Thursday, April 12, 2012

It’s our 1st Birthday… Hip Hip Hooray!


Guess what today is? It’s our birthday! ‘Two Silly Sisters’ turns ONE! Yayyyyyyy! Exactly one year ago today we posted our very first blog, ‘Step away from the crunchy bread’. I remember how excited we both were… we had so many stories and recipes to share and couldn’t wait to get started. It was our dream to build a gluten free community – to share and learn from each other.

We have learnt a lot in the last year. Yes there have been many disasters in the kitchen, but there have been even more successes! We have enjoyed every minute of sharing our gluten free experiences with you, our readers. And lets face it, without you we wouldn’t have a blog, so thank you for following us on our gluten free journey!

We love getting comments, emails, and posts on our facebook wall. So please keep them coming! As a blogger, one of the most gratifying things is knowing that you are reaching out to people and helping them. Wether it’s a new recipe or advice on gluten free living. So if you haven’t joined us on Facebook yet, check it out now, because you are missing out on a lot more handy gluten free tips!


This is only the beginning and who knows what the next year will bring for ‘Two Silly Sisters’? Although I can tell you that we have quite a few little surprises up our sleeves! What would you like to see more of? We would love to know!

Now it wouldn’t be a first birthday party without a celebration (or cake) now would it? So in honour of our one year we have made a delicious batch of Lemon Cupcakes with Meringue Frosting! See recipe below. Happy baking and Hip Hip Hooray!


{Gluten Free Recipe} LEMON CUPCAKES WITH MERINGUE FROSTING
 
LEMON CUPCAKES
150g butter, at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
200g gluten free self-raising flour
2 tsp gluten free baking powder
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp grated lemon rind

MERINGUE FROSTING
3 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with patty cases.

2. Beat the butter, caster sugar, vanilla essence and lemon juice with electric beaters until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in between.


3. Sift the flour and fold into the butter mixture. Add baking powder.

4. Fold the sour cream into the mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Stir in the lemon rind.

5. Spoon the mixture evenly into the patty cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

6. For the meringue frosting beat egg whites with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. Gradually add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar has dissolved between each addition.

7. Preheat grill to medium-high. Spoon meringue mixture into a piping bag.

8. Pipe a swirl of meringue on the top of each cupcake and place under heated grill for 60-90 seconds or until golden.

Makes 12 cupcakes.


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Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Gluten Free Hot Cross Muffins


Wow, how can it be Easter already? The past few months have just flown by!

Apart from all the chocolate eggs you see at this time of the year, the next big giveaway that it’s Easter time is the hot cross buns.

Our very first attempt of making hot cross buns last year was disastrous. The dough was not easy to work with (very sticky to knead) and when cooked, they turned into rock cakes. I only wish I had photos to show you how messy they were!

This year I was determined not to miss out on eating a hot cross bun again, so I cheated a little and turned them into muffins instead. No kneading or mess, just spooned straight into a muffin tin.

So get into the Easter spirit and try our Gluten Free Hot Cross Muffins. See recipe below.

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe Easter long weekend. We hope the Easter bunny brings you lots of gluten free chocolates!


{Gluten Free Recipe} GLUTEN FREE HOT CROSS MUFFINS

MUFFIN MIX
2 cups gluten free self-raising flour
1/2 cup potato flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 cup sunflower oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
200g caster sugar
1 cup dark or milk choc chips
1/3 cup white choc chips

GLAZE
2 tbs caster sugar
2 tbs water

ICING
80g icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Hot water
 
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
 
2. Sift the flours, soda and spices into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs and sugar until combined. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently stir in the chocolate.
 
3. Divide the mixture among muffin cases, then bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
 

4. For the glaze, place the sugar in a pan with the water and simmer over low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Brush the glaze over the muffins.
 
5. For the icing, sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add lemon juice and just enough hot water to make a thick, pipable icing. Use a piping bag or drizzle from a spoon to draw a cross on each muffin.  Alternatively use pre-made royal icing.

Makes 12 muffins.


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