Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving No-Cook Pumpkin Chocolate Torte: Gluten-free



 No cooking involved. On Thanksgiving?

How cool is that?

I love the flavor of pumpkin. I could eat pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know, we can get a little inundated with pumpkin at this time of year, but if you do like it and you want something different, why not try this recipe? I honestly can't remember where I found this recipe. Sunset Magazine, maybe? A great magazine for the West Coast. But as I can't eat gluten, I had to tweak!

Daryl Wood Gerber
Who do you think came up with that word, by the way? Tweak.  

I had to look it up. My parents made me one of those kinds of people. It comes from Middle English and the word: twikken. What a cute word is that! Maybe that will become our next social networking platform. In eighty characters or less, twikken!  It's quicker. LOL

Okay, enough frivolity.  Back to serious matters. Dessert. For Thanksgiving or anytime. This is one of the easiest things in the world to make and perfect for the holiday. And it's quick. 

Enjoy!  And Happy Thanksgiving to all!


THANKSGIVING NO COOK 
PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE ICEBOX CAKE
(gluten-free)
though the only thing gluten-free are the graham crackers and vanilla...
so this could be made by all you "normal" folks, too. Just switch back.


Ingredients:

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, room temp
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2 tbsp. half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract (vanillin)
28-30 gluten-free graham cracker sheets
(if desired, ¾ cup chocolate chips for decoration)
  Cocoa powder (for dusting)


  Directions:

Beat cream cheese and sugars in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed. Beat in pumpkin, half-and-half, salt, spices, and vanilla until smooth.

Lay 1/3 of graham crackers on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spread a third of pumpkin mixture over crackers. Repeat two more times, ending with pumpkin mixture.  (Top with chocolate chips if desired...I didn't for this recipe...I would in the future just because)

Cover, chill overnight. Dust with cocoa powder.  Cut cake into squares.



Now for my major admission...

I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T TAKE A PICTURE OF THE WHOLE FINISHED CAKE.  THIS IS JUST A PICTURE OF IT IN THE FINAL STAGES. ARGH! SO SORRY. BECAUSE IT'S CREATED IN A 13 X 9, IT'S NOT THAT PRETTY, BUT REALLY... SILLY ME.



***************




The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series: 
TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE
coming February 2013.

You can pre-order the book HERE. 

Click this link to see the book trailer.

Click this link to read an excerpt.

You can learn more about me, Avery, by clicking this link.

Chat with me on Facebook and Twitter.

And if you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list
 so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests!

Also, you probably know by now about my alter ego,
DARYL WOOD GERBER...and her new series
A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series
debuts July 2013

"Like" Daryl's page on Facebook and "follow" Daryl on Twitter.
"She" doesn't say all the same things "Avery" does. Promise.

Say cheese!

***********







16 comments:

  1. Hmmm I may have to steal one of Sam's cans of pumpkin and try this. (Sam is my dog who gets a spoonful of pumpkin every night for digestive issues.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kat, I think it was Krista who told me she gives her pups yams and such to help. Pumpkin sounds like a great tip for animal lovers. Thanks for sharing.

      ~Avery aka Daryl

      Delete
    2. You have such a good memory, Avery. A little bit of pumpkin is great for dogs, and they love it. It's especially helpful to dieting dogs because it helps them feel full without adding a lot of calories.

      This recipe blows me away. I have a similar recipe made with dried apples. I keep meaning to try it . . . It looks gorgeous!

      ~ Krista

      Delete
    3. Krista, I'm so glad you like it. With dried apples sounds interesting, too.

      It is pretty. And so light!

      Daryl aka Avery

      Delete
  2. I love pumpkin! Cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, lattes, and so on. And plain cooked (I also love winter squash)! And, yes, I too am a Tweaker. I can't stop myself, which makes it very difficult to always accurately pass on my recipes because I am constantly am tweaking! Oh, well, I guess that will keep some of my recipes truly secret because my directions say "here's where you tweak the recipe to your own tastes". Love your books, Avery! Just got another payment for sitting in on a panel so I obviously need new books!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nurse Judy, a tweaker after my own heart. I know what you mean. A pinch of this. And I eyeball teaspoons and tablespoons for a lot of recipes. That's the fun part (art) of cooking.

      Thanks for the compliment. What panel did you sit on?

      Avery aka Daryl

      Delete
  3. This sounds wonderful. I'll have to share the recipe with my principal. Her teenage daughter can't have gluten, so as her local reference librarian I'm always looking for gluten-free recipes to share with her. I've shared some of the others that you've shared with her. Now if I could just get her to read mysteries. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Booklady, so glad I can offer fun alternates. Especially for readers! Now...the mysteries part. you've tried Nancy Drew, I assume? How about couching things like Harry Potter and/or Hunger Games as a mystery? These are loosely "within" the genre. Then she could get past that weird mystery tag (which might make her think, 'ew, I have to work at solving something') and to the fun part of an adventure!

      Avery aka Daryl

      Delete
    2. It's Mom that I'm trying to get to read more mysteries. We are in a book club together and I'm always trying to get the club to read more mysteries. Of course I love books of all kinds so it usually ends up easier for me to adjust my reading to the club, but I always say there is nothing like a good mystery if you want to be sure you are getting a good read.

      Delete
    3. Hm, now we have our thinking caps on. Mom. Does she like to cook, read, knit? We have cozy mysteries for all hobbies. LOL :)

      ~Daryl aka Avery (who often finds the literary books too much sorrow and tragedy - I like making my mind solve puzzles)

      Delete
  4. Delicious idea, Avery/Daryl. I'm lovin' the easy no-cook aspect and the pumpkin, such a great flavor at this time of year. That slice looks delicious on the plate, almost like a pumpkin tiramisu!

    Happy Thanksgiving
    to you and your family!
    ~ Cleo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cleo, that's exactly what it's like. A tiramisu. So lovely.

      Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!

      Hugs,

      Daryl/Avery

      Delete
  5. The panel I sat in on was conference call to review a medical reference site that I use ALL the time called 5 Minute Consult. The panel was to discuss proposed changes to the appearance of the main page and possible stratification of medical diagnoses with the associated speciality. Geek speak for "heart attack, cardiology" "foot fungus, podiatry/dermatology", etc. It was really interesting, there were 6 nurse practitioners from all over the US, took 90 minutes (went by fast) and I got $150. Lots of new books!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The recipe says "Pumpkin Chocolate Torte" You list the chocolate chips and cocoa dusting as optional. Are they the "chocolate" from the title?
    A very happy Thanksgiving to all of you at the Mystery Lovers Kitchen. I'm thankful to have found this site!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Libby, yes, chocolate in title is optional in recipe. In happened to include the chocolate. Can't "see" it in the picture. ;)
      Avery/Daryl

      Delete