milling mondays: whole wheat sister cake (soesterkage)

When my parents were in town last month I decided it was time for an old school danish cake. The original recipe dates back to the 1700s, but you can't go wrong with a tried and true recipe. And it was nice to bake something that is different than my usual go-to desserts.


Whole Wheat Soesterkage (Sister Cake)

Ingredients

400g whole wheat flour (2/3 soft wheat berries and 1/3 hard wheat berries)
1 tsp baking powder
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
250g butter, softened
250g sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 dl (about 1 cup) buttermilk
100g raisins


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F

If you mill your own flour, grind the soft and hard wheat berries. I of course use my WonderMill on the pastry setting. You may want to mill a little extra flour since you will need to sift the flour twice to make the cake less dense.

Combine the freshly milled whole wheat flour, baking powder and spices. Set aside.

In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time mixing in between.

Then add the flour mixture.

Add the buttermilk and mix until the dough is formed.

Stir in the raisins.

Pour the dough into a greased fluted cake pan.

Bake the cake for about 40 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Before serving you can sift powdered sugar over the cake.

ENJOY!

milling mondays: whole wheat strawberry chocolate chip cake

I had a bunch of organic strawberries I needed to use and I needed to make a dessert for company - so this seemed like the perfect solution. This cake was yummy, fresh and moist and the chocolate chips created the perfect amount of sweetness.



Whole Wheat Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cake
modified from julias album


Ingredients

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (2/3 soft wheat berries and 1/3 hard wheat berries)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 TBS unsalted butter, softened
3 TBS Greek yogurt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate chips plus extra for topping
1 pound strawberries (fresh or frozen), hulled and halved


Directions

Preheat oven to 350F

If you mill your own flour, grind your soft and hard wheat berries. I use my WonderMill on the pastry setting. Sift the flour twice to make the cake less dense.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a different bowl mix together butter, yogurt and sugar until light and fluffy. I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer, but an electrical hand mixer would work just fine.

Then mix in the egg before adding the milk and vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a little at a time until just combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a prepared 9X3 inch springform pan.

Add the strawberries close together (cut side down) and add some chocolate chips to fill the gaps.

Bake the cake for 1 hour until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


Let it cool on a rack.

ENJOY!

milling mondays: homemade baby rice cereal

It is common to feed babies rice cereal when they first start eating solid foods and it is SUPER easy to make yourself.

We decided to give it a try with E after trying sweet potatoes for a couple of days. We figured that maybe giving her something more bland with her formula mixed in would be less of a change for her pallet and a gentle way for her to learn how to eat. And she liked it much better than the sweet potatoes. Instead of crinkling up her face and closing her mouth, she would reach for the spoon and open her mouth. So we decided to go this route for a couple of days and then return to veggies. Since then she has loved every veggie we have fed her:)

Homemade Rice Cereal

Ingredients

1/4 cup organic short grained brown rice

1 cup water

Directions

Bring the water to a boil.

Grind the brown rice into a powder. I of course used my WonderMill which worked great!

Add the rice powder to the boiling water while stirring. Let it simmer for 10 minutes continually whisking to make sure it doesn't clump.

Mix in breast milk or prepared formula to the desired consistency.

milling mondays: gluten free banana bread

I love banana bread! And this gluten free recipe does not taste gluten free in my opinion. It tastes just as yummy as when made with gluten flour. If you mill your own flour then making rice flour is super easy and inexpensive to make. So if you have some very ripe bananas that need to get used - this is a great recipe. 

Gluten Free Banana Bread

modified from Easy Gluten-Free Baking

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup sugar

1 2/3 cups white rice flour (white rice)

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix together bananas and sugar and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, if you mill your own flour grind your white rice. I of course use my WonderMill.

Then mix together the dry ingredients - the freshly milled rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. 

In a separate bowl mix butter until light and fluffy using a handheld mixer.
Add in the eggs one at a time mixing well between each.
Blend in half the dry ingredients stirring until smooth.
Then mix in the banana sugar mixture before adding the remaining half of the dry ingredients.

Once the batter is smooth, pour it into a greased/rice floured 9x5 bread pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Let it cool in the bread pan for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan and letting the banana bread cool completely on the rack. 

Enjoy!

milling mondays: whole wheat bishop's cake

Whole Wheat Bishop's Cake


Ingredients

1 cup water, boiling
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds
8 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (1/3 hard wheat berries and 2/3 soft wheat berries)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks



Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pour boiling water over dried cranberries and let it sit for 15-30 minutes.

Toast almonds in a pan until beginning to brown.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.

Then mix in the eggs one at a time.

Finally, add in the buttermilk and almond extract.

If you mill your own flour, grind the hard and soft wheat berries. I use my WonderMill on the pastry setting. Sift the flour twice to make the cake less dense.

In a separate bowl mix together the freshly milled flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time. Mix until just combined.

Drain water from the dried cranberries and stir them into the dough along with the toasted almonds and chocolate.

Pour the dough into a prepared 9x13 pan and bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let it cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

milling mondays: danish christmas recipes

As I mentioned in my last post I can't believe that it is almost Christmas! So exciting:) I just love love Christmas time. I love the cozy times spent with family and friends. Christmas trees and decorations, gift exchanges, Christmas smells, and yummy yummy food and dessert that are served this time of year. This season is often filled with nostalgia for me and with that the desire to make Christmas recipes I grew up enjoying. Here are some of my favorite yummy Danish Christmas treats featured on this blog if you want to try something new and delicious.


Vanillekranse

Brunkager

Danish Rye Bread with Dried Fruit, Seeds and Nuts

Æbleskiver

Ginger Cake (Ingefærkage)

If baking isn't your thing and you enjoy yummy smelling Christmas candles you can head over to Waiting Hearts Candle Co using this link to purchase some.

milling mondays: whole wheat raspberry almond coffee cake

Who doesn't like raspberries? Last month when raspberries were on major sale I enjoyed these lovely berries and kept thinking how wonderful these raspberries would taste in a dessert. Well, I didn't get around to making a raspberry dessert while the berries were on sale, but I am so glad I still ended up making one. It was delish! This cake was light and moist and not too sweet and the almonds added a nice little crunch. What a great little treat.


Whole Wheat Raspberry Almond Cake


Ingredients

6 oz fresh raspberries
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour (2/3 soft wheat berries and 1/3 hard wheat berries)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds


Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix together the raspberries and brown sugar and set aside.

If you mill your own flour, grind 2/3 soft wheat berries and 1/3 hard wheat berries. I used my WonderMill on the pastry setting. Sift the flour once to make the cake less dense.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl mix together the egg, sour cream, butter, and vanilla extract.

Mix together the dry and wet ingredients

Then add half of the batter into a greased and floured 8" round baking pan.

Top the batter with the sugared raspberries.

Spoon the remaining batter on top of the raspberries.

Finally, sprinkle the cake with the almond slivers.

Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool. Serve with icing if desired. I typically mix together confectioners' sugar with a tiny bit of water and maybe a little vanilla extract.

ENJOY!

milling mondays: whole wheat fig and almond squares

I absolutely love dried figs. YUM. It is such a wonderful snack and goes well on many things (check out my favorite pizza). I also eat a lot of almonds. So a dessert recipe that contains both figs and almonds could only mean goodness. These moist whole wheat and not too sweet cake squares provide such a great combination of flavors.


Whole Wheat Fig and Almond Squares

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (2/3 soft wheat berries and 1/3 hard wheat berries)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg white
1 egg
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut
2 Tbs sliced almonds


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F.

If you mill your own flour, grind your soft and hard wheat berries. I use my WonderMill on the pastry setting. Sift the flour once to make it less dense.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, butter, almond extract, vanilla extract, egg white and egg.

Then add the brown sugar mixture along with the figs, coconut, and almonds to the flour mixture and mix until blended.

Pour the batter into a 8x8 prepared baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes (until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.

When ready to eat, cut into squares and frost if desired. I just blended some powdered sugar with a little bit of water and then drizzled it over the squares. 

ENJOY!

milling mondays: whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

This weekend I decided to make some good ole chocolate chip cookies. And they were GOOD! These whole wheat cookies are crunchy yet soft and they have a hint of salt making them just a little more interesting than most chocolate chip cookies. And they are of course filled with chocolate goodness. YUMM. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe adapted from babble

Ingredients

8 1/2 oz whole wheat pastry flour (soft wheat berries)

8 1/2 oz whole wheat bread flour (hard wheat berries)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter

10 oz brown sugar

8 oz granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

6-8oz bittersweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate, I used 60%)

6-8oz milk chocolate chips

Directions

If you mill your own flour, grind your soft wheat berries on the pastry setting for the pastry flour.

Then grind your hard wheat berries on the bread setting for the bread flour. I of course use my WonderMill. Sift the flour twice in order to make the cookies less dense. Since you will be sifting the flour make sure to grind a little more flour than you need since you will be removing some of the bran. 

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugars. 

Add in one egg at a time mixing well in between each.

Then add the vanilla extract. 

Add in the flour mixture and let it mix until just combined. 

Finally, add in the chocolate chips. 

Refrigerate the dough for about 24 hours, no longer than 72 hours. If you need to make the cookies right away or only after a couple of hours of chilling ... then that is ok too. I have made it both ways, and they are both YUMMY (the texture is slightly different when chilled longer). 

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.

Bake the cookies around 12-15 minutes until golden brown, but still soft. 

Let them cool on a rack.

ENJOY!