Last week our Kundalini Yoga Community celebrated one our local teachers 120th day of pregnancy. This is a special time to honor the mother and her journey as she welcomes a new life. We created a beautiful dais for her to rest upon,shared yoga and meditation and literally showered her with blessings and rose petals. Afterward we enjoyed Yogi Tea and my latest creative confection.
I based the recipe on one from the Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. I own a grain mill and grind my own millet and rice flours for my gluten free baking. I do not recommend using all rice flour,as I find it to have a strong flavor and texture when used exclusively.
Dry Ingredients
2 cups mixed gluten free flours: sorghum flour,millet,sweet or brown rice or a store bought gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
3/4 cup sucanat (or less if you prefer less of a dessert muffin)
2 teaspoons ground ginger (do not skimp here)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda,sifted
Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 fresh pears,peeled,cored and chopped into small pieces–a fine dice–around 1/4 inch cubes –particularly if you are making mini muffins as I did
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil the baking pan. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl,combine the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined. Don’t overmix. Stir in the pears (Be sure to have them prepped before you add the wet to the dry as the baking soda begins working as soon as it contacts acidic liquids.) Pour the batter into a greased 8 or 9 inch square baking pan or one 12 cup or two 24 cup muffin pans. (I’m particularly fond of mini-muffins–and so are my children)
Bake 35-45 minutes for the cake or large muffins or 15 minutes for mini muffins (another reason I like them so much). Muffins are done when a toothpick or tester inserted into the center of the cake or a muffin comes out clean.
