I have been playing around with this recipe for a while, changing quantities and I finally managed to like this version which is moist and soft.

I am not necessarily pro or against gluten. I think if people have problems with it, then it should be removed from one’s diet. I removed it from my diet and ate sans gluten for a couple of months to see how my body felt. I thought since everyone talked about it, I should try it too, to get my own opinion, so I did.

Well to be real honest, I did not feel better nor worse. I had less and less carbs cravings and was less bloated but that’s basically it. So I won’t start preaching a gluten free diet or a not gluten-free one, I think that’s a personal choice. If you feel better when you don’t eat gluten, then don’t. That is my philosophy.

If you want to try a gluten free cake that is moist and light, then this is the one.

Ingredients for 6-8 people

• 6 eggs
• 190 g (6.7 oz) brown sugar
• 250 g (8.8 oz) almond flour
• 50 g (1.7 oz) gluten free flour
• 160 g (5.6 oz) melted butter
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bitter almond extract

 Preparation

In two different containers, separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the whites to a thick consistency. Mix yolks with sugar and beat until the mixture whitens and double volume. Add butter. Add flours and mix well to obtain a smooth batter. Incorporate egg whites. Add baking powder and almond extract.

Butter a round baking mold, sprinkle flour and spread the flour evenly into mold.

Pour batter in mold and cook in a pre heated oven at 350F for about 45 min or until completely cooked. Check the cake once in a while so that it doesn’t brown too fast. If it’s the case, lower the temperature.

In France and mainly in the Eastern part of France, in a region called Alsace, which is bordering Germany, they make wonderful gâteaux and tartes au fromage blanc. They have their own version in Germany called käsekuchen, which is similar. It’s made with Quark which is a fresh cheese slightly different from fromage blanc because of its thicker texture. I made a more traditional version here, which has a crust, so that would be called a tart instead of cake. This version is lighter, because I only used egg whites, no cream and no crust, so this very light cake would fit in the “diététique” section.

I had extra egg whites when I made palets bretons that I didn’t want to throw away. I was thinking first to make meringue, but since I am not a big fan of crunchy and extra sweet egg whites, the use of eggs whites was perfect here. Of course, you could use yolks if you wanted to, and of course there are different recipes for this wonderful gâteau au fromage blanc, and this is only one light version of it.

Since we are in America, domestic fromage blanc is not easy to find, so I used Fage Greek yogurt and it worked perfectly. You don’t have to feel guilty about having dessert after a meal, because this is will not make you feel heavy, but simply happy and satisfied.

I used Meyer lemons for a stronger lemon flavor, but that’s not really necessary, regular lemons work perfectly fine and would fit better here because it does take over the tanginess of the fromage blanc. If you want to compare this to an American dessert, it would be a very light and extended cousin of cheesecake. You can serve it with any coulis you like such as raspberries, fresh blackberries, etc…but when in season peaches and apricots would be a wonderful alternative.

Ingredients for about 6

For the cake

• 1 lb (or 500 g) Fromage blanc or greek yogurt
• 130 g granulated sugar
• 50 g flour
• 4 egg whites
• zest of 1 lemon

For the raspberry sauce

• 1 lb raspberries
• 4 tbs orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs sugar or to taste

Preparation

For the cake

In a mixing container, mix yogurt, sugar, flour and lemon zest. Beat egg whites to a stiff consistency and add to the mixture. Grease with butter a deep dish pan. Pour carefully the mixture and cook in a pre-heated oven at 355-360F for about one hour. If the center of the cake looks a little pale while the borders are golden, decrease temperature. When cooked remove from oven and turn upside down, let it cool that way. Then turn cut and enjoy.

For the strawberry sauce

Cut strawberries, mix with sugar, orange juice, vanilla extract and cook for about 15 minutes. Let it cool and blend. You can pass the sauce through a sieve to remove strawberry seeds and make the sauce gets smooth.

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