This time of year cleanses, juices, smoothies and rabbit-food-like recipes are everywhere you turn. Sure, we love starting the new year off on a healthy foot too, but no matter our good intentions, it’s just too hard to quit desserts cold turkey. Since you can run to Pinterest to find your next cleanse, we’ve decided to take a slightly different track with our New Year’s Tasty Tuesdays…and here’s why:

Just before the holidays, my doctor informed me I have a gluten sensitivity. Pretty much the worst timing, right? No Christmas cookies, no pies, no scones on Christmas morning? What was I going to do?!

What I did was scramble for recipes that would work within my new diet restrictions and still be delicious. When it comes to those baked goods, they’re just not the same without a little gluten in them, or so I thought! We’ve rounded up some stellar options to add to your arsenal – whether you’re gluten free or not!! This gluten-free almond cake is topping my list right now.

gluten free almond cake on apartment 34

First up on my mission to find something just as good as our bread-eating buddies get to enjoy, is this Lemon Ricotta and Almond Cake. You may have already spied it on Instagram. So many requests for the recipe came in, we knew we had to share it!

gluten free almond cake on apartment 34

This cake is not overly sweet and extremely tasty. Let’s just say, you had better make two because one is sure to disappear, fast!

gluten free almond cake on apartment 34

Lemon Ricotta and Almond Cake (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cups caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla extract as a substitute)
1/4 cup lemon zest
4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
2 1/2 cups almond meal
10 1/2 oz. ricotta
Flaked almonds, to decorate
Icing sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line the base and sides of 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Place butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest in an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes, until smooth. Add egg yolks in, one at a time, until batter is fully combined. Add almond meal and fold ricotta into mixture.

Beat egg whites with hand-held electric mixer until soft peaks form. {I’m always bad at this part – I just keep going until a peak will form at all!}. Gently fold a third of egg whites into the cake mixture. Then add the next third and then the final third. Don’t over mix.

Pour mixture into prepared cake pan and decorate top of cake with almond flakes. Bake for 40-45 minutes- cake should be firm to touch. Allow to cool and dust with powdered sugar to serve!

gluten-free-recipes

We’re telling you this is a recipe that everyone will love. It’s lemony, it’s fresh and it’s wonderfully light. I ate it for breakfast the entire Christmas week and the whole team has banked this recipe in our personal baking files.

For more healthy (ish!) recipe ideas, CLICK HERE

original photography for apartment34.com by Aubrie Pick | art direction & styling by apartment 34 | recipe adapted from Cakelets & Doilies

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13 Comments

  1. I tried this recipe yesterday and… it’s A M A Z I N G!!!
    I’m totally a fan of your gluten free series, even of I have no problems with glutten…

    1. Hi Nickky. 1 stick or 1/2 cup butter is equal to 4 ounces, or 113 grams. Hope that helps.