Independence Day Cake aka 4th of July Flag Cake

My family was invited to an Independence Day BBQ (vegetarian, of course) party. We were invited kind of last minute and I only had short notice to prepare a dessert I was asked to bring. I immediately thought of making a flag cake since I had seen one a day earlier at the public library here on the cover of a magazine. I did not have the recipe, so I just made one up. I baked a sheet cake and frosted it with cream cheese buttercream icing and whipping cream. The hostess had requested to use spelt flour in the cake batter because her husband is allergic to wheat. I usually use whole wheat pastry flour for cakes but the spelt flour worked great as well.
The blue part is made with blueberries and the red stripes are obviously made with strawberries. Sorry, I do not have time to post the recipe. I have a very active 16 month old and I spend most of my day keeping him out of trouble and cleaning up the mess he constantly makes. He is a very naughty boy, and also very curious and very smart.



Yes, I did put 50 stars and 13 stripes on the cake. I like being authentic....
And I am not even an American, but the rest of my family is.

Apple Pudding Cake

The recipe for this cake is from "The Book of Eggfree Cakes" by Cintia Stammers. My husband was one of the editors of this book. As usual, I made my own version of the cake. First of all I used freshly ground whole wheat pastry flour and Sucanat instead of white flour and white sugar. Secondly I used arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch for the filling but I think I will go back to using cornstarch. I do not like the mouthfeel of arrowroot starch.


As you can see the cake looks more like a pie, just does not have the shape of a pie. The crust is also not as rich and flaky as pie crust. The filling is similar to pudding, hence the name Pudding Cake. First I cooked the apples till they were soft, then mashed them, added some spices, some Sucanat and the arrowroot starch and cooked it till it was thickend. Then I poured it in the pre-baked crust and baked it some more. When the cake was thoroughly chilled I topped it with wipping cream and sliced almonds. It is a very light cake and not at all filling.

One slice is never enough. I always have at least two or three.

And now you know why I still haven't lost all my baby fat...

My Version of Cheesecake

I am not a fan of rich cheesecakes. Mine is a cross between Austrian Cheesecake (called Topfentorte) and the American Cheesecake. Austrians use topfen for cheesecake, which is a lot less rich. Topfen is made from either whole milk or low fat milk. I usually make mine with whole milk. For this particular cheesecake I used 16 oz of topfen and 8 oz of regular cream cheese. I like to serve it with a fruit sauce. I like to use fruit in season and strawberries are in season right now in Florida.

Next time I make topfen I will take some pictures and post them here on my blog and I will
explain how to make it. I do not know if anyone is interested in it. I am sure there is already a lot of info on this topic on the Internet. Actually, I just did a search on how to make topfen and there is not really much out there, at least not in English. I guess I should do it. Stay tuned .... I can't promise though that it will be any time soon unless someone volunteers to watch the kids, clean the house, do my taxes, wash and iron the laundry, ....