Queen Mother's Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We spent a lovely New Year's Eve with good friends. I was asked to make desserts for the gathering and after determining who could eat what, I realized two desserts, one gluten free, would be necessary for the occasion. I wanted the desserts to be festive and worthy of a New year celebration, so I settled on a Tuscan Apple Cake, for general consumption, and an old favorite from the 70's, Maida Heatter's Queen Mother's Cake, for the gluten intolerant. While I no longer have her Book of Great Desserts at hand, I have kept several of her recipes in my collection of inactive recipes. I retrieved this one for the occasion, and after sampling the results on New Year's Eve, I've changed its status and moved it to my active recipe collection. While I'm sharing the recipe as it was originally written, I did make one significant change for the version that was served at the party. Good chocolate has always been necessary for this cake and I recommend you splurge and buy the best you can afford. Heeding my own advice, I made a special trip to purchase chocolate, but in a senior moment managed to grab bittersweet, rather than semisweet bars. I didn't realize the mistake until I was ready to melt the chocolate and I had to proceed because the stores were closed. It was a no harm no foul mistake that you might want to try if you have time and like to to experiment with chocolate. The cake, which comes with a story, was delicious. At some point in the 1950's it was discovered by the pianist Jan Smeterlin. He passed it on to others, one of whom served it at a tea attended by the Queen Mother who asked for the recipe. That recipe found its way to the New York Harold Tribune where it was discovered by Maida Heatter who included it in her first cookbook. It quickly became and has remained her most popular recipe. Some versions of the recipe have the cake bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees for the remainder of the baking time. I think that makes for a dry cake, so I start with a 350 degree oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees instead. I also use the microwave to melt my chocolate. It's less fuss and bother than using a double boiler and I vote for any workable shortcut that makes preparation easier. I know you will love this decadently rich, moist and light cake. Here is how it is made.

Gluten-Free Cran-Apple Crisp

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The flavors I most associate with fall are those of apple, pumpkin and cranberry. I'm especially fond of apples and cranberries and love the way they compliment each other in desserts. This is, hands down, my favorite crisp and it's the cranberries that set it apart from its competitors. We spent Labor Day with good friends and I was responsible for making the desserts. I decided to make a cran-apple crisp, but it had to be gluten-free so that everyone at the get-together could enjoy it. The recipe I used is tried and true, but I substituted a gluten-free baking mix for the flour I would normally have used. I also used oats that were labeled gluten free. While oats do not contain gluten, those processed in areas where other gluten products are packaged can present a problem for those who are gluten intolerant. The substitution of baking mix for flour made a slight change in the texture of the finished crisp, but only the Silver Fox and I were aware of it. If you are looking for gluten-free desserts, do give this one a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Here is how the crisp is made.