3 September, 2015
Champagne & Lavender Cake
Champagne and Lavender Cake
(Sugar and Gluten Free)
I thought I’d share one of my favourite Free-from recipes with you seeing that this week it was Free From week on the 2015 GBBO.
Now, when I think about free from, my mind immediately goes ‘no gluten (and try to avoid wheat even gluten free wheat) and no refined sugar’. Instead I use the likes of nut and seed flours and natural sweeteners such as honey or agave syrup. In this recipe I use Almond / Quinoa /Hazelnut and Peanut flour. I use hints of culinary Lavender throughout the bake and it works really well with the other flavours incorporated in it!
When we consider alternative flours (other than wheat) for a bake, you must bare in mind that the texture of your bake may indeed be different to that of a usual wheat flour bake– it may be a little less fluffy and more dense, that is just the nature of baking with alternative ingredients so have an open mind when using these!
The flavour of this cake is phenomenal – the hazelnut frosting give a nougat punch to it which would have you coming back for slice after slice, the Champagne give that extra bit of decadence! I have made this cake on several occasions for friends without telling them, at first, that it is free from and they absolutely loved it! When I do eventually tell them , the usual response is that they would have never said! Thus go give this a try and let me know your thoughts!
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INGREDIENTS:
For the cake:
200g almond flour
100g quinoa flour
100g hazelnut flour
50g peanut flour
50g self-raising gluten free flour
100g sugar free chocolate
60g unflavoured gluten free protein powder
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
140g butter, softened
100g agave nectar
100ml Champagne
80g organic honey
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g fat free Greek yoghurt
1 heaped tbsp of culinary Lavender buds
Hazelnut Butter Frosting:
150g full fat Mascarpone
150g butter, softened
250g creamy hazelnut butter
140g agave nectar
1 tsp hazelnut and vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache:
150g sugar free chocolate
250g double cream
50g butter
Decoration:
100g Blanched hazelnuts, sugar free chocolate, lavender buds
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180’C, grease and line two 9′ loose bottom cake tins with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine together all the flours, baking powder and baking soda, salt, protein powder and lavender buds. mix them all together with a spoon, set aside. Melt the chocolate on the on the bain marie. Set aside to cool.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with syrup and honey until well combined, light and fluffy- around 10 minutes. In the mean time, separate eggs transferring the whites in to clean bowl. When the butter is nice and fluffy, add vanilla extract and the egg yolks little bit by little beating well in-between additions. When all is incorporated, add yoghurt mix it though and switch your mixer off.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.
Take the bowl off, add your dry ingredients, pour the champagne and fold everything together with a plastic spatula to combine well. Add you egg whites, firstly just a spoonful to loosen the mixture, and the the rest. Fold gently not to loose the air.
Separate batter in to two parts, adding melted chocolate in to one of them and mixing gently to combine. Pour both batters in their tins, and bake for around 25-30 minutes until toothpick come out clean.
When they done, take out the oven, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on the wire rack.
In the mean time, prepare hazelnut frosting by beating butter, hazelnut butter and syrup and extracts until light and fluffy. Add the Mascarpone , beat again.
Cut the cooled sponges in half. And assemble by putting one colour on the bottom, spread butter cream on top, layer different colour sponge, then some buttercream on top and proceed until you layer all sponges. Spread the remaining buttercream around the cake, even out the edges and place in the fridge to cool until prepare ganache.
In a medium saucepan heat the cream and butter until just starting to boil. Break the chocolate in the bowl, pour the cream and butter mix, whisk until chocolate melted and nice smooth consistency reached. Cool down, and pour over the cake to create a dripping effect .
Decorate with grated chocolate, lavender buds and blitzed roasted hazelnuts.
Enjoy as it is indeed beautiful 🙂 x
