A delicious alternative to chocolate cake, I developed this gluten-free lemon-almond cake from a recipe a good friend made for me. It’s perfect when someone comes to my home for dinner for the first time, especially if they don't know how good gluten-free food can be.
Impressive Lemon-Almond Cake takes some planning ahead: you’ll need several hours for the simmered lemons to cool off, and a food processor or chopper to puree them. The payoff is a dense, moist, tasty cake that never fails to impress.
Best of all, if you cover it or put it in a covered cake carrier, it will stay moist for several days.
Ingredients
4 medium-sized lemons (do not use fewer, larger lemons; their thick skins and pith layer can give a bitter aftertaste)
5 eggs
1 ¼ sugar
2 ½ c ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
Icing sugar (optional)
Wash the whole lemons and put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Heat the water to boiling, then reduce to a low heat, cover and simmer the lemons for 1 hour. Drain the lemons and let them cool.
While the lemons are cooling, preheat the oven to 350˚F /180˚C and grease a tube or Bundt pan. If you’re using a silicon pan, put it on a cookie sheet for support.
Chop the cooled lemons coarsely, remove any seeds, then puree the chopped pieces including the skin and pulp until smooth.
Beat the eggs and sugar together. Add pureed lemons, ground almonds, and baking powder a bit at a time, mixing well at each addition. Pour into the pan, put the pan (on the cookie sheet) into the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Check for doneness with a toothpick stuck in the cake after about 45 minutes; the cake is done with the toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Let cool for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove it from the pan onto a serving platter and cool completely.
Top with a glaze made from icing sugar and water, or with plain icing sugar, or with grated lemon peel. I like to decorate it with berries too, for a visual pop.
I can't tell you how many times I have been asked for the recipe, by celiacs and non-celiacs alike. You'll love it!
