Cottage Cheese and Almond Cake with Chocolate Glaze

As much as I love cheese cakes, most of the traditional ones are way too heavy for my taste, and I always try to find some tasty alternatives for them.
This time, I chose cottage cheese instead of cream cheese, and was looking for some inspiration over the net. I’ve discovered a Swedish cottage cheese cake, named Ostakaka, that uses rice flour and almond extract in the batter, along with heavy cream. As I didn’t have rice flour, nor heavy cream, at hand, I’ve decided to simply create my own recipe, with the cottage cheese and almond combination in mind – and ended up with the following gluten-free cake.
In order to enhance the almond flavor and aroma, I’ve decided on adding a larger amount of almond flour to the batter, along with cornstarch, instead of rice flour. This gave the cake wonderful texture and flavor. Instead of heavy cream, I used sour cream, which added a nice subtle acidity to the cake. I also added some golden raisins to the batter, simply because I love raisins in cheese cakes.
Another addition I’ve decided on was, to top the cake with chocolate glaze. This somewhat bitter chocolate glaze gave the cake the right balance, both in flavor and color.
Despite all of these additions, the cake is still substantially less heavy, and less sweet, than traditional cheese cakes, yet, at the same time, it is just as rich and flavorful. Try it and enjoy.

Makes: 12-14
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour
Chilling time: overnight
Cooking time for the chocolate glaze: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
For the raisins:
½ cup golden raisins
2 Tbs cornstarch
For the batter;
1 cup almond flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
24oz (680 grams) small curd cottage cheese 4% fat
¾ cup sour cream
2 L eggs
1 tsp vanilla
A few drops pure almond extract
For the glaze:
4 Tbs milk
4 Tbs sugar
4 Tbs dark cocoa powder
4 Tbs (2 oz, 60 grams) butter, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 320F (160C). Line a 10.2” (26cm) baking pan with baking paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix the raisins with the cornstarch, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Using a hand blander, blend all to a fine powder.
4. Add the cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Blend with a hand blender, to a fairly smooth, but still a bit lumpy, mixture.
5. Switching to a spatula, mix in the raisins, and pour the batter into the lined pan.
6. Bake for 1 hour, until the cake is set and the edges are golden. Turn off the oven, but leave the cake in it for 1 hour. Take out and let cool to room temperature.
7. Place the cake in the fridge and let cool completely. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge overnight.
8. The glaze: mix the milk, sugar and cocoa powder in a small pot. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the butter and cook for 1-2 minutes, mixing constantly, until an even glaze is formed. Let cool a bit, mix well and pour over the cake. Place in the fridge until the glaze is set.
9. Using the baking paper, carefully lift the cake from the pan onto a cutting board. With a large sharp knife, cut into sections, and serve at room temperature.

Chicken Legs with Fennel Lemon and Potatoes

 

Roasted chicken with lemon and potatoes, is one of my favorite combinations, and I always try to find new ways to add different flavors to the basic recipe.

Mango, Pistachio and Cardamom Galette

 

Finding some ripe and sweet fresh mangoes at the store, I was thinking about ways to use them, other then, obviously, enjoying them as is. As I was in the mood for baking a galette, I’ve decided they would be perfect for that.

Swordfish with Spicy Grape Tomatoes Sauce

 

Swordfish is one of my favorite fish; for its “meaty” and firm texture, and its ability to absorb bold flavors. It is also a fish that handles freezing and defrosting well, and requires only a very short cooking time.  So, I always keep a few vacuum packed fillets in the freezer, and use them in different ways.

Blueberry Cobbler

 

Cobbler is the perfect dessert for anyone who loves stewed fruit, topped with a cake-like batter. While it is British in origin, cobbler is also one of the most popular American desserts as well.
Different types of fruit, or a combination of some, can be used for the fruit layer. The topping can also vary, from thin batter (as the one I have here), to heavier ones. All these versions are similar in how quick and easy they can be prepared.

Brown Butter Scallops with Red Pepper- Orange Sauce, Fresh Asparagus and Almonds

 

Fresh asparagus season is always a reason for celebration. The fresh crispy green stems are delightful on their own, and even more so, when served with different ingredients.
In the following tasty and colorful dish, I’ve paired some simply steamed asparagus with lightly pan-fried scallops, and served both with red pepper-orange sauce and roasted almonds. This combination of ingredients worked amazing well together.

Lime and Lavender Cookies

 

Pairing lime and lavender is one of my favorites, and when I decided on baking some crisp lime cookies, (slightly based on the recipe for my lemon-almond drop cookies,) I thought this aromatic pairing would work well in the form of cookies as well.

Orange Vegetables Soup with Young Coconut and Pickled Ginger

 

Orange colored vegetables soup is always a favorite, with its bright, uplifting and sunny color. While it is warming and filling, and highly nutritious, it is also quite light, which makes it perfect for the season.
As I like to add different flavors to the basic vegetables of the soup, this time I’ve decided on young coconut, along with bold flavors of pickled ginger and Harissa, a spicy red pepper paste.

Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Three Color Sweet Potatoes

 

Chicken drumsticks are perfect for serving at a buffet style dinner party. They are easily portioned and are liked by all.

Vanilla Cake with Apricot Jam and Chocolate Frosting

 

Whenever I want to bake a quick tasty cake, a heavy cream based one would be one of my first choices, as it requires only a few basic ingredients, and it can be mixed in a short time, in one bowl. Another important reason for choosing this type of cake is that it has a wonderful rich texture and flavor, that can be easily altered with just a few spices or ingredients.

Warm Octopus, Beans and Fennel Salad

 

Octopus has a unique texture, much “meatier” than that of its’ relative the squid. It requires a longer blanching and cooking time, which is why I don’t often use it.
However, as I’ve read somewhere that when it is blanched, cut into smaller pieces, frozen and thawed, it requires much shorter cooking time – I’ve decided to give this option a try.