Gluten Free Sachertorte

Sachertorte

Gluten Free Sachertorte

Sachertorte is a cake which has intrigued me since my early days of baking as a teenager. This was a cake which I had never tried before and introduced to me the concept of adding ground almonds and stiff egg whites to a cake mix. It is also a cake which actually tastes better the next day and which has a rich and strong flavour. I always thought of it as a ‘male’ cake. One of my dreams was to visit the hotel in Austria where the recipe was invented. Some years later my dream was realised when I chanced upon Hotel Sacher whilst walking through the streets of Vienna. I was so delighted to have afternoon tea there although ironically I was disappointed by the sachertorte that was served up to me! I still enjoy this recipe though and think it is well suited to a gluten free diet given the small amounts of flour used. 

Ingredients:

200g dark chocolate

150g dairy free margarine

80g caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

75g ground almonds

40g gluten free self raising flour

Topping

250 ml lactose free cream

250g dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 180C. In a bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave being careful not to burn. In a large mixing bowl, add the margarine and beat lightly. Add the sugar and mix until light and creamy. Add the cooled chocolate and essence and mix. Separate the eggs adding the yolk to the chocolate mix and beating. Add the almonds and flour and beat to combine. 

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the other mix and pour carefully into the prepared tin. Pop into the oven for about 50 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Cracks are a good thing!

When the cake is cold, prepare the topping by pouring the cream with the chocolate into a large bowl and melting in a microwave.Mix together until smooth and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

As if by magic...

...turns into this!

Pour over the cake and leave to set whilst admiring its indulgent glossiness!

Glossy!

So, have you visited Hotel Sacher?

Welsh breakfast cakes

 

Welsh Breakfast Cakes

 

Welsh Breakfast Cakes

Breakfast is often my favourite meal of the day, if it starts off with something wholesome and tasty, the upcoming day feels happier. Often breakfast is an afterthought for many due to lack of time but I think that is a missed opportunity. Breakfast does not have to be a lengthy affair especially during the week, some recipes can be achieved quickly such as the banana pancakes which I have previously posted. This is another quick recipe, especially good if you are out of bread or want a break from toast. The welsh cakes give plenty of scope for jam, marmalade, honey, peanut butter, or anything else that you enjoy to use as a spread on toast. It can even be enjoyed naked. 

4 ingredients!

Ingredients:

225g gluten free self raising flour

50g caster sugar

110g dairy free margarine

1 egg, beaten

Breadcrumbs

In a large mixing bowl add the flour and sugar and mix together. Add the margarine in pieces and rub in to get breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and combine together until you get a dough. 

Dough

On a floured surface, roll out the dough and cut out discs with a cookie cutter or other round shape. 

Welsh cakes

Heat a griddle pan or non-stick pan and arrange the discs on top. Cook each side for a few minutes on each side until it has browned. 

Enjoy warm either naked or with your choice of spread! 

So, do you think Welsh cakes work without sultanas?

Gluten Free Sour Cherry Cake

Sour Black Cherries

Gluten Free Sour Cherry Cake

Cherries are wonderful pockets of juicy bursts. In this country at least though they can be quite expensive. I am an advocate of fresh fruit but in this instance I want to big up the qualities of tinned cherries. They have a long history in cakes so for example the black forest gateaux makes use of them. I can also see the reason why tinned cherries are used as they have a sourness that is not as pronounced perhaps in fresh cherries. Let me know what you think as I use tinned cherries in this recipe. 

Tinned fruit!

Ingredients:

125g dairy free margarine

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

35g ground almonds

155g self raising gluten free flour

90g plain gluten free flour

125ml rice milk

425g black cherries in light syrup

Baba Tin

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and flour a fluted baba tin and pop into the fridge. In a large mixing bowl cream the margarine and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the almonds and then alternate between the flours and milk. 

Lovely Cherries

Drain the cherries and add the cherries to the mix and fold in. 

More Cherries

Pour the mix carefully into the prepared tin and smooth down to ensure it is even. 

That baba tin

Pop into the oven for 45 minutes and leave in the oven for 10 minutes before tipping out. 

Sour Cherry Cake

This cake does not need any fancy icing on it since the shape of the cake provides the fanciness. 

Moist and light

So, did you have trouble finding a baba tin?

Thai Chilli Rice with Vietnamese Basil

Thai Chilli Rice with Vietnamese Basil

Thai Chilli Rice with Vietnamese Basil

Basil is a wonderfully fragrant herb which comes in many varieties. Thai basil is a favourite of mine since it is so full of flavour and lifts many a dish. I came across some Vietnamese basil and decided to make use of it in a Thai recipe for chilli rice. This is a quick recipe which makes use of cold rice that you might have left over. 

Vietnamese Basil

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

2 tbsp red thai paste

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

5 tbsp water

450g cold rice

Vietnamese basil

2 eggs

Thai Red Curry Paste

Heat the oil in a pan. Add some chopped onions and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes. Add the paste and cook for 1 minutes. Add the sauces and water, mixing and cook for a couple of minutes. 

Too steamy!

Add the rice and mix together with the paste for a couple of minutes until the rice is hot. Wash and coarsely cut the basil. Mix in with the rice.

Essential Basil

Push the rice to one side of the pan and add the 2 eggs. Quickly stir the eggs and allow to cook. When the eggs are almost cooked, mix in with the rice. 

Eggs

Enjoy the rice hot or if having later, try to warm it first. 

Quick Rice

So, do you enjoy basil?