How does a Gluten Free Mom celebrate her birthday! With lots of love and a gluten free birthday cake of course!
Despite the fact that the Weekend Chef left for London in the early afternoon, I actually had a wonderful birthday.
The celebration started on my Birthday Eve with dinner with great friends at Bis on Main in Bellevue. They were very knowledgeable about gluten and all of the places it can hide. They served me a wonderful dinner; for an appetizer we had Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna with fresh ginger and wasabi in lieu of the sauce. For dinner I had the special which was a delicious Grilled Pork Tenderloin. I skipped the standard gluten and casein free dessert of fresh berries and opted for the traditional italian dessert of grappa.
The next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to wake up and find that while we were at dinner, the Gluten Free Teen was busy (hopefully watching the other kids) and making me a birthday cake. The act itself was enough to make me cry - my daughter actually made me a cake!
If you can't read it, the chocolate chips on top spell out "MOM." The frosting poured over the sides because the cake was still hot when she frosted it. But it was filled with love and tasted delicious. She used Pamela's Chocolate Cake mix which I would highly recommend and our own recipe for the frosting.
Gluten Free and Casein Free Frosting
o 1 pound box of confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar and confectioners' sugar are the same) o 1/4 cup milk (use almond, soy or rice for casein free) o 1 t vanilla o 1 stick butter (use Earth Balance for casein free) Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the bowl often, until it reaches the desired consistency. Add milk or a non-dairy substitute to thin. This makes a ton - store extra in the freezer and you will be ready for the next round of frosted cookies.
Chocolate Frosting
Add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
