Nuns’ cake without flour and without yeast. You already know that May 16 is World Celiac Day, an international day, and my contribution with this fantastic nuns’ cake could not be missing. Probably, without even knowing it, a solution was found: excluding wheat flour from one’s diet to feel better. There are many versions of this dessert, which already boasts medieval roots. There’s the Lazio version, where the 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 felt sick eating sweets and another nun thought of replacing the flour with almond flour and, without thinking, 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 Nuns’ Cake
- 18.34 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 (zested)
Useful Tools for Preparing the Nuns’ Cake Without Flour
- Baking Pan
- Chopper
- Mixer
Steps to Prepare the Nuns’ Cake
It is well known my way of flavoring sugar with lemon zest for desserts. While I prepare the ingredients, the first thing I do is grate the lemon zest over the sugar, precisely to retain all the aromas.
I don’t particularly like almond flour because I prefer to make it myself. So I did: I ground the almonds whole, with the skin, into flour using the chopper.
This way, none of the essential oils are lost.
In the nuns’ cake without flour, there is neither butter nor yeast. So, much like the Spanish 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 mixer, I add the sugar flavored with the grated lemon zest and the yolks.
All night I kept the ricotta in the fridge in a colander to remove excess whey and use it for a nice dry cake.
After beating the yolks with the sugar, I added the ricotta and continued to mix.
With a spatula, I add the ground almonds without deflating the mix.
I do the same with the egg whites beaten until stiff.
Gently, I incorporate and blend all the ingredients.
I place parchment paper in the Cookut pot.
And I pour the nuns’ cake mixture and level it well.
I turn on the static oven at 338°F (170°C) and bake the nuns’ cake without flour for 45 minutes.
I always do the skewer test to be sure of the cooking.
You can also bake the nuns’ cake in a convection oven at 302°F (150°C) for 45 minutes.
Tips
I would like to suggest preparing whole almond biscotti, very easy to make 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 it better to use almond flour or freshly ground almonds?
Freshly ground almonds are definitely preferable to almond flour because they release essential oils that help to keep the cake soft.
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