Cake – Delicious and Gluten-free

I have mentioned this recipe to several celiac friends of mine. My mom found the original version in the Bon Appétit cookbook Taste of the World published in 1996—and I found a link to the recipe from a 1995 edition of Bon Appétit.

My mother enjoys trying new recipes, and this certainly was a winner. The original recipe calls for grated lemon peel, but I like to make it with orange zest. Most recently, I made this cake to finish off a Moroccan-themed dinner party. If you’re staying in for dinner instead of going out this evening, this is easy to make and makes a nice, light dessert, which also happens to be gluten-free.

Note: The cake would also be outstanding using fresh zest from Meyer lemons, which are in stores now.

Flourless Orange-Almond Cake
Baking time: 35 minutes
Serves 8-12
1 1/3 cup blanched slivered almonds
8 tablespoons sugar, separated
4 large eggs, separated
5 teaspoons packed orange zest
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour (or if you want it completely gluten-free, use an oil spray) a 9-inch round spring-form pan.  Cut parchment or waxed paper to line the bottom of the pan. Place on the bottom of greased pan.

Grind almonds with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor until it resembles coarse sand.

Combine egg yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and salt.  Beat in a mixer with a wire whisk until thick.

Stir in almond mixture.

In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 4 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff.

Fold egg whites into the almond-egg yolk mixture with a wire whisk until just incorporated. Then pour batter into prepared spring-form pan.

Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack. Once cool, remove from pan.

Serve with whipped cream or a dollop of crème fraîche.