Introduction: Yummiest Ever, Moist Almond Berry Cake: Gluten/Cane Sugar/Dairy Free

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About: Making things inspires me. When I'm in a creative space I feel really alive, whether I'm painting a portrait or renovating a kitchen, and learning new things from the generous example of others inspires me eve…


I've been experimenting with this recipe for a while now, trying variations on a theme, and seriously guys, this one takes the cake! In every way.

I haven't managed to get all of the photos up yet, but wanted to share this recipe because its the best so far.

Ingredients

¼ cup rice bran oil
¼ cup margarine
1/2 cup almond meal
½ teaspoon bicarb soda
¼ cup palm syrup or maple syrup or mix of the two
1/3 cup palm sugar or fructose
2 large eggs or 3 smaller ones
1 tablespoon vanilla (alcohol free)

1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup frozen blueberries or raspberries

Step 1: Preparation


Preheat oven to 180 degrees. This is a low enough heat not to dry your cake out inside, and high enough to get a nice crispness to the outside if you like that by leaving it in the oven an extra few minutes.

Very important: test your eggs to make sure they are fresh enough to cook with. Put them in a glass of water and see if they float. If they do throw them away being careful not to break them or you could have a very smelly kitchen. Rotten eggs fill up with hydrogen sulfide which causes them not only to be supremely odoriferous, but to float, which is handy because you don't have to crack them to see if they will stink you out.

Melt oil and margarine in sauce pan. When melted remove from heat. Add palm syrup and palm sugar. Add almond meal and stir well. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until shiny and smooth.

Cut together with a knife or fork, or if you have time, sift these ingredients:

1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add the flour mix to the batter. Mix well by stirring with a wooden spoon, til there are no lumps.

Add 3/4 cup (more or less to taste) of frozen (or fresh if you have them available) berries and stir in quickly. My absolute favourite for this recipe is blueberries.





Step 2:

Spray your pan with a light oil coat to aid removal, unless you have a nice non-stick flan pan you can use. The larger the pan, the thinner the cake and the less time it will need to cook through. For this recipe, a round cake pan with a diameter of around 10 inches will produce a cake about 2 inches high at the middle, with any luck, cooked for

Pour mixture into pan. Set oven timer for 15 minutes. While it's baking, lick the pan and spoon. This really is the best bit, but you can't just eat the whole cake batter without baking an actual cake. No, really, you can't. Trust me on this one.

Do not over bake. At 15 minutes check to see if it's getting done by gently touching the top with your finger, if it springs back, then insert a butter knife. If it comes out clean, or with a hint of moisture but no 'batter' then it's going to be cooked just right. If there is batter still on the knife, bake another 3-5 minutes before testing.

Cool, then remove from the pan by slipping a flexible knife or spatula around the edges and underneath a little at a time. If you are using one of those flan pans with the removable bottoms its a bit easier. Place on a suitable serving platter and eat. I find it will store in fridge for 5-7 days but it can get a little soggy after that, so best to eat it all before then.

Enjoy!