gluten free by nature — casein, soy and entirely almost sugar free…

Happy Thanksgiving! I realize it is the morning of – and most of you have already chosen your turkey day dessert. However, for any of you last minute recipe hunters – this one is a winner. It’s a cross between a cake and a pie. And it’s so good in fact that I ate some for breakfast this morning with a cup of green tea. I grew up in New England so cranberries are near and dear to my heart. They are chock full of antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C.  These little berries are also anti-bacterial (as they are extremely effective [in 100% juice form] against urinary tract infections). The tartness of the  cranberry is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the apple. And it’s so moist. This is a very quick and easy recipe so you can toss everything together and still have time to devote to the remainder of your dinner preparations. Side note: I’ve received a comment that this cake  came out a bit dry using Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour mix (containing bean flour). You definately do NOT want to use bean flour with this recipe – it dries it out considerably.

1/2 cup walnut oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 eggs
2 tblsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
1 cup whole cranberries
1 Braeburn apple, peeled, cored and diced
3/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place oven rack in the middle/center of the oven.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, eggs and agave. Whisk to combine until thick and bright yellow – about 20 turns. Add applesauce and vanilla and stir. Finally, stir in the cranberries and apple. Set aside.  
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, almonds, baking powder, salt, and spices. Give it a whirl or 2 with a clean whisk. Pour dry ingredients into wet ones. Stir with a  wooden spoon until well mixed.
4. Oil your baking dish and then place some parchment paper on top of the oil. Smooth out the paper to remove any air bubbles. Side note: If you’re going for presentation on a lovely cake plate – use a 8″ or 9″ springform pan – removing it from the base will be a cinch. If you’d like something more “cobbler” style, feel free to use something different.
5. Place dish in the oven and bake for 50 minutes – until the center of the cake is set.  Let cool 10-15 minutes or so.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 10am and is filed under baked goods, cakes/cookies, desserts, holiday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.