Gluten Free Karidopita Walnut Cake Food

GLUTEN FREE KARIDOPITA-WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 170 deg C and line and grease an 18cm baking tin with baking paper. Prepare the honey syrup by mixing the honey, water and vanilla in a small pot over medium-high heat. Allow to come to a boil and cook for 2-3 mins until reduced slightly. Set aside to cool completely.
• Place your walnuts in a food processor and grind them into a "semi-fine"" meal. There should be a mixture of fine and coarse bits. Place this in a large bowl and to that add the almond meal, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Stir to combine.
• In a separate bowl or large jug mix the eggs, honey, orange juice, ghee, vanilla and cognac or brandy. Mix well and pour into the walnut mixture. Stir to form a batter and pour into the baking tin.
• Cook the cake for 45-50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake is clean. Allow the cake to rest for 10 mins in the tin before inverting onto a plate. Pierce the cake with a skewer to make several holes on the top and pour over the cooled honey syrup.
• Allow to cool completely before sprinkling with coconut sugar and orange zest.

KARITHOPITA (GREEK WALNUT CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F; butter and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan.
• In a bowl combine the walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, breadcrumbs, flour, and baking powder.
• In a small glass, dilute the soda with the cognac.
• Beat the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form.
• In a large bowl mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar and then add the eggs yolks; mix in the soda with the cognac, and add the milk and the walnut mixture, beating until well combined; fold in 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to lighten batter, then carefully fold in the rest; it is ok if a few white streaks show in the batter; spread into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Cool cake completely (it is very important that the cake is cooled before pouring on hot syrup because otherwise it will turn mushy).
• For the syrup: Mix all the ingredients together in a medium saucepan; bring it to a boil and boil for 5-7 minutes; remove cinnamon stick and pour hot syrup over cooled cake; let the cake cool completely (from the addition of the hot syrup) before serving.