A Kitchen Science Experiment...

Otherwise Known as Gluten Free, Vegan Citrus Poppy Seed Cake, Using Hodgson Mill's Baking Mix and Hodgson Mill's Milled Flax Seed.

This was quite an adventure, and a pretty tasty one at that.  I decided, since the apple cinnamon muffins came out quite nicely, I would attempt a bolder experiment.....

Ingredients

For the cake:

•  4 Tablespoons Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed
•  6 Tablespoons water
•  2 cups Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix
•  3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/2 cup coconut oil (plus a little bit more to grease the pan, unless you're using a non-stick like I did.  I greased it a bit anyway - I've had less than desirable results with vegan cakes in the past.)
•  3/4 cup sugar
•  3/4 cup NON-GMO soy milk
•  Zest & Juice of 2 Lemons (the ones I had were little - about the size of big limes, so if you buy one of those huge monster lemons, you could probably get away with using just one. And in honest retrospect- I suppose I could have gone a little bit lighter on the zest.)
•  1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
•  1/4 cup orange juice
•  1 teaspoon almond extract
•  1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (you can add more if you like lots of them)

Flax-water gel acts as
an egg-like substitute.

For the frosting:

•  3 cups powdered sugar
•  2 Tablespoons lemon juice
•  3 Tablespoons orange juice
•  1 1/2 Tablespoons cashew nut butter

Directions:

Whisk the 4 Tblsp milled flax and 6 Tblsp water together and set aside.  Zest and juice the lemon(s)*

Avoiding mess!
(a rarity in my kitchen.)

*helpful tip: if a recipe calls for the zest and juice of a lemon & they are added to the mixture at the same time, I mix the juice with the zest.  This keeps the zest from drying while you work and makes it so much easier to not have it stuck everywhere (on hands, spoons, the bowl, the floor, etc.)

Seriously Awesome.
If you don't own one yet, you should.

An additional note on the zesting of lemons: if you don't already own one, buy a Microplane™.  This, as far as my kitchen is concerned, is the best zesting tool on the face of the planet - seriously.  My mom bought one for me last year, and I love it so much, I think my other kitchen utensils are getting jealous.

Glass jar for lemon juice.

*second helpful tip: Yes, I know it's additional work juicing lemons, but it's well worth it.  It really does make all the difference - especially when you make lemon curd or any other recipe featuring lemon.  It's a brighter, cleaner lemon taste without preservatives, and the more of those you can eliminate from your diet, the better off you will be.  Something to simplify your life...buy a lot of lemons.  You can juice them and store them in a glass bottle or jar in the fridge.  If you don't use a whole lot of lemon juice in your household, you can measure out tablespoons of it into an ice cube tray and freeze for longer storage.  As a green tea-with-honey-and-lemon drinker, my taste buds feel that there is no substitute for home-squeezed lemon juice.
But yes...on with the recipe.


In a small bowl: combine Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Baking Mix and baking soda.


In a larger bowl: combine the sugar and coconut oil (I like to use a whisk).  Add the flax/water blend, stir well.  Add the soy milk, stir.  Add the lemon zest, juice, orange juice, almond extract and poppy seeds, stir.  Add the Baking Mix and baking soda mixture, slowly, while stirring (this helps prevent flour-explosions), stir until combined.  Spread batter (it will be a little thick) evenly into a Bundt pan and bake at 350º F for 40-50 minutes.

Mmmm....Frosting.
What more need be said?

When pan has cooled enough to handle, turn cake out on a plate.

 Mix frosting: combine juice with powdered sugar, add cashew butter last,  mix well & spread evenly.  There is enough in this recipe to completely cover the cake.  You can make/use less if you prefer. (I have a HUGE sweet tooth, and personally, there is nothing I find more disappointing than a piece of Bundt cake with a tiny little drizzle of frosting.  And the frosting recipe here is very tangy - not overwhelming sweet- I feel like it adds to the flavor, so I would encourage you to use as much as you like!)   Slice & enjoy!

Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins Product Review

Recently I re-discovered a company called Hodgson Mill (you may have noticed their products in my store).  I had a box of their milled flax seed in my cupboard.  It worked very well as an egg substitute when I made some vegan cupcakes.  But until just recently, I had no idea that they make such a wide range of products!  And many of them are gluten free and Non-GMO! I almost fell off my chair.  One of the many products that caught my eye was the Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix.  So I thought I would try it. 

 

The directions are simple, and you only need a few ingredients: vegetable oil, milk, one egg, and sugar (possibly some extra cinnamon if you are a cinnamon fiend like my husband - but I found the mix to have a nice balance all on it's own.)I put all the wet ingredients in first (this prevents any dry mix from sticking to the bottom of the bowl.  It also helps those of us who are prone to over-mixing, not to over-mix).  Then I added the sugar and the bag of mix....

Chunky pieces of apple!

And I paused for just a moment, to admire the large size of the REAL apple pieces that are in the mix!  You can see in the photos - the muffin batter looks chunky.  Well it looks chunky because it is! That's real fruit in there!
Impressed thus far, I pulled out my muffin pan, and then broke into a cold sweat, not knowing if I had enough paper liners to finish the job.  I was lucky.  There were seven; just enough.  (The mix makes 7 or 8 muffins.  This is a nice size.  You don't have to worry about eating a whole bunch of muffins in a short period of time.  This is very beneficial because some of us would eat all the delicious muffins too quickly and get a tummy ache.)


I spooned the nice thick mix evenly into the seven paper liners, sprinkled a little bit of sugar on the top (adds a sweet little crunch), and placed them in the oven.

About 15 minutes later, I had some amazing looking Gluten Free apple cinnamon muffins.
And then the taste-test... (cue exciting music)







They are delicious!  You can taste the cinnamon and apples in a pleasant and equal balance.  What's really great is that there are large bits of apple that you can actually taste - and some you might actually have to chew!  The combination of the milled flax seed, sorghum flour, and millet flour provide a delicate, slightly sweet and nutty background flavor and also give you some needed omega-3s and fiber.  There's also a recipe on the back of the box for apple cinnamon pancakes! I can't wait to try this one.
Ready for one more mega-benefit? No additives! No preservatives! And it's made right here in the U.S. of A. by one very dedicated family! (ok, that was actually three benefits, but who's going to complain about more good things? Not me.)  I definitely recommend this muffin mix, and their other products as well.  If you can't find Hodgson Mill in your local store, ask for it by name.  You can also buy many of their products on this website or from the hodgson mill store.  Happy Baking!!!