I made caramelized hazelnuts to decorate the top, using instructions from Tartelette.  However, I thought some pictures were in order to better illustrate the technique, so I’ve detailed what I did after the jump.  If you want the recipe for the cake, I’ll send you over to the Smitten Kitchen.  By the way, the cake has very little flour in it, so I think it could probably be made gluten free pretty easily.

Caramelized Hazelnuts

Adapted from Tartelette.

about 15 hazelnuts, plus more for praline
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water

Toast hazelnuts and remove their skins (which are bitter). I did this by baking them at 350 F for about 8 minutes, until fragrant and barely browned. Then I wrapped them in a kitchen towel for a few minutes, and then rubbed them with the towel. For the most parts, their skins then came off pretty easily, and if there were a few tough bits to get off, I just didn’t worry about them.

Skewer about 15 hazelnuts onto toothpicks. You want to stick them on pretty good, so they don’t fall off once you dip them in the caramel. If you also want to make praline (like the pieces in the center of the cake), chop up some extra hazelnuts.

Suspend a piece of styrofoam or cardboard, so you can stick the toothpicks in it upside down after you dip the hazelnuts in the caramel, so that their little trails end up pointing up out of the top of the hazelnut. (I think styrofoam would work best, but all I had was cardboard.)

Before making the caramel, prepare a bowl of ice water that you could quickly plunge your hand in if you get the hot sugar on yourself. Stir together the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat to medium. Cook, without stirring, and watching carefully, until the caramel colors and smells like, well, caramel. This will probably take about 15 minutes, but once it’s there, it can very quickly get burnt, so keep an eye on it. Turn off the heat, and quickly dip each hazelnut in caramel, turn it upside down, and stick the other end of the toothpick in the styrofoam or cardboard.

You will probably have extra caramel, which you can use to make praline. If the caramel has gotten too thick, gently reheat it until you can pour it over the remaining chopped hazelnuts.

Allow the hazelnuts and praline to cool completely before removing the toothpicks and breaking the praline into pieces. The trails from the tops of the hazelnuts are very fragile. Also, they may flop over if the caramel isn’t all the way cooled before they are turned right side up.

I made this gluten-free quick bread for a brunch several weeks ago, and now I’ve finally found the time to write it up. This is my first foray into gluten-free baking, and it turned out surprisingly well. It seemed like a good breakfast bread alternative for those who for one reason or another have to stay clear of gluten. I can (and do!) eat as much flour as I want, but I really enjoyed this bread, too. It’s healthier than most breakfast breads since most of the sweetener comes from the fruit, with just a little bit of honey. And the nuts, while adding wonderful flavor, also mean that it will stick with you better than the normal carbohydrate only quick bread. It’s a winner all around!

Gluten-Free Raspberry Tea Bread

adapted from Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried

1 ripe banana
6 T butter
2 t almond butter (or other nut butter)
2 t honey
juice of half a lemon
1 t lemon zest
2 t cream of tartar
8 oz almond meal (or other nut meal)
3 eggs
1 t baking soda
small handful of raisins
a couple handfuls fresh raspberries

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease lightly. Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a mixer, combine banana, butter, almond butter, honey, cream of tartar, lemon zest and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 T almond meal and then one egg. Continue alternating almond meal and eggs until all eggs are beaten in. Stir in remaining almond meal, baking soda, and raisins.

Spoon a third of the batter into the loaf pan. Top with half the raspberries. Spoon another third of the batter on top, and top with the remaining raspberries. Spread the remaining batter on top.

Bake for about an hour, until golden brown on top, firm, and a toothpick comes out somewhat clean. Allow to cool for 10 or 15 minutes, then use the paper to remove from the pan. Let cool the rest of the way on a wire rack.