Marjorie's Blueberry Cake

My mother-in-law asked me to attempt to recreate her favourite blueberry cake in a gluten-free form for blueberry season. The first attempt was good, but the centre was slow to cook, leaving the edges a little browned for my liking. The second attempt was better, with delicate and tender sides and an evenly risen and browned top, but it was definitely a little more finicky. I made sure my butter and eggs were room temperature and I warmed the milk in the microwave. And I used fresh, not frozen, blueberries to reduce the cooking time. And I cooked the whole darn thing in a bain marie. It was nearly perfect cake, but if you really can't be bothered with the fussing, it will still be delicious -- a real, old-fashioned cake to serve with tea.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup warm milk

2 to 3 cups blueberries

Grease and line with parchment paper a 9" square pan.

In a large bowl, whip butter until white. Cream sugar with butter until light and fluffy, several minutes longer than you think is reasonable. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flours and starches, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.

To the butter mixture, beat in flour mixture alternately with the warm milk. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake pan in a larger pan; fill the larger pan with boiling water to halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake at 350F for about one hour (definitely a little more for frozen berries). A skewer poked into a crack in the cake's surface should test clean.

Amaranth-Blueberry Pancakes

July got away from me with no recipe postings, due to regular summer busy-ness, a new baby in my sister's family, and a bout of hot summer weather that kept me out of the kitchen.

These amaranth pancakes were a hit with my baby, who liked sinking her new teeth into the dense and chewy little cakes. Halved fresh raspberries would be a nice substitute for blueberries. Leftovers are best reheated in the microwave. They do not do well in the toaster, unless you like a lot more crunch to your pancakes than I do.

1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
sprinkle of salt

2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp oil

1/2 cup blueberries

In a medium bowl, whisk flours and starches, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and oil until well blended.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, just to combine. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon by the generous, dolloppy tablespoonful onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Turn once, after set on one side.

Makes about 12 smallish (2 1/2-3") pancakes.

New Zealand Nana's Pavlova

With summer (allegedly) on the way, with its bounty of fresh fruits and berries, what better than a meringue?

This antipodean recipe comes from my friend Mark's nana and makes enough for an army. Mark's nana used malt vinegar, but for a gluten-free version, balsamic vinegar adds a hint of lovely caramel colour and mild flavour. Mark was pleasantly surprised by how well Canadian wild blueberries matched the New Zealand pavlova.

6 egg whites
3 cups sugar
3 tbsp cold water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cornstarch

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add water and beat again until stiff. Add sugar slowly, one spoon at a time; beat again. Sprinkle vinegar, salt, vanilla, and cornstarch and beat again. Spread on parchment paper on a pan and bake at 300F for five minutes. Turn oven down to 200F for 2 hours. Turn off the oven, and if possible leave the pavlova in the oven overnight to dry out.

Serve topped with lots of whipped cream and fresh or frozen fruit (strawberries, kiwis, blueberries, or whatever suits your fancy). Allow to sit topped with cream and fruit for one hour before serving.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is based on Bette Hagman's muffin recipe, with additions of whole grains and a flavourful sprinkling of cinnamon sugar from my mother's wheat-based blueberry muffin recipe. If possible, it’s best to let these cool an hour or so before eating them. When they’re hot, the texture is quite nice, but they taste too “eggy” for my liking. The muffins freeze well and heat nicely in the microwave.

Topping:
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
3/4 cup amaranth flour
3/4 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
5 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup blueberries or other chopped fruit

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 12 muffin cups. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk. Don’t overbeat. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries. (The dough will seem sloppier than regular muffin dough.) Pour into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake about 20 minutes, until muffins test done.

Makes a dozen muffins.

Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins

I like these best with the dark, granular, molasses-y evaporated cane juice -- which is just what it sounds like: really, really unrefined sugar. They work just fine with light brown sugar, instead.

Be sure your oats are certified pure and uncontaminated like the ones sold by Cream Hill Estates here in Canada. Make sure also that any celiac muffin-eaters-to-be are okay with oats.

1 cup pure, uncontaminated rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup organic evaporated cane juice (or light brown sugar)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp gelatin
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1 cup blueberries (frozen are fine)

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine oatmeal and buttermilk, and soak for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients and do a little dance around the kitchen to kill any extra waiting time.

In a small bowl, whisk together flours, xanthan gum, gelatin, baking powder, and baking soda.

Add eggs, sugar, and melted butter, stirring well to combine.

Stir in dry ingredients, just to combine. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter into 12 prepared muffin cups, and bake for 20 minutes until slightly risen and evenly golden or until the muffins test clean. (Muffins made with the evaporated cane juice will be darker than you will expect.)

Makes a dozen delicious muffins.

Buckwheat, Buttermilk, and Blueberry Pancakes

These pancakes have the advantage of requiring only one special gluten-free flour, buckwheat. They are my favourite breakfast food. I often make a batch on Sunday morning and refrigerator or freeze the leftovers to toast up on weekday mornings.

Separating the eggs for these pancakes adds a step, but it’s worth it — it makes them light and airy. The flaxseed and blueberries add fibre and flavour.

1 cup buckwheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 rounded tsp baking soda
1/4 cup flaxseed meal (optional)

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 eggs, separated

1 cup blueberries (optional — frozen okay)

Whisk together dry ingredients in a big bowl. Combine buttermilk and egg yolks in a small bowl. Beat egg whites until stiff in a medium bowl. In the large bowl, mix dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture until just combined. Fold in egg whites and then blueberries. Pour by the 1/4 cupful onto a medium-hot oiled griddle or pan. Cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Serve with maple syrup or Blueberry Sauce.

Makes 12 pancakes.

Blueberry Sauce: Bring 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Add 2 cups blueberries (frozen are fine). Return to a boil, lower heat, and simmer while making the pancakes. Stir 1 tsp arrowroot flour or cornstarch in 2 tbsp cold water. Whisk into simmering sauce. Cook until clear and thickened and sticky.