When I first moved to San Francisco I started to do some “light” baking. And by “light” I mean gluten-free blueberry corn muffins. Yup, that’s it 😉  Then when I realized French macaron’s were naturally gluten-free I took a French macaron class and it changed my world! I learned the basics of baking during this class and how temperamental baking can be if you don’t know what to look out for.
There are three main reasons as to why I love baking and am learning to become an earnest baker:
- I love sharing. My closest friends know when they see me carrying anything in my hands it’s usually baked goodies for sharing. I can’t help it. It’s my way of showing love
- Thanks to Michael Pollan’s Cooked (which you can find on Netflix) I try to cook everything. I’ve always been a healthy foodie, and like my foods natural in its original form. But Michael Pollan takes it to another level. You want that apple pie? Bake it. You want bread? Make it traditionally and wait a few days. Michael Pollan inspired me to truly take an honest look at every item on the table and see what can be made from scratch.
- It’s a form of meditation. Baking is a science and if you aren’t watching temperatures, the soft/hard peaks of egg whites, or the rise in your dough it’s over. Baking gives me great joy and it serves as a form of meditation for me. There’s just no time to think about anything!
For Christmas Eve I decided to bake a healthier, yet just as delicious, cake and decided on a Paleo Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting. My mouth is watering just thinking about it  🙂
I decided to try Jenni Hulet’s recipe from My Paleo Patisserie: An Artisan Approach to Grain Free Baking
As you can see in the second picture I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product and all that is left is half the cake and indentations of where the blackberries were.
My next challenge will be to make the Buckwheat Pancakes by America’s Test Kitchen. Stay tuned friends  🙂