Almond Cake with Fruit Compote (gluten-free)

I’ve amassed a fairly impressive arsenal of gluten-free dessert recipes over the past few years, since my friends John & Bridgette went GF.  And one of the biggest things I usually look for in these recipes is that they’re naturally free of gluten, rather than using weird ingredients to try and approximate the texture and taste of wheat recipes.

That’s why I’ve developed quite an affinity for almond meal.  It’s super yummy, plus it has an awesome grainy texture—not perfect for every type of recipe, but helps provide a “crumb” to certain cakes and pastries.  It’s also pretty easy to work with and really forgiving.  I’ve kind of been on an almond cake kick lately for myself, because the flavor is perfect for this summer-to-fall transition time we’ve been in.

Which brings us to the uber-moist flavor bomb we’re talking about today…

This recipe is from Cookie + Kate, and as soon as she posted it, I was dying to give it a try.  The almond cake is the star, and is taken up a level by the combination of orange zest and cinnamon in the batter, and the maple syrup makes it super moist.  It’s also literally the easiest batter to throw together.  Then the slightly-sticky cake is stopped with a roasted fruit compote, which provides additional juice dripping down into the cake.  I went with pears and raspberries, which in hindsight was way too much juice to deal with.  But you can use whatever strikes your fancy.  This is awesome as leftovers, particularly for breakfast.

Don’t judge.

Preheat the oven to 325 F with two racks in your oven. Grease a round 9-inch springform pan or cake pan and dust with almond flour/meal.

Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, makes it easy to clean-up. Drizzle 1/4 maple syrup (or honey) over the fruit, and spread it out in an even layer on the baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the beaten eggs, maple syrup (or honey), olive oil, and the zest of your orange. Stir until there are just a few clumps remaining, then pour the mixture into your prepared 9-inch pan.

Place the cake on the middle rack and the fruit mixture on the upper rack. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the center is firm to the touch (it shouldn’t jiggle when you shimmy the pan).

Toss the fruit mixture every 15 minutes or so, and keep an eye on it in the last 10 minutes of baking so it doesn’t accidentally scorch.  It’s done when the fruit is cooked through, tender and jammy.

 

Place the cake on a wire rack to cool. Slice your orange in half and squeeze the juice of half the orange over the fruit mixture, and stir to combine.

Once the cake has cooled for at least ten minutes, release it from the springform pan.  If you used a cake pan, you may want to wait little longer before turning the cake onto a plate, just to be safe, or you can even serve it right from the pan.

Top the cake with the roasted fruit mixture and all of its juices. You can serve right away, or store in the fridge for several days. The juices soak down into the cake and make it even more moist, and it’s amazing as leftovers as well.

Almond Cake with Fruit Compote

• 2 cups (8 ounces) of almond flour or almond meal, firmly packed into measuring cups
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of fine-grain sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ⅔ cup of maple syrup or honey
• ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 orange, preferably organic (you’ll use all the zest & half the juice)

• 1/2 pint of fresh raspberries (in hindsight, this released too much liquid; try strawberries)
• 2 pears, cored and diced (I kept the skins)
• ¼ cup of maple syrup or honey
• Optional: I threw in a splash of almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F with two racks in your oven. Grease a round 9-inch springform pan or cake pan and dust with almond flour/meal. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the beaten eggs, maple syrup (or honey), olive oil, and the zest of your orange. Stir until there are just a few clumps remaining, then pour the mixture into your prepared 9-inch pan.
3. Combine the fruit and drizzle 1/4 cup of maple syrup (or honey), then arrange the mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Place the cake on the middle rack and the fruit mixture on the upper rack. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the center is firm to the touch (it shouldn’t jiggle when you shimmy the pan). Toss the fruit mixture every 15 minutes or so, and keep an eye on it in the last 10 minutes of baking (it’s done when the fruit is cooked through, tender and jammy).
5. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool. Slice your orange in half and squeeze the juice of half the orange over the fruit mixture. Stir to combine.
6. Once the cake has cooled for ten minutes, release it from the springform pan (if you used a cake pan, you may want to wait little longer before turning the cake onto a plate, just to be safe, or even serve it right from the pan).
7. Top the cake with the roasted fruit mixture and all of its juices.

Original recipe from Cookie + Kate