

No flour? No problem. Try these recipes for delicious sweet bakes
Almond, polenta and oats are the home cook’s best kitchen friends when plain and self-raising flour are hard to find
For those of us summoned to our kitchens by lockdown, baking has become a welcome pastime with rewarding results. Now, I don’t consider myself much of a baker, but my scales have never been busier than in recent weeks. I have made no fewer than five double batches of Alison Roman’s tiny salty chocolatey cookies, Anna Jones’ rhubarb biscuits, Milli Taylor’s now famed brown butter banana bread, Rosie Birkett’s rhubarb and white chocolate blondies, Rachel Roddy’s almond tart, and her ricotta and lemon cake.
It’s been a journey of ups (see above) and downs, which range from the physical aspect – although no one’s seeing me below the shoulders, so whatevs – to the various shortages: first eggs, now flour, which has rendered all of the above impossible. What to do without a free-flowing supply of plain or self-raising? Well, plenty of things actually; in ingredients such as ground almonds, polenta, oats and coconut, the baker not only finds an effective stand-in for flour, but a distinct flavour profile and a whole new world of textures. Broaden your kitchen horizons with this baker’s dozen of flourless fancies from our archive.
Felicity Cloake’s perfect sticky orange cake (pictured above)
The definitive version of an all-time classic (incidentally) gluten-free cake. Nothing not to love.
Jeremy Lee’s almond cake with strawberries and cream
This French pain de Genes cake, a buttery, vanilla-laced almond sponge, with summer fruit alongside, shows that cake makes a handsome dessert: the proof’s in the pudding.
Thomasina Miers’ raspberry, cardamom and almond cake
Almonds, sugar and yoghurt conspire for an ideal crumb: slightly chewy on the outside, and gorgeously soft within. Raspberry, rosewater and cardamom are, quite literally, the icing on the cake.
Claire Ptak’s gluten-free brownies
Rice flour is the secret weapon here, says royal-wedding baker Ptak, because it creates a rich body: finer than polenta, coarser than plain flour, and it complements the flavour of the almonds beautifully.
Jeremy Lee’s polenta cake with lemon curd
Polenta and lemon are natural partners. This takes their union to the next level with a homemade lemon curd. Not a recipe for those experiencing egg shortage, however.
Nigel Slater’s polenta, apricot and marsala cakes
Fairy cakes for grownups! This sophisticated lineup of ingredients – with the bite of polenta and boozy kick of marsala – belies the simplicity of the recipe.
Rachel Roddy’s chocolate and almond cake
Inspired by an Anna del Conte recipe, this almond-based number from our resident Roman is as suited to 11am with tea as it is to 4pm alongside espresso. If you add orange zest, it has something of Terry’s Chocolate Orange about it, she says.
Nigel Slater’s sweet oat cheesecake
Pure comfort food: a bowl of sweet, creamy porridge in dessert form. The toasted crust topping brings out the very best in the oats, too.
Liam Charles’ coconut bread pudding
The coconut gives this twist on a bread and butter pudding some extra body – and the flavour of sunshine. It’s intensely spicy, slightly boozy and demands plenty of cream on standby.
Thomasina Miers’ chocolate and chestnut cake
A gloriously squidgy, flourless chocolate cake – awarded its lightness by the eggs – was originally a festive number, but its ingredients and appeal are both, surely, timeless.
Anna Jones’ choc chip cookie power bites
Loaded with chia, oats, pumpkin seeds and nut butter, these turn chocolate chip cookies into a healthy option – sort of. Find a good plant-based chocolate and they’re vegan-appropriate, too.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s plum, apple and cornflake crumble
This will make you wonder why you’d not thought to use polenta and cornflakes in a crumble before... or indeed why you’ve never had crumble for breakfast.
Tamal Ray’s chocolate and pistachio macaroons
Just seven ingredients reward you with these rounds of chocolate-flecked goodness, their chewiness owing to the dream team of nuts – pistachios and almonds – and sugar. They can be prepped and cooked in half of your lunch break, too.
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