Winter Wonderland Raspberry Lemon Bundt Cake w/ Lemon Cream Frosting (GF) (DF)

New research shows that if you know ahead of time what you're having for dessert, you tend to eat a more sensible meal. Another study finds that if dieters eat dessert after breakfast, it “might help you lose more weight—and keep the pounds off.”*

If you care to test out these results, here’s a reduced-sugar cake recipe with a cascading glacier of fresh raspberries and lemon cream frosting. Even if you're not dieting, it's a beautiful and delicious treat.The cake will keep in the fridge for up to five days and freezes well.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4.8 Persimmons

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

To make the gluten free cake flour:
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour minus 5 tablespoons of the flour, preferably Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour
5 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder

8 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature, preferably Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread for non-dairy
8 oz. non-dairy cream cheese spread, at room temperature, preferably Daiya Plain Cream Cheese Style Spread

1 teaspoon baking powder (slightly heaping)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cane sugar (add 1/4 cup increments more for personal preference, but there is also sugar in the frosting; the original recipe called for 2 cups in the cake!)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons gluten free flour, preferably Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour

For the Frosting:

4 oz. non-dairy cream cheese, room temperature, Daiya Plain Cream Cheese Style Spread
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Toppings: Fresh raspberries, fresh lemon zest

Directions:

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Generously butter a bundt cake pan; add gluten-free flour to cover the inside and shake to remove excess flour. Set aside.

1. After removing 5 tablespoons of the 2 1/2 cups of gluten-free flour, add 5 tablespoons of arrowroot power. Whisk, and sift the mixture 6 times. Measure out the flour again to equal 2 1/2 cups.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl and electric hand mixer), beat the butter and cream cheese spread on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the sugar and turn up the speed to medium high. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest and lemon extract until just combined.

4. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, until each is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the flour mixture about a cup at a time and mix. Set the bowl aside.

5. In a small bowl, cover the fresh raspberries with the 2-3 tablespoons of gluten free flour and toss with a spoon to coat overall. Fold the raspberries gently into the batter with a rubber spatula until just combined.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake mold. Bake for about 65 - 75 minutes until a wood skewer comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the mold on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove the cake and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack.

For the Frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or electric hand mixer and bowl), beat the cream cheese spread and butter until the frosting is smooth. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add in the confectioner’s sugar until combined. Add the salt, lemon extract and lemon juice until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and beat for about 1 minute.

To assemble the cake:

1 Place the cooled cake on a serving plate. Cover the cake with the frosting (I added more frosting after the photograph). Sprinkle fresh raspberries on top of the cake and sprinkle fresh lemon zest over the top.

2. Serve individual slices with additional raspberries. The cake gets better over time in the fridge for about a week. Leftover slices do well in the freezer.

#paleo #cake #bundt #raspberries #lemon #glutenfree #dairyfree #nondairy #nutfree #mothersday #easter #holidaycake #Cup4Cup #Daiya #buttercream 

*From an online article by Adam Bornstein entitled “Why Eating Dessert on Your Diet is Pretty Much Necessary for Losing Weight" here. I heard the results of the first study on the radio (BBC? NPR?) and am unable to locate the source.

Original recipe adapted from the Baker By Nature website here.

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.