Matcha Mug Cake

March 17, 2015 By Becky 17 Comments

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Matcha Mug Cake (Paleo, Gluten-free) | acalculatedwhisk.com

You’re less than ten minutes away from a scrumptious, grain-free matcha mug cake! It’s paleo friendly, dairy free, and sweetened with honey or maple syrup.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I made you a matcha mug cake. It’s not at all Irish, but at least it’s green!

I was excited to make something green for St. Patty’s Day, but I don’t like to use artificial coloring in my food. Since I had my heart set on making a dessert, using spinach or kale as coloring agents didn’t seem very appealing. Matcha was the perfect solution.

Ingredients for Matcha Mug Cake (Paleo, Gluten-free) | acalculatedwhisk.com

If you haven’t discovered matcha yet, I highly recommend it! It’s just very finely ground green tea leaves, so it has a bit of caffeine and all the great antioxidants contained in green tea. The flavor is hard to describe, but it’s exotic and a bit earthy. Matcha is delicious on its own in desserts, but also pairs well with chocolate. I’ve made this matcha mug cake with and without chocolate chips and still can’t decide which one I prefer.

Cinnamon Hazelnut Date Cake

January 26, 2015 By Becky 30 Comments

The humble date is much more delicious and versatile than one might guess based on its appearance. Dates are appealingly sticky and sweet, and their complex flavor makes you think a few aromatic spices like cinnamon and allspice may already be inside the fruit.

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I had the pleasure of perusing Ros’ blog, The more than occasional baker. As someone who also tends to fire up the oven more than occasionally, I was excited to see all the fabulous baked goods on her site. From classics like chocolate peanut butter squares to innovative treats like parsnip cake, her blog has it all.

As soon as I spotted this cinnamon date cake, though, my mind was made up. A beautiful Bundt cake sweetened with dates and flavored with cinnamon sounded like just the thing for a snowy January weekend, and it was!

For this recipe, you pit a bunch of dates and soak them in very hot water. (The pitted dates look just like hearts, so I had to stop and take a few photos. Looks like I’m in a valentine’s mindset already!) The soaked dates and then blended into a paste in the food processor so they can permeate the batter with moisture and flavor.

Grain-free Cranberry Orange Bread

November 21, 2014 By Becky 10 Comments

My family doesn’t have a well-defined set of Thanksgiving traditions. Growing up with divorced parents, I often divided my time between two Thanksgiving dinners, having the main meal at one house and dessert at another. Things always felt briefly desolate as I was shuttled between the two under the cover of early nightfall, but a slice of pie (or three) put an end to that pretty fast. And I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on spending time with either of my families.

My mom and I usually had dinner at a friends’ house, and didn’t have to do much of the cooking. (I don’t think either of us has ever roasted a whole turkey, unless she did a bunch of turkey-roasting before I was born and neglected to tell me about it.)

Maple Apple Spice Cake

October 20, 2014 By Becky 16 Comments

My boyfriend doesn’t like things made with apples, pumpkin, or squash, so fall is kind of a hard time for us. I’m all like, “It’s time to apple-pumpkin-squashify all the things!” and he’s all like, “Oh, it looks like there’s some bread over there for toast.” Literally, he had toast for lunch the other day. I could not even get him to try a bite of this butternut squash soup with fried garlic and chili oil.

I’ve been a paleo food blogger for long enough that I feel like a little bit of a failure when my boyfriend has toast for lunch.

Things are going a little bit better on the apple front, though, because Ben really liked this cake. Unless you’re the one to stir the grated apple into the batter, which would be a pretty major tipoff, you probably won’t know that there’s any apple in it. It does help make the batter extra moist, though, kind of like the zucchini in zucchini bread, and also adds a little more sweetness.

Fried Banana Brownie Cake with Honey Whipped Cream

May 26, 2014 By Becky 50 Comments

It was my birthday on Saturday, and I had an amazing day. I started the morning by opening the present Ben got for me, which was a Kitchen Aid stand mixer! I’ve wanted one for years, and finally feel like I count as a real food blogger now that I own one. I haven’t used it yet because I have need to clear a special spot for it in the kitchen, but I’ve been peering into the box every few hours and just kind of smiling at it. After opening my mixer, I met up with a friend to go for a run, and then went home and moved a bunch of furniture and hung pictures with Ben. (Our landlords have been renovating our apartment, so we have a lot of rearranging to do. One secret about me is that I love organizing things around the house, even though I put it off like crazy and almost never do it. I am not at all sure why I dread it so much, because once I get started I really enjoy it. So, oddly enough, moving furniture and hanging pictures was one of my favorite parts of the day.)

My mom, Ben, and I went to dbar for dinner, which is within walking distance of our apartment and is one of my favorite restaurants ever. Pro tip: it starts gradually turning into a nightclub around 10 pm on Friday and Saturday. I’ve never been able to convince anyone to stay with me for that phase, but we got to witness the beginning of the transformation last night: one of the waiters walked by, casually pushed a button on his bracelet, and made a screen drop from the ceiling. No big deal.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

April 14, 2014 By Becky 53 Comments

This grain-free lemon olive oil cake is easy to whip up and is perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s my go-to paleo cake recipe!

Passover starts tonight, and if you have your big seder this evening, I realize I may be getting this dessert idea out too late. However, it never hurts to have a delicious kosher for Passover snack cake on hand for days 2-8, right?

This grain-free lemon olive oil cake would also be perfect for Easter–since I celebrate both holidays, I’m planning on making this again next weekend and dressing it up with some eggs and/or bunnies.

This cake is delicious: moist, tender, and perfectly lemony. I couldn’t taste the olive oil, but I think it adds some hard-to-pinpoint depth to the overall flavor of the cake, and it’s nice to know you’re baking with a healthy, dairy-free cooking fat.

The glaze is cashew-based, but I worked hard to make honey and lemon the prominent flavors, so I think people who don’t know cashews are the main ingredient won’t be able to figure it out.

I’ve made this lemon olive oil cake countless times for dinner parties, birthdays, and all manner of holidays, and it never fails to please. No one can tell that it’s gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and paleo friendly, and everyone is surprised to hear it’s made from extra virgin olive oil. I hope you’ll give it a try!

Chag sameach and happy Easter, if you’re celebrating one of those holidays, and happy (finally) spring if you’re not.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Name: Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons lemon juice*; 1/4 cup honey; 1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for 1-2 hours and drained; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; Pinch of salt; 1 tablespoon lemon zest*; 2-3 tablespoons water (or more as needed); 2 1/2 cups lightly packed almond flour; 3/4 cup tapioca starch; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup honey; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup lemon juice*; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 3 eggs; 1 tablespoon lemon zest*

Yield: 10-12 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This grain-free lemon olive oil cake is easy to whip up and is perfect for feeding a crowd. It's my go-to paleo cake recipe!

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups lightly packed almond flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice*
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest*

For the glaze:

3 tablespoons lemon juice*
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for 1-2 hours and drained
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest*
2-3 tablespoons water (or more as needed)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and thoroughly grease a large (12-cup capacity) bundt pan with olive oil. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
To make the cake, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together all the wet ingredients and the lemon zest in a medium bowl or two-cup measuring cup. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until well-combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and put the pan (along with the baking sheet that's underneath it--this is just for ease of transport) in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out almost clean (a few small crumbs are okay, but no goo). Cool for about 30 minutes in the pan, then carefully run a thin knife around the inner and outer edges of the cake to loosen it. You can try to invert it onto a plate at this point if it seems loose, but it might need a little bit more cajoling. If it does, place it in the freezer for 30-40 minutes, then dip the bottom of the pan into a bowl of very hot water for about 30 seconds. Invert the cake onto a plate, and it should slide right out.
To make the glaze, combine all ingredients in your blender, or in a large bowl if you plan to use an immersion blender. Process until smooth, adding water as necessary to achieve a pourable consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake (I transferred my glaze to a ziptop bag, snipped off a corner, and drizzled it on from the bag). Slice and serve!

Notes

*I got enough juice and zest for both the cake and the glaze from two lemons, but I'd recommend having a third lemon on hand just in case.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 pieces Serving Size: 1 piece
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 167mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 25gProtein: 8g

The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.

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Molten Chocolate Cakes (Paleo, Gluten-free)

November 14, 2013 By Becky 11 Comments

These molten chocolate cakes are ridiculous! They are rich, adorable, and delicious. They’re the kind of dessert that seems so fancy that it doesn’t occur to you to make it at home. Guess what, though? These little cakes are super easy. Spend 15 minutes or less throwing the ingredients together and 15 minutes waiting for them to bake, and you’ll have four perfectly-portioned, restaurant-style desserts. Can you think of a better way to spend half an hour on a dark, cold evening? I know I can’t.

My favorite part about these is all the different layers of chocolatey textures. The outer edges are crispy, and right next to that is a layer that goes from chocolate cake to gooey brownie as you move toward the center. Finally, there’s the lava–the decadent heart that gives this dessert its name. To be honest, it’s all almost too much. ALMOST. I recommend serving these with a little whipped cream or ice cream to balance out the rich chocolate flavor. I had mine with some vegan pumpkin ice cream, and it was perfect.

These cakes are adapted from Taza Chocolate, and inspired by my visit to Taza’s Day of the Dead celebration a few weeks ago. I also used my new favorite Rodelle extracts in this recipe. If you don’t have chocolate extract, don’t worry–your cakes will still be very chocolatey without it. That being said, you should probably pick some up. It’s really fun to have on hand.

I used a tablespoon of Jamaican rum in this recipe. You could also try red wine, which is what the original recipe calls for. Since the center of the cake is not fully cooked, some alcohol might remain after baking. If that’s not your thing, you can use a tablespoon of coffee instead, which will also intensify the chocolate flavor.

I substituted my three favorite gluten-free flours (almond, tapioca, and coconut) for the all-purpose flour in this recipe, and the resulting cakes tasted pretty much exactly like their gluten-laden cousins to me. This is an ideal recipe to make gluten-free since it calls for such a small amount of flour relative to the total quantity of ingredients. That means that if you’ve been wanting to try gluten-free baking but have been worried your desserts would turn out funny, this is a great place to start! Try serving it to some unsuspecting guests, and I bet they won’t notice a thing.

Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Ganache (Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

October 21, 2013 By Becky 10 Comments

Ben and I celebrated the two-year anniversary of our first date yesterday. In addition to being an important relationship milestone, I thought having an anniversary was a great excuse to bake. I asked Ben what dessert I should make for our special day, and he said, “Why don’t you make a cake?”.

It was such a brilliant idea, not only because cakes are the most majestic of all the desserts, but also because I have not posted any cakes on this blog yet. I’ve posted lots of cupcakes (too many, some might say), but no actual cakes.

I set off in search of a great paleo chocolate cake recipe to use, since I haven’t really made any paleo chocolate cupcakes that I could adapt (although these muffins came pretty close). When I found this recipe from Zenbelly Catering, I could tell it was a hit from the dozens of raving comments. Food blogs are the best! Try to find that many (or any) reader responses to a recipe in an actual print cookbook.

All those readers were right–this is an awesome cake! I made a few changes to the cake recipe, including adding some coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor. Don’t worry, the cake won’t taste like coffee (or coconut, or almonds–the flavor is pure chocolate!).

For the ganache, though, I wanted to try something a little different, so I added peppermint extract. If you don’t like mint and chocolate, you can just leave that out. Ben and I both loved it, but we are the kind of people who drink hot chocolates with peppermint schnapps all winter long. (Is it time for those yet? Almost? They are basically the only thing I like about cold weather).

I wanted to make a whipped cream filling as suggested in the original recipe, but my coconut cream didn’t have enough time to set up in the fridge. Make sure you click on over to the original recipe if you want to try the cream layer for your cake–it sounds amazing! I’m all over that for our third anniversary, or the next time another cake-worthy occasion comes along.