Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Have you been searching for a really good banana cake?

Yes?

Then this is the one for you. This cake is super moist and packed with great flavor. Plus, it has chocolate chips in it. You can't go wrong with a dessert that includes chocolate chips, can you?

This cake is amazing. And even better with a layer of frosting on top.

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

• 6 Tablespoons Water
• 2 Tablespoons Flaxseed Meal
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/4 Cup Oil
• 2 Large Bananas, mashed
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 Cup Milk
• 1/3 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 1/2 Cup White Rice Flour
• 3/4 Cup Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 Cup Mini (or regular) chocolate Chips

1. Heat water for about 30 seconds. Add flaxseed meal to it and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. In the bowl of your mixer, combine butter, oil, bananas and sugar. Beat.
3. Add vanilla and flax-egg to the wet mixture and beat again. Then, add in the milk and sour cream and beat once more
4. Carefully stir your dry mixture into your wet ingredients. 
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Pour into two 9x5 loaf pans, one bundt pan, one 9" round pan, or an 8x8" square pan.
7. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on which pan you use.
8. Cool and frost.

Adapted from this recipe.


I'm sure you and your family will love this cake just as much as my family and I did!
-Bethany

Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce

I learned to make a few homemade sauces in the past year, and I never would have believed how simple it is to make them until I tried myself. Making homemade marinara, Alfredo, cheese sauce and enchilada sauce really is an easy task. I suggest that you try them all and see for yourself. Starting with this sauce.

Homemade enchilada sauce couldn't get any simpler than this recipe. I make it all of the time, and it takes me only a few minutes to get it all put together! So easy, and so good. Plus, with it being homemade, I can control the flavors that I put into it. Depending on the day I will put more cumin or chili powder in the sauce. I just do whatever I feel like in the moment.

Easy Enchilada Sauce

• 1 (8 ounce) Can Tomato Sauce
• 1 small Clove Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (or more, if you prefer it to be spicier)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder or 1/4 cup Onion, chopped
• Sprinkle of Oregano

1. Put all of the ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. 
2. Pour into a saucepan and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Makes enough for an 8x8 pan of enchiladas. 

There you have it! Now you can easily make your own homemade enchilada sauce, too!

-Bethany

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Frosting

It was my sister's 29th birthday a few days ago, and to celebrate I knew that I wanted to make her a special cake. I decided on a chocolate cake, and I considered all of my options before I settled on a cookie dough frosting for it. Oh, I am so glad that I did. 

This frosting is just what you would expect from its name. It is sweet, but not too sweet. It is filled with cookie dough flavor, and it has a texture that is somewhere between a frosting and cookie dough. I will definitely be making it again!

In addition to the cake, we put up a few decorations for my sister's birthday...

And, of course, there were some presents...

And we made her a birthday meal...

 But the cake... it was definitely the star!

We even decorated the top with some mud and pigs!

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Frosting

• 1 Cup Butter
• 2 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup plus 3 Tablespoons Rice Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Milk
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

1. Cream together the butter and both sugars until they are nice and smooth.
2. Add the rice flour, milk, vanilla and salt and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy Add a bit more milk if too thick for your taste.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Get frosting and enjoy! (I stored my cake in the fridge)

Adapted from this recipe.

-Bethany

Gluten Free/Egg Free Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

I've become a little obsessed with chocolate cookies as of late. I tried yet another version of them with these Texas Sheet Cake Cookies, and I couldn't have asked for a softer, tastier cookie.

Even though these don't have as rich a chocolate flavor as some of the chocolate cookies that I have made recently, these are one of my favorites. Maybe my favorite. They just melt in your mouth, soft and smooth and delicious. I could easily eat a half dozen of these in one sitting! Needless to say that taking a bite for these pictures was very enjoyable. I take any excuse that I can get to eat a cookie in the middle of the afternoon!

Gluten Free/Egg Free Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

• 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Water, hot
• 1 Tablespoon Flaxseed Meal
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons White Rice Flour
• 1/3 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat water in the microwave about 20 seconds. Add the flaxseed meal and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch and xanthan gum.
4. In the bowl of your mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add the flax-egg and vanilla and beat again.
6. Mix in the baking powder and salt.
7.  Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. 
8. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, for thirty seconds and then fifteen seconds at a time after that. Once melted, pour into cookie dough and mix until combined.
9. On a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, scoop the dough a tablespoon at a time to form cookies. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Do not over-bake

Frosting

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 2 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

1. Once the cookies have cooled, combine the butter, milk and cocoa powder in a saucepan and stir until melted together.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. 
3. Pour over the cookies, coating the tops. Allow to set.

Adapted from this recipe.


If you love chocolate cookies as much as I do you are sure to enjoy these!
-Bethany