Nun’s Cake without flour and without baking powder. You already know that May 16th is World Celiac Day, an international day, and my contribution with this fantastic nun’s cake could not be missing. Probably, without even knowing it, a solution was found: exclude wheat flour from your diet to feel better. There are several versions of this dessert that already boasts medieval roots. There is the Lazio version, where the nuns in a convent in Nettuno, near Rome, prepared this dessert with low-value ingredients. The Tuscan version, also in a convent, that of Santa Chiara near Siena, tells that a nun felt sick eating sweets and another nun thought of replacing the flour with almond flour and, without thinking about it, had prepared a gluten-free dessert. This seems to be the most reliable version.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Tuscany
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 359.75 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31.86 (g) of which sugars 27.77 (g)
- Proteins 13.84 (g)
- Fat 21.33 (g) of which saturated 6.97 (g)of which unsaturated 13.81 (g)
- Fibers 2.97 (g)
- Sodium 84.64 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 120 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare the Nun’s Cake
- 18.3 oz sheep ricotta
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 6.7 oz almonds
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 lemon (grated zest)
Useful tools to prepare the Nun’s Cake without flour
- Baking Pan
- Chopper
- Stand Mixer
- Bowl
- Parchment Paper
- Plate
- Spatula
- Colander
Steps to prepare the Nun’s Cake
My method of flavoring sugar with lemon zest for desserts is well known. While I prepare the ingredients, the first thing I do is grate the lemon zest over the sugar, just so all the aromas are not dispersed.
I don’t particularly like almond flour because I prefer to make it myself. So I did: I ground the almonds in the chopper with all the skin on.
All essential oils are thus not dispersed.
In the nun’s cake without flour, there is also no butter and no baking powder. So, a bit like for sponge cake, I beat the eggs for a long time to incorporate air.
First, I whip the egg whites until stiff.
I remove the egg whites and, without washing the stand mixer, I add the sugar flavored with grated lemon zest and the yolks.
For the entire night, I kept the ricotta in the refrigerator in a colander to remove excess whey and use it for the cake nice and dry.
After whipping the yolks with the sugar, I also added the ricotta and continued to whip.
With the spatula, I add the ground almonds without deflating the mixture.
I do the same with the whipped egg whites.
Delicately, I incorporate and blend all the ingredients.
I place the parchment paper in the Cookut pot.
And I pour the nun’s cake mixture and level it well.
I turn on the static oven to 338°F and bake the nun’s cake without flour for 45 minutes.
I always do the toothpick test to make sure it’s cooked.
You can also bake the nun’s cake in a convection oven at 302°F for 45 minutes.
Here is the nun’s cake without flour ready to be enjoyed
Ideal for those who usually consume flour-free foods, thus gluten free.
Advice
I would like to suggest preparing whole almond tozzetti, very easy to prepare and delicious to share with friends and family.
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/tozzetti-alle-mandorle-intere/
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/tozzetti-alle-mandorle-intere/
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/tozzetti-alle-mandorle-intere/
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Is almond flour or freshly ground almonds preferable?
Freshly ground almonds are certainly preferable to almond flour because they release essential oils useful for giving softness to the cake.
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