Maple Sugar Cakes – Gluten-Free

September 26, 2016

Winners of the Droolworthy Prize, Maple Sugar Cakes will earn you the coveted wow-face, the how-did-you-do-it-face. From the first bite, maple syrup oozes from deep inside a toasted crust of almonds and buckwheat. Mix’m in the morning. Bake’m in the afternoon. Eat’m the same day for the best crunch. Your holiday table needs gluten-free Maple Sugar Cakes. Be sure to leave me your comments below.

Here in Montreal resides a Pastry Chef named Patrice Demers. He submitted this recipe as part of a compilation of Montreal Chefs’ favourite recipes. This must-have book is titled Montreal Cooks and is available on Amazon.

The Finer Cookie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This post contains affiliate links, which means The Finer Cookie will receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link. This modest income helps support the website.

Ingredients

Volume Grams Ounces

½ cup 115 grams 4 ounces unsalted butter
1 ½ cups 190 grams 6.7 ounces fine maple sugar
3.4 cups 85 grams 3 ounces ground almonds
½ cup 60 grams 2.5 ounces buckwheat flour
¼ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon fine salt
¾ cup (6 large eggs) 210 grams (6 large eggs) 7.5 ounces (6 large eggs) egg whites
⅓ cup 65 grams 2.3 ounces canola oil or any other tasteless oil

Instructions

MISE EN PLACE THE CAKES

In a small saucepan, measure the cold butter and set on the stove.

In a large bowl, combine maple sugar, finely ground almonds, buckwheat flour and salt.
Separate the egg whites and save the yolks for another purpose. See how to separate eggs for more info.
Ready your financier moulds or your (also known as floret cups).
Ready your dough whisk or large spatula.

BROWN THE BUTTER

Melt the butter over low heat.

Once the butter is melted, cook, uncovered watching carefully to prevent burning.
As the foam rises to the surface, move it away to check the milk solids below.
Once the milk solids become a rich golden brown, immediately pour your butter through a strainer.

Browned butter takes on a toasty flavour.

Combine the browned butter and canola oil and set aside to cool.

MAKE THE CAKE BATTER

Pour the egg whites onto the dry ingredients and, using a whisk, stir to combine well.

Adding the egg whites into the maple sugar and buckwheat flour.

Add the melted butter and canola oil. Stir until the batter is smooth.
Pour into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Pouring the batter into a glass cup to refrigerate.

MOULD AND BAKE THE CAKES

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
Lightly spray 1″ x 3″ silicone financier or very small brioche moulds.
Remove the batter from the refrigerator and stir to recombine. The batter will be flexible even after a long stint in the fridge.
Spoon the batter into the moulds, filling them 3/4 full.

The silicon financier mould filled 3/4 and ready for the oven.

Bake the brioche tins at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes or the larger financiers for about 30-35 minutes.

They are baked when a cake tester comes out clean. Double check by breaking one cake open a bit to see if the interior is baked and crumbly. If they look under, set them back in the oven at 5 minutes intervals.

Unmould immediately and let cool.

SERVING THE CAKES

These are best served the same day, as they will be their crunchiest. If they soften overnight, you can re-crisp them by setting them in a 325F oven for 10-15 minutes. Just be careful not to over brown the surface.

Note on Baking: It is difficult to over bake these beauties because they’re so moist from the oil, butter and egg whites. The maple sugar will melt too, creating a juicy center. As they bake, the butter will sizzle and the cakes will rise. It’s important to bake them until the exterior develops a crunchy shell.