Lemon Strawberry Chiffon Layer Cake

It's over. Passover has come and gone, and I am more than happy to return to cakes, cakes and more cakes. So while I haven't managed to whip up any confections since the holiday ended...yesterday, I do have several things I've been counting down the days until I could share with you. Like this towering layer cake...a delicate chiffon cake filled with lemon curd and covered in a lemon-strawberry buttercream.

Flourless Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Here's one more Passover recipe if you're still hungry for cake! This airy hazelnut cake is totally flour-free, dairy-free, gluten-free. I filled and topped it with a chocolate ganache, which made it completely decadent.This is one dessert you'll be happy to serve year round.

There is nothing that really screams“Passover” about this dessert – no matza meal or potato starch, or even any coconut. There's only four ingredients in the cake, yet it produces a dish that would be at home on any table, especially a gluten-free one. And it can even garner the most precious compliment of all: “this doesn’t even taste like a Passover dessert.”

I chose to slice the cake in half and fill it with a rich chocolate ganache, a perfect pairing for the airy, light cake. It would also work nicely with a simple whipped cream filling, or even just a little dollop on top of every piece.

Recipe:
6 eggs, separated
8 ounces ground hazelnuts
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups chocolate ganache (recipe below)

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow. Add in the hazelnuts and baking powder and mix until incorporated.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the egg whites in to the hazelnut mixture, then gently fold the remaining egg whites in until completely combined.
Pour the mixture in to a greased 9-inch springform pan* and bake on 325 for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Let cool completely, slice in half, and fill with half the chocolate ganache mixture. Top with remaining mixture.

Chocolate ganache:
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
1 cup cream or milk**

Place the chocolate in a glass or metal bowl.
Heat the cream or milk until just boiling. Pour it over the chocolate, and let sit for five minutes. Whisk the mixture gently until it becomes a smooth, silky frosting (this may take several minutes). Let cool to room temperature before using on cake.

*I realize many people will not have a springform pan, for Passover or at all. You can bake it in a regular 9-inch pan, but it may be difficult to remove which means you won’t be able to slice it in half. If you bake it in a different size pan, make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.

Candied Orange Peel

So this Passover thing is coming up, I hear. Well here is one more dessert/candy/snack that is perfect for the holiday - and has just three simple ingredients that I'm guessing are already in your house! Oranges, sugar and water.   

Coconut Lace Cookies

These are really way more candy then they are cookie. But I'll call them a cookie anyway, since they're cookie-shaped. These lace cookies are oat and flour-free, which makes them perfect for Passover and those who eat a gluten-free diet. 

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

I think if I gave someone one of these cookies, and asked them to guess at the ingredients, I'd get answers like butter, flour and chocolate. Well all of those would be wrong. The truth is, these passover-friendly and gluten-free cookies have just three basic ingredients: egg whites, cocoa powder and confectioners sugar.

Lemon Ice Cream

I was all set to tell you about this completely addicting ice cream last summer, but some way or another, time escaped me, and I had to tell you about this incredible pie and that amazing cobbler. But it's all worked out in the end, because this recipe is perfect for Passover, and will get you so hooked you will make it all year round. I promise. This ice cream is actually a permanent member of my freezer. And it doesn't even need an ice cream maker!

Raspberry Almond French Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache

If you read any food blogs, food magazines or new cookbooks, you'll have seen French macaroons. They are all the rage these days, lined up in their multicolored glory, with fillings across the flavor spectrum. If you've seen them, you'll also know that they are billed as a baker's worst nightmare: finicky, inconsistent, requiring precision that will bring the most talented pastry chef to tears. Or so I thought. Then I came across Brave Tart's (also known as Stella Parks) amazing "Macaroon Myths," where she debunks all these silly ideas of macaroon perfection: does the humidity matter? The egg whites? The powdered sugar? The time of the day? The color of your apron? In a word: no. 

Flour-Free But Still Fabulous

For the next few weeks I'll be cutting out some key ingredients here at Baking and Mistaking. The biggest of which, is flour. If you celebrate Passover, you're probably thinking - what are you waiting for, it's less than three weeks away starting any minute! And if you don't, you're likely wondering what on earth I'm talking about and why you would bother coming to my little corner of the interwebs anytime soon. 
Well, the truth is, that Passover-keeping or not, you should keep checking in here for the mouthwatering, exciting and delicious desserts that I'll continue to feature, that will have you forgetting those few ingredients that just happen to be missing.


So before I share some new and interesting flour-free desserts, I'll refresh your memory of all the great things already featured here that are perfect for Passover, with no adjustments. 

First - Lemon Meringue Thumbprints: