Apple Almond Cake, Perfect For Holiday Get Togethers....And It's Gluten Free!!

   When I was a kid, there were only three kinds of apples that I knew of, green ones, red ones, and yellow ones. I liked the green ones the most as I tend to like things on the tart side, and I loved our trips from San Francisco up to Sebastopol inorder to pick Gravenstein apples. Gravensteins are now known as a heritage fruit. So there. Back in the day, they weren't that classy... of course there were a lot more orchards of Gravensteins back then. They've since been removed for wine grapes and buildings, so it is what it is. Nowadays, Gravensteins are available around here at the end of the Summer and everyone scoops up all they can get their pie hooks on. So what does this cake have to do with Gravensteins?? Not much except if you can get some, they'd be great in this recipe.

   Every year when apple season rolls around, I'm always amazed at the variety of apples grown around here in Sonoma County and parts north: Cameos, Braeburns,  Pink Ladys. Before I ever heard of Pink Lady apples the only Pink Ladies I knew were these two



Anyway, the point is there are a lot of apples out there. This cake only requires two types  of  Granny Smiths for the filling, and Braeburn for the sliced apple topping. The cake is very simple to put together. The only tough part is peeling and coring the apples which when put together on a list of anyone's problem is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down toward the bottom. The cake is also naturally gluten free since it's made with almond flour.  The best part however is that you can bake this in the afternoon and have it for dinner that night, or even earlier if you don't care about spoiling your appetite.

    Sorry, but I couldn't resist.

    So what besides my love of apples led me to bake this cake? It all started with a platter. A few weeks back I met Mary Jurek of Mary Jurek Designs. I have bought a few of her pieces in the past, and am a huge fan of everything she makes. Our new house is a mid century modern and when we renovated  we went looking for beautiful, clean, simple, modern designs to fill it. Mary Jurek's pieces totally fit the bill. I love things that are simple, functional and elegant, and so when Mary offered to send me a platter with the challenge to make something wonderful to put on it, I had to come up with something platter-worthy. Thus, this Apple Almond Holiday Cake.

 

Apple Almond Gluten Free Cake

Here's What You Need: 
3 1/4 cups of almond flour
8 eggs (room temperature)
1 3/4 cups of sugar plus 1 tsp sugar
3 Granny Smith apples
2 Braeburn apples
1 tsp vanilla plus 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs unflavored oil (Canola etc)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds
1 10 inch springform pan
parchment paper
butter for greasing pan and paper


Here's What To Do:
Grease the springform pan.

Cut out a round of parchment paper and fit it into the bottom of the pan.

When it's in the bottom of the pan, grease the paper also.

Set the pan aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the almond flour and the sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Blend them together.
Peel and core 3 Granny Smith apples.
Chunk them up and place them in a small pot.

Add in 1 tsp sugar...

...1/2 tsp cardamom and 1/2 tsp cinnamon...

...1 Tbs lemon juice...

Mix everything together well, place over medium heat and cook gently while keeping a lid on the pan. You want the apple chunks to get soft.
Stir every now and then to make sure nothing burns or sticks. This usually takes about 10 minutes or less.
When the apples are soft mash them to a thick puree.

Set the puree aside to cool.
Meanwhile back at the stand mixer, add the eggs, one at a time making sure each is well blended in before adding another one.

Keep the mixer on a relatively low speed. I use Speed 2.

Add in 1 tsp vanilla.

When the apples you mashed have cooled a bit, add them to the batter in the stand mixer.

Mix until everything is well blended, then set aside.
Peel and slice the Braeburn apples into 1/4 inch thick wedges.

In a small skillet heat the honey and oil together.

When they are blended together and warm, add in  the Braeburn apple slices.

Cook them gently, turning them very now and then so they are well coated with the honey and oil.
When they are coated, take the skillet off the heat and add in the 1/2 tsp of vanilla.

Pour the cake batter into the springform pan.

Scatter the top with the sliced almonds.

Take the Braeburn apple slices and arrange them in a pinwheel shape in the center of the cake.

Take the juices from the skillet and drizzle them over the top of the cake.

Put the cake pan on the center rack of the oven.

Bake for about 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Check the cake at the 35 minute mark. If it's getting too brown you may cover part of it with some foil to protect it. I've never had to do this but every oven is different.
Take the cake out when it's done, and set the pan on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before you remove it from the springform pan.
I placed the cake on Mary Jureks' beautiful scalloped metal platter, it was like they were made to be together.
    

We served it up plain,  but if you wish you can top it with a bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Coming up next....a great recipe from a very unexpected source. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Straight From Tuscany, Light and Delicious Chestnut Cake With Chocolate Ganache.

   It's the week after Christmas and as we enter the run up to New Years Eve and New Years Day and all that entails, there's been a whole lot of baking going on at our house. Part of the reason for that is the work that I've been doing for the new CocoaPlanet Cafe which will be opening here in Sonoma in the new year. All of the Pastries, and pastas are going to be gluten free so every week involves baking, and cooking, and every Saturday night for the last month or so, recipe testing and tasting. One of the naturally gluten free flours I have enjoyed using is an old standby from my childhood, Chestnut flour.
  
   Chestnut flour has long been part of Cucina Povera, or the Kitchen of the Poor, aka peasant food. It's a method of cooking using what is found and easily and cheaply accessible. Chestnuts and chestnut flour are one of those pantry staples that fits the bill. My family on both sides comes originally from Tuscany and the Piedmont region in Northern Italy and chestnut delicacies were often found on the family table at holidays. One of those delicacies is this light and delicious Chestnut Cake.

  I have a lot of gluten free friends and have cooked for them for years. Working with Indian food, leaving out gluten is pretty dang easy. Because of that, I always think the best gluten free food is stuff that is not a deliberate recreation of gluten laden foods, made gluten free, but recipes that were never made containing gluten. That way everybody wins. So if you get some chestnut flour (I found it easily on Amazon) a whole world of naturally gluten free baking opens up. Hello chestnut cake.

Chestnut Cake With Chocolate Ganache 

CAKE:

Here's What You Need: 
1 cup plus 1 Tbs chestnut flour
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbs sugar
7 Tbs salted butter at room temperature
3 Tbs milk
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder

Here's What To Do:
Preheat the oven to 320 degrees.
Take an 8 inch cake pan and grease it well.

Cut a piece of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the cake pan.

Cut it to size.

Grease the paper too.

Set it aside.
Run the chestnut flour through a sieve or wire mesh basket to get out any lumps.

 Put all the ingredients for the cake in a large bowl and mix until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the well greased cake pan.

Place it in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. You'll know it's done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Then run a knife around the outside of the cake.

Place a plate over the top of the cake and upend it. Removing the cake from the pan. The bottom of the cake is now the top.
Remove the greased parchment paper from the top of the cake.
Prepare your ganache icing.


GANACHE ICING:

Here's What You Need:
 Five rounds (about 5 oz) of Cocoaplanet Deep Dark Truffle Chocolate
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream

Here's What To Do:
Gently melt the chocolate in a pan.

add in 2 Tbs unsalted butter.
Stir well.
Add in about 1/2 cup of whipping cream.

Mix everything together well. When the ganache is shiny and smooth set it aside to cool a bit.

When it has cooled sufficiently, start to ice your cake.

Pour the cooled ganache over the top and using a frosting knife smooth it around the sides.
Let the ganache set and when it has firmed up. Serve it up!

   There it is, a Tuscan treat. "Poor mans cake" made luxurious with chocolate.
Coming up next a quick and easy way to make Butternut Squash Risotto courtesy of my Friend Judy of Divina Cucina. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Right Outta The Box, Just in Time For Party Season. Gluten Free Pear Almond Cake

   For someone who is not gluten intolerant I seem to do a lot of gluten-free cooking and baking. One reason is that Indian food, which is what I'm cooking around here 99% of the time, is a very easy cuisine for gluten free people to eat (not to mention vegans and vegetarians) without any change in recipes.  I also happen to have a lot of friends who are either themselves celiacs, or who have kids with gluten intolerance. Since we do a lot of entertaining at our house it's always easier to kill two birds with one gluten-free stone. Rather than making two desserts, one with and one without, I love to make one dessert that no matter what one's dietary requirement, every diner can enjoy. That means making desserts gluten-free.
  
   One of my favorite food guinea pig is one of our closest friends The Notorious Mr X.

Every year without fail, he seems to receive a box of Harry and David Pears. Sometimes he's in Kerala when they arrive, sending us photos while the pears moulder on his doorstep.

This year he was at home, and so he delivered a box of lovely pears to me with a request that I whip something up with them.

   The pears arrived just in time for a movie night at our house. Several of the guests are gluten intolerant and so I wanted to use them to make a holiday dessert. I wanted something gluten free but I didn't want to use one of my recipes. I was looking for something I'd never made before. So of course I went googling to USA Pears which is sort of the mother of all pear websites. I discovered that December is national Pear Month (who knew). I also discovered this amazing Gluten Free Pear and Almond Cake recipe courtesy of Carol Kicinski of Simply Gluten Free.
 One look at this, and I couldn't resist. I seemed to be the perfect dessert for our after the movie chai, and boy was it. It was also very simple to prepare which is a must for a weeknight. All you need are 4 pears and you're good to go.
 

Gluten Free Pear and Almond Cake

Here's What You Need:
4 pears. Ripe, but not too ripe. Keep things on the firm side.
1 and 3/4 cup of sugar plus 2 tsp of sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
3 and 1/4 cups Almond meal (almond flour)
8 eggs, at room temperature
1 and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs neutral flavored oil, (grapeseed, canola)
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Here's What To Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a baking rack in the dead center of the oven
Lightly grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.

Place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
Lightly grease the parchment paper also.
In a food processor or stand mixer, mix together 3 and 1/4 cup of almond meal 1 and 3/4 cup of sugar.

Blend the almond meal and the sugar together lightly using your paddle attachment.
Set it aside.
Peel and core the pears.
Take 3 of the pears and chunk them up roughly. Set the fourth pear aside.
Take the chunked up pears and put them in a small saucepan. Add in 2 Tsp of sugar.

And 1 Tbs of lemon juice.

Cover the pan of pears and cook them at medium heat for about 10 minutes or until they are soft.
Mash the pears to a coarse puree and set them aside to cool a bit.
Meanwhile, back at the sugar almond meal mixture in your food processor or stand mixer....
Add in the eggs one at a time.

Blend each of the eggs in well.

Once the pears have cooled enough, add the pear puree to the eggs and flour and sugar.

Add in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

When all the batter is mixed together, pour it into the prepared spring form pan.

Set it aside.
Take the fourth pear and slice it into 1/4 inch wide pieces.
In a small skillet heat the oil and the honey.
When they're warm and blended together add in the sliced pears.

Turn the pears over a few times in the honey oil mixture to coat them.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in 1/2 tsp of vanilla.
Make sure the pears are well coated.
Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of sliced almonds over the top of the cake.

Arrange the warmed pear slices in a pinwheel shape on top of the cake.

Drizzle the juices in the bottom of the skillet over the top of the cake and the  pear slices.

Pop the cake on a rack placed in the middle of the oven. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes (depending on your oven).
Check your cake after 35 minutes and if you find it's getting too brown on top. You can put a bit of foil over it. I didn't need to do this.
When a toothpick is inserted in the center of the cake and comes out clean, it's done.


Put the cake pan on a cooling rack and let the cake rest for about 30 minutes in the spring form pan. After that you can remove the sides of the pan and put the cake on a serving plate.
You can remove the parchment paper before serving just in case some guest might get carried away. After all we're not goats.
Cut it up and enjoy.

   There it is, a cake that every gluten free guest can enjoy, and any non celiacs will never miss the gluten. It's definitely going into my permanent file.

   Coming up next, I'm cooking Christmas dinner and going old school Italian. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori