cuppa

Gluten-Free Recipes:
Hazelnut Mocha Gâteau

 cakes
This is definitely one for a dinner party when you need to impress! It takes some time and effort but is well worth every bit of it!
The cake is moist, the cream filling delightful and the mocha icing is something to drool over!
Bon appétit.   Enjoy.

Ingredients:

Cake

175g finely ground walnuts 150g finely ground hazelnuts
7 eggs - separated salt
4 tblsp. GF breadcrumbs 1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. Vanilla essence

Cream Filling

1 cup thickened cream (35%) ¼ cup sifted icing sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla essence  

Icing

125g dark chocolate 50g butter
1 ½ cups sifted icing sugar 4 tsp. instant coffee diluted
  in 4 tsp.warm water
1 tsp. Vanilla essence  

Method:

Cake


Heat the oven to 190C. Mix the ground walnuts, hazelnuts, breadcrumbs, baking powder and 2 pinches of salt in a large mixing bowl.
Line the bottom of 3 gâteau tins (with removable base) with greaseproof paper. (see note below)
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they start to go thick.
Add half the sugar and beat the daylights out of the mixture until it is very light coloured and creamy.
Add the vanilla essence and mix thoroughly.
Add this mixture to the nut mix and mix thoroughly.

Clean the mixer bowl thoroughly and then beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until it is like "snow".
As soon as it is firm, add the remainder of the sugar in very small quantities at a time without stopping the beating process.
The mixture will be smooth and like a meringue.
Add this mixture to the nut mixture and mix thoroughly by hand.
Divide the mix between the 3 tins, smooth the surface with a damp knife and cook for 25 mins.

When cooked, turn the tins upside down on a cooling rack which has been covered with a piece of greaseproof paper. Leave to cool without removing the cakes from the tins.

Cream filling

Beat the cream until it is starting to get firm . (not too much - you don't want butter!)
Without stopping the beating, add the sifted icing sugar and then the vanilla essence and mix well.
Put mix into a small bowl and refrigerate.

Assembly

When the cakes are cold, remove them from the tins.
Divide the cream filling in half and spread one half on the top of each of two cakes and then place one on top of the other and then place the remaining cake on top, so that you get a layered effect.

Icing

Melt the broken up chocolate and butter in the top of a double saucepan.
Add the sifted icing sugar evenly over the mixture and then add the vanilla essence and the coffee.
Stir until smooth and well mixed.

Cover the entire cake with the icing .
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Note: The recipe said to use gâteau tins with a removable base. I guess you could use normal springform tins if you have 3 the same size! ( I used sponge cake tins - the sides of the cake weren't quite straight, but it still tasted great!)

I made the cakes the day before I needed them and filled and iced them the next morning. The cold cakes kept very well in an airtight plastic container.

This recipe is a translation and adaptation of one posted on the French Coeliac Society site. (with the help of school French, a Français speaking friend and a dictionary!)

© Permission is granted to copy this document, at no charge and in its entirety, provided that the copies are not used for commercial advantage, and that the source is cited and that the present copyright notice is included in all copies.
Back to Index | Top of Page

Last updated :June, 2000