Almond Cake with Strawberries.

Well hello! I am all back from vacation and in the groove of normal life. (Yes, that's me you hear weeping...).

Vacation was wonderful. I had an entire week chocked full of time with my (best in the world) family, 3 hour naps, walks on the beach, reading great books, eating awesome food, and just good ole down time. It was one of the best vacations ever. Exactly what I needed and in much abundance. The Lord provided me with a cleared and peaceful perspective on several areas of my life and I came back feeling refreshed and more like my normal self than I've felt in quite a while.  Everything about it was great and I'm so thankful I was able to do that. : )

Now to just keep that perspective and peace in the groove of "regular" life. That's the tricky part. Thank goodness the Lord gives abundantly to those who ask. : )

Well, now that vacation is over and work is in full gear -- Oh, yep. That's me weeping again -- I am trying to figure out how to keep blogging and eating (and working... and paying bills) with the change of seasons and change of my body's energy needs. Whenever it gets warmer, my body gets SUPER sensitive to foods. I can't eat much meat, my portion size decreases like crazy, I get nauseated every time I step outside (thank goodness for electrolytes!), and I RARELY want to turn on the stove. No, instead please just feed me smoothies and very cold water.

Since the weather hasn't gotten this bad yet, I figured I would make one last hurrah(!) cake before the oven becomes my enemy and the stove is Satan in disguise. Also, since strawberry season is coming to a close I thought it would be best to send off the spring season and say goodbye to the beautiful strawberry all at once. THIS beautiful cake did the trick.



My friend Sarah is a photographer. She is so kind, that she let me borrow a  (legit) camera to shoot my photos for this post. She is teaching me a few things here and there and I can already tell a difference as previously I've been using my iPhone (I'm sure you can tell... wah waaaaah.) But I definitely have alot to learn. This is just the begining and hopefully my pictures will improve!






Anyway, enjoy the pics and make this cake. It's fabulous. The almond flour gives it a denser and nuttier flavor but the coconut whipped cream and strawberries give it an airy effect. The combination of all three is just fantastic.




I got the recipe from The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. It is without a doubt one of my favorite books and has the most beautiful photography. If you don't already have it then you need to fix that ASAP.  Trust me, you won't regret it.


Almond Cake with Strawberries

Slightly adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen
Coconut Whipped Cream from MyNewRoots
Serves 8 -10 


Almond Cake:
3 flax eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup sprouted spelt flour
1/4 cup muscovado sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract*
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Line with parchment. 
2. In a bowl mix flax eggs, honey, yogurt, almond and vanilla extract and coconut oil/ghee. 
3. In another bowl, sift the flour, almond meal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and pour batter into the greased and lined pan. 
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until done. (I love the toothpick test).
6. Let cool completely. 

Coconut Whipped Cream: 
1 can Coconut Cream (or 3 cans coconut milk, fat separated from the water)
1/4 cup whipped honey
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract OR 1/4 tsp almond extract

1. Chill coconut cream (or milk) in the fridge to solidify. If using milk, let it solidify and separate the fat from the water. Use the fat, save the water for other dishes and/or smoothies. 
2. Once chilled, whip coconut fat with honey and vanilla. 
3. Let whip cream sit in fridge for 30 minutes.  

To garnish:
Sliced strawberries (let sit in their own juices for a bit at room temperature)
Sliced almonds, toasted

To assemble: 
Place the cake on a cake stand and center it. The cake is delicate so be careful. Top with the chilled coconut whipped cream, leaving a border of the cake showing. Spoon the strawberries onto the coconut  cream, towering them a little in the center. Then sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Serve.

*Sprouted Kitchen used 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg and gave the cake a gingerbread affect. This was fabulous! However, in the spring I think almond extract would be perfect here!

This is fantastic with some spicy hot tea.

Hope you enjoy!
Anne