Since my gall bladder problems started, I’ve been focusing a lot on grain free recipes, but that means I really miss things like cake. Fortunately almond flour is easy to come by – I have a Thermomix, so I make it from whole almonds – and it’s good for gall bladder health too.
There’s a fair bit of sugar in this one. I want to try it with Rapadura, but my husband doesn’t like Rapadura so I don’t want to try it on a cake he has to eat.
I made these in a brownie pan, which I use for a lot of our snacks because they are then cut into squares and the children recognise them as snacktime treats. You can of course use a round pan or anything you fancy.
Also, I pour the drizzle over the hot cake so it will sink in. If you like it to look drizzled, you can wait till the cake is cool.
Flourless Grain-Free Almond Lemon Drizzle
Recipe Type: Desert, Snack
Cuisine: Free From, Gluten Free
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 20
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom/5 cardamom pods
- 1 1/2 cup (170 g) almonds or almond flour
- 4 room temperature eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
- 1 lemon’s zest
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar
- Pinch of salt
- 50g Powdered sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Thermomix Instructions
- If you are using cardamom pods, put them in the Thermomix on reverse/speed 5/ 10 seconds. Remove the husks from the bowl, add the almonds. Speed 8/10 – 20 seconds to make almond flour.
- If you have a second bowl, now’s the time to use it. Otherwise pour the flour out and add clean the bowl thoroughly.
- Separate the egg whites and yolks.
- Add the whites to the Thermomix bowl. Put the butterfly in, and whisk at speed 2 for 15 seconds, then go up to speed 4 and whisk until they start to look firm (around 2 minutes)
- Meanwhile, add half the sugar to the egg yolks along with the lemon zest.
- Returning to the egg whites, when they form peaks, add a pinch of salt, and the vinegar. This will help the egg whites keep their form. Add the other half of the sugar gradually – over about 20 seconds. This whole egg white process shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes.
- Now for some manual work. You could do this in the Thermomix, but I love watching the transformation of the ‘flour’.
- Mix the egg yolk mixture into the almond mixture. It’ll be quite pasty and hard to work with.
- Add two dollops of the egg white in the mixture, and stir. Then add two more and stir again. As you stir the whole mixture will become amazingly light and fluffy. Keep adding egg white till it’s all mixed in.
- Transfer to your baking pan and put in the oven for 35 minutes.
- When there are 5 minutes left on the clock, cut your lemon in half and extract all the juice. Add the icing sugar and make a runny paste. When the lemon cake comes out of the oven, pour the sugary juice over it and leave to cool before tipping out the cake.
Regular Instructions
- If you are using cardamom pods, crack them open and remove the cardamom seeds. Crush them between two spoons or with a rolling pin (or use the ground cardamom spice!).
- Add to the almond flour.
- Separate the egg whites and yolks.
- Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they start to look firm.
- Returning to the egg whites, when they form peaks, add a pinch of salt, and the vinegar. This will help the egg whites keep their form. Add half of the sugar gradually – over about 20 seconds.
- Add the other half of the sugar to the egg yolks along with the lemon zest.
- Mix the egg yolk mixture into the almond mixture. It’ll be quite pasty and hard to work with.
- Add two dollops of the egg white in the mixture, and stir. Then add two more and stir again. As you stir the whole mixture will become amazingly light and fluffy. Keep adding egg white till it’s all mixed in.
- Transfer to your baking pan and put in the oven for 35 minutes.
- When there are 5 minutes left on the clock, cut your lemon in half and extract all the juice. Add the icing sugar and make a runny paste. When the lemon cake comes out of the oven, pour the sugary juice over it and leave to cool before tipping out the cake.