Torte de Force
A sweet, light and scrumptious flourless almond torte!
If you’ve seen my recipes in these pages (and in my cookbook, One Bite at a Time) you know that I’m a big fan of dishes that are packed with nutrition and flavor. Soups, salads, main dishes—I’ve created them all. But dessert? Well, let’s just say I’m baking-challenged.
Any sweet treat that comes out of my oven has to be super simple. Like this flourless almond torte, which looks so elegant yet is really easy to make. My inspiration? A dear friend whose birthday was coming up. I wanted to bake her a cake, only I couldn’t use flour because she’s gluten intolerant. So I developed this recipe.
Eggs are used for leavening and real maple syrup sweetens it up a bit. If you’re watching your blood sugar, you’ll be happy to know that the healthy fat and fiber in the almonds helps slow the release of the natural sugar from the maple syrup into the bloodstream. Plus, you’re using real maple syrup (not pancake syrup), which has a lower glycemic load than refined white sugar.
My friend loved her birthday cake so much that she’s not waiting till her next birthday to have it again. Now, instead of a full-sized torte, she bakes flourless almond mini-muffins and keeps a little bag of them in her car for a high-protein snack anytime.
Flourless Almond Torte
This torte relies on egg power for leavening, so beat the yolks until thick and foamy. But watch the egg whites—they can get too dry in a hurry.
Ingredients3 large organic eggs, at room temperature, separated (no yolk in egg whites)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of cream of tartar (optional)
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 cups almond meal
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh seasonal fruit for topping (optional)
Preparation1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with a parchment paper circle cut to fit the bottom. Spray sides lightly with natural oil spray.
2. Using a hand mixer, beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar on medium high until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Transfer egg whites to a clean bowl.
3. Using same mixer bowl, add yolks and beat on medium speed. Gradually add maple syrup and beat on high until mixture is thick, light in color and foamy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Beat in the almond meal and vanilla extract. Fold beaten egg whites into batter gently, beginning by scooping in about ¼ of the egg-white mixture to lighten batter. Fold in remaining egg whites, taking care not to deflate mixture too much.
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Comments
Thank you for this recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. Please continue giving us more gluten free recipes. Yes, it is more expensive to cook this way, but for people who are gluten intolerant, what choice do they have. It seems more and more people are finding out they are intolerant to wheat products. Again , thanks. Also, being from Vermont, thanks for adding the maple syrup.
Hurray for Rebecca Katz and
Hurray for Rebecca Katz and her delicious recipe! I appreciate that I now have another dessert to share with my gluten free friends. Sure, it may be a bit more expensive, but this is a treat—not an everyday dish.
TB--Rebecca is correct in her measurement comments. There is a difference in a fluid ounce and a weighed ounce. One is the measurement of the volume of a liquid and the other is the measurement of mass x gravity. So, depending on the density of the mass of an object, the weight will vary. I think it’s pretty cool that Rebecca included both measurements. A scale can be used instead of a measuring cup.
And finally TB, please remember what Thumper’s mother (from the Walt Disney movie “Bambi”) told him, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Especially if there is a chance you might be incorrect with your comments.
Note from Rebecca Katz: You
Note from Rebecca Katz:
You can find Almond Meal at most supermarkets, Super Target or online. If you can’t find almond meal, you can take 2 cups of almonds (blanched or not) and put them in a food processor and grind them up into a meal in no time at all. Online sources include: bobsredmill.com.
If your supermarket doesn't have almond meal, they might have almond paste...but almond paste is what you would use to add a rich almond flavor to tarts and cakes. It’s similar to Marzipan, so you DON'T want to substitute almond paste for almond meal.
Please let me know if you still have trouble locating almonds, or almond meal. I’m happy to help in any way that I can.
Nourishing thoughts -
Rebecca
tb is "disappointed" in
tb is "disappointed" in Guidepost just because they included some ingredients in a recipe that "tb" was not familiar with and thought were too expensive??? Sounds like someone is cranky today! It is a fact of life that many people have to use alternative ingredients because of health concerns. These are usually more expensive than regular ingredientsand those recipes are hard to come by. Thank goodness for Guidepost including recipes for those readers. I'm just glad that they include recipes, including many which are very economical. Everything is not going to appeal to everyone. To lamblast Guidepost, and say it's not inspirational, just because you did not approve of the ingredients in one of the included recipes is what is truly "outrageous". tb, hope you get some rest. Keep up the great work, Guidepost!
Well, now I am disappointed
Well, now I am disappointed in Guidepost readers for being extremely rude and downright....kinda mean. I mean geez....the magazine offers a "Comment" section and I decided to...well...."comment"!
Just because you disagree with my assessment, doesn't mean you have to be so rude, unless you...well....just are. I'm sorry for you and will say a prayer. In the meantime, my comments were directed at others, like me, on a budget. And yes, the recipe clearly calls for two cups. Eight ounce = one cup. 16 ounce = 1 pound. 1 pound costs $15. (although she writes "2 cups/7 ounces" -- guess I had a different math teacher).
More power to the few who can afford this high-end "treat."
As someone who is a fitness fanatic and never gets sick, I mean ever (exercise, healthy eating and yes, good genes, too), I am always on the lookout for "healthful" recipes, not ones that will break the bank.
There are plenty of alternatives for healthful ingredients - I was suggesting Guideposts TEST their recipes first and try to appeal to ALL readers. For a magazine in which I give out a half-dozen subscriptions every year and which CONSTANTLY is soliciting to buy "more, more, more" (I just received TWO mailings from them....today!), I would think they would be interested in my comments.
I generally enjoy Guideposts, and am afraid they missed the boat on this one.
Guideposts invited the comments....and so I obliged. For those of you with a problem with that, I am sorry you feel the need to be unkind about differing views. I stand by my position!
TB: I’m not familiar with
TB: I’m not familiar with the price of almond meal but I can’t believe that 2 cups is an entire pound! Plus the recipe only calls for one-third cup of maple syrup and eggs (only 3!). May not be an everyday dessert. But for a special occasion, it sounds delicious!
I would like to express how
I would like to express how disappointed I am with Guideposts in having such an outlandishly expensive recipe in their newsletter/magazine. I was interested in this recipe and first of all, my regular grocery store, which is quite large, did not carry Almond Meal. I did go to one of the store's specialty locations and the cheapest Almond Meal was $15.00 a pound!! Since the recipe calls for two cups, that would be the entire bag!! Not to mention the maple, eggs, etc. and you are talking about a $20 Almond Torte. And they quote a woman who says she now makes muffins to snack on all the time. Huh? Is she a multi-millionaire?? Who can afford to make muffins of almond meal as a snack? This is just outrageous and I am so extremely disappointed in Guideposts for even considering publishing such a recipe, particularly in these extremely difficult economic times. In the future, if I am to continue to afford your magazine, you would do us all a great favor to actually try out the recipes yourself, see if the ingredients are easily accessible AND affordable. In this case, they were neither. Your motto is to "inspire" and thus did anything but. Thank you!
You can actually make your
You can actually make your own almond meal with a food processor and raw almonds (I frequently get mine at Sam's Club, Walgreens, or a health club store).
Those of us who are gluten intolerant, find the "cost" of skipping flour, processed foods and products such as sugar, to create a delicious healthful recipe such as this one , to be worthwhile. When I compare it to the cost of buying an unhealthy "cake" at a bakery, it looks even better! Although it often takes a little more time and effort to make a healthful home-made meal or treat, our bodies show their gratefulness by not getting sick. I personally found the recipe yummy, and will seek other recipes from this author/chef.
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