Deadlines and Desserts!

So here it is, Monday again...

Tony and I were on a heavy deadline crunch with work last week, which explains my absence from the blogging world. I've been making my way around whenever I get a few minutes, but we have literally been working around the clock and the deadline is done! It's kind of crazy when you can actually see an end in sight, you just push to get there and then the relief of being done hits you! Seriously, it hit us both like a ton of bricks. Exhaustion totally set it! We spent the weekend with some amazing friends and enjoyed some much needed rest and relaxation.

Now it's time to get back to business as usual! Funny how exciting that really does seem after the week we had last week.

I have a list of foods I want to write about. I don't even know where to start. I guess I will just go back to the beginning of things I've made and not mentioned...

These little orange tea cakes come from the need to use up a large amount of orange juice that had been purchased. I love Costco, but sometimes the need to use up the large amounts of food quickly can be daunting. Except lettuce, peppers and apples. I have no problem consuming my weight in these on a daily basis. These cakes, however, made Tony's crazy purchase worth the overstock on oj!

I referred to my Mini Orange Pound Cake recipe to come up with these little cakes. They are a cross between a cake doughnut and a pound cake in texture. YUM! They have an incredible orange flavor and are perfect with an afternoon cup of tea! Which is how I enjoyed them.

Gluten Free Orange Tea Cake
Makes 6 jumbo

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Brown Rice Flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
20 drops vanilla stevia ( I used NuNaturals)
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
½ cup egg whites or 2 eggs
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBSP orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixer. Next add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour evenly into muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then remove cakes and place on a cooling rack. Glaze cakes when cooled.

Orange Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
2 TBSP to ¼ cup fresh orange juice

Add orange juice to the powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time. Mix thoroughly to desired consistency. (We like a thicker glaze)

How do you get through deadlines? In complete truth, the deadline for Tony got pushed up a week, so the crunch time was put on us, not self imposed. When he has crunch time, I have crunch time. We both actually work well with a tight deadline, but it means that all extra time is gone and things have to be focused. We did just that and it feels great to be done. Now it's time for a new project and a new deadline! 

I hope everyone has a great week!

I'm sharing these cakes on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy Friendly Wednesday.