I've never cooked a plain grain free cake for the SCD before and I've always loved Victoria Sponge cake with some strawberry jam sandwiched in between the layers. So I set out to try and recreate the texture and taste. The cake made with this recipe is not exactly the same BUT it comes pretty close, I think, if my memory serves me well.
Last week I made some cakes and I was pretty impressed by the taste and texture after the first attempt. The only thing which let them down a little was the fact that they dipped ever so slightly in the middle.
I'm no baking expert so I searched for some advice on the net. Too much liquid sweetener or too much flour or the temperature too low can apparently cause this problem. Since I've always baked almond flour muffins at 160° C, I thought it couldn't possibly be the temperature. So I baked more batches reducing the amount of almond flour but the texture wasn't nearly as good AND they still dipped in the middle. So today I turned up the heat and watched them carefully. It seems that 10° makes all the difference. So I'm happy. Then I thought, everyone's oven behaves differently so IF you decide to try this recipe you may need to experiment with the heat a little. My oven is an electric oven which has a fan, so 170° C in my oven may be 175° C in yours if you don't have a fan. I would start at the lower temperature and work up!
Plain Sponge Cake GF SCD
250g Ground Almonds
3 large eggs
3 tblsps extra virgin olive oil
80ml acacia honey
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tblsp pure vanilla extract (alcohol, water and vanilla only)
pinch salt
Heat the oven to 170° C. Pour the honey, extra virgin olive oil and vanilla extract into the bowl of a food processor then break in the eggs.
Process until combined.
Measure out the ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda and salt into another bowl and whisk together with a fork or balloon whisk.
Add to the wet ingredients little by little.
Process on a medium speed until all the dry ingredients have been mixed in.
Prepare a tin with some muffin cases and spoon the mixture in until about half full. This mixture makes 10 to 12 medium muffin case cakes. It's sometimes a good idea to use double liners to help prevent burning the cakes. Almond flour tends to brown quite quickly.
Bake in the bottom of the oven for about 20 minutes until springy to touch or a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Try to leave them the full 20 minutes. These ones took 22 minutes. Don't open the oven too soon or they will collapse. I slightly overfilled these cases!
When you cut into the cake, this is how it looks.
This recipe will also make a sandwich cake. I used two seven inch tins but six inch ones would probably give a deeper cake. Line the tins with baking parchment and share the batter between the tins.
Cook for 20 to 25 minutes in the bottom of the oven until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean and the top is springy to touch.
Let the cakes cool in the tins for at least fifteen minutes then carefully run a knife around the edge and gently tip out onto a cooling rack and remove the paper.
Sandwich together with jam, I like St Dalfour (but it's not SCD legal), or your favourite frosting. Over the weeks I will be posting cakes using this recipe. Today, I made some plain cakes and some lemon and pistachio ones.
Into half the mix, I grated some rind from a couple of washed and unwaxed lemons and topped with a few chopped pistachios.
Simple! You could mix pistachios into the batter if you prefer.
I hope you enjoy these cakes, I haven't seen any recipes for plain sponge cake using ground almonds and I know this batter recipe will enable you to convert your old favourites. One thing I noticed, is that when I made the cakes in a straight sided muffin tin
instead of one with sloping sides, they rose much better and right out of the cases!You may also like :
Lemon Birthday Cake
Peach Pudding Cakes & Muffins
Pear & Ginger Pudding
