I hope every single one of you had a lovely Christmas!
George and I spent our Christmas at our home in Zagreb. Everything was quiet and uneventful. It sounds like I am complaining but I actually am not. With all that's been going on around us lately, from extreme weather conditions to extreme financial measures devastating the livelihoods of so many people, I am more than grateful for my quiet and uneventful Christmas at home with my loving hubby!
This is going to be our last Christmas in Zagreb. We are getting posted to Athens in the summer for, let's hope, the next two years. It makes me sad thinking of all those that I will have to leave behind for yet another time in my life. I get teary and depressed but I shouldn't. This is what I signed up for when I married a diplomat and anyway the people and places I got to love here in Croatia are always going to be with me in my heart and my.....Facebook account ;)
It is way too early to start stressing and worrying about our move to Athens and anyway I am not going to spoil Christmas with such thoughts. So I chose to spent most of Christmas day in the kitchen cooking, baking and listening to Christmas songs.
I baked the cake you see in the picture above. It is an almond cake filled with raspberry jam and covered with melted chocolate. It is an easy cake to make and if you have a stand mixer - any type of stand mixer will do - to beat up the egg-whites into a meringue you will make it in no time! There is only half cup of flour in this recipe and I chose to use a gluten free flour mix. I did not have time to experiment with different types of gluten free flours so I chose a ready made universal gluten free mix. I found this in my local super market. It is basically a mix of potato starch and rice flour and it turned out OK.
I have to say, George was pretty impressed with my cake decorating skills and I could not hide my grin when he said that. It seems all these cake decorating classes I took last Spring in Athens did not go to waste!
Enjoy your holidays and this cake!
I baked the cake you see in the picture above. It is an almond cake filled with raspberry jam and covered with melted chocolate. It is an easy cake to make and if you have a stand mixer - any type of stand mixer will do - to beat up the egg-whites into a meringue you will make it in no time! There is only half cup of flour in this recipe and I chose to use a gluten free flour mix. I did not have time to experiment with different types of gluten free flours so I chose a ready made universal gluten free mix. I found this in my local super market. It is basically a mix of potato starch and rice flour and it turned out OK.
I have to say, George was pretty impressed with my cake decorating skills and I could not hide my grin when he said that. It seems all these cake decorating classes I took last Spring in Athens did not go to waste!
Enjoy your holidays and this cake!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gluten Free Chocolate Glazed Almond Cake with Raspberry Jam
Adapted from Coffee Cakes by Lou Seibert Pappas
Serves 10
Ingredients
225 gr almond paste
6 large eggs separate the yolks from the whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup raspberry jam
200 gr bitter sweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
A few pomegranate seeds
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Lightly butter and flour two 20 cm/ 8-inch round cake pans.
Put the almond paste in a large bowl and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar then add the lemon juice and the jest.
Beat the egg whites until they start to form soft peaks. Use a stand mixer if you have one. If you don't beat them in a separate bowl using electric beaters. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it and then gently fold in the rest of the egg-whites.
In another small bowl mix the flour and baking powder. Sprinkle the flour mix over the egg mixture and gently fold in.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth their tops. Bake for 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let them cool for 5 minutes in the pans and for 5 minutes and then take them out and let them cool completely onto wire racks.
Heat the raspberry jam in a small saucepan until it melts a little. Place one cake on a serving plate upside down (cut the cake horizontally with a long knife to make it flat if you need to) and spread over the cake and then top it with the other cake also upside down.
Melt the chocolate an the butter in a bain marie (double boiler) stirring all the time until the chocolate is melted and mixed with the butter. Spread the chocolate over to top and the side of the cake with a spatula. I found this video very helpful if you have never done it before. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the top. Put the cake in the fridge for about an hour for the glaze to set and then serve.
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Ingredients
225 gr almond paste
6 large eggs separate the yolks from the whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup raspberry jam
200 gr bitter sweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
A few pomegranate seeds
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Lightly butter and flour two 20 cm/ 8-inch round cake pans.
Put the almond paste in a large bowl and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar then add the lemon juice and the jest.
Beat the egg whites until they start to form soft peaks. Use a stand mixer if you have one. If you don't beat them in a separate bowl using electric beaters. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it and then gently fold in the rest of the egg-whites.
In another small bowl mix the flour and baking powder. Sprinkle the flour mix over the egg mixture and gently fold in.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth their tops. Bake for 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let them cool for 5 minutes in the pans and for 5 minutes and then take them out and let them cool completely onto wire racks.
Heat the raspberry jam in a small saucepan until it melts a little. Place one cake on a serving plate upside down (cut the cake horizontally with a long knife to make it flat if you need to) and spread over the cake and then top it with the other cake also upside down.
Melt the chocolate an the butter in a bain marie (double boiler) stirring all the time until the chocolate is melted and mixed with the butter. Spread the chocolate over to top and the side of the cake with a spatula. I found this video very helpful if you have never done it before. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the top. Put the cake in the fridge for about an hour for the glaze to set and then serve.
I am adding this post to the following linky parties:
