhubarb plant in her backyard.  When we would come to visit, she'd go out and pick some rhubarb and chop it up into sticks, just like celery, to give to us.  Now I know most people would find this gross, but we loved it, and we would sit and giggle at the sour faces we would pull while eating it.  I love rhubarb, and I know it's because of the memories we made at Grandma's house.

I have been looking for a jam recipe that doesn't contain tons of sugar, I think this one does the trick.  I initially just thought to add the chia seeds to help solidify the jam, since rhubarb doesn't help much with that. But chia seeds also add much needed omega-3's, antioxidants, fiber, protein, and calcium to the mix.  So, this is a pretty healthy jam!

This jam would work with about any fruit, I would guess, and minus the rhubarb you probably wouldn't need to cook it, just refrigerate it and let the chia do it's job...so it would be a raw jam. :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Seed Jam
4 cups diced fresh strawberries
2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chia seed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water

Directions
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium to medium-high heat until rhubarb is softened, about 10 minutes.

Pour the jam mixture onto a cookie sheet to cool for 5-10 minutes, then transfer into containers and store in fridge (or for longer term storage place in freezer).  Allow the jam to set up for at least one hour in the fridge before using.


This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, Allergy Friendly Fridays, Whole Foods Friday, and 5-Ingredient Mondays.

Strawberry Banana Scones

This week my kids have spring break, so I've taken the week off of work.  You'd think I'd have more time in the kitchen this week, but I almost didn't post a recipe today...we're just having too much fun hanging out.  But, I did have bananas and strawberries that needed to be used up...so you get a recipe after all. :)

The great thing about these scones, is they'd work minus the strawberries, or adding in blueberries, chocolate chips, or whatever else you can think of instead of the strawberries...so there definitely is flexibility here.

Strawberry Banana Scones

2 cups GF flour blend

1/2 cup almond flour

1/3 cup coconut sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup coconut oil (in solid form)

1 egg

1/4 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup mashed banana, about 2 large bananas

3/4 cup chopped strawberries

for topping:

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon evaporated cane juice or other granulated sweetener

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray a large baking sheet and set aside.

In a stand mixer, combine the flour blend, almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  Add in the coconut oil and combine until the mixture resembles a course meal.  

In a separate bowl, combine the egg, almond milk, and vanilla.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture, then add in the bananas and mix until combined.  Fold in the strawberries.

Using a 1/4 cup spring release scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared pan.  

Combine the walnuts, evaporated cane juice, and coconut oil in a small bowl and press a small amount of the mixture onto the tops of each scone.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  These are best warm.  If you don't eat them all at once, store in an airtight container or freeze.

Yield: ~11 scones

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, and Whole Food Fridays.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

I love fruit crisps, apple, peach, raspberry peach, well, basically any type of fruit that can be cooked, I've probably put in a crisp.  They are easy and definitely a comfort food.  I already have a recipe on the blog for raspberry peach crisp and I use that basic recipe for all of my fruit crisps by changing up the fruit.  I've decided to post the crisp recipe again, with a strawberry rhubarb mixture this time.  I did add some additional sugar to the fruit mixture (which I don't usually do with crisps, but between the rhubarb and my strawberries, which weren't quite ripe, I decided I needed to sweeten it a little), also if you don't want the crisp runny when it's hot out of the oven add a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to the fruit prior to topping it with the crisp.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (if large)  
2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar, separated
1/2 cup gf oat flour (or brown rice flour, if you don't have oat flour)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup gf rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup dairy free margarine

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Arrange fruit in 8 x 8-inch baking dish and toss with 1/4 cup sugar.
2. Combine the remaining sugar, flours, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl; mix well.  Cut in margarine until crumbly.
3. Sprinkle crumbs over fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until fruit is tender.

This post is featured on Gluten-Free Wednesdays and Allergy-Free Wednesday and Ingredient Challenge Monday.



Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

So, this was my second strawberry baking experiment, at first I wasn't sure about the texture of the cupcakes...they are more like a sponge cake then a regular cupcake.  But, once they fully cooled they were much better.  So, let the cupcakes cool!  

This month is Celiac Awareness Month and the American Celiac Disease Alliance is hosting 'Cupcakes for a Cause' to help raise awareness.  We are supposed to share a photo of our cupcakes with the number of cupcakes the number of years we've been gluten free. I've been gluten free for just over 1 1/2 years (so have my boys):

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2 cups GF flour blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup strawberry puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water

Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F.  In a mixing bowl combine the flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.  In a separate bowl combine the strawberry puree, oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and water (not the lemon juice)  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in the lemon juice and mix.  The mixture will expand.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and cook at 375F for ~20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Strawberry Lemonade Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup strawberry puree
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and use to top cupcakes.

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream

I bought 8 pounds of strawberries this weekend and had quite a bit of fun in the kitchen with them.  I used about half of them to make some freezer jam and we ate a bunch straight up, but I had plenty of them left to make some desserts with them.  Fresh Strawberry Pie is one of my favorites and I was very, very happy with how well the coconut whipped cream turned out (even my hubby, who is not a coconut fan, ate it).

  
Fresh Strawberry Pie
(adapted from BHG)
1 baked pie crust
2-3 lbs strawberries, washed and hulled
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Prepare baked pie crust and set aside.  To bake my pie crust, prep it as outline here. Once prepped and in the pie tin, prick the bottom ~8 times with a fork.  Cover it with a double layer of aluminum foil and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 5-6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile prep strawberries. Cut any large strawberries in half lengthwise; set aside. Take a portion of the strawberries and chop them into quarters (you need 1/2 cup total).

For glaze, in a food processor combine the 1/2 cup of the chopped strawberries and water. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Add enough additional water to the mixture to equal 3/4 cups. In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in blended strawberry mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. (Do not stir.)

Spread a thin layer of the glaze over bottom and sides of Baked Pastry Shell. Arrange half of the remaining strawberries, stem ends down, in the pastry shell.

Carefully spoon half of the remaining glaze over berries, making sure all berries are covered. Arrange remaining berries over first layer. Spoon remaining glaze over berries, covering each. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. 

If desired, top with whipped cream.

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can coconut milk (full fat, not lite)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chill the coconut milk in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or overnight.  Remove the top portion of cream, leave the water behind in the can.  Place the cream in a stand mixer and whip on high until soft peaks form, mix in the sugar and vanilla and serve with the pie.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Allergy Friendly Friday and Gluten Free Wednesday.