Gluten Free Vegan Trini Fruit Cake

There are fruit cakes and there is Trini Fruit Cake, as in the boozy, pudding like, almost black looking cake popular in Trinidad and Tobago at weddings and at Christmas. It’s not an easy favourite, there is a bitter sweet taste from the molasses and caramelised sugar that gives it the characteristic dark, almost black colour. It is however a real treat because most only get to eat it once for the year like a seasonal fruit which makes it all the more desirable. And the process...traditionally the fruit is “soaked”, left to cure for weeks and months in alcohol. Plus after baking the cake is soaked with more alcohol and with time perhaps even more alcohol.

This is one of the easiest cakes you will ever make gluten free. Dense is okay and the large volume of fruit makes it virtually impossible to crumble. Start with the basic recipe and add your own touches, make it darker, lighter, add more alcohol, more fruit, less if you prefer. Trini fruit cake keeps, it can last for months perhaps years if wrapped tightly and stored, in the freezer or a cool cupboard. On that note, happy baking, just dive in don’t worry about it at all, it’s bound to be great!

Trini Fruit Cake

Gluten Free Vegan Trini Fruit Cake

Ingredients

1½ cup gluten free flour blend

½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if in your flour blend)

2¼ tsp baking powder

1½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt (omit if in your flour blend)

¼ tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp flax meal

¾ - 1 cup water

¼ cup + 2 tbsp sugar

¼ cup + 2 tbsp oil

1½ tsp vanilla extract

1½ tsp almond extract

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

2 tbs browning (more for darker colour)**

2 tsp molasses

1 tbsp vinegar

1½ cup pureed mix fruit ***

cherry brandy

¼ cup white rum (or to preference)

**browning refers to a syrupy dark caramelised sugar and water mixture

** the pureed mix can be any combination of dried fruit e.g. raisins, sultanas, currants, dates etc. The fruit is soaked in alcohol, usually rum and cherry brandy, until softened and then blended to form a thick puree. Fruits can be soaked anywhere from a few hours to a few days or months. For 1½ cups of pureed fruit as used in this recipe, you will need approximately 1½ - 2 cups total dried fruit, soaked and blended with ¾ cup of liquid (or enough liquid to cover the fruit)

Directions

Preheat oven to 275°F. Prepare an 8” baking tin, set aside.

Combine the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, set aside

To your mixing bowl add the flax meal, ½ cup of water and the sugar. Whip, beat or mix until slightly thickened. Turn off the mixer or stop beating and leave to rest for about 5 minutes

Once rested, resume mixing or beating, gradually adding the oil. Whip until the oil is fully incorporated and the mixture lightens in colour

Add the extracts, bitters, browning, molasses, vinegar and mix again. Now add the flour and mix until just blended. Turn off the mixer and fold in by hand the pureed fruit, the mixture will be thick but not stiff, somewhat like a muffin batter. If necessary add some water to achieve the right consistency. You could also use cherry brandy instead of water.

Spoon the batter into the baking tin. Bake at 275°F for 50 minutes or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the baking tin for about 15 mins. Prick holes with a toothpick all over the top of the cake. Pour the rum on the cake distributing as evenly as possible. Allow the cake to rest in the tin if possible for a few hours or overnight. Store in a tightly sealed container. The cake will keep for an indefinite amount of time in the freezer or a cool cupboard because of the alcohol. It can be soaked again to your preference

Gluten Free, Vegan Mango and Orange Panna Cotta Tart

Gluten Free, Vegan Mango and Orange Panna Cotta Tart

(serves 4 - 5 using a 5” mini tart pan)

Ingredients

Base

Leftovers e.g. cake, donuts, cookies

1 tbsp maple syrup

½ tbsp oil (if needed)

water (if needed)

sugar & salt to taste

Filling

1 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp agar agar flakes

1 cup mango puree*

½ cup orange juice

pinch of salt

¼ cup confectioners sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

*I use a fleshy mango that has little or no fibrous bits so I do not have to strain the pulp. The Julie mango that is available in Trinidad and Tobago is my preference

Tart Base

To make the base, pulse the leftovers to form a crumbly mixture. You will have to estimate how much “leftovers” is needed to make 1 cup of the crumb mix

In a mixing bowl, add the maple syrup to the crumb mix and combine. The crumbs should hold loosely together if pressed, no need to form a dough. If necessary add a little oil or water to moisten the crumbs so that it will stick together. Season with salt and/or sugar if needed

Spoon the crumb mixture into the tart pans, press down until the crumbs stick together to form the base. Set aside

Tart Filling

Add the mango puree, orange juice, salt, confectioners sugar and vanilla extract if using to a blender or food processor cup. Set aside

Add the milk and agar agar flakes to a saucepan and bring to a slow boil on medium to low heat. Stir to melt the agar agar flakes

Once the flakes have melted add the milk to the mango puree mixture (you may have to let the milk cool a bit first). Blend until smooth

Divide the mixture evenly between the tart pans. Allow the tart to set in the refrigerator before serving

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten Free & Vegan

(makes 10 – 12 cookies)

Gluten Free and Vegan Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup potato starch

¼ tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp vegan butter or margarine (28g)

¼ cup coconut milk + 1 tbsp

½ tsp vanilla extract

2 oz chocolate chips

Notes You can use a pre-packaged gluten free flour blend, preferably a “light” blend for cake or pancakes and not a bread mix. Omit the xanthan gum if already in your mix

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients except the sugar and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.

In a small skillet on low heat melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and heat until it begins to bubble. The sugar will melt and caramelize, turning golden brown. Stir (or shake the skillet) to distribute the sauce evenly. As the sauce thickens add the ¼ cup milk and stir well. Allow it to bubble ad thicken further, you want the butterscotch to be somewhat thick but looser than a caramel. The browner it gets the darker your cookie and the more pronounced the flavor. However do not let the mixture burn or thicken to the point where it can crystallize to make candy

Remove the butterscotch mixture from the heat and add it to the flour. Add the vanilla extract and the tablespoon of coconut milk. Knead or mix until the dough is slightly sticky but holding together, add a little more milk at a time if needed. You can either leave this cookie dough to cool before folding in the chocolate chips or you can continue to shaping the cookies, adding the chocolate chips after

Scoop rounds of the dough (about 2 tablespoons in size or as preferred) onto a parchment lined sheet leaving a space between each round. If you find the dough difficult to handle, chill for about 15 minutes before shaping

With wet hands flatten into discs. The cookies do not spread much so flatten to your desired thickness. If you have not yet added your chocolate chips sprinkle them on the tops of each cookie, press down to set

When ready, bake for 8 mins until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, cool and enjoy! Store in an airtight container on your kitchen counter for up to 5 days, (if your kitchen is hot and humid, store in the refrigerator)