Delish delights with none of the guilt

Want to have your cake and eat it? While we can't quite promise you that - these gorgeous puddings contain no wheat or gluten. Indulgent treats that are big on taste but easy on the post-munch shame. Get us to the kitchen...

Chocolate and orange truffle cake (pictured above)

While cycling and camping in France we happened across a campsite with a very rustic eatery, complete with lean-to kitchen. We were given a fantastic meal, the most memorable component of which was the chocolate and orange cake, served in wafer-thin slices with a tiny espresso coffee.

Makes 1 x 30 x 23 cm/ 12 x 9 in cake

Health: gluten-free

Cook: 40–45 minutes

Store: 7 days in airtight container

Compost: eggshells, bits of orange

Ingredients:

• 150 g/5½ oz/scant ¾ cup butter, plus extra, melted, for brushing
• 600 g/1 lb 5 oz milk chocolate, cut into chunks
• 6 eggs
• 300 g/10½ oz/3 cups ground almonds
• 1 tbsp espresso coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsp orange oil

Roasted orange topping

• ½ orange (sliced horizontally, in its skin)
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp orange juice

Chocolate-orange topping

• 50 g/1¾ oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp orange-blossom water

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Brush a 30 x 23 x 4 cm/12 x 9 x 1½ in baking tin liberally with melted butter.

2. To make the roasted orange topping, cut the orange half into 3–4 round slices and then cut each slice into quarters. Mix the sugar and orange juice together and spoon the mixture over the orange pieces. Roast for 15–20 minutes.

3. Melt the butter and milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth (or in a microwave).

4. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the almonds, coffee and orange oil, then add the melted chocolate-and-butter mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat at high speed until you have a smooth, pale brown mixture. It will thicken up as it cools.

5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and spread out evenly. Bang the tin firmly on a work surface to get rid of air pockets. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the surface springs back when pressed gently with your fingertips. A flat cake skewer will come out clean when the cake is ready. Leave to cool in the tin.

6. For the chocolate-orange topping, melt the dark chocolate with the olive oil and orange-blossom water in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth (or in a microwave). Spoon this mixture over the cake and smooth over with a palette knife. Allow the topping to set and then decorate with the roasted orange pieces.

For extra ‘ooh-la-la’ Cut the traybake into small squares and sandwich pieces together with orange curd in the middle.

Spiced pear and raisin flapjacks

This is a lovely recipe for when pears are in season. Any type of pear works well here.

makes: 15 pieces

health: gluten-free

cook: 48–54 minutes

store: 5 days in fridge. Freeze well

compost: pear trimmings

Ingredients

• 185 g/6½ oz/generous ¾ cup butter, plus extra, melted, for brushing
• 100 g/3½ oz/½ cup light brown sugar
• 60 g/2¼ oz/3 tbsp golden syrup
• 70 g/2½ oz/3½ tbsp clear honey pinch of salt
• 250 g/9 oz/3 cups gluten-free oats
• 150 g/5½ oz/generous 1½ cups ground almonds
• 50 g/1¾ oz gluten-free oat flour
• 100 g/3½ oz/generous ½ cup raisins
• 1½ tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp ground ginger

roasted pears

• 350 g/12 oz pears (2–3 pears)
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 3 tbsp clear honey

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Cut a rectangle of baking parchment to line the bottom of a 30 x 23 x 4 cm/12 x 9 x 1½ in baking tin. Pop in the parchment and brush it and the tin liberally with melted butter.

2. For the roasted pears, core the pears (keep the skin on) and cut into roughly 1 cm/½ in cubes. Place in a roasting tin, sprinkle with the mixed spice and drizzle with the honey. Bake for 20–22 minutes, until soft. Weigh them: you should have about 280 g/10 oz. Keep the liquid to use in the flapjack.

3. Put the butter, sugar, syrup, honey and salt into a saucepan and melt over a low heat, stirring every minute or so with a wooden spoon. Cook for 8–10 minutes, until all the sugar has dissolved (when the bottom of the pan no longer feels gritty, the mixture is ready). Don’t let the mixture boil or the flapjacks will be hard.

4. Put the oats, almonds, oat flour, raisins, mixed spice and ground ginger into a large mixing bowl and stir. Pour in the melted butter mixture and stir well using a rubber spatula. Ensure that all the dry ingredients are well coated. Gently stir in 150 g/5½ oz of the roasted pears, along with the liquid from all the roasted pears, taking care to keep the pear cubes intact.

5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and spread evenly, using a rubber spatula – you need to push it into the corners and create a fairly smooth surface. Bake for 20–22 minutes, until golden.

6. While still warm and soft, press the remaining roasted pear pieces into the top of the flapjack. Leave to cool and set – up to 3 hours. This is a very moist flapjack, so needs careful handling.

For extra ‘ooh-la-la’ Once cooled, cut the flapjack into pieces and half-dip them in melted dark chocolate.

High days and holidays trifles

This looks like a blast from the 1970s, but appearances can be deceptive. We have reinterpreted this classic: the generous amount of fruit and a measure of amaretto take it to another level. It’s also well worth making your own custard. Tasty sophistication in retro fancy dress.

makes: 8 individual trifles

health: gluten-free

cook: 20 minutes

store: 2 days in fridge

compost: eggshells and strawberry stalks

Ingredients

• 250 g/9 oz Amondi cookies, broken into chunks
• 150 g/5½ oz Chocolate, hazelnut and cranberry cake, broken into chunks
• 1 tbsp amaretto liqueur
• 150 g/5½ oz/generous 1 cup raspberries
• 150 g/5½ oz/1 cup strawberries, quartered
• 200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup double (heavy) cream
• 100 g/3½ oz dark chocolate
• 8 natural colour glacé (candied) cherries

roasted fruits

• 1 large peach, pitted and cut into 8 pieces
• 2 apricots, pitted and quartered
• juice of ½ lime
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar

raspberry coulis

• 150 g/5½ oz/generous 1 cup raspberries
• 2 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
• juice of ½ lime

custard

• 10 egg yolks
• 150 g/5 oz/¾ cup caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
• 568 ml/1 pint whole milk
• 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. For the roasted fruits, put the peach and apricot pieces into a roasting tin with the lime juice, honey and brown sugar. Mix to coat the pieces. Bake for 20 minutes, until they start to bubble. Drain the fruit in a sieve and collect the juice; set both aside and leave to cool.

2. For the raspberry coulis, squash the raspberries with the icing sugar and lime juice, then push through a sieve using the back of a spoon. Discard the seeds and pulp. Taste the coulis and add more icing sugar if you like, but it should be fairly tart.

3. For the custard, put the egg yolks into a bowl with the sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod. Beat until thick and creamy. Warm the milk gently, until just about to boil. Remove from the heat and gradually beat into the yolk-and-sugar mixture using a hand whisk, to prevent lumps forming. You need a thick custard, so you may need to add cornflour: mix the cornflour with a little water to make a smooth paste. Return the custard to the heat, stir in as much of the cornflour paste as you need and simmer gently for 1 minute. Set aside to cool, then cover and chill in the fridge.

4. To assemble the trifles: divide the broken-up cookies and cake between 8 individual trifle dishes and sprinkle with the amaretto. Spoon in the roasted fruit, raspberries and strawberries, then pour the cooking syrup from the roasted fruit over the top. Divide about 6 tbsp of the raspberry coulis between the trifles and then pour 500 ml/18 fl oz/heaping 2 cups of the custard over.

5. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks, then spoon it over the custard. Grate the chocolate over the cream. Finally, pop a red cherry in the middle of each trifle.

Make the most of your freezer Make Amondi cookies and Chocolate, hazelnut and cranberry cake ahead of time and store in the freezer – or use any type of leftover or frozen cake and cookies.

Honeybuns gluten-free baking by Emma Goss-Custard is published by www.anovabooks.com, priced £14.99