Vanilla Custard Tarts -- little Pi Day treats from my gluten-free, plant-based kitchen

Pi Day is a distant memory at this point, but the delicious tarts we came up with on the fly at the last minute still haunt my mind like a friendly ghost. At 12:30 my kid said: "What about pie? Are we having pie? I said: "Oh. You want pie?" The answer of course was yes, and when I asked what kind, the answer was 'custard pie'. Not that we've ever had custard pie, but a small detail like that has never stopped my kid before. I suggested in lieu of big pie, we try tarts, and an agreement was achieved. We thought it would be fun to eat our pie on pi day at exactly 1:59 in the afternoon, so that left us almost 90 minutes to conceive a recipe, gather our ingredients, create our concoction, and have it ready in time for the fateful, nerdiest minute of pie day. (Since of course I was not going to participate in pie or pi at 1:59 in the morning). The good news is this prepped up in very little time, and because these little tarts are quite petite, there was enough time for them to cool down and fully set as well.

Bonus points for being amazingly delicious!!

vanilla custard tarts — vegan, gluten free

equipment needed:

-grinder (I used it to grind oat flakes into a very fine flour because I didn't have oat flour)

-6 silicone muffin cups and a baking sheet (if you have small tart pans, you can use those instead)

-measuring spoons

-measuring cups

-mixing bowl

-fork

-stove

-small pot

-whisk

ingredients:

crust:

A)

1/4 cup almond flour

6 tbsp oat flour

1/8 tsp sea salt

B)

1 1/4 tbsp coconut oil

C

1 1/2 tsp agave (or other liquid sweetener of your choice)

filling:

D)

1 cup water + 2 tbsp

1 tsp vanilla extract

5tbsp agave or other liquid sweetener of your choice

E)

4 tbsp soy milk powder

2 tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp agar agar powder

pinch of turmeric (optional just for appealing colour)

1/4 + tsp sea salt

directions:

crust:

preheat the oven to 345

1. Combine the ingredients from A) until well mixed
2. add B) and mix well with a fork
3. add C) and mix in well with a fork
4. divide the resulting mixture between 8 or 9  silicone muffin cups, and press down to form crusts (I kept the mixutre in the bottom only, and didn’t take it up the sides)
5. bake for 7 to 10 minutes

filling:

1. in a small pot, combine D)
2. combine  E) in a small bowl, then add to D), and whisk together before heating
3. heat, whisking all the while
4. stir on a low gentle simmering boil until fully thickened and glossy
5. when tart crusts are out of the oven, divide the filling equally among all of them
6. allow to cool fully before removing from the silicone moulds and eating.
7. left overs can be stored in the silicone moulds in an airtight container in the fridge

Choose Your Adventure Cake -- plant-based, gluten-free, moist, delicious, and reliable

A recipe by request!

How about an all purpose cake that you can easily tweak to suit your needs? I'm talking about a cake with such a delicate and lovely texture that you could dress it up in frosting and sing happy birthday, or throw in some oats and mix-ins and say "hello muffin" in the same adoring tone you greet your offspring when they wake up in the morning. I'm talking about a chameleon that can go from chocolate to vanilla, from plain to spice, from comforting to exciting with just a few simple steps and clearly delineated choices. Does this sound too good to be true? Oh, and did I mention it's entirely plant-based, gluten free, and uber delicious?

IT'S NOT TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

IT IS SIMPLE!!

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

introducing: Choose Your Adventure Cake -- a recipe by request

equipment needed:
2 mixing bowls
measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing spoons
whisk
muffin trays and papers or silicone muffin cups and baking sheets
kettle 
oven


ingredients:

A)
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup coconut oil 

or 

1 cup cool water
1/4 cup avocado oil


B)
1 tbsp molasses or honey or coconut nectar or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

C)
1/2 cup coconut sugar — more wholesome — great for everyday treat

or

1/2 cup organic cane sugar — will be more like ‘cake’

D)
1/4 tsp mountain salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum 
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp tapioca flour
2 tbsp chickpea flour (or white bean flour)
1 tbsp soy milk powder

E) 
(choose 2 from below totalling 10 tbsp):
5 tbsp millet flour or 5 tbsp brown rice flour
5 tbsp sweet brown rice flour
5 tbsp sorghum flour or 5 tbsp oat flour


F)
1) for vanilla, add: 
4 extra tbsp flour (choose from above options in E)
2 tbsp coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
1/4 tsp tonka bean powder

2) for chocolate, add:
4 tbsp cacao
4 tbsp coconut sugar or organic cane sugar (you'll probably want cane sugar for this to be honest)
2 coffee beans finely ground
optional ‘mix-in’ 1/2 cup chocolate chip for double chocolate

3) for muffins, add:
1/2 cup large oat flakes
1 tsp cinnamon/ginger/clove/allspice etc
‘mix-in’ —1/2 cup raisins/sunflower seeds/ blueberries/diced apple etc


directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345
2. in the 1st mixing bowl, combine the ingredients from A, B, and C, ensuring that the coconut oil is melted and the sugar is dissolved
3. in 2nd mixing bowl, combine the ingredients from D, E, F, (save for any mix-ins — they always go in after everything has been combined right before scooping the batter) Make sure this is completely mixed
4. combine the contents of both mixing bowls (adding dry to wet is best) and whisk well
5. stir in any ‘mix-ins’ if applicable.
6.
a) for muffins or cupcakes: scoop into paper lined muffin trays or silicon muffin cups on baking sheets (for the later, don’t crowd  — spread them out on the tray) (I love using a 4tbsp scoop for this) (makes about 10 little cakes or muffins depending on how many mix ins)
b) for little round pans for layer cake: line each round with parchment and also brush with coconut oil — trust me (this will make about 2 little round layers — or double it to make 3 8 inch layers)
7. bake for 40 to 55 minutes at 345 depending on size of cake -- cupcakes and muffins will take less time than a bigger cake!!  Bake until the cake feels springy and firm, but still delicate to the touch. Trust your finger tips!! You can also poke it with a toothpick to see if it's done.
8. remove from the oven and cool




bakers notes:

-Don’t be afraid to get creative!
-If you throw in frozen blueberries or chocolate chips, don’t do it when the batter is warm (better use cool water and avocado oil)
-You can sub in other gluten free grain flours that you like — just keep in mind that this will sometimes alter the quantity of water you need (for example, buckwheat flour tends to be more absorbent, so you might need 1 tbsp or 2 less)
-Trust your finger tips — you will get good at judging when the cake is springy and firm, yet still delicateThis cake is delicate enough to work well as a real cake, especially if make with cane sugar for that extra decadent taste. However, if you go the coconut sugar route, you can also mix in whatever you like for a hearty muffin.
-Sprinkling some coconut sugar or cane sugar on top before baking can make the muffins or cake look a little fancier than they would otherwise, if you are going with an unfrosted look




alternate ideas:

pumpkin:
**Instead of using 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of oil, use 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup water +2 tbsp, and throw in your favourite autumnal spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. 

apple and raisin:
**Instead of using 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of oil, use 1 cup of apple sauce, 1/4 cup of water, and 1/4 cup of oil -- great with raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon

banana and chocolate:
**Instead of 1 cup water and 1/4 cup oil, try 1 cup of pureed, over-ripe banana, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 cup oil. This will be great with chocolate chips! You may want to reduce the amount of sugar you add by half, depending on how sweet the bananas are