This cake is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, but delivers the same richness as any rustic French cake. 

If you love French regional cakes, add this one to your list! A favorite of French home bakers in the Fall, this cake recipe relies on walnuts to create a rich-tasting, yet fairly light cake.

Along with good-quality walnuts, it includes staple ingredients such as eggs, sugar, brewed coffee and cornstarch – which you likely already have on hand. I love its simplicity, yet it delivers a satisfying texture and rich flavor thanks to the walnuts. 

Unlike American or British walnut cakes – which are often covered with frosting – this French version is simply finished off with an icing of sugar and coffee. This makes it a considerably lighter version, well suited for an afternoon snack. 

Since this cake recipe includes no flour, nor butter (a rare occurrence in France cakes!), it is also gluten-free and dairy-free. 

About « Noix de Grenoble » 

Traditionally used in this recipe, Noix de Grenoble (translating to Grenoble walnuts) are harvested in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of France. It is said the local alpine climate, with cold winters, naturally protects the fruits and provides fresh water, producing the highest quality walnuts. Grenoble walnuts are prized for their incomparable flavor and tender texture, leading to them being commonly used all throughout France.

In 1938, the AOC (controlled term of origin) was given to the Grenoble walnut, later replaced in 1996 by an AOP (protected designation of origin). This labels certifies the walnuts are produced within a strict geographical area limited to only select French departments along the Alpine Isère Region Valley and held to high-quality standards (size, irrigation, harvesting, etc.). 

The local cooking repertoire is naturally walnut-centric, with the Gâteau Grenoblois being perhaps the most famous specialty, along with the walnut caramel tart – a recipe you can find in my cookbook: Rustic French Cooking Made Easy.

Shopping for Walnuts

Outside of France, Noix de Grenoble are harder to find, but a few specialty stores sell them. So if you do spot them, make sure to grab some. They will likely be pricier than other walnuts, but worth the splurge. 

However, if you opt for “regular” walnuts (often referred to as English), I assure you this cake will still taste delicious! 

You can buy whole nuts or shelled nuts (more convenient); although do know the latter tend to go rancid quicker. Whole nuts can be kept up to 6 months at room temperature. Shelled nuts should be kept in the fridge and will last up to 3 months. 

How to grind the walnuts? 

For grinding the walnuts, or nuts in general, a food processor is recommended. Place the walnuts in the processor and pulse, 2 seconds at the time, until they are evenly ground. Stop when the walnuts are just ground enough and do not use the process button (only pulse). A long process time will make the mixture oily. 

Cooking Tips & Substitutions :  

• Use pristine equipment. When beating the egg whites, make sure you are using a bowl and beater that are perfectly clean. Egg whites tend to refuse to whip if they encounter any residual fat or even if there are tiny amounts of egg yolk.
• Fold, don’t stir. When folding the egg whites with the walnut mixture, use a large rubber spatula and be gentle. The important thing is not to stir, but fold. In small additions, carefully place a portion of the egg whites on top of the walnut mixture and fold it in by using a flipping motion. Stop when the batter is just uniform – do not overmix. 
• For a healthier version of this cake, you can skip the icing. Also do know the icing helps preserve the cake longer. With no icing, enjoy the cake within 2 days. 

How to store this French Walnut Coffee Cake

• Chill it. After making (and enjoying) this cake – if you have any leftovers – you can cover it with plastic film and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Don’t freeze it. I don’t recommend freezing this cake. The texture is delicate, and the cake will likely get soggy/mushy when thawing. 

I hope you’ll love this French Walnut Coffee Cake (Gâteau Grenoblois) as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment. 

More French cake recipes you may like: 

• Classic French Apple Cake
• Chestnut Cream Cake (Gâteau Ardéchois)
• Lemon Yogurt Poppy seed Cake
• Classic French Chocolate Moelleux Cake
• Classic French Pear Cake

French Walnut Coffee Cake

Print Recipe

Serves: 6-8 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 4 voted )

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (250g) whole walnuts
5 medium eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 tbsp (30ml) strong brewed coffee
2/3 cup (100g) cornstarch
For the icing:
1 1/2 cup (150g) icing sugar
2-4 tbsp (30-60ml) strong brewed coffee
Extra whole walnuts, for decorating

Instructions

Step 1 – Grind the walnuts and set aside. Make sure to keep 6-8 whole walnuts for decorating the cake.

Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C) with a rack in the middle. Grease a 8” or 9” circular pan with butter (or dairy-free alternative) and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 2 - Separate the egg whites and yolks in two different large baking bowls. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until fluffy and lighter in color. Add the brewed coffee and whisk to combine. Add the cornstarch and whisk until incorporated.

Step 3 - Switch to a spatula, and incorporate the ground walnuts. The batter will be rather thick and sticky.

Step 4 – In a separate and clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to a stiff peak. With the spatula, fold 1 scoop of the egg whites into the walnut batter to loosen its texture. Then, add about ¼ or less of the egg whites and fold gently. Stop mixing when just incorporated. In three or four more additions, fold in the rest of the egg whites. The batter should be airy and “jiggly”.

Step 5 – Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is puffy and the center is set. Transfer onto a cooling rack, let cool completely and remove from the pan.

Step 6 – Prepare the icing. In a small bowl, combine the icing sugar with 2 tablespoons (30ml) of brewed coffee. Mix until smooth. Add more coffee – 1 teaspoon at a time - to thin out the icing. The icing should reach a thick syrup consistency. Pour the icing onto the cake and smooth it out with a spatula or the back of the spoon.

Add whole walnuts atop for decoration. Let the icing set for 1 hour at room temperature before serving. 

The post French Walnut Coffee Cake (Gâteau Grenoblois) appeared first on Pardon Your French.

Olive oil cakes are deeply anchored in Mediterranean baking traditions, and France is no exception. I actually remember one of the first cakes I ever made on my own as a child, being a simple olive oil cake with orange zest. It was easy to achieve and resulted in a delicious, simple cake, with big flavors. And still today, I definitely think a good olive oil cake is a must in one’s baking repertoire. 

Beyond traditions and big flavours, olive oil cakes are possibly so popular because of their versatility and countless variations – which makes it easy to make one for every season. For winter, I would go for a chocolate olive oil cake (a recipe I still have to share on this blog). But today, in the midst of Summer and on the verge of stonefruit season, I opted for Apricots as the perfect jewels to shine in this simple cake. I also used almond milk (instead of yogurt, which is often used in French recipes) for the cake to remain dairy-free.

The herbacious aroma of the olive oil melds beautifully with the eartiness of the ground almonds and sweetness of the apricots. The crumb is tender and moist, adorned with a slightly crackling top.

Simple and etheral, it is a perfect cake for warm-weather gatherings. I topped mine with crushed pistachios, but a dusting of powdered sugar would have been great too.

Cooking notes:

• The fruits – This dairy-free Olive oil cake is versatile and can be adapted in many ways. It works amazingly with apricots, with any other stone fruits (ie. peaches or plums) and any other fruits really (ie. apples or pears). Use fresh fruits only – no canned or frozen fruits, as they would release too much liquid, which the cake’s delicate crumb won’t be able to cope with.
• The Olive Oil – Using a good quality Olive Oil will give you greater results for this recipe (even though I realize not everybody can afford using premium olive oil on a daily basis). You can opt for Extra Virgin Olive Oil for big fruity notes or Olive Oil for a lighter taste.

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 60 Minutes 60 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 6 voted )

Ingredients

3/4 cup (150 g) sugar (+ 1 tbsp, for topping)
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (190 ml) almond milk (or cashew/coconut milk)
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil, plus more for pan
1 tbsp almond extract
1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (75g) almond flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Large pinch of sea salt
6 apricots, halved and pit removed

2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios, for topping
Powdered sugar, for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line a 9-inch cake pan with a circle of parchment paper at the bottom and brush sides and bottom with a bit of olive oil.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and zest together with your fingers, until the sugar feels moist. Whisk in the eggs, almond milk, olive oil and almond extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the liquids into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top the cake with the halved apricots – make a pattern by arranging the fruits shoulder to shoulder, in a circular motion and overlapping slightly (insides facing up). Sprinkle the top of the cake with the 1 tbsp of sugar and 1 tablespoon of chopped pistachios.

Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Once cooled, cover with the chopped pistachios and a dusting of powdered sugar.

If you try this Apricot Almond Olive Oil Cake recipe let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram.

Bon Appétit!

The post Apricot Almond Olive Oil Cake (Dairy-Free) appeared first on Pardon Your French.

So when I opened my friend Marie’s new cookbook “Simply Citrus “ and spotted this Coconut Lemon Bars recipe – described as a delicious, dairy-free, exotic variation of the timeless classic –  (and with no meringue topping!), I simply knew I had to try it.

And, although for some French bakers making a butter-free crust may sound like blasphemy, I honestly did not miss the dairy at all. 

I have been following Marie’s blog Food Nouveau for a while now and I simply love her approachable tone and easy-to-follow recipes. So far, I haven’t tried one of her recipes that did not turn out absolutely perfect (which is a huge positive for me – one that makes me want to revisit one’s blog over and over again).

Just two weeks ago, I made her textbook Banana Bread recipe for the first time; and yes indeed, it gave me THE perfect Banana Bread (you have to try it!).

“Simply Citrus” will be released on March 6^th, 2018, and Marie was so kind as to send me a copy as a preview. It is a great book – bright, colorful, beautifully-photographed (by the talented Catherine Côté), and full of fresh looking, delightful recipes.

I have already spotted a few of my soon-to-become favourites, including a Mile-High Lemon and Mascarpone Crêpe Cake and cute little Sesame Kumquat Financiers (I will definitly try these ones next, as soon as I can get my hands on kumquats.)

Following the aura of her blog, Marie’s recipe for these Coconut Lemon Bars was easy to follow and made every step flow naturally one after the other.

The addition of shredded coconut in the crust offers a delicate crispness and the coconut oil builds a delicate richness that balances with the tartness of the lemon notes. The filling is perfectly-textured, smooth yet firm, and not-too-sweet. Surprisingly in France, bakeries offer lemon pies on the sweeter side – which I am not a huge fan of – but this filling was spot-on. 

Cooking notes

• For serving, Marie garnishes the bars with toasted unsweetened shredded Coconut. I have used (untoasted) unsweetened shredded coconut and placed a nice slice of toasted coconut on each bar (just because this is what I had in my pantry). 

If you try this Coconut Lemon Bars recipe let us know! Leave a comment or share a photo tagging @pardonyourfrench or @Foodnouveau on Instagram. 

Bon Appétit!

Coconut Lemon Bars

Print Recipe

Serves: 12 bars Prep Time: 1 hour + 2 hours 1/2 (for cooling) Cooking Time: 30-38 minutes 30-38 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

Crust
3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut
1⁄3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄4 cup melted coconut oil

Filling
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of kosher salt
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon
zest (about 1 lemon)
3⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

To serve
Powdered sugar
Toasted unsweetened shredded Coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper, letting it overhang on two sides (this will make it easier to pull the squares out later).

Crust - In a medium bowl, combine the flour, coconut, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir the oil into the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Place the dough into the prepared pan, and firmly press down all the way to the sides. Bake the crust until it just starts to brown around the edges, 15–20 minutes.

Filling - In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until each one is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the lemon zest and juice; whisk until the mixture is completely smooth. Pour the filling over the hot crust. Bake until the filling is just set, 15–18 minutes. The filling should start to turn golden around the edges, and the center should be a bit jiggly (it will firm up as it cools). Let the squares cool completely to room temperature, and then refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting.

Just before serving, dust the bars with powdered sugar and garnish with coconut.

Recipe from Simply Citrus by Marie Asselin, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith. Pre-order the book and get a free eBook by filling out the form after you place your order.

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