Gluten free Vicarage's Makeshift

Vicarage's Makeshift is traditional Finnish dessert which English counterpart is Berry Crumble Pot.

Finland has been poor and isolated country and before Vicarage's Makeshift was not dessert at all. It based on the fact no old bread was thrown away but saved and dried for further use. Of it was made Bread Soup. Later on when welfare increased they started to make also dessert of bread crumbs.

I was asked to do some magic for a funeral. The Vicar needed milk free, egg free, wheat free and gluten free menu. In Finnish funerals there are usually served at least some biscuits, dry cake, gateau and sandwich cake. I made some breads with vegetable toppings. It is easy to make bread without milk, wheat, egg or gluten; like this GarlicBread.

But I needed to think for a while how to create milk, egg, wheat and gluten free dessert. They are the most important ingredients of desserts. But I love to challenge my brains.

I had no opportunity to take pics of the original feat but I repeated it at home. At home I created it also suitable for easier or normal diets. So you can also use just cream (like on the pic) and biscuits and get it built up easier and faster.

So, here we go with my own recipe!

Milk, egg, whey and gluten free French Chocolate-Almond cake

Mix well together (to become foam) by electric mixer

200 g vegetable margarine
2 dl sugar

Add in the following order and keep on mixing well

1 tea spoon of Bitter Almond Aroma
1 dl dark cocoa powder (I always use 100% cocoa powder which is organic to get the best taste)
1 tea spoon baking powder
2 dl naturally gluten free flour mix (when it is naturally gluten free it doesn't include gluten free wheat which causes problems with wheat free diet; that's why I use Semper FinMix)

Cook in small cake pan in oven for 10 minutes in 200 Celsius degrees and then turn the temperature to 175 degrees and keep on cooking approximately for 20 more minutes.

Let it cool down properly.


Vicarage's Makeshift

5 dl custard or cream (cream needs to be whipped) (for lactose, milk, egg, wheat and gluten free diet I use Alpro's Dairy Free Custard)
3 dl raspberries
3 dl currants
3 dl or more French Chocolate-Almond cake crumbs

You can make it all just on layers; which looks extremely great in glass bowls... Here I use cream but I really recommend that custard for everyone.

Or just mix the berries with custard or cream and add crumbs on the top. This one is excellent choice is you have limited amount of special diet crumbs. Then everyone can have this and add the crumbs suitable for their own diet later on it.

And yes, especially made with my own design French Chocolate-Almond cake with Alpro's custard... it is sinner sweet but enough glorious to be served for vicar in funerals. And no, you can not do smaller portion of it... it won't be enough... When using my cake and raspberries with Alpro's custard it creates excellent and charming scent!

And no, still no commercial benefit by mentioning any of the products. They just are so good that I want to share them with you.