Phil Vickery has a new cookbook out today! If you hadn’t heard of this celeb chef before, you certainly will now. All coeliacs listen up. The book is called Seriously Good! Gluten-Free Baking.
Phil Vickery is a talented chef who appears regularly on This Morning. Not only that, he’s already authored of several best-selling cookery books.
So why get excited about this one? Well, apart from the fact that his last ‘Seriously Good!’ book: Gluten-free Cooking was an enormous success and he’s Coeliac UK’s Food Ambassador, this new one is all about baking! Baking can be the coeliac’s nightmare. Not anymore.
Baking gluten-free isn’t the easiest thing to do – it’s the gluten that gives most cakes their spongy feel. So I’m predicting that this book might be even more popular than Gluten-Free Cooking was.
Here’s a sample recipe from the book for Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes.
“Cupcakes are all the rage at the moment, and they come in many different shapes and sizes from baby cakes to giant versions that you can fill with ice cream, like I did once on This Morning.
The good thing, though, is that you don’t need to be a baker or experienced cook to make them! This recipe has four simple steps and hey presto, they’re ready to pop into the oven. So add what you like to this basic recipe, and have a bit of fun. I think this recipe is softer and tastier than a standard sponge recipe.”
Makes: 12
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 15–20 minutes
180g caster sugar
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon glycerine
175g Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
130ml sunflower oil
130ml whole milk
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place 12 paper muffin cases in a muffin tray.
Place the caster sugar, eggs, vanilla and glycerine into a large mixing bowl and whisk on high speed for 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum together and mix them really well. I find it best to sieve them a couple of times, to make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Next, mix the oil and milk together in a jug.
Once the egg mixture is nice and thick, add the flour mixture and liquid. Whisk well, but don’t go mad.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until well risen to the top of the paper cases. Remove the cakes, in the paper cases, from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Ice and decorate however you like.
Try a different flavour…
Add any of the following to the egg mixture with the flour: 50g dried fruit, 75g fresh berries, 50g chopped plain chocolate, 50g chopped nuts, zest of 1 lemon or 1 orange.
To Store: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
To Freeze: Once cooled, store either in a plastic bag or an airtight container.
Phil Vickery’s Seriously Good! Gluten-Free Baking is published by Kyle Cathie at £19.99. You can order it today from Amazon.