Easy, Healthy Cake Recipe (with lots of flavour variations)

Easy, Healthy Cake Recipe (with lots of flavour variations)

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Servings:

This easy, healthy cake recipe is your go-to for a light and fluffy dessert that’s naturally gluten-free and refined sugar-free. Whether you’re serving it up as a tea cake or topping it with syrup, this cake is versatile enough for any occasion and can be easily adapted to suit different dietary needs.

Ingredients

170 g almond meal (1¾ cup loosely packed)
170 g rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup (½ cup)
4 egg/s (large) at room temperature and carefully separated
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla -powder, extract or essence
½ tsp cream of tartar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (fan-forced). Grease a 23cm springform round cake tin well. Shake a little almond meal over the base and sides too to if you like to make it really non-stick.
In a food processor mix the almond meal, sweetener of choice, egg yolks, bicarbonate of soda, sea salt, and vanilla until well combined. If using a Thermomix blend 30 seconds, speed 4. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
In a clean and a completely dry food processor or bowl, whisk your egg whites. You are wanting to form strong peaks (like for a meringue). I generally do this by whisking it until it becomes foamy. If using a Thermomix butterfly inserted, 20 seconds, speed 3.
Then add the cream of tartar and whisk or beat until peaks form. If using a Thermomix butterfly inserted, 1½ minutes approx., speed 4. Stop beating as soon as strong white peaks form.
Gently fold half of the egg white into the almond batter. Fold in the remaining egg white and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked in the middle.
Remove the outer ring from the tin and allow to cool before removing the base.

Tip

Personally, I'm generally a throw it all in kind of baker. But by separating the egg white, you will achieve a much lighter cake. So I believe it is worth a little extra effort to beat the egg white. If you do have an egg white disaster or can't be bothered, you will just have a heavier, but still delicious cake.

Serve

With double cream or sour cream
With full-fat natural or unsweetened Greek yoghurt
For dairy free, serve with coconut yoghurt or cashew nut cream

Store

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

Low-fructose

Choose rice malt syrup as your sweetener.

Citrus cake

Add the zest of 2-3 oranges, lemons or lime to infuse that flavour into the cake. Once the cake is cooked, mix ¼ cup of juice with ¼ cup of sweetener over a low heat until combined. Pierce the top of the cake with a skewer a few times and drizzle over the syrup.

Tea cake

Brush the top of the warm cake with melted butter or coconut oil and top with a spice/sugar mix (equal parts of mixed spice and coconut sugar)

Syrup cake

Warm the sweetener of your choice and brush over the cake whilst still warm. Feel free to get creative and infuse it with and herbs or spices you like. I often heat the syrup with a few leaves of lemon balm or lemon myrtle from my garden and serve topped with berries and syrup (as pictured).

Chocolate cake

Add a tablespoon of raw cacao to the almond meal batter.

Almond-free

Replace the almonds with hazelnut meal.

As I test other flavour combos I will add to the variations above. Do you like this cake? Be sure to let me know by posting a comment below. I love hearing from you!