Ingredients
1 tablespoon Butter for the baking pan
2-3 tablespoons Gluten free plain bread crumbs to coat the baking pan
1 cup Golden raisins, soaked in lukewarm water for 20 minutes
2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
1 cup Marsala wine
1/3 cup Brown sugar
2 tablespoons Agave nectar
3 pounds Organic golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup Buckwheat flour
1/2 cup Gluten-free plain bread crumbs
1 cup Amaretti di Saronno cookies, finely crumbled (with a food processor)
3 Large organic eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
Preheat the oven at 350F. Butter and coat with bread crumbs a 10 inch spring-form cake pan with a removable bottom.
Drain the raisins and pat them dry with paper towel. Set aside.
Place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When melted add the Marsala wine, the sugar, agave nectar & apples. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring often until the apples begin to soften, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Scoop up the apples with a large slotted spoon, letting the excess juices fall in the pan, place the apples in a strainer and then in a large bowl. Over high heat, cook down the juices left until left with about 1/4 cup of a thick sauce. Stir the sauce into the apples.
Add the flour, bread crumbs, Amaretti, raisins and eggs to the apples. Mix well until combined. Place the mixture in the buttered cake pan and level the top with a spatula. Shake the pan to distribute the the batter evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a thin knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out just slightly moist.
Key Points About Ingredients:
- Amaretti di Saronno cookies are traditional Italian almond-flavored macaroons that add a distinctive sweet, nutty crunch and help bind this gluten-free cake without any wheat flour.
- Golden delicious apples are ideal here because their naturally sweet, mild flavor and firm-yet-yielding flesh hold up beautifully when sautéed in Marsala wine without turning mushy.
- Marsala wine is a fortified Sicilian wine that adds deep caramel and nutty notes to the apple mixture — dry Marsala works best to balance the sweetness of the sugar and agave.
- Buckwheat flour, despite its name, is completely gluten-free and contributes a subtle earthy depth that complements the fruit and almond flavors in this cake.
- Soaking golden raisins in lukewarm water for 20 minutes plumps them up so they stay juicy and moist throughout baking, preventing them from drying out in the oven.
- Agave nectar adds a gentle floral sweetness with a lower glycemic index than refined sugar, making it a thoughtful addition alongside the brown sugar in this recipe.
Key Nutritional Insights:
- Apples are a rich source of dietary fiber and vitamin C, and their natural pectin helps give this cake structure without the need for binding agents.
- Golden raisins contribute natural sugars, potassium, and small amounts of iron, but soaking them first reduces their glycemic impact slightly by rehydrating the fruit.
- Eggs provide high-quality complete protein and are the primary binder in this flourless-style cake, also contributing choline, vitamin D, and B vitamins.
- Amaretti cookies are made primarily from almonds or apricot kernels, offering a dose of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and vitamin E per serving.
- Buckwheat flour is a nutritious gluten-free grain that provides magnesium, manganese, and plant-based protein, making this cake more nutritionally dense than standard white-flour cakes.
- Marsala wine contributes a modest amount of resveratrol and polyphenols from its grape base, though much of the alcohol cooks off during the high-heat reduction step.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size1
- Amount per serving
- Calories420
- Standard DV% Daily Value*
- Total Fat9 g72 g12.5%
- Saturated Fat3 g20 g15%
- Trans Fat0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat1.5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat3.5 g
- Cholesterol85 mg300 mg28.33%
- Sodium115 mg2300 mg5%
- Total Carbohydrate75 g275 g27.27%
- Dietary Fiber5 g28 g17.86%
- Total Sugars52 g
- Added Sugars18 g50 g36%
- Sugar Alcohal0 g
- Protein6 g50 g12%
- Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)18 mcg20 mcg90%
- Calcium55 mg1300 mg4.23%
- Iron2 mg18 mg11.11%
- Potassium420 mg4700 mg8.94%
- Vitamin A180 mcg900 mcg20%
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)8 mg90 mg8.89%
- Vitamin E (Tocopherol)1.8 mg15 mg12%
- Vitamin K5 mcg120 mcg4.17%
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)0.1 mg1.2 mg8.33%
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)0.12 mg1.3 mg9.23%
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin)0.9 mg16 mg5.63%
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)0.12 mg1.7 mg7.06%
- Folate18 mcg400 mcg4.5%
- Vitamin B12 (Cobalamine)0.3 mcg2.4 mcg12.5%
- Biotin6 mcg30 mcg20%
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)0.4 mg5 mg8%
- Choline65 mg550 mg11.82%
- Phosphorus110 mg1250 mg8.8%
- Iodine8 mcg150 mcg5.33%
- Magnesium32 mg420 mg7.62%
- Zinc0.7 mg11 mg6.36%
- Selenium9 mcg55 mcg16.36%
- Copper0.15 mg0.9 mg16.67%
- Manganese0.6 mg2.3 mg26.09%
- Chromium3 mcg35 mcg8.57%
- Molybdenum8 mcg45 mcg17.78%
- Chloride90 mg2300 mg3.91%
