A SCD-Legal Cake
A slice of moist applesauce cake.
We have now been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) for two weeks. We have eaten more fruit and vegetables in the last two weeks than usual. Considering I always thought we ate healthy, we are really eating healthy now. Our plates look beautiful with so many different colors.
SCD fanatically avoids sugars and starches in order to heal your gut. Most of us have lost some weight, which is always a bonus. My kids are learning to drink unsweetened tea. They eat fruit when they want something sweet. The only “sugar” we can eat are monosaccharides like honey.
On the advice of one of my readers, I have about 60 pounds of honey in my pantry. Thank you so much, Beverly. She emailed me to let me know about her source for raw local honey. And, it is amazing honey! It looks and tastes different from the honey in grocery store. We absolutely love it.
Birthday season is going to kick off in the DeHaven household relatively soon. My oldest three children are beginning to make a wish list. One of their main concerns is “What cake can we have?” They are worried that we won’t be able to have cake and ice cream on their special day.
I have made Beverly’s recipe for brownies, which she graciously included in one of her comments to the article, “Looking For Advice.” They are yummy! Kyla liked them so much that she emailed me twice just to tell me she liked the brownies. (Yes, my daughter emails me even though we are together 24/7.) This almond butter brownie is a possibility for future celebrations.
But one of my sons was adamant, he wanted a cake complete with icing. So one afternoon, I decided to try making a cake. I read several recipes and developed one that was SCD-legal. My family was such huge fans of the cake that I am sharing the recipe with you. I am excited because it worked, but mainly because I see so many different flavor possibilities.
Applesauce Cake
2 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well, but do not overwork. Grease a 9″ cake pan and dust with almond flour. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes and remove to a cake rack to completely cool.
Whipped Honey Icing
1/2 cup honey
2 egg whites
In a saucepan, bring the honey to a boil stirring constantly. It is ready when the honey forms a ball in cold water. It takes about 4-5 minutes. While the honey is being heated. Put your egg whites in a bowl and begin beating them. Slowly add the honey while beating with an electric beater. The egg whites turn a creamy brown color. Beat until stiff peaks form. Ice a cooled cake.
You can make a nice design with the whipped icing. The cake is yummy and pretty. Everyone said they would be more than happy to have this cake on their birthday. We cannot have ice cream, but we can have frozen yogurt. Birthdays are not going to be so gloomy around here without sugar or starch. Knowing that makes the kids more comfortable with our diet.
I am looking forward to adding more spices like nutmeg and/or cloves to make a spice cake. Strawberry or pumpkin puree instead of applesauce. Unsweetened coconut flakes, walnuts, or pecans would also be good additions. The possibilities are endless.
Enjoy this recipe whether or not you are eating on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. It is gluten-free and dairy-free. It uses natural sweeteners like fruit and honey instead of granulated sugar. It is a delicious way to soothe your sweet tooth.
Thanks so much for this recipe. I tried it with just two minor changes:
I used half the honey (1/4 cup) and I added 1T apple cider vinegar to help it rise more. The cake was delicious. I made it for my godson’s First Communion in the shape of a cross and it was a HUGE success. I will post a picture later on this week. Anyways, thanks for this delicious recipe.
Great, Maria. I cannot wait to see a picture of the cake. It sounds beautiful. And, thank you for the tip on the apple cider vinegar.
Lara
Hi there, what an interesting recipe. I do want to eat more like you. Could you tell me where you got the blanched almond flour, can you grind it yourself? I have an old vita mix that still works well. God bless you. Renate
I purchase my flour from Honeyville Grain online. I purchase 25 pounds at a time; although, they sell it in much smaller packages. Their product is flour where some other like Bob’s Red Mill is too coarse and is meal. The meal does not yield results like the flour. I tried to make it myself, but made almond butter instead. However, I do not have a vita mix. I know that some people make it themselves. I am just not one of them.
I just ordered 25 pounds. They were offering a 15% discount and so my order came to about $4.00 a pound. Expensive for flour, but a great deal for almond flour. If you figure out how to grind your own, please let me know how.
Lara
I added 2tsp of the apple cider vinegar and used almond meal (which you can get from Bob’s Redmill), and it turned out fantastic! I also added raspberries to the heating honey, and it didn’t get stiff peaks (because of the added liquid) but it was delicious! I also added more spice: 1/2 tsp Cinnamon and Ginger, and 1/4tsp Nutmeg and ground Cloves.
Thanks for the recipe, it was a hit!
Excellent! Amorina, this is music to my ears. Thank you for sharing your success with me.
Lara
HI. JUst ordered from Honeyville. Thanks for the tip. Can you share the information about where to get bulk raw honey?
Thanks
My last purchase was from Rudy’s Honey in Livingston, Texas. It is great!
Lara