The Fresh Loaf

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Dessert Recipe Request

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Dessert Recipe Request

Hi Everyone.. we're going to see a friend for dinner this weekend and I'm going to bring dessert. But it's complicated.. I need to bring something that is vegan, gluten free, has no dairy, peas, corn or wheat.. I could pass and bring a salad but figured that someone on the board has an idea..  I thought I could make a toffu based cream cheese pie and make a non-gluten free graham cracker crust, but any other ideas?  I've never done that before an am not sure how good the toffu cream cheese would taste.. Thanks.. frank!

Comments

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

or fresh fruit?  Is liquor allowed for a marinade?

bread1965's picture
bread1965

.. they want their dessert fruit salad and jello mould back!! :) Thanks..

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

I think I've got a package still from the 80's.   If it keeps like twinkles, it's still good but I don't know what type of protein.  That carrot cake looks scrumptious!

clazar123's picture
clazar123

A real mishmash of info,links and ideas.

FYI-NO powdered sugar-it is made with cornstarch

Carrot cake-just dust generously with sugar/cinnamon before baking and it forms a crunchy topping. DO NOT use powdered sugar (contain cornstarch)

https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/vegan-gluten-free-dairy-free-carrot-cake/

 

Fudge is always welcome-if chocolate is ok:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/dairy-free-and-vegan-fudge-recipe-3376766

 

For this pumpkin custard you'd have to sub arrowroot powder to thicken rather than the cornstarch.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegan-pumpkin-pudding-recipe-3376747

I often make pumpkin custard all the time with no dairy, sugar free and low carb.  OR...Look up a recipe for chocolate pudding, egg custard, flan,butterscotch puddings. All can be made no dairy,vegan, no gluten,etc,etc.  Easy to do. Buy some nice, ovenproof coffee mugs at the local thrift store for individual cups or a nice 9x13 or 8x8 glass baking pan so people can scoop out what they want.

Google "Keto almond flour shortbread"-makes great cookies or a base for a fussy looking fruit tart or fruit "pizza".

Brownies are a very forgiving recipe in terms of flours/moisture. Black bean brownies? (make them the day you bring them or they get a bit rubbery.)

https://minimalistbaker.com/1-bowl-vegan-gluten-free-vanilla-cake/

 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

That looks amazing! Thanks!

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Well, as my friend said, I decided to make the hardest dessert recommended! :) 

I don't get why pictures are inserted onto this site rotated 90 degrees from how they were taken when uploaded. If anyone knows how to correct his please let me know. 

The frosting is made with tofu cream cheese, icing sugar (that uses tapioca starch and not corn starch), vegetable shortening, vanilla and a pinch of salt. The cake is pretty much the same as from your recipe link except that I substituted coconut palm sugar with 1/2 the amount needed with brown sugar. I did make one bigger cake rather than two smaller ones to stack. It took about an hour to cook to an internal temp of 200.

As to how it tasted, the frosting was spot on - you couldn't tell that it was vegan - it didn't have the tang of real cream cheese but tasted very good.  I could have added a few drops of lemon juice to give it a tang but opted not to do so. The cake itself had a great aroma and flavour. But because there was no gluten was denser than a normal cake with gluten to give it rise. Overall a successful, albeit challenging tasty dessert! Thanks for your help.

 

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I did that (the link)??? I am so happy for you. GF,vegan,etc,etc can be challenging but there is all kinds of deliciousness to be made using all kinds of ingredients.

Was the tofu cream cheese Tofutti brand?

This is exactly the kind of product you want to make with all these restrictions- a denser, moisture texture is generally easier and more forgiving to make GF, egg free,dairy free, etc. Brownies, pancakes and tea cakes or moist,dense cakes and then puddings are best to convert. Any product that needs to have an airy,feathered texture (gluten) generally does better with gluten containing ingredients. Gums do not make for feathery texture.

Good job! Absolutely beautiful!

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Yes - it's Tofutti. And yes it was your carrot cake link above I used. It was a good tasting substitute when I tried some alone.  As to making more of these free-everything desserts, thankfully I won' t be often! I'm decidedly in the pro-gluten camp! :)  But now I know.. Thanks again for your help!

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

That looks amazing!!! You sound like what we go around here; we never pick the easiest recipe! 

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Ok... that pudding looks great! Thanks!

ifs201's picture
ifs201

These are deeeeeeeeeeeeelicious! And just substitute and add ingredients as you like. 

 

https://www.kristinandrus.com/protein-poppers-2/

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

have been my sources for unique and exotic food, "something different" to share with friends.

Some ideers:

Korean/Japanese grocery stores often have "mochi", a rice cake, sometimes with a sweet bean-paste filling.

Indian/Pakistani stores have some fruits not usually found in western style grocery stores.

Rice paper "wraps" from Asian grocery stores could be used to wrap sweet stuff.

Mexican and Filipino grocery stores sometimes have dried/candied fruit you normally don't find in western groceries.  I like dried mango.  Candied kiwi fruit is interesting.

Real, and inexpensive, shea butter from an African store makes a nice house-warming gift. (The yellow kind of shea butter has palm oil mixed in, which can stain, so get the off-white more oure kind.)  For a group gift, stop at an American dollar-store, and get a package of ten small lidded plastic containers, usually $1 for all ten, and re-pack the shea butter for individual party favors.

bread1965's picture
bread1965

Great ideas, thanks!

Angelica Nelson's picture
Angelica Nelson

I suggest you decline to bring anything. Or not go.  The person obviously has serious food allergies and while you can make something without the ingredients you listed, it won't be free from cross contamination unless you obsessively clean your kitchen and use non poroous utensils, then pack it up so it can't be in contact with any of those ingredients after it's finished. 

The person will probably refuse to eat anything others bring anyway.  I would.

You're better off looking for something packaged you can buy for them which arrives closed in its own wrapper.

I think you're a good friend for wanting to try this but you should call the person and make sure they want you to cook/bake something.

bread1965's picture
bread1965

But they gave me the list of exceptions and they're good friends. In this case she doesn't have food allergies in a formal sense but feels better without eating these things. While I have my opinions about how common this is becoming, who am I to judge. So I'll try and if it doesn't get eaten by her, I'll have tried and the rest of us will enjoy it.. and besides, I love a good challenge! :)

Angelica Nelson's picture
Angelica Nelson

Well in that case, I think you're a very good friend.  There's a book I want to recommend then, it has wonderful recipes and the author became a cake/pastry author.  She wrote it when many of her friends were becoming gluten free and she didn't want to lose social contact with them.  I think in the final analysis she probably realized she was using a kitchen with gluten flour in it to feed friends who might not tolerate that, but the premise is a very nice one, to bring everyone together again.  There's at least 50 pages of desserts and breakfast pastries in it.  Her other books have gluten recipes but this one doesn't.  Gluten Free for Good

bread1965's picture
bread1965

I ended up making the carrot cake - pictures above in another message reply in this thread. Challenge completed.. but very challenging!