Sensible Strawberry Cake

It takes a certain je ne sais quoi* to appreciate a cake like this. It might better be called "Cornbread with Strawberry Jam Bites" as it has about the same amount of sugar in the batter and is just slightly crunchy from the almond flour.

For those of us who love cake, however, it's a Dream Come True. Low sugar, gluten free, no dairy except butter, and quickly prepared in a stand mixer.

This recipe is adapted from the Smitten Kitchen website. Everyone loves Smitten Kitchen, but even she said her recipe had too much sugar! Most cakes that don't have to be white in color can get by with the boost of flavor in coconut sugar even if the amount is only half a cup.

So for a sensible summer treat, maybe say yes to the flip flops, but definitely no to the extra sugar!

My Paleo Marin: 3.5 Persimmons

Ingredients:

Image from Califia website

3/4 cup almond flour
3/4 cup gluten free flour, preferably Cup4Cup
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature + extra for pie plate or cake pan
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg

1/2 cup almond milk, preferably Califia
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or extract

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 tablespoon coconut sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10" pie plate, or a 9" springform cake pan.

1. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the butter (chopped into small pieces) and the sugar. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the egg, and mix.

4. Add the almond milk and vanilla. Mix until just combined. Fold in the dry ingredients.

5. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread it out with a knife, and place the cut strawberries around the top. Sift or sprinkle the coconut sugar on top to caramelize strawberries.

6. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F. For a 10" pie dish, bake for 40 minutes and check with a wooden skewer to see if cooked through. For a 9" pan, check at 45 minutes, and leave until skewer comes out clean, up to another 15 minutes.

7. Cool the cake on a rack. Serve, or add Coconut Whipped Cream. Store at room temperature for 1-2 days; can refrigerate for another day or two. Bring to room temperature to serve.

*"je ne sais quoi" = French for "I do not know...".

#paleo-inspired #strawberries #cake #almond #coconut #glutenfree #almondmilk

My Paleo Marin Rating 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.