Skip to content
661 Shares

I had some friends coming over last night for drinks and dinner. And then, one by one, each cancelled because their kids had gotten the flu that’s going around. So I was forced to eat all the lemons bars I’d made for dessert, which I didn’t think would keep until the rescheduled night. (Actually, they probably would. But I knew it would be hard to keep looking at that pan of untouched lemon bars for a full three days.)

buckwheat chocolate cake pan unrefined sugar

So I was flipping through Small Plates and Sweet Treats from Aran Goyoaga, and the section on “Winter Sweet Treats”, which is full of her trademark light-filled pictures just like her blog, cannelle et vanille, with plates of gorgeous produce, and landed on a cake with buckwheat and chocolate melded together. And decided that would be the replacement for the now-gone lemon bars. Aran’s recipes are all gluten-free, and even though I modified her recipe a bit, I did keep it gluten-free just because I saw no reason to go otherwise. And really, isn’t buckwheat in anything reason enough to make a recipe, whether you’re gluten-free or not?

buckwheat flour

Because it was cold out and I didn’t want to risk the same fate as my friend’s children, I didn’t want to make the trek to the store for almond meal (also called almond powder, or almond flour), I made my own using some sliced almonds I had on hand. I ground them up with the buckwheat, which I always have on hand. And I used unrefined sugar, which I agree with Aran, seems to deepen the taste of the chocolate. But I don’t see any reason why you can’t use regular sugar if that’s what you have, or doing half white and half light-brown sugar in its place. If the math perplexes you, pick one or the other.

Chocolate-Buckwheat Cake

Adapted from Small Plates and Sweet Treats from Aran Goyoaga of cannelle et vanilla This is a simple cake, one that the French would consider a “snack cake”, meaning one that is meant to be consumed in the afternoon perhaps. However it can be dressed up with chocolate sauce and a scoop of ice cream. I had some coffee ice cream (from The Perfect Scoop) which was all ready to be used, but you can pick another flavor. Aran used hazelnuts which have a particularly good affinity with buckwheat, so if you have them, use them. (She also folded a handful of toasted, chopped hazelnuts in the batter after the egg whites.) Like most chocolate cakes, this one benefits from being soft, so keep an eye on it in the oven and take it out when it still feels rather soft in the center.
  • 6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup (100g) unrefined or granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (75g) almond or hazelnut flour, (see Note below)
  • 1/4 cup (35g) buckwheat flour
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC.) Butter an 8-inch (20cm) cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
  • In a large, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter until smooth, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and salt, the whisk them into the melted chocolate. Stir in the almond or hazelnut flour, and the buckwheat flour.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually whip in the other half of the sugar until the whites are in firm peaks. Fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining chocolate mixture just until it’s completely combined.
  • Scrape the batter into the pan, level the top, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes; the cake will feel relatively set, but the center of the cake should still be soft. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the cake pan.

Notes

Storage: The cake will keep for up to three days at room temperature. Aran says the cake is better the second day. So I’ll see!
Note: If you don’t have almond or hazelnut powder (also called “meal” or nut “flour”) grind your own using a scant 1 cup (75g) of sliced almonds or whole hazelnuts (120g), pulverized with the buckwheat flour in a food processor. You can get buckwheat and ground nut meal at well-stocked grocery stores and natural food stores, Trader Joe’s, Amazon, King Arthur Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill.

Related Links and Recipes

Buckwheat 101 (Washington Post)

Moist Chocolate-Beet Cake

Buckwheat Ice Cream (LA Times)

White Chocolate and Cherry Scones

French Sugars

Chocolate-Persimmon Muffins

Buckwheat Crêpes

661 Shares

90 comments

    • Nikki Fein

    Yuck, the flu is everywhere down here too…makes me want to stay in. But on the flip-side, might be nice to stay in and make this cake, thanks!!

    • Mardi (eat. live. travel. write)

    This cake looks pretty good – gluten-free or not! I’ve recently started experimenting with gluten free treats (I have a few colleagues who are so it feels unfair to bake decadent treats they can’t enjoy) and buckwheat is one of the flours I am most interested in trying. This goes on my list for the weekend!

    • Needful Things

    Having experimented with almond flour since last summer, I’m always excited to try out new gluten-free recipes I come across (without the gums, though – I cannot find those where I am located). I recently picked up a large bag of buckwheat flour and this is definitely the first recipe I’ll use it in . The cake looks wonderfully moist (I’m sure that it is, with the almond meal and yogurt in there) and intensely chocolatey. In other words, just perfect .

    • Dan

    Your timing is, as always, impeccable. I was just looking at two bags of buckwheat flour that I’d picked up planning on some buckwheat pasta for a dinner that never happened and thinking, okay, now what?

    • ami@naivecookcooks

    I saw buckwheat few days back in a grocery store but I had no clue as to where I could use it..Looks like this cook is a good enough reason! :)

    • Olga

    I have buckwheat in my house all the time too – it’s my favorite grain (well technically it’s a seed but who cares :) I like your idea to bring all health benefits of almond and buckwheat as a dessert. I have to try it.. Thanks!

    • Dotty Jamil

    hey david, thanks for the recipe. will definitely give this a go! :-)

    • Katie (A Fork in Hand)

    Oh dear. Now I have to decide between making this and those lemon bars you mentioned. Who am I kidding? I’ll probably just make both!

    • Merisi in Vienena

    Wow, who’d have thunk that chocolate cake is the perfect antidote to lemon bars? ;-)

    • FrenchGirlinSeattle

    As a French native, I have never really used buckwheat outside of making the traditional “Galettes bretonnes,” (savory crêpes…) I am “intriguée” by this recipe and will give it a try over the next few days. Excellente idée, David. Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

    • Zoey

    I made your whole lemon bars this past Christmas after a friend gave me two juicy lemons from her lemon tree here in San Antonio. They were such a hit that I bought some organic lemons (from Central Market) and made them again, but sadly the lemons were inferior quality and the bars were not nearly as good. It was a huge lesson to me about how fresh, local and organic produce makes all the difference in taste. Anyway now I have my own lemon tree and friends say that means more lemon bars next Christmas!!

    • Deborah Flanagan

    HI David,
    I love buckwheat and just realized it is gluten-free. Almond meal recipes always attract me and I will try this for sure. I have a question that I’m sure you can answer. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of almonds, ground fine (like almond flour) and I already have almond flour on hand, what amount of almond flour equals a cup of whole almonds ground into flour?
    Thanks in advance for your answer.

    By the way, I made your Chocolate Financiers recipe last week and loved it!

    • trisha

    At the risk of being a thicko, how does processing flaked almonds turn it into almond flour? If I used my Magimix it would just turn it into ground almonds, which I can buy anyway, as a former caterer it’s not something I’ve ever seen here in Ireland. Is there another name for it?

    • trisha

    I am a thicko!!! it is just ground almonds, which is a staple of my baking drawer. Talk about being divided by a common language!!!

    • Nazneen|Coffee and Crumpets

    I wouldn’t be able to handle a pan of untouched lemon bars for three days either. This buckwheat cake looks divine.

    Nazneen

    • Claudia

    We’re in our third day of below zero (F) weather. I am thinking I need to consume lots of calories to stay alive. I am thinking I need make and eat all of this. Just putting on all the layers to go out for buckwheat flour will burn 2,000 calories.

    • Jennifer-The Adventuresome Kitchen

    Always so good to see a good GF recipe shared. We love our galettes sarrasin in this house. This will be the perfect dessert to accompany them on Chandeleur!

    • Louise

    Oh my; I have been looking for a non-galette
    use for my buckwheat flour and here it is. And a link to a fab lemon recipe too? Je suis aux anges; merci!

    • Caroline @ Pink Basil

    Buckwheat is a completely foreign ingredient for me, but maybe now I’ll finally give it a try since chocolate is involved :)

    • Nick

    Another yummy sounding dessert David. As I am snowed in at the moment, well too cold for a soft northener to venture forth and in possession of no buckwheat as I now make my blini with sourdough rye starter, I’ll use up the last of my farine de chatingne.
    Add something for the texture? Some chopped nuts, hazelnuts? walnuts? OH my! we have something else! Guess this happens all the time.

    • Sarah

    Bob’s Red Mill loves David Lebovitz! If there’s anything we can send you, let me know!!

    • OB

    Never can get my hands on buckwheat flour here in Dubai. Have an interesting recipe for chocolate buckwheat pancakes from Paul Young’s book but never tried it. Maybe one day…

    • sally cameron

    Such a timely post, thanks David. I just bought buckwheat flour and have been experimenting as I’ve not used it before. We are on a wheat-free experiment, so I am looking for alternatives. Made buckwheat yeasted buckwheat pancakes for the first time last weekend and they were terrific! Can’t wait to try this cake. I also went looking for a buckwheat crepe recipe and of course found your first. That is also on the list to try.

    • Cathy

    Looks unbelievable and amazingly wonderful for the foul frozen weather we in Northern Europe are having. David, reading the recipe, is it correct that all the egg whites aren’t used, as that is how I read it?

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    sally + caroline: Buckwheat is one of my favorite things. A little goes a long way in terms of flavor and it goes well with a lot of other things, like chocolate, and most fruits.

    Cathy: Am not sure where you are looking, but the egg whites (all of them) are whipped in step #4 – hope that helps.

    Sarah: I love Bob’s Red Mill! You folks have really great products and grains. Happy to recommend : )

    FrenchGirlinSeattle: J’adore les vrais galettes Bretonnes!! (sans farine, bien sûr…)

    Deborah: Glad you liked the chocolate financier recipe – it’s a favorite of mine as well..

      • Sarah

      David! Yay! I’d love to send you a BRM care package (as a fan, only; Promise). If my email is visible to you, feel free to drop me a line. I love your blog and I love your books!

    • Steve Dunham

    @Deborah – A cup of whole almonds weighs 143g. Ground almonds weigh 95g per cup, so that’d be about 1.5 cups ground = 1 cup whole. But I’d just go by weight if you have a scale, as it depends on how hard you pack it into the measuring cup.

    Source: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3615

    (I also always measure honey by weight these days. It’s easier to weigh 21g directly in your mixing bowl than trying to get honey into and out of a tablespoon.)

      • Deborah Flanagan

      Thanks for that helpful information Steve. I’ll definitely go by weight from now on.
      D

    • Virginie

    Thank you for this post, I now know that buckwheat is ‘sarrasin’! I am a french expat in Connecticut. For tree nut allergies, what would you recommend substituting the almond flour with?
    Merci!

    • A fan in New Jersey

    I have found a big difference in texture between almond flour (King Arthur, bought at Chef Central; super-silky) and almond meal (Trader Joe’s or Bob’s Red Mill; good, but coarse, and includes some of the dark brown papery stuff). Love ’em both–for different uses. In a cake like this, either could be used, although surely the result would vary between them. And shouldn’t less be used of the finely ground type than the coarser type, which would have air between the pieces? David?

    • Natalie @ In Natalie’s Shoes

    This sounds heavenly! Especially when paired with the coffee ice cream. Yum!

    • Annabel

    Buckwheat flour can be got in Waitrose in the UK, and I *have* seen it – once- in Sainsbury’s. It’s also available (for a price!) at Whole Foods Market if you’re in London. But it’s one of the things I stock up on when in France, only I forgot last time :(.

    I have taken to making my own galettes au sarrasin, but it’s always good to expand the repertoire!

    • Patrick

    How much difference does 35g of buckwheat actually make in a cake?
    Is there a noticeable difference to a regular flourless chocolate cake? Or 35g of potato starch?

    Don’t get me wrong – the recipe sounds great. I just have the expectation that if a cake is named after some ingredient, then that ingredient should be discernible in the final product.

    • Charlene V.

    This sounds delicious and similar in some ways (gluten-free, use of buckwheat, hazelnuts, chocolate) to some delicious muffins I made recently from Fine Cooking. Every time I take one out of the freezer and enjoy it, I’m struck by how good and unusual the flavor of buckwheat is. Here’s the link: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/banana-chocolate-hazelnut-muffins.aspx

    Thanks, David, for another great recipe! And, as always, I appreciate the inclusion of weights in the recipe so that I don’t have to figure out converting nuts to nut flour and the like. Just as a tip to others, as I use other recipes without weights, I weigh the dry ingredients and note the weights so that the recipes are easier to use the next time.

    • Oana from dishchronicles

    I *love* buckwheat anything. This is super. She was just here in Montreal a few weeks ago at SAT food lab. An amazing workshop.

    • narf7

    I don’t usually comment on this blog…I figure you have so many comments you don’t need my humble opinion but this time I have to comment. This cake looks amazing! It is most certainly something wonderful to take the place of those lemon bars and I am going to bake it for my soon to be bakewell-less husband today. Cheers for sharing this, it looks most promising :)

    • Jean | Delightful Repast

    David, that is a delicious recipe, I can tell. My guests would love it, but I’d prefer one or two of the lemon bars myself!

    • Dina

    & I’ve been eyeing that buckwheat flour in the supermarket for some time now… and thought that it would be a lot to buy to only make crêpes bretonnes… ;)

    • Sasha

    Yes, buckwheat flour alone is reason enough to bake this cake. I agree. And I will bake it as well.

    • Debbie Flayhart

    The cake looks wonderful. Since I can not have wheat I am ALWAYS looking for a dessert that is actually worth the time to make. I have tried many and just dumped them in the trash. I get tired of flourless chocolate cake, but your buckwheat chocolate cake looks amazing. Best of all it doesn’t look like a pancake! Can’t wait to try it!

    • Sara

    I make a chocolate buckwheat cake very similar to this and top it if with powdered sugar and halved fresh cherries. Amazing!

    • Mandu

    Patrick, in my experience Buckwheat has a VERY distinctive taste, much more so than other flours, so I’d imagine that amount is enough to add a woody flavor.

    I fairly successfully made buckwheat pie/quiche crusts (1/2 buckwheat, 1/2 gluten free flour). They didn’t behave very well when rolling them out, but once cooked behaved fine and were delicious. If anyone has tips on that, I’d appreciate it!

    • Will

    I make David’s lemon bars a little more often than I should and a lot less often than I’d like. They are amazing. Looking forward to trying the chocolate buckwheat cake.

    • Anna

    i really need to get that book. i can’t believe this flu has traveled to paris! misery. hope your friends get better soon.

    • Jo Anderson

    Oh, my, your friends must be devastated when they have to cancel one of your dinner invitations. If I lived in Paris, I would beg to be on your “B” list of those willing to fill in at a moment’s notice to help you eat those lemon bars.

    Your columns are a treat. Thanks.

    • june2

    This looks amazing. I was turned onto the beauty of buckwheat cake by the one at The Travelers Kitchen blog, here.. Didn’t see it in the related links and I highly recommend it. So simple yet unbelievably good. With chocolate? Mmm..

    • Kirsten

    I actually usually have the opposite problem with almond flour. I often see recipes that give you a measurement for the whole amount of nuts (e.g., 1 cup almonds), then instruct you to grind the nuts into a powder, but I don’t have a food processor or nut grinder. If I want to use almond flour, how would I substitute the correct amount? Try to figure out the weight of the whole nuts and use that amount of almond flour? Thanks!

    • kathleen

    when i first purchased buckwheat flour and opened it, i was shocked.
    I had no idea of the color it was. I thought it was spoiled.
    Buckwheat is a greyish color.

    • CHN

    Beautiful cake, I will try that with the rest of my buckwheat flour. But I have a few questions. There’s no leavening, but that slice looks nice and cakey, not dense. Is that the egg whites at work? And the yogurt — I’ve tried and tried, but I just don’t like yogurt in cakes. But I think buttermilk works a special kind of magic in baked goods. Would that work here? And taking us back to the leavening question, would a smidgen of baking soda be needed if I used buttermilk? I think I’ll give it a go this weekend, but a heads-up would be appreciated! Thanks!

    • Edwina

    Lovely stuff David! I get so excited to see recipes that would be perfect for my gluten free family…then I see the eggs and my heart sinks. I think I will give it a go with egg replacer and see what happens.

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    SHN: It’s somewhat dense, but lightened by the egg whites, as you mentioned. You could likely swap out the yogurt with crème fraîche or buttermilk. I wouldn’t add any additional leavening since they are all acidic ingredients with nearly the same properties. If you do try it with something else, please let us know how it turns out.

    Kirsten: I gave equivalents for what I did, but if you want to try using whole almonds, you might just need to grind some up and use what you need, then use any leftover for another recipe. (It keeps in the freezer.)

    Mandu: Since buckwheat has no gluten, yes, it’s tough to use in doughs. But the flavor is great!

    june2: Thanks for that. Melissa’s cake is lovely. I have an all buckwheat cake in my book Ready for Dessert that is somewhat similar. I made it last week, in fact : )

    • Marylène

    Hi David! I made some lemon bars last summer and I put some in the fridge’s freezer, as an experiment. They kept very well, and once frozen they have the texture of hard ice cream, so it’s always possible to cut off a piece on a whim!

    • Deb

    I always have greek yogurt on hand, do I need to add some liquid to exchange it for plain?

    • Cheryl

    Hi David: This looks like a wonderful recipe. However, I have a peanut/tree-nut allergic family member, so do you have an alternative non-peanut/non-tree-nut flour that can be substituted for the almond or hazelnut flour? I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so any substitution suggestions should be readily available. Merci.

    • Eliza

    This looks wonderful. Buckwheat is the best. My mom uses it in pancakes, and they are the only pancakes I will eat. I’ll have to make this with her soon!

    • DK

    I guess this is one of those days. This is 6 th consecutive site in the last 30 minutes that has a chocolate post. And I am absolutely loving the inclusion of buckwheat in here. I cant wait to try this one out. Have never used buckwheat in a dessert before.

    • ann

    thanks for the recipe! made this tonight with hazelnuts and a sour cream substitution. came out splendidly…definitely didn’t miss the gluten. topped it with a bit of toffee, sliced almonds and a creamy dulce de leche sauce, but boy was i missing the ice cream.

    • Helene

    When that happens just call me and I’ll happily cross the city to come and help you polish off the lemon bars!

    • CHN

    I made this cake last night. I had a slice after it cooled, and I was not crazy about it, I thought it had a strange taste and I chalked it up to the buckwheat flour. But now it’s the following afternoon, and seeing as how I just polished off my third slice I think it’s safe to say that this is a really good cake!

    I used buttermilk instead of yogurt, I used light brown sugar in the cake part and white sugar in the meringue part. I used 72% chocolate and thought that might be too much, so I put an extra 2 Tbs of sugar into the meringue. It probably would have been fine without.

    There was a lot of batter. My 8″ pans have 3″ high sides, and the cake needed that height (and without any leavening!) I think the eggs were extra large instead of large, which would account for that. Also, buttermilk instead of yogurt probably contributed to that. Most likely for these same reasons, it took 40 minutes to bake and was still rather soft. Next time I think I will stick with yogurt; maybe buttermilk is not so magical without gluten. But there will be a next time. This is a very nice cake. Thank you!

    • Penny

    I just used almond meal in some raspberry financiers. This cake has many of the components of a financier and I love the buckwheat flour. I will be trying it soon. Would be interested to know what the rest of your meal included.

    • Sarah

    Looks delicious! I’m a big fan of buckwheat too, must give this recipe a try.

    I also just got a copy of The Perfect Scoop and can’t wait to try out that coffee ice-cream recipe!!

    xox Sarah

    • Naomi

    Just made this — it looks and smells delectable…and the small slice I sneaked just now may have tasted delectable as well! One small thing…when I weighted out 55g of sugar, it didn’t look like 1/2 c of sugar. In fact, it looked like 1/4 c of sugar so I doubled the amount to 110g. Does that sound about right?

    I thought I fixed that, because the first time I made it, I used 1/3 cup (55g) sugar, thinking that 1/2 cup sounded like too much. But then I realized it was spot-on and went with the 1/2 cup (100g) that Aran originally called for. (Although some folks might like it with less sugar.) Glad you made it ok! – dl

    • Alonna Smith

    I love this David, because I’ve developed a wheat allergy. This will be perfect because chocolate cake is one my favorite things.

    • Judit

    We have no flu (fingers crossed), the snow has melted but it’s the Full Moon! I was looking for something to shoo away the January blues. I read your post, found all the ingredients in my kitchen cupboard and baked the cake (no changes) for lunch. No sauce, no ice cream just a light dusting of icing sugar and a strong Sumatra mandheling coffee. A perfect match! A wonderfully moist chocolate cake! Thanks for the inspiration to you and to Aran. Always read your posts with great interest.

    • Thérèse

    Made this yesterday, and it’s delicious. You can definitely taste the buckwheat, even though it’s a small amount – it isn’t drowned out by the chocolate. Thanks!

    • A fan in New Jersey

    Kitchen beckoned on a cold winter Sunday and this cake was made. The texture is unusual–fully baked, yet soft and almost creamy–and truly delicious. Used turbinado (raw) sugar (had to look up whether that’s what “unrefined” meant–yes); broken bittersweet Callebaut from a big lump for the chocolate; and King Arthur almond flour for the nut part. Wanted to taste it “pure” the first time, but tonight’s servings may have ginger ice cream on them. Thank you, David.

    • ileana

    Beautiful cake! David, would you tell me some of the advantages of using buckwheat? I lived in DC for a summer and at Eastern Market there were some famously good buckwheat blueberry pancakes, but I haven’t given it too much thought since. What flavors does it impart that regular flour does not? Is it nutty? Thanks for any tips!

    • Russ

    Made this Saturday for company on Sunday evening figuring that it would be better if we waited a day to have the cake. Served it with espresso gelato and mint ice cream. A really huge hit. The cake looked exactly the same as the picture in the article. Don’t know if it tastes the same as that cake but we found it to be delicious; moist, rich but not too dense. The egg whites really help lighten what might otherwise be a somewhat heavy cake. Used hazelnut flour and melted the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Otherwise, followed the recipe as written. Thank you for the great idea.

    • Zoe

    If I were to make my own nut meal, should I use skinned hazelnuts?

    Or would the bitterness perhaps be welcome against the chocolate?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I would toast them lightly, then rub off as much skin as I could before grinding them. Enjoy the cake!

    • Darlene

    David, this cake looks amazing and I so want to make it however, I live in a small town and cannot find buckwheat flour, I can find Quinoa flour, can I subsitute or should I wait until I go to the city and try and find the buckwheat flour. Thanks for your help.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I’ve not tried it with other flours but it would like work with another. If you do give it a try, let us know how it works out.

    • Juanita

    I made the buckwheat cake last week. I am always happy to find a recipe to use up leftover ingredients from a previous recipe. I didn’t weigh the flours, just used a measuring cup and it worked out well. Was very tasty and there is only one small piece left! Thanks again for inspiring us to try new things.

    • mangia

    Thank you for this, David! I bought buckwheat flour because I can’t have wheat right now, hoping to make buckwheat pancakes and other baked goods, but unfortuately, the recipes I have found all use wheat flour as well. Is that because things that aren’t like a “flourless”- type chocolate cake need the gluten, or is there a work around? Meanwhile, I can have this delicious cake! Would love to know how to bake more “conventional” recipes, though, without the wheat flour added. Thanks”

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Regular wheat flour has gluten, which is responsible for the structure in many baked goods. You can try a gluten-free flour mix (King Arthur makes one) and Shauna shows how to make your own gluten-free flour. Note that results will vary when you change or modify a recipe, but part of the fun is testing and seeing your results – happy baking!

    • Ellen

    By chance I had all of the ingredients for this cake in my kitchen so it was made last weekend. What a treat! It manages to be both deep and rich in flavor and light in texture. Thanks so much for it, and for helping me use up those odd bits of almond meal and buckwheat flour. A very nice winter treat.

    • mangia

    Thanks so much for answering my question! Back when I could have wheat, I was a non-professional member of the Bakers Dozen in SF (neophyte home baker).
    After a meeting once, I got up the courage as you were walking by to ask you some of your favorite recipes from your book “Ripe for Dessert”. One of them was the Fresh Ginger Cake. I made it, and it was SO good!! You have since been a trusted source! I really loved the chocolate gelato too. I have most of your books, and I love your blog! Thank you for all the great things/ info/ help/ experieces/ tips/ humor you share. Like so many others, I really appreciate it, and think you Rock!!

    • Grow Citrus

    Forced to eat all the lemon bars! Sure David. I saw that post (and the comments were closed) and they looked so delicious you don’t need any excuse to eat them!

    • Alice

    The description sounds fabulous but the ingredients aren’t listed.

    • Alice

    Whoops! My iPhone for some reason didn’t load the ingredients, but the computer did.

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    Hi Alice: The fellow who designed my site is fixing/adjusting a few things on my site, but the ingredients should be there. I checked the mobile site and the ingredients indeed aren’t listed, so I’ll let him know about that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention and I hope to get it resolved soon. Thanks!

    • leah

    Just made this cake last night and after i put it in the oven i realized i forget the butter!!
    Well, it is delicious without it! How odd, but true.
    I will try again tomorrow with the butter and wonder what that will be like.
    What do you think of this? I almost feel like just keeping the recipe as is but without butter.

    • Patti

    What a great cake! It sunk a bit in the center as it cooled. I am at 3000 feet elevation; increased the temp 25 degrees and baked for the full amount of time. Was most concerned about the cake drying out and wanted it to be soft as advised. Maybe I took it out too early, but it did not seem to matter. The texture was marvelous – smooth and silky with just enough body. To dress it up a bit and hide the indentation, I spread a thin layer of raspberry preserves on the top where indented. Then covered the preserves with chopped, toasted almonds. The hint of raspberry pushed the favors over the top. Will definitely make again. Thanks.

    • Lisbet diemer

    Just baked the cake, beautiful..

    Made me think, and then I baked your Banana Cake using the buckwheat fluor and yoghurt, fantastic taste. Do it, it’s so so good..

    • Susie

    Is this a moist cake or more of a dry cake? I only ask because you mention it is a snacking/afternoon cake, which I tend to think of as being dryer.

    • Mollie Frances

    I love this! I can’t wait to make it. I’ve just started baking with yogurt- it’s like a secret I just found out about. It makes cakes the perfect texture. Yum, thank you!

    thealmondflower.com

    • Deb

    I made this using Greek yogurt and it is fantastic!

    I’ve been looking for smaller desert recipes since there are only 2 of us in the house. This doesn’t quite qualify because it is so rich a small portion is all that is needed to satisy. I bet it will freeze well if we don’t eat it all before we want something else. ;>

    • Maria

    This cake is really good! Kind of amazingly good for how simple it is. It’s rich and satisfying and it does freeze well. Thank you, David, for sharing the recipe!

    • Donna

    I’ve made this cake twice in the past two weeks. The second time I made it, I used King Arthur Flour’s Fiori di Sicilia extract in place of the vanilla. It was really delicious each time.

    • Charlene V.

    I’ve made this a couple of times now and am thrilled at how good it is, especially for a gluten-free cake. I’m not GF, but have shared the recipe with friends who are. I’ve made it with buttermilk in place of the yogurt and with nonfat Greek yogurt instead of whole milk and both were fine. I have also frozen it with great success (can’t believe I had some left over!). To make sure I could handle it while frozen, I cut it into serving-size wedges first and placed a piece of parchment/waxed paper in between the slices. What a terrific cake! Thank you, thank you!

A

Get David's newsletter sent right to your Inbox!

15987

Sign up for my newsletter and get my FREE guidebook to the best bakeries and pastry shops in Paris...