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Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

On February 16, 2012 in Baking, cakes, dessert, wheat-free

Guess what? Thirty six sleeps ’til I tie the knot. In a last-minute ditch to get in shape for the big day, future hubby and I have given up booze for the month of February. Thankfully it’s a short month. Mind you, neither of us are missing a tipple as much as we thought. In fact, I could get used to this teetotaling lifestyle. It saves kilojoules, money and sore heads. As an antidote to our puritan ways, I’ve been channelling my inner Martha Stewart and whipping up lots of baked goodies. So much for getting in shape, but hey, a girl’s gotta have some fun, even if she is a bride-to-be.

This brings me to today’s recipe – a gluten-free almond, hazelnut and apple cake. It hails from Brioche cafe in Balmain which I recently reviewed on Food Crush. The owner of Brioche, Fiona Wilkinson sells it by the truckload and kindly offered to share the recipe with yours truly. Finding a good gluten-free cake recipe can be as hard as finding a good man, so when you find a recipe that’s as good as this one, you simply must hold onto it for dear life.

Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

I can see why Fiona loves this cake. It’s as light as a feather, beautifully textured and different from any other cake I’ve tasted. What’s interesting is it hardly contains any flour. Ground nuts constitute the bulk of dry ingredients while grated apple creates a lovely moistness and subtle sweetness. Fiona’s recipe (which originally from ’Gluten Free and Easy‘ by Robyn Russell) contains pistachios. I decided to use hazelnuts as a substitute only because my local supermarket had some freshly ground ones sitting in their refrigerated section (and they were half the price of packet pistachios that I would have had to grind myself).

The trick to getting this creation spot on is in mixing the egg whites until they’re just right. Be sure not to overmix them or they will lose their elasticity. It only took about 30 seconds for hard peaks to form with my electric mixer on the fastest setting. Also, be sure to fold the beaten egg mixture into the dry ingredients with a very gentle hand. Take your time with this as it can make or break the cake. You want to keep as much air in the egg whites as possible to keep the cake nice and fluffy.

Said cake went down a treat with my workmates last week – and that was without the sweetened mascarpone and mint that is supposed to act as an accompaniment. I’ve already received requests for seconds. I might try it with pistachios next time as I’m curious to compare the flavours. Oh, and Fiona tells me this cake is low-GI (glycemic index), so it would be foolish to stop at one piece.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

100g (2/3 cup) ground hazelnut (or ground, unsalted pistachios)
30g  (1/4 cup) white rice flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
150g (11/2 cups) ground almonds
6 eggs, separated
115g (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
115g (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar, extra
50g apple, such as Fuji, unpeeled and grated (I used one whole apple)
50g butter, melted
To serve:
pure icing (confectioners) sugar (gluten-free)
sweetened mascarpone
shredded mint
Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 180C (350F / Gas 4).
2.  Grease and line the base of a 26cm (10 1/2 in) spring-form tin.
3.  Place the pistachio nuts and flour in a food processor and  process until the nuts are finely ground.  The flour helps the nuts to grind evenly.  Add the baking powder and  ground almonds and pulse until just combined.
4.  Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and the first lot of sugar on high speed until the mixture is very thick.  Add the nut and flour mixture, apple and butter and stir well.  The mixture will be quite stiff at this stage.
5.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peak stage then add the extra sugar and beat to firm peak stage. Gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture in two batches.  Place the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through. Allow the cake to set in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
6.  To serve, dust the cake with pure icing sugar and serve slices with a dollop of mascarpone and a little mint.
Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

Almond, hazelnut and apple cake

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Brioche

On February 9, 2012 in allergy-free, Baking, bread, cafes, cakes, celiac, food sensitivities, gluten-free, wheat-free

If I had a dollar for every time I went to a cafe and complained about the lack of gluten-free options, well, I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d probably have about $50. Since going gluten-free, I don’t go out for breakfast nearly as much as I used to.  Once upon a time, eating out was one of my favourite weekend rituals, but finding cafes that cater for gluten-intolerants can be challenging in Sydney.  Until now, that is.

Balmain's new gluten-free bakery

Brioche is located at 349 Darling Street, Balmain

Introducing Brioche. This bakery-cum-cafe has just opened its doors in the funky inner-west suburb of Balmain.  It’s heaven on a stick for people with food sensitivities.   I recently paid it a visit and had a chat with its lovely owner, Fiona Wilkinson.  As a Coeliac and someone who’s allergic to dairy and preservatives, Fiona is well versed in the tribulations of eating out in Sydney.   “I think there’s a lot of people out there who aren’t being catered for.  And unlike 10 years ago when people didn’t really understand (Coeliac Disease), these days people do really understand it, so I really wanted to do something to cater for those who I think are being missed out,” says Fiona.

Brioche the Bakery

You'll find lots of delicious baked goods on the front counter.

Brioche offers “normal” bread for “normal” people as well as a healthy dose of gluten-free options.  I’m talking gluten-free olive bread, sourdough, sultana loaf, multi-seed loaf and rolls.  And if you’re like me and really miss being able to order a sandwich when you’re out and about, for just a dollar extra, you can have gluten-free bread with your sanger.  The poached chicken sandwich with olive tapenade, rocket and roast tomato looked really good – and they tell me it’s low GI.

While all the regular breads are made on-site by the two full-time bakers who are known to work from midnight to 5am (ouch), the gluten-free stuff is bought from a specialist Queensland bakery called Zehnder.  Fiona said they’re in the process of perfecting their gluten-free loaves.  All the other gluten-free goodies, like the spelt croissants (they’re delicious); giant marshmallows; sausage rolls and pies (really good); berry, goji and chia muffins (you’d never know they’re gluten-free); and the great selection of cakes and banana bread are made on-site.

Spelt croissant

A spelt croissant at Brioche. It wasn't as light as a regular croissant, but it went down very nicely with my cup of tea.

Gluten-free banana chia bread

Gluten-free banana chia bread. I didn't try it, but it looked and smelt lovely.

Polenta date sultana cake

The only problem with Brioche's gluten-free polenta date sultana cake is that it's very easy to eat.

If this place is really successful, Fiona would definitely like to open a second one, but she thinks it’s going to take six months just to get this model right.  I asked if she’d open an outlet in Bondi just for me, but she said their concept is too untested at this stage to take on the likes of my neighbourhood.  Dammit!

The good news is Fiona was kind enough to share her favourite cake recipe with Food Crush.  It’s a low-GI pistachio and apple cake.  I whipped up my own adaptation of it this week and took it into work.  My workmates loved it.  Stay tuned next week for the recipe.  You won’t be disappointed!


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Gluten-free Christmas cake

On December 20, 2011 in Baking, cakes, Christmas, cooking, food, food sensitivities, gluten-free, wheat-free

Christmas is my favourite time of year. What’s not to love? You get time off work; Santa Claus pays you a visit; you get to eat your own body weight in turkey, mince pies and plum pudding; and if you live in the Southern Hemisphere like me, you get to spend time at the beach. Apart from family feuds, unwanted weight gain and the stress of wanting to punch people in the head as you do your Christmas shopping, it truly is a magical time of year.

Another thing that I love just as much as Christmas is cake. So, combine Christmas and cake and BAM, you have two of my favourite things combined – Christmas cake. I can’t believe it’s been a year since I baked my first ever Christmas cake. Being a sentimentalist at heart, I thought it best to make an annual tradition of this cake-making ritual.

This year’s piece de resistance is somewhat of a departure from last year’s recipe. It’s sans gluten, i.e. gluten-free. Don’t worry, it’s still swimming in all the good stuff, like a few gallons of brandy and a truckload of fruit mince, so it’s not like the gluten will even be missed.

Gluten-free Christmas cake

Gluten-free Christmas cake

But here’s the thing. I haven’t yet tasted the cake. Normally, dear readers, I taste everything before I publish it on my blog, but as I’m under strict instructions to wait until Christmas Day before cutting the cake (yawn), I can’t really tell you if it’s any good. But what I can tell you is it smells bloody good and I found the recipe on one of my favourite websites, Taste, so I’m hedging my bets that we’re onto a winner.

So what can I tell you about this wondrous cake that I haven’t yet eaten? The secret ingredient (apart from White Wings gluten-free flour mixture which is really good, by the way) is 1kg of fruit mixture which I soaked in the good part of a bottle of brandy for a whole week. But the best part (apart from licking the bowl) was pouring a quarter of a cup of brandy over the hot cake and inhaling the gorgeous scent.

This cake has well and truly been pickled with brandy.

This cake has well and truly been pickled with brandy.

Gluten-free Christmas cake

Once the cake had cooled, I glazed it with apricot jam and studded it with pretty jewels in the way of glace cherries.

So, there you have it. My first ever gluten-free Christmas cake. Stay tuned post-Christmas for my review of said cake. Meanwhile, thanks for reading Amy’s Cookbook this year. See you next year with a new-look and renamed Amy’s Cookbook! Merry Christmas!

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Two Christmas salads

On December 19, 2011 in Christmas, gluten-free, healthy recipes, salad, wheat-free

Christmas in Australia can be quite disconcerting for people who grew up in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite the complete lack of snow, sleet and sub-zero temperatures, the typical Aussie Christmas menu would be right at home in the depths of a freezing English winter. As the temps hit the high 20s, many Aussies will be tucking into a hot roast lunch or dinner comprising of ham, turkey or pork and all the trimmings.

Given this style of cooking is completely at odds with our hot climate, the smart ones among us are turning their backs on traditional fare in favour of food that’s more in keeping with the stinking heat. I’m talking alfresco eating – barbies, seafood and salads and the like. Smart move, I say. Sadly, my family hasn’t quite got with the program as yet, so instead of forgoing a hot lunch that would make the Queen Mother proud, we end up having both a hot and cold lunch. Ridiculous? Yes. Common practice Down Under? Absolutely.

But alas, to help get into the spirit of cooking for our climate, today I am sharing two amazing salad recipes that will pump some colour and style into your Christmas menu. They are vibrant, fresh and a refreshing change from salads containing lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Both are from the wonderful English chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. If you don’t have at least one of his cookbooks on your bookcase, you should ask Santa to pop one into your Christmas stocking!

Salad of baby peas, ricotta and spring onions

Salad of baby peas, ricotta and spring onions

Salad of baby peas, ricotta and spring onions

Carrot, orange and chervil salad

Carrot, orange and chervil salad

Carrot, orange and chervil salad

Stay tuned later this week for my gluten-free Christmas cake recipe!

Merry Christmas!

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Gluten-free banana choc muffins

On December 2, 2011 in Baking, brunch, cakes, comfort food, cooking, food, food sensitivities, gluten-free, recipes, snacks, wheat-free

Remember Goldilocks? The chick who broke into the home of three unsuspecting bears and ate their porridge, sat in their chair and slept in their bed? What exactly a young girl was doing walking into a stranger’s home unannounced and ransacking their stuff is another blog post altogether. But the point is, Goldilocks was quite a fussy lass. She liked things to be “just right”. While I can’t relate to gatecrashing a bear’s house, I can relate to her fussy tendencies. Take bananas, for instance. I won’t go near them unless they’re just right. And when I say “just right”, I mean not too ripe and not too green, but somewhere in between.

That’s not to say there isn’t a place in my kitchen for over-ripened bananas. The riper the bananas, the better the baked goods and the sweeter the smoothies. I whipped up some gorgeous gluten-free banana choc muffins last week with a sad old banana that looked ready for the scrap heap. Needless to say, just as you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a banana by its skin. Here’s the recipe.

Banana choc muffins

Makes 12

 

Banana choc muffins

Piece of cake to make

Dry ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 2 cups gluten-free plain flour
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

Wet ingredients:

  • 11/4 cups soy milk (gluten-free)
  • 1 egg, lightly whisked
  • 3 tbs canola oil

Flavourings:

  • 1 large ripe banana, mashed
  • 1 tbs crushed walnuts
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped (I used Lindt)

Toppings:

  • 1 tbs crushed walnuts

Method

  1. Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
  2. Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl, and add to the dry ingredients.
  3. Add the chocolate, banana and walnuts and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
  4. Fill a 12-hole muffin tray with cases (or lightly grease with oil) and fill with the mixture.
  5. Sprinkle with walnuts and bake at 180 degrees celsius for approximately 25 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to sit in tray for five minutes before placing on a cooling rack.
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