Ready, Set, Weekend with the Garden of Eatin'

I don't often give intros to my Aunt Debi's blog posts which have become a weekly and regular column for us....but I need to just say today...WOW. This week I made a mini "peachy pink" ombré cake. Why? Because ever since Little Miss Party introduced me to Pinterest I've been obsessing over pretty little cakes with multi colors. It's not normal and yes I know I need to check into an "Over Pinners Anonymous" rehab facility. I also decided to do a gluten and dairy free version because my stomach has been bothering me this week. You needed to know this information right? Now listen to me... I'm not a pastry chef...I just like to bake a lot. Sometimes when I'm in a rush I slap things together without even blinking an eyelash. This was one of those times. The frosting on this cake is far from perfect but then again so am I. For this cake, I used a mini 4 inch cake pan set, tinted three layers in pinkish peach hues, left one layer plain white and "smooth frosted" the cake with the same colors to create this effect. Honestly? It looks so divine that I don't even want to eat it but guess what? I'm gonna have a big fat piece with a glass of almond milk. Yep. That's right, while you are reading this I'm stuffing my face with cake. Here's how: Gluten & Dairy Free Vanilla Layer Cake 1 cup brown rice flour 1 cup *potato starch (not potato flour) *Note -I always have this leftover from Passover but I went out and bought a fresh one. 1 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup vanilla non-dairy milk 2 organic free-range eggs beaten, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare your pans with non-stick spray or parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, starch and dry ingredients together. Add in the non-dairy milk, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla and lemon juice. Beat with a mixer until the cake batter is smooth. Do not over-beat. Place batter in two 8 inch cake pans or I used 4 inch mini ones and managed to get 7 small layers from this batter recipe. If using 8 inch pans, bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Mine baked in 20 minutes because of the size of pan. I used 4 layers for the peachy pink cake and 3 for a mocha pistachio cake that was also delish. You can also freeze extra layers for a later date. Gluten and Dairy Free Mock Buttercream Frosting ½ cup coconut oil, softened (room temperature) ½ cup dairy-free butter substitute - available at most Health Food Stores 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 2-4 Tablespoons dairy-free milk of choice (I use unsweetened coconut milk.) Instructions In your stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), whip coconut oil and butter substitute together until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, mixing in between each addition. Add milk, a little at a time, using less for thicker frosting and more for a thinner frosting. Whip after each addition until desired consistency is achieved. Crumb coat your cake prior to decorating with the frosting. This ensures a smooth working surface for the buttercream. Now you tell me something....(even though it looks like a monkey frosted it) is this not stunning? I know! It actually didn't take me long to do and it was fun to get creative in the kitchen. Oh and by the way, I bought these outta control carnations for some added punch. I don't really love carnations but when I saw this shade of fuchsia how could I say no? Let's just say it was the "icing" on the cake. See ya next week! Debi @thegardenofeatinxoxo