Almond molten cake

On a recent trip to France I acquired a new recipe for little almond molten cakes, they are truly delicious (sceal of approval by my "almost" 4 years old friend who has a sweet tooth).
Here is this super easy recipe, impress your guests with it:

Almond molten lava cakes
For 4 people
Ingredients
100 gr  Almond meal
100 gr  Powdered sugar
70 gr   Unsalted butter, melted
6 TBSP Heavy whipping cream
1          Egg
1          Yolk
A few drops of bitter almond extract

Method
Mix dry ingredients, add eggs, then butter, cream and extract
Pour in buttered individual molds (ramequins 3 cm / 1 1/4" high - 8 cm / 3 1/4" accross)
Place in refrigerator for at least 30 min, they can be prepared a day ahead.
These will be cooked at the last minute, so 20 min before serving place in pre-heated oven 180 C/356 F and bake for 10 to 15 min (each oven is different so you should check after 8 minutes), it is baked when the sides have a firm cake look but the center is still a little runny.
To unmold place a plate on top of your ramequin and invert, leave the ramequin for a couple of minutes to give a chance to the cake to fall on the plate.
Serve warm

Coconut cake/cookies

My friend's 2 year old daughter has a higher sensitivity to gluten and dairy but also has a sweet tooth, knowing that I have modified a recipe I had to accommodate her restrictions and it was a hit. Now every time she visits she asks: "il y a du gâteau?" (is there cake?).

Gâteau noix de coco - Coconut cake
A 9" / 23 cm square silicon mould
Ingredients
3 eggs separated
9 Tbsp Sugar
4 Tbsp coconut flour
Vanilla bean paste (a little goes a long way)

Method
Whisk egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until mix becomes whiter
Add 2 Tbsp coconut flour
Whip egg whites into stiff peaks
Add half of egg whites to egg and sugar mix
Add remaining coconut flour
Add remaining egg whites

Butter mould (even though it is silicon, because this recipe has quite a bit of sugar it is better to butter the mould, alternately you can line the mould with parchment paper)
Pour and level batter
Bake in preheated oven at 355 F for 15 to 20mn
When baked remove from mould immediately and let cool.
I usually cut this big square into small 2" squares and serve this as cookies to my little friend or to bigger friends with a bowl of fresh fruits.
Because there is no gluten this cake will not rise and will be fairly dense but nonetheless tasty.

GF Orange Cranberry Pecan Muffins

I recently came across an excellent Gluten Free recipe book "125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes" by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt, I highly recommend it to people affected by gluten intolerance, and even for non celiac the recipes in this book "work" and taste great. Here is my adaptation of one of their recipes

Orange Cranberry Pecan Muffins

Ingredients
1.5 / 375 ml cup Rice flour
1/3 cup / 75 ml Cornstarch
1/3 cup / 75 ml Tapioca starch (you can grind your own from tapioca pearls in a coffee grinder)
1.5 tsp / 7 ml Xanthan gum (essential in gluten free baking to "glue" the GF flours together)
1 Tbsp / 15 ml Baking powder (GF)
3/4 tsp / 4 ml Salt
1 cup / 250 ml Dried cranberries

1/2 cup / 125 ml Pecan (grossly chopped)

1 cup / 225 ml Orange juice
2/3 cup / 150 ml Orange marmalade
1 tsp / 5 ml Cider vinegar
1/2 stick / 50 gr Butter
2 Eggs

Method
In a bowl mix together all the dry elements (rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, dried cranberries, pecan).
In another bowl mix well the wet ingredients (orange juice, marmalade, vinegar, melted butter eggs)
Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and gently combine with a fork (do not overwork).
Using a cookie spoon fill each muffin mold and let them stand for 30 mn.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 360 F / 180 C for 20 to 30 mn depending on your oven and the size of the muffin molds you are using (I use mini silicon molds which makes it easy to unmold when baked).
Let the muffins cool on a rack before enjoying them for breakfast or with a cup of tea or coffee.

Succés au Chocolat - "Chocolate success"

On Christmas day I promised you the recipe for the cake in the photo, well finally it has arrived.
It is my version of a famous french cake called: Succés au Chocolat. It is made of 3 components: a layer of chocolate ganache encased between 2 hazelnut cakes then covered in a chocolate glazing.
It is easier to make than it seems. The first step is making the cakes, then the ganache then the glazing.


Succés au chocolat
2 spring form baking tins 24 cm/9" in diameter
2 small cooling racks (not smaller than 9" in width and length)
1 plate/dish larger than the cake diameter
1 serving plater

Hazelnut cakes
Ingredients
8 eggs
400 gr sugar
200 gr melted unsalted butter
200 gr ground hazelnuts (or almonds - almond meal) I usually ground the hazelnuts rather than buying them already grounded, it stays fresher that way.
4 TBSP all purpose flour

Method
Separate the egg whites from the yolks (you can use the yolks in a custard) and whip the whites till firm, then add the sugar (like you would do for meringue).
Then gently fold in the melted and cooled down butter, the ground hazelnuts/almonds and finally the flour.
When all well integrated pour half into each greased baking tin that you have previously lined with baking paper.
Place in pre-heated oven at 385/390 F and bake for 20 to 30 mn (depending on your oven), the outside should be crispy and dry and the inside moist but cooked.
When baked turn upside down on a cooling rack and remove the baking paper (if you wait it will stick and will be very hard to remove), let the cakes cool.

Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
200 gr dark chocolate (it is best to use chocolate that has a cocoa content of 60% or more)
200 gr heavy whipping cream
30 gr honey

Method
Chop the chocolate into smaller pieces and place in a saucepan in a hot water bath (bain marie) then let it melt.
In a separate saucepan bring the cream and honey to a boil then let the liquid cool down.
Once the chocolate is melted and cooled down a bit add the cream/honey mix while mixing continuously, at first it will kind of solidify but keep adding the liquid and stirring vigorously then you will obtain a smooth and shinny cream like chocolate ganache. Let it cool down at room temperature till it starts "gelling" a bit.

Chocolate glaze (glaçage au chocolat)
Ingredients
90 gr extra dark chocolate (more than 70% cocoa content)
90 gr normal dark chocolate (minimum 52% cocoa content)
125 gr unsalted butter

Method
Cut chocolate in smaller pieces and place in a saucepan in a hot water bath (bain marie), add the butter and let it all melt.
This will be done last and after the cake has been assembled as it has to be poured hot over the cake.

Assembling the cake
Place 1 hazelnut cake upside up on a cooling rack, spread the chocolate ganache evenly on top of it then place the second cake on top of the ganache and place it all in the fridge or freezer for faster result to cool down, the ganache will start getting harder but not too hard (like butter left out of the fridge for 30mn).
At that point take it out and place the cooling rack with the cake on top of the large plate and pour over it the warm/hot glaze/glaçage it should be quite liquid, it will spill over (thus the larger plate) and spread it evenly with a long spatula, cover the sides and smooth them too.
At this point you can delicately remove the cake from the cooling rack using a large spatula (or 2) and place it on a serving platter (it can be a little bit tricky so if you don't feel confident enough wait till the chocolate glazing has cooled down to move the cake and use the left over glaze to touch up). When all the cake is covered place in the fridge and let it cool down till the chocolate solidifies.
Keep it in the fridge and bring it out 1h before serving it.
In my opinion this cakes tastes best the day after making it so plan ahead. It's great for special occasions and tastes totally delicious.
You can also freeze it properly wrapped and use in a couple of weeks, just make sure to take it out of the freezer 24h before using it to thaw properly in the fridge.

Bon appétit and bonne année!

Melting Honey and Almond cakes

Bees are amazing little creatures, they work incessantly to collect pollen from all the flowers that will ultimately become delicious honey. I grew up watching my Dad take care of his honey bees, I forgot about them a little as life went on until my last visit to France this past Spring when it was time to collect the honey made by those wonderful workers. Out of 10 hives we collected about 80 kilos of the golden liquid, this was a lot of honey. If you are ever so lucky to have that much honey here is a very nice gluten free cake that you could try, but you don't really need that much honey.

Melting Honey and Almond cakes
For about 40 mini muffin tins or 1 circular 24 cm / 9" diameter spring form
Ingredients
125 gr / short of 9 TBSP Unsalted Butter
70 gr / 1/2 cup & 1 Tbsp confectioners sugar
30 gr / 3 full Tbsp corn flour
30 gr / 3 normal Tbsp rice flour
105 gr / 2x1/3 cup raw almonds finely grounded
100 gr / 2 heap Tbsp lavender honey (if no lavender honey is available any other one will do too)
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder

Method
Mix egg yolks and softened butter.
Add honey, flours, almond powder and confectioners sugar, mix all well.
Whip the egg whites till stiff and delicately incorporate them to the mixture.
Pour in the moulds, you could also use 1 big circular pie dish, it is best to use silicon moulds, if not line your tin with parchment paper.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 C / 340 F for 25 to 30mn (depending on the size of the mould you are using, smaller = less time)
When baked let the cakes cool down for 5 or 10 mn before removing from the silicon molds, with the spring form it will be easier and you won't need the rest time.

This is delicious served with a hot fruit salad of honey glazed pineapple and pink grapefruit (add the grapefruit to the pan at the last minute so it doesn't over cook but just warms up and flambé with brandy before serving).

Going bananas...

While visiting my friends in Cork I went on a cooking spree and made these mini Banana muffins, a recipe I got from my good friend SL.
This recipe is easily modified into a low gluten one using spelt flour.


SL's Banana Muffins
Ingredients
4 Ripe bananas
Half a Cup / 100 gr Sugar
1 stick / 113 gr / 4 oz Unsalted Butter
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1.5 cup / approx. 230 gr unbleached white flour - when using spelt flour, add an extra in 3 Tbs of spelt flour
A handful of Chopped Walnuts

Method
Melt the butter.
Mash the bananas with the sugar.
Lightly whisk butter, egg & milk and add in the mashed bananas.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and mix lightly until just combined - it may look lumpy but it's ok.
Add in the walnuts.
Pour in normal size muffin pans or mini muffins pans and bake in pre-heated oven at 190˚C (374 F) for 15-20 mins (depending on your oven the mini muffins may take a little less time).
These freeze very well as soon as they are cool enough.

Gluten free almond and orange cake

In a previous post I talked about this gluten free orange cake that I usually make and I thought I should also post it, contrary to the other recipe this one has butter in it and the egg whites are not separated and beaten (although you can do that for a lighter cake). This post is for Clare, it should make a nice and different graduation cake.

Almond and Orange cake

10"/25 cm long baking tin, round baking tin or you could also use a round spring form, I prefer the long or round tin as it makes it easier to cut slices

Ingredients

For the cake

200 gr almond powder (almond meal) - I usually powder the almonds myself as it is fresher this way

50 gr corn flour (not corn starch)

1 tsp baking powder

125 gr sugar

3 eggs

Juice and zest of 2 oranges (approx. 200 ml)

For the glazing

Juice and zest of 2 oranges (approx. 200 ml)

A dash of cointreau

125 gr confectioner's sugar (although I don't like using it in the US since there is corn starch in it, in this case I replace it with very fine sugar)

Method

Mix all ingredients for the cake (almond, corn flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs and orange juice and zest), use a hand held mixer with the whisk on and whisk until you obtain a nice fluffy dough.

For even better result you can separate the eggs and beat the whites separately then gently fold them into your mix.

Pour into a lined 10"/25cm long baking tin and bake in pre-heated oven at 310 F/155 C for 40 to 45 mn.

While the cake is baking simmer in a pan the glazing ingredients (orange juice, cointreau to taste and sugar)

When the cake is baked place upside down in a serving dish and immediately (while still very hot) pour over simmering glaze, let cool and serve at room temperature.

This is a delicious dessert cake.

It is best to make it 1 day ahead.

Gluten and dairy free orange cake

Last part of the meal was dessert and there again I didn't want to use wheat flour or butter, I had a tried and tested recipe but wanted a change, so here goes this new recipe.

Gluten & Dairy free Orange cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 oranges
150 gr brown sugar
170 gr almond powder (I use full raw almonds that I grind)
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
A dash of cointreau or any other liqueur you prefer

Method
Juice and zest the oranges, mix with sugar, almond powder, egg yolks and liqueur.
Beat the egg whites and delicately incorporate them to the batter.
Pour into oiled form (I use a 24 cm/9"diameter spring form cake pan with a layer of parchment paper on the bottom).
Bake into preheated oven at 110 C/230 F for 40 to 50mn depending on your oven.

Low Gluten dinner

Last night we hosted a gluten free dinner since one of our friend is coeliac.
Being French we had to have cheese before dessert, and one can not have cheese without bread, so I started by making low gluten bread of my own inspiration, a citrus cake which I adapted in order to be gluten free and rabbit with mustard.


Low Gluten bread/Pain avec peu de gluten
Ingredients

450 cc luke warm water
3 tsp dry yeast
1 big teaspoon honey
100 gr buckwheat flour
350 gr white spelt flour
100 gr wholemeal spelt flour
50 gr corn flour (not corn startch)
This makes a total of 600 gr of flours
1 teaspoon salt

Method
Mix water, honey and yeast and let it rest for 10 mn.
Prepare your flours in a mixing bowl (I recommend the use of a standup mixer as this dough is very sticky and liquidy) and add the salt.
After 10mn or so the liquid should resemble a chemistry project and start bubbling away and doubling in volume, stir and pour over the flours and knead on speed 1 for 5 mn till all water has been absorbed, then put on speed 2 for another 10 mn.
Cover the bowl and leave to rest at room temperature (around 20-22 C/68-71.6 F) for aprox. 1 hour
After that time punch the dough down and knead for 1mn, cover and let it rest for a further 30mn.
After that time punch the dough down and knead for 1 mn, then pour it into a parchment paper lined baking tin 29 cm (11.5 inches) long, cover and let it rise for 20mn.
Turn on the oven to 205 C/400 F and place a small pan of water.
Bake for 35 to 45 mn (depending on oven) till bread sounds hollow when tapped.
Let it cool for 15 or 20 mn.
It's a very dense and dark bread, since it is also very moist it will not keep more than 4 days (it will start molding after that).
It freezes very well.


Low Gluten steamed Citrus cake/Gâteau au citron cuit à la vapeur
(adapted from Nigela Lawson's Steamed syrup sponge from the book "How to be a domestic goddess")
About this cake I loved the idea of steaming it, I had never tried before and though it could be fun, also if one has no oven it's a great recipe.
I am totally against corn syrup so I had to find an alternative for the syrup and used a mix of home made bitter orange marmalade, lemon juice and honey. If I was to do it again I might use a little less bitter orange marmalade and more honey to get a more lemony taste as the bitter orange marmalade can be overpowering.

Ingredients
for the cake
2.5 tsp baking powder
84 gr / 3/4 cup soft unsalted butter
55 gr spelt flour
55 gr corn flour
25 gr almond powder (grinded blanched almonds)
120 gr sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 lemon juice + zest
3 TBSP milk
1/2 tsp lemon powder (optional)

for the syrup
1/2 cup sevilla (bitter) orange mamalade
2 TBSP honey
1/2 lemon juice

Method
In her recipe Nigela Lawson uses a plastic pudding basin, I used a well buttered springform (24 cm/9") tighly covered with tin foil (it gives a fairly flat and dense -yet light- cake due to the lack of gluten).
Prepare the syrup first by mixing all ingredients together, let it sit till you have the cake mixture ready.
For the cake mixture pour all ingredients in the stand up mixer bowl and mix well using the wisk head.
Pour syrup in bottom of springform and pour the cake mixture over it. Seal with tin foil and place in steam cooker on top of steaming tray, I used a Le Creuset cast iron round oven dish (which prevents evaporation), water should be boiling when you place your springform on top of the tray.
Let the water boil and bake covered for 2 hours.

When it's cooked remove, let rest only for a couple of minutes (otherwise your syrup will start solidifying) , then turn upside down on a serving dish with enough space for the syrup to flow on the sides.
Serve cold with cointreau flavoured whipped cream.


Rabbit with mustard/Lapin à la moutarde
I got this recipe from my Mom
Ingredients For 6 people
1 rabbit 3.7 pounds / 1.6 kg
2 shallots
2 big garlic cloves
Thyme, salt, pepper
Mustard
White wine

Method
3 hours before cooking time
Cut rabbit in 12 pieces or less if you want bigger pieces
Baste the rabbit pieces with french Dijon mustard (I used Maille)
Let it rest in a cool place but not in the fridge for 3 hours.

2 hours before serving peel and chop the shallots and garlic, soften in frying pan on low heat (do not brown), add thyme, when softened reserve.
Brown each pieces of rabbit in frying pan then place in Le Creuset round oven dish, cover with the shallots, garlic and thyme, deglaze frying pan with white wine (don't be shy) and pour over the rabbit, if not enough wine pour some water till it comes almost to level with the top of the rabbit.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and let it simmer for 1h30mn.
At the moment of serving if your sauce is too liquidy you can reduce it by boiling it or mix a couple of teaspoons of corn startch in little cold water and let it boil for 5mn.
Serve with fingerlings and green beans, or rice or fresh pasta.

Bon appétit!