Paleo Strawberry Snack Cake (AIP Friendly)

After experimenting with various ratios of wet to dry ingredients, I finally hit the nail on the head with today's strawberry snack cake recipe.  Of course, with the many years of restricted eating due to various complications from Chronic Lyme Disease, my taste buds are much more easily pleased than my families.  Therefore, in order to ensure that this cake was everything that I thought it to be, I had my parents and friends taste it many times.  My mother described the cake as being fluffy yet moist, with the perfect balance and texture like that of a regular cake.  In fact, unlike typical egg-free cakes, this recipe is far from being dense, with even a little spring in its rise. Truly, I could not be more proud of this cake, and I know that you will enjoy it just as much as my family, friends, and I did (yes, I even stole a slice). 

For the photos I chose to kept the layout simple, as I wanted to reflect just how easy to make this cake is.  Tigernut flour, which is made from the starchy tubers that grow at the end of cyprus grass in Northern Africa and Mediterranean, acts much like almond flour would in a given recipe, yet without actually being a nut.  On the other hand, I also used water chestnut flour (i.e. singonda flour in India), which again, is not a nut, but actually a flour that is very versatile and common in Indian and Asian cooking.  Of course, these flours are not yet in everyone's pantry, and if one never experiences health complications, they may never be.  However, despite the flours seeming foreign at this day and age,  I believe that the more that they are used, the more popular and "normal" they will become.  As always, someone has to start the trend somewhere, so why not let it be myself?

That being said, I do not have many notes on today's snack cake, as the ingredients listed resulted in truly the best version.  Sweet potato flour may do well in place of the water chestnut flour, and tapioca might be able to replace arrowroot, however, I cannot guarantee anything.  If you wish to make this cake completely fruit sweetened, use all apple sauce in place of the maple syrup.  However, if you have more of a sweet tooth and are not used to low-sugar baked goods, I would recommend replacing half of the apple sauce with maple syrup to ensure it is sweet enough to your liking.  In the end, this recipe is fantastic, as not only did the cake rise like any normal one would, but the flavor and texture was spot on.  Not only that, but much like all of my previous baked goods, it does not leave you with a sugar derived tooth or head ache.  Whether you have the ingredients to make this strawberry snack cake for Valentine's Day or not, I can ensure you it is worth making anytime, anywhere, regardless of the occasion.  

Strawberry Snack Cake 
Print Recipe
(Serves 6-8)
Cake Ingredients 

• 1 cup tiger nut flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour 
• 1/2 cup water chestnut flour 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp grain-free baking powder
• 1/8th tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup organic apple sauce
• 2 tbsp  maple syrup
• 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated palm shortening - melted 
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 gelatin egg (1 tbsp grass-fed gelatin mixed in 3 tbsp warm water) 
• 1 cup fresh strawberries - chopped 

Glaze Ingredients 

• 2 cups fresh strawberries - chopped
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp organic apple sauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/8th tsp sea salt

Process

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Grease a 6x2 inch cake pan and place upside down on a piece of parchment paper.
• Using a sharpie to trace the outside of the cake round onto the parchment paper, cut the circle with scissors, and place in the bottom of your greased cake pan.
• In a food processor, blend together apple sauce, maple syrup, and melted palm shortening.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together tiger nut flour, arrowroot flour, water chestnut flour, sea salt, and baking soda.
• In a small ramekin, stir together grain free baking powder, water, and lemon juice until combined.
• Add the mixture to the food processor, and blend until combined.
• With the food processor running, spoon on sifted dry ingredients until fully combined.
• Stir in chopped strawberry chunks and scoop batter into a parchment lined, 6x2 inch cake pan. 
• Place pan in preheated oven and bake 50 minutes until golden and pulling away from the baking pan.
• To make the glaze, place chopped strawberries, water, sea salt, and vanilla in a small sauce pan.
• Heat mixture on medium low until simmering, allowing to cook down for 10-15 minutes, until reduced to 1 cup. 
• Place 1/2 cup of the mixture in the food processor in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Allow the cake to cool completely (1-2 hours) until pouring the blended glaze over the top.

Recipe Notes

Avocado oil can be used in place of the melted palm shortening

Replace maple syrup with apple sauce for a completely fruit sweetened cake. 
If you do not have a 6x2 cake round, simply bake it in a loaf pan or bigger cake pan, adjusting the baking time accordingly. 

(Pin Post For Later) 

Psalm 63:3 "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you."