Best Gluten-Free Desserts
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Going gluten-free doesn’t have to be a bleak affair with our guide to the best GF sweet treats in town.
Scoff all you want, but gluten-free has officially crossed over into the territory of here-to-stay. Some of us indulge in it for health reasons, and some as part of a diet. Compared to other diets though, living a gluten-free lifestyle is no cakewalk (pun alert!) – especially when it comes to desserts. No blueberry cheesecake you say? The horror! Fortunately, there’s no need to start chewing your hair in frustration, because Delhi NCR has a ton of restaurants, patisseries and independent bakers who’ve answered the clarion call for gluten-free desserts.
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Owned by wellness consultant Jia Singh who is a celiac herself, this home-run bakery creates exclusively gluten-free desserts. You’ll find everything from cookies and muffins to cakes and breads on the menu. We couldn’t take our eyes or paws off of her sugar-free Carrot Cake (Rs 1,600 for 1 kg) with frosting and Low-Carb Banana Tea Cake (Rs 400) with coconut and honey. Who said cakes were out of bounds for a GF lifestyle?
Cheesecakes are strictly off-limits if you are on a gluten-free diet. Or is it? Organic food delivery service Zaza Box is bucking the trend by offering a gluten-free, dairy-free Mango Cheesecake (Rs 200) on their menu – it uses a buckwheat base and dairy-free cheese. If a cheesecake is not your thing (what!), check out the Gluten-Free Brownie (Rs 150) that uses organic millet flour and raw cacao.
Waitaminute – did you say paleo-friendly desserts? No kidding! For the uninitiated, a Paleolithic diet is one that’s dairy-free, gluten-free and steers clear of processed foods – essentially the diet of a caveman. Vidhi Gupta, who runs this delivery-only bakery, uses only nut butters, maple syrup and honey (instead of sugar), and organic coconut oil for her creations. Check out her Carrot Cake (Rs 1,650) and Chocolate Banana Bread (Rs 1,650). Going back to our ancestors’ roots has never before been such a delicious affair.
After sisters Kalyani and Sadhvi sampled a cake from the kitchens of Jamie Oliver, they had to come back home and replicate it. Voila! The recently introduced Dark Chocolate Nemesis (Rs 1,500 for 1.2 kg) is a flourless cake that uses premium Belgian chocolate and can be customised as per your needs.
Run by American expat Michelle Pike Kalsi, who believes in a wholesome diet, Georgia Dakota has a menu that will make you do a double take (Chocolate Zucchini Cake anyone?). Come September, and Michelle will be opening her own store in Vasant Vihar. For now though, she has only a few wheat-free options – the light and airy Warm Spiced Belgian Chocolate Cake (Rs 925) was our favourite. Admit it, you’re intrigued! She also does chocolate barks and glazed nuts.
The menu here – which changes every day – is entirely sans gluten. So if you’re gluten-intolerant, this is a heaven-sent. Started by sisters Mona and Sheetal Madan, the made-to-order, delivery-only service makes a mean Date and Walnut Cake (Rs 800 for 1 kg), plus dairy-free chocolate cakes, brownies and fig cookies. They even have a vegan cheesecake. Sooo good!
As the name suggests, Whisk A Wish is all about desserts tailor-made to your tastes. So if you want your dessert served pretty, unique and healthy, Tanya Gupta’s home bakery is a pretty good bet. She whisked our wish (couldn’t help it!) of Peanut Butter and Oats cookies (Rs 380 for 200 g) and Bliss Balls (Rs 200 for 100 g) – a bite-sized dessert made with dry fruits and maple syrup that’s also good for post-workout fixes.
We have some seriously talented bakers around! Ipshita Chakladar creates some wonderful cakes that are ideal for birthdays and weddings. She also has a few gluten-free options – Flourless Chocolate Cake (Rs 2,500), Hazelnut Chocolate Cake (Rs 3,000) and Almond Orange Cake (Rs 3,000) – where she uses nut meals instead of gluten-free flour. Her cakes were almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
What if you could order that sweet or cake you adore from anywhere in the country and have it delivered to your doorstep? That is, without having to put up an FB post imploring anyone who’s from another city to bring it along on their next trip to Delhi. Bangalore-based Place Of Origin, an online delivery store, will deliver authentic food from the places they originally belong to. Gluten-free chocolates all the way from Auroville? Sure can do. We are still lusting over the 65% Cocoa Roasted Cashew Dark Chocolate (Rs 560).
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The Hungry Monkey, Safdarjung Enclave
The Monkey has a gluten-free dessert that puts a spin on that beloved beverage – the falooda. Their Pistachio Semifreddo (Rs 375) comes with basil cress seeds, rose water infused falooda sev and frozen red currant sprinkled with caramelised nuts. Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds.
Maison Des Desserts, Hauz Khas Village
Here’s a place that always get their desserts right. You don’t need to skip the joint if you’re going gluten free though, but instead of the Pavlovas and Cheesecakes, just opt for the equally decadent Chocolate Orange Cake (Rs 1,500). Thoughts of this wonderfully moist cake are enough to make us drive all the way to HKV for a serving.
This lovely, home-style Parsi establishment, in addition to its delicious savoury dishes, makes absolutely divine gluten-free desserts. Don’t miss out on the Caramel Custard (Rs 225) and Lagan Nu Custard (Rs 225). It’s a wonderful way to finish a meal without weighing you down.
Elma’s Bar & Kitchen, Hauz Khas Village & Meherchand Market
We have long been groupies of this lovely little spot – be it for its cute little cutleries, great breakfasts or the rather impressive selection of cakes. GF folks can have their cake and eat it too – with the Chocolate, Apricot & Brandy Cake (Rs 300 per slice). That’s chocolate, apricot and brandy for you – what’s not to love?
When an elite fine dining establishment like Indian Accent starts including GF treats on their menu, you know we’re not dealing with a fad anymore. Although they have only one gluten-free dessert – Daulat Ki Chaat (Rs 595) that uses fresh tandoori figs – we would skip the main course altogether for this winner.
Image Courtesy: Tanya Gupta (Rustom's)
