A healthy cake alternative

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Almond-coconut cake

Hello and welcome to our monthly recipe. Today I have a nice, tasty recipe for you. It is my modified Almond and coconut cake. I substitute a few ingredients for healthy alternatives, and it still tastes divine.

Just like I did in last month’s recipe, I used coconut sugar in this one, so it will give it that dark brown colour instead of light brown colour. This cake is also gluten-free so even better for your gut health.

Almond-coconut cake

Ingredients

180g (1 ½ cups) almond meal

70g (2/3 cup) desiccated coconut

1 cup coconut sugar (reserve a little bit of coconut sugar to use as icing to dust your cake)

30g flaked almonds

¼ tsp salt

200g butter unsalted

4 Eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp bicarbonate soda (optional if you want your cake to rise) you can also use baking powder but the measurement changes to 2 tsp.

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180º Celsius (fan-forced) * See note below. Line your tin (20cm) with baking paper. If you use baking paper, you do not have to grease the tin. You can also use a 25cm tin.
  2. Place butter in a pan and melt over the stove (low heat).  Keep checking and stirring with a wooden spoon. Once butter is melted, allow to cool slightly.
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and beat until combined (I use an electric beater, but you can also use a stand mixer if you have one).
  4. Add the almond meal, desiccated coconut, salt and coconut sugar, bicarbonate soda and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
  5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
  6. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top and bake for 50-40 minutes or less until the cake is cooked. Use a skewer or fork and pierce the middle of the cake.  If the skewer comes out dry, then the cake is ready. If the skewer is slightly wet, lower the heat to 150º. 
  7. I set the oven to 180º to warm it, then lower it to 170º to cook the cake, when I can smell the almond, I lower it to 150º.

Once your cake is ready, take it out of the oven straightaway and allow it to cool in the pan at room temperature but when you take it out of the oven cover the tin with foil paper until it cools down. This keeps the moisture in the cake and stops it from getting dry.

Once cake is at room temperature sprinkle icing sugar and chia seeds (optional) on top and enjoy with some Acai berry ice cream or coconut Ice cream.