Chocolate & Date Torte (Gluten Free + Passover Friendly)

Last month, one of my very good friends got married. It was very exciting! Especially as my friend very kindly asked me to help with the wedding favours and make a gluten-free dessert. I was quite surprised when she asked me. As much as I love baking, I sometimes don’t have the confidence that what I can do will be good enough, or will live up to what people want. My friend however, had complete confidence in me. This particular friend has been so very supportive of what I have been doing lately, and her support has meant so much to me. 

Working with my friend and her lovely mother on this order was lots of fun and really enjoyable. We tossed up a few ideas for the favours, and ended up landing on the rosewater and cardamom macaroons that I make. I liked this option as they are gluten and dairy free so all the wedding guests could enjoy them, and as almonds are a traditional bonbonniere gift I thought this was a nice link. My friend had a fantastic stamp made for her wedding, to use for the invitations and order of service, so we used this as the front of the label for the favours. I think the stamp was the best part of the favours! It looked fantastic and was a nice link to all the other elements of the wedding. 

Thanks so much again to my wonderful friend. I so appreciate your support and for giving me an opportunity to be part of your wedding. Congratulations to you and your husband! 

Congratulations!

Here is the recipe for the gluten free dessert I made for the wedding. It was a really nice torte to make and I am definitely looking forward to making it again soon. The original recipe used all dark chocolate. I changed it a little to include milk chocolate as well, as I often find dark chocolate too bitter. 

* this recipe needs to be started the day before serving.

Ingredients: 

250 g whole blanched almonds

150 g milk chocolate, broken into pieces 

100 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

6 egg whites

115 g caster sugar

250 g pitted dates, finely chopped

To serve:

100 g milk chocolate

80 g dark chocolate 

250 ml whipped cream 

Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 24 cm springform cake tin. 

Place the almonds and chocolate in a food processor and lightly blend. You still want small chunks of almonds and chocolate. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, and whisk until the whites are thick and glossy. 

Gently fold the almonds, chocolate and the chopped dates into the egg white mixture. Pour mixture into prepared tin, smooth the top if necessary. Bake for 45 minutes. 

Once the torte is cooked leave in the oven, turn the oven off, and leave the oven door propped open. Leave torte in the oven until completely cool. 

Once the torte has cooled, remove from the tin and place on a large plate or platter. Refrigerate overnight. 

The next day, melt the remaining chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a small amount of simmering water (the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). 

Allow the melted chocolate to cool a little, then drizzle over the cake. 

Serve with whipped cream. 

Original Recipe from ‘Monday Morning Cooking Club - The Feast Goes On’ by Lisa Goldberg, Merelyn Frank Chalmers, Natanya Eskin, Lauren Fink, Paula Horwitz and Jacqui Israel, p.187 (Harper Collins, 2014).

Originally Posted October 9, 2014. 

'Rustic' Hot Cross Buns

I have never been much of a bread maker. It’s not really an area of baking I have explored much. This year however, I for some reason decided that I wanted to make hot cross buns.  

For my first attempt I used a recipe in Nigella Lawson’s book ‘Feast’. The flavour was nice but the texture wasn’t right. I now know I didn’t knead the dough long enough which was why my hot cross buns were more like hot cross scones. 

The recipe I have used here is from a recent edition of ‘Gourmet Traveller’ Magazine. The original recipe calls for the use of dried sour cherries, instead of mixed fruit. I think, if you happen to find dried sour cherries in a deli, they would be great. However, if like me, you didn't want to go searching for just one ingredient, just use mixed dried fruit. When I mentioned to someone that I had made these, they suggested using dried cranberries as a substitute. When you think about it, you can just use whatever you have around or whatever you prefer. Just keep it to the same quantities. 

I have named these ‘rustic’ hot cross buns because, the way they have turned out, they are a bit uneven and well, rustic and homemade looking! They do however, taste great. With more practice I’m sure they will turn out looking better and better each time. Despite the fact I haven’t 100 percent perfected this recipe, I thought it was best to post an Easter related recipe, well, before Easter. Then if you’re game, you can have a go too! 

So if you have a chance over the upcoming long weekend, have a go and make some hot cross buns! I promise it’s not as hard as it seems. 

Ingredients for the Buns and Cross:

200 g mixed dried fruit

65 g raw (golden) caster sugar

two sachets (7 g each) of dried yeast

1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

rind of one lemon

rind of one orange

845 g plain flour

420 ml milk

1 egg

100 g butter, chopped

1/2 tsp sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)

60 ml cold water

Ingredients for the Glaze:

50 g caster sugar

1/2 tsp mixed spice

50 ml water 

Method: 

Using an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix the dried fruit, sugar, yeast, spices, rinds and 770 g of the plain flour. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Allow to cool slightly and lightly beat in the egg. Then whisk the egg into the butter and the milk. 

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, using a electric mixer with the dough hook attachment on a medium speed. Knead until the dough is soft, elastic and smooth. It is a good idea to do the last couple of minutes of kneading by hand to gauge the texture of the dough. 

Lightly butter a large bowl, and place the dough inside. Leave covered in a warm place for 50 minutes to one hour, until the dough has doubled in size. I found turning the oven on to 100 degrees Celsius, allowing it to reach the temperature then turning the oven off worked well. Pre-heat the oven whilst you are kneading then, place a heat/oven bowl with the dough into the oven with the door propped open for the proving process. 

After the dough has doubled in size, push the dough back with your fist to knock the air out of it. Divide the dough in to eighteen to twenty equal pieces. Roll into balls and place on a lined baking tray 1 cm apart, either in a circular pattern or in rows. Cover with a tea towel and allow to prove again for thirty to forty minutes, until doubled in size. 

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Combine the left over flour, the sunflower oil and cold water in a bowl until it becomes a smooth paste. If the mixture is too runny the crosses will be difficult to pipe. Spoon into a piping bag, or a plastic zip lock bag (and cut a small hole in the corner), and pipe a cross across each bun. 

Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for a further eight to ten minutes. The buns will be ready when they are golden in colour and make a hollow sound when tapped. 

Allow the buns to cool slightly, then stir the remaining sugar, spice and water into a saucepan on medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve, then allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Brush the glaze over the buns. 

Hot Cross Buns are best eaten on the day of baking, however they freeze well. 

Makes 18-20.

Original recipe can be found in Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine, April 2014, page 194. 

Originally Posted April 15, 2014.

Chewy Cardamom & Rosewater Macaroons (Gluten + Dairy Free + Passover Friendly)

This recipe is originally from Nigella Lawson’s book ‘Feast’ (p.186), however I have adapted it slightly to suit my tastes. I have made these many, many times, given them as gifts, and Cath (Confessions of a Glutton) and I sold some at our Bake Sale back in September last year. They are really easy to make and are great if you have egg whites left over from something else. The recipe is also really easy to double, and they just happen to be gluten free. 

Need any more reasons to make them or have I convinced you yet?! 

Don’t be put off by the flavours of cardamom and rosewater. They are quite subtle and very lovely. And in my opinion, anything that comes from a Nigella Lawson cookbook must be worth trying. Nigella has a great attitude and creativity towards food that is infectious and very admirable. 

Ingredients:

200g almond meal

200g caster sugar 

1/4 tsp finely ground cardamom

1/4 tsp rosewater

2 egg whites 

1-2 tsp rosewater, extra

25g blanched almonds (enough for each macaroon you make) 

Method: 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line two large baking trays with baking paper. 

In a free standing mixer, mix the almond meal, sugar, cardamom and egg whites until it forms a coherent paste. This process can also be done by hand, but as Nigella suggests, and I agree, the mixer is best due to the thickness, and stickiness of the mixture. At this point you may add 1/4 tsp of rosewater to the mix. This is my addition because I love rosewater. 

Sprinkle rosewater onto your hands and roll the mixture into little balls (walnut sized). Place on to the baking trays and the squash down a little. Then place a blanched almond in the centre of each biscuit.  

Bake for 10-12 minutes. If they go golden too quickly turn the oven down to 180 degrees celsius. The aim is not to have golden biscuits, but to remove them from the oven before this happens. Inevitably, I find the edges of some biscuits will go a little golden, probably because each rack in the oven I use cooks at a different rate. 

Cool biscuits on a cooling rack.

Makes approx. 28

Originally Posted February 1, 2014.