With so many wonderful Easter just around the friends and relatives with dietary exclusions or preferences, here is a recipe that is gluten free and dairy free. This recipe uses coconut sugar, which is lower is the glycemic index than refined sugars. Coconut sugar is also rich in
minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium. Unlike regular sugar, coconut sugar contains a fiber called inulin, which may slow glucose absorption and explain why coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index. Inulin is also beneficial as a prebiotic and helps the gut microbiome. Who would of thought this dessert had so many side benefits!! This recipe comes with a grain free option.
SIMPLE APPLE CAKE WITH COCONUT CREAM FROSTING
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 35-40 minutes
Preheat Oven: 350F, Tube pan or angel food cake pan
Ingredients:
1 cup of almond flour
1/2 cup of brown rice*
1/2 cup of coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of ginger powder
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1/2 cup of coconut sugar (preferably less- I actually use 90ml which is 1/4 cup+1/8 cup and find the sweetness just right)
2 apples, peeled and grated (HoneyCrisp, Pink Lady work best)
1/4 cup of coconut oil, liquid
3/4 cup of coconut milk or other non-dairy milk , room temperature
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
3 eggs, room temperature, separated
1 lemon, for juice
*GRAIN FREE OPTION: omit the brown rice and add 1 1/2 cups of almond flour.
Preparation:
You will need 1 large, 1 small and 2 medium mixing bowls.
Peel, remove cores and grate two apples into a small bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto the apples, mix in and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, brown rice, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger powder. Whisk together and set aside.
If using a non-dairy milk, squeeze the juice of the remaining half lemon into the milk. Stir and set aside.
In a medium bowl, using a blender on high speed, add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat on high till stiff peaks form. About 3-4 minutes and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, coconut sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on high until eggs look creamy and double in size, about 3 minutes.
Lower the blender speed to medium and slowly drizzle the liquid coconut oil while continuing to beat the egg yolk mixture.
Slowly add the coconut milk. Continue to beat at medium speed till mixed in.
Continue at medium speed and slowly add the flour mixture until combined. Don’t over beat. About 1 minute. You are done with the blender, the rest is mixed by hand.
Using a spatula, mix in the grated apple just until combined.
Add half the whipped egg whites to the mixture, folding gently with the spatula; add the other half and just fold over several times. Enough to mix in, but not so much so that you cannot see the egg whites.
Pour into a tube pan or angel cake pan lined with parchment paper and oiling the sides of the pan for easy removal. The consistency of the mixture will be dense so you will need to even out the mixture in the pan. evening out the cake mixture.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 35-40minutes checking for doneness with a toothpick. The toothpick should come out clean and the cake color should be golden brown.
Let cake cool for 10 minutes in pan. With the flat side of a knife, go around all the edges of the cake pan to loosen the cake, turn it over and place on a cooling rack.
When completely cooled, drizzle with coconut butter- cinnamon icing.
Coconut Butter-Cinnamon Icing
Prep: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tbsp of coconut butter, melted
1 tsp of cinnamon
4 tbsp of icing sugar
1 tbsp of cold water
Preparation:
With the coconut butter melted, add the cinnamon and icing sugar. Mix by hand with a fork; add the water and continue to mix by hand till creamy with no lumps. Using a snack bag,( or a piping bag), place the icing into the bag. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and gently squeeze the icing onto the cooled cake into a design of your choice.