Apple Cider Cake

This time of the year we can get organic apple cider by the gallons and who doesn’t love that? We buy 2 gallons at a time, not only to drink but also to cook (and bake) with. This week, I wanted to make a cake that was not ONLY gluten free but also top 8 food allergen free. The fun part of this recipe is not using refined sugar because when it comes to baking, sugar has a role in maintaining the structure of the cake. I finally got it right (after 3 tries) and instead of using white sugar or other sugar substitutes, I opted for some simple organic maple syrup. The result was a lightly sweetened fluffy cake that had a hint of apples and cinnamon. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think?

XXOO,

Jenny

Apple Cider Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground organic cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
5 Tablespoon of avocado oil (or another vegetable oil of your choice)
1/4 cup of organic maple syrup
3/4 cup of organic apple cider
Organic oil spray (to be used to lightly oil the pan).

Directions:

In a cup, combine the maple syrup and apple cider together.
Lightly spray your cake or bread pan with oil…just a little to keep from sticking.
Sift TOGETHER all the dry ingredients (this includes the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt) into a bowl.
Then make 3 wells in your dry ingredients (see picture).
Place into the wet ingredients into your wells in the following order: oil (well 1), apple cider/maple mixture (well 2) and then the apple cider vinegar (well 3).
Combine the wet ingredients to dry ingredients GENTLY until you get a smooth batter. DO NOT OVERWORK OR BEAT THE BATTER, the risk will be that you will remove all the wonderful bubbles created by the vinegar and baking soda…this means a super dense cake!
Gently pour into your 6 in. cake pan or standard bread pan and let it sit (approximately 10 min), while you go pre-heat your oven to 350 F. Note: You can even use a 9 in. glass pie dishbut this will lead to a thinner cake and shorter cooking time.
I like to put plastic wrap over the pan while it rest and then remove before baking.
Once your oven is heated to 350 F, place your cake in the middle rack and bake for 25-35min depending on the type of pan you choose. I always recommend that you use the “toothpick test”. This is when you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out smoothly…it is done.
Let this beautiful gluten free apple cider cake cool before cutting and you can serve as is or with some vegan whip cream…YUM!