Nun cake without flour and without yeast. You already know that May 16th is World Celiac Day, an international day, and my contribution with this fantastic nun cake was certainly not to be missed. Probably, without even knowing it, a solution had already been found: excluding wheat flours from one’s diet to feel better. Many versions exist of this dessert, which already boasts medieval roots. There is the Lazio version, where nuns in a convent in Nettuno, in the province of 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 became ill eating sweets and another nun thought to replace the flour with almond flour and, without thinking about it, had prepared a gluten-free dessert.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- 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 for preparing the nun cake
- 18.34 oz sheep ricotta
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 0.9 sugar
- 6.7 almonds
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 lemon (grated zest)
Useful tools to prepare the nun cake without flour
- Baking Pan
- Chopper
- Stand Mixer
Steps to prepare the nun cake
It is well known my way of flavoring sugar with lemon zest for desserts. While preparing 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 prepare it myself. So I did: in the chopper, I ground the almonds with the skin into flour.
All the essential oils are thus not dispersed.
In the nun cake without flour, there is neither butter nor yeast. So, much like sponge cake, I beat the eggs for a long time to incorporate air.
I first beat 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 fridge in a colander to remove the excess whey and use it for a dry cake.
After beating the yolks with the sugar, I also added the ricotta and continued beating.
With the spatula, I add the chopped almonds without deflating the mixture.
I do the same with the beaten egg whites.
I gently incorporate and mix all the ingredients.
I put parchment paper in the Cookut pot.
And pour the nun cake mixture and level it well.
I turn on the static oven at 338°F and bake the nun cake without flour for 45 minutes.
I always do the skewer test to ensure it’s cooked.
You can also bake the nun cake in a fan oven at 302°F for 45 minutes.
Advice
I would like to suggest preparing whole almond tozzetti, very easy to make.
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/ricetta-tozzetti-alle-mandorle-intere/
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/ricetta-tozzetti-alle-mandorle-intere/
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Is almond flour or freshly chopped almonds preferred?
Freshly chopped almonds are certainly preferred over almond flour because they release essential oils useful for giving softness to the cake.
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