Butterfly Cakes and Two Yummy Icings

This is the recipe I like to make most often from scratch for little cakes to go with tea or at any time. This is a recipe my mother and I used to make all the time–it is British so the measurements are in ounces. You will need a measuring scale or convert to US measurements. 

Butterfly Cakes

Ingredients:

6 oz. self-rising flour

1 rounded tsp. baking powder

3 large eggs, room temperature

6 oz. caster sugar (fine baking sugar)

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Strawberry preserves, if desired 

Cream margarine and sugar until fluffy and light in your mixer or beat thoroughly by hand. Beat in eggs one at a time, adding a little flour with each. Baking powder should be mixed with the flour. Mix until well blended.

Use paper cases and half fill with the mixture.

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven and cool.

When completely cooled, cut a slice from the top of the cake and cut this piece in half.  Place a small amount of preserves  and a little butter cream, or fresh cream in the hollow and arrange “wings” on top. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

NOTE:  This recipe also make a great sponge cake, known in England as a Victoria Sandwich Cake.

I prefer to use fresh whipped cream in my cakes, and I only assemble what I know we will eat. The rest of the cakes I freeze intact and assemble when I need them. This recipe freezes well. In case you don’t wish to use fresh cream here are two recipes for filling.  I am not overly fond of super-sweet, rich fillings, but it you enjoy them for a treat, then these should do the trick.

Butter Cream

1 oz. butter

2 oz. icing sugar

Mix together until creamy, adjust sugar to your own personal taste. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature

¾ lb. butter, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ lbs confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Blend together cream cheese, butter and vanilla, add the sugar and mix until smooth.

Written and submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Flour-less Peanut Butter Cookies

Gem says, "You won't believe how these turn out! So good--you won't miss the flour a bit!"

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup peanut butter

Cream egg and sugar, stir in baking soda, fold in peanut butter.

Divide into 36 balls (OK - here is how I do this, form dough into a log, divide into thirds, divide each third in half, pat out each half into rectangle and cut into six pieces.  You get evenly sized cookies which cook evenly and look nice.)

Place on cookie sheet and press down with a fork. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Submitted by Gem

Tortilla Chip Casserole

Depending on finances, I sometimes cut the amount of meat in this recipe and add extra beans. If you want to spread the meat further you can add extra beans anyway, and it then really goes a long way. If you buy large packages of beans, go through your normal sorting and soaking routine and cook at least partially before adding to the casserole. This makes a tasty and filling dish, and it freezes reasonably well. We do not often have too many leftovers, just enough for a quick lunch the next day.

Tortilla Chip Casserole

Ingredients:

1 package lean ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 or 2  (8oz.) can crushed tomatoes or even better Italian Passata in a jar if you can find it in the store

1 or 2  (8oz.) can chickpeas - drained

1 or 2  (8oz.) cans red beans - drained

1 package tortilla chips

Brown ground beef, drain fat and take off burner. Add packet of taco seasoning and mix in well – do not add water. Stir in crushed tomatoes or passata. Set aside enough tortilla chips to cover the top of the casserole and crush the rest. Mix the crushed chips into the beef mixture and then finally add the chickpeas and beans. Mix well, place in a casserole dish and then cover top with saved tortilla chips.

Bake uncovered in oven at about 350 degrees for about an hour to an hour and a half.

Serve with grated cheese, taco sauce/salsa and a salad.

Submitted by Heather @ Penny-wise

G-free Cake Donuts

We have been happily inundated with gluten-free recipes! Apparently many of our readers have this dietary restriction, so we are happy to share with our online community. Making your own gluten-free meals and baked goods is penny-wise in itself because the packaged stuff is generally very expensive.

Gluten-free Cake Donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)

2 Tbsp. hazelnut or almond flour (or sub more sorghum flour)

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder (make sure it's gluten free)

1/2 tsp. baking soda (make sure it's gluten free)

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Additional Ingredients:

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt) 

1/4 cup milk (rice, soy or nut)

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add shortening, by spoonfuls. Use whisk attachment (if using a KitchenAid-type mixer) or cut in with a pastry cutter. Add sour cream, milk, egg, and vanilla. Mix until dough forms a smooth and pliable ball. It should be slightly sticky.

Divide dough into 12 sections and roll each into a golfball-sized ball. Using your palms, gently roll the dough into a log shape and carefully continue rolling into a cigar shape, about 4-5 inches long.

Drape dough into the well of donut pan and slightly overlap the ends. Using oily fingers, smooth out the donut dough evenly.

Bake 15 minutes. Add confectioner's sugar to top when cooled.

Carrie says, "These donuts were a HUGE hit in our home. Easy to make and very very yummy! I hope you all enjoy them!"

Submitted by Carrie

Another Tea Party Favourite

This is another of our favourite tea time recipes.  Even though our tea time recipes are not always totally frugal, they are certainly cheaper than the store bought variety and tea parties are one of our favourite things to do.

Lavender Shortbread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. very finely chopped dried lavender buds
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cover bottoms of two baking sheets with parchment or brown paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and lavender with an electric mixer. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt and beat until incorporated. Divide dough in half. Flatten into squares and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm.

On a floured board, roll or pat out each square to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 -inch squares or rounds. Transfer to baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Prick each cookie several times with a fork. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until pale golden (do not brown). Cool slightly, then transfer to a rack.

Garnish with lavender powdered sugar: put some lavender buds in a sealed jar with the powdered sugar for a day before using the sugar.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Written and submitted by Linda @ Penny-wise

Beef Stroganoff {G-free & Dairy Free}

First of all, I (Lindsey) would like to apologize for not keeping up with this blog last week. We were having some issues with my six-year-old son and his tummy. We are fairly certain that we have pinpointed the root of his issues: gluten intolerance. That said, I am so excited to be posting more gluten-free recipes because now I have a reason to use them too!


Our friend Carrie writes, "Here is one of our family's favorite recipes. It is one I came up with because we missed having our regular stroganoff so much. I knew there must be a way to make this meal gluten-free and dairy-free, yet be yummy at the same time!"


Gluten-free and Dairy-free Beef Stroganoff


Ingredients:

1 lb. hamburger (Carrie uses bison, but feel free to substitute ground beef or turkey.)

salt and pepper to taste

1 package Pasta Joy brown rice noodles (Carrie's family likes the spiral noodles.)

1 container Imagine potato leek soup (This soup is organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, additive-free, preservative-free)

1 or 2 cans mushrooms (or fry up your own fresh mushrooms to add)

First brown and season the meat. Boil noodles according to package directions. It's important to note with rice pasta that after boiling you must rinse in cold water. Take the pasta and put back into the pot. Add in meat, soup, and mushrooms. Stir all together and heat. 

Your meal is now complete! Serve with warm gluten free bread or rolls and enjoy!

Submitted by Carrie

P.S. Because the need for inexpensive, gluten-free foods is growing, even among the readers of this blog, we would greatly appreciate your recipes. Our e-mail address is pennywisewomen@gmail.com. We look forward to your submissions.

The Cook's Thesaurus

Our friend Sonya told us about a site, and we think you may find it useful. It's called The Cook's Thesaurus.

You choose from a list of food categories, such as Vegetables, Milk & Cream, Fats & Oils, and Fruits. You then choose from the sub-selections, and up comes a list of acceptable substitutions for everything from goat's milk to cornmeal to feta cheese.

Thanks for this helpful site, Sonya!