Raspberry Ricotta Almond Cake Gluten-Free

I've just picked almost the last of my Autumn Fruiting Raspberries.  You know, I think I prefer them to the summer varieties, these were smaller but with a wonderful intensely raspberry flavour.  My father-in-law is wheat intolerant and just loves desserts so I always like to make him a special cake when he comes to tea... we have a slice each and then he takes the rest home ... usually with a big smile of his face as I wrap it up for him.

You're just going to love this cake, tangy raspberries along with the almonds and the creaminess of Ricotta .. just the perfect afternoon tea treat or a great dessert . 

This recipe is based on my  Gluten-Free Lemon Ricotta Cake which I have halved the ingredients to make a smaller 7"/18cm rather than the larger 11"/28cm that it makes.  I've also tweaked the flavourings as you will see.

So, you need to grease and line a 7"/18cm loose-bottomed tin with parchment paper.

Set the oven to 160C/ 300F

I always weigh my ingredients for accuracy but if you prefer to measure them then here's a great  Conversion Chart for you to follow.

Ingredients:-

175 gms unsalted butter at room temperature
200 gms caster sugar (superfine sugar)
300 gms ground almonds
1 tsp Baking Powder
3 large eggs at room temperature
125 gms Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
300 gms Fresh Raspberries
Icing sugar to dust
a little extra sugar to sweeten the sauce to taste   

Method:-  

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light & fluffy
Add the eggs one at a time and beat in well adding the vanilla with the last egg.
Mix together the ground almonds & baking powder then add to the butter, sugar & eggs mix and stir through gently to combine
Split the raspberries into 3 portions
Gently stir in the first third into the batter ( I used any broken or squishy ones for this) just to distribute them throughout the mix.
Place the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing on top until level.
Now gently push your forefinger and place a raspberry in the indention all around the top of the cake ... thus using up the second third of the raspberries

Place into the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for around 1 hr 20 minutes then check it. It should be golden brown...There should be no wobble in the centre at all as you pull the tin out...if there is continue baking whilst checking every 10 mins. 

It will be ready after a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.     Mine actually took 1 hour 35 minutes before I was happy with it... but as we know all ovens bake differently and I would hate for you to over or under bake it .

Leave in the tin and place on a cooling rack until just warm
Carefully turn it out, leaving the paper on and leave to cool completely.

Whilst the cake is baking add the rest of the raspberries to a small pan with a teaspoon or two of sugar and slowly bring to the boil.  Leave to cool slightly then pass through a sieve to remove the pips.  

Place in a small jug and serve with the cake

Dust the cake with icing sugar and it's ready to serve.

I also served mine with the rest of ricotta that I had over but it would be fabulous with mascarpone or whipped cream .

    

Apricot, Amaretti, Chocolate Crunch Cake

If like me you're a fan of those deliciously bitter sweet Almond Amaretti biscuits then you're going to love this cake,  A deliciously different bake with the tang of fresh apricots, creaminess of dark chocolate along with the crunch and nuttiness of the Amaretti. I've adapted the recipe from a leaflet that I picked up in Waitrose a while back...sometimes these little giveaway recipes are a real treasure to find.

Here's a little bit of the interesting history of these wonderful little Italian Almond Macaroons that I have sourced from Wikipedia. I didn't realise that they had such a romantic connotation or that the actual crushed kernels of the apricot stone were often used to make these darling morsels.
                   ______________________________________________________________

 Amaretti di Saronno (singular amaretto di Saronno) refer to an amaretto (almond flavored) macaroon that is traditional to Saronno, a comune of Lombardy, Italy. It is one of many types of traditional amaretto biscuits.

The Amaretti di Saronno are widely available commercially, most notably through the brand Lazzaroni. Amaretti di Saronno are unrelated to Amaretto liqueur, which is produced by two other companies based in Saronno - ILLVA and PLF.

The invention of this amaretto has received an amorous Renaissance treatment. In the early 18th century, a Milanese bishop or cardinal surprised the town of Saronno with a visit. A young couple, residents of the town, welcomed him and paid tribute with an original confection: on the spur of the moment, they had baked biscuits made of sugar, egg whites, and crushed apricot kernels or almonds. These so pleased the visiting bishop that he blessed the two with a happy and lifelong marriage, resulting in the preservation of the secret recipe over many generations.

                                    ____________________________________________


 THE CAKE:-

It's a really easy throw everything together recipe that takes only minutes to prepare. We enjoyed this over the weekend with our late morning coffee instead of our normal brunch but it certainly can be eaten at any time of the day and would make the perfect dinner time dessert when served with a dollop of mascarpone.

If you prefer to measure your ingredients rather than weigh them here's a detailed conversion chart

THE INGREDIENTS:-

200 gms Skinned and chopped fresh Apricot flesh ( approximately 4 large or 6 small fruits chopped into 1" cubes)
50 gms dark chocolate chips
150 gms Amaretti (roughly crushed)
125 gms Plain flour
1½ tsp Baking Powder
100gms Ground Almonds
3 eggs beaten
175 gms unsalted butter ( at room temperature)
175 gms caster (superfine sugar)
A little Icing (Confectioners Sugar) to dust
A chopped apricot to decorate (optional)

Butter and line a 20cm baking tin (preferably with a loose base) with baking parchment..

Set the oven to 150c 300F Gas 2

METHOD:-

Place the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, almonds and eggs into a large bowl and beat together either with a whisk or by hand until well combined.

Now fold in carefully ¾ of the chocolate chips, ¾ of the chopped apricots and ¾ of the Amaretti biscuits.

Place the batter into the prepared tin ...level it and then roughly scatter over the  remaining chocolate chips, apricots & Amaretti.

Place in the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.  Check to make sure there is no wobble in the centre of the cake, Test with a skewer if it comes out clean it's ready. Test at 7 minute intervals if it isn't quite baked through.

Leave in the tin on a wire rack until quite cold.  Remove the parchment paper and it's ready to serve
Dust with icing sugar and decorate with a chopped apricot (Optional)

We served ours with deliciously creamy Mascarpone on the side

   











  

Lemon and Blueberry ( no bake) Tart with Blueberry and Lemon Sauce

This is a really must make, gorgeous dessert for all of you who want something special in no time at all.  It took me all of 30 minutes from start to finish just leaving the tart for a few hours to set.  Fabulous for special events and dinner parties as everything can be done the day or morning before and then perfectly turned out when you need it.

Beautifully sweet but tangy it's a dessert that even your most fussy guests are bound to enjoy...and they will think you've spent all day in the kitchen preparing it.

The recipe should serve 8 

you will need a 23cm /9 inch loose bottom Spring form tin, well oiled

Ingredients :-  in metric (in cups below)

for the tart:- ingredients in GRAMS ( measurements in cups below) 

250 grams Digestive Biscuits/ Graham Crackers
100 g butter
2 tbsp golden Syrup/Corn syrup
300 ml double cream
a 400g tin of condensed milk
the juice &  grated zest of 2 large lemons
160g Fresh Blueberries  

For the sauce :-

2 tsps cornflour ( or Arrowroot if you like a clearer sauce)
4 tbsp water
the juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp sugar
160g/ 1cup Fresh Blueberries

Ingredients for the tart in CUPS

2 cups of crushed Graham Crackers or Digestives
around ½ cup of butter
2 tbsp corn syrup or golden syrup
1 cup of half & half/ double cream 
a small can of condensed milk ( 1 cup)
the juice & grated zest of 2 large lemons
1 cup of blueberries

The sauce ingredients are exactly the same as above in Metric

Method:-

The base :-

First crush the digestives or Graham crackers 
I usually place them in a sealed plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin 
Melt the butter & syrup ( which either one you are using) for a minute or so in a large bowl the microwave.
Stir in the crumbed digestives/ Graham crackers and combine well
Place these in the bottom of your tin and press down firming as you go
Put the tin in the fridge until chilled

The filling:-

Zest the lemons... squeeze out the juice & reserve
Lightly whip the cream until you reach the soft peak stage
Add the lemon zest then add the condensed milk a little at a time .
Slowly add the lemon juice
You will notice that the mixture will start to thicken
Now add the blueberries and fold them through

Place this mixture on top of the crumb base and smooth the top out.
This need to be refrigerated now for 2 to 3 hours at least ... preferably overnight.


The Sauce:- it's so very simple 

Place the everything in  either a small saucepan or in a microwaveable bowl.
Heat until everything is bubbling, stirring as you go.

Serve chilled .. the tart cut into slices and topped with just a touch of the sauce... delicious ♥

I'D BE SO PLEASED TO HEAR FROM YOU...PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW

  

Fig & Goat's Cheese Dessert Tart

                                         Goat's Cheese & Fig Dessert Tart


I served this wonderful tart recently at a dinner party.....it was an absolute triumph. I've had so many figs this year probably because of the very mild & wet winter we had...usually the immature fruits perish in the cold but not this year, the crop has been bountiful and my tree is still producing fruit ...I feel blessed.

Thank you so much Yotam Ottolenghi for the inspirational recipe for this truly delicious dessert.  It is a complete revelation to me. I always have associated Goat's Cheese Tart as being savoury. The pastry is yeasted and made well in advance....the filling is incredible....a very unusual mixture of ground almonds, creamy Goat's Cheese, sugar & orange zest....sounds strange I know but wow...what a result when topped with the figs and baked...just marvellous served with some thick Greek Yoghurt with honey.

I started the pastry the night before and it needs a long prove in the fridge

Ingredients:-

For the Pastry  ( this can be substituted for a pack of pre-rolled all butter puff pastry, but it's so worth the effort to make this yeasted pastry) 

1 tsp easy blend dried yeast
265 gms/9oz plain flour , you will need extra for rolling out
 large pinch of salt
50 gms /1½ oz caster sugar
2 medium sized beaten eggs 
75 gms/2½oz butter at room temp, cut into small cubes
the Zest of half a grated lemon
60 ml/2fl oz water
a little oil for greasing

For the filling:-

Just over a pound/ 600 gms of  firm but ripe figs
1tbsp chopped fresh thyme and a few leaves for decoration 
5 oz/150gms of soft Goat's Cheese, you may need more if using the kind with the rind as this will need to be removed)
1 tbsp    Icing (confectioners) sugar for the filling 
75g/2½ oz   "         "                        "           "       "    glaze 
2 medium eggs beaten
100gms/3½oz Ground Almonds
1 tbsp caster sugar
1½ tbsp lemon juice for the glaze

Method:-

Make the pastry first

Place the flour, yeast, sugar and lemon zest into your mixer,  attach the dough hook and blend together.
Add the water & beaten eggs slowly at first, then knead for a few minutes until a dough is formed
Add the salt, then on a slow speed add the butter a cube or so at a time until it is combined into the dough.
Now knead on a low speed for 10 minutes, you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times during this process.
Place in a greased bowl, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours....even better overnight.

Oil a large oven tray & line it with baking parchment 
Bring out the dough from the fridge and set aside 

To make the filling:-   

Beat the Goat's cheese
Add the tbsp of icing sugar and most of beaten eggs ( reserve a little to glaze the edge of the tart) and whisk well together along with the orange zest & thyme.
Mix the ground almonds in well..the filling is now ready

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to approx 24cms square (10inches)
Neaten the edges roll it over your rolling pin and transfer carefully to the lined baking tray
Spread the filling to within 1½ cms/ 3/4 of an inch of the edge
Overlap the halved figs equally over the filling
Brush the edge of the tart with the remaining egg wash
Sprinkle over the tbsp of caster sugar
Cover over with a clean tea towel or foil and leave to prove for around 20 minutes or so 

 set the oven to 180C/325f/gas mark 4 whilst it's proving

Bake in the centre of the oven for around 25 - 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the figs nicely caramelised.

Mix together the remaining icing sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze then trickle it with a spoon over the tart .