As you may already know I've been experimenting with gluten-free baking and my one foray into a vegan recipe, not so good. In my gluten-free adventures I wanted to make something chocolate, go figure. Since visiting a local health store I've been stocking up on a few different flours. I really like Red Mill's choices. I decided to choose a Oat flour to go along with my Almond meal flour. Coconut flour is on my list to purchase, but it was a bit more expensive. Also, if you haven't already noticed, I almost always use some sort of bittersweet chocolate. I like the richness of it and can control the sugar myself. I am not a milk or white chocolate fan. Occasionally I use semi-sweet. I stock up on this around holiday times, since everyone bakes and bittersweet chocolate chips go on sale, mostly use Ghiradelli, but Trader Joes has a BIG bittersweet chocolate bar option.
Here's a cautionary note of WHAT NOT TO DO if your using a double broiler method to melt the chocolate and butter: #1 chop up the chocolate before putting it in the glass bowl with the butter and #2 NEVER use a knife in the bowl, while it's over the simmering water, that = exploding glass bowl. Yes I did this, and am fortunate enough to be spared glass in my eyes, or on my face, or taking out my jugular. Just a few shards of glass on my arm and ankle, with minor bleeding. Great way to start the day. An hour later, after I cleaned up both me and the kitchen, I started the recipe all over again, since there were shards of glass in my mixtures and pans, etc...
Despite my miss-adventures this recipe was a hit, and as usual I experimented on my friends who loved it too.
Chocolate Gluten-free Almond Cake Recipe
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate CHOPPED
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
4 large eggs, separate the yolks from the whites and keep both
1/2 cup granulated sugar (half the sugar will go with the egg yolks and the other half with the egg whites)
1/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used non-fat Australian vanilla bean yogurt, because that is what I had on hand)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almond flour (you can use hazelnut flour as an alternative)
1/4 cup oat flour (you can use buckwheat flour as an alternative)
Almond Slivers
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a large, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, don't let the bowl touch the water (SEE MY NOTE ABOVE FOR WHAT NOT TO DO). Melt
the chocolate and butter until smooth, then remove from the heat and
let cool slightly. You can also quickly melt this in the microwave.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar,
yogurt, vanilla, and salt, then whisk them into the melted chocolate.
Stir in the almond flour, and the oat flour.
In another bowl of a stand mixer, or hand mixer, whip the egg whites
until they form soft peaks. Gradually whip in the other half of the
sugar until the whites form firm peaks. Fold 1/3 of the whipped
egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the
remaining chocolate mixture just until it’s completely combined.
Pour the batter into the pan, level the top and then sprinkle a generous amount of Almond slices over the top, the more the merrier. This gives it a beautiful finished look and adds in extra crunch.
