gluten free zen
Taking The Stress Out Of Gluten-Free Grain-Free & Dairy-Free Living
Succulent gâteau au citron
Or otherwise known as ~ Luscious Lemon Cake
This is a French angel food cake. According to Laura Calder from French Food At Home, it’s French because Americans use just egg whites and the French use both whites and yolks.
Have you seen French Food At Home on The Cooking Channel? Love, love, LOVE it! She always has gorgeous and amazing recipes that look extremely fancy but are usually pretty easy to attempt. I even love the music. She has a little bit of a quirky personality and it’s fun to watch her mannerisms and hear her formal way of speaking. The music is very French and fun and her whole show is just a nice, relaxing, treat.
Laura Calder’s a Canadian who was in the corporate world in a high stress job and in a relationship, etc., etc. She said one day she woke up, decided enough was enough. Quit her job, dumped the boyfriend, and enrolled herself at Dubrulle Culinary Institute in Vancouver. Then moved to France and honed her skills at Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne. Can you imagine? What excitement!
This cake is simple, so simple in fact that it freaked me out a bit. But only because cakes in the gluten-free world are a little touchy and temperamental. They can come out dense and grainy, or fluffy and dry. This cake was neither.
French angel food cake doesn’t puff up quite like American angel food cake and it’s not as sweet. It’s amazing. In fact, I like it better than American angel food cake. It’s not sticky like a lot of angel food cakes and doesn’t smoosh down when you slice it. It remains fluffy and moist with a tiny bit of slightly crispy crust on the outside. It’s delicious and I am now addicted…for life. I’ve already had two slices. Before dinner. Like grown ups have the right to do!
This recipe is adapted from Laura Calder’s original recipe: Angel Cake with Blackberries and White Currents.
Luscious Lemon Cake
6 Eggs, separated
1 Cup Sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Pure Lemon Extract
1 Cup Mama’s All Purpose Almond Flour, sifted
Lemon Glaze:
1 1/2 Tablespoons Dairy Free Butter
About 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 2 Lemons
Almond Milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees for convection, 400 degrees conventional. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with parchment and butter the parchment.
Beat egg whites to stiff peak in a bowl with a whisk or in a mixer. I used a mixer. Not too stiff! Just enough that the peak stands without falling. Whisk the egg yolks and pour all at once into the batter.
Beat until thoroughly combined and with the mixer running, add the sugar and lemon extract. Beat until combined.
Remove beater. Sift flour. Fold flour into batter carefully. Pour into springform pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cooking times may vary if you are using a conventional oven.
Woops, I was a little overzealous when giving the cake the finger touch test. But it turned out OK after all because once it cools for 15 minutes the top cracks anyway. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes and then remove the sides of the springform pan and place the cake on a serving platter or cake plate.
To make the glaze: Simply melt the butter in a bowl, add the powdered sugar a bit at a time and alternate with the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Once it’s combined, add almond milk a teaspoon at a time to get a thick “ish” glaze consistency. Smooth it over the top while the cake is still warm and allow it to drizzle down the sides.
Coupe une belle pièce, offrez-vous un bon livre, une tasse de thé, et profitez de votre journée !
13 Comments on “Succulent gâteau au citron”
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gluten free zen 
So beautiful! I love it. That lemon glaze looks amazing. And just in time for Julia Child’s 100th birthday!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Gosh that does look simple April, I would love to try it, and i would love to try the american one too i have never made that either.. the lemon in this must be a delightful lift.. c
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Try both, it will be a fun adventure in eggs. Ha! I think the American version calls for 12 egg whites and no yolks. You can Google for the recipe. The American version is very tall and is baked in an angel food cake pan and then inverted when it comes out of the oven to cool so it keeps its height.
In the good old days when I could eat gluten and dairy I would make the American version and slather it with a thick cream cheese frosting. Yum! Let me know if you try either one. 🙂
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That’s a really beautiful, light looking lemon cake and I love how the icing is drizzled over the cake. Just gorgeous and really delicious xx
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Thanks! 🙂
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I have seen her show, April, though not so much these days. I’ll go back to watching it this Fall, once I’ve not so much to do on Saturdays. This cake, though, looks delicious. i really do like a citrus glaze in a cake, whether it’s lemon or orange and you decorated yours really nice. This would make a great, light dessert for a dinner party.
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It is definitely a light and simple dessert! It was so good…I ate half of it by myself as my husband is traveling. Cut the remainder into snack size pieces and put it in the freezer so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat the whole thing! Ha!
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Laura Calder used to tape her show right here in Halifax, Nova Scotia! (Maybe she still does, I dunno.) I think you should send her the photo of your dented cake – it’s pretty awesome.
Also, my boss/friend loves angel food cake, and I hadn’t thought about going in this direction! So thanks for that, lady! I think I’m going to dig out my Laura Calder cookbook… Wait. I could just use that recipe up there!
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Thanks, Movita! It was incredibly easy and I think there’s probably many ways it could be tweaked. I’ll have to keep testing to find out! 😉
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I adore Laura Calder.. her maddening sense of humor is just the best!! And you’re right, she is quirky! This looks delicious.. and so precious with the lemons and flower twist in the center. I will have to try this one before heading home from the lake. We’ve a small get-together on Saturday.. this is going to be the star!!
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It’s very light and fluffy! Perfect after a hot lake day, especially with the lemon. Enjoy! 🙂
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