One of the young Elders we have here at the moment (male missionary) is a Coeliac. He's from Sweden and I don't think he has long left on his mission. We had them for tea last weekend and I baked him a special Gluten Free Almond, Coconut and Vanilla Cake for dessert.
The whole meal was gluten free of course. Gluten free sausages with a gluten free onion gravy, mash, vegetables, salad and this cake, with some tinned fruit and cream. It went down a real treat!
I couldn't really have any of the cake as it is quite high in sugar . . . and fat for that matter, lotsa lotsa butter.
But I did taste a very tiny sliver of it, just to make sure it was okay, and it was. In fact it was moreishly okay!
Dense and buttery with lovely almond and vanilla flavours . . . and that special touch of coconut as well . . .
Dense and buttery with lovely almond and vanilla flavours . . . and that special touch of coconut as well . . .
Mmmm . . . coconut . . . almonds . . . mmmm . . .
The little sliver I tasted was soooooo good! I would have loved to have more, but I must behave.
The little sliver I tasted was soooooo good! I would have loved to have more, but I must behave.
Raspberries would have gone very well with this but we had tinned sliced peaches in juice instead . . . and some cream for Todd and the lads.
I just had the peaches and was grateful for them . . . with a dollop of plain Greek Yogurt. I love Greek Yogurt. In any case all of the men really enjoyed this.
I love that I was able to bake something for Elder Nilson that he could enjoy with abandon. That made me very happy, and him happy too! It was such a simple thing to do, but very much appreciated.
*Flourless Almond, Coconut and Vanilla Cake*
Serves 8 to 10
180g ground almonds (2 1/4 cups)
60g dessicated coconut, unsweetened (2/3 cup)
Drizzle the cooled butter into this mixture whilst whisking
constantly, to thoroughly combine. Pour into the prepared tin. It will
be a very slack mixture.
Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.
Place the tin on a baking tray and bake in the heated oven for 40
minutes, or until the top springs back when gently pressed.
Cook the cake in the tin on a wire rack.
Bon Appetit!
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Looks so good! One couple at our Empty Nester FHE have celiacs too. I was thinking of making this for the August dessert but she's allergic to almonds too! :-/
ReplyDeleteOh dear, that's a tough one as more often than not almond meal/ground almonds are used as a flour substitute in cakes like this! xo
DeleteI make a similar cake with the addition of ground cardamom in the mix. That's a spice that is surprisingly popular in baked goods here.
ReplyDeleteI have one stepson who is gluten sensitive so I also try and make sure to use gluten free products when he comes over. I'm sure your elder appreciated that you made the effort to accomodate his dietary needs.
Oh, I love cardamom so much Marie It is hard to find the ground cardamom here, just the pods. You need to take the seeds out and grind them. I don't recall people having so much sensitivity to foods when I was growing up. Is this a thing of modern days? I wonder! xoxo
DeleteIn my stepson's case, it's self diagnosed and that makes me think he's just on some bandwagon about gluten causing him to bloat, when in fact I believe that portion size is more of his problem. But I bite my tongue :)
DeleteAround 1% of the population is thought to suffer from coeliac disease – and of those, nearly three-quarters remain undiagnosed – accounting for a small proportion of people who actually need to buy gluten-free products. I think the rest of it is just a fad. I do really feel for those who have coeliac disease as it can be very serious indeed.
My son had a friend in primary school with it (the only person I've ever known personally with the diagnosis). He was never included in birthday party invitations as he was considered "too hard" to cater for. I knew nothing about coeliac disease and this was pre-internet days, so I asked his mum what he could and couldn't eat as Francesco wanted to invite little Matthew to his 8th birthday party. I discovered that he could eat Rice Bubbles and Corn Flakes (so I could make Aussie chocolate crackles and honey joys), that I could use pure icing sugar, but not icing sugar mixture, that M&Ms were okay, but Smarties were not... in the end I did the whole party gluten-free with a bbq, lots of colourful salad, an icecream birthday cake, lots of beautiful colourful tropical fruit, "shark-infested" jellies, crackles, honey joys etc. Everyone was happy and Matthew could eat everything on offer and not just a "special plate" of food. His mum cried when she saw the spread and realised that for once, he could just be like every other kid at the party and not have to worry.
I always remember that party and I'm very careful to accommodate people's dietary needs, allergies etc. I can (and do) eat everything, so I'm very grateful for that freedom.
And a PS ... I'll pop some ground cardamom in the post after my next shopping trip. We can buy it in big bags.
DeleteI do wonder if some "Gluten intolerant" people are not self diagnosed as well Marie! Life can be very difficult for those who are. There are more and more gluten free goodies in the shops these days though, which is good. They do charge a premium price for them, which is almost criminal. oats are naturally gluten free, but in order to be marked gluten free they have to be grown in an area where there has never been any wheat grown. I learned that when we visited the Mornflake Oats people a couple of summers ago now. They thought I might have coeliac disease a number of months back. I had to go through rigorous testing and had 9 biopsies in my gastro intestinal tract done to see if I did. Not pleasant, but it ended up I didn't have it thank goodness! Your son's friend must have been thrilled beyond measure to have finally been able to attend a party that he could enjoy! What a lovely thing for you to do! I would have done it as well, and the fact that the food could be eaten by all there, meant as well that he was able to blend in with the rest. Kudos!
DeleteHaving recently been diagnosed with diverticulitis I have been discovering what a minefield eating can be. I am not sure yet what all of my triggers are. It's been a bit hit and miss with the missed causing me a great deal of discomfort. I will get there in the end! Mmm . . . cardamom. That is so kind of you. Love and hugs! xo
PS - Is it just almonds your stepson cannot eat? Perhaps ground filberts/hazelnuts might work?
Deletelooks beautiful too!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Monique! xo
DeleteWould almond flour work as well in this recipe?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know unknown, almond flour and ground almonds are the same thing!
DeleteDid you make this in a springform tin or a flan tin with a removable bottom? I would think it is hard to get the nice fluted edge is you have to butter paper and get it in a flan tin. TIA.
ReplyDeleteOn this particular day I baked it in a fluted edged flan tin with a removable bottom. I did line the bottom with paper.
Delete