chocolate ganache frosting... on vanilla cupcakes

I just made these cupcakes last night... I used the Pamela's Classic Vanilla cake mix and topped them off with a recipe I pulled from Epicurious.

Yum.

I didn't realize how simple it is to make a ganache (or at least the recipe I pulled!). I got a food scale for Christmas so I'm starting to put recipes together this way... it's much more precise so I feel like I'm less likely to screw up.

to make the ganache you'll need:
12 oz of heavy cream
454 grams of chocolate (dark or semi-sweet, or really, whatever you like!)

1. in a heavy saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil.
2. once it boils, turn the burner off and add the chocolate to the mix and allow the chocolate to rest... it will start to melt pretty quickly.
3. use a rubber spatula to gently stir the mixture together until it gets smooth (keep the burner OFF!)
4. Once smooth, transfer to a room temperature bowl and cover with Saran wrap and put the bowl in the fridge to chill. Once it takes on the consistency of a a thick, thick peanut butter, spread on your cupcakes (or cakes... or face, whatever you like.)


I used Schokinag Chocolate Chunks for this... it's my favorite chocolate chip for baking just about anything.

This is the food scale I use: I love it! Just be sure to zero the scale once you put your bowl or whatever you are using the weight the foodstuffs...

final verdict: TASTY!

I finally found a place carrying the newish gluten free baked goods from Betty Crocker. Using the word tickled probably doesn't do right by my reaction in the grocery aisle. I have a been a faithful mixer of gluten free flours for years now and recently, due to laziness and really, many situations where the need/want for a cookie decimates my patience, I have been turning to premixed varieties from Pamela's (always delicious, although fairly expensive). I'm pretty happy to report that I now have some new 'stuff' to add to the mix!

I bought the chocolate cake mix, the yellow cake mix, and the chocolate cookie mix. So far I've only made the chocolate chip cookies... and let me tell you-- they are tasty.

These cookies, once they come out of the oven are much more along the lines of those tasty cookies that are more redolent of a buttery mix than a cake-y one. They have a very light texture-- slightly crumbly-- with a little bit of the typical gluten free texture (although not gristly or mealy at all!) with a bit more chew to them.

All you need is an egg, a teaspoon of gluten free vanilla, and a stick of room temperature butter... it literally took me two minutes to mix and they cook in ten minutes. It's immediate cookie satisfaction. Just be sure to gently slide them off of the cookie sheet because right when they come out of the oven, they tend to break easily. I let them rest for about 3 minutes on a cooling rack.


Yum.

Available at Albertson's at 5801 Calle Real in Goleta.

betty crocker goes gluten free?

Talk about surprises... I just came across this article about Betty Crocker's foray into the world of gluten free treats, on AdAge, no less. I have yet to try some, but geez... this seems to bode well for those of us avoiding gluten. These mixes are made in dedicated facilities.

Since going gluten-free in 2003, I've seen the learning curve about being gluten free from "So you can still eat cookies, right?" up to recent conversations with strangers about children they know who have Celiac or are avoiding casein and gluten.

I have yet to try these mixes (it sounds like they aren't rolled out everywhere just yet), but I'm excited to not only try them but to also see how other mainstream food companies address the gluten free market... If you're anxious to try but can't find them in stores, check out Amazon-- here are the chocolate chip cookies, here is the yellow cake mix, the devil's food cake mix, and finally, the brownie mix.

I am still dreaming of a gluten free maple bar donut... any donut makers out there?

1-2-3 Gluten Free Rolls

We decided to give a store bought mix a shot for our Turkey day this year... 1-2-3 Gluten Free's Delectably Tender Rolls-- and I'm happy we did. I even had a gluten eater try them out and they couldn't tell they were gluten free.

I know... it's barely 11:00 and I'm already grazing on everything we prepped.

These rolls are super tender (just like the name promises) and achieve an excellent crust. However, for those of you that are vegan, this does require milk, eggs, softened butter, and egg whites (for brushing the surface right before baking).

The prep is a little time consuming since you need to mix it all up, and then let it rise (it's got yeast in the bag), then brush it with egg whites, then pop it in the oven... but let me tell you, it's worth it.

We picked this bag up at Pacific Health Foods on Calle Real in Goleta right next to Blockbuster. If you live outside of the Santa Barbara area, check out their retail list here or order direct.


Now back to that Turkey...