Nothing quite beats a piece of cake. The go-to food for celebration, commiseration and comfort; for morning and afternoon tea, dessert and, if you are really into it, for breakfast the next day. (I admit to early morning bites, just to see if it still tastes okay, of course.)
Here is a cake that all can enjoy. Based on Rosie’s Gluten-free Almond Plain Flour, it is a simple butter cake that’s good in its own right but can be put to work in other ways.
I’ve served it soaked with syrup and poached pears; brushed the top with melted butter before dusting it with caster sugar and cinnamon; and used it as the base for a Quince and Chestnut Cream Trifle. Today I have used the mix for my Apple Petal Cake. I’m sure it would work as cupcakes and for the base of an ice cream cake. Limitless really.
Clearly it’s a good one to add to your gluten-free baking repertoire. I find that it’s best the day after baking as the texture softens a bit and the butter flavour develops. Happy baking.
Caren
ALMOND BUTTER CAKE
175 gm unsalted butter, cubed and softened
150 gm caster sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
275 gm Revenge Gluten-Free Almond Plain Flour Mix (see below)
2 teaspoons Gluten-Free baking powder (see below)
3 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 175°C.
Grease a 20-22cm spring form cake tin and line it with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar until light and pale.
Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla. Then fold in the flour mix and baking powder, gradually adding the milk as the batter thickens.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. With a metal spoon fold a large spoonful of egg whites into the cake mix and then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Spoon the mix into the cake tin and smooth the surface.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a testing skewer comes out clean.
APPLE PETAL CAKE
Filling
250 gm golden delicious apple flesh, diced
20 gm white sugar
10 gm mild honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
Put all the ingredients into a medium saucepan over a medium heat and mix well.
Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have collapsed a bit and the mix is soft. Set aside to cool.
Cake
175 gm unsalted butter, softened
150 gm caster sugar, plus extra
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
275 gm Revenge Gluten-Free Almond Plain Flour Mix (see below)
2 teaspoons Gluten-Free baking powder (see below)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons milk
3 large Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples
20 gm butter
Vanilla bean, optional
Icing sugar for dusting before serving
Whipped cream for serving
Preheat oven to 175°C. Butter a 22cm spring form cake tin and line it with baking paper.
Whip butter and 150gm sugar until creamy and pale.
Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla. Then stir in the flour mix, baking powder and cinnamon, gradually adding the milk as the batter thickens.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. With a metal spoon stir a large spoonful of egg whites into the cake mix and then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Spoon half the mix into the cake tin then spread the apple filling over the top. Spread the rest of the mix over the filling and smooth the surface.
Peel, core and cut the 3 apples into quarters and place them in acidulated water to stop them turning brown.
Cut the quarters into 3mm slices and arrange them on the top of the cake: start from the outer edge and place slightly overlapping slices, rounded side up, into the cake. You are working to create the look of a flower, the apple slices being the petals. Finish with a tight inner circle. (You may have some apple slices left over, depending upon the size of the apples.)
Melt the 20gm butter and brush over the apple slices. Sprinkle with some extra caster sugar.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the apples are turning golden at the edges and a testing skewer comes out cleanly. You may need to loosely cover the cake with foil to stop the apples colouring too much.
Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with a few broken bits of vanilla bean in the centre to look like the stamens of the flower. Dust with icing sugar before serving with the whipped cream or ice cream.
Revenge Gluten-free Baking Powder
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons bi-carb soda
2 tablespoons cornflour
Revenge Gluten-free Almond Plain Flour Mix
280 gm almond meal
210 gm besan flour
280 gm fine white rice flour
175 gm corn flour