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Gluten-free Celebration Sacher

A Celebration Sacher because for the first time in my life I will not be at home for Christmas and this makes me feel really strange.

The atmosphere is unusual because we have decided not to light up and decorate our house, which will remain closed during the holidays, but this makes me a little bit sad even though the reason for being away is a real dream: a trip we have been looking forward to for years!  So, to recreate a hint of Christmas atmosphere, I thought of one of my favourite cakes and dressed it up for the occasion: my gluten-free Celebration Sacher! And the Sacher is definitely one of my favourite cakes, as you can also see from my Lovers’ Sacher.

It was definitely a more quiet celebration, but at least we got a taste of the ‘sweetest’ and most anticipated holiday of the year since I don’t know what I will be able to bring to my family’s table on 24 December on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!

Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a sparkling start to the New Year, I hope to bring home some nice surprise recipes for 2020. See you soon!

Celebration Sacher

40.31g carbohydrates per 100g

 

Ingredients for the cake

  • 150g dark chocolate*
  • 150g butter
  • 150g sugar
  • 100g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 5 eggs
  • 50g rice starch*
  • a bit of vanilla from the pod
  • a pinch of salt

Ingredients for filling and coating

  • 450g apricot jam*
  • 150g dark chocolate*
  • 95g fresh cream
  • 30g water

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie or microwave and mix well so that the two ingredients are perfectly incorporated. Let the mixture cool down.
  2. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and whip the latter until stiff with a pinch of salt, then set aside.
  3. Add sugar, then one yolk at a time to the chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk. Add the sifted flour and vanilla, continuing to stir so that no lumps form.
  4. Finally fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
  5. Pour the mixture into a 24cm diameter cake tin lined with wet and squeezed parchment paper so that it adheres well to the sides of the tin, tap the tin on a surface to release any air bubbles and bake in a static oven preheated to 180°C for 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. The cake will be fairly compact: this is typical of Sacher, which needs the apricot jam and the chocolate coating to express itself at its best.
  6. Cut the cake in half horizontally. Spread 250g of apricot jam on the lower half, then cover it with the top half. Pour the remaining jam into a thick-bottomed saucepan with the water, place it on the heat and allow it to melt slightly, then strain it through a thin sieve to obtain a kind of thick, smooth juice. Use this apricot juice to thoroughly wet the surface and sides of the chocolate cake with the help of a brush (you may have some leftover juice).
  7. Prepare the ganache for coating the cake by chopping the chocolate well and pouring over it the boiling cream heated in a saucepan.
  8. Mix well to obtain a smooth and uniform cream, let it cool and cover the cake with the help of a smooth-bladed knife or spatula. Decorate your Sacher with Christmas decorations of your choice. Sacher is even softer when eaten after 5 or 6 hours, or even the day after since the apricot jam will have been perfectly absorbed by the cake.

sacher-senza-glutine

Version with gluten of Celebration Sacher

The recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

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Buckwheat drip cake

The Buckwheat drip cake is one of my favourite cakes because every time I bake it, it allows me to perfectly express my mood in both the filling and the decorations. For this reason, I often end up choosing it as a gift for people I love on special occasions.

So I decided to bake this cake, which I had prepared for my granddaughter Bianca’s first birthday, also for my family on Valentine’s Day. A way of shouting out loud all the love I have for them!

Enjoy this sweet cuddle and for more Valentine’s Day’s ideas, have a look at these chocolate treats !

Buckwheat drip cake

27g carbohydrates per 100g of filled cake, without decorations

Ingredients for 2 cakes of 20cm diameter

  • 170g almonds, peeled
  • 135g sugar
  • 135 g butter
  • 100g buckwheat flour mix, brand Petra 5**
  • 70g corn starch*
  • 4 eggs
  • 15g sprouted buckwheat flour*
  • 16g baking powder*
  • a bit of vanilla from the pod

Ingredients for filling and coating

  • 450g sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
  • 150g icing sugar* or sweetener*
  • a bit of vanilla from the pod
  • 400ml fresh cream

Ingredients for the chocolate coating

  • 100g dark chocolate*
  • 75ml fresh cream

Ingredients for decorating

  • 125g berries
  • 50g currants
  • chocolate decorations*, sugared almonds*, flowers and other decorations made of fabric or sugar etc.

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation of cakes

  1. Prepare the cakes. Grind the peeled almonds in a food processor until you obtain a flour; place it in a bowl with the Petra buckwheat flour, corn starch, sprouted buckwheat flour, vanilla and baking powder, gradually adding the soft butter.
  2. In a food processor, blend the 6 egg yolks with the sugar until frothy, incorporate the flour and butter mixture and mix well, gradually adding the beaten egg whites.
  3. Pour the mixture into 2 baking tins of 20cm diameter covered with wet and squeezed parchment paper and bake in a static oven preheated to 170°C for about 30 minutes. If you do not like buckwheat, follow this recipe for the cakes Grandma’s doughnut.

Preparation of creams and drip cake assembly

  1. Meanwhile, prepare the cream for the filling by stirring ricotta cheese, icing sugar and a bit of vanilla. Separately, whip the cream until frothy. Then add it to the ricotta mixture and fold it in gently.
  2. When the two cakes are completely cold, cut each horizontally into two discs. Transfer the first disc to the serving dish and cover it with plenty of cream. Then lay in a second disc and another layer of cream, applying light pressure on each. Use the same cream, in abundance, for covering top and sides. Put the cake in the refrigerator.
  3. Prepare the chocolate coating. Coarsely chop the chocolate. Put the cream in the saucepan, and when about to boil,  remove from the heat and pour the chocolate in it. Stir until smooth. Once the chocolate has cooled, take the cake out of the fridge.
  4. Using a teaspoon, spread the chocolate coating over the edges of the cake so that the chocolate drips. Start with a small piece of cake to check the texture of the coating (if it drips too quickly, let it cool for a few more minutes, if it is too thick, warm it up slightly). Once the desired degree of dripping is achieved, spread the icing over the surface of the disc.
  5. Wash and dry the berries, dip the tips of the strawberries (if you have them) in the chocolate, then lay the fruit on the cake using your imagination to decorate it. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Dripcake al saraceno senza glutine

Gluten-free Buckwheat drip cake

 

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The traditional Bishop’s cake in my gluten-free version

Torta del Vescovo (Bishop’s Cake ) is typical of the towns in the province of Parma and the name is intended to recall its importance. Indeed, while the plum jam tart is perhaps one of the classics par excellence, given the popularity of the Plum trees in this area, in the past chocolate was a rather rare ingredient and therefore reserved for special occasion desserts (such as a Valentine’s Day Sacher?).

Well, as the name suggests, this cake used to be prepared when the bishop travelled to provincial towns to celebrate the confirmation of children: in its simplicity, the contrast between jam and chocolate makes it a real treat.

Another cake? Try this with fresh fruit.

Bishop’s cake

48.83g carbohydrates with cake basted with

70g fruit juice, no liquor

Ingredients for the dough

  • 300g flour mix for bread, brand BiAglut**
  • 150g butter
  • 100g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 100g sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 g baking powder*
  • a pinch of salt

Ingredients for filling and coating

  • 450g plum jam with no added sugar*
  • 150g dark chocolate with no added sugar*
  • 80g fresh cream
  • 20g butter
  • rum and other dessert liqueurs*, water syrup and/or fruit juice

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the shortcrust pastry in the traditional way, i.e. by mixing all the ingredients until a compact and homogenous dough is obtained. Cover the pastry with cling film and place it in the refrigerator for about ten minutes.
  2. With the help of a sheet of parchment paper, roll out a little more than half of the shortcrust pastry to form a disk to cover a baking tin about 26cm in diameter, leaving the edges slightly high so that they can be folded well once the cake is filled.
  3. Stuff the pastry with jam and cover with a second disc, trim the edges if they are too high and fold them inwards using a fork to press them down well so that the jam does not spill out during baking.
  4. Bake in a static oven preheated to 180°C for 30 minutes or anyway until lightly browned. Let the cake cool completely.
  5. Prepare a syrup with about 70g water and a tablespoon of sugar, or a few drops of sweetener (alternatively use the same amount of fruit juice), add the liqueurs and leave to cool.
  6. With a toothpick, pierce the surface of the cake, then use a brush to wet it well with the syrup-liquor mixture.
  7. Melt the chocolate with the cream on a very gentle heat, or in the microwave, then add the butter, mix well and coat the surface of the cake perfectly.
La torta del vescovo: una crostata con marmellata di prugne ricoperta di cioccolato

Bishop’s cake: a tart with chocolate-covered plum jam

Version with gluten of Bishop’s cake

When preparing the pastry, replace the 300g of gluten-free flour with an equal amount of standard cake flour.

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Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

Today we are going to bake mixing good and tasty ingredients to prepare an equally tasty dessert: Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips.
A creamy, fresh and delicate filling enclosed in a soft and fragrant short pastry. A mix of flavours that make this dessert a real temptation for every moment of the day. Want another breakfast idea? Try these Rice and buckwheat biscuits.

Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

41.84g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry

  • 300g flour mix for bread, brand BiAglut**
  • 150g butter
  • 100g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 100g sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 8g baking powder*
  • 1 pinch of vanilla pod

Ingredients for the filling

  • 400g mixed ricotta
  • 80g dried apricots
  • 20g chocolate chips*
  • 3g powdered sweetener* or a few drops of liquid sweetener*

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Knead all the ingredients for the shortcrust pastry until you obtain a firm, smooth ball. Cover the dough with cling film, then let it rest in the refrigerator for the time needed to prepare the filling.
  2. Mix the ricotta until it is perfectly creamy and lump-free; add the sweetener (or sugar to taste), chopped apricots and chocolate chips, then mix well.
La preparazione della treccia di ricotta, albicocche e gocce di cioccolato

Preparing the braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

  1. Roll out the shortcrust pastry to form 3 rectangles measuring approximately 25×20 cm. In the centre of the rectangle, parallel to the long side, form a cylinder of ricotta filling. On both sides of the filling, cut the pastry as if forming a fringe. Starting from one end, fold the first two strips of shortcrust pastry, crossing them over each other in a braid-like manner; continue until complete.
La treccia di ricotta, albicocche e gocce di cioccolato prima di essere infornata

Braid before baking

  1. Place the 3 plaits on a baking tin covered with parchment paper and bake them in a static oven preheated to 180°C for about 20 minutes.
La treccia di ricotta, albicocche e gocce di cioccolato pronta per essere gustata

Braid ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Braid with ricotta cheese, apricots and chocolate chips

Replace the BiAglut flour with an equal amount of wheat flour. No other adaptation is needed.

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Tartlets with strawberries

Today we are in the mood for strawberries, their bright colour and inviting taste that goes well with desserts. And here we are with a reinterpretation of the classic shortcrust pastry tartlets, lighter but still delicious: Tartlets with strawberries

The trick?

Simple, the dough is prepared with ‘Zero Butter’, a fantastic all-vegetable substitute of butter.

We can begin!

Tartlets with strawberries

40.5g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the shortbread

  • 100g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 60g sugar
  • 50g gluten-free cake flour mix, brand Mix C Dolci Schär**
  • 50g almonds, peeled
  • 50g Zero butter* or butter
  • 1 egg
  • 8g baking powder*

Ingredients for the pastry cream

  • 160g low fat milk
  • 50g sugar
  • 15g corn starch*
  • 3 egg yolks
  • a bit of vanilla from the pod

Ingredients for garnishing

  • 200g fresh strawberries

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Grind the almonds in a food processor into a flour and add all the other ingredients for the shortcrust pastry; mix them together to obtain a soft, smooth dough. Cover with cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream: in a food processor or bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is frothy; add the corn starch and vanilla. Meanwhile, put the milk on the stove and bring it to the boil; pour it over the egg and corn starch mixture and stir quickly with a whisk so that no lumps form. Put everything back on the heat and let it thicken while continuing to stir. Let cool by covering with cling film.
  3. Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line tartlet moulds; prick the bottom with a fork and bake in a static oven preheated to 160°C for about 20 minutes. Let them cool down.
  4. Top the tartlets with custard and strawberries.
    Since no gelatine is used to coat the fruit, eat the tartlets on the same day or the next day at the latest.

Crostatine-di-fragole-gluten-free.blog-uno-chef-per-gaia

Version with gluten of Tartlets with strawberries

Replace the gluten-free flour with an equal amount of standard flour.

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Valentine’s day’s recipes: Lovers’ Sacher cake

Valentine’s Day is arriving to celebrate the feeling of love, to be together and exchange sweet thoughts. And what gift could be more appreciated than a delicious Lovers’ Sacher cake, decorated with fresh raspberries?

The perfect ingredients are all there: irresistible dark chocolate, delicate apricot jam and the intense flavour of raspberries to top it.

The shape chosen, needless to say, is the heart shape.

Try our recipe and give it to someone you love! And if you want more ideas for Valentine’s Day, have a look at these Chocolate sweets with candied violets.

Lovers’ Sacher cake

39.85g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for the cake

  • 150g gluten free flour mix for bread, brand BiAglut**
  • 150g sugar free dark chocolate*
  • 150g butter
  • 150g sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • a bit of vanilla from the pod
  • a pinch of salt

Ingredients for filling and coating

  • 250g raspberry jam without added sugar*
  • 120g apricot jam*
  • 150g sugar free dark chocolate*
  • 50g fresh raspberries
  • 50g fresh cream
  • 30g water

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Melt chocolate and butter in a bain-marie, or in the microwave, stirring so that the two ingredients are perfectly incorporated. Then let the mixture cool.
    Separate the yolks from the egg whites and whip the latter until stiff, adding a pinch of salt; then set them aside. Add sugar to the chocolate mixture and then one egg yolk at a time, stirring with a whisk. Add the sifted flour and vanilla, continuing to mix so that no lumps form.
    Finally, incorporate the beaten egg whites.
  2. Pour the mixture into a heart-shaped cake tin, corresponding to a baking tin about 24cm in diameter, lined with wet and squeezed baking paper so that it adheres well to the walls of the tin; gently beat the tin on a surface to let any air bubbles out and bake in a static oven preheated to 180°C for 35 minutes. Once the necessary time has elapsed, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool.
La base della Sacher

Sacher base

  1. Cut the cake in half horizontally. Spread 250g of raspberry jam on the lower half, then cover it with the top half. Pour the apricot jam into a thick-bottomed saucepan together with a little water; put it on the heat and let it melt slightly, then strain it through a fairly thick sieve to obtain a kind of thick, smooth juice.
  2. Use this jam to generously moisten the surface and sides of the chocolate cake.
La copertura con il cioccolato

Chocolate coating

  1. Prepare the chocolate coating by melting the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over very low heat or in the microwave. Stir well to obtain a smooth and even cream and cover the cake with the help of a smooth-bladed knife.
La decorazione con i lamponi

Decorating with raspberries

  1. Place fresh raspberries around the perimeter of the heart to define it.
La Sacher pronta per essere gustata

Sacher ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Lovers’ Sacher cake

Replace the 150g of gluten-free flour with an equal amount of wheat flour.

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