GLUTEN FREE FRUIT FLAN

I have been enjoying making fruit flans in my new tin.  My Lakeland tin is 20cm dia. and makes a flan that serves four.  I fancied getting a bigger version and tracked down a 23cm silicone one on the internet, although since then I have discovered that you can also buy them in some French supermarkets and other shops that sell housewares and fancy goods.

Last time I used my silicone flan mould I made a gluten free version that worked extremely well.  I had already scaled up the basic Be-Ro book recipe for the bigger flan and then simply substituted Dove’s Farm gluten free flour for the self raising flour in the recipe.

Quick-jel is not gluten free so my original intention was to make up half a packet of Chivers jelly for the glaze.  However, after watching the last episode of “Sport relief bake-off” on the telly, I decided to go for a cornflour glaze instead.   One of the contestants (I forget who) put jelly on her tart which didn’t set,  and Mary Berry – good old Mary – suggested a cornflour or arrowroot glaze instead.  I didn’t have any arrowroot but plenty of cornflour so tried that and it worked well.

For some the easiest and safest gluten free dessert is a meringue of some kind, but I think this will be my go-to gluten free pud in future.

Ingredients

3 medium eggs

110g caster sugar

110g gluten free plain flour

1 tsp gluten free baking powder

grated zest of ½ lemon

fresh or frozen raspberries and blueberries (or any tinned fruit you like), thawed or drained (reserve the syrup or juice)

1 tblsp cornflour

1 tblsp caster sugar

60ml water

60ml fruit juice (or syrup from the tin)

1 tblsp redcurrant jelly

Method

To make the flan case, preheat the oven to 220°C / 200° fan / gas mk 7.  

Grease a 23cm flan tin and line the raised up bit of the base with a circle of baking paper (to ensure easy removal of the flan).  If using a silicone mould I also find it helps to support the centre of the base by putting a biscuit tin lid of the right diameter underneath to prevent it sagging – which would make the base domed rather than flat when the sponge is baked – and to put it on a baking tray.

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly, using a hand held electric whisk.  Then add the sugar and whisk well for several minutes until pale and thick.  

Lightly fold in the flour, baking powder and lemon zest. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch.  

Turn out carefully onto a wire rack.

While the sponge is cooling, make the glaze.  Put the cornflour and sugar into a small saucepan and mix to a paste with some of the water.  Add the rest of the liquid and the jam and heat gently until boiling.  Boil for one minute and cool for ten minutes. 

Arrange the fruit in the flan case and spoon the cooled glaze carefully over the fruit.  Leave in the fridge or a cool place for the glaze to firm up (it won’t set completely). 

Serves 6-8.

ORANGE AND GINGER BUNDT CAKE

I made this cake for the recent Loire Valley CCC meeting, the theme of which was “Love is in the air”.  Orange and ginger are amongst the few flavours that Nick actually likes in a cake.

I knew that I would like to make a Bundt cake and now have a small collection of Bundt tins.  The question was, which one to use?*

The theme of the cake was to be LOVE and I had a suspicion that there would be lots of chocolate and hearts on the table so I wanted to do something different.  Looking at my tins, the mountainous peaks of this tin led me to think of the song “River deep, mountain high” by Ike and Tina Turner – how many decades ago was that – I dread to think.  This was one of my favourite love songs when I was much, much younger and so I called this my “River deep, mountain high Bundt cake”.

I adapted the basic Bundt cake recipe that I often use, which originates from Dollybakes and you can see here.  I made sure there was ample orange and ginger in it and I have to say, it was delicious.

Yogurt begins with the letter Y and the cake has a good amount of yogurt in it so I am submitting it to this month’s Alphabakes Challenge which you can see here.  It’s a monthly event organised alternately by Caroline of Caroline Makes and Ros of The more than occasional baker.

*I spotted this Bundt tin when it was going cheap on Lakeland’s website and I swooped.  Soon afterwards it was sold out.

Ingredients

225g softened butter

450 golden caster sugar

4 eggs

350g plain flour

½ tsp bicarb

½ tsp salt

350g natural yogurt

3 heaped tsp ground ginger

zest of one large orange

3 balls of preserved ginger, rinsed and chopped

For the icing

250g icing sugar

2 tblsp syrup from the preserved ginger jar

approx 1 tbslp orange juice

Method

Spray or brush a large Bundt tin with cake release spray, or butter well and flour the inside. Preheat the oven to 160° C / 140° fan / gas mk 3.

Using a food mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between until well mixed.

Into another bowl, sift together the flour, bicarb, salt and ground ginger.  In a jug, mix together the yogurt and orange zest.

Add one third of the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and mix gently until combined, followed by half the yogurt mixture.  Repeat.  Remove the bowl from the stand and fold the last third of flour into the mixture along with the chopped ginger until evenly combined.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 1hour – 1hr 15 mins.  Check for doneness after an hour.

Cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, sift the sugar into a small bowl and add the ginger syrup.  Beat until smooth.  Add enough orange juice to achieve the runniness you require and spoon onto the top of the cake so that it runs down the grooves.

Serves 12 or more slices.