Gluten Free Caramel-Raspberry Yogurt Cake

I got my adjustable pastry ring this evening and I just HAD to make a cake to try how it works. So I came up with a new recipe. I didn't want anything to heavy or too fattening and decided that I would use the plain yogurt I had in the fridge to make a low fat filling. To make the sponge cake base and layers I used Bob's Mill White Rice Flour or you could also use Ener-G Sweet Rice Flour.

Here is what you need for the sponge:

2 eggs
100 g sugar, superfine
100 g butter, melted
100 g rice flour
4 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp of rum/amaretto

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan or in the microwave and set aside. In a bowl whisk the eggs, amaretto and the sugar until light and fluffy, continuing to whisk add the melted butter, the cocoa powder and then while mixing add the flour little by little. Fill in the prepared pastry ring (I opened it up to about 5,5 inches) and bake in the preheated 400F / 200C oven for about 20 to 25 minutes (it's good when a wooden skewer comes out clean). Remove from the oven and let cool, then slice into 3 layers.

While your sponge cake cools, prepare the filling:

16 oz Plain Yoghurt
8 oz Caramel Sauce
1 Envelope Knox Gelatine
Raspberries

In a bowl whisk the yogurt with the caramel sauce (or you could just buy caramel yogurt), dissolve the gelatin in a little bit of hot water and then combine well with the yogurt.

In the meantime your sponge should be cooled down and you can start to assemble the cake. Take a baking sheet then prepare a cake round ( I just cut out a circle that slightly bigger than the cake and covered it in aluminum foil). Set down the first layer and position the pastry ring around it so there is a little room between the ring and the cake. Pour some of the yogurt mixture over it and layer some raspberries, cover with the middle layer, repeat. Put on the top layer, cover with the remaining yogurt mixture, decorate with some nice raspberries and chill overnight.

Remove the pastry ring carefully and serve.......... voila, Gluten Free Caramel-Raspberry Yogurt Cake!

PS: I'd think you can make this cake with any kind of flavored yogurt and fruit of the season, like blueberries, blackberries, or coffee and chocolate. Just really depends on your taste!

Tiramisu

I got some small spring form pans today and decided to make some Tiramisu . I always make a very easy version, non of that separating eggs stuff... throw the egg in the mascarpone just like that and mix. Comes out like magic every time.

The delicious little things are now in the fridge cooling and setting up for a bit. Tomorrow, they'll go into work with me to get their cute little pictures taken, so I can show them to the world, before they'll get eaten.

It's tough to be a Tiramisu!

Here's how I made it (for two 4.5 inch spring form pans or you can just use one 8 inch):

1 container of Mascarpone (8 oz)
1 egg yolk
1 package ladyfingers
(use Schar Gluten-Free Ladyfingers if you need to be GF)
1 cup coffee
Amaretto to drizzle
1 Tbs Vanilla
2 Tbs Sugar

1/2 cup hot Water
1/2 packet of Gelatin

Cocoa Powder

Layer the ladyfingers on the bottom of the spring form pan, so that most of it is covered, drizzle with coffee and some amaretto, so that they are soft but not completely soaked. Set aside.

Mix the mascarpone, egg yolk, vanilla, sugar and a little bit of amaretto until it's nice and fluffy. Dissolve he gelatin in the hot water and stir for a few minutes until completely dissolved and it's cooled down a bit. Slowly mix with the mascarpone mixture a little bit at a time. Once mixed in, pour half of the mixture over the ladyfingers.

Then add another layer of ladyfingers, drizzle with coffee and amaretto as before, then add the remaining mixture on top to cover.

Put in the fridge for about 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the forms and cover with Cocoa powder. Decorate and serve.

Bon Appetit!

ChocolateCoffeeCake with Chocolate Glaze

Today I felt like making something sweet that reminded me of home and my Grandmother at the same time. My Grandma used to make a cake we called "Black Chocolate Cake" and she made it for me everytime we came on vacation. The other sweet I remembered was a piece of cake we used to buy at a bakery in downtown Schaffhausen called Aschinger. It was called "Studentenschnitte" which loosely translated means "Students Slices". It is a slice of chocolate cake with a bit of crunch in it, that is covered with a chocolate and powdered sugar white glaze.

My hubby went out with friends so I got to work. I grabbed my Grandma's recipe and went to town, measuring and calculating ingredients. So I pretty much mixed the things I remembered together.

For the cake batter:

2 eggs (separate egg yolk and egg whites)
100 g unsalted butter
160 g flour
50 g ground almonds
50 g bread crumbs
300 g confectioners (powdered) sugar
4 Tbs cocoa powder
3 Tbs ground coffee beans
250 ml milk coffee
Splash of rum or amaretto
Splash of vanilla essence
1 Ts Cinnamon
14 g baking powder


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare round cake pan so cake won't stick. I butter it first and then pour some bread crumbs in it, swing it around and bread crumbs will stick to the butter. Shake off the excess and set aside

Separate eggs and beat egg whites until little peaks form, you can tell it's ready when you can turn the bowl upside down and the egg white doesn't come out.

Mix bread crumbs, cocoa, ground coffee beans and ground almonds in a bowl and set aside. Then mix butter, egg yolk and sugar until fluffy, add in rum/amaretto and vanilla essence. Little by little add flour, baking powder, liquid and bread crumb mixture. Once all ingredients are mixed gently fold in egg whites.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake in pre-heated oven for about an 50 minutes to an hour. You can test if the cake is done by sticking a wooden skewer in it. If it comes out clean the cake is done.

Before applying the glaze I covered it with apricot jelly. To spread it better you need to thin it out a bit and maybe you have to put it through a sieve to get an even consistency. So just take a couple of tablespoons of apricot jelly, a little bit of water and heat in the microwave, stir until combined then pour on the cake and let dry for 15 minutes.

Now you're ready to glaze your cake. You can use a store bought chocolate glaze or you can make one. Mine was very easy

150 g dark chocolate
50 g unsalted butter
50 g powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbs water

Melt chocolate, butter, sugar and water in a thin walled bowl over a pan of barely boiling water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Once it smoothly runs over a turned spoon it is ready to go on the cake.

Just pour on the cake and tilt cake from left to right to cover cake evenly. Do not use a knife or spatula, it will prevent the cake from being shiny. Let dry and then serve with some whipped cream and a nice cup of coffee!

YUMMY!