from my orchid kitchen

This gluten-free dessert is a great light and moist cake made with an uncommon key ingredient - chestnut flour, with a very pleasant taste and making you want some more.

I already had the recipe for this chestnut cake saved a few years ago in my files, because at the time it was still difficult to find chestnut flour on stores. Nowadays this is no longer the case, at least in large urban centers, with sections of healthy food in supermarkets increasing in size and variety of products, and also with the increase in the number of stores that sell products for alternative diets.

What captivated me in this simple cake was not only the fact of using chestnut, an ingredient that I quite like, but also the use of cream instead of butter or oil as a source of fat on the recipe.

Here at home, everyone loved the cake, which is quite soft and slightly moist, and contrary to what you might think, the chestnut flour doesn't give the cake that flavor we find when we eat other desserts made with fresh chestnuts, but a soft flavor that contrasts very well with the lemon. Despite everything, anyone who wants can make this cake without adding the lemon zest and replacing it with vanilla.

The Ingredients

• Eggs
• Chestnut flour - this flour belongs to the group of alternative flours to serve in gluten-free diets, and basically results from finely ground dry nuts. There are many traditional recipes of Italian origin that use this flour, not only in sweet recipes but also in some savory and even bread.
• Baking powder - in addition to the whipped egg whites, baking powder is used to make this cake even fluffier.
• Sugar - the amount present allows it to be pleasantly sweet. Can be substituted for brown sugar or coconut sugar.
• Lemon zest - the lemon flavor in a cake is always pleasant, but it can also be optional and replaced with 1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
• Creme fraîche - this dairy is nothing more than fresh cream, but with about 30% (and up to 50%) of fat to which a culture of bacteria has been added. Due to bacterial fermentation, its texture is thicker and creamier, thus avoiding the presence of thickeners, and has a slightly acidic flavor.

How to make

• Start by beating the egg yolks together with the sugar until it dissolves and the cream is pale and fluffy.
• To this cream are added the lemon zest and then the creme fraîche.
• Then, the chestnut flour (previously sifted and mixed with the baking powder) is involved in the preparation. When sifting, we will avoid the formation of lumps.
• Apart, beat the egg whites.
• The egg whites are involved in the preparation, little by little, so that they don't lose air and collapse.
• The preparation is then poured into a greased and sprinkled with sugar pan (the one in this recipe is 20cm).
• Bake at 180ºC between 35 to 40 minutes.
• Decorate with some powdered sugar after cooling and when serving, as the cake has some moisture and it'll gradually dissolve the sugar we apply.
• In this decoration, I used the crochet/lace technique, in which we basically use those old lace cloths or towels (washed and cleaned) and put them on top of the cold cake and sift some powdered sugar on top. Not all cakes are good candidates for this type of decoration, but it is quite original. In light coloured cakes, you can also make the design by replacing sugar with cocoa powder. 

Chestnut, cream fraîche and lemon recipe

Ingredients

4 eggs
125 gr of sugar
200 gr of creme fraîche
125 gr of chestnut flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a soft cream.
2. Add the lemon zest and creme fraîche, wrapping well.
3. Apart, sift the brown flour and add the baking powder.
4. The flour is then incorporated into the previous preparation.
5. Whip the egg whites.
6. The egg whites are gradually well wrapped in the preparation with the help of a whisk or spatula.
7. Place in a greased and sprinkled with sugar pan.
8. Bake at 180ºC between 35 to 40 minutes.
9. Decorate with some powdered sugar.

Adapted from "Lemon, creme fraîche & chestnut cake recipe" / Originally posted in 2019

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The Ingredients

These cookies only need 6 simple ingredients that we always have in our pantry:

• Flour - I always made this recipe using self-raising flour, however, if only all-purpose flour is available, just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to the recipe.
• Sugar - this amount used allows us to have biscuits with a very balanced sweetness.
• Egg - this single egg will help to bind all the other ingredients together.
• Butter - unlike many other biscuits, these aren't greasy and the amount of butter allows them to be just slightly crunchy on the outside and smooth on the inside.
• Milk - you can use any kind of milk you want, animal or plant-based because it's a small amount and it doesn't interfere with the flavor.
• Lemon or Orange - I usually make these cookies using lemon zest, but I've also tried them with orange zest; those who want can alternatively flavor the biscuits with 1 teaspoon of vanilla or cinnamon powder.

How to make

• Start by slightly melting the butter, or remove it previously from the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature.
• Add the sugar and beat well with the butter until the sugar is well dissolved and the cream is fluffy.
• At this point, the lemon zest (or other flavour) and milk are added, as well as the egg, mixing everything well.
• Finally, the flour is gradually wrapped in this preparation (by hand with a spatula/wooden spoon, or with an electric mixer - spiral attachments) so that everything is consistent and the dough is slightly elastic in texture (when we beat well, the gluten will be activated and create such elasticity).
• It's not mandatory, but I like the dough to rest a little in the cold so that it is slightly stiffer and so, we can easily shape the biscuits.
• In these I made, I modeled some of the biscuits by hand and in others, I used cookie cutters to present different shapes. When creating the shapes you want, always keep in mind that these cookies grow a little in the oven (as you can see in the images), so place them at some distance from each other.
• These cookies bake quickly and should be removed from the oven as soon as they start to gain a little color because the longer they are in the oven the harder they will become (if they are soft to the touch when removed from the oven, it's OK because they'll harden as they cool). I like them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, but if you like them harder, just leave them in the oven for another 5 minutes, as they are also very good to dip in tea or coffee.

My childhood biscuits (lemon biscuits) recipe

1. Beat the softened butter with the sugar until a cream is obtained.
2. Add the lemon zest and the milk.
3. Add the egg, beating well.
4. Gradually, add the flour until the dough becomes elastic and shapeable.
5. Leave to stand for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Using your hands, or cookie cutters, shape the biscuits to your liking.
7. They are placed on a baking tray with parchment paper, or a silicone mat, and taken to the oven at 180ºC for about 8 to 10 minutes (depending on the size of the biscuit).

The ingredients

• Lemon - for the preparation of this curd, it's required freshly squeezed lemon juice but also its zest, the latter providing the lemon flavor and aromatics.
• Egg - most lemon curd recipes use only egg yolks, but this recipe uses a large whole egg. For the curd to be bright yellow, it is advisable that the eggs have yellow-orange yolks, because, with light yellow yolk eggs, the lemon curd will become paler in color.
• Butter - along with the egg, will give that creamy characteristic of lemon curd and also when cooling will also give consistency to it. Can be used butter with or without salt, but if using salted, always be aware that there are brands with a higher salt content than others (and so it isn't necessary to season with a pinch of salt).
• Sugar - the amount presented here doesn't make it very sweet but just enough to counterbalance the acidity of the lemon; however, you can add a little more sugar, (I use 100gr of a sugar-stevia blend which will be equivalent in terms of sweetness to 200gr of common sugar.)

How to make

• Start by zesting one or more lemons, and then squeeze its juice until the necessary amount is obtained.
• In a bowl, or even directly in a saucepan or casserole, beat the egg along with the sugar, the pinch of salt (if you use unsalted butter, if you use one with salt you can omit the pinch) and the lemon zest.
• Gradually, and always stirring with a whisk, add the lemon juice.
• It is then taken to low heat, stirring continuously until it starts to thicken after about 8 to 10 minutes. The heat should be really low, and the process should not be accelerated because the end result will not have the right texture if the egg cooks too quickly. For me, the most reliable way is to use a cooking thermometer and stir the mixture slowly until it reaches 75ºC.
• Remove the pan or casserole from the heat, add the butter in pieces (to melt faster) and whisk it until completely melted.
• While still hot, the cream is passed through a strainer into a bowl in order to remove the pieces of zest, which has already released all the flavor to the curd and so that the cream becomes thinner and smoother.
• Place a piece of cling film directly on top, so that it touches the surface of the cream (this prevents a skin from forming on top).
• Allow to cool to room temperature and once cold, the plastic can be removed. Then it can be stored in a previously sterilized jar and placed in the refrigerator for the cream to thick (as in puddings).
• The shelf life is about 2 weeks in the refrigerator, but it can also be frozen for future uses.

Lemon curd recipe

1. Beat egg with sugar, and the zest.
2. Gradually add the lemon juice.
3. In a casserole or pan, bring this mixture to low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk.
4. Let it slowly reach the temperature of 75° C, still stirring.
5. Remove from the heat, and add the butter, mixing well until melting completely.
6. With the help of a fine sieve, strain the cream into a bowl.
7. Cover with film, but so that it touches the surface of the cream (so that it has a uniform creamy texture and does not get a thin solid layer on top) and take it to the refrigerator for a few hours.
8. Place in an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator after each use.

The ingredients

• Apples - It is important to use firm-fleshed apples that won't turn into an almost puree consistency when cooked (so Reinette apples, for example, are definitely no good!). The type of apple will not only determine the consistency of this golden apple cake, as you will see the layers made by the fruit slices, but will also influence the taste - tart or sweet, or both. Both times I made this recipe I used four or five medium Golden apples, and another time also a mixture of Golden and Fuji.
• Eggs
• Flour - this recipe also works very well using a gluten-free flour mix instead of wheat flour (I tried with this brand), and is especially great when apples are juicier, as gluten-free flours absorb more moisture than wheat flour. For those who want to make a paleo version of this, you can replace the amount of flour with almond flour.
• Sugar
• Butter or Oil - I prefer to use extra virgin coconut oil for the flavor it gives to the cake, but you can use butter, and the equivalent is about 30 grams (2 tablespoons) that should be melted.
  
• Baking powder (if using all purpose flour)

How to make

• This apple cake is very simple to make, just mix the flour with baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. 
• Apart, beat the egg with the butter/oil and add the zest. 
• Apples are sliced on the food processor, which are then well mixed in the flour mixture. 
• Then add the egg mixture until all is well connected and put in the pan, next bake it in the oven.
• Because apple slices are so thin, they will stick together easily; it is for this reason that when mixing them with the flour, you should use your hands to separate the slices so they will be well wrapped in the flour.
• The same is true when adding the moist ingredients, because if we use a spoon or fork to wrap we will also make the slices break into smaller pieces.

Slicing the apples

• To finely slice apples, you may want to use a food processor that has the slicing attachment, to be faster so the apple doesn't get the chance to brown, ideally using the thinner thickness attachment, usually used to cut thin potatoes slices (as to fry).
• Alternatively, you can use a mandolin, and a knife as a last resort - but it will take longer…
• Whatever method is used to slice the apple, I use all of it except the peel (but whoever wants can keep the apple with the peel) and the seeds; I say this because when slicing in the food processor there are bits that get smaller or broken, but I insert them into the cake anyway, not just the whole and perfect slices.

Apple slices cake recipe

Ingredients

500 gr of apples
1 large egg
50 gr of flour
2 tablespoons coconut oil
50 gr of sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 lemon zest (optional)

1. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and baking powder.
2. In another bowl beat the whole egg together with the oil and the lemon zest.
3. Peel the apples, and cut them into quarters.
4. With the help of a kitchen robot, or a mandoline, finely slice the apples.
5. Add the apple slices to the mixture of flour and sugar, wrapping well with your hands.
6. Add the egg mixture and oil, and re-wrap everything with your hands.
7. Grease a springform (I used mine, 16 cm in diameter) and cover the bottom with parchment paper.
8. Fill the pan with the preparation, and with the help of a spoon, press well.
9. Bake at 180° C for about 45 minutes.
10. Allow to cool slightly in the pan before removing.