It's Saturday Night...and We're having Pizza & Cake!!!

Today we ran a bunch of errands and got a lot done.  I hope to begin decorating for Christmas tomorrow.  Since it's Saturday, it seemed like a good night to have pizza for dinner.  Hubby was busy watching football, so I thought it would be a good time for me to experiment some in the kitchen with baking a grain and sugar free cake for the first time.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out since I sort of made it up as I went...LOL (sometimes those are the scariest adventures for me).  I have lots of "regular baking experience" but very limited experience when it comes to grain free baking -- and there's quite a bit of difference baking with alternative flours.  I am pleased to report that the cake turned out great!  I decided to use almond flour and didn't want the cake to be overly dense -- I wanted to get some "rise" with it -- and rise it did!!!  I held my breath for a minute or two because I actually thought it might just rise right out of the Bundt pan I baked it in.  Thankfully, it stayed in the pan and didn't spill over.  I made a basic pound cake/yellow cake and wanted to cover it with some type of frosting or glaze -- preferably one with chocolate.  I made a thick dark chocolate almond frosting/glaze.  Below is a picture of the pizza (and crust recipe) we had for dinner -- it is topped with red and yellow bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and turkey pepperoni.  You will also find a picture of the cake I baked.  I'll post the recipe for the cake separately because I still need to write it up first and translate my chicken scratch that I jotted down as I went along.  I'll post the cake recipe either later this evening or tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Voila!

BOOM!

TA-DA!

Below is the pizza crust recipe...cake recipe to follow soon!

Almond/Flax/Parmesan Herb Pizza Crust
Makes 2 10-inch round pizzas OR 1 large rectangular cookie sheet sized pizza 

Ingredients:

Dry:

1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup golden flax seed meal (organic golden flax has a milder taste than brown)

1-1/3 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)

1 - 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
Couple dashes cayenne pepper, optional

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, optional

Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (powdered type)

Wet:

2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)

2 tablespoons olive oil (a little more, if desired)

2 - 3 tablespoons water (start with 2 tablespoons)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together; add wet ingredients and mix well.  Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. 

Spread dough on a lightly oiled large rectangular cookie sheet (or pizza pan) on greased parchment paper (I use Reynolds non-stick foil, lightly brushed or sprayed with olive oil.  Place ball of dough in the center of the pan and begin pressing the dough outward with a lightly oiled rubber spatula or place a piece of parchment paper lightly sprayed with olive oil on top and flatten/smooth out with a rolling pin to about 1/4-inch thick; carefully remove top layer of parchment. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through and dry/lightly crisp feeling to the touch (check the crust after 15 minutes and take out if it looks and feels done).  Add sauce, cheese, pre-cooked toppings and place back into the oven for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.  If desired, run under the broiler for a few minutes to lightly brown the toppings and make the cheese bubbly (be careful not to burn it).