Flourless St Clements Cake

I first made this cake when my Mum was diagnosed with Coeliac disease. Back then the world of gluten free baking hadn’t really been explored and I was still a bit of a baking novice too so we struggled at first to bake gluten free cakes ‘just as good’ as normal ones.

This cake was a godsend. Not only is it naturally gluten free (eggs, sugar and almonds!) but it is so irresistably delicious! It was incredibly simple compared to other gluten free recipes and it inspired me to really explore and learn more about baking gluten free.

The fresh citrus orange and lemon sponge is moist and utterly scrumptious. With very few ingredients, it is so easy to make and can be simply dusted with icing sugar to finish. However, the addition of raspberries is a must-try! For this post, I have included a straightforward raspberry coulis recipe that compliments this cake perfectly.

For this recipe, you need a 20 cm (8″) loose bottom or spring form cake pan.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C fan/350 °F and grease the cake pan, lining the base with baking paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together 125 g of the caster sugar with the egg yolks until thick and creamy.
3. Add the zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange and stir to combine.
4. In a separate bowl (preferably metal or glass), whisk the egg whites until stiff.
5. Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture,
6. Add the ground almonds and fold carefully to combine.
7. Bake in the oven for 35-40 mins. The sponge should be springy to touch and will have shrunk away from the sides of the tin.
8. Meanwhile, place the remaining 75 g of the caster sugar in a small saucepan with the juice of all the lemons and oranges. Heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.
9. While the cake is still warm, pierce it a few times with a skewer and pour the syrup evenly over, allowing it to soak into the sponge. Leave to cool completely in the tin before removing.
10. Dust the cake with icing sugar and decorate as you please. I used some fresh raspberries, lemon zest and some sprigs of rosemary.
11. To make the raspberry coulis, place the raspberries and icing sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat and simmer until the fruit starts to break down and release their juices. Blend briefly with a hand blender (or use a potato masher) forming a thick, rough puree (try not to overblend as you don’t want to break up the seeds) and pass through a seive into a bowl for serving. Pour over slices of cake and enjoy!