Girls night in...

Last Saturday I got together with a couple of the wives here. The boys were all away at a hockey game, so we thought it was a good chance for us to have some much needed girl time! So of course I had to make something delicious and gluten free for the occasion. I had yet to make a true dessert from scratch, so I took this get together as an opportunity to put on my baking apron and get serious. I borrowed a recipe from one of my gluten free cook books and tweaked it to be suitable for Pontebba. One of the other girls made two dips that I will also include on here. So here are a couple recipes great for evening get togethers or appetizers.

Game Night Cake

~3/4 cup sweet rice flour
~1/3 cup potato starch
~3 tbs. tapioca flour
~1 tsp GF baking powder
~2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
~1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
~3 eggs
~1/2 cup sugar
~1 tablespoon plain yogurt

Filling
~75 g (about 5 oz.) mascarpone
~1/8 cup whipping cream
~1 tbs. confectioner's sugar
~1/4 cup raspberries, fresh or thawed

Icing
~100g (1 bar) 70% dark chocolate
~ 100 ml (3 1/2 oz.) cream
~2 tsp. confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F, then grease the bottom of a glass baking dish (I believe mine is a 15" by 10") with butter. Mix all dry ingredients, except sugar, for the cake together; flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and xantham gum. In a separate bowl whip eggs and sugar together, then add yogurt. Once this is mixed stir in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time. Then add the cake mixture to pan and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until done. Allow cake to cool, or as I did put it outside in the cold for a good 5-10 minutes. While cake is cooling, whisk mascarpone, whipping cream, and confectioner's sugar together. Once this creates a thick creamy mixture (add more mascarpone if not thick), add raspberries. Put filling aside and in a small pot or sauce pan melt cream and chocolate together at a very low heat. Once icing is melted together add confectioner's sugar to taste, then remove from heat and set aside. Retrieve cake from wherever you put it and cut in half. Carefully pull one half from the pan and place on a serving plate. Spoon filling onto cake, once filling is spread evenly set the other piece of cake on top and spread icing evenly on top and over sides. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Fruit Dip

~1/2 cup cream cheese
~1/4 strawberry yogurt

Mix together until smooth and serve with fresh fruit.

Pizza Dip

~3/4 cup sour cream
~1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
~Can of GF pizza sauce
~GF pepperoni stick

Fill the bottom of a round pie pan or shallow baking dish with sour cream. Then add cheese to the top of the sour cream. Once cheese is evenly spread, drizzle pizza sauce onto cheese covering completely. Top the sauce with slices of pepperoni. Bake in oven, 300 F, until cheese is melted and dip is hot, about 10-15 minutes.