Maple Glazed Cake (Paleo)

This cake is so yummy! The original recipe came out of an ancient Mexican cookbook that called for lots of sugar, butter and of course, the always dreaded all-purpose flour. And since I normally try to avoid foods that make me look pregnant, I knew I had to recreate the recipe so it can be a well-deserved treat next week.

I replaced the all-purpose flour here with blanched almond flour. Typically, almond flour cannot replace flour in recipes 1:1, so I included small amounts of tapioca starch and coconut flour to round things out a bit.

The best part (for me) is the maple glaze - it is so easy, it may also be easy to walk away and forget about it until the house is filled with smoke and what is left in the saucepan is nothing but charred sugar. Not that this ever happened to me, I swear.

Maple Glazed Holiday Cake

4 organic eggs, separated
1/2 cup palm shortening (or ghee), melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the pan
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut sugar
pinch of salt
2/3 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 tablespoon coconut flour

For the glaze:

2 tablespoon ghee
1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cake pan well and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add the cooled palm shortening and vanilla and mix well. Mix in 1/4 cup coconut sugar and beat again, until smooth and creamy.

In a larger bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until the eggs are frothy. Continue to beat while adding the remaining 1/4 cup coconut sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. I used a stand mixer for this. Then using a spatula, fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture and carefully mix until it is well blended.

Sift the almond flour, tapioca starch and coconut flour in another bowl to combine. Slowly sift about 1/3 of the flour blend over the egg mixture and fold in. Repeat 2 more times with the rest of the flour blend until it is all combined. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes and remove from the oven. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully unmolding onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

To make the glaze, add the ghee and maple syrup to a small saucepan and bring to a hard simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and let the glaze mixture boil for 3 minutes. Allow the glaze to cool slightly, but while still warm, pour over the cooled cake.

*Note: if the glaze cools too long and hardens, it can be gently rewarmed until it is pourable again.

Comments

Slow Cooker Menudo (Real Food, Paleo, Whole30, AIP Friendly)

Menudo , or tripe soup, is a traditional soup commonly served on a Sunday morning. It is considered labor-intensive since it requires a very long cooking time, so it started the night before any plans to eat it, or made for special occasions. Due to its nourishing collagen-packed broth and mineral-rich protein, it has a cult following for those wishing to get rid of the Saturday night hangover! I remember my dad being the one prepping the tripe at night and I remember someone getting up during the night at various times to check on the pot of soup bubbling on the stove. I also remember becoming a teenager and deciding I no longer would eat organ meats! So I even gave up on all the other delicious ones, like tender beef tongue and beef cheeks. I also happily gave up the ones I never liked - like liver and mushy brains. Yes, brains...... As an adult, I decided being an adventurous eater was much more fun and I incorporated liver back in my diet. And I realized that the liv

Easy Instant Pot Beans (Real Food, Wapf, Vegan)

I recently started making beans on a regular basis for my family and I remember now how much of a comfort dish this is. Best of all, it is one of the easiest dishes to make at home. Beans are a legume prized and eaten all over Mexico and, along with maiz, is usually served on a daily basis. According to experts, there are possibly 200+ types of edible beans grown in Mexico, with beans being cultivated close to 7 thousand years ago. And they were so valuable, that the Aztecs asked for them as tribute payments. Legumes, like grains, are super easy on the family budget and they can provide quality nutrition when prepared properly. Beans are generally high in minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and iron, they also contain phytic acid - basically an anti-nutrient. Phytic acid binds to minerals, like calcium and iron, and prevents the body from absorbing them. Diets heavy in phytic acid can lead to developmental delays in children, tooth decay, brittle bones, malnutrition and

Water Kefir Agua Fresca, Two Ways (Paleo, Real Food)

Mexico is the land of aguas frescas. Agua fresh, literally means fresh water, and it refers to traditional fresh fruit and/or veggie drinks. Aguas frescas are usually single-ingredient drinks, such as an agua de limon (a lime-ade), agua de pi ñ a (pineapple) or my favorite: agua de tamarindo (tamarind drink). And some aguas are simple combos such as a lime and cucumber agua fresca. Interestingly, the lime and cucumber flavor is usually made with nutrient-dense chia seeds and is recommended for a healthy digestion. Walk down most streets, especially those around or in the town square, and you may find a vendor or two serving a variety of aguas frescas out of huge glass containers. The drinks are then served in a plastic baggie with a straw, which is great while exploring the town! During market day or special event, vendors multiply and make it hard to choose between tables of colorful options! I spent three weeks in Mexico last month and indulged in a lot of agua fresca.

Holistic Instincts

Search This Blog