Rustic Sourdough Carrot Cake

Hello friends!

I am over at the Grain Mill Wagon sharing my yummy Rustic Sourdough Carrot Cake today. I made this cake for my Daddio's birthday and it was a yummy success!

Also, have you seen my Sourdough Focaccia Bread? You should, it's simply delicious and I love soaking up my sauces with this bread.

Have a wonderful day! Hugs!

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10 Favorite Chocolate Sweets For Your Valentine's Day

How many of you know the real story behind Valentine's Day?

This somewhat international holiday wasn't always about love, chocolate, strawberries and everything else that goes with Valentine's Day.

According to the Wikipedia, "St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius. Legend states that before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6th and July 30th, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).

The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards."

Hmm, this is very interesting. There seems to be a pattern here... most of the holidays we celebrate start off as a Christian celebration to remember important people, but later became celebrations that have nothing to do with the true meaning of the holiday. Christmas and Easter are two examples of that... Santa Claus and Bunnies? Where did they come from?

Now that I know the real story behind Valentine's Day... I plan to tell my kids the real story behind this holiday.

Of course, we will still celebrate this holiday with some yummy chocolate sweets! Plus, it is my Daddio's birthday... but he usually requests a carrot cake, his all-time favorite.

I will make him my rustic sourdough carrot cake... along with a chocolate tart that I have been experimenting with. Will share that with you when its ready!

So... today I am sharing with you my top 10 favorite chocolate sweets. Hope you enjoy them!!

 Double Chocolate Velvet Pancakes

(sugar-free & dairy-free option)

Tip: Instead of using the Banana Love Sauce... top it with strawberry cream cheese and serve it with more fresh strawberries!

Aquacate del Chocolate

(sugar-free, gluten-free & diary-free)

Tip: Serve with fresh strawberries. If you are throwing a party... serve this smooth, delicious pudding in avocado shells and top with strawberries & coconut flakes!

 Chunky Strawberry Chocolate Ice Cream

(diary-free & sugar-free options)

 Flourless Chocolate Almond Cookies

(gluten-free & diary-free)

 Bizarre Love Triangle Brownies

(sugar-free, gluten-free & dairy-free)

 Chocolate Coconut Sourdough Cake

Tip: Serve with fresh strawberries on top!

 Strawberry Cacao Milkshake

(sugar-free & diary-free option)

 Strawberry Coconut Muffins w/ Strawberry Cream Cheese

(gluten-free, dairy-free & sugar-free)

Tip: I know this isn't chocolate, but drizzling some homemade chocolate syrup on top would be just fab with this girlies... or chocolate chips!

Almund Joye Ice Cream

(sugar-free & dairy-free option)

Coconut Custard Cake

(gluten-free, sugar-free & dairy-free options)

Tip: Another none-chocolate recipe, but trust me... add chocolate chips in the batter and serve with fresh strawberries with more chocolate on top... a kiss on the lips goodness!

What are some of your favorite chocolate sweets?

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Easy Mango Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream Pie {nut, dairy & grain-free crust!}

That is a piece of sunshine.

Perfect for the dreary, cloudy, rainy day that we had on Father's Day.

I asked my wonderful Man what he would like me to make for him on Father's Day. He asked if an ice cream pie was possible.


Hmm.


Never made one before, but didn't think it would be impossible.


I did a search on google and came across this recipe (it was first on the list) from the famous Pioneer Woman. Her recipe was the springboard for me to make my own truly homemade version.


I made possible...


A delicious & easy toasted coconut meringue crust. Homemade tangy & fragrant mango frozen kefir (recipe in my ice cream ebook!). And freshly picked & sweetened blackberry sauce.

It was so easy to make and so so so good! My girls are begging me to make more ice cream pies. I think I will do this more often... sure puts a fun twist on having homemade ice cream!

Jon wanted a fruity ice cream and I had a perfectly ripe mango sitting in my fruit bowl along with a mason jar full of fresh kefir. The mango had a wonderful floral smell that always gets my mouth watering and the kids screaming for a bite. Heavenly.


While I was thinking about how to make the meringue crust that should pair up perfectly with mango frozen kefir... I thought coconut flakes, then took it a step further and toasted the flakes in my toaster oven. It smelled so good. Perfect.


I love how I could use the egg whites to make the meringue crust and whip in those rich egg yolks into the fruity mixture to give the homemade mango frozen kefir a nourishing boost. Nothing is wasted!


Next, I knew I needed to add some color to the ice cream. Pioneer woman made her boring looking ice cream pie look eye-appealing with that homemade caramel sauce. Well, the girls and I picked fresh blackberries that morning. Yesss... luscious, blood red blackberry sauce. Couldn't keep my fingers out of the pot while it was simmering. Yummy.

Easy Mango Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream Pie

{diary-free options and nut & grain-free crust}

Crust:

1/3 cup egg whites (about 3 eggs)

1/3 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup raw sugar, rapadura or coconut sugar (you can use stevia, start with a few drops and taste)

1 1/2 cups coconut flakes, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly rub coconut oil on a non-glass pie pan. Beat egg whites until frothy (I used my lovely KitchenAid mixture). Add your choice of sweetener and the sea salt. Beat on high until stiff. Fold in toasted coconut flakes. Spread the mixture over the bottom and sides as evenly as possible. Be sure to get up the sides well. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes and watch it towards the end to make sure the crust doesn't get too brown. When crust is golden brown, remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely.

Blackberry Sauce:

3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

3-5 Tbsp rapadura, coconut sugar or raw honey (stevia can be used too)

1 Tbsp arrowroot powder

pinch of sea salt

Put everything in a blender and give it a whirl until smooth. Pour into a small pot and bring to a simmer over low medium heat. Simmer until it thickens slightly, about 5-10 minutes. Set it aside and allow it to cool. Stir a few times while it is cooling to prevent it from getting jelly-like.

Mango Frozen Kefir:

2 cups pureed mango

1 1/2 cups kefir (you can use regular coconut milk or coconut kefir for a dairy-free option!)

2-4 Tbsp raw honey, if needed

2 or 3 egg yolks (leftover over from the meringue pie)

pinch of sea salt

Put everything in a blender and let it whirl until smooth. Pour mixture into your ice cream machine maker and follow the maker's instructions. When done, scoop out about half the frozen kefir and spread evenly on the coconut meringue crust. Swirl some of the blackberry sauce on top. Spread the rest of the frozen kefir on top of the sauce and swirl in more blackberry sauce. Take care not to over mix it or it won't have that pretty swirling look when you cut the pie into pieces! Cover the beautiful ice cream pie with plastic wrap and foil. Put it in the coldest section of your freezer and freeze until very hard. 

Use the extra blackberry sauce to decorate the plate or simply drizzle it on top of the pie.

Note: I wasn't sure what the crust would be like, but I am happy to say that it was amazing. Just the right amount of sweetness & flavor. It didn't get soggy and held up well. Don't expect the crust to come out of the pie pan perfectly. It will stick a little (that's why I say to use some coconut oil on the pan), but the Pioneer Woman said it was normal and imperfection is permitted because the crust is so darn good! I have to agree  :o)

Ready for a luscious bite?!

linked up at Real Food Wednesday

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Mexican Chocolate Coconut Tres Leches Cake (Gluten-Free!)

I have a confession to make...

I've kept this recipe from you all for 2 years now...

Why? Well, life happened! Moved to Honduras, no internet for 9 months, pregnant with little man and a year of adjust to the cultural shock all rolled together in the last 2 years.

Will you all forgive me? Will you still love me?

Whew! Glad to get that out in the open. I am thrilled to finally get this yummy, moist, rich cake out of my secret files and share it with you all!  ;o)

So... yeah, I made this cake back in Christmas of 2009 when we were living in Costa Rica. I mentioned this cake back when I was doing the Heavenly Sugar giveaway and my friend Katie (who won the giveway) requested the recipe for this cake. So sorry it took this long, Katie! Thanks for understand ;o)

As most of you probably already know... Tres Leches is Three Milks Cake and is a very popular cake among the Latin Americans. I remember having my first taste of it back when we were missionaries at Rancho Sordo Mudo (located in Baja California).

It was sugary, soggy and milky... yeah, I didn't like it.

I would always try a bite whenever a family would bring their kid a Tres Leches Cake for their birthday... hoping there might be one that I would like. No luck.

So, when I got the Heavenly Sugar packet to review and saw the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk in the box... I knew exactly what I was going to make.

I started looking around online for recipes, I did not see anything that interested me because I wanted to go for something more unique & healthy (of course!) with the flavor and ingredients.

Found NOTHING... well, I did find a couple gluten-free recipes, but they called for all these different kinds of flours that I don't use and weren't exactly healthy.

I started thinking... what about coconut flour?

The coconut flour is PERFECT because all the eggs it calls for creates a wonderful sponge to absorb the tres leches... YES!

That's how I came up with this unique & healthy Mexican Chocolate Coconut...

Chocolate Coconut Tres Leches Cake (Gluten-free!)

Chocolate Coconut Cake
3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
10 eggs, separated
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1 cup raw honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cinnamon


Set oven at 325 F. Greased a 9x13 pan and dust with coconut flour.


In a small bowl combine the flour, cocoa, sea salt and baking soda. In a large bowl blend together the egg yolks, oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients into the large bowl and blend together till smooth (very well combined). 


Put egg whites in a clean glass bowl, sprinkle some lemon juice and beat till stiff peaks form.
Fold egg whites into the batter and be careful not to over mix!


Pour mixture into 9x13 pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Before taking it out, test it with a knife and if it comes out clean… it is done.


Remove cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely. If desired, turn the cake unto a large plate or keep it in the pan.




Tres Leches Sauce
8oz Heavenly Sugar sweetened condensed milk
1 14oz. coconut milk or evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk or cream


Pour milks into a large jar and mix very well. Pour over the cake slowly in sections. Do not pour it all at once!


Note: if the coconut milk is very thick, you will need to water it down till it is the same consistency as regular evaporated milk.




Mexican Chocolate Sauce/Frosting
1 cup dark chocolate
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1-3 Tbsp raw honey
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt
pinch or more of hot chile powder (optional)


In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and coconut oil or butter. Stir in honey, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and optional chile. Let it cool. Heavily drizzle it over the cake (if desired) and serve!


If you want it more frosting-like… place the sauce in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer and whip the frosting with a hand blender until fluffy and thick. Carefully frost the cake and serve!


Have a wonderful Merry Christmas! Please let me know if you make this... I do hope the recipe with give you the same success I've consistently had over the last 2 years.


My family raved over this cake and I will be making it again this year  ;o)

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Sourdough Journal #10: Strawberry Coconut Pecan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

Oooh la la la! These cinnamon rolls were so good, especially with the strawberries. Who doesn't love a good, thick, hot, somewhat gooey cinnamon roll?! I just love how I can now take it a several steps further and make it healthy and nutritious with my sourdough starter!


When I first started GNOWFGLINS Sourdough eCourse, I was super excited to see a recipe for cinnamon rolls. I don't make cinnamon rolls often and when I do... it is a real treat! I like to make it different each time, but I know I will be making the strawberry with coconut and pecan again soon!

So, I made two different batches of cinnamon rolls. One with strawberries, coconut & pecans and the other one with blackberries, ground ginger & coconut. The latter batch was good, but not as good as the first batch! I think it was the ginger... it was a tad bit too much. I don't think I will do that again.

I also needed to let it bake longer because the rolls were so big, but I like it big! I made a quick frosting by mixing together whole milk, powdered raw sugar (just blend it in the blender till fine and powdery) and vanilla extract. I start with a cup of milk and add in about 1/2 cup powdered sugar... mix and add more sugar until it is thick, but loose enough to dribble it on the rolls. SO yummy!

Strawberry Coconut Pecan Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

I can't share the recipe because it is not my own. If you would like this fantastic recipe... you can either join the Sourdough eCourse or purchase the Sourdough A to Z eBook (which is the whole eCourse in one book for only $20 and it includes lifetime updates!).


I will share with you that I used coconut palm sugar as the sweetener and butter as the fat in the dough. For the filling I used LOTS of butter, rapadura, cinnamon, coconut flakes, chopped pecans and strawberries.


For the second batch I used coconut palm sugar, ground ginger and butter in the dough. For the filling I used butter, rapadura, ground ginger, coconut flakes and blackberries. Next time I will leave out the ginger and add in chopped almonds.

Mmmmm! Just smell them... gotta make more this week! LOL!!

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Sourdough Journal #8: Chocolate Coconut Sourdough Cake w/ Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich... tangy... moist... amazingly good.


I can't get over how easy it was to make it! For so long I always thought that sourdough seemed... complicated and a lot of work. Boy, I was so wrong! I am SO grateful for the gals who put together the Sourdough eCourse... they made it so simple and easy.


Now, look at what I've made... a sourdough starter from scratch, crackers, pancakes, tortillas, muffins, pizza, cornbread and now a chocolate CAKE!

Yeah, it tasted just as yummy as it looks!


I doubled the recipe and made a 2-layer cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. I made so much frosting that it almost seemed more like a cheesecake than plain old cake! My oldest, Naomi, loved the frosting so much that she ate it all off her cake and was too full to even finish the cake. LOL!

Chocolate Coconut Sourdough Cake w/ Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup sourdough starter (fed in the last 12 hours)
1 cup coconut milk (or other milk)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1 cup coconut oil, butter or both (lightly melted)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa powder (preferably not Dutch processed)
1 tsp finely ground coffee (optional)
2 eggs


Mix together the starter, coconut milk and wheat flour in a large bowl. Cover and let it sour for 5 to 8 hours.


Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9x13 cake pan or two 8"-9" cake pans with butter or oil and set aside.


In a different bowl, mix together sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, sea salt, baking soda, cocoa powder and coffee. Add eggs and beat it up well. Combine the sourdough mixture with the chocolate batter. Mix till smooth and pour into prepared pan(s).


Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Test with a toothpick in the center to see if its done. Remove from oven and let it cool completely before tipping them onto a plate.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting


1 cup homemade cream cheese (store bought is fine too!)
1/2 cup raw honey (more or less)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
Coconut flakes


Whip together everything except the coconut flakes in a blender or food processor till smooth. 


If you are doing a 2-layer cake, tip out the first cake onto a plate and spread with frosting. Tip out the second cake on top and spread frosting on top and the sides. Sprinkle heavily with coconut flakes. Serve and enjoy!


TIP: This cake is great at room temperature, but my family loved it cold. They said it was like having ice cream cake  :o)

See! So easy! Hope you try this sometime. Great for all those summer barbecues with friends and family  :o)

By the way: I updated my recipes page. Hopefully I will stay on top of that from now on!

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Sourdough Journal #6: Caribbean Sourdough Pizza

Woohoo! I am on a roll with my Honduran sourdough buddy... we've made crackers, pancakes, tortillas and muffins/bread... now pizza! I've been making sourdough pancakes almost every Saturday now and I always have to double the batch. My oldest daughter, Naomi, CHOWS down at least 2 or 3 good size pancakes. They are so good! Crackers are becoming part of my weekly routine and I'm having fun experimenting with different flavors.

Now, back to pizza...


I was very pleased with the crust and how tasty it was without it being overpowering. I often find that whole wheat crusts can steal the flavor away from the toppings, but not this one! It was sweet with a slight tang. Usually, my girls aren't big fans of pizza... but they sure loved the sourdough pizza!


While mixing everything together for my first crust... I was taken back by how easy it was that I took advantage of the time, extra sourdough starter and made TWO more pizza doughs to freeze for future "quick" fresh pizza. I was SO excited when I saw how much the dough had risen... my sourdough buddy is doing a fantastic job!

Maybe some of you might remember me telling you about a particular italian restaurant that we went to in Puerto Viejo... oh man... beyond delicious italian food... Anyway, I mentioned that we ordered a Caribbean pizza, but didn't say what the ingredients were. Well, I am about to reveal them to you today:


Pineapple, jalapenos, coconut and mild cheese... yep, that's all. Oh, I think it was supposed to be served with ham, but we don't eat pork and had the pizza without it. It was so simple, yet unique and delicious. This is one of our favorites!

Caribbean Sourdough Pizza

1 recipe of sourdough pizza crust
olive oil
tomato paste
sea salt
garlic powder
fresh pineapple, chopped
2 jalapenos. chopped
ham, chopped (optional)
1-2 cups coconut flakes, fresh or dried
shredded cheese, preferably mild


Mix together your dough for the pizza crust and follow the instructions for prebaking, if necessary.


Lightly drizzle olive oil on the pizza crust and spread tomato paste (you can thin it with a little oil or water if you want a thinner sauce). Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Lightly top with cheese.


Top with pineapple, jalapenos and optional ham. Mix together coconut flakes with the rest of the cheese and sprinkle on top.


Bake in the oven on a hot pizza stone. Pull out when done and ENJOY!

I'm sure you are wondering where are the jalapeno peppers... well, I didn't have any fresh jalapeno peppers when making this pizza, but I had homemade lacto-fermented jalapeno paste that I used instead. I sprinkled that on AFTER the pulling the pizza out of the oven to preserve the nutrients and probiotics in the paste  ;o)

I am really enjoying the Sourdough eCourse and love how simple it is! But I am even more thrilled about the Sourdough A to Z eBook.


Why?


Because I don't have to watch the videos! They transcribed them and put the text in the eBook. Also, another bonus, the entire eCourse is all in the book. So, if you don't want to spend the time (or money) taking the class or are already familiar with making sourdough and just want recipes... this is the book for you!


I know there are many of you out there who have not yet joined in with me on my sourdough journey. I hope you will change your mind soon because you are missing out! Have a great weekend everybody!


What are your favorite pizza toppings? Got any unique suggestions? Next I will be sharing with you sourdough cornbread and chocolate cake! Like I said earlier... I'm on a roll!

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Carrot Molasses Mini Muffins (Gluten-free!)

This week is Holy Week here in Honduras... we are taking the week off and spent much needed family time. Our home church was here last week and it was an awesome time of fellowship and encouragement. We miss them and look forward to seeing them this fall when we come state-side. Please stop by the RO4Y blog to read up on what we are doing here.

Anyway...


Are these little muffins adorable? Is my little girl adorable? Sorry, couldn't help it!  :o)


I'm excited to be able to make mini-muffins using my tin mini muffin pans that my mother-in-law got for me. They make fantastic snacks for all of us, especially now that Naomi is going to Kindergarden in the mornings (primarily to learn Spanish). Like clockwork, she asks for her snack exactly at 9:30! She's funny that way  :o)


Anyway, I wanted to make carrot cake in a muffin form using coconut flour. I got this recipe from Elana, but made a few changes... such as adding in some spices, nuts, raisins and molasses to give the muffins that moist, spicy carrot cake style... oh yum!


You will see below that I've given you the option of how much honey and molasses you want to use for the mini muffins. If you don't want a strong molasses flavor than go with 3 Tbsp honey and 1 Tbsp molasses. Using half and half... I found the molasses very light with a  slightly spicy flavor. These yummy guys are sure to please the whole family and are great travel snacks!

Carrot Molasses Mini Muffins

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil, butter or other

2 Tbsp honey (or 3 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp molasses (or 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup carrots, grated

1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in some lukewarm water and set aside. Grab another bowl and combine coconut flour, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, oil, honey, molasses & vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and blend till very smooth and wet. Drain raisins and fold in carrots, raisins & chopped walnuts.

Grease and powder the mini muffin pans with oil and coconut flour. Spoon in 1 Tbsp of batter into each cup. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing it from the cups to insure that it the whole muffin will come out.

Have a great week everybody!

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