Almond & Peach Cake
A storecupboard gluten-free and dairy-free dessert.
Recently, we had some friends over for a casual lunch. One of them turned out to have a sensitive constitution which necessitated a gluten-free, dairy-free and meat-free diet. This did not prove challenging for the savoury courses as I had already intended to make a Thai/Malaysian meal of which the dishes are traditionally low on wheat and milk products. The dessert, however, demanded a little more thought as I was trying to avoid repetition, and a sticky rice dessert, though utterly delicious, seemed a little too heavy after a big meal. Rather, I wanted a light and fluffy cake that would elicit ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as it was brought to the table.
A perpetually popular chiffon cake would fit the brief, however, I had never made a gluten-free one and I didn’t have time for experimentation. The lightbulb moment came when I glanced upon a picture of a Tarta de Santiago featured on a food magazine. An almond cake hailing from Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Tarta de Santiago is made simply with almonds, eggs, sugar, and a little flavouring in the form of lemon zest or sweet wine. The cake is baked in a large pan so it ends up wide and short, resembling more of a shortbread biscuit than a sponge. It can also have a dry texture due to the lack of fat in the batter.
Using the principles of a Tarta de Santiago for my cake, I had to adapt the recipe to ensure that the sponges were not dry. The answer was a simple and economical tin of peaches in syrup. Drained and chopped peaches went into the batter and the saved syrup was perfect for drizzling over the baked sponges. Some peaches were saved for decorating the cake along with lightly sweetened non-dairy cream. The cake was so well received, I have since made it thrice in the span of one and a half weeks. Each time, it was devoured in one sitting - not bad for a low-fat, gluten-free and dairy-free dessert.
