Tag Archives: polenta

Baking, Gluten Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Wheat Free

Gluten free carrot cake, a healthy version.

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I must admit I don’t have that much of a sweet tooth. It’s savoury things that get my tastebuds tingling. However with a glut of carrots eyeing me up from the vegetable rack and a frustrating day, I decided it was time to hit the kitchen and get my “bake on”. Cooking for me is one of my ways of relaxing.

I’ve never made a gluten free carrot cake, so this was a test of my brain cells, pulling apart a few other recipes and adapting things to make a healthier version. I’m all for cake, but I’m not into too much sugar or fat and prefer a moist, light texture. So I went for plenty of carrots and mixed up my flours for texture.

The result was suprisingly good (I really should expect more of my baking and not be so suprised). It’s light, it’s cakey, its moist, it cuts well, it holds together well, it’s tasty and it looks good, I really like the colour. You know what? I think I may be getting the hang of this 😉

If you like your cakes with icing and more sweetness then feel free to knock up a cream cheese frosting to go on this, I didn’t as that’s not my bag.

Recipe:


150g ground almonds

350 cornmeal

150g sugar

4 eggs

500g grated carrots

80ml rapeseed oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

  • Mix the ground almonds, cormeal and sugar together. Then beat in the eggs and oil.
Dietitian UK: Gluten Free Carrot Cake Mix
Dietitian UK: Gluten Free Carrot Cake Prepped
  • Add the grated carrot and mix.  I then put this in my food processor so the carrot was broked down further.
Dietitian UK: Gluten Free Carrot Cake Mix
Dietitian UK: Gluten Free Carrot Cake Mix
  • Add the vanilla extract, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice.
  • Pour into a well greased and lined cake tin.
  • Bake at Gas Mark 4 for 50-60 minutes.
  • Enjoy with a cup of tea!
Dietitian UK: Gluten Free Carrot Cake
Dietitian UK: Gluten Free Carrot Cake

Next time I’d add some raisin into this and perhaps some chopped nuts.

 

Baking, Gluten Free, Wheat Free

Gluten Free Orange and Redcurrant Polenta Cake.

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I’ve been meaning to try a polenta cake for AGES, finally today I got my chance. We were asked to take a dessert to our home group meeting, typically although I was given a weeks notice it was at lunchtime that I realised with a slight panic I had to knock something tasty up. Having been inspired by seeing this lemon polenta cake  last night and on a high after completing the filming for my Pilates DVD, I stepped up to the challenge, here it is fresh from the oven.

Dietitian UK: Gluten and Wheat free Orange Polenta Cake.
Dietitian UK: Gluten and Wheat free Orange Polenta Cake.

You know what, it was easy, peasy, orange squeezy 😉

I’m well known for NEVER following a recipe, so here’s my adaptation, partially because I had no lemons and partially because I’m just like that. I found the red currants added a really nice zing, but you could use any berries, I just happened to have these growing in my garden (though these were last years harvest from the freezer).

Recipe:

150g margarine

150g sugar

3 eggs

75g ground almonds

1/2 tsp  baking powder (gluten free if needed)

4 oranges

75g polenta or cornmeal

150g redcurrants

1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark3/150C, grease and line a cake tin (I’m no good with sizes so I’ll just say I used a round one!).

2. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time.

3. Add the ground almonds, baking powder and mix well.

4. Zest all 4 orange  and juice 2 oranges, add to the mixture, add the polenta.

5. Spoon half the mix into the cake tin, then sprinkle on the red currants and top with the rest of the mixture.

6. Bake for 45 minutes until golden on the top and the house smells yummy 🙂

7. Add the juice of the final 2 oranges to a pan with the 50g sugar, boil gently for 5 minutes to make a syrup.

8. Use a skewer to make holes in the cake and pour the syrup on, it will soak in.

9. Allow to cook before removing the cake from the tin.

It’s had a good reception from my taste testers. Really moist and tangy and the redcurrants looked lovely. Though certainly a treat and not low fat, I’ll certainly be making this again.

Dietitian UK: Orange and Redcurrant Polenta Cake
Dietitian UK: Orange and Redcurrant Polenta Cake

Nutritional Analysis per portion (assuming 10 slices): 290kcals, 18.3 g fat, 29.2g carbs, 23.3g sugars.