Everyday Cakes - Springformed | Naturally Gluten Free Baking

Pavlova

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. The meringue has a crisp shell and soft, airy, marshmallow-like center. It was developed and named in honor of the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, when she was on tour in Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. The dessert is quite popular in both countries and is commonly served at celebratory or holiday meals. It’s a perfect summertime dessert in whatever hemisphere you live in! Light, airy and fantastic. Recipe below.

Coconut Layer Cake

This cake has a moist texture, rich flavor and golden color, thanks to the almond flour. I paired the cake layers with Seven-Minute Frosting and unsweetened flaked coconut, which accentuate the cake's very subtle coconut flavor. This cake also is delicious with a variety of other frostings and fillings. It can be adapted an infinite number of ways and depending on the frosting, it can be dairy-free in addition to being grain-free. This recipe should be in every cook’s baking arsenal. Recipe below.

Seven-Minute Frosting

Snowy white, light and fluffy. This frosting tastes like marshmallow cream and melts in your mouth with every bite. Seven-Minute Frosting (also known as divinity frosting or boiled icing) is an old American recipe, dating back to at least the 1900s. It results in signature glossy, fluffy swirls. The “seven-minute” in the name refers to the time needed to beat the frosting, although it may take slightly longer. Like many older recipes, there are many versions of this frosting - with variation in the ingredients, cooking times and temperatures - as baking used to be more about intuition than method. This frosting is made of simple ingredients and is quick to make, but preparation and attention to detail are key. When making this recipe, keep the factors detailed below in mind to ensure success. The ingredients are cooked over a water bath and then whipped into a glossy meringue. The corn syrup reduces the chance of a grainy frosting, and the cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites. The addition of water and the lack of butter distinguishes this frosting from a Swiss meringue buttercream. Without any butter, Seven-Minute Frosting is fat-free. Recipe below.

Rocky Road Cookies

One of my favorite bakeries in New York is Ovenly. They make this delicious, gluten-free seasonal cookie based on hot chocolate. It reminds me of rocky road ice cream – chocolate ice cream, nuts, chocolate pieces, and marshmallows – created in the United States in 1929 at the time of Wall Street Crash and named ‘rocky road’ given the ensuing Great Depression. I significantly adapted Ovenly’s seasonal hot chocolate cookie recipe to make it more of a year-round rocky road-style cookie. Any cookie with marshmallows is a winner for me. It’s a fudgy, chewy and decadent treat – perhaps my favorite cookie! Recipe below.

Amaretti di Gavi

There are many varieties of almond-based cookies in Italy, with the taste and texture of each varying significantly. These are my favorite. They are firm on the outside and moist, tender and chewy on the inside and can be eaten in two bites. Amaretti di Gavi are shaped like a triangle or pyramid and pinched or indented slightly to give them their characteristic look. Made of seven ingredients and rolled in confectioners’ sugar, they are easy to make. Traditional recipes call for a blend of regular and bitter almonds (amaro means bitter, hence the name of the cookie). Bitter almonds are hard to come by as they are toxic when eaten raw; their sale in some countries is even prohibited. This recipe uses only regular almonds and substitutes the intense flavor of the bitter almonds with almond extract. These cookies originated in Gavi in the Piedmont region of Italy, but they are also popular in Sicily, where they are called pasticcini di mandorla. Depending on the region of Italy, this cookie varies in ingredients and shape – round, pinched, piped into stars, coated with nuts, and topped with cherries are some of the many variations. Recipe below.

Crema Catalana

This lemon and cinnamon-infused custard is a popular dessert in Spain. It has a characteristic caramelized or burnt sugar top and is known by several names: crema catalana, crema cremada, and crema de Sant Josep. Although now eaten year-round, it used to be only served on Saint Joseph's Day, 19 March, which is considered Father’s Day in Spain. The custard is traditionally served in terra cotta cazuela dishes. Crema catalana often is considered the precursor to crème brûlée. However, the desserts are very different in terms of ingredients, cooking method, consistency and taste. Crema catalana has quite a distinctive flavor and a thicker, creamier consistency – I must admit that that I prefer the delicate, vanilla-infused crème brûlée. Finding the right combination of ingredients and cooking methods took some time. Many of the recipes that I tried resulted in curdled eggs or a much-too-sweet dessert. The recipe below is perfect. Recipe below.

Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée is a rich, vanilla-based custard topped with a thin layer of caramelized sugar - which shatters satisfyingly when cracked with a spoon. It is served cold, although the heat from the caramelizing process slightly warms the top of the custard leaving the center cool. The origins of crème brûlée are debated, although it is considered a French dessert. It is similar to England’s Trinity cream and Spain’s crema catalana. Although France, England, and Spain each claim that they created the first version of this decadent dessert, custards made from eggs and cream were quite common in Europe from the Middle Ages onwards. While its origins are a mystery, the revival of crème brûlée is attributed to Sirio Maccioni’s Le Cirque restaurant in New York in the 1980s. Recipe below.

Belgian Brownies

I’ll never forget the first time I ate a Belgian brownie at Le Pain Quotidien – sold in two sizes, large, which looks like a flourless cake, and mini, which looks like a muffin. It was fudgy, dense, chocolatey deliciousness with a thin top crust that shatters under pressure. They deservedly have a cult following. While it doesn’t look like a classic brownie, the taste and fudgy texture are brownie-like. They are easy to make at home (all by hand, in a few minutes) and are best eaten on a plate (they have a delicate, crumbly texture) with a spoon or two of lightly sweetened whipped cream. This recipe is adapted from “Cookbook” by Chef Alain Coumont, founder of Le Pain Quotidien. Recipe below.

Pine Nut Cookies (Amaretti con Pignoli)

Amaretti con Pignoli are classic Italian cookies that are commonly found in Sicily and southern Italy. They are made from just a handful of ingredients, with almond paste and pine nuts being key. Pine nuts (or pignoli in Italian) are the edible seeds of pine trees. They are slow-growing and labor intensive to harvest, making them expensive. Since pine nuts and almond paste are costly ingredients, these cookies are usually made for special occasions or the holidays, especially Christmas. Amaretti con Pignoli are simple to make. The result is a cookie with a deep almond flavor, a moist and crumbly interior, and a crunchy, nutty exterior. Recipe below.

Coconut Chia Pudding

Chia seeds come from a flowering plant in the mint family, called salvia hispanica, which is native to Mexico and Guatemala. While these black-gray seeds were a staple of Mayan and Aztec diets long ago, they only became widely popular and readily available worldwide in the last decade. Chia seeds have a subtle flavor and when combined with a liquid, they form a sort of gel-like or pudding texture. The most popular use of the seeds is for chia pudding – a mainstay of cafés and restaurants across the globe and something you can make at home easily. This recipe uses only four ingredients and results in a creamy and nutritious breakfast, snack or dessert. Recipe below.

Míša řezy

Míša řezy is a traditional Czech dessert made of three layers: a base of airy chocolate sponge cake, a cheese-based middle layer, and a thick chocolate glaze. The star ingredient is a cheese called quark or tvaroh in Czech. It is a firm, spoonable curd cheese that is popular in Central Europe and is similar to cottage cheese, fromage frais, or farmer’s cheese - although these cheeses differ somewhat in consistency and/or fat content to tvaroh. Míša řezy means “Mickey’s squares” in Czech. It is based on the popular Míša popsicle, which was invented in 1962 and consists of tangy, quark-based ice cream covered in dark chocolate. It is an integral part of Czech childhood. The Míša logo features a grinning green bear holding its arms above the word Míša. Míša řezy traditionally is made as a large sheet cake and it is cut into squares. This recipe is for a smaller circular version. It is simple to prepare and the combination of chocolate and cheesecake is delicious. In addition to being served for dessert, Míša řezy can be eaten for breakfast - a piece of cake is a typical Czech breakfast! Recipe below.

Coconut Snowballs

This frozen treat is easy to make and will please any coconut–lover or those nostalgic for a 1950s dessert classic. This recipe is inspired by a 1950s holiday dessert called the “flaming ice cream snowballs”, which was made by Foremost Dairy Foods in the United States. It consisted of a scoop of ice cream covered in icing and coconut and topped with red and green frosting in the shape of a holly. A red candle was placed in each snowball. I’m fascinated by 1950s desserts. Many of them used packaged, ready-made ingredients. At the time, processed foods were considered expensive, luxury items and using them to make a dessert was something of a status symbol. Food product companies published marketing materials and cooking booklets to promote their products or made specialty items to market a modern, aspirational lifestyle. Recipe below.

Raspberry Sauce

Esterházy Torte

This decadent Hungarian cake was invented in Budapest in the 1800s. It is named after a Hungarian prince, who was a member of the famous Esterházy dynasty and a diplomat of the Austrian Empire. Although there are many versions of the cake today, traditionally it consisted of 5 or 6 layers of flourless almond meringue (now partly or entirely replaced by walnuts or hazelnuts); a rich, cognac and butter-infused pastry cream; rum-spiced apricot jam glaze; and a white glaze decorated with a characteristic chocolate spiderweb or chevron marbling pattern. It requires time and organization to prepare, but it is a beautiful and delicious dessert for a special or celebratory occasion. I prefer to eat the torte when it has had time to settle and ripen (on the second or even third day). Recipe below.

Nanaimo Bars

Earlier this year, a photo of Nanaimo Bars — a classic Canadian dessert named for a city on Vancouver Island — became a source of controversy. Canadians were outrage that an Instagram post from The Times’ Cooking account depicted a version which skewed the proportions of this beloved confection. It was clear that there were rules to follow and I needed to know more. The first recipe dates back to 1952. In addition to being called Nanaimo Bars, they also were known as smog bars or chocolate squares. In an era of “set it and forget it” desserts, these bars were designed to be made quickly from packaged ingredients and without baking. Although available year-round, they are a Canadian holiday favorite. These intensely sweet, no-bake desert-squares are made of 3 layers: a chocolate-coconut-walnut-cookie base (the thickest part); a distinctly yellow, velvety buttercream middle (slightly thinner than the base); and a chocolate coating as smooth as freshly Zambonied ice (the thinnest part). To a Nanaimo Bar expert, the ratio of each layer is important. It’s an easy dessert to make whenever convenient, as long as you properly chill each layer before adding the next. Recipe below.

Yule log (Bûche de Noël)

Bûche de Noël is a traditional yule log cake served for Christmas in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada. A thin layer of sponge cake is filled with cream and then rolled into a log. It is covered with a chocolate buttercream which is etched with a fork to resemble a bark-like texture. One end of the log is cut off and set to the side of the cake to resemble a branch. Powdered sugar is sprinkled on top to resemble snow. The cake usually is decorated with meringue stars or meringue mushrooms and candied or freeze dried berries. Recipe below.

Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)

Cinnamon stars or Zimtsterne are German cookies that are traditionally made around Christmas time. They are made from an almond-cinnamon dough that's rolled and cut into star shapes, and then covered with a meringue coating before baking. The high concentration of cinnamon makes them fragrant. The first known recipe for Zimtsterne dates to the 1500s, when cinnamon was rare and expensive and saved for special occasions. There are different schools of thought on how to bake Zimtsterne so that the cookies stay soft and chewy and the meringue is as white as possible. Traditionally the dough is left to dry out at room temperature for up to 24 hours but this recipe reduces the time to 1 hour — in all honesty I didn’t have counterspace to dry them for an entire day before baking. Although these festive cookies are composed of simple ingredients, they require considerable elbow grease and time. Only make these if you like a challenge and have time to spend the day in the kitchen! The dough is fussy and spreading the top coating on each cookie requires precision. Recipe below. Good luck!

Coconut Macaroons

A macaroon (sometimes called coconut haystacks or in French, rochers coco) is an American cookie made of coconut. It is dense, moist, and sweet - with a craggy, lightly golden outside and a snow white, chewy inside. Made of only 3 ingredients, these cookies are quick and easy to make. Macaroons were developed in the United States in the late 1800s, after a Philadelphia flour miller named Franklin Baker developed a method to shred coconut. These cookies were especially popular in Jewish cookery, since the unleavened cookies could be eaten for Passover. The name macaroon is similar to that of the French cookie called macaron. Besides the similarities in name and a common ancestor (an Italian almond-meringue cookie), they are very different. A French macaron is made of almond flour and consists of two cookies sandwiched together with a filling, while an American macaroon is made of shredded coconut and is a single cookie in a pyramid shape The French macaron also was developed later, sometime in the 1900s. A recipe for a coconut macaroon is below.

Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies

These featherlight cookies have an almost-black chocolate color and a distinctive crackly top when baked. They taste like a cross between an American brownie and a French macaroon – with a chewy middle and a thin, crisp outer shell. While there are many variations of these cookies across the United States, the original idea traces back to a 1997 recipe by pastry chef François Payard. This recipe is extremely versatile: any type of nuts can work or be entirely omitted; the cocoa can be Dutch-process or natural; and additional flavorings can be added. My favorite version is detailed below.

Cinnamon Almond Cookies

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