Gluten free Krantz wreath cake
I love cakes! There, I said it. Had I not been a ‘health freak’ and a nutritionist I’d probably become a chef pâtissier or something like that.
Knowing the effect of sugar, gluten and processed carbs keeps me away from those temptations but from time to time, in the name of good balance, I really feel like baking something good to spoil my beloved ones. My grandmother and mother used to bake yeast risen dough cakes every weekend and the smell of those cakes spreading out from the oven is one major happy memory of my childhood. After the success of the cinnamon rolls I went for recreating another childhood milestone- Krantz cake; a popular one among ashkenazi jews. It’s a yeast risen dough, filled with chocolate and nuts paste (or sometimes cinnamon and nuts), rolled, cut thorough and then braided and baked in a loaf tin. In the spirit of the holiday season I baked it as a wreath cake for extra WOW effect. This recipe is gluten free, wholegrain, vegan yet no less indulging, now what do you say about that?
Please don’t be intimidated from the long list of ingredients, it’s all about shopping. Once you have all the ingredients at hand the recipe is not difficult at all and defiantly worth the effort.
Why so many different flours in one recipe? Well, the secret to good GF baking is to find the right combination of flours in order to get the perfect flavour and consistency. I promise you, this cake doesn’t come out as ‘gluten free’ it’s just ‘normally’ delicious!!!
Fibre husk mixture
- 350 ml water
- 4 tbsp fibre husk
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup arrow root powder
- 1 cup millet flour
- 11/2 cups sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1 tbsp dried yeasts
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- A pinch of salt
Wet ingredients
- 200ml coconut milk
- 6 tbsp mild olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Filling
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp pure, unsweetened cacao powder
- 1/3 cup plant based milk ( I used hazelnut milk)
- 1 cup hazelnuts, grounded
- Whisk the fibre husk into the water, it will quickly form a gel so make sure there are no lumps. Set aside.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large standing mixer bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk together all the wet ingredients.
- Add both the fibre husk gel and the wet ingredients mixture to the flour mixture. Use the kneading hook of the mixer to combine it all to a smooth and soft dough. Keep kneading for about 3-4 minutes to get an extra flexible dough that separates from the sides of the bowl.
- Remove from the mixer, cover with a clean tea towel and let it proof in a warm place for at least an hour to an hour and a half.
- In the meantime prepare the filling; melt the coconut fat in a small saucepan and then mix in the sugar, plant milk and cacao powder. Stir to a smooth chocolate sauce. Turn off the heat and add the ground hazelnuts. Mix well to get a thick paste. Set aside to cool down.
- Dust your work surface with some gluten free flour. Preheat your oven to 180 celsius degrees.
- Transfer the dough to the dusted work surface, sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a rectangle approximately the size 45×55cm.
- Spread the chocolate hazelnut paste evenly on the dough using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Roll the dough gently, lengthwise to a Swiss roll.
- Use a very sharp knife to cut through in the middle of the roll to have two half rolls living one edge still attached.
- Plate the two half rolls around each other, making sure the cut sides facing up all the time. Turn and attach the two ends, now you have a wreath.
- Gently transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment. You can place a metal ring in the middle to keep a hole in the middle.
- Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes till the edges are golden brown.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before you can slice it.
Tip 1: Best eaten warm so if you have somehow managed to save some for the next day, don’t forget to warm the cake up before serving.
Tip 2: for me, this amount of sweetness is enough but if you like it even sweeter, melt 1 tbsp of honey and brush the cake as it comes out of the oven.
Tip 3: if you don’t want to make a wreath this recipe can make two loafs. Instead of turning the braided roll into a wreath cut in the middle and place in two lined loaf tins. You can always make half the recipe to make one loaf cake.
Letting the dough proof by the fire
the dough after proofing for and hour and a half
After you roll out the dough to a rectangle, spread the chocolate hazelnut taste evenly.
Cut through the Swiss roll, leaving one end still attached
Braid the two halves of the roll together, leaving cut side up
Attach the two ends of the braid to form a wreath and place a ring in the middle
