Ruby Chocolate Mousse Parfait
A light and creamy mousse topped with a layer of tart raspberries, crunchy macadamia nuts, topped with freshly whipped cream—this gorgeous dessert has a little bit of everything!
Simple, scrumptious and gluten free
A light and creamy mousse topped with a layer of tart raspberries, crunchy macadamia nuts, topped with freshly whipped cream—this gorgeous dessert has a little bit of everything!
You can find plenty of gluten-free options in this adorable pastry shop in Brno. Definitely try a vegan gelato (in a cup) from their ice cream trucks in the summer months.
Dark chocolate cake, frosted with luscious cookies and cream buttercream and topped with cookie crumbs and whole Oreos— this cake is every bit as decadent as it sounds. Intensely rich and chocolatey, it’s just like eating an Oreo in cake form!
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I’ll never forget the day when my husband discovered that Nabisco had come out with gluten-free Oreo cookies. He couldn’t stop talking about it, and indeed, visited three supermarkets in one day to try to find them. No luck. We spend months looking for them in Czech grocery stores and specialty shops— nothing. While gluten-free Oreos are now fairly easy to track down now in the US, unfortunately, they are not available in the Czech Republic yet.
Determined to get my hands on them, I ended up ordering two packs from Amazon.co.uk. When they arrived, my husband and I sat down eagerly together to try our new gluten-free goodies. Our verdict: pretty darn tasty. The cream filling seemed to be identical, and the texture and taste of the cookie were almost the same as the original. The only difference we noticed was that the gluten-free version had a slightly savory aftertaste, like a cracker. Overall, we were very satisfied with our purchase.
As we had more than enough for snacks, my husband requested that I use some of the Oreos in a baked good. Excited, I thought about my favorite desserts; I love cookies, but I love cake even more. Especially chocolate cake. So, what could be better but to combine the two?
I ended up making this beautiful, indulgent cake for our wedding anniversary. While the recipe could easily be doubled, I chose to make a single-layer cake for the two of us (I cannot bear the thought of cake going to waste). With its dark chocolate sponge, delicious Oreo buttercream, and chunks of whole Oreo cookies, this cake was a huge hit in my house. I hope you will love it just as much as I do.
This cake is very easy to make, and most of the ingredients are pantry staples. The only unusual items are gluten-free Oreos (essential, for obvious reasons) and black cocoa powder (optional, but highly recommended). Here is the full list:
While not required, if you can get your hands on black cocoa powder I would highly recommend using it for this cake. Black cocoa powder has a rich, intense taste and is much darker in color than natural cocoa powder, which will not only deepen the chocolate flavor of the cake but will make it appear almost black— just like an Oreo!
For best results, I suggest combining black cocoa powder with another type of cocoa powder in baking. For this recipe, I used 20g of natural cocoa powder and 20g of black cocoa powder.
First, preheat the oven to 350⁰ F /180⁰ C / 160⁰ C fan. Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the sifted dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum) until nicely combined and all clumps have disappeared.
In a separate larger bowl, add the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat everything together with a mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Easy peasy!
Stir in the hot coffee. Don’t worry, this will not make your cake taste like coffee, it will just enhance the chocolate flavor. The batter will be shiny and fairly thin (and that’s okay).
Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake for 35-38 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a toothpick through the center of the cake— if it comes out mostly clean, it’s done! If the toothpick comes out sticky, put the cake bake into the oven for another 1-2 minutes.
Once the cake is baked, let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to let it cool completely.
If the cake is domed (like mine), you can trim off the top with a serrated knife or cake leveler. However, if you do this, do not throw out those cake scraps from the top! They are actually the moistest part of the cake and are absolutely delicious. Enjoy them as a snack, or freeze them for later to make cake balls/pops/truffles.
First, we’re going to blitz some Oreos. Put 7 gluten-free Oreos in a food processor and pulse until they become fine crumbs. Set aside, and try not to nibble.
Now for the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, whip the soft butter with a stand mixer or electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Add half the (sifted) powdered sugar into the butter, and mix on low for 1-2 minutes until combined. Turn up the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the second half of the sifted powdered sugar and repeat.
Add the vanilla extract and then add the milk, one tbsp at a time, to loosen up the frosting. If the frosting is too stiff, add a little more milk. If it’s too runny, add a little more powdered sugar.
Once it’s nice and spreadable, reserve approximately ⅓ of the frosting and place it in a covered bowl or container for decorating at a later stage (this is the vanilla frosting).
With the remaining ⅔ of the frosting, add the Oreo crumbs gradually, one small handful at a time, mixing as you go. Add as many crumbs as you like, depending on your preference, and stop once your frosting has achieved its desired look and consistency (this is the cookies and cream frosting).
Decorating time! You can frost the cake however you want, but I started by doing a crumb coat with the cookies and cream buttercream. A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that helps seal in all the crumbs before adding the final coat. I put my crumb-coated cake into the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
Next, I added a second, thicker layer of Oreo buttercream to the cake. I used a palette knife to make it nice and smooth, then decorated the sides of the cake with extra Oreo cookie crumbs. Personally, I think the crumbs add a nice texture and also create a lovely visual contrast with the white frosting.
I finished off the top of the cake with large swirls of vanilla buttercream and, of course, whole Oreos cut in half. It is an Oreo cake, after all.
And there you have it: a delicious gluten-free Oreo cookie cake. What a beautiful thing to behold (and eat).
Serving Size 1 slice
Servings 8
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
The nutritional information is based on the brands and ingredients I used for this recipe. They may not be 100% accurate for you. Please check your nutrition labels for more precise information.
Planning a trip to Prague? Here are my tips on where to go for gluten-free desserts!
Zesty lemon sponge and tart blackberry icing come together beautifully in these delicious summer cupcakes.
Fruity, light, and creamy, with a lovely balance of tart and sweet, this gorgeous French dessert features fresh cherries baked into a delightful custard base.
Perfect for a summer picnic or cookout, my gluten-free version of this classic recipe is super easy and can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes. C’est magnifique!
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While doing our weekend shopping at the local farmer’s market, my husband and I made a rather fortunate mistake; we accidentally bought too many cherries. I mean, way too many cherries. It’s not that we don’t like cherries (we do), or that we can’t eat lots of cherries as snacks (we can), but these particular cherries from the market are so fresh and juicy that sadly they start to grow mold in about 2 days. Even the most dedicated cherry-lover would struggle to consume the quantity we bought in that time period.
It was futile. We needed to use the cherries in a dish, lest they would go to waste. I thought quickly, and my mind (as it often does) turned towards desserts. And then, I started reminiscing about summer in France.
About a decade ago, I spent a fabulous week visiting a friend who lived in the Auvergne region of central France. It’s no secret that French people love to eat, and French cooking is among the best on the entire planet. During my visit, I spent a very enjoyable summer evening at a large family barbeque, and there I had the chance to try a legion of traditional and delicious homemade French food.
One of the most intriguing dishes at the barbeque was a dessert that I had never seen before. It had no crust and looked like a cross between a cake and a flan. The base was some kind of custard, which seemed to be overflowing with plump, red cherries. I took a bite; it was light in texture, slightly tart and gently sweet, with a velvety smooth, creamy base. Glorious.
I excitedly asked my friend about this dish, and he told me that it’s called a clafoutis (kla-fu-tee) and is a very popular summer dessert. While cherries are commonly used, clafoutis can be made with any fresh summer fruit. The following morning, I watched in surprise and amusement as my friend and his family consumed leftover clafoutis for breakfast. Pourquoi pas?
Back to our cherry conundrum. The solution was now clear: I would bake a delicious gluten-free cherry clafoutis!
Luckily, making this dish without gluten was quite easy, as most of the ingredients in clafoutis are naturally gluten-free. I only needed to replace the regular flour in the custard base with a gluten-free flour blend. After tasting my version, I was immediately transported back to my wonderful summer in France. This cherry clafoutis is lightly sweet, wonderfully creamy, and intensely fruity. The touch of almond extract gives it a slightly nutty flavor and an extra complexity.
I am very happy to share my recipe with you. Here’s how to make it!
This simple recipe only requires a handful of ingredients. You will need the following:
Let’s start with the cherries. Look for good-quality, sweet cherries, and remember to give them a thorough rinse. Now comes the tricky part: removing those pesky pits. Now, you don’t have to pit your cherries if don’t feel like it, or maybe you want to make a traditional cherry clafoutis in which the cherries are baked into the custard pits and all. However, if you’re like me, and you prefer eating desserts without worrying about losing a tooth or two, then I would recommend pitting the cherries first.
I used a wooden skewer to poke holes into the top of the cherries and push the pits out, but you could also use a knife, fork, or even invest in a cherry pitter. I won’t lie, however you do it, it’s a bit of a messy process.
Once the pits out, give yourself a pat on the back— the hardest and most time-consuming part of the dish is done! Oh, somewhere in the process you’ll also want to remove the cherry stems, but that’s a considerably easier task.
Now we’re going to marinate these lovely fruits to bring out their full, robust flavor. Place your cherries into a bowl and add 38g (3 tbsp) of sugar. Stir everything together with a spoon until the cherries are nicely coated in sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Once the cherries have been chilling for a while, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350⁰ F/ 180⁰ C/ 160⁰ fan. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, glass dish, or cast-iron skillet with unsalted butter. I used a glass pie dish.
Now melt the butter and set it aside to cool for a few minutes. You can melt it on the stovetop or in the microwave, it’s up to you.
Now, it’s time to make the lovely custard filling. It’s so easy! Grab yourself a large mixing bowl and start by whisking 3 eggs together.
Into the same bowl, add the milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and the melted butter. Give them a good whisk. Then add the sugar and whisk everything till combined.
Now add the flour and salt. Keep on whisking!
A properly whisked custard base should be smooth and frothy with tiny air bubbles, like this:
Remember those cherries? Take them out of the fridge and scatter them evenly onto the bottom of your buttered pan, glass dish, or skillet.
Now pour the custard mixture all over the cherries. Watch them bathe in custard!
Your cherry clafoutis is ready to bake. Put it into the oven for 35-40 minutes.
You can test for doneness by poking a toothpick through the custard (non-cherry part) to see if it comes out mostly clean. The top should be slightly puffed up and golden-brown. Ooh la la.
Remove it from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. You can serve it immediately, allow it to come to room temperature, or put it into the fridge for a few hours to chill.
Before serving, dust the top of the clafoutis with powdered sugar. Stand back and admire your beautiful creation.
Personally, I think cherry clafoutis tastes best when chilled, but it will be delicious however you choose to serve it. This dish pairs beautifully with whipped cream, ice cream, or additional fruit. A spectacular summer dessert for an outdoor gathering with family and friends.
Bon appetit!
Serving Size 1 slice
Servings 8
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
This nutritional information is based on the brands and ingredients I used for this recipe. They may not be 100% accurate for you. Please check your nutrition labels for more precise information.
Crunchy on the outside, chewy and chocolatey on the inside, these gluten-free monster cookies are so delicious that you’ll want to gobble them up by the handful!
Moist, tender, and bursting with the taste of fresh bluberries, these delicious muffins are incredibly easy to make!