By: Susan Joy
This moist Lemon and Almond cake has a refreshing citrus flavour.
It’s ideal to serve for brunch, afternoon tea, or dessert. I’ve glazed the cake to give it a glossy decadent look. You can poke the cake with holes to allow the syrup to soak into the cake to give a delicious burst of extra flavour and a luscious texture. Serve with my Whipped Cashew Cream or vanilla coconut yoghurt.
Ingredients
- 3 cups almond meal/flour, (from blanched almonds)
- 2/3 cup arrowroot flour, or tapioca
- 2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 4 Lge egg(s)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil, (mild flavoured)
- 1/2 cup honey (unprocessed)
- 2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest, (grate zest before juicing the lemons)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (organic)
Glaze:
- 2 Tbsp ghee
- 2 Tbsp honey (unprocessed)
- 2 Tbsp coconut cream, (don’t shake can, take cream from top)
- 2 – 3 drops lemon essenial oil (edible), or 1/2 tsp lemon extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 160c (fan-forced). Line the base of a 20cm (8 in) springform cake tin with baking paper. Place your sheet of paper over the base and clip the sides closed, leaving a little hanging out for easy removal. Grease the sides with olive oil or coconut oil.
Add the almond meal, arrowroot, baking powder and salt to a food processor. Process the dry ingredients for 10 seconds to combine well and create a finer texture.
Add the eggs, olive oil, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla to the dry ingredients and process for 12 – 15 seconds until everything is well combined.
Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes. A skewer inserted should come out clean. The top will have a large crack around it (this will help the glaze soak into the cake), and the colour should be slightly golden, not brown.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then gently run a knife around the insides of the tin to loosen the cake. Release the sides of the tin and remove. Leave the cake to continue cooling while you prepare the glaze. It’s best if the cake is still slightly warm if you choose to allow the glaze to soak into it.
To Make the Glaze:
Add all the glaze ingredients to a small saucepan and heat on low while stirring until everything has melted and combined. It should only take a minute. The glaze should only be warm, not hot. Remove from the heat and let the glaze cool. It will thicken a little as it cools further, don’t chill, though. You still want it pourable so it can soak into the cake.
Gently remove the paper from the bottom of the cake while using your palms to support it, then place it on a serving plate. Optional: Use a thick skewer to poke holes all over the surface of the cake so the syrupy glaze can soak into it.
Spoon a third of the glaze over the top of the cake at a time to allow the glaze to soak into the cake. Spread with the back of the spoon. Repeat until all the glaze has covered the cake. Place in the fridge to help the glaze on top become firm.
Serve and Store:
Serve the Lemon and Almond Cake on its own, with my Whipped Cashew Cream, or with vanilla coconut yogurt.
Store in the fridge covered for up to 7 days, but allow to sit at room temperature before serving. Suitable to freeze, it’s best to slice before freezing.
Article supplied with thanks to The JOYful Table.
About the Author: Susan is an author of The JOYful Table cookbook containing gluten & grain free, and Paleo inspired recipes for good health and wellbeing.
Feature image: Supplied
