Gluten free cake - you need chestnut flour though.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Had a slice if this today. The friend who made it got his chestnut flour from another friend who bought it in Italy so I'm not quite sure where you would buy it in the UK. It was odd, it felt very light to hold and handle but had quite a dense texture because if the creme fraîche .

We also ate out in a Tapas bar ( think it was part of a chain) because my friend said they do a lot if GF food. We had non GF and it was really delicious.

Anyway here is the recipe.

Recipe for Chestnut Cake with Lemon & Creme Fraiche

Ingredients.

Butter for greasing,

4 eggs separated

125g Caster Sugar

200g Tub Creme Fraiche.

1 large unwaxed Lemon

125g Chestnut Flour,

2 tsp Baking Powder

Icing Sugar for dusting.

Prep time: 15 mins cooking time 35-40 mins 200 deg c or 180 fan

Serves 6

Method

Heat oven and line base of a 20cm round cake tin

Put the egg yolks into a mixing bowl with the caster sugar and using electric whisk

Beat for 1-2 mins until light and creamy. Stir in the Creme Fraiche and Lemon Zest

Add the sifted flour and baking powder(gluten free),

In a separate bowl, whisk 4 egg whites until stiff then fold into the cake mix using the whisk blades.

Pour into the tin and bake for 35-40 mins until the cake feels firm to the touch.

Cool in the tin for 5 mins then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack. Dust

With icing sugar and serve.

[helvella Administrator]

Chestnut flour is readily available at least from Amazon. The question becomes one of how much people are willing to pay for it!

Was somewhat surprised that so too is water chestnut flour - never realised there was such a thing!

Rod

[beaton in reply to helvella]

Didn't know either chestnut flour water chestnut flour or chestnut flour crispbreads. wow.

[beaton]

Sounds good, a must try.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Thanks Rod, interesting isn't it. Amazing when you look at what is on offer these days. I'm going to buy a bag from Amazon - well I might try the health food shop in town tomorrow, they are well stocked, but if not good old Amazon to the rescue again.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Use the Amazon affiliate link here:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/index....

or simply:

amazon.co.uk/?&tag=thuk0a-2...

Then TUK get a small contribution to their funds.

Rod

[beaton]

Yes I've been amazed too. Googled chestnut flour and alsorts of flour came up. Feel a cooking spell coming on.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to beaton]

Know what you mean. I've got the urge to bake at the moment. Funny how the urge to cook / bake just suddenly pops up out of nowhere, my husband is having a group of people in on Thursday, I won't be there but said I'd leave him a cake and he reminded me one of his visitors is GF. When I am entertaining GF people I just make everything GF - so much nicer for them to be able to eat anything that is there. Good luck with your cooking

[beaton in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you,got any more G/F recipes??

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to beaton]

I'm about to make a Bara Brith, soaking the fruit now but the recipe asks fir xanthan gum and Tesco had none so I will go on the hunt tomorrow. One of the people I w with said she just uses GF flour in place if regular flour, baking powder etc in her normal recipes, not sure if that always works. The two GF people were saying the mix their flours too - maybe a bit of rice flour with a bit if something else to make up quantities.

I'm going to try a coffee and walnut cake too. Will let you know how they go.

I got a couple of cheap - under £5 cook books in one of those outlets in a local garden centre, one is called Cake Angels have just googled it and it costs £12 on Amazon so I got a bargain, the recipes look lovely and seem simple - the other book also less than £5 is a Dorling Kindersly GF Cookery book, general stuff plus puddings and cakes, I can't remember the name offhand, I'll look later on, I did buy another book a while ago, it was written by someone called Antoinette Savill and it wasn't good, for a start there were obvious mistakes in it!

I contacted the author via the publisher and she was very apologetic and offered me a free book but I was put off so I declined her offer, that book has since gone to a charity shop.

Will let you know how my efforts go and if they are ok will send you the recipes.

[beaton in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

can I come to your house please Fruitandnutcase. It sounds good.xxx

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to beaton]

Ha, ha. I love baking but I don't want to eat it , I send lots to work with my other half - we will have a slice each then off it goes. The stuff I do tonight ought to get eaten tomorrow and I'll get him to send some doggie bags home with the people who will be at his meeting.

[Marz]

So glad your lemons are not taxed Nor are mine - I pick them from the tress locally in not-so-sunny Crete Thanks for the post....

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Marz]

Lucky you! That sounds idyllic and it might be not-so-sunny Crete at the moment but I bet it will be soon

[kiltis in reply to Marz]

Not on topic at all but whereabouts on the Island are you? I love Crete..

[Angel_of_the_North]

It might be cheaper to buy chestnuts and put them through a grinder.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Not half - make sure you use the edible ones and don't poison yourself or your guests

[Midwinter]

Try a good independent health food or organic store, or look online. You might find it called Farina di castagna. I got some a while back from an online Italian shop, made lovely chocolate chestnut cupcakes. There's a traditional almond & polenta gluten free olive & lemon cake that's amazing, too.